"Nomad Faction" and "Fortress Faction"

"What's the deal with Roland Fortress?"

Li Ye stared fixedly at Roland Fortress, his heart full of questions.

"It's probably one of the Fortress Faction's Mobile Cities."

A calm voice came from behind him.

Li Ye turned around and saw that it was Lin Wu.

"Fortress Faction?"

Lin Wu adjusted his glasses and began explaining.

In this wasteland world, Mobile Cities were divided into two factions: the "Nomad Faction" and the "Fortress Faction."

Just as the name suggested, the Nomad Faction referred to Mobile Cities that wandered everywhere collecting supplies, making their homes wherever they went. This type of Mobile City made up the vast majority.

As for the Fortress Faction, it referred to Mobile Cities that gave up moving and settled down in one place.

Once these Mobile Cities reached a certain scale, they would often choose a resource-rich area to settle in and multiply there.

Compared with the Nomad Faction, the Fortress Faction had one enormous advantage.

They possessed far more usable space than the Nomad Faction.

After all, once they settled in place, Fortress Faction cities were no longer constrained by living space or farmland.

They could reclaim large tracts of surrounding land to grow crops and raise livestock, gaining more food needed for survival. As food supplies increased, they could support a larger population, and that population could be turned into more labor, further strengthening the fortress.

Residents were no longer confined to cramped rooms. They could build spacious homes according to their preferences, perhaps even with courtyards.

Thus, at the same level, fortresses often had larger populations and better living conditions than Mobile Cities.

But this came with one very obvious drawback.

Once they gave up moving, fortresses could only defend their territory and could no longer travel farther afield to gather resources and develop their strength.

The vast majority of fortresses basically remained at their original level, and very few could level up.

"I see." Li Ye nodded repeatedly.

If he had to choose, he would definitely choose the Nomad Faction.

Though they had no fixed home and lived hand to mouth every day, at least each day's journey was something to look forward to.

After all, you never knew what you would experience when you woke up each day, nor what gains or regrets awaited you.

With Lin Xia, the lord's daughter, serving as their introduction, Li Ye and his group moved through Roland Fortress without obstruction.

Along the way, Li Ye happened to notice a breach in the city wall.

Noticing his confusion, Lin Xia explained it to him.

The Crimson Hound had always coveted Roland Fortress's population and resources and had attacked several times. The breach in the wall had been blasted open by its Level 1 Artillery.

Lin Xia's lord father did not receive them personally, instead having his butler entertain them.

To thank Li Ye for saving his daughter, the lord of Roland Fortress gave Li Ye a gift.

Roland Fortress was now open to the Tomorrow, and Li Ye could freely trade and recruit people within the fortress.

Li Ye could not help feeling pleasantly surprised. This meant the Tomorrow had found a Safe Harbor in the wilderness where it could dock and rest.

The lord of Roland Fortress had also specially arranged a meal for them. The table held not only all kinds of vegetables, but even a small amount of fruit and meat.

Li Ye immediately dug in. Ever since arriving in this world, he had barely eaten anything good. Every day, it was potatoes or Buns. Old Zhou and the others also stuffed food into their mouths like Li Ye.

When would the Tomorrow ever have supplies like this? he thought gloomily as he ate.

After the meal, Li Ye and his group headed toward Roland Fortress's market under Lin Xia's lead.

Along the way, he curiously examined the inside of Roland Fortress.

Roland Fortress was divided into upper and lower districts. The lower district mainly contained various small shops, processing plants, and markets, while the upper district was the residential area.

According to Lin Xia, Roland Fortress now had more than two thousand people. It had originally been the Level 1 Mobile City Roland, which had settled here ten years ago.

Roland Fortress was dozens of times larger than it had been as a Mobile City, with an abundance of interior space.

Along the way, Li Ye also unexpectedly spotted a Mobile City.

It was parked near the processing plants in the lower district. The thugs inside were directing slaves to unload all kinds of supplies gathered from the wilderness, preparing to transport them to the market for trade.

Li Ye immediately observed it closely with interest.

This Mobile City looked incredibly imposing, with a rugged and bold architectural style. It even had red paintwork—clearly, its lord had infused it with his own personal style.

The Mobile City also had a flag. Its background was a flamboyant bright red, and its emblem showed a crossed sword and axe.

From what he could tell, this Mobile City had around twenty or thirty thugs—or rather, Combat Personnel—while its residents and slaves numbered around fifty. It possessed four artillery pieces and eight Heavy Machine Guns, and seemed to have upgraded its tracks and tires as well. The Combat Personnel carried Level 1 Submachine Guns.

What shocked Li Ye most was that this Mobile City actually had a Level 1 Artillery piece.

This Level 1 Artillery had a sleek, elegant streamlined design, and its barrel was far larger than that of ordinary artillery.

Item Name: Wind Erosion Cannon

Item Level: Level 1

Effect: Targets struck would be slowed for a period of time.

Crafting Requirements: 300 units of Wind Erosion Ore (Level 1), 1 Wind Erosion Crystal

"This Mobile City is pretty strong," Li Ye could not help remarking.

"Oh, that's the Conqueror." Lin Xia noticed where he was looking and introduced it. "The Conqueror is an old partner of Roland Fortress. It usually comes here to sell supplies collected from the wilderness, replenish food, vegetables, and Freshwater, and carry out routine repairs and troubleshooting."

"You said that's the Conqueror?" Li Ye was stunned.

Wasn't this the Mobile City mentioned in the intelligence report, the one desperately short on Lava Spider Silk?

He had not paid much attention to it at the time, but he never expected to encounter it here.

Lin Xia raised a finger and pointed toward a spot near the Conqueror's tracks.

"There, the one standing over there is the Conqueror's lord, Lei Jian."

Li Ye looked over and saw a middle-aged man in his forties.

The man looked like he had stepped out of an Schwarzenegger movie—broad-backed, powerfully built, and tall, with thick arms and a pair of sunglasses.

"Don't let his tough-guy appearance fool you. He's actually easy to get along with," Lin Xia added. "He likes to charge ahead in everything he does, and his people support him wholeheartedly."

As they chatted, the group arrived at the market.

Compared with Wilderness Town, Roland Fortress's market was clearly much livelier.

It was about the size of a small town, packed with all kinds of people.

Scavengers, Bounty Hunters, fortress residents, and survivors from visiting convoys.

The market sold a dazzling variety of goods: food, vegetables, fruit, Iron Ore, coal, furniture, weapons, firearms, even Level 1 Items and Level 1 Blueprints.

The bustling scene and constant flow of people reminded Li Ye of life in his hometown city, easing his mood somewhat.

At the same time, it made him feel a little more melancholy.