Safe City Ch.63

Chapter 63: New Alliance

Moonspirit Safe City: [For you, this is a worthwhile trade. Mianyin Safe City only has around seven or eight thousand residents, and it’s just a Tier 2 Safe City. Its residents won’t be particularly strong. You can take whoever you want first, and I’ll choose from whoever is left.]

Moonspirit Safe City: [The other Safe City is at least Tier 3. Its residents are bound to be much more capable, so I won’t lay claim to any of them.]

Cheng Qisheng didn’t ask why Moonspirit could tell that the person speaking wasn’t the real Mianyin, or how she knew Mianyin Safe City’s approximate population.

Everyone had their own sources of information. Since Moonspirit wasn’t volunteering an explanation, there was no point pressing for one.

The biggest inconvenience on Dazzling Star was that it was impossible to determine coordinates on your own.

Even though Cheng Qisheng already knew Mianyin was using bait to lure others in, and that another Safe City was backing him, none of it could be confirmed until she actually descended there and saw it with her own eyes. Until then, there was always the possibility of unexpected variables.

For example, what if the hidden Safe City behind Mianyin turned out to be Tier 4?

Blue Sea Safe City had yet to encounter a Tier 4 Safe City firsthand.

In theory, a Tier 3 Safe City was vastly more powerful than a Tier 2 one, and a Tier 4 Safe City would be far stronger than a Tier 3.

After all, a Tier 4 city would have even more superhuman residents, with higher levels and more powerful abilities.

Since Moonspirit Safe City was willing to act as the bait and become the one to verify the situation firsthand, Cheng Qisheng had no reason to refuse.

Besides, the residents of other Safe Cities were never a necessity for her in the first place.

She asked only one question:

“Do we sign an alliance pact?”

Moonspirit Safe City: Yes. We’ll use the same alliance pact Coriander introduced.

It seemed that the Four-City Alliance Treaty had already begun circulating among the city lords.

Once the pact was signed, Moonspirit wasted no time with unnecessary words.

[You’re the main fighting force. I’ll follow your command.]

[Give me twenty-three days to gather my residents. After those twenty-three days, I’ll leave all planning and strategy to you.]

For the city lords on Dazzling Star, one major inconvenience was that their residents had to remain scattered, with many living or working far from the Safe City.

Before relocating a Safe City, the leadership first had to send key personnel out to notify every resident who was away.

This was where Cheng Qisheng’s one-click broadcast proved invaluable.

She first sent a mass message:

[The Temple is relocating. Anyone who wants to stay behind may do so. Everyone else, return immediately.]

Most residents without wings—those traveling on foot or by snowmobile—immediately started making their way back.

Among Blue Sea’s winged residents, however, only about one-fifth returned.

After all, they already had wings, and the Skywing Dragons were incredibly fast flyers.

Even if they were far from the Temple, once their god summoned them, they could simply answer the call and fly back.

With wings, the people of Blue Sea no longer had to worry about going too far to make it home. Freed from that concern, they could no longer suppress their desire to explore the world beyond.

We need to find more snowy regions, fight more snow beasts, and obtain more item cards.

Then bring them back as offerings to our god!

Sensing the fervent thoughts of her followers, Cheng Qisheng considered for a moment before adding another announcement.

“After we relocate, there will be a Safe City war.”

The Blue Sea residents who were away from home: !!!

A war?!

We’re going to war?!

Aside from the clergy who had been sent out on missionary work, at least ninety percent of the Blue Sea residents scattered across the wilderness immediately began heading home.

The winged residents flew especially fast, beating their wings with all their might, wishing they could simply teleport back.

Nearly every Blue Sea citizen with wings practiced flying every single day, along with every technique they could think of for fighting in midair.

“There is no faster way to improve your combat strength than war.”

Qi Yi rapidly beat his wings as he flew alongside Lu Song, sharing a piece of wisdom that every Blue Sea citizen knew by heart.

“Snow beasts are still just snow beasts. Their attack patterns are pretty limited. Take ground-based snow beasts, for example—if we can’t beat them, we just fly into the air, and there’s nothing they can do about it.”

