Chen Zhou and the middle-aged merchant were sitting in the room at that moment, both looking at the woman opposite them. The woman was getting a little excited when she talked about the situation on the eighth floor. Only then did Chen Zhou and the middle-aged merchant slowly believe that the woman believed them.
The woman had been suspicious of them, which was why she hesitated to answer Chen Zhou and the middle-aged merchant's questions. Now, she was finally beginning to answer them.
"As far as I know, there are only about two thousand people in this eighth level right now. The eighth level is the largest of the magician levels, and it is very vast. What you see now is only a small part of the eighth level. Moreover, our place can only be considered a remote village in the eighth level," the woman continued to explain.
A remote village?
Could it be that this eighth floor is so vast that it can be divided into villages and a capital city?
"Could it be that there is a capital city within this eighth level?" Chen Zhou asked, voicing his question.
The woman continued, “That’s right. In the eighth level, there are eight small villages like ours, all surrounding that vast capital city. Here, all eight of our villages are under the jurisdiction of the capital. A large portion of the grain we produce each year has to be handed over to the capital. The rest is for ourselves, but even that portion is often robbed by the local bullies. So, in the end, we don’t have much left.”
"The capital has taken your grain, so shouldn't they just leave this matter alone?" Chen Zhou asked after thinking for a moment. Logically, the grain they're handing over to the capital means they're submitting to its rule; they're essentially dependent on the capital. If they're being oppressed, shouldn't the capital send someone to govern them? Should they just stand by and let their people be bullied?
"No, it's rare. In the capital, as long as someone can provide them with food, it doesn't matter who that person is. The reason we're in charge of this land is because we can hand over the grain to the state and the local bullies, and keep the rest for ourselves. Don't underestimate this leftover grain; it's what fed my family. Otherwise, we would have starved to death in the fields like many others outside." The woman's tone gradually changed, and now it sounded somewhat sad.
It seems this woman must have experienced something like that, but neither Chen Zhou nor the middle-aged merchant can tell right now.
"So cruel? So, if you don't contract this farmland in the countryside, you won't have a source of food? Your only source of food is the farmland you manage?" the middle-aged merchant asked. Now that he knew this, it seemed that this place was far from the paradise he had imagined. This place was completely a place of oppression at every level, with superiors oppressing subordinates, and subordinates oppressing ordinary people.
Perhaps a middle-aged vendor would feel very oppressed living in such a place, but while he could sense the woman's anger and sadness, he didn't sense any oppression in her heart. It seemed that the woman had already let go of everything and had nothing to be upset about.
“That’s right. That’s how the rules are on the eighth floor. If you don’t follow the rules of the eighth floor, you will not only be suppressed by the local tyrants, but you will also be subject to inspection teams from the capital. If the inspection teams confirm that you have really violated the rules of the eighth floor, you will be hunted down by the inspection teams until they confirm your death,” the woman continued.
Chen Zhou nodded silently. The woman's words had indeed given Chen Zhou and the middle-aged merchant a better understanding of this place. It seemed that this place wasn't as wonderful as it appeared.
Chen Zhou had another question, which he immediately asked: "What about the new residents?"
“As new residents, you first need to register in the capital. Then they'll assign you to a village, and you'll be assigned there. You'll need to build your own houses. If the village has extra land, it will be allocated to you. Otherwise, you'll have to find your own place and sleep outside. But this is the first time I've seen so many of you enter the eighth floor together. I don't know how they'll arrange things for you. If it were just one or two of you, I could arrange for you to come to our village. But there are too many of you,” the woman continued.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhou immediately said gratefully, "Thank you for letting me know! However, we are a team, and we must go in and out together. We cannot be separated. If they were to assign tasks, would they separate us?"
“It’s highly likely that so many of you couldn’t possibly be placed in one village. Last time there was only one person, so I placed him directly in our village,” the woman continued.
one person?
This suddenly piqued Chen Zhou's curiosity. Wasn't it Wo Wan and her group from the ninth-level army who entered the eighth level last time? Could it be that only Wo Wan entered the eighth level in the end? Or was it not Wo Wan?
Chen Zhou immediately asked curiously, "The person from last time? May I ask if that person was male or female? What did they look like?"
Upon hearing Chen Zhou's words, the woman immediately changed her attitude towards him. She had just managed to soften her stance and begin to trust him, but now, hearing this, she was filled with hostility and warily replied, "What do you want? Let me tell you, don't even think about hitting on her! She's part of our family now!"
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