Peace City

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Peace City (宁城)
Type	Coastal concession city and commercial metropolis
Status	Inhabited; politically divided between Chen State and foreign concessions
First Appearance	1

Background

Peace City is an ancient coastal city of Chen State with more than a thousand years of history. The Nanpu River crosses the city from west to east before entering the Eastern Sea, and its ports historically made it one of Chen State’s largest trading centers. 9

Two centuries before the story, the Kingdom of Migallon, the Aofei Duchy, and four other Western powers forced open Chen State’s ports with ironclad warships and cannons. Peace City became one of the first concession cities, developing into an international commercial center while much of its territory fell under foreign control. 9

The city has nearly ten million registered residents. Despite its size and wealth, its political, commercial, aristocratic, martial, and criminal circles are tightly interconnected. 218

Geography & Administration

Area	Description
Nanpu River	Flows through Peace City from west to east and reaches the Eastern Sea at the eastern estuary. 9
Miqiao District	A remote southern district and one of the few urban areas governed by Chen State. Its architecture is predominantly Chen-style, without skyscrapers, luxury hotels, or trams. 9
Nanpu Bund	A nearly three-kilometer riverfront district under Migallon’s actual control. It contains major firms, hotels, banks, newspapers, skyscrapers, and dense international crowds. 39
West Sand District	A southwestern suburban district along the Yunsong River. Its docks, factories, and river access make it Peace City’s commercial gateway to other cities. 110
Pine Fan District	A less central district containing Xie'ersun Park and venues such as the Sinor Grand Hotel. 120 260
Baobai Mountain	A northern area known for tea estates, orchards, rare plants, snakes, the Stone Demon, and the Gou Wu Ruins. The Demon Wraith’s appearance devastated its local tea-and-fruit industries. 221 222

Peace City governs nineteen districts, three counties, and two townships. Only two districts, two counties, and two townships remain under Chen State’s administration; the rest are controlled by Western powers, including the Gallon and Aofei Concessions. 9

Society & Economy

Peace City is Chen State’s eastern economic center, with large-scale trade, manufacturing, banking, docks, theaters, restaurants, and foreign-owned enterprises. Nanpu Bund hosts major trading firms and financial institutions, while West Sand District concentrates factories and cargo transport along the Yunsong River. 39 110

The Peace City General Chamber of Commerce was formed by local aristocratic clans, major powers, and merchants to negotiate with foreign commercial interests and coordinate domestic economic disputes. Regional organizations such as the South City Chamber of Commerce oversee business interests in specific parts of the city. 117

Work is tightly regulated in the concessions. Even rickshaw pullers and dock laborers require work permits, and permit holders are forbidden from entering occupations outside their registered trade. Refugees without documentation often cannot legally work and must rely on Stockade relief or makeshift shelter. 1

The city’s wealth is sharply unequal:

• Nanpu Bund’s skyscrapers, department stores, luxury hotels, automobiles, telephones, and international commerce stand alongside nearby villages with wooden huts and thatched cottages. 39
• West Sand’s industrial development brings extensive coal-smoke pollution, while damaged railways and war have disrupted transport infrastructure. 110
• Local aristocratic clans and wealthy households are notably hostile to refugees and outsiders competing for Peace City’s jobs and resources. 14

Law, Security & Foreign Control

Foreign patrol officers and concession laws preserve a limited public order. The city’s restrictions on unregistered martial artists are intended to prevent widespread robbery, kidnapping, and violence in public streets. Illegal martial artists commonly flee, hide, or enter the Stockade as Black Warriors. 6

This order is uneven and often superficial:

• Foreign authorities investigate high-profile crimes that damage concession prestige, but local forces can often settle martial conflicts through compensation or unofficial arrangements. 124
• Foreign powers continue to control the concessions even when their high-level experts are recalled for overseas war. Local clans and martial sects generally avoid openly confronting foreign nobles. 265
• As foreign forces become distracted by international conflict, martial artists from other regions increasingly enter Peace City, worsening clashes and instability. 204 338

The Stockade

The Stockade is a walled slum and criminal enclave near Peace City, connected to the city by several bridges and separated from it by less than one hundred meters at its nearest point. It is believed to have originated more than two centuries ago, when wealthy local households resisted foreign forces. 204

It functions as a refuge for undocumented refugees, illegal martial artists, gangs, and Black Warriors, but its residents face extreme violence and exploitation. Money, food, and even small possessions can invite murder. 1 204

A Grandmaster-level formation or “Grandmaster Momentum” protects the Stockade’s interior. Killing within it grants blood-baleful essence that can marginally strengthen martial artists while gradually corrupting their minds into bloodlust. 204 205

Notable Stockade sites include:

• Halfway Pavilion — An ancient intelligence organization whose Dongjiang Prefecture branch operates from within the Stockade; it established Chen State’s Heavenly Prodigy Ranking. 205
• East City Bridge — A crossing from which the prosperous skyscrapers of Peace City remain visible, emphasizing the Stockade’s proximity to the concession city. 204

Notable Institutions

Institution	Role in Peace City
Tongda Escort Agency	A long-standing Miqiao District escort agency affiliated with the Mountain Cloud School. It was devastated by successive conflicts and later reduced to a cleared, sealed-off lot. 47 205
Mountain Cloud School	A major martial sect with long-standing ties to Tongda Escort Agency and several local subordinate organizations. Its internal divisions and conflict with the Dou’a Sect destabilize the city’s martial world. 47 48
Dou’a Sect	A rival sect seeking to establish itself through the Stockade while leveraging refugee relief and support from southern warlords. 47 51
Black Flood Dragon Army	A military force controlled by the Tao Family. Its presence and negotiations with local aristocratic clans mark the Tao Family’s expansion into Peace City. 29 51
Red Gang	A major local gang backing monopolized industries such as the rickshaw trade and connected to commercial organizations. 8 116
Peace City General Chamber of Commerce	The city’s largest commercial association, formed to coordinate local merchants and negotiate with foreign merchant powers. 117

Major Events

Event	Chapter	Impact on Peace City
Foreign powers force open Peace City’s ports and establish concessions	9	The city becomes an international metropolis while most of its territory falls under foreign control. 9
Tao Family and Black Flood Dragon Army expand into the region	29, 51	Local aristocratic clans and Tongda Escort Agency face a military power they cannot readily oppose. 29 51
Dou’a Sect moves to establish itself through the Stockade	47–48	Tongda Escort Agency and Mountain Cloud School affiliates are drawn into sectarian conflict. 47 48
Gou Wu Ruins open at Baobai Mountain	222, 228–229	Thousands of martial artists, demonic cultivators, local sects, and foreign forces converge near Peace City. 222 228 229
Collapse of the Gou Wu Ruins	237	The disaster kills or injures large numbers of martial artists and Grandmasters, intensifying political instability in Peace City and Dongjiang Prefecture. 237
Southern Martial Gathering approaches	336, 338	Martial forces from across the south flood into Peace City, turning the city into a tense center of factional maneuvering. 336 338

Trivia

• Peace City’s common name as the “Ten-Li Foreign Quarter” is especially associated with the lights, nightlife, wealth, and foreign influence of Nanpu Bund. 8 39
• The city’s old-money districts can remain outwardly luxurious even during widespread unrest; the Sinor Grand Hotel continues operating amid the city’s escalating turmoil. 260
• Peace City’s aristocratic prejudice is so entrenched that Jiang Jingnian believes his former work as a rickshaw puller will remain a social stigma regardless of later achievements. 189