“But war against humans is different. The enemy might throw rocks, shoot arrows, smoke us out, or use any other trick they can think of. To win, they’ll use every method available. It’s excellent training.”

Qi Er chimed in as well.

“Back when the Temple still had trainee clergy, they all completed their practical training on the battlefield. The results were excellent. So if you want to become stronger, don’t miss the opportunity to fight in a war.”

Lu Song nodded earnestly, committing every piece of advice from his teammates to memory.

In the past, communication between them hadn’t been nearly this smooth. Lu Song was a native of Dazzling Star, and anything beyond simple Blue Sea speech took him a while to understand.

Inside a Safe City, they could rely on their phones’ translation software. But once they left the city’s coverage area, there was nowhere to recharge them, and eventually the batteries would run out.

He had heard that Tier 2 shelters had electricity—though only for one hour out of every twenty-four.

Unfortunately, obtaining a Tier 2 shelter wasn’t easy. You either had to combine one hundred Tier 1 Building Cards, or rely on luck and hope to kill a Tier 2 snow beast that happened to drop a Building Card.

At the moment, Lu Song was sharpening his blade, eager to hunt more snow beasts.

The great Creator God of Blue Sea had blessed Her followers, freeing every Blue Sea citizen from all language barriers.

As a result, communicating with his teammates had become effortless.

Qi Yi and Qi Er could even converse directly with the people of Dazzling Star. It was easy to imagine how much trouble that would save Blue Sea’s residents during future expeditions.

Lu Song was so envious his eyes nearly turned red.

How desperately he wished he could become a follower of the great Creator God as well!

He wanted the divine blessing. He wanted that incredible gift of universal language. He wanted a god who would guide him whenever something important happened in the Safe City.

But Lu Song had never succeeded in becoming a believer.

So all he could do was stand there, consumed by envy.

“This war may be your chance to finally have your wish granted.”

Qi Er beat his wings steadily, flying through the biting wind and snow at high altitude without changing expression.

Heh. He was wearing a military face mask. A little wind and snow wasn’t going to bother him.

“I’ve heard that many followers from other civilizations became believers during large-scale battles. Maybe you should give it a try.”

Lu Song’s eyes lit up instantly.

Could it be that if I fight more bravely in battle, the god will bless me and allow me to become a believer?

It made perfect sense.

After all, the people of Blue Sea loved to fight. It was only natural that the great Creator God would favor followers who fought with exceptional courage.

A determined look settled over Lu Song’s face.

“I’ll do my best!”

Qi Yi offered him a blessing.

“May our God watch over you.”

Qi Er glanced ahead.

“Hmm. We’re home.”

The three of them landed smoothly.

Instead of using the aerial entrance reserved for winged travelers, they touched down outside the Safe City’s main gate.

They then unrolled the “blanket bundles” each of them had been carrying in their arms, revealing the fair-haired, pale-eyed natives of Dazzling Star hidden inside.

There were six of them in total.

Four were members of the same family, while the other two lived alone.

All of them wore cold-weather gear and carried a few portable tools. Their faces were blank with disbelief as they stared at the impossibly vast and magnificent city before them.

The moment Lu Song saw their expressions, he knew exactly what was about to happen.

Sure enough, the six of them began speaking in trembling, disjointed voices.

“#￥%#￥%%!”

“#￥￥!”

Their bodies shook, their faces quivered, and their eyes overflowed with profound reverence born of overwhelming awe.

“O God! We thank You! Thank You for choosing to save us! Thank You for sending Your divine messengers to bring us here!”

“We offer up our souls and humbly beg You to allow us to become Your lowliest followers, forever prostrate beneath Your divine grace!”

Lu Song squeezed his eyes shut.

He understood them!

He understood them again!

Just like the other natives of Dazzling Star the three of them had brought back before!

The fact that Lu Song could understand what they were saying meant that these six natives of Dazzling Star had become followers of the great Creator God with astonishing ease and incredible speed.

As a result, they had been brought under the protection of divine grace and gained the ability to communicate with any civilization.

You people of Dazzling Star… why is it so easy for you to become our God’s followers?!

Why can’t I?!

Qi Yi and Qi Er knew exactly what Lu Song was thinking, and they couldn’t help but sympathize with him.

