Ironstone City

Biodata

Feature	Information
Name	Ironstone City (铁石城)
Type	City / fortified settlement
Affiliation	Ruled by Ninth Prince Lin Chao; its construction and defenses are administered by Hong Ying 360 374
Occupation/Role	Player stronghold, refuge city, trade center, and base for the pursuit of the Technology Great Dao
Status	Active; defended during a mass siege by gods and Abyss Lords 449 450
First Appearance	Chapter 360

History

Founding on Ironstone Mountain

Ironstone City originated on Ironstone Mountain, a former merchant-guild holding that became abandoned after spatial rifts made it vulnerable to Abyssal Demon incursions. Lin Chao acquired the dangerous, depleted mountain despite the financial cost, intending to use it for a greater purpose 343.

The first residents were Players, who initially lived in tents before building crude houses and forming a small residential area around the respawn point. They hunted local monsters and gradually turned the mountain camp into a functioning settlement 344.

Laborers later reclaimed surrounding wasteland, established fertile fields, and moved their families to the mountain. By this stage, the settlement was commonly called Ironstone Town; it had wide clean streets, orderly housing, roughly 4,000 laborers, and around 5,000 residents at the mountain’s foot 357 358.

Construction of the City

After the Kunan Orc Tribe’s priest was defeated, Lin Chao obtained Golem Puppet blueprints and modified them for city construction. The massive constructs began carrying stone and erecting the planned city, while Players and local specialists contributed expertise in administration, construction, and urban planning 360 371.

Hong Ying’s initial plan envisioned a city able to house 300,000 people, with space reserved for both Players and local residents rather than a settlement exclusively for Players 360. Construction advanced rapidly enough that residential districts had taken shape by the time Lin Chao returned from the royal capital 371.

The completed city absorbed the former Ironstone Town as one of its prosperous districts. It also developed separate areas for Players, nobles who relocated from Koya City, and laborers 382.

Growth into a Refuge

Ironstone City attracted workers through wages, food, lodging, regular rest days, and monthly leave. Laborers were offered three silver coins per month, one day of rest for every six days worked, and three days of leave per month 373.

During the continental wars, Lin Chao accepted refugees rather than turning them away. New arrivals received porridge, organized labor, and the possibility of earning formal citizenship through contributions to the city 383 386.

Period	Documented population
Early Ironstone Town	About 5,000 people at the foot of the mountain 358
Early city construction	More than 10,000 people on Ironstone Mountain 361
Developing city	Over 100,000 residents, including 20,000 Players 392
Later expansion	More than 1 million permanent residents 445
One year and eight months after founding	12 million residents 445

By its later growth period, the city was viewed as a sanctuary amid divine wars and disasters. Its survival during a continent-wide earthquake, while other cities suffered collapse, further increased migration to Ironstone City 440 445.

Cityscape and Society

Ironstone City is characterized by clean paved streets, regular cleaning, planned housing, fertile fields, and ongoing construction by Golem Puppets 362 382. Visitors note the lack of foul-smelling streets, beggars, slums, and private street violence—conditions unusually rare even in major cities 384 428.

• Housing districts — Includes Player residences, a noble district, and the former Ironstone Town laborer district 382.
• Agriculture — Reclaimed fields were intended to sustain a population of up to one million before the city’s later population surge 357.
• Education — A free school teaches laborers’ children practical skills and principles including judging actions rather than intentions and the equality of all people 382.
• Public order — Private fighting is prohibited. Unresolved grievances are directed to the police department and arena system instead 384.
• Citizenship — Refugees initially receive temporary residence; formal citizenship is earned through service and contribution 383 386.
• Technology — The city uses electricity and treats technology as the foundation of its prosperity rather than exploitation of poorer districts 428.

