Chapter 149 The Eve of the War 1
The robber was shocked and looked in disbelief at his fellow lord, whose body was mostly corroded.
His body seemed to be immersed in a vat of concentrated sulfuric acid, with the skin peeling off. Not even a trace of blood was seen, only traces of burnt charcoal.
Screams and wails filled the air, mixed with the stench of blood, horse urine, and dirty leather.
Red warnings sounded all around:
[Your body is exposed to high concentrations of acid rain, please take shelter immediately!]
【Your health is decreasing rapidly! 】
[Your health points are 325, 297, 231, 186, 110, 76... Please heal as soon as possible!]
【Your vital signs are collapsing! 】
They recognized that this kind of corrosive power was only caused by acid rain disasters!
It turns out that Gu Lianna deliberately showed weakness just for this moment!
The robber's heart was pounding.
But without magic, how can we penetrate their protective shield!
The thought of doom loomed closer and closer to them like a curse, and the bandit leader made a quick decision: "Run!"
They were so scared that their feet slipped, but unfortunately, Gu Lianna and her group would never let them go.
[Spider web confinement technique! ]
【Wind Fireball! 】
[Knight Skill: Trample]
The imprisoned spells were released one after another, tightly covering the robbers. They stared with their eyes wide open, unwilling to die.
Seeing the robbers subdued, Gu Lianna went over and grabbed their heads, like a beast to be slaughtered: "I will do as you say and make you live a life worse than death."
"I don't understand why you must go against the continental alliance. It's so stupid."
"I'll take you to see Lin Muqiu."
The robber's scalp ached as if with needles* and he gasped for breath, but he had no idea why he lost despite having made perfect preparations.
It was obvious that they did not lose to Gu Liana, but to Lin Muqiu.
*
The instigator, Lin Muqiu, was happily checking the financial statements in the Lord's Hall of Ankang City.
[Your bulk order of bows and arrows has arrived. The final payment of 2,000 silver coins has been deducted.]
[Gu Lianna has purchased 100 water guns, and 300 silver coins have been credited to your account.]
[The rye bread you ordered has been added to the warehouse. The balance of 300 silver coins has been deducted.]
[Xida has purchased 3 water guns, Anlixi has purchased 5 water guns... A total of 300 water guns have been purchased through small orders. 900 copper coins have been credited to your account.]
【……】
Lin Muqiu looked at the financial statements and counted his assets happily.
"Hey, it's amazing," Kedero pushed his glasses, "the fiscal expenditure is actually balanced."
Lin Muqiu curled his lips and smiled, "This is just the beginning."
Kedero's eyes lit up. The fact that Lin Muqiu could say it meant that this matter would definitely have a better outcome.
Kedero looked down with a smile.
Inside the Civilian Academy, a group of teenagers armed with water guns are training.
Some of them are still very young, their skills improve slowly, and they are not necessarily better than adults in terms of survival security.
"With the water gun, one of my wishes has been fulfilled."
Kedro paused and said, "Otherwise, I would really be worried about the safety of these children."
Lin Muqiu was quite calm. "I'll revise the town's defense map in a few days. I'll let the children live inside the Civilian Academy. With the healing power of Holy Light, even if Ankang City falls, they'll basically be fine."
Kedero's heart moved slightly.
Everyone said Lin Muqiu was cold and heartless, but she was actually more thoughtful than anyone else. She cared about the children's lives and quietly repaired many of the town's facilities. Since she became the lord, no damaged facilities or equipment had been seen in the town.
This is very difficult.
He suddenly had an idea: "You made the water gun because you were worried about..."
Lin Muqiu was silent for a moment before he slowly spoke: "I must prepare for the worst."
Although it is a magical continent, what if one day magic is banned in the face of a natural disaster?
This is the worst possible scenario, but it may not happen.
After the quiet rain, the two looked at each other in silence.
As a lord, you always have to consider more.
Watching the water splashing quietly against the protective shield outside the window, Kedero whispered, "Do you think I'm stupid? This is the first time I'm actually hoping for a heavier rain. This way, perhaps we can be more prepared."