Each of them gently brushed one of Lu Song’s wings with their own in silent consolation.

“You know how it is. Maybe the people of Dazzling Star are just naturally gifted in this regard. They become our God’s followers very easily.”

“That’s right. And you have your own strengths. You’re a much better fighter than they are.”

“Look on the bright side—we brought back six new followers. Our God will reward us!”

Yes—a reward.

That was why the battle-loving people of Blue Sea had suddenly begun setting aside their beloved snow-beast hunts. Whenever they encountered a native of Dazzling Star, they would strike up a conversation and try to bring them back.

Blue Sea wanted to increase its population, and naturally it had policies to encourage that.

For every new resident a person recruited into Blue Sea who became a believer, they received 100 contribution points.

The reward didn’t seem particularly large at first glance.

But the people of Dazzling Star were so receptive that simply telling them, “We live under the protection of a great god,” was often enough for them to believe.

In practice, this meant that whenever a Blue Sea resident encountered someone from Dazzling Star, there was roughly a fifty-percent chance that, after just a brief conversation, the other person would become a believer.

And once they truly became a follower and received the God’s blessing, any lingering doubts naturally disappeared.

Some were more cautious.

But the moment they caught sight of the Safe City itself, they would instantly convert.

Even the most stubborn natives of Dazzling Star would become even more fanatical than Blue Sea’s own followers after entering Blue Sea’s heated shelters and drinking a single cup of hot water.

As a result, whenever a Blue Sea resident spotted someone from Dazzling Star out in the wilderness, the very first thought that flashed through their mind was:

+100 contribution points!

It was practically like picking up free contribution points off the ground.

What Blue Sea resident wouldn’t want to bring a few people from Dazzling Star home while they were out fighting?

Recruit ten people, and that’s 1,000 contribution points.

Recruit a hundred…

That’s 10,000 points!

Even Lu Song couldn’t resist the temptation.

After all, more points meant better weapons. Better weapons meant greater combat strength. Greater combat strength meant he could fight more battles. And the more battles he fought, the greater his chances of eventually becoming a believer.

After entering the heated shelter, Lu Song took off his cold-weather gear and checked the remaining balance on his tactical wristwatch.

The 600 contribution points earned from the six people from Dazzling Star had already been credited to the three of them as soon as the newcomers completed their registration upon entering the city.

His own account now had an extra 200 points.

Lu Song took the thirteen Item Cards he had been carrying to the Item Card Exchange Center and successfully exchanged them for contribution points.

Great! I’m finally well-funded!

He immediately redeemed the weapon he had been eyeing for some time.

Then he purchased ten practical lessons from 108 Tactical Techniques, three lessons from Close-Quarters Elimination Techniques, and five lessons from Fundamentals of Breaking Through Enemy Defenses.

After that came theoretical courses such as A Thousand Questions About the Battlefield, Battlefield Simulation and Game Theory, and Adaptive Combat in Different Environments.

The contribution points he’d only just accumulated were almost completely drained in an instant.

After setting aside enough points for his daily living expenses, he no longer had enough to purchase any more courses.

But Lu Song still didn’t stop spending.

He pulled out his phone, logged into the forum with practiced ease, entered the premium section, and subscribed in one go to several novels:

From a Foot Soldier to a Veteran of War

Combat Power 60: I Was Reborn Ten Years Earlier and Maxed Out My Strength in Record Time

Offering Item Cards to Our God: Reborn as a Snow Beast, I Conquered Dazzling Star

Lu Song wasn’t a believer, so he still faced language and writing barriers.

Fortunately, the AI translation software could convert every one of those novels into the Velvet Star language, allowing him to read them without the slightest difficulty.

Lu Song had never been much of a novel reader.

That changed one day while he was back in the city on leave. Browsing the forums, he happened to come across a story posted by an author.

The moment he started reading, he was completely blown away.

The plot itself was fictional, of course.

But the combat experience of the protagonist and supporting characters, along with the various tactical techniques described throughout the story, were all authentic.

Especially From a Foot Soldier to a Veteran of War—no one who hadn’t survived at least five real battlefields could have written something that felt so genuine.