Administration and Economy

• Lin Chao — Founder and ruler of Ironstone City; acquired Ironstone Mountain, oversaw the city’s expansion, and directed its strategic development 343 374.
• Hong Ying — Led city planning, infrastructure development, Arcane Eye construction, and later the defense of the city 360 374 450.
• Shivana — Managed refugee arrangements and reported on city affairs to Lin Chao 383 445.
• Caynes — Huiteng Merchant Guild manager who became Ironstone City’s steward and expanded trade links after recognizing the city’s potential 380 383.
• Guard Team — A Player force responsible for enforcing municipal law. It destroyed the Gale Adventurer Team after the group ignored the ban on violence and assaulted residents 385.
• Adventurer’s Hall — Provides missions and information for the growing number of outside adventurers drawn to the city and nearby ancient ruins 384.

Trade prospered through Huiteng Merchant Guild outposts supplying magic materials, spell scrolls, weapons, daily necessities, and Star Crystals. Merchant caravans from nearby cities and other kingdoms later arrived regularly 361 380 405.

Defenses

Golem Puppets

Golem Puppets were originally deployed to accelerate construction rather than serve as frontline weapons. Their size, strength, and ability to transport building materials allowed Ironstone City to rise rapidly from the former mountain settlement 360 371.

Arcane Eyes

Ironstone City’s primary defensive weapon is its modified Arcane Eye network.

• The first Arcane Eye was completed after three months of work under Lin Chao’s guidance 374.
• Lin Chao’s modifications made the weapons more than ten times stronger than standard Arcane Eyes 374.
• By the later period, 2,700 Arcane Eyes had been installed as part of the city’s defense system 431.
• The network extends deep into the earth’s core, making relocation impractical and leaving it as one of Ironstone City’s ultimate weapons 444.
• During the siege by gods and Abyss Lords, concentrated Arcane Eye fire killed more than sixty enemy gods or lords in its initial assault 450.

Formations and Divine Defenders

Ironstone City employs defensive formations that can stabilize the city during disasters and generate a city-wide protective shield against divine attacks 440 441.

When three deities from Mother Earth’s faction attacked, the shield repelled them. Sixty-Six and the city’s Divine Tier Puppets then fought within the city’s sealing formation and killed the attackers 441.

Major Incidents

Event	Outcome
Kunan Orc Tribe invasion	Players initially suffered from poor coordination but later counterattacked after military training, defeating the remaining invasion force 359 361
Gale Adventurer Team incident	The Guard Team destroyed the team after it violated city rules and assaulted residents and Players 385
Refugee influx	More than 30,000 refugees arrived within half a year; the city provided relief and labor opportunities 386
Mother Earth’s earthquake	The city’s formations maintained stability while widespread destruction struck elsewhere 440
Mother Earth faction assault	The city shield repelled three deities, who were subsequently killed by Sixty-Six and Divine Tier Puppets 441
“Sin City” decree	Four major factions declared Ironstone City a Sin City and offered Sovereign’s Paths as rewards for destroying it 448 449
Mass divine siege	More than a thousand gods and Abyss Lords attacked; Arcane Eyes, formations, Players, and city defenders inflicted severe losses 449 450

Relationships

• Koya City — Ironstone City grew near Koya City, drawing away laborers, nobles, merchants, and economic activity as the older city declined 362 380.
• Huiteng Merchant Guild — Established trade outposts and supplied the city with materials, weapons, scrolls, and necessities; Caynes later became the city’s steward 361 383.
• Arcane Empire — Provided arcane knowledge and personnel connections; Ironstone City adopted and improved Arcane Eye technology associated with the empire 367 384.
• Refugees — The city became a major refuge for people displaced by war, divine conflict, natural disasters, and poverty 386 389 445.
• Zero — The organization became part of Ironstone City’s external intelligence network and was perceived by Diya as a possible source of the city’s hidden backing 431 446.
• Mother Earth’s faction — A hostile force that sought the city’s Technology Great Dao and later attacked it directly 440 441.
• Ice Queen’s faction — Several affiliated deities sought safety in or supported Ironstone City amid pressure from stronger divine factions 441 446.