Lincheng 17 (The End)

Three days before the wedding, a torrential downpour hit Lincheng, ruining most of the wedding decorations and forcing a change of venue. Qiu and Roger's wedding was held in a small square in the city center, where a temporary tent two meters high was erected. The pouring rain couldn't dampen the enthusiasm and joy of the people of Lincheng.

"Lord, City Lord Galina of Lin City 19 has come to visit." — The guard reported. The entire city of Lin was shrouded in heavy rain, with almost no pedestrians on the streets and most of the streetlights extinguished by the rain. Galina arrived at the City Lord's mansion alone, carrying a lantern.

"Zara, long time no see." Galina walked out from the rain, the raindrops splashing as they were about to hit her, forming a haze of mist around her.

"Does anyone know you're coming?" Zara asked with concern, not in the good mood of seeing her friend.

"Don't worry, no one can keep an eye on me yet." Galina placed the lantern under the eaves and walked in. Zara turned around and led Galina upstairs, where Qiu and Yana, who had been waiting in the city lord's room since early morning, were also present.

"Qiu, congratulations!" Galina came in and gave Qiu a hug, then winked at Yana.

"What brings Lord Galina here in the dead of night?" Yana was not touched by Galina's enthusiasm.

“Oh, little Yana isn’t cute at all like this.” Galina smiled at Yana. “The Observation Detector has been in use in the 19th Acropolis for over half a year now, and it’s really useful.” Galina suddenly became serious, and she lowered her voice slightly as she asked, “Solto, may I ask if we can install it on them too?”

"The Observation Detector is working in Acropolis 19 too?" Yana looked at Galina, the city lord of Lin City 19, with surprise.

“Yes, the last time Acropolis 18 and Acropolis 19 were attacked by the Shari at the same time,” Galina sighed. “Acropolis 19 held off the Shari outside the city.”

"Why wasn't it reported?" Lord Zara asked.

“We can’t report it,” Galina shook her head. “Only two Shali were left, and we don’t have any recording stones as evidence. The Shali have evolved now and are no longer just brutes.” Galina added, “It was also a coincidence that Thor happened to come to see me. I was waiting for the effect of the observation detector in Acropolis 19, and he saw it too. If Thor hadn’t been there, Acropolis 19 wouldn’t have been so easy to save.”

“This is an opportunity,” said City Lord Zara. “We have the array detector, but we have to wait. The passage to Lincheng 18 is not open, so the array detector cannot pass through.”

"Shall we go through Maicheng again this time?" Galina was unwilling to give up. She could wait, but the people of the Acropolis 20 could not.

“Without Qiu’s escort, it definitely won’t get through.” City Lord Zara shook his head. “I can’t hold out that long.”

"Didn't Sun City send over any longevity seeds?" Galina didn't understand why this was happening.

"The Adventurers' Guild doesn't exist either?" Qiu rolled his eyes. "We suspect something has happened in Sun City."

“I’ll arrange for someone to take over Acropolis 18,” Galina said through gritted teeth. “You will pass through Acropolis 17. Acropolis 18 and Acropolis 20 will be equipped with the array observation detectors together.”

“There are no passageways between the Acropolis,” Zara said, shaking his head. “The Acropolis 18 will definitely be under Sidney’s control, unless you’re planning to break ties with him.”

“I’m already on your pirate ship,” Galina relaxed. “We’re from the same country, aren’t we?”

Galina is a member of the Adventurers' Guild. Galina, the lord of Lin City 19, and Sol, the lord of Lin City 20, are an adventurer couple. This couple has fiery tempers and neither of them is willing to submit to the other when they are together. They have no children and do not want to run away to the wasteland together again, so they took up positions in the Adventurers' Guild. This is also why they can rule two cities. Adventurers do not need hostages to become city lords; the Adventurers' Guild will provide them with guarantees.

A year ago, Qiu ran into Galina in Maicheng. Galina and her husband, Saul, were arguing. Saul was quick-witted, and Galina, unable to win the argument, resorted to physical violence. The couple argued and fought simultaneously, and Galina, unable to win the argument and fight, was furious. Others who knew the couple never interfered in their affairs. Qiu didn't know them, and she was known for her sharp tongue. Even in Maicheng, she stood by with her arms crossed, relentlessly mocking and ridiculing Saul, until he was utterly berated and ran away with his tail between his legs.

Galina had never felt so carefree. She dragged Qiu to a restaurant for a lavish meal and told him to come find her in Lincheng 19 if he needed anything. At the time, Yana was worried about the sales of the observation and detection devices at the girls' school. The observation and detection devices in Weicheng 17 were working well, with no major casualties for several years. However, Sidney, the lord of Lincheng 18, remained skeptical. He didn't believe in the observation and detection devices and forbade Weicheng 18 from installing them.

Lincheng No. 16 also has a girls' school. Initially, the two schools competed to see who could develop the observation detection device first. Lincheng No. 17 girls' school took the lead. Lincheng No. 16 girls' school also had a device, but its effectiveness wasn't as good. Lincheng No. 16 has been focused on researching and improving the technology. The observation detection device cannot be sold to Lincheng No. 16, much less to Lincheng No. 15 and No. 14. Everyone has their own boundaries; Lincheng No. 16 never tries to sell its products outside of Lincheng No. 17.