Lin Muqiu said with a double meaning: "It doesn't matter, the rain will stop eventually."
"But there simply aren't enough water cannons out there."
"Perhaps you've played Werewolf?"
Two voices spoke at the same time.
Kedero looked up and looked at her in surprise when he realized what she was going to do.
Lead the town's economy, arrange town-wide measures, balance external security, and protect the stable operation of the entire continent, implementing the cycle in every corner...
Each measure was so difficult to implement, but Lin Muqiu did them all.
Leave nothing out and do your best.
"Lin Muqiu, do you think you are a god? Do you think you can arrange everything?"
Kedero was so agitated by inexplicable emotions that even his voice trembled.
For no apparent reason, he thought of his youth. The final night of the life-and-death battle during the Beast Tide. The night was long, the ground was devastated, scarlet blood mixed with mud. Lord Cloe turned around and smiled at him, then activated his Lord skill, exploding to pieces.
Once upon a time, he also had such an ideal of saving the world, but it was all buried in his youth.
So, when he saw the girl in front of him busy and hard-working, unable to even get a full night's sleep, he suddenly realized that the two figures overlapped in front of him.
His heart will ache.
Lin Muqiu shrugged and smiled indifferently, "It's okay, I won't lose money."
Kedero's eyes were slightly red, and he whispered in her ear: "I am old, and I just want to protect the townspeople, that's enough."
Lin Muqiu paused, "Everyone on this continent is my people."
“Is it worth it?”
Facing the question, Lin Muqiu smiled and said, "I don't know if it's worth it, but I know whether I should do it."
Her gaze was deeply fixed on the Civilian Academy, watching the children basking in the sunshine, her eyes full of tenderness.
The children were unaware of the situation. They were laughing and playing, exercising with water guns, and treating it as just an ordinary day in their lives.
*
As Lin Muqiu expected, the water guns dealt a heavy blow to the bandit forces scattered across the land. Many people had to think twice before starting to rob again. Those who had originally wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kill people or avenge long-standing grudges also gave up their thoughts.
If there is no future, of course they will take revenge and die, but since the high-frequency, high-kinetic energy and high-lethality water guns came out, they still think it is better not to disrupt the balance.
After all, the probability of surviving the ultimate natural disaster is greater, and the current unrest will eventually subside.
What's more, the five great dukes have all been dispatched, even exchanging strategic maps and sending troops for defense. It would be too stupid to go against the general trend of continental unity now.
At this time, Lin Muqiu took advantage of the natural disaster to make money, but more importantly, it gave everyone a shot of adrenaline, that is, the natural disaster will always pass.
The entire continent is in dire need of hope, just as an oasis needs water, so too does the human heart need it.
For a moment, the road became much smoother.
At least for now, peace and tranquility remain.
This is very difficult.
However, the bandits who were attacked did not think so.
They gathered in a dark corner and jumped in anger:
"Damn it, I just can't understand what this has to do with Lin Muqiu! It's a natural disaster. Anyway, they have a protective shield in the city, and no one else can get in. Even if it's a robbery, we didn't rob her!"
"Boss, it seems that even without the protective shield, we wouldn't dare to plunder Ankang City..."
"Shut up! It's the final moment. Whether everyone can survive is another matter. Why not have some fun! Women, cities, beasts, delicacies, why can only those people play with them, and we can't do the same!"
"Exactly! In my opinion, the continent needs a reshuffle!"
“…”
Their eyes flashed green, like hungry wolves. The man in black with a cloak sneered, "Talking is useless! We have to do it!"
Everyone fell silent and started chattering, "So what do you say we should do?"
The man in black touched his chin and said, "Let's buy water guns too!"
The way everyone looked at him changed instantly.
With a hint of contempt, disbelief and doubt.
"What for?" the man in black asked puzzled.
The person next to him quickly leaned over to his ear and said, "Brother, you just joined, right? All of us robbers have been blocked by Lin Muqiu's system."
The man in black's face twisted. "How is this possible? How could she remotely monitor the situation of so many people?"
