Chapter 7: Uniting the Three Races (14)
Lin Nan had thought about continuously gathering resources from other small worlds to support the resistance in the Asking Dao Continent.
But ever since she brought back a mountain of stuff from the modern small world in one go,
the System warned her that if she didn’t want the gods eyeballing those marginal little planes attached to the Asking Dao Continent,
it would be best to cut all ties with them.
Sure, their biological energy levels were several grades lower than that of the Asking Dao Continent,
but that didn’t stop the gods from casually swiping what they wanted.
Especially in the modern small world, where her disciple was desperately training to maintain the safety of the entire realm.
Attracting a god’s attention at this time would undoubtedly mean disaster for them.
So, Lin Nan tossed out the idea of grabbing more technology from other planes.
At the moment, the Asking Dao Continent was proceeding in an orderly fashion according to her plan.
By the time the final winter before the Divine Punishment arrived,
people had stockpiled a hefty amount of food.
However, the winter wheat had a long maturation period; some wouldn’t be ready until June or July.
With the impending Divine Punishment around the corner, it was too risky to keep farming.
Fortunately, players had developed a method of growing crops using artificial light with the help of the electronic library.
They built numerous starch crop production bases in the vast and expansive underground levels of the Sky Tower.
So, even if the entire population of the Asking Dao Continent congregated there,
with the stored food, they could still last for at least two to three months!
But in reality, the number of folks making it to Black Stone City wasn’t that impressive.
First of all, the Asking Dao Continent was enormous, and many people lived in remote areas, self-sufficient and cut off from the outside world.
Secondly, even though the migration organizers did their best, many stubborn villagers labeled them as frauds and refused to leave their homes.
Even when forcibly escorted, they would sneak away in the dead of night.
The organizers couldn’t waste precious migration time on a few individuals’ antics, so they had to throw in the towel.
On top of that, with the long journey, some elderly or infirm folks couldn’t handle the roughing it and either fell ill or passed away.
The trip ended up taking two or three times longer than planned.
By the time the last convoy rolled into Black Stone City, it was already late spring or early summer of the following year.
Less than two months remained until the Divine Punishment day.
At this time, under the leadership of Ji Shen, Black Stone City had undergone more than a year and a half of construction and was practically unrecognizable.
They ditched the old concept of walls and instead transformed it into a towering steel fortress.
The steel forging technology had long been transmitted from Cold Wind City to Black Stone City,
and Fu Yetian and Lady Rong Ji, having seen the grand buildings of the modern small world, knew exactly what the great witch wanted them to construct.
Even if the techniques were still rough around the edges, through wild experimentation and relentless efforts,
they had gradually built the defense facilities to their current impressive height.
The large-caliber cannons developed by players were installed all over the fortress, covering all angles like a porcupine.
Not only that, the Mage and Harpist legions worked intensively for months to set up a highly pressure-resistant magical shield around the fortress.
With the war escalating, these two legions could continuously replenish the shield from behind.
As for the armored warrior legion, they were equipped with the new steel battle armor and submachine guns developed by the players,
acting as a strong assault team.
The vast Monster Race, with their diverse sizes, struggled to fit into a standardized set of armor and weapons.
Yet their strength was no joke, leading the joint command to place them in crucial positions requiring heavy lifting.
For instance, this massive steel fortress could rotate and even retract underground, thanks to a thousand burly monsters working together.
At the same time, nearly five hundred great demons from the Monster Race convened at Black Stone City, their strength unquestionable and ready to take on significant roles.
The combined forces from the seven major Immortal Gate inner disciples of the Human Race numbered around a thousand—
their core strength was meant to be deployed when it truly mattered.
The core powers of the three races were all gathered in Black Stone City.
It was something people hadn’t even dared to imagine for thousands of years—
an unprecedented and unrepeatable event.
And we can probably credit this grand alliance solely to the Cold Moon Witch!
The joint command center was located at the heart of the steel fortress;
of course, to guard against the fortress being destroyed, they set up a backup command post on the 50th level of the Sky Tower, where leaders could swiftly relocate if needed.
The reason for not setting the command post deeper was simple:
if the Divine Clan could break through to the 50th underground level, it would pretty much announce that their resistance against the Divine Punishment had failed.
The System clearly informed Lin Nan that once the Divine Punishment war began, the 50th level of the Sky Tower would turn into a regular cave,
where the Undead Creatures could serve as the last line of defense against the Divine Clan, but that was the extent of their help.
Lin Nan understood this.
Before the System totally bolted, she leisurely asked it two questions.
“Hey System, did you forget to give me those two rewards?
You’re not trying to get away with this, are you?”
【Ah, is that still a thing? A little heads up would’ve been nice. Sigh, too many things going on lately, my bad!】
“……”
She didn’t expect to see the day that the System would actually apologize.
Clearing her throat, Lin Nan continued, “One is the reward for conquering the Ji Shen organization, and the other is the reward for clearing the five hidden small worlds beneath the Sky Tower.”
Original Task (1):
【Ding! Hidden mainline task updated: Become the new master of Ji Shen!
After long ages of enduring, Ji Shen has prepared many valuable items and gear for the final judgment day.
You need to obtain Ji Shen, not destroy them.
Task duration: 6 months.】
Original Task (2):
【The five hidden small worlds under the Sky Tower hold tests;
upon passing all, you will earn a chance to learn the truth. Of course,
for each small world cleared, there are corresponding rewards based on your completion rate.】
……
【The rewards for clearing small worlds, which are the truth of the Asking Dao Continent, I already mentioned to you.】
“But I don’t think I’ve inherited all those completion rewards from each small world.”
【Ah, I see. Well, let’s say this is my last bit of assistance before I take my leave;
hope it serves you well.】
“Much appreciated!”
