The Domineering City of Rest (Seven Thousand Words)

"So that's how it is..."

Xiao Xiao listened to the elderly and seemingly unapproachable man across the table speaking eloquently and confidently, he suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.

It doesn't matter who sits on God's throne, as long as you make sure you are shepherding humanity for God.

It's because the Mysterious Source usually can't directly interfere with reality and needs outsiders to carry out their instructions, which makes these people hallucinate that the Mysterious Source will always be inseparable from them.

But what if the Mysterious Source devours the entire world, and no longer needs such guardians?

What if the power they gain afterward is not as strong as they imagined?

For a moment, Xiao Xiao had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, but in the end, he just lowered his head slightly and didn't ask them.

There are probably many questions in this world that, if the questioner is given enough time to think, will realize that they don't actually need to be asked.

What good will asking do?

He had already accepted his beliefs and his theories, believing they would allow the strangers in City of Rest and other cities to live well. He himself thought these theories were foolish, and that once the whole world was swallowed up, he could even see a laughable expression on his confident face. But at least for now, he couldn't convince him. He represented City of Rest and was deeply entrenched in these theories, and he couldn't possibly perish with him. They could discuss it further at the end.

Persuading others is hard work, and those who try to persuade others are pitiful.

So Xiao Xiao simply hid all the words he subconsciously wanted to refute, and after a brief silence, he smiled at Old Man An opposite him and said, "No wonder you think the Old Chairman is naive."

"You guys are still good-tempered!"

"If I were in your shoes, I would even think he was stupid."

"Giving up such a good position and power without any interest, he insists on going back to his original world and becoming an ordinary person..."

"..."

As he spoke, he even felt that he understood the Old Chairman a little.

He recalled a case Yang Jia had once told him: a patient in a sanatorium believed himself to be a big shot, that he was only in the hospital temporarily to avoid risks, that all the doctors and nurses were his bodyguards and assistants hiding their identities, just to protect him, that the medicine he was taking was just nutritional supplements, and that everything on TV was related to him. So he insisted on holding meetings with the nurses every day, and insisted on taking meeting minutes and preparing his speech...

He lived in a world of fantasy, a world in which he possessed boundless power.

But if he were to truly regain his senses, he would find himself in the real world as nothing more than a forgotten and ridiculed patient.

So, even if someone could tell him in his fantasy world that he could actually wake up, would he choose to wake up or continue to sink into despair?

"You're absolutely right."

Hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Old Man An smiled faintly and said, "Your description of him is exactly what I think of your Old Chairman."

"And what about you?"

"Would you rather believe in that naive insistence, or accept everything God has given you?"

"..."

When he looked at Xiao Xiao, his gaze became profound, and there seemed to be some kind of invisible power that made people dare not look directly at him.

But Xiao Xiao met his gaze directly, paused slightly, and then smiled, "I've come to return the information card of the Grand Knight Heart of City of Rest..."

As he spoke, he extended his hand.

Ruan Ruan, who was standing next to Xiao Xiao, was in a daze when Xiao Xiao waved his hand in front of her. She then realized what was happening and hurriedly rummaged through her backpack to find the information card.

It was clear that Ruan Ruan was actually very nervous. She put the information card into a delicate cardboard box, which even had a clumsy bow tied on it, making it look like a gift.

Xiao Xiao took it, placed the cardboard box on the table, and gently pushed it across the entire table, stopping right in front of Old Man An.

He smiled and said, "Now, I've returned this card."

Old Man An lowered his eyes, looking down at the paper box tied with a bow. His eyes, hidden by wrinkles, revealed no emotion. After a long while, he silently said, "Red heart, what a pity."

"She should have been the third archangel of God's kingdom."

"However, this is also her fate. As Branders, her destiny and will are controlled by Mysterious Source, so she is indeed not suitable to stay in the divine kingdom."

"But the four archangels form a perfect structure."

"So..."

"..."

He paused slightly, then suddenly looked up at Xiao Xiao: "President Xiao, would you be willing to come and take over her position?"

"I?"

Xiao Xiao was slightly surprised. "Only ranked third?"

