Chapter 9: From Virtual to Reality (6)
Chaos erupted in Sky Sword City, and right on its heels was Sky Void City. After that, the remaining cities shared the same fate—no one was spared.
The sudden influx of millions of humans, as if they sprouted overnight, caught the various sects entirely off guard. When these humans swarmed into the cities, causing all sorts of chaos and a population explosion, the city administrators finally woke up and slammed the gates shut, refusing more entry.
After all, they had always worried about a lack of population; who would have thought that one day, they’d be facing an overpopulation crisis? And not just any patrons, but a whole mob of aimless young adults!
Of course, more people meant more problems—like skyrocketing prices, material shortages, and a chaotic mess of new gangs and guilds battling each other for survival.
Compared to Sky Sword City, the other cities, thanks to the suppression from the sects, saw less overt fighting between guilds. However, behind the scenes, they all carved out their territories, squeezing others’ living spaces to ensure their growth.
Even Thousand Bird City didn’t escape such issues.
Gongsun Ding was running around like a headless chicken these days. Thankfully, because of the unique nature of Floating City, newcomers couldn’t log in there, so most of the chaos was happening in Ground City.
To curb dueling and prevent the city’s order from being upended (not to mention not wanting to let the Witch Queen down), the Great King of the Split Land implemented a strict iron-fisted extermination policy.
When bodies started hanging neatly at the entrance of Ground City, it sent a chill down the spines of the new entrants. They dared not move a muscle and simply took the farming tools distributed by Thousand Bird City, escorted by the Little Demons, to start clearing the fields.
Poor souls, these guys who wouldn’t know the difference between a hoe and a spatula, were struggling. After just a couple of days of working the hard, uneven ground, the newbies found themselves sore all over and whining like babies.
Suddenly, one bright spark suggested an industrial revolution in this fantasy world, declaring that if things kept going this way, they’d all be dead from exhaustion within two years.
“Industrial? What industrial? Get back to work already! You lot can’t even handle simple farm work! You don’t deserve to eat!”
The NPC in charge wasn’t bothered by their complaints. With a whip crack, the newbies cried out in pain, but running away was not an option.
The Little Demons kept a watchful eye around the farm. Just the other night, one misguided newbie tried to escape and ended up strung up on a big tree, sizzling like a piece of beef jerky.
Here, nobody’s pulling any punches. Anyone who stepped out of line would simply vanish from the crowd the next day.
Tang Tong, a player who got along well with Gongsun Ding and went by the moniker “Upgrade Maniac,” could no longer stand by and asked to meet Gongsun Ding, hoping to grant the newcomers some semblance of a normal life.
Gongsun Ding turned him down.
“In chaotic times, we must use strict measures. Do you know what’s been happening in Sky Sword City, Sky Void City, and other major cities lately? Thousand Bird City cannot be thrown into disorder! If you feel sorry for them, just explain the stakes. If they show good behavior, perhaps they might earn a bit more freedom later.”
“Understood, thanks, Sect Leader.”
Tang Tong felt helpless. But he also knew, after chatting on the forums, that Thousand Bird City was the city with the least fatalities. In contrast, Sky Sword City, having lost the deterrence of Small Thousand World, turned into a veritable hell for newcomers.
Every day, at least one or two large skirmishes would break out. In just a few days, around three to four thousand newcomers met their end. This left the other new players shaking in their boots, relieved they hadn’t opted for a nearby starting village in Sky Sword City.
On the other hand, the few newcomers in Cold Wind City felt like they’d landed in paradise. After all, when they initially selected their birthplace, everyone wanted to be closer to a big city for more opportunities to level up and take on missions.
Cold Wind City, being a new city, was far outmatched in size and population by established human cities. In total, less than twenty thousand newcomers chose to spawn in Cold Wind City.
The smaller population actually spared Cold Wind City from the same kind of crisis that plagued other cities. Plus, thanks to the High School History Teacher’s careful guidance, the players immediately felt a different kind of red culture that was far removed from the typical fantasy world from the moment they arrived.
Outside the newbie village, red flags fluttered everywhere, filled with an atmosphere of vigor and an eagerness to build their new home.
Indeed, the moment the newcomers stepped out of the newbie village, they were escorted into Cold Wind City by the guild “Following the Red Flag.”
In the southwest corner of the city lay a massive construction site piled high with building materials. The High School History Teacher told the newcomers,
“The first thing you all need to do upon arriving in Cold Wind City is to build your homes. The raw materials are all here, and no matter how you design your house, you’ll be living in it for a long time, so don’t think of switching it up easily. Just like a construction game, carefully design your very own home, understood?”
The newbies looked at each other, caught off guard. They never expected their first task upon leaving the newbie village would be to build houses.
This might be a bit interesting, huh?
Fortunately, among the two thousand newcomers, some were architecture or civil engineering students. They might only know a bit from their studies, but that certainly beat staring blankly at a pile of lumber without a clue.
And so, the newcomers of Cold Wind City launched themselves into a grand building movement, marking the start of their journeys in this fantasy world.
After being warmly welcomed by Lin Nan, the High School History Teacher felt inspired and excited, leading his guild to join the grand construction efforts in Cold Wind City.
That’s right, Cold Wind City was expanding rapidly.
Moreover, Lin Nan assigned the High School History Teacher a serious task: to quickly recruit talents from both old and new players to kickstart the steam age from scratch.
What was the reason behind this?
Because the future was indeed daunting.
Lin Nan had once been an ordinary otaku. After getting a degree in a nonsensical major, he didn’t even know what skills he’d acquired by the time of graduation; he just scraped by with a diploma.
This generation of young people enjoyed the benefits of civilization but practically had no practical skills.
If you asked him to build something, sorry, not happening.
He was only good at games like Minecraft and Animal Crossing. Repair a gadget? Build a small wooden cabinet? Who in the new generation would do that? They’d rather be off playing games.
Even those in relevant fields often only had a shaky grasp of the theory, while practice was another story altogether.
Therefore, Lin Nan could only hope that, among the nearly a hundred million players, there would be a few prodigies to lead the world toward development.
In two years, it might be tough to attain immortality, but somehow climbing the technology tree to produce gunpowder might just be a slim possibility.
That way, when Judgement Day arrived, players might still hold some fighting chance.
Otherwise, they had little choice but to become lambs to the slaughter.
Before leading the crowd away from Cold Wind City,
Lin Nan, in her cool, regal demeanor as the Female Emperor, met with the freshly arrived players.
The newcomers gazed upon the legendary figure in awe, feeling an inexplicable reverence deep in their hearts.
Born under red flags and raised in the warm spring breeze, they had once idolized celebrities and stars in their youth.
But at that moment, faced with the Cold Moon Witch, they suddenly felt that what they once considered the be-all-end-all idols, untouchable and sacred, were nothing but trash compared to her.
Long after that dark figure had disappeared into the distance, they remained entranced by the shock and excitement of their first encounter.
The thought of “fighting for the Princess Witch” quietly took root in every heart.
…
P.S. The next two chapters will feature the daily lives of the Witch and the two Shiyuans—don’t miss out, friends!
