Chapter 1275 – Building a City

In a VIP reception room on the city hall’s second floor...

A middle-aged man in exquisite clothing slowly opened the door and entered the room. A high-ranking Identification Skill would tell someone that this butler-like man was actually a Level 180, Tier 3 NPC named Jarvis.

“Lord Protector, I hear that you’d like to build a city. May I see your City Building Order?” Jarvis asked.

“Here.” Shi Feng took out a tattered parchment.

“This is indeed a City Building Order that the royal family gave out over a century ago. May I know where you wish to construct your city to give you an accurate estimate, my lord? However, I have to remind you that the high-level locations require higher construction fees,” Jarvis explained. He then presented a Magic Scroll and allowed Shi Feng to choose the location for his city.

“Understood. I wish to construct it in Witch’s Hill.” Shi Feng pointed to Witch’s Hill on the scroll.

The Witch’s Hill could definitely lure plenty of players as a Level 50 to 70 large map. It was also close to the Mournful Ruins.

The Mournful Ruins was a Hell Mode Regional Dungeon, and like the Stoneclaw Mountains, it produced an abundance of Magic Crystals.

Witch’s Hill itself had the entrance to an Otherworld. Witch’s Hill had still been popular among players even a decade after the game launched.

“Alright. May I know exactly where you want to build your city?” Jarvis asked. He tapped on the Magic Scroll, and a miniature 3D model of Witch’s Hill appeared before him.

“The exact location?” Shi Feng carefully examined the model before him.

He had only asked about the cost to construct a city during his last visit. Even if he had decided to construct his city then, his map choices had been limited due to his status. The system would have randomly decided the city’s exact location. Now that he had the City Protector title, not only did Jarvis, the third most powerful NPC in the city hall, serve him, but he could also choose his city’s exact location.

This privilege also had its own downsides. The construction fees would fluctuate depending on the terrain of the location he chose. If the system decided the location, however, ease of construction was generally prioritized over surrounding scenery.

“I’ll pick this location.” Shi Feng pointed to the top of a mountain that was near a large waterfall.

Sightseeing players would enjoy the wonderful scenery, and the terrain made the city difficult to attack. The only inconvenience one would face was ascending and descending the mountain. Level 50 players and above, however, generally had their own Mounts, so traveling the distance would not be a problem.

“Lord Protector, you’ve chosen a location with complicated terrain. The manpower and resources required will cost at least 60% more to build here. It will also take longer to construct. Are you sure you wish to build here?” Jarvis asked.

“Mhm. Build it there.” Shi Feng nodded.

He would save a lot of money by building the city on a flat plain, but it would be a lot harder to defend as enemies could attack from all sides. He couldn’t afford to be stingy.

“Alright. I’ll calculate the total cost. Please wait a moment.” After Jarvis confirmed that there were no issues, he calculated the construction costs. A short moment later, he handed Shi Feng a list and said, “Initial estimates put the price at 152,000 Gold. We will charge additional fees if the city is attacked. You’ll also need to pay an additional 30,000-Gold registration fee. As a second-generation city, a monthly 30,000-Gold management fee will also be required. Do you wish to dispatch additional guards? You can ensure the city’s security after its constructed. You may hire guards to defend your city for up to 21 days. Every group of 100 Tier 1 guards will cost 100 Gold per three days, while each group of 10 Tier 2 guards will cost 100 Gold per three days.”

Sure enough, building a city is quite expensive. Shi Feng was astonished as he read the quote.

He had only received a general price during his previous visit. Now that he was constructing his city, including the guards, the final price was over 190,000 Gold. This excluded the fees that he would incur when monsters attacked the city...

Originally, he had planned to build the city after he finished collecting the required Seven Luminaries Crystals to construct the Four Towers of Elements. Now that he had the Hero’s Chapter, he could repel possible invaders even without the Four Towers of Elements. Naturally, he had to construct the city as soon as possible.

“I wish to hire 1,000 Tier 1 guards, and 100 Tier 2 guards for 21 days,” Shi Feng said.

“Alright. Your total bill comes to 192,000 Gold!” Jarvis excitedly announced. This was his first large transaction. “It will take roughly six to ten days to construct the city depending on the local situation.”

Shi Feng handed over 196,000 Gold.

He had earned quite a bit with the Sea God’s Blessings, but he had only decided to take 30,000 Gold with him. He had left the remaining funds with Fire Dance for purchasing Runic Fragments and teleportation fees.

Meanwhile, Shi Feng made a fortune during the Candlelight Auction. After deducting the various costs, he had earned over 210,000 Gold.

The major powers in Star-Moon Kingdom felt as if a noose had been placed around their necks. Even a first-rate Guild couldn’t compete with Zero Wing with such abundant funds. Trying to fight Zero Wing would be a death wish.

“Lord Protector, here is the deed to your land. From now on, you are one of Star-Moon Kingdom’s lords and will enjoy the status of Count,” Jarvis said respectfully.

–

System: Congratulations! You are the first player to become a lord in Star-Moon Kingdom. Rewarding 30,000 Guild Popularity, one City Teleportation Magic Array Design, and “Star-Moon Kingdom’s Count” title.

–

The position of Star-Moon Kingdom’s Count was completely different from a cities Count. The difference was like the difference between heaven and earth as one could possess land of their own, while the other could not.

With this, I’m broke again. Shi Feng sighed as he looked at the deed in his hands.

He only had a little over 40,000 Gold on hand now. He would barely have enough to purchase Diamond Wood and reconstruct Stone Forest Town after deducting the funds for his promotion quest. He had nothing left for the Guild’s development right now.

However, Shi Feng didn’t mind.

At the moment, it was far more important to obtain a city than to focus on Zero Wing’s development.

Earning enough money wouldn’t be a concern if Zero Wing had a city. The city could provide far more profits than Stone Forest Town.

The rewards are astounding. There’s actually a City Teleportation Magic Array Design. Shi Feng was shocked as he looked at the design in his bag.

The City Teleportation Magic Array was far more advanced than the Teleportation Magic Array he possessed. It could accommodate more people at a time with a significantly lower operating cost. Its only flaw was that it only allowed one to teleport between Guild towns and cities. It wasn’t possible to teleport to NPC cities.

Even so, the City Teleportation Magic Array Design was a treasure worth tens of thousands of Gold.

Normally, one could only obtain the design from super-large-scale Hell Mode Team Dungeons. However, the drop-rate was only 2%. Moreover, the design only dropped from the Dungeon’s Final Boss.

Getting the design now saved him a lot of trouble.

He could link the city directly to Stone Forest Town once it was constructed. This would drastically increase the value of both the town and city.

Now that I’ve dealt with everything, it’s about time to challenge my promotion quest, Shi Feng thought as he gazed at the Soul Orb in his bag. It was practically a ticking time-bomb. He needed to deal with it as soon as possible