These words already revealed his arrogance, dissatisfaction, and even a certain provocative emotion.

Surprisingly, the Old Man An did not get angry. He seemed too oblivious to the teasing in Xiao Xiao's words, and instead looked at him seriously. "Even if you want a higher ranking, it's not impossible to talk about it."

"The key point is what you can get for City of Rest."

"..."

Xiao Xiao was genuinely surprised this time, and laughed, "I thought your City of Rest had everything arranged."

"Everything in City of Rest has indeed been arranged."

Old Man An slowly said, "But to build a true divine kingdom, it is not enough to stop at City of Rest."

"Since the outbreak of the Singularity Crisis, this world has been in utter chaos. The council has lost control of the world, and the administrative offices of various cities exist independently. They once pinned their hopes on the Black Forest, hoping that the Black Forest, which caused everything, could end it all. Unfortunately, the Black Forest was merely the one who opened Pandora's box, but did not have the ability to close it. The changes in the world are unstoppable, but the administrative office of City of Rest has begun to build a new structure in this world and is preparing to push for a new election."

"Once the general election is completed, the administrative hall of City of Rest will become the highest-ranking official in the council."

"At that time, City of Rest will represent this world, and at the same moment, our divine kingdom will exist independently on the other side of reality, watching over the entire real world."

"President Xiao, can you imagine what kind of painting this is?"

"At that time, we will have supreme power. The Hell Organization has no roots in the city, so they are not worth mentioning."

"Dante Organization has always stayed out of the affairs of the cities, so they don't get the support of the cities. Only we have the potential to become the cornerstone of God's kingdom."

"At that time, your abilities will no longer be limited to one city, but to the entire world. Do you think that in this new world, the third archangel of the divine kingdom will have a lower status than you, the current guild leader of the small Black Gate City?"

"..."

This longing yet somewhat eerie description made even Ruan Ruan vaguely feel a sense of fear.

She sensed a kind of fanaticism in Old Man An's description.

Fanatics are frightening.

"In some places, City of Rest has indeed gone further than other cities..."

Even Xiao Xiao couldn't help but sigh softly.

Even now, in various cities, there are still a considerable number of outsiders who keep their distance from the natives, believing them to be monsters in human skin, flesh-and-blood monsters created by the City Will.

They have no regard for power in the real world and are easily defeated.

Even the Night's End City I saw before was just a way for outsiders to use their pollution abilities to control the local city's administrative power, making it easier for me to make some arrangements.

But City of Rest not only accepted all of this, it even began to control it.

At least so far, among the forces that Xiao Xiao knows of, there are only two groups that have started using both real-world power and the abilities of outsiders.

One side is oneself.

The other side is the present-day City of Rest.

At this moment, Xiao Xiao truly found it hard to imagine what kind of situation would arise if City of Rest's plan succeeded and the City of Rest Administrative Hall, which they supported, obtained the highest power in this world.

The highest real power is combined with the most immense Mysterious Source of power.

Will they ultimately create a true divine kingdom, or completely destroy this world?

Many thoughts flashed through Xiao Xiao's mind, but he didn't show them on the surface. To outsiders, he always had a faint smile on his face.

After listening to Old Man An's description, he immediately smiled and said, "That's well said, but I'm not very interested. I'm just here to return the card and attend the banquet."

"I've already returned the card."

"Banquet..."

"..."

He glanced down at the empty table, which didn't even have a plate, smiled, picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth, and said, "The food is quite good too."

"So, I should take my leave!"

"..."

These words immediately caused the expressions of everyone present to change drastically.

Ruan Ruan glanced at Xiao Xiao with some surprise, then lowered her head, a hint of excitement and anticipation flashing in her eyes.

Meanwhile, the young knight who had picked them up and shown them around the city suddenly looked up and stared coldly at Xiao Xiao from beside the round table.

Old Man An fell silent, his long, slender, dark index fingernail tapping lightly on the table.

Seeing their reaction, Xiao Xiao suddenly laughed and said, "City of Rest can't be so unreasonable as to detain us who came to return the card, can it?"

