Chen Siwei

Longwind Fortress was vigorously building up its basic industries.

From the Rune Workshop to the Light Office, Qingrang Academy, the Letter Bureau... Lincon took part in every project whenever he had time.

At the same time, whenever darkness fell, he would lead people deep into it to clear out the dark creatures around the fortress.

There was no helping it. The Seed of Life consumed 50 points of Sunlight every day, forcing Lincon to act sooner than he had planned when he had originally wanted to develop steadily.

He had also considered cultivating a plant capable of producing Sunlight.

However, so far, he had only discovered that the Solar Sunflower evolved from the Purifying Fire Sunlight Sunflower could produce Sunlight.

Meanwhile, the projects to dig river channels and plant sunlight-type plants continued every day. Through the combined efforts of hundreds of people, Longwind Fortress was developing at a terrifying rate.

Far beyond Longwind Fortress, a massive gate cast from bronze and Black Iron, heavy and oppressive in appearance, slowly opened amid the clatter of metal chains.

At that moment, a figure appeared outside the gate.

Zhou Qing carefully held something wrapped in black cloth against his chest. Before entering, he did not forget to look around. Only after confirming that no one from Flint City or New River City was watching did he let out a sigh of relief.

After entering the city, he immediately rushed toward the city lord's castle. Even when he encountered several acquaintances greeting him along the way, he ignored them completely.

Meanwhile, in an elegant and luxurious courtyard, two people dressed in black trench coats were playing chess. Their collars bore the same tiger-shaped silver clasps as Zhou Qing's.

One was handsome and refined, like a young master from a prominent clan. The other had a scar across his face and a huge, muscular build, sitting in his chair like a giant bear.

At that moment, a subordinate hurried over from the corridor and whispered a few words into the refined man's ear.

Wen Yan's hand froze in midair as he held a chess piece, his voice faintly surprised.

"Zhou Qing rushed to the city lord's castle as soon as he returned? It looked like he was carrying something too?" He pondered for a long while before setting down the piece.

"I remember he was sent to investigate that Longwind Fortress, wasn't he? What did he obtain there that made him so anxious?" Wen Yan muttered to himself.

Seeing Wen Yan sink into thought, the burly man promptly slapped the table, scattering the chess pieces across the board as he shouted.

"I'm done, I'm done. I never liked this thing anyway."

As soon as he finished speaking, the burly man laughed and prepared to leave.

Then Wen Yan suddenly spoke. "Old Seven, don't you want to know what Zhou Qing brought back?"

"What's there to think about? Whatever he brought back has nothing to do with me. Right now, I only want to go enjoy the girl I captured."

Hong Qi grinned, and the scar on his face immediately looked as vicious as a centipede crawling across his skin.

"Haven't you always wanted to replace Chen Siwei as the city lord of Black Iron City? What if Zhou Qing brought back something extraordinary?"

"Heh!" Hong Qi snorted. "What could he bring back from some shabby fortress?

"I heard what came over from Flint City. That fortress only had one crippled soldier left. He thought the country still existed and stupidly kept guarding the place."

"Ah... in the end, he is someone with faith."

"Faith? What the hell is faith good for? Can it give me women? Can it keep me safe?"

Hong Qi's face was full of contempt. "Most of Black Iron City's armed forces are in my hands now. Strength is the hardest truth in the Dark Age.

Even if Zhou Qing brought back something with some potential, it would still be nothing. Once Chen Siwei gets injured fighting the Black Tide, that will be my best opportunity."

"Good luck to you!"

Wen Yan shrugged, the corner of his mouth curving into a smile.

Only after Hong Qi had gone far away did he turn to his subordinate beside him. "Go investigate what Zhou Qing brought back."

"Yes." The subordinate turned and left.

By then, Zhou Qing had already entered the city lord's castle with the Sunlight Potato. He walked through a broad corridor lined with huge floor-to-ceiling windows, where the sunlight refracted into mottled patterns of light and shadow.

Unlike the heavy, oppressive atmosphere of Black Iron City as a whole, the high-rise building where Black Iron City's city lord lived felt strangely relaxed.

Many flowers and plants had been planted on the sunlit terrace. Though they were not growing particularly well, and most had even withered.

Only after his gaze swept over the place did Zhou Qing slow his steps slightly, unable to keep himself from sighing inwardly.

Compared with Longwind Fortress, Black Iron City was more like a steel cage. Even the air carried the rusty tang of industry.

He actually quite liked the lush greenery and vibrant life of Longwind Fortress.

Shaking his head and tossing aside the thoughts that had arisen in his heart, Zhou Qing walked into the hall before him.

Inside was a modern hall much like those from the old era, lavishly decorated with exquisite chandeliers, soft sofas, and even a hundred-inch display on the opposite wall.

The display was lit up, connected to the exceedingly rare and precious electricity of the Dark Age.

A casually dressed woman was curled up on the sofa, gripping a controller with both hands, her eyes fixed on the character in the video as it jumped and ran.

She was playing a game.

While many ordinary people could only light candles at night that barely dispelled the darkness, ability users could spend precious electricity on their hobbies.

Zhou Qing waited at the side until the character in the game died before speaking up, interrupting her intention to continue playing.

"City Lord, I have something important to tell you."

Chen Siwei lazily stretched, displaying her impressive curves. She turned toward Zhou Qing, her voice carrying the alluring charm of a mature woman.

"Old Zhou! Come on, play a couple rounds with me."

She casually patted the sofa beside her.

Zhou Qing looked somewhat helpless. Rather than stepping forward, he took the Sunlight Potato from his arms.

Chen Siwei curiously examined the thing in Zhou Qing's hand and recognized it from its shape.

"Oh... a potato! Where did you find it?"

Zhou Qing said flatly, "This is a Sunlight Potato. It can grow in dead soil."

The moment those words were spoken, Chen Siwei's playful expression abruptly stiffened. Her long eyelashes lifted slightly, and her voice turned cold.

"Which fortress?"

Those few brief words brought heavy pressure upon everyone nearby. Fear appeared on the faces of the maidservants attending beside them, and they hurriedly grabbed whatever they could to steady themselves.

The next instant, the chandelier overhead, the knives and forks on the table... every metal object seemed to be affected by some force and began to tremble slightly.

Zhou Qing slowly let out a breath. "That person is a plant-type ability user. Only he can grow them."

"Moreover, I can't gauge the strength of his ability. The methods I observed were limited, but he should be capable of summoning special plants to fight."

The tremors in the hall gradually subsided, and Chen Siwei slowly regained her composure.

She rose from the sofa, and a servant quickly brought over clothing to drape over her.

"A plant-type ability user? That's rare. Being able to grow food in soil corrupted by darkness would indeed be much more convenient than searching for food in city ruins."

"Didn't you invite him to join Black Iron City?"

Invite him?

Zhou Qing's mouth twitched at her words.

The man already had several hundred people under him and was clearly expanding. Who would abandon a force that was on the rise just to come here and become someone else's subordinate?

Besides, Black Iron City itself was far from stable. Plenty of people wanted to take your position as city lord.