As he spoke, he turned on the system, only to see several vertical bars across it, as if smugly mocking his stupidity. The bars shook and disappeared.
His eyes lit up, and he saw the horizontal bar turned into a sentence:
[If you want to rejoin the online shopping system, please comply with mainland regulations and pay a security deposit of 160 silver coins. Thank you for your cooperation.]
Man in black: ???
At this moment, I was a little suspicious about who the robber was.
"160 silver coins? You're just robbing me!"
He shouted.
The others looked at him even more strangely, "So you have 160 silver coins."
Seeing the greedy eyes with green light looking at him, he felt like he wanted to tear it apart. The man in black took two steps back and leaned against the wall, saying in disbelief: "Wh...what do you mean?"
"Because the payment amount set by Lin Muqiu is exactly everyone's entire net worth."
His companion laughed strangely. "Robbing other civilians might be risky, but it turns out robbing our companions' money is much easier. It's fat and big..."
What morals can a robber have?
When forced into a desperate situation, they will just eat raw meat and drink blood.
What’s more, these new members are not originally our own people;
They knew that Lin Muqiu did this intentionally to cause them to riot, and also to set up a target so that the other thieves would not join, but when it came to the benefits, they had to take advantage of it.
Everyone laughed strangely and rushed forward.
*
"Lin Muqiu, congratulations! Ever since the water gun came out, no one else has joined the riot."
Nicole sat on her horse at a swift pace, still showing her ladylike temperament, and smiled carefreely, "That's a great trick of yours!"
Across the protective shield of Ankang City, like a wall, Lin Muqiu stood opposite her and smiled at her.
Lin Muqiu didn't explain any further plans he had made, but simply smiled and said, "We also have to thank the Western Caravan for the supplies they sent."
As they spoke, the people from the Western Caravan were pushing a large amount of free supplies into the protective cover with wooden poles.
"It's too much. Thank you so much." Lin Muqiu smiled.
"more than!"
Nicole's eyes lit up.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she raised her head proudly, nodded slightly, and signaled her subordinates to show it.
Each of the men held a violent hamster. They poked the hamster's puffy cheeks lightly. The hamster vomited and released its skills:
[Hamster Skill: Hoarding (can hoard more in berserk state)
Skill Description: Each hamster in a frenzied state has a stockpiling capacity comparable to that of a space necklace.
With a loud clatter, the hamster spat out countless food, ironware, and even swords and books that were slightly stained with saliva.
It felt like a hamster swallowing a sword.
Everyone present: Awesome, awesome, awesome, awesome, no, why does it smell so stinky?
"How is it?" Nicole enjoyed everyone's admiring gazes.
Lin Muqiu smiled and said, "It seems that this hamster really likes reading."
"You're a chatterbox."
"I mean—it seems like Roger and the others brought the animal taming techniques to the West, and you absorbed them quickly."
"Of course not. Don't you see who I am, Miss? Humph."
Everything was so harmonious until that voice of dissatisfaction came across:
"In any case, you shouldn't have hidden the matter of the continental territory from me."
Lin Muqiu frowned, "What?"
Marissa walked in and said, almost word by word, "You know what I'm talking about."
"Um."
Lin Muqiu no longer denied it.
She understood where Marissa's anger came from.
In fact, she immediately thought of the water storage method of the space necklace from the very beginning, but she still tried her best to promote the opening of the land route. As the saying goes, the drunkard's intention is not to drink - she used the name as a pretext, and what she wanted was just a space map.
"I'm sorry, I can't gamble." Her tone was calm and gentle.
She couldn't bet on anyone's conscience, so she could only use coercion and bribery.
If the entire continent does not share the road map and the wind express station is not reopened, the lords will not even be able to collect taxes.
If the continental map is not shared, when natural disasters occur, each territory will be unable to rescue each other, and there will be greater risks in ruling.
There might be a better way to solve each and every problem, but she couldn't take the gamble. She had to tie all the dukes on one boat before she could feel at ease.
Profit is the most reliable.
"Lin Muqiu..." Marissa's smile turned a little sour, "You lied to me."