Upon hearing that Galina was the lord of Lincheng 19, Qiu immediately stopped her. While Galina was drunk and boasting, Qiu promptly sold a set of observation and detection equipment to Weicheng 19. To avoid Sidney, the lord of Lincheng 18, Qiu dispatched six caravans to transport the three sets of observation and detection equipment from Lincheng 17 to Maicheng 17, then via Maicheng 17 to Xingcheng, crossing Maicheng 18, directly entering Maicheng 19, reaching Lincheng 19, and finally delivering them to Weicheng 19. Due to population control in both Lincheng and Weicheng, neither Qiu nor Yana could personally go to Weicheng 19 to guide the installation. They dared not send a student, so they could only write the installation instructions in great detail. Then, they waited for over half a year, unsure whether they didn't know how to install it or whether the Shali people hadn't crossed the border, as there was still no news from Weicheng 19 or Lincheng 19.

“This is wonderful.” Yana stood up. “I knew the array detector would be useful.”

“Taking over the Acropolis 18 is not such a simple matter,” Qiu said practically. “Sending someone to be the lord of the Acropolis 18 is easy, but how can you guarantee that the lord of the Acropolis 18 will not be under Sidney’s control?”

"Sidney's son was sent to Sun City, why didn't he want to install the Observation Detector?" Galina had wandered the wasteland for many years, and she highly valued the Observation Detector, which could reduce killing and block the Sand People. Last autumn, she had only mentioned it briefly, and Galina had already put down a deposit without even knowing what the Observation Detector looked like. Autumn thought Galina was thanking her for driving Thor away, but Galina said, "Even if you're lying to me, I'm willing to fall for it, as long as a seller of truly effective Observation Detectors will come to me in the future."

“Sidney has remarried, and I heard his newborn son is intelligent and adorable.” City Lord Zara sighed. “I also heard that Sidney has a harem in the 18th city, filled with beauties he has collected. Sidney needs money. The array detectors are expensive, and I can’t give them to him for free. I once told him that he could take 30% of the profits from each array detector that passes through the 18th city, but obviously, that profit doesn’t entice him.”

"What use is money to Sidney?" Galina asked, somewhat puzzled. Lin City uses a points system, and although points vary, unlike the Central City which relies entirely on distribution, money doesn't circulate within Lin City. Transactions between Lin City and Mai City, or with other Lin City, are conducted using the city lord's seal. Only at the end of the year, when accounts are settled, does the real money appear in Jindeli. Funds allocated by Taiyang City are also handled by Mai City; only after deducting Mai City's accounts is the remainder given to Lin City.

The Citadel has no income whatsoever, relying entirely on funding from Taiyang City. Its sole purpose is to hold off the Shali people; the military merits from killing Shali can only be exchanged for weapons and armor. The neighboring city is responsible for covering the Citadel's expenses. Some items can be supplied by the neighboring city, while others can only be purchased from Mai City or neighboring neighboring cities. This is why Taiyang City's funding for the Citadel must first pass through Mai City before reaching the neighboring city. If Taiyang City's funding is insufficient for Mai City's deductions, the neighboring city will find it difficult to purchase goods from Mai City the following year.

"I heard that Sidney's debt in Wheat City 18 is particularly high." Qiu thought of the memorial stone sent from the Acropolis 18, and the funding needed to rebuild the Acropolis 18 was more than the usual annual expenses of an Acropolis.

Galina and Zara both looked at her and asked in unison, "Are you telling the truth?"

Yana took out a gemstone ring: "This was bought by Qiu from Maicheng 18. She said that the Lihua Jewelry Pavilion of Taiyang City opened a branch in Maicheng 18. Not only a jewelry pavilion, but also the Wei's Clothing Store. You know that the Wei Xili family only serves the royal family in Taiyang City. Even in Xingcheng, a Wei's dress is something to be proud of."

"Not a reseller, but a branch?" Galina picked up the ring in surprise to examine it. The dahlia pattern on the ring setting was clear and bright, indicating that it was not a counterfeit.

“Sidney is practically a local tyrant in Lincheng 18 now,” Qiu explained. “Ever since we learned that Roger and Sidney had gotten together, we’ve been trying to figure out a way to prevent Lincheng 17 from following in Lincheng 18’s footsteps.”

"Why is the lordship of Lincheng a lifelong position?" Galina slammed her fist on the table. "I want to propose to the Upper House that the lifelong position of lordship be abolished."

"The moment you mention it, this bill will be passed immediately, and at least half of the city lords will resign. Do you believe I won't keep a single lord of the Acropolis?" Yana looked at Galina, her voice cold and hard. The Acropolis was originally a place of exile for criminals, and their livelihood depended entirely on the supply from the neighboring city. The entire population of the neighboring city worked themselves to the bone, and the harvest had to be sent to the Acropolis first. Which citizen of either city was willing to live like that? They simply had no choice.

The relationship between the citadel and neighboring cities is complex. Some cities, like Citadel 17 and Neighboring City 17, support each other, while Citadel 17's lord, Allo, only cares about getting funding, weapons, and equipment from the Sun City. Others, like Citadel 18, are waiting to be conquered by the Sand People and rebuild. Still others have their citadel lords constantly demanding food and clothing from their neighboring cities. The quality of life in a citadel depends entirely on the supply from its neighboring city. Although citadels and neighboring cities are interconnected, it doesn't mean that all citadels and neighboring cities are of one mind.

The lords of Lin City were responsible for the livelihoods of both cities. Those with a sense of responsibility would even personally inspect the border defenses of the outer city. Most of these lords were adventurers, possessing high martial prowess, exceptional knowledge, and extensive networks. The residents of both cities generally lived comfortably. However, there were also ordinary people like Zara and Sidney. The lives of the residents of both cities depended entirely on the character of the Lin City lord. Zara managed both the outer and inner cities with remarkable success, which only served to highlight Sidney's extravagance, arrogance, and incompetence. This was why Sidney was determined to place Roger in the position of lord. Zara, however, could not allow Roger to ascend to power and control the entire Lin City.

"Tell me, what do you want me to do?" Galina stared at the rainy night for a long time before finally asking.