Chapter 6: The City-Building Set

Pointing at the four items, Raymond spoke calmly, “These are all village-standard items at level two. For a low-level assignment like yours, you would normally only receive a level one manor set. However, since you discovered an unripe alternate world this time, I took the liberty to give you a village-standard set. You won’t be this lucky next time. If you want to upgrade your city from a village to a town, or even to a city, metropolis, or capital, you’ll need to complete various advancement tasks.”

Having said this, he ignored any change in Li Mingxing’s expression and picked up the black box.

When the box was opened, Li Mingxing saw that it was divided into two layers, each with eight compartments. The upper layer contained miniature models of different mines, each labeled to denote wood, stone, crystal, mercury, gem, sulfur, gold, and a special resource—eight basic resources required for city building.

The lower layer’s eight compartments were empty, but both layers had numbers marked on the edges of each compartment.

Seeing Li Mingxing’s confusion, Raymond explained, “This is called a resource box. It automatically collects the output of mines within a certain range that belong to you. The one I’m holding is mid-tier, with a range of about five hundred square kilometers—enough for a town-level city.

But remember, there are two difficulties in using it. First, the mines you want to collect from must be occupied and staffed by your people. Second, the box must be kept in the city hall. If someone steals it, all collected resources inside will be taken by them as well.”

Li Mingxing’s first thought was how much this resembled a game; his second was that it seemed to encourage heroes to rob each other’s resources.

Yet Raymond had no time for Li Mingxing’s feelings. Putting down the resource box, he picked up the scroll and the purple crystal.

“These two are actually a set. The scroll is the city design blueprint. I know you’re from the Eastern faction, so I’ve prepared an Eastern-style blueprint for you. If you don’t like it, you can exchange it with me for a Western or another style—only the appearance of the buildings will differ, all public buildings can be constructed regardless. As for the troop training grounds, that will depend on what rewards you can earn from me.

This crystal is called the Heart of the City. It provides energy for the blueprint, and allows you to project your city onto a location you specify on the strategic layer. When designing your city, it’s best to do so area by area to ensure all functions are included.

Of course, the Heart of the City’s projections are limited. This one can only be used five times, but you can obtain more by completing tasks, so you don’t need to worry about running out.”

Raymond placed the scroll and crystal in Li Mingxing’s hands. After carefully inspecting them, Li Mingxing set them aside, watching as Raymond picked up the last item.

Raymond spoke, “You should have seen this before. This is used to help you build your city—slaves. A manor only requires one hundred slaves to function fully, a village needs two hundred and fifty, and with mines and factories needing laborers as well, I’ve prepared five hundred for you.

However, there are two things you must pay attention to. First, once you choose a type of slave, you must always use that type; you can’t switch, so don’t pick a rare one, choose a type that is easily mass-produced. Second, since they are slaves, if no one supervises them, they’ll work slowly. You can promote slaves to overseers, but there’s a limit to the number of overseers you can have.”

After finishing his explanations, Raymond said no more, simply watching as Li Mingxing examined each item.

Once Li Mingxing had calmed down, Raymond smiled and pulled out the torch still stuck in the ground before him. “Now you can start building your city. Soon you’ll understand why I made you watch the torch for nine days and nights.”

With those words, Raymond lifted the torch and slashed down heavily. Instantly, the space split open on both sides, and Li Mingxing and Raymond stepped into a mysterious realm.

Li Mingxing looked around and found the space to be vast—roughly a thousand acres by his estimation. Looking up, the ceiling was so high it was lost in darkness.

He hesitated and asked, “Is this also an alternate world?”

“Of course not. This is your city-building space. There’s only one entrance and exit—the spot where you planted your torch. So you can rest assured, no one but you and those you approve can enter and disturb you,” Raymond chuckled gently. “As for the area, it will continue to expand. Since your torch burned for nine days, the expansion speed won’t change, but the benefits you’ll gain from it are substantial. You’ll understand in time. For now, follow me.”

Raymond led him to the center of the space, calculating as he went and marking a cross on the ground. “The rest is up to you. Dig a pit here and bury the Heart of the City.”

Li Mingxing pointed to himself, “But there are no tools here. How am I supposed to dig?”

“That’s your business. Also, only you can bury the Heart of the City. If anyone else does it, they’ll gain control of it instead of you,” Raymond added with a sly smile.

With that, Li Mingxing was left with little choice. He knelt down and began digging with his bare hands. It took him a full three hours to excavate a pit one meter wide and two meters deep.

“Put the Heart of the City in, and climb out yourself,” Raymond instructed.

Exhausted, Li Mingxing quickly followed Raymond’s instructions, placing the Heart of the City into the pit. As soon as he climbed out, the Heart of the City emitted a purple glow, filling the pit and forming a solid earthen platform where the hole had been.

The platform stood about one point three meters tall, square and plain, resembling a giant writing desk. Its sides bore no decorative carvings, only rough earthen marks.

Without waiting for further instructions, a sudden clarity filled Li Mingxing’s mind. He instinctively placed his scroll atop the platform. A beam of purple light rose from beneath, merging the scroll and the platform.

Immediately before Li Mingxing, a map appeared—a map of the entire space. He gained a thorough understanding of its size and terrain, and even started to develop ideas for his new city.

Seeing his reaction, Raymond nodded and handed the torch to Li Mingxing. “This torch is your key to entering and exiting here. Wave it in your rented room in the city, and you can enter or leave this space.

Bury the slave container around the platform. If you need more slaves, you can buy or trade for them in the tavern, but remember, each hero can only use one type of slave, so choose wisely.

I’ll take my leave now. From now on, I can no longer enter your city, but I’ll still be watching over you. If you have questions, you can find me in the tavern.”

“And never allow your guide to enter here. If you want them in your city, let them enter through the projection. Anyone brought in through this place can never leave your city—unless you want your city’s location revealed.”

After Raymond left, Li Mingxing did not rush to start building. Instead, he contemplated what kind of city he should create.

The scroll on the platform displayed several city models he could construct. Since Li Mingxing was aligned with darkness, his city would naturally be of the dark faction, though each type emphasized different aspects.

“A Pure Dark city uses slaves infused with darkness, can only accommodate public buildings and dark-type structures, boosts dark building production by twenty percent, and allows the construction of a Dark Magic Pool to purify dark spells and darken weapons, equipment, and mounts.”

“A Dark Undead city uses either dark or semi-undead slaves, can accommodate public buildings, all dark buildings, and some undead structures, and enables the construction of an Altar of the Dead to transform troops into semi-undead units.”

“A Dark Demon city uses dark or semi-demon slaves, can accommodate public buildings, all dark buildings, and some demon structures, and allows the construction of a Demon Arena to train troops with demonic traits.”

“A Dark Corrupted city uses dark or semi-corrupted slaves, can accommodate public buildings, all dark buildings, and some corrupted structures, and enables the construction of a Torture Chamber to interrogate and corrupt captured enemies into subordinates.”

“A Dark Evil city uses dark or semi-evil slaves, can accommodate public buildings, all dark buildings, and some evil structures, and permits the building of an Evil Court to sign evil contracts and trick enemies into joining you.”

Carefully considering the requirements and effects of these city models, Li Mingxing hesitated for a long time. In the end, he placed his hand on the Dark Evil city and chose it as the foundation for his own city.