"In the circle of strangers, this seems to be a very impolite thing to do..."

"..."

These words stirred something in the hearts of everyone present.

There's a custom among people from other places to return information cards, which naturally creates an unspoken rule that's disadvantageous to the person returning the card.

Doing such a thing would be considered disrespectful and would be met with contempt from all the cities, which would be a huge blow to the reputation of Parthia, City of Rest that has always considered itself the leader of all cities.

Thump, thump, thump

Old Man An tapped his dark, curly fingernails lightly on the table. After listening for a long time, he looked up at Xiao Xiao and smiled, "Your reputation in the circle of strangers?"

"Actually, I don't agree with the term 'stranger' at all."

"Those who call themselves strangers are all madmen and mentally ill. They live in a hallucination, so they have no sense of belonging to the real world. Therefore, they consider themselves strangers and even think about escaping the real world."

"But City of Rest is different. We are going to be the masters of the real world, so we are not strangers."

"..."

These words made Ruan Ruan feel slightly nervous. If she didn't admit that she was a stranger, it meant that she wasn't going to keep the promise of strangers.

But then, the Old Man An added, "Of course, we really don't need to keep Chairman Xiao here. I would never stoop to such a thing as bullying the weak..."

"However, before Chairman Xiao leaves, there are some things that still need to be clarified..."

"... Chairman Xiao, it has been many years since I have spoken to a young man like you in such a humble manner."

"..."

A strange smile played on his lips as he looked at Xiao Xiao: "Now, more than 70% of the cities have joined the Anxi Alliance, preparing to build a divine kingdom with us."

"Now, I am offering you Black Gate City, which is only a second-tier city, the sincerity of a first-tier city, to join the Parthian Alliance. I have even promised you a position as one of the Four Archangels. Isn't that quite sincere?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao nodded. "Yes."

Old Man An said in a low voice, "Do you believe that more cities will join us, and that in the end only Black Gate City will be left?"

Xiao Xiao nodded. "Yes."

"You describe it so well. Indeed, very few people would refuse to become a god... even if only a slave to a god."

"..."

Old Man An. An paused for a moment, then asked, "Then why did you refuse?"

"It's because your description is so good..."

Xiao Xiao laughed and said, "Anything that is too wonderful can easily ignite a war..."

Old Man An kept looking into Xiao Xiao's eyes, as if trying to see through them to understand his true thoughts, but all he saw was calmness and ease.

After a long silence, he sighed softly, "No wonder you were able to inherit Kuang Juemin's position. Your stubbornness and naivety are exactly the same as his."

"I have no shortage of people to fill the position of Archangel here. However, since you also know that no one can stop our plan, then we will not allow certain things to happen in Black Gate City..."

"..."

Xiao Xiao remained calm and said softly, "Then what does the old gentleman intend to do?"

"It's not just about what I wanted to do, it's about what I've already done..."

Old Man An spoke indifferently, as if he had lost all interest in continuing the conversation, and waved his hand lazily.

The young knight, who had been standing by the round table like a servant without sitting down, raised his head and clapped his hands lightly.

The next moment, the hidden door on the right was opened, and a line of slender women dressed in elegant cheongsams filed in, each carrying a wooden tray covered with black silk.

The little knight gently clapped his hands, and the black silk on the tray slowly slid to the ground.

The contents on the tray were horrifying: pale, stiff human heads that looked surprisingly fresh, suggesting they hadn't been dead for long.

As the silk threads slid down, the dead heads seemed to be stimulated, blinking slightly and trying to open their dim eyes to look at the wall beside them.

Immediately, a faint image appeared on the wall.

Ruan Ruan saw the image on the wall and immediately stood up. She grabbed the metal wrench from her short legs and gripped it so tightly it made a cracking sound.

Xiao Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly.

The images projected from the three heads in front are three unfamiliar cities.

In the first scene, Red Eyes Ling Ping, is wearing an old-fashioned British-style suit and holding a walking stick. He walks slowly along a wet stone path. However, unlike his elegant and gentlemanly style, he carries a white, fluffy backpack on his back. Every now and then, a chubby cat head will peek out from inside, glance at the surrounding scene with disdain, and then shrink back into the backpack.

