Landlord World - Start with SSS talent-Chapter 344: We should surrender.

Austin flinched the moment he saw Noan.

At that moment, Noan was clad in a black robe, surrounded by a strange layer of violet energy that made it impossible for either Austin or Caleb to see his face clearly.

Noan extended a hand, lightly tapping Austin’s forehead with one finger. Immediately, the energy within Austin’s body stabilized rapidly.

"Ha... ha... ha..." Austin panted, feeling as if the energy inside him had surged significantly—he couldn’t help but feel bewildered.

"Master, what just happened to me?" Austin asked, confused.

Noan looked at him and calmly said, "Nothing serious. You’re just about to level up."

"Level up?" Austin’s eyes lit up. "Master, are you serious? I... I’m about to level up?"

"That’s right." Noan nodded slightly. "It was inevitable—I just didn’t expect you to reach your limit this quickly. Still, you’ve got a long way to go before your breakthrough. You’ll need to put in more effort."

"Yes, Master!" Austin replied excitedly, unable to contain his elation.

Noan, on the other hand, was less thrilled. He hadn’t expected Austin to reach the point of leveling up so quickly.

’Two days... no, maybe three. Still, that’s too fast,’ Noan thought to himself. ’Could it be... Austin is a Fate Holder as well?’

He shook his head, not wanting to think too deeply about it. Whether or not Austin was a Fate Holder no longer mattered.

If he was, even better—it meant Noan had a piece with enormous potential in his grasp.

Noan turned to Caleb, frowning slightly as he asked, "What’s the situation?"

"Ah!" Caleb snapped out of his daze, withdrawing his envious gaze from Austin and quickly replied, "Master, everything is going quite well."

"The rank D Lords seem to be struggling with the freezing temperatures, the snow, and a lack of food, so they haven’t been able to mount a swift attack on this area."

"Many rank D Lords have attempted to attack, but all of them were defeated by the Skeleton army."

Noan nodded, clearly understanding the current situation was in his favor.

After all, Skeletons were undead monsters—they didn’t fear the cold, hunger, or even death.

They were tireless war machines.

Combined with the fact that Noan had evolved them to a higher rank and equipped them with superior gear, those rank D Lords were nothing more than ants before his Skeletons.

He frowned, staring into the snowstorm ahead, deep in thought.

Austin and Caleb stood silently, not daring to interrupt.

"How much longer until the event ends?"

Upon hearing Noan’s question, Caleb quickly responded, "About one more day."

Noan, upon hearing that, compared the remaining time of the event displayed in his system with the time he had been away.

"It seems... there’s still quite a bit of time left, but I can’t afford to wait that long." Noan muttered.

"Follow me..."

Hearing Noan’s words, both Austin and Caleb were a little startled. Caleb asked in confusion, "Master, where are we going?"

"Hunting..."

...

Maisy sat on a chair, her body trembling slightly from the cold. The other Lords sat around a fiercely burning fire, but the warmth did little to relieve them.

"Captain, if this continues, we’ll all freeze to death," a young man spoke up.

Maisy glanced around at everyone—their faces were flushed red, bodies slightly shivering from the cold.

Even though the fire in the center of the room was blazing, every breath they exhaled turned to visible white mist.

The temperature had likely dropped below minus 30 degrees Celsius.

What was even more frightening was that the temperature was still falling—and signs indicated that another snowstorm was approaching.

Maisy frowned. "How much food do we have left in reserve?"

"About that..." a woman spoke up. "Captain, I’m afraid our supplies will only last another two days at most."

"The snowfall is too thick. All the vegetation has died, and not even animals or monsters are showing up anymore."

"Many Lords have gone mad from hunger and started eating their own soldiers."

"Over 70 Lords have died from starvation and cold. Another 14 were killed heading toward the event site. We’re down to around 240 people now."

Maisy furrowed her brow, crossed her legs, and folded her arms across her chest. The usual gentle expression and confident smile were gone—replaced by worry and unease.

The atmosphere was so heavy, it felt like everyone in the room could barely breathe.

At first, they thought that fighting against a bunch of rank F and E Lords would be a breeze.

But none of them expected those Lords to be so incredibly powerful.

Especially the Skeletons—they didn’t seem like ordinary undead. Their overwhelming strength made even rank D soldiers and Heroes no match for them.

Even Maisy’s own rank C Hero had nearly been wiped out.

That Hero was now gravely injured and recovering in a hidden location.

Now, no one knew what they could do to fight back.

"If we just sit here worrying, we’ll end up letting the enemy win this event and take control of the ’Resource Production Center’," Maisy spoke up.

"Losing that place means certain death for us. If not from starvation, then from the cold."

"Right now, we only have one option—fight with everything we’ve got. Gather all the Lords and launch a full assault."

"If we win, we live. If we lose..."

Maisy didn’t finish her sentence, but everyone in the room shuddered with fear.

After all, they were like greenhouse flowers—given some strength and the status of a Lord, and immediately protected and pampered.

Back in the city, they lived in comfort and safety, never having to endure the harshness of weather like this.

That’s why, when faced with death and the brutality of nature, their mental resilience quickly crumbled.

"Captain, is there a way we could negotiate with them?" a trembling woman asked.

Maisy frowned. "What do you mean..."

"Captain, I mean... maybe we should surrender. As long as—"

BAM!

"Nonsense!" a young man slammed his fist to the ground and shouted, "Surrender? Are you stupid? We’re rank D Lords—why should we surrender to those low-ranked Lords?"

"You’re the stupid one." another man retorted. "Can’t you see how desperate the situation is already?"

"Low-ranked Lords? Then can you beat them? Can you take down those Skeletons?"

"How much longer can you go without food, enduring this extreme cold?"

"You..." The first young man clenched his teeth, his face red—whether from anger or cold was unclear. "Even if I die, I’ll never surrender to those lowly Lords."

"Take a good look at yourself." the woman scowled. "Do you even have any other choice right now?"

"He’s right." a third man spoke up. "We failed because we scattered our forces."

"If we gather everyone together, I refuse to believe that over 200 rank D Lords could lose to a bunch of low-ranked ones."

"You all..."

"Enough!" Maisy finally spoke. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a commanding presence that stunned everyone into silence.

"You’re all right," she said, her tone carrying exhaustion and frustration. "We are rank D Lords—we shouldn’t be lowering our heads to those beneath us."

The two young men who had opposed surrender smirked in satisfaction at her words.

"However..." Maisy continued, "this situation is different. Those Lords may be low-ranked, but they’re not weak."

"On the contrary, they’re very strong. Just one Skeleton army of theirs has already defeated us, and even my rank C Hero was heavily injured."

"That proves they’re not afraid of us. If we stay idle, once they’ve taken the Resource Production Center, we’ll be their next target."

"Then what should we do, Captain?" someone asked, voice filled with worry and a shiver from the cold.

Maisy sighed, her eyes scanning the room, weariness in her gaze.

"I think... we should surrender."