Lincheng 17 (1)

The next day, Mi left the Acropolis 17. The coachman found Mi and said that a caravan was about to depart for the neighboring city 17. Mi could go with the caravan, but if he didn't, he would have to walk to the neighboring city. People in the Acropolis were not allowed to enter or leave the city at will, let alone find a car to take Mi to the neighboring city. There were neither idle cars nor drivers; everyone in the Acropolis was on high alert.

Mi bid farewell to Krus's mother and left the Acropolis. Krus's second brother was honest and simple, as strong as a little calf. Krus's mother had exchanged gold coins for him to serve in the city lord's mansion. Krus's third and fourth brothers were still children, unruly boys under ten years old. Even when Krus's mother held them down, they couldn't stand still. They were either fighting, punching and slapping each other, or pulling their sister's hair together, causing Krus's mother's youngest daughter to roll her eyes and snatch her hair back from her brothers' hands. Mi roughly understood why Krus's sister didn't like her brothers.

As Mi left the acropolis, he looked back at the exceptionally tall and sturdy city. The entire Flower Kingdom was surrounded by a ring of acropolises. Krus's border post was numbered West 17, and his home acropolis was also numbered 17. Acropolis 17. The population of almost all acropolises was restricted. Men, upon reaching adulthood, were required to guard the borders. Women, upon reaching adulthood, could either find their own partners or have their partners arranged by the city lord—yes, partners, not even husbands. Children born were raised by the city lord's mansion. Boys, upon reaching eight years of age, were sent to the city lord's mansion for training. Girls could stay with their mothers until they wished to move out and live independently; otherwise, they could live with their mothers for life.

In the Acropolis, women mostly chose partners based on their physical appearance and physique. After all, wealth and status were of little use to them, as the lord's mansion provided for their food, clothing, and other necessities. There weren't many women in the Acropolis vying for attention; most chose to work within the city. Even those who didn't work would strengthen their bodies. Acropolis women were capable of wielding knives and spears; only by being strong enough could they resist the Sand People, and only through resistance could they save their lives.

If the border defenses fall, the Acropolis will be the first city to face the Shari attack. The Acropolis is more like a fortified fortress, where everyone, men and women alike, is prepared to face the Shari invasion and death. The Acropolis is the only city without villages or surrounding settlements. Coming from the border are not only yellow sand and storms, but also the Shari, who could come from any direction, and who are cannibalistic.

The Acropolis's supplies were almost entirely provided by other regions. Wheat was grown on the land between the Acropolis and the neighboring city, with only a small portion belonging to the Acropolis and the rest to the neighboring city. The caravans that hitched a ride on rice were the same caravans that transported supplies from the neighboring city 17 to the Acropolis 17, including all daily necessities, wheat, salt, sugar, and herds of cattle and sheep. The Acropolis consumed a lot of meat and had its own slaughterhouses and ranches, but due to frequent harassment by the Shali people, all cattle and sheep had to be raised in the neighboring city 17 before being sent over. The people of the Acropolis only needed to raise the animals until they were slaughtered for a short period.

Mi followed the convoy along the road, stopping frequently. The vehicles transporting grain and livestock were loaded with dried manure on their return journey, unloading a load every so often at the edge of a field. Even with so much manure, the smell was still quite pungent. Mi quickly walked to the front of the convoy, led by a lean and capable woman named Qiu. Qiu was very talkative, telling Mi about various aspects of Weicheng 17 and Lincheng 17, including how she had organized this convoy.

From Weicheng 17, you'll find Lincheng 17 right next to it. Lincheng is similar to Weicheng, but slightly smaller. There are also some villages around it, and along the way, besides military facilities, there are also some farmland villages. These villages are usually uninhabited, only temporarily occupied during planting and harvesting seasons. Another difference between Lincheng and Weicheng is that each household in Lincheng only needs to provide one adult soldier; the remaining men form the Lincheng Guard, working the land during farming seasons and fighting in times of war.

Lincheng has families and a marriage system, and children are raised by the city lord's mansion. Women are also not allowed to leave the city at will. The only thing that surprised Mi was that in Lincheng, marriages are initiated by women, and the termination of marriages can only be initiated by women, which was unlike any of Mi's previous experiences. The women of Lincheng are more practical, or rather, more shrewd. They control all the family assets, and the men are more like farmhands in a landlord's house than the master of the house.

"How did you get out?" Mi asked Qiu curiously.

"Me? I own a farm and a breeding farm. Sometimes having more money gives you special privileges." Qiu looked at Mi with a smile, as if Mi were an innocent child.

"What will you do if you don't go back?" Mi believed that having enough money would grant her special privileges, but these privileges would only make her life more comfortable and convenient than ordinary people; they wouldn't allow her to be above the laws of the city. A man with money and power might be able to do that, but a place that strictly regulates women wouldn't offer such freedom.

"Why not go back?" Qiu sat on the carriage shaft, pulling Mi to sit with her. "All my possessions are in Lincheng. My children, my brothers and sisters, my parents are all there. Why wouldn't I go back?" Qiu gave Mi a meaningful look. "If I don't go back, I'll lose everything—my property, my family, my freedom. What awaits me are wanted posters sent to all over the country. If I'm caught, I'll be sent to Weicheng to become a baby-making machine."

Mi didn't speak. The women of the Acropolis seemed so happy, supporting each other. There wasn't even a male head of household bossing them around; they only needed to take care of themselves and their children. Like penned hens, their owners monitored their health and provided balanced diets. Some chicken farms even played music for the hens to ensure they laid eggs happily. But everyone knew they were breeding machines. The daughters of the Acropolis knew, the women of the neighboring city knew, but what about the Sun City? Did the entire Flower Kingdom know? Why did such a city exist? Mi knew she shouldn't think like that. The border was always the most dangerous place, but also the place most in need of stability. A family, a city, couldn't be stable without stable women.