At the end of the street, under a dim streetlamp, a person waited quietly.

He seemed to be quite burly, yet he stood precisely under the shadow of the streetlamp, as if he had merged into the black shadow.

"Mr. Taylor, it has been four years since we last met. I am very honored that you are willing to see me and even talk about the Nightmare Anchor."

"..."

Red Eyes Ling Ping, stopped about three meters away under the streetlight and politely extended his hand to the other person.

From the dark shadows beneath the streetlights, a pale, damp hand reached out and shook hands with Ling Ping, its voice hoarse. "Mr. Ling Ping, to be honest, my curiosity outweighs my desire to make a deal."

"You know, it was by pure chance that I enhanced the Embrace Pillow into the Nightmare Anchor; it's my lifeline."

"You've always been a rational and gentlemanly person. What could possibly make someone like you willing to come and ask me if I should part with something so valuable?"

"..."

"I've come under orders..."

Red Eyes Ling Ping, smiled and said, "You should have heard that our new president of Black Gate City is a man with a bad temper. I will do my best to carry out whatever he asks me to do."

"So? The price is negotiable. Would you like to sit down and discuss this deal?"

"..."

The shadow under the streetlamp laughed, "To be honest, I'm willing. After all, this S-class forbidden item isn't really suitable for fighting or solving aberrations."

"Selling it and getting something that suits me better, plus I'll get extra points, is a great deal."

"It's just a pity..."

"..."

He paused slightly, and from the black shadows, two dark red eyes vaguely appeared, carrying a hint of mockery. "Several other friends have contacted me, and they mentioned another business deal..."

As he spoke, the buildings surrounding the wet path began to soften and melt.

Four or five people dressed in black robes slowly emerged from the melting building, blocking Ling Ping's escape route.

The shadow under the streetlamp chuckled softly, "I think their deal of keeping you here and paying me 100,000 points is a better deal..."

In another city, in a garbage-strewn alley, under Old Zhou Under the Bridge, wearing a black top hat, slowly ate a box of braised beef flavored instant noodles in the drizzling rain.

Rain kept falling into his instant noodles, but it didn't seem to affect his appetite.

He kept eating, finishing every last noodle, even drinking the soup and rainwater in the bucket, before wiping his mouth, putting down the cardboard box, flattening it, and stuffing it, along with a mineral water bottle, into a snakeskin bag.

He stood up, a small flashlight dangling from his mouth, illuminated the map in his hand, drew an X on it, and prepared to continue to another place.

But just then, he suddenly stopped. Around him, he heard scattered footsteps, growing louder and more complex, but no one was in sight. Old Zhou Under the Bridge, finally spoke after a long while:

"I am Black Hat Old Zhou from Black Gate City. I have been sent by our guild leader to find something."

"I was just passing through your city, bought a bowl of noodles to eat and rest for a while. I'm leaving now and don't want any trouble. Please let me go."

"..."

"Are you looking for the Eternal Helmsman?"

Scattered footsteps sounded all around, but a high-pitched voice rang out. "Then there's no need to look anymore, we know where he is."

Old Zhou Under the Bridge, silently raised his head and said, "Tell me the price."

"Our president has plenty of money and is willing to spend money to buy this information from you."

"..."

"Hehe, no need..."

The voice hidden in the shadows chuckled, "Let your guild leader think about how much money he should spend to buy your life..."

In another location, the Serpent Sisters, dressed in a seductive and alluring manner, with long, slender legs and sky-high heels, were sitting obediently in a dark red room. They were reliable and had found the city where the Barren Sail was located. They went directly to the local organization of strangers and proposed to exchange for that S-grade special item. However, a dozen silent people suddenly appeared and blocked them in the room, their dangerous eyes fixed on them.

The Serpent Sisters panicked slightly. The elder sister asked in a trembling voice, "Why are there so many people?"

"One or two is manageable, but a dozen or so... we two can't handle it..."

"..."

The younger sister was also a little stunned, then subconsciously licked her lips and hesitated, "Sister, why don't we try it first?"

