Longwind Fortress

Biodata

Power Progression

Background

Longwind Fortress was an old-world defensive installation near the Abyss Rift, originally built as an outpost against the Black Tide. When the Black Tide shifted toward denser population centers, Dark Erosion breached the fortress’s rear, leaving it isolated and nearly forgotten. 74 150

By the beginning of the story, it is a decayed but inhabited stronghold of walls, abandoned electrical lamps, candlelit buildings, and shrine-marked routes through the darkness. Lincon has spent three years guarding it alone after his commander and comrades disappeared, continuing to maintain shrines in the hope that they might guide survivors home. 1

The fortress begins recovering once Lincon’s Guardian and Plant Cultivator powers allow him to cultivate defensive plants, establish more durable Shrines, reclaim land, and attract survivors. Its development accelerates after it survives the Black Tide, establishes relations with Black Iron City, absorbs Twin Camp, defeats Flint City, and later accepts tens of thousands of refugees. 7 34 113 141 148

Longwind’s history is later recognized as part of Xia Kingdom’s abandoned frontier defense. The South Heaven Gate Plan concentrated national forces against the Abyss Sea, leaving outposts such as Longwind understaffed; Lincon’s survival and transformation of the fortress into a city become a symbol that the frontier soldiers’ sacrifice was not meaningless. 348 350 362

Appearance

Longwind Fortress evolves from a ruined military outpost into a living settlement where old stone, red soil, Runes, Spirit Plants, and cultivated farmland coexist. Its walls are increasingly covered by thorny vines, luminous flowers, and defensive plants rather than conventional fortifications alone. 1 82 147 194

• Long defensive walls covered in vines, thorns, and flowering Spirit Plants. 107 147
• Fields of Sunlight Sunflowers provide nighttime illumination around the walls. 7 107
• The Life Sacred Court, formerly the City Lord’s Manor, is grown from roots, vines, and crystalline orchid-like trees. 77 81 108
• The Rune Workshop is built around a giant transformed tree and serves as a major landmark. 44 105
• Glory Tower displays public Contribution Rankings and serves as a symbol of merit-based advancement. 145 190
• The outer city is protected by ten-meter walls woven from red stone, Spirit Plants, and Runes. 194
• After the Sacred Court’s destruction, its remains begin merging with the Crystal Ring Mother Tree and surrounding Spirit Plants. 218
• The Crystal Ring Mother Tree and Sacred Court complex form the city’s elevated spiritual and architectural core, while symbiotic structures, Spirit Plant gardens, and the Fire God Tree distinguish Longwind City from conventional shelters. 348 350 383

Defenses and Territory

Shrine Network

Shrines form the foundation of Longwind’s territorial system. Ordinary Shrines require wax oil, while Lord’s Shrines are sustained by coexisting Spirit Trees and represent an extension of the Longwind Lord’s authority. Their light provides shelter and repels Dark Creatures to some degree. 57 147

• Fine Shrines anchor territory, sustain stronger light, prolong candles and incense, and can carry basic runes. 7
• Shrines connect distant locations—including Longwind Lake, forests, and abandoned villages—to the Lord’s territory. 57
• Lincon can use the territorial map to identify unauthorized intruders as red markers. 96
• A Lord’s Shrine can manifest overwhelming defensive power; when He Yan attacked one, its awakened will commanded roots to crush him. 110
• Lord’s Shrines mark the boundary of Longwind territory and provide travelers with shelter, illumination, and protection against Dark Creatures. 147 180
• Lincon’s monthly Rule Edict can establish effective rules throughout his territory, supporting either development or combat operations. 192 275

Spirit Plant Defenses

Longwind’s defenses are built around cultivated and evolved Spirit Plants rather than static walls alone. These plants provide illumination, concealment, detection, direct firepower, and environmental control. 82 105 147

• Sunlight Sunflowers — absorb sunlight by day and release it at night, creating a protective sea of light around the fortress. 7
• Spore Shooter Mushrooms — guide travelers at night and fire corrosive spores capable of dissolving an E-Rank Weird Bird within seconds. 105
• Thorn Tentacles and Fallen Sun Thorncrown — reinforce the walls and act as visible deterrents against hostile Ability Users. 82 116
• Misty Forest — a hostile defensive zone capable of trapping or killing invading Ability Users. 132 134
• Fire God Tree — creates a Pure Fire Domain, melts Ash Snow, and helped form Longwind’s Red Soil defenses. 145 151 190
• Rift-Cleaving Dandelions, Reed Assassins, Explosive Berry Thickets, and Treant Guards — protect routes, waterways, forests, and frontier areas. 147 146
• Kindling Sunflower — a B-Rank evolution of the Solar Sunflower that produces 500 Sunlight daily, raises ambient temperature, damages dark-attributed creatures within its Radiant Domain, and can leave behind a regenerative fireseed after death. 212
• Silent Ice Butterflies and Silent Ice Worms — mitigate Ash Snow erosion and enable residents to work beyond protected buildings during Harsh Winter. 183 184