"Besides, what's wrong with Lincheng? There are no submissive wives in Lincheng." Qiu raised her head and looked into the distance. "I've been to many places over the years, and none of them compare to Lincheng in my opinion. Even Taiyang City is just so-so. I think Her Majesty the Queen's life is not as comfortable as that of the women in Lincheng. Our Lincheng City Lord Zara is the most capable woman I have ever met!"

"Are all the city lords of neighboring cities women?" This question piqued Mi's interest.

"No, that's not true. The Flower Kingdom has forty-three garrison cities and forty-three neighboring cities. There are about thirty female city lords in the neighboring cities. There are fewer female city lords in the garrison cities, only about half of them."

"A female city lord also exists in the Citadel?"

"You don't know?" Qiu looked at Mi Liang with suspicion before saying, "The female city lords of the city are mostly adventurers. The Adventurers' Guild controls half of the city. Ordinary people alone cannot stop the Sand People."

It was the Adventurers' Guild again. Mi was becoming more and more curious about this organization. She asked, "Is there an Adventurers' Guild in Lin City?" Mi was a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to visit the Adventurers' Guild when she was in Acropolis 17.

“Yes, but our city lord isn’t with the Adventurers’ Guild. I suggest you don’t go to the Adventurers’ Guild.” Qiu glanced at the slightly thin Mi. “You can’t master the Acropolis 18.”

"What?" Mi looked at Qiu in confusion. "Why would I want to control the Acropolis 18?"

"How come you don't know anything?" Qiu glanced at Mi again. "The Adventurers' Guild is now issuing appointments as city lords to any lone adventurer they catch, which has led to many adventurers crossing the border through the city lord's mansion instead of the Adventurers' Guild."

“I don’t know,” Mi admitted frankly. “I just came from the border and know nothing about the Flower Country. I’m going to Sun City to deliver something at the request of a friend.” Mi slightly embellished the purpose of her trip.

"No wonder. When you get to Lincheng, just follow me. I'll take you to get the stamp and we'll leave. I guarantee no one will dare stop you," Qiu assured him, patting his chest.

"I'd like to ask, since the movement of people is strictly prohibited in Weicheng and Lincheng, where do the women come from?"

“Some are native locals. The Acropolis is a place of exile, and people come here every year. It is a paradise for war and criminals.” Half of the women in the Acropolis are unlucky, having been born there, while the other half are there because they brought it upon themselves, having committed crimes and been forced to wander here.

"What about Lincheng? It's the same there."

“No, there are no criminals in Lincheng. The criminals in Lincheng are exiled to Weicheng, and Weicheng is always short of people.” Qiu glanced at Mi. “We in Lincheng attract women with our own abilities. Any woman in Lincheng, as long as she joins Lincheng and becomes a citizen of Lincheng, and as long as she abides by the laws of Lincheng, can own her own property in Lincheng. No matter what your status was before, whether you were a slave, someone else’s daughter, or someone else’s wife, once you come to Lincheng, you only have one identity: a Lincheng citizen.”

"Would men in Lincheng agree to this?" Mi felt that Lincheng was a place that treated women very well. "Would men from other places agree to this?"

“There was no citadel before,” Qiu said, giving Mi a deep look. “Facing the Shali people directly is the neighboring city. When life cannot be guaranteed, power means nothing.”

Mi followed the convoy silently. Qiu's convoy had more than forty people and forty vehicles, with fewer than ten women; the rest were all men. The male drivers were much stronger than Qiu, with solid muscles and tall statures. Two of them could overturn a manure cart, lift the frame, shake it to remove the manure, and then put the cart back in place.

These men are slick and lewd, always trying to get close to women, making lewd jokes, and always ready to pull out their "tools" by the roadside, comparing sizes and showing them off to the women. Especially when a woman needs to relieve herself, they compete to go to the fields to keep watch for her, their eyes glued to her.

"Aren't you worried?" Mi asked Qiu in a low voice.

"What's the use of worrying?" Qiu looked at her convoy. "I only need to pay wages on time. As for the rest, the city lord will take care of that." Qiu looked at Mi with amusement. "Where do you think they can run off to? With several cartloads of dried manure? The city lord will settle my accounts with Weicheng. If they can't get their money, they'll have no choice but to run to Weicheng. We know what the situation is like there. Do you think they're fools?"

"Has nothing happened?" Mi noticed that the women in the group were still avoiding the men, and the women were huddled together behind Qiu.

"Something happened? You mean—" Qiu stared at the men whose eyes were glued to the women, then she came to her senses: "You mean that," Qiu smiled and looked down, "How could nothing have happened? But as long as they don't die right after they've had their fun, all that awaits them is to be sent to the border post. They can't even go to the garrison city. Criminals are destined to become food for the Shali people."

"Does this kind of thing happen often?"

“It depends on how you look at it,” Qiu beckoned a few women over. “You brought tents, so she’ll be staying with you tonight.” Qiu pointed at Mi and said to the women, “Sleep soundly tonight. I’ll replace those women when we get back.”

"Are you treating me like a bodyguard?" Mi glanced at Qiu. "You're quite the stranger."

"Do you think my car is so comfortable to sit in?" Qiu rolled her eyes at Mi and said, "It was my carelessness. This kind of thing happens everywhere, but the punishment in Lincheng is particularly severe. Some people can never control their genitals, and their brains are too small to hold anything else."