Lu Song’s favorite, however, was Combat Power 60: I Was Reborn Ten Years Earlier and Maxed Out My Strength in Record Time.

He had faithfully followed every training method described in the novel, and his combat strength had genuinely improved.

In fact, nearly eighty percent of the practical combat courses he had just enrolled in were ones he had first learned about from that novel.

With a determined expression, Lu Song found a seat and carefully read through all the novel updates that had accumulated over the past few days.

He even retrieved the notebook and pen he kept stored in the heated shelter.

Whenever the protagonist trained using a new method or signed up for a particular course, Lu Song immediately wrote it down, planning to copy the entire regimen himself.

The author, I’m a Genius, truly possessed a wealth of experience.

Unfortunately, unlike most authors on the forum who published under their real names, I’m a Genius was one of the few who used a pen name. They probably didn’t want anyone to know their true identity.

What a shame.

Otherwise, Lu Song would have loved to express his admiration in person.

After finishing the latest chapters, Lu Song headed to the cafeteria for a meal. After resting and stretching for a while, he strapped his wings back on and flew to a snowy field outside the Safe City.

That was where the Close-Quarters Elimination Techniques class was held.

Since he was going to practice combat skills anyway, training in the freezing cold naturally made for better conditioning.

At least, that was what the instructors told the students.

The real reason was much simpler.

Holding classes outside the Safe City saved on venue rental costs and reduced the amount of heating resources the city had to consume.

Even so, it wasn’t exactly a lie.

Training in subzero temperatures while wearing cold-weather gear really did improve one’s combat ability.

Under the instructor’s guidance, Lu Song trained alongside the other students with everything he had. It wasn’t until evening was approaching that the session finally ended, leaving every muscle in his body aching.

He noticed a man in his fifties standing beside the instructor. Even the formidable instructor treated him with obvious respect.

“Who’s that?” Lu Song asked.

Qi Er, who had also enrolled in the course, replied,

“He’s the owner of the tactical training academy. All the courses we’ve signed up for are offered by his company. He’s a veteran—fought in countless campaigns. An incredibly capable man.”

Lu Song immediately looked at the older man with admiration.

“He used to be the richest man in his province. Then the Dark Star was destroyed, and he lost everything. But look how long it’s been—now he’s the richest man in the entire region again. Pretty impressive, huh?”

Lu Song nodded.

“Very impressive.”

After finishing his conversation with the instructor, the fifty-something businessman spread his wings and flew back into the Safe City.

His combat strength was high enough that he naturally possessed a pair of flight wings.

Returning to his residence, he turned on his computer, logged into the forum, and began writing that day’s chapter update.

The war’s about to begin.

I’d better include more battlefield techniques.

After all, we’re all fighting for our God!

I’ll skip the advertisements this time.

The forum quickly opened the author’s dashboard, and a welcome message appeared.

Welcome back, author “I’m a Genius.”

While both the novel’s author and its readers were making preparations for the coming war, the agreed-upon day for Moonspirit and Cheng Qisheng’s descent soon arrived.

Throughout this time, Moonspirit had maintained contact with Mianyin, deliberately acting as though she was gradually taking the bait.

Then, on the appointed day, she sent Cheng Qisheng a message.

Moonspirit Safe City: [I’ve sent you the coordinates. I’m going in.]

Since Mianyin Safe City was laying a trap, the alliance agreement had been left intentionally vague.

That made it easier for them to lure in victims.

It also made it easier for Moonspirit to pass along the coordinates.

The residents of Blue Sea Safe City were already fully prepared.

The same was true of Moonspirit Safe City.

Moonspirit spent 1,000 crystals, then took a deep breath.

Moonspirit Safe City descended.

The instant it materialized, Moonspirit activated her high-tier protective barrier.

In the next moment, she looked out at the scene beyond the barrier and drew in a sharp breath.

Cheng Qisheng immediately received a message from her.

Moonspirit Safe City: [Don’t come!! There are three Safe Cities here! The other two are both Tier 3!]

Cheng Qisheng narrowed her eyes.

Tier 3?

Moonspirit was already preparing to withdraw as quickly as possible.

Then, in the very next instant—

Right beside her,

Blue Sea Safe City appeared.

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