Garrison Guard and Territorial Forces

The Garrison Guard develops from the fortress’s original Defense Corps into Longwind City’s professional military force. It combines Ability Users, Rune Warriors, Spirit Plants, Treants, mutated beasts, and standardized Rune equipment. 95 172 453

• The Defense Corps is formally renamed the Garrison Guard as Longwind develops an identity separate from Shangmai City. 95
• The Guard uses Spirit Plant-assisted training, Rune Warrior advancement, and combat instructors to develop a force capable of operating without Lincon’s direct intervention. 172 445
• By the Northern Province expedition, the Garrison Guard numbers more than 20,000 soldiers, excluding logistics and supply personnel. 453
• Its standard equipment includes Precision-School Purification-Boost Flameblades, rune-enhanced armor and boots, and Kinetic Assault Short-Hunters. 453
• The Guard’s role expands from city defense to controlling Jiangzhou’s transportation routes, protecting mining areas, and projecting Longwind’s authority across the region. 358 377

Rune Industry

The Rune Workshop produces defensive and survival tools that distinguish Longwind from most Dark Age shelters. 42 150

• Purifying Candles repel Dark Creatures, while Weird Candles attract them. 80
• Rune weapons, including reinforced daggers, are traded through the outer-city market. 150 151
• Purification, Enhancement, Reinforcement, Resonance, and Infusion Rune Stones support combat, construction, and Spirit Plant cultivation. 13 72
• Rune Awakening creates Rune Warriors, though the process is dangerous and risks Mental Pollution or Dark Creature corruption. 92 98
• The Forging Department and Rune Workshop develop Spirit Armaments, living weapons with consciousness, will, and the capacity to grow alongside accepted wielders. 321 352 363
• Crystal Communicators provide long-range communication across much of a province, while the Crystal Ring Mother Tree’s Myriad-Knowledge Dome supports identity records, administrative data, and Adventurer Guild tasks. 445
• Longwind’s rune research, Rune Arrays, Precision-School techniques, and weapon-forging plans are valuable enough to be shared with the Great Wall Defense Line as strategic aid. 352 383

Administration and Society

Longwind Fortress is governed by Lincon as the Longwind Lord, with Zhang Rui overseeing internal administration and later Zhou Qing serving as Foreign Affairs Officer. 113 185

After Black Iron City’s allegiance, its former government is dismantled and distributed among Longwind’s existing administrative divisions. Former Great Wall Defense Line personnel are subsequently assigned according to their specialized strengths in diplomacy, military instruction, observation, interrogation, and trials. 185 445

Longwind Code

The Longwind Code establishes the settlement’s legal structure and subject system. Its first three articles require residents to obey the Longwind Lord, follow his footsteps, and respect his choices. 113 180

• Residents may reject the Code and leave, but those who remain are bound by its laws and punishments. 113 147
• New arrivals are generally registered as Temporary Subjects or Provisional Subjects before earning Formal Subject status through contribution. 113 148 180
• Contribution Points determine access to resources, promotion, occupations, advancement opportunities, and public recognition. 82 115 190
• Former residents who abandoned the fortress before the Black Tide permanently lost their Subject status, though they may receive food in exchange for labor. 96 145
• The Glory Tower publicly records contributions, professions, and rankings to make advancement visible and competitive. 145 190
• Visitors and new arrivals undergo identification checks and registration; identification plaques or visitor IDs are used to manage rations, tasks, supplies, access, and Contribution Points. 180 280
• Lincon insists that large incoming groups receive neither discrimination nor special privilege, beginning as Temporary Subjects and advancing through the existing contribution system. 445

Institutions

• Governing Hall — coordinates major policies, resource allocation, construction, and subject administration. 115 219
• Rune Workshop — researches Runes, produces Rune equipment, and conducts Rune Awakening. 42 92
• Qingrang Academy — supports education, cultivation, research, and specialist training. 42 169
• Light Office — supports illumination, energy, and infrastructure development. 42 77
• Letter Bureau — manages communications and correspondence. 42 77
• Garrison Guard — the fortress’s military force, including Rune Warriors and reserves. 95 98
• Adventurer Guild — organizes independent adventurers through ranked missions, Contribution Points, intelligence exchange, and rewards. 219 220
• Cultural Affairs Bureau — oversees publishing, public information, survival guides, and cultural projects such as the popular Thunder Fortress novels. 154 155 270
• Forging Department — develops weapons, armor, Rune equipment, and Spirit Armaments through Longwind’s distinctive combination of Runes and living materials. 321 352
• Longwind Academy — provides expanded education and training within the city’s developing civilian and professional system. 275 348