Lin Muqiu's heart ached suddenly, "I'm sorry."
She suddenly thought that the West had stood on her side in the decisive battle with the King because she had said -
I wouldn't do that to you.
"But I have to consider Ankang City after the war. I promised everyone that I would ensure its complete safety."
This sentence was so profound that the others present were a little confused. However, both of them were smart people and naturally knew what the other was talking about.
Unfortunately, Nicole didn't understand all these twists and turns. She just opened her eyes in confusion and opened her mouth, trying to mediate, but she didn't know how to start.
From her perspective, both of them seemed very sad.
She was about to speak when Augustine grabbed her arm and pulled her away.
“What are you doing!”
"Shh, let adults deal with their own affairs."
"No, damn..."
From a distance, I could only hear the conversation between the two people continuing.
Although Marissa smiled widely, there seemed to be a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Look how stupid I was. I thought you and I were friends."
The deepest sorrow is always expressed in the form of a joke.
The spoiled young man was admired by many people and thought they were his friends, but he found that after she married and moved to the imperial capital, she was only met with flattery and envy. They did not understand her.
And are those ladies who harbor ulterior motives and stab you in the back considered friends?
She didn't want to insult the word friend.
She thought that Lin Muqiu was a friend.
The only friend who understands her.
"Friend..." Lin Muqiu chewed on the word carefully, feeling distant and unfamiliar.
Since her grandfather passed away, she has rarely connected with others.
She is afraid of losing and also afraid of pain.
Marissa slowly spoke: "Lin Muqiu, I've been a businessman all my life, you believe me. In fact, this world is not only about win-win interests, but also about love and care, just like..."
“Like?”
Facing Lin Muqiu's slightly puzzled gaze, Marissa continued, "Just like you don't understand what love is, but you love this continent without any reward."
"Lin Muqiu, whether you believe it or not, I'm here on behalf of the Western Chamber of Commerce to stay outside the protective shield for you until the disaster is over."
"We're friends, aren't we?"
*
In Ankang City.
Despite the protective cover, the overall humidity of the air cannot be underestimated.
A mage who could test the air purity was shocked after testing it. [Humidity: 89%]
This is still in Ankang City. If it were any other city, wouldn't it be even worse?
Elizabeth hung the clothes on the clothesline and complained, "It's too damp. There's a musty smell everywhere."
The husband murmured, "How about using a hand warmer to dry it out? It absorbs the energy from the summer heat and will definitely be more effective."
Elizabeth smiled and said, "Now even you can use the hand warmer skillfully. Really."
Using natural disasters as a means has long become a common occurrence in Ankang City.
"What a pity! I should have bought more..." The husband swung the clothesline pitifully.
As they were talking, they happened to see David passing by outside the yard.
He dragged the turkey and carried a mountain of express boxes on his back, struggling to deliver them home.
Wow, this guy has the most hand warmers!
His reason was also very arbitrary. His little turkey needed to warm its paws, otherwise it would cry.
"Hey," the husband raised his voice and called to David outside the hospital, "David, did you spend a lot of money on express delivery? Did you spend all your money this month?"
David was puzzled and shocked, "How did you know!"
Elizabeth: “…”
Isn't this something that anyone with a discerning eye can see?
The husband pointed to the clothesline and said, "Would you like to sell me some hand warmers? Look, I can't even fit them all. If you sell them, I'll pay a high price."
"How can this be possible?" David subconsciously hugged the package tightly. "I donated it all. The situation in other areas is not as good as Ankang City..."
The husband was stunned for a moment and sighed.
He actually forgot that in the past, acid rain disasters would breed a lot of dampness and decay, and the corpses of plants and animals would rot together, which was how many plagues came about.
Coupled with the humidity, clothes cannot dry and the skin will ulcerate. What's more frightening is that it will breed many tiny violent insects and bacteria that devour human skin.
He shuddered violently.
Having lived in Ankang City for so long, he almost forgot the most terrifying times.
"You are thoughtful..." He moved his lips and said hesitantly.
