Chapter 2: The Changes of Forty-Seven Days

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“You seem quite powerful. So why do you want to be friends with me?” The lava woman asked casually after hearing Li Mingxing’s words.

“No particular reason. I just feel that fate has brought us together as friends.”

“Alright then, it’s settled. If anything comes up, I’ll let you know. But you’d better keep up this level of strength; otherwise, I won’t go easy on you.”

“Likewise.” Li Mingxing smiled and then walked over to the beautiful bartender.

The bartender had witnessed the earlier scene. When Li Mingxing sat down, she smiled and said, “Your skills have improved again. She sat there for a long time; you’re the first one to approach and speak to her.”

“That’s not really my skill, but hers. It seems she has the ability to implant her thoughts into others’ minds,” Li Mingxing expressed his doubts.

“Exactly. You don’t know, she possesses the power of Mind Voice, and her ability has already reached Level 2. She’s actually the first hero in the Dark Alliance to achieve Level 2 skill this time.”

“Oh, so she’s officially a hero now.”

“Yes. And because of that, her mentor returned home. She has to face the battles ahead alone. She fears she cannot endure, which is why she’s here looking for comrades. The moment you appeared, Mida Ling’s reaction caught her eye. She knew you were the best candidate to ally with.”

“She really is talented. But she chose the wrong moment. If her luck had been better, I wouldn’t mind going on a trip to the Underworld with her, just to see what kind of person she is.”

After saying this, Li Mingxing didn’t want to continue the topic and began asking about the tasks the beautiful bartender had on hand.

Of course, Li Mingxing selected tasks that either corresponded with his future missions or could help his city grow larger and better.

After some searching, he indeed found two tasks. One offered a reward he could use, and the other was conveniently along his route.

Having accepted these two tasks, Li Mingxing quickly left the mysterious bar. This time, he did not appear directly at Zheng’s doorstep but arrived at the residential complex where he lived.

Upon returning, Li Mingxing noticed his neighborhood looked very different from when he left. Previously, it still had the appearance of a living community, but now it had lost all traces of that.

The area had become almost like the forest Li Mingxing had visited not long ago—filled with all kinds of black trees. The houses within the complex had been ruined under the assault of these trees, except for the building he used to store the city’s entrance, which remained intact.

Walking through the complex, Li Mingxing sensed complete silence—no sound or breath of living creatures. Even the faint aura of yin energy that once pleased him was gone.

This situation surprised Li Mingxing. He worried someone might have broken the protective array he had set up, allowing outsiders to enter.

However, when he went to check near the complex’s entrance, he saw some Yin Talisman Sect members and guards from the mysterious mountain villa stationed there, keeping watch. From their demeanor, it was clear they hadn’t breached the complex yet.

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This reassured Li Mingxing considerably. Still, for safety, he patrolled the complex once more. After confirming no enemies were present, he entered his city.

Unlike the outside complex, the city’s atmosphere hadn’t changed much; there weren’t even any additional trees.

If there was a change, it was that the breeding farm had grown from two floors to three. Moreover, a river had been dug alongside the farm, with various fish leaping continuously.

Zhao Wenbin, who had stayed behind in the city, immediately approached upon seeing Li Mingxing’s return.

“My lord, you’ve been gone quite a long time this time.”

“Really? I don’t know the time standard in that Underworld. How many days was I gone?”

“Forty-seven days. Not too long,” Zhao Wenbin replied with a smile.

“Forty-seven days isn’t too long? Then how am I supposed to explain where I’ve been?”

“If you can’t explain, then don’t bother,” Zhao Wenbin suddenly interjected.

Li Mingxing looked at him curiously, wondering why he spoke like that. Zhao