Chapter Forty-One: The Activation of the Teleportation Array

"Do you wish to activate the teleportation array?" Inside the Lord’s castle, Li Ren sat upright in the grand hall, a crystal platform granting total control over the city placed before him.

"Yes."

"Warning: activating the teleportation array may result in unknown consequences. Please proceed with caution," the system prompted again.

Having already made his decision, Li Ren was not about to abandon his plan over such a minor warning. He confirmed his choice, and as the city’s central crystal flashed with light, the teleportation array guarded by two skeletal sentinels became mysteriously linked to players’ other towns through an inexplicable spatial disturbance.

One of the largest cities in the player world, Radiant City.

"Damn it, what rotten luck! If you ask me, Second, we’d be better off heading to Azure Wave Plains. There are more people over there, but at least they don’t hog the place and kill players like that Unrivaled bunch. Damn it!" A player named Horizon grumbled furiously as he strode toward the teleportation array.

"If we hadn’t run fast enough, all the experience we’d worked so hard to gain would have been halved in an instant. Damn it!"

"Alright, Boss, enough. Even if they're arrogant, they are the top guild after all. We’re low-level and guildless, just bear with it. We’re only playing for fun anyway. Come on, let’s head over to Azure Wave Plains outside Serene City and level up together." The one beside Horizon was named Cape, and together their names formed Horizon and Cape—a clear sign they were a pair.

"Let’s go. If I ever run into those bastards again, I won’t let them off!" Horizon continued to curse under his breath, unable to tolerate such nonsense. If he couldn’t win, at least he could vent.

Serene City, the northernmost city in the player world, was the closest to the Enchanted Mountains, separated only by the Azure Wave Plains. Horizon had been there several times before. As he stepped onto the teleportation array, he didn’t even glance around, simply muttering, "Teleport to the northernmost city."

Serene City’s name struck him as a bit too poetic, and he couldn’t be bothered to say it aloud.

A flash of light, and the two vanished within the array.

But neither knew that the northernmost city available for teleportation was no longer Serene City—it was now Falling Cloud City, newly established and with its teleportation array just activated by Li Ren.

The function of the teleportation array could only be unlocked once a player guild’s city reached town level. Even the Unrivaled Legion’s base was only a village, so they would never expect such a situation to arise.

Regardless, Falling Cloud City welcomed its very first visitors.

Falling Cloud City’s teleportation array.

As the dazzling light faded, two figures appeared in the vast array. Upon seeing their surroundings and the skeletal sentinels guarding the area, both shuddered involuntarily.

It was no surprise. Their original plans and the stark reality were jarringly different, and the skeletal monsters and deserted streets left them feeling uneasy and suspicious.

Fortunately, both had seen their share of unusual events. Soon, they noticed the two skeletal sentinels bore yellow neutral names. Approaching, they found the sentinels ignored them completely, staring straight ahead.

"Boss, I think we've arrived somewhere extraordinary," Cape whispered, scanning the area. "Did we stumble upon a hidden city? Could there be a hidden quest here? Or maybe we can switch to a hidden class?"

"Quiet down. Damn it, this place is obviously no ordinary player city. Look at this style—it’s clearly different." Horizon opened the map. "What the—when did a neutral city appear here? And it’s so far from Serene City! Wait—damn it! My money!"

Horizon cried out in despair, suddenly realizing his already meager gold had shrunk by a hundred coins.

"Damn it, just one teleport cost fifty gold? What a scam! Fifty gold could buy so much! Damn system! Whose city is this, anyway?"

Horizon’s lament was interrupted as Cape tugged at his sleeve. Annoyed, Horizon spun around, ready to berate his companion, but was instantly petrified.

Five skeletal sentinels, their eyes blazing with green flames, stood behind them, clearly unfriendly.

"Warning: further insults to the city lord will result in immediate execution!" The sentinels spoke in a stiff, awkward tone. Horizon and Cape fell silent, standing still until the sentinels moved on, resuming their patrol.

"Boss, maybe we should keep our mouths shut. Getting killed here isn’t worth it. Why don’t we look around? Maybe there’s a hidden quest," Cape suggested rationally.

Horizon nodded, still shaken, and together they wandered aimlessly through the city.

In the Lord’s castle.

Watching the two players appear, Li Ren and his companions exchanged helpless smiles.

"Master, since the players are searching for hidden quests, why not give them one?" Shadow suggested.

"A quest? What sort of quest?" Li Ren asked, puzzled. His lordly authority confirmed he could issue quests, but he hadn’t considered what kind—and the rewards would have to come from his own supplies.

"Actually, players gain soul points when they kill monsters, though they receive less and can't use them. Instead, they’re hidden as a passive resource. We could issue a quest to collect unused souls, helping our development. And we could offer soul exchanges as quests, attracting more players here. The teleportation tax alone would bring in a significant income."

Li Ren nodded. Falling Cloud City could be upgraded, but the souls required were far more than needed to summon Landis. He glanced at the numbers—enough to summon a thousand, maybe ten thousand souls? There were so many zeroes, he didn’t bother counting. He knew only that upgrading would be no easy task.

"Let’s do as you suggest. We can collect souls, and—right, we still have lots of equipment and gold from killing the Cerberus. Let’s put them up as rewards. We don’t need them, but they’re quite attractive to players. Let those two benefit and spread the word for us." Li Ren said with a smile, promoting Shadow to vice lord of Falling Cloud City, second only to himself.

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