Upon arriving at the village, Li Xingkong and his group had a remarkably smooth journey, encountering hardly any beastmen or even ordinary wild animals.
The town is called Preli Town. It's not very big; in Li Xingkong's eyes, it's at most a small village.
The entire town's population Jidu be less than 1,000; it's pitifully small.
According to Li Xingkong's observation, the entire town's militia numbered only a few dozen, barely enough to maintain order in the village. They might even have some difficulty clearing out the orcs in the surrounding area.
"We've arrived. This is the village. Please come and sit at my house."
Upon entering the village, the first thing one sees are scattered farmhouses. Many people cast curious glances at Li Xingkong and Guapilong. In a small village like this, visitors are indeed quite rare, especially those dressed like Li Xingkong.
Although Li Xingkong didn't deliberately dress up, the Seven-Colored Cloud and Rosy Mist Robe was no ordinary garment, especially in this magical world with a somewhat medieval background.
Before Li Xingkong even spoke, his every move already exuded the air of a nobleman.
When a nobleman comes to the village, it's like a phoenix entering a flock of pheasants—it's bound to attract attention.
Before Rose and Li Xingkong arrived home, the old village chief had already walked out, trembling. After all, there were only so many people, so the village chief would naturally know immediately when guests arrived.
The old village chief was probably too old; his whole body was hunched over, and his facial hair was quite thick, with long white beard and eyebrows trailing on the ground, making him look like a dwarf.
Come to think of it, the people in this world don't seem to be very tall.
These people were noticeably shorter than the orcs they had just met.
"We are so sorry for the poor hospitality we have provided."
The village chief called out from afar, Rose, seeing the old man come out in person, quickly went forward to help him up.
Li Xingkong and Guapilong arrived in front of the village chief, who was about to kneel down, trembling.
Such formalities were unnecessary. Li Xingkong slightly released his Divine Sense to support the old man, preventing him from kneeling.
"Old man, we are just travelers from afar, hardly nobles at all. There's no need for that."
The old village chief finally stood still, his hands gripping his cane slightly sweaty.
" Rose is still young and doesn't know any better. If she offends our distinguished guest in any way, please forgive her."
"Grandpa, what are you saying? It was my older brother who saved me. If it weren't for him, I would have been captured by the orcs."
Rose pouted. In the old man's eyes, was she really that immature?
"Orcs!"
Distinguished guests arrived in the village, and a large crowd had gathered around. Upon hearing the name of the orc, they immediately panicked.
Orcs are a force to be reckoned with. Although humans are dominant on this continent, orcs also occupy half the land. Especially in recent years, the conflict between the two has intensified, and they almost always end up fighting each other when they meet.
"No way, another orc!"
" Rose has always been very sensible; she would never lie. What are we going to do?"
"Auntie, how about we go hide at the Kaidra Checkpoint for a few days?"
"Are you even alive? I don't know if orcs eat people, but the officials in the checkpoints really do."
In an instant, the mere mention of the tiger turned pale, and many of the onlookers dispersed.
"Two travelers, I am the village chief, Harold. You have come from afar and even rescued Rose, so naturally we cannot neglect you. Please wait a moment while I arrange accommodations for you."
As the village chief spoke, he glanced at the people still around him. When he saw one of them, a glint of gold appeared in his eyes.
" Old Byrne, I remember your house is quite big. Why don't you let the traveler stay for a few days?"
"Temporary stay is fine, as long as you don't touch my Crest."
The old man called Old Byrne nodded. Although he was also white-haired, dressed in a scholar's robe and wearing glasses, he looked very knowledgeable.
"Hmm, I wonder if there's any vacant land in the village? Temporary accommodation isn't necessary; I have a plan."
Li Xingkong thought about it. If it were just him, he could do whatever he wanted, but there was also Guapilong. It would be quite inconvenient for the two of them to squeeze into someone else's house.
"Open space? Yes, there is. The village is only so big, so there's plenty of open space. Just let me know which one you'd like."
The old village chief smiled. There wasn't much else in the village, but there was quite a lot of open space.
"Let Ross take you there. Settle you in a bit, and I'll prepare some of our town's finest food for you at the tavern."
"Big brother, there's so much open space over here."
Harold waved his hand, Rose stepped forward, leading Li Xingkong and Guapilong to a corner of the village.
"Tell me, why would they leave their perfectly good houses unoccupied and look for empty plots of land?"
People nearby were whispering among themselves.
"Who knows? Maybe it's just a traveler's hobby..."
"Dude, what are we doing?"
The Guapilong was also somewhat puzzled, after all, it was unaware of the profound mystery of the Thick Earth City Fortification Technique.
You'll find out soon enough.
Li Xingkong kept everyone in suspense.
Following Ross, we arrived at the edge of the village. The fences on the ground were loose, probably due to years of neglect, and looked like they hadn't been maintained for quite some time.
"Nobody comes here often, so it's usually deserted..."
Rose was a little embarrassed; the place was indeed too remote.
"Perfect."
Li Xingkong, on the contrary, thought it was good; the terrain here was high, and it was large enough.
"Come on, stand over here."
Li Xingkong beckoned, gesturing for Guapilong and Rose to stand beside him.
"Okay, and then?"
Guapilong and Rose obediently stood over, and Li Xingkong then activated his spell.
A massive circular magic circle appeared out of nowhere, spreading out and enveloping the entire open space above it. Immense Magic Power, carrying light, shot into the sky, forming a pillar of light that reached straight into the clouds.
Everyone in the town witnessed this scene, and it wasn't just in the town; the distant checkpoints and even the main city could see this radiant shadow.
The massive magic array slowly rotated, and the surrounding rocks and trees seemed to be gently lifted by two hands and thrown into the array. Then, the elemental streams spewed out from the array swooped down to the ground like long snakes.
A castle slowly appeared before everyone's eyes, rising from below.
The Guapilong was stunned; it was the first time it had ever seen Li Xingkong make such a fuss.
Rose was also stunned; she had never seen such power in anyone else.
There are quite a few powerful warriors in the village, and she has even seen those mysterious mages at the Kaidra Checkpoint, but among all the people she has met, none of them have the abilities of Li Xingkong.
Even the heroes in stories, who can destroy a city, cannot build a castle with a wave of their hand.
Before the two could finish their astonishment, Li Xingkong had already finished his work, and a real crystal palace appeared on the edge of the town.
"Alright, let's settle down here. Guapi, go choose a room."
Li Xingkong withdrew his Magic Power, then raised his hand and pushed open the tightly closed palace gate.
Not only the building, but also the interior decoration and furniture have been arranged, as if this castle has always stood here for hundreds of years.