David smiled innocently, "I'm from the guards, so it's my duty."
Elizabeth and her husband looked at each other and made up their minds.
In Ankang City, you can use magic to dry clothes and use magic or space necklaces to absorb water, but it is difficult to do so in other towns.
Other towns have helped Ankang City so much, maybe they should give something back to them.
After making up their minds, they looked at each other and decided to tackle the most important matter first.
Elizabeth picked up a pile of dried yam and ran to David, stuffing it into his express box.
Unfortunately, he accidentally knocked down several express boxes. The turkey was so anxious that he ran around screaming, and his nail clippers fell to the ground!
David took two steps back in shock, "Sister, no, what are you doing!"
Elizabeth blushed crimson and stammered, "Could you please offer some indirect advice? When the ultimate disaster strikes, try to let the children live in the Civilian Academy... I mean, just let the children live there. We're old, and even death wouldn't matter, but they're different. They're still young..."
David glanced at her, moved his lips, and felt like he'd been punched in the throat.
He and Elizabeth used to be from the same town, so he naturally knew how important Elizabeth's daughter was to her.
Undoubtedly, Elizabeth had selfish motives in wanting the child to live there. She was showing her love for her own daughter in disguise.
But she had already lost a son, how could she bear to be blamed?
After a while, he whispered, "I remember that as a beast tamer, you have always been on good terms with Master Lin, haven't you?"
"You, me, you know me. I've never been the type to try to exploit legal loopholes, nor do I want to use my personal connections to embarrass Lord Lin." Elizabeth was a little annoyed by her slip of the tongue. "But I thought that since you're a guard, your suggestion might be more credible..."
David spoke with difficulty, "You don't have to say more, I understand everything."
At this time, the town was still full of laughter and joy, but he knew that behind the noise was desolation.
This is a real natural disaster, and it will kill people.
Everyone is trying to forget this with the excitement, but as a mother, you can't deceive yourself, just like a lord cannot let go of the burden in his hands.
They can accept death, but cannot accept the departure of anyone around them.
In fact, even he had the same idea. Since he might not survive until next spring, he might as well make his pet happier.
As long as I'm happy, maybe as an orphan I can forget the departure of my loved ones?
"I..." David's eyes were slightly red.
He hated natural disasters.
Before he could speak, the scene before his eyes began to shake violently. Surrounding him were glaring red and green frames, emitting a strong glow. The red frame indicated a dangerous spot, while the green frame outlined the new location on the map.
This is an exclusive lord-level reminder for large-scale movement of buildings within the city!
Their breathing suddenly became rapid, and a reminder came from their ears:
[Your lord is moving buildings in his territory, please take shelter!]
[The buildings being moved this time include: Civilian Academy, East Warehouse, West Warehouse, South Warehouse, North Warehouse, Medical Station, Pharmacist Alley, Veterinary Treatment Station, Sword and Weapon Pavilion, Grocery Store, Bank, Library, Ankang Mall, Residential Area, Uptown, Wind Express Station, Tavern, Condiment Shop, Amusement Park, Cotton Clothing Store, Market Center, Simulation Training Station, Wall, Barracks, Auction House, Patrol Station, Arena, Animal Taming Shop, Seed Shop, Grain Shop, Qualification Testing Room, Chemistry Lab, Lightning Rod, Wind Collection Station, Acid Rain Storage Room, Lightning Power Station, Lightning Attack Magic Stone Research Institute...]
Please wait patiently. If you are dissatisfied with the move, please send an email to Ankang City.
Almost every building in the town was moved by Lin Muqiu.
Everyone present was silent.
The dark buildings leaped into the air, hung high in the air, and passed over their heads, stirring up a hurricane and lifting their temple hair.
The buildings passed by quickly, like dark shadows, constantly pressing over their cheeks, leaving overlapping ghostly shadows.
Fortunately, their lord was a very considerate person. Even without marking the red and green lines, they were sure that the moving of the building would not hurt anyone.
But they still couldn't help but think of a sentence.
Dark clouds loom over the city, threatening to destroy it...
Things are about to change in Ankang City.
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