Stepping out from the depths of the forest, Li Kainan soon discovered a man-made path.
He followed it for a while.
Before long, a small village with a distinctly medieval style appeared ahead.
The village sat deep within the forest. In the distance, wooden and stone houses were scattered in an orderly fashion, their aged structures showing clear signs of time.
It was noon.
Thin strands of smoke rose slowly from chimneys, gathering and drifting above the village.
Looking at the surrounding farmland, it clearly wasn't the busy farming season.
And yet, smoke still rose at midday.
That meant one thing—
The villagers here lived fairly well. At the very least, they could afford three meals a day.
This was obviously a peaceful and prosperous village.
Not exactly the best place to recruit troops…
But definitely a place where money could be made.
…
And just at that moment—
A petite girl suddenly appeared on the path ahead.
She wore a bright red velvet cloak and carried a basket, walking with light, cheerful steps.
At the same time—
A striking system marker appeared above her head!
Immediately, a notification popped up in Li Kainan's vision:
[Notice: You have encountered an important story character — "Little Red Riding Hood, Brittany"!]
[To prevent communication barriers from affecting your interaction, the system grants Trait: "Language Mastery" (You can communicate freely with people from any nation!)]
[Successfully recruiting this character into your harem will grant generous rewards!]
——————
[Notice: You have encountered ******…]
[To prevent ******** from affecting ********… Trait granted: "Language Mastery"]
[Successful ******** will yield generous rewards!]
The system panel was still partially glitched.
But Li Kainan had already made up his mind—
This was a war system.
And he had basically figured out the mechanics of this task.
The red-cloaked girl in front of him was clearly a key early-stage NPC with her own storyline.
As long as he successfully recruited her and brought her under his command, the rewards would be substantial.
So even though she looked young—
She was very likely a starter-tier core unit to help him get through the early phase.
Thinking this, Li Kainan narrowed his eyes slightly and began to examine her more carefully.
The girl had fair skin, a petite figure, and delicate, lively features.
Her expression was pure and innocent—completely untouched by the outside world.
But…
Her proportions were a bit… excessive.
As she walked, bouncing lightly step by step, her chest moved in a way that was hard to ignore—like she was carrying two lively rabbits.
Li Kainan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Judging from her gait, this girl had never trained in any kind of combat.
Not a combat-type unit.
And honestly—
She wasn't suited for it either.
With a small frame but such a high center of mass, she would easily lose balance in a fight.
Most likely a high-potential special NPC.
The kind that needed to be developed rather than used directly.
With that thought, Li Kainan activated the beginner skill he had just received:
Insight Eye.
[Brittany (?)]
Green name.
Friendly unit.
But that was it.
Only her name was displayed.
No attributes. No stats.
Li Kainan frowned slightly.
Not showing loyalty before she pledged allegiance made sense.
But even so—
A skill like this should at least display some basic stats, shouldn't it?
This "Insight Eye"… felt pretty useless.
…
While Li Kainan was observing her—
The girl had already noticed him standing by the roadside.
After all, he was impossible to miss.
Clad in ornate armor and wearing a bright crimson cape, he looked every bit like a noble knight from legend.
Brittany stopped walking.
She glanced at him, then quickly lowered her head.
He doesn't have attendants… but he looks just like a noble prince from the stories…
After hesitating for a moment—
This innocent, naive girl still politely performed a small curtsy.
"Greetings, my lord."
It wasn't Chinese.
But Li Kainan understood it perfectly.
Clearly, this was the effect of Language Mastery—complete communication without barriers.
Even if she was just a young girl, she was still a key NPC tied to a storyline and recruitment.
So Li Kainan naturally had to act with proper courtesy.
He raised a hand and lifted his visor.
Revealing his already handsome and sharp features—now enhanced by an extraordinary charm—he gave her a warm smile.
"Hello there."
For Brittany—
This was the first time she had ever seen someone like him.
So handsome.
So refined.
So full of presence.
She had grown up in this quiet, peaceful village, completely sheltered from the outside world.
Her personality had been shaped into something almost foolishly pure.
She had no real sense of danger when it came to strangers.
And now—
Faced with Li Kainan's overwhelming charm—
Her guard completely collapsed.
Someone so noble, so handsome, so knightly—
How could he possibly be a bad person?
…
Li Kainan, of course, wanted to trigger her storyline.
So he took the initiative to suggest traveling together.
Brittany's face flushed slightly.
Without any hesitation at all—
She nodded.
…
Along the way, Li Kainan casually struck up conversations.
And this naive girl answered everything he asked without the slightest suspicion.
She wasn't wary in the slightest.
Without much effort, Li Kainan gathered a large amount of information from her.
Brittany's parents were alive.
She also had a grandmother who loved her dearly.
Their whole family had always lived in this small village deep within the forest.
The village itself wasn't large—just a few dozen households.
Because there was no lord above them collecting taxes, the villagers lived quite comfortably.
And the reason Brittany had left the village today—
Was because her family had asked her to visit her grandmother.
Her grandmother lived alone outside the village and had recently fallen ill.
As for the world beyond the village…
Brittany didn't know much.
She had only heard from her grandmother that this place was called the Repp Forest of the Kingdom of Capet.
Hearing this—
Li Kainan immediately understood.
The reason this village appeared so peaceful and prosperous—
Was precisely because it had no lord above it.
For years, they had hidden deep within the forest, living in isolation—
Cut off from the outside world.
Peaceful. Self-sufficient.
Completely ignorant of everything beyond.
If he wanted real information about this world—
Brittany wasn't enough.
He would have to meet her grandmother.
…
Li Kainan's gaze shifted slightly.
It landed on the bright red velvet cloak she was wearing.
Brittany had mentioned earlier—
It was a birthday gift from her grandmother.
A velvet cloak of that quality…
Was not something an ordinary villager could produce.
Which meant—
Her grandmother was definitely not simple.
Most likely a guide-type NPC for early-stage worldbuilding.
Or—
A key figure required to unlock Brittany's storyline.