Population and Economy

Longwind Fortress’s early population falls to 385 before the Black Tide as fearful residents leave, but those who remain form a more loyal core community. 57

Its growth later becomes rapid:

• Twin Camp’s survivors join as Provisional Subjects after formal screening and registration. 107 113
• More than 47,000 Black Iron City refugees arrive during the Harsh Winter and are organized into provisional camps, work teams, and reserve units. 148
• Within half a year, the settlement grows from a lone guardian’s fortress into a city of more than 100,000 people. 183
• By the later Harsh Winter, its subject population approaches 120,000, creating major pressure on food production, farmland, and market systems. 192
• After the Great Wall Defense Line’s fall, Longwind City begins resettling approximately 70,000 additional people as Temporary Subjects and ordinary residents under the established contribution system. 445

Its economy is built on agriculture, labor, Rune products, and controlled trade.

• Sunlight Potatoes grow in darkness-corrupted soil and serve as a major strategic crop. 42 53
• Frost Crystal Rice grows in temperatures as low as -50°C and may improve ordinary people’s physical attributes. 141
• The outer-city trade district exchanges food, supplies, Rune weapons, Purifying Candles, Weird Candles, Dark Matter Crystals, and wilderness materials. 150
• The Adventurer Guild attracts independent Ability Users without forcing them into direct service to the city, offering ranked missions, rewards, records, supplies, information, and mediation. 151 219 220
• Longwind Currency replaces barter as the city’s standardized medium of exchange and later becomes Jiangzhou’s primary currency. 237 348
• Longwind City controls survival supplies, Rune manufacturing, and regional transport while allowing local route managers to operate under standardized prices, wages, security guarantees, and contribution-based advancement. 377
• The city’s agricultural reserves, Spirit Fields, greenhouses, Rune formations, and protective Spirit Plants provide substantially stronger Harsh Winter preparation than in its first year. 445

Major Events

• First diplomatic contact with Black Iron City — Zhou Qing’s attempt to intimidate the fortress ends when Lincon intervenes, forcing Black Iron City to recognize Longwind as a serious independent power. 34
• C-Rank Black Tide — Longwind survives despite population losses, cementing Lincon’s authority and accelerating the settlement’s reconstruction. 60 69 77
• Flint City conflict — Flint City infiltrates and invades Longwind for its food and Rune technology; Longwind defeats the attackers and captures or subdues surviving forces. 96 131 137 138
• Refugee integration — Twin Camp and Black Iron City refugees are incorporated through screening, provisional status, labor assignments, and the Longwind Code. 113 148
• Black Tide deterrence — Longwind’s zero-casualty victory against Flint City and its later defenses against the Black Tide elevate its reputation across Jiangzhou. 141 172
• Renaming to Longwind City — After outgrowing its original role as a military outpost, the settlement officially adopts the name Longwind City while retaining its laws and Subject system. 219 220
• Territory War victory — Longwind successfully defends Jiangzhou against Abyssal forces, receives an Intermediate Rune Industry Blueprint, and unlocks the Dark Overlord path for Lincon. 202
• Establishment of Longwind Currency — The city replaces its restrictive barter economy with a unified currency, strengthening internal commerce and external trade. 237
• Martial Tournament — Longwind City opens its gates for a major tournament that attracts contestants, merchants, adventurers, and spectators while strengthening civic loyalty and public morale. 343 348
• Declaration of Jiangzhou sovereignty — Longwind resolves to control the region’s principal transport routes, secure nearby resources, and extend Garrison Guard protection beyond the city walls. 358 377
• Alliance with the Great Wall Defense Line — Longwind provides Rune research, crops, medicine, weapons, and Spirit Armaments to the frontline, while the official forces recognize its strategic importance and seek deeper cooperation. 352 383
• Great Wall refugee resettlement — Approximately 70,000 frontline survivors are accepted into Longwind City, expanding its population, military expertise, and responsibility as a human refuge. 445
• Northern Province expedition — The Garrison Guard deploys more than 20,000 soldiers, supported by Rune equipment, war Spirit Plants, and mutated beasts, to confront an A-Rank Abyss Rift. 453