The second step of Noah Project requires seven components. Xiao Xiao sent out Red Eyes Ling Ping, Old Zhou Under the Bridge, and the Serpent Sisters to find three of them.

But unexpectedly, they saw the shadows of the three groups in City of Rest, and it was clear that all three groups had encountered trouble, and even their lives were in danger.

Ruan Ruan knew this was no coincidence and finally understood where all those people from City of Rest had gone.

She didn't usually get along well with these people, but since they were from Black Gate City, she was immediately filled with anger and gripped the metal wrench tightly.

Xiao Xiao, however, maintained his composure, carefully examined the image projected on the wall, and then politely looked at Old Man An across the round table, smiling as he asked, "What do you mean by this, sir?"

"President Xiao, you're too young..."

Old Man An said calmly, "You've only been awakened for a short time, yet you've already advanced to the fourth stage, even inheriting the Mysterious Guidepost left by Kuang Juemin. You won a great victory in the duel with the Hell Organization, hunted down the secondary Mysterious Source with the support of the city's power, and even expelled Doctor Anti, one of the four mentors of the Dante Organization, from the city... You've had it too easy, so it's normal for you to be a little arrogant. But I must remind you, your understanding of this world is far too shallow..."

You've misunderstood this world!

"..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly waved his hand.

Then, on the tray in the hands of the fourth woman in the cheongsam, the black silk was peeled off, revealing a pale head with blurry shadows cast in its eye sockets.

A deep and dark city appeared before everyone's eyes. From some of the city's landmark buildings, Xiao Xiao and Ruan Ruan immediately recognized that this city was Black Gate City. And from this vantage point, three figures slowly appeared.

These three figures, of varying heights, all exuded a sense of power.

Ruan Ruan even saw patterns of spades, clubs, and diamonds on their bodies or shoulders, similar to the heart pattern she had seen on the Grand Knight Heart.

She immediately recognized the identities of the three people.

The Grand Knight of City of Rest actually appeared before Black Gate City, carrying a chilling aura that instilled despair, and walked side by side toward Black Gate City, which was now practically a ghost town.

"So, I don't actually intend to force you to stay."

Old Man An was certain that Xiao Xiao knew what these pictures represented, especially the last one.

He looked at Xiao Xiao indifferently and said slowly, "But I need you to know that Kuang Juemin's Noah Project will make many people unhappy."

"If you insist on betraying the majority of the divine authorities and opposing the divine kingdom."

"Then perhaps after you leave City of Rest, you will only be facing a dead city."

"..."

"Xiao-gege, he..."

Ruan Ruan suddenly became a little anxious, placing one of her short legs on the chair and the other on the round table, while also grabbing a metal wrench in her hand.

She was incredibly nervous. She didn't know how City of Rest had managed to so precisely block the people of Black Gate City from entering, but she knew clearly that Black Gate City currently had no reliable people in charge... She and Xiao Xiao had both left, and now only the useless Little Four was left to guard the city... What could that guy do besides squatting in the trash can picking up cigarette butts? Facing the Grand Knight of City of Rest, he probably wouldn't even dare to show his face...

What are we going to do? We went out for a while and now we've lost our home?

Seeing her panic, Xiao Xiao waved his hand slightly, signaling her not to panic.

After a moment's thought, he looked at Old Man An with a strange expression. "The fact that you were able to arrange for people to block our people so precisely means that you already knew these seven components were what we needed?"

"You even know the exact location of these seven items, and the information we have now?"

"..."

Old Man An remained silent, seemingly disdainful of answering these questions.

Xiao Xiao slowly smiled, glanced at the huge, cold round table, and said, "This table was originally meant to be full of people, wasn't it?"

"But now you've all been sent out—three Grand Knights and thirty-six lesser knights..."

"Then I'd like to ask..."

"..."

He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Old Man An with a polite smile, "If all these people died, would you feel sorry for them?"

We need to work on the design properly. The battles are the hardest part to write. We can't just have two groups meet and immediately decide the winner with rock-paper-scissors, can we?

The word count is a bit low for now; let's design it first.