On top of displaying information next to each of the guards, there were more buttons at the top left of the map. Lucas clicked on the first one, “Training.” It had several different levels of training programs that he could purchase for his guards and soldiers. The first one, which was currently selected, was “Minimal.” The next one up was “Basic Training,” and it required 5 Territorial Income to institute. On top of the 5 Territorial Income, it also had a note that it would take two hours of in-game time to implement. After the Basic Training was “Fundamental Techniques,” and that particular upgrade required 10 Territorial Income, four in-game hours, and for his guards to already have undergone the Basic Training program.

Lucas only had 10.6 Territorial Income, and he had been wanting to save it, but he decided to just go ahead and confirm the upgrade after seeing how poorly his guards were performing. When he checked on the guards again, he saw that there was now a new set of numbers next to each of their stats that was one higher than the previous number along with an arrow pointing toward the new number as well as the word “training” underneath. One point might not seem like a lot, but it’s still a 20 percent increase in their total combat abilities. His monthly Territorial Income dropped from 10.6 to 5.6 after the purchase, but Lucas was satisfied with the changes.

There were various levels of equipment that he could purchase to outfit the guards with, and they included practically everything imaginable. There were even dozens of types of armors from the basic cloth and leather to the fanciest plate mail. Each item detailed exactly how it would affect the guard or soldier that equipped it, and it was then further broken up into different levels of quality, ranging from crude, iron, steel, and high-quality steel. The crude version had the note “Attack -1” next to it, letting Lucas know that it would drop his guards’ overall Attack Value by 1. The iron sword was neutral, and the steel sword would increase the user’s Attack Value by 1. Upgrading the equipment cost varying amounts, but the system would actually pay Lucas if he swapped to lesser-valued gear. Finally, there was a note that said, “Higher-quality versions require new supply chains or a better blacksmith,” indicating that he could further improve his soldiers’ gear if he met the requirements.

The last tab was listed as “Dungeon Modifications” and only contained two options: Fake-Floor Spike Trap, a five-foot square section of floor that would give way when two people stood atop of it and would send them to their doom on a series of spikes, and a Fake-Loot Dart Trap, which was a small chest designed to shoot darts everywhere when opened. The Fake-Floor Spike Trap cost 20 Territorial Gold, and the Fake-Loot Dart Trap came at the cost of 25 Territorial Gold. Both were astronomically high based on his available funds at the moment, but Lucas has a sneaking suspicion that either would have been more effective than his current guards, given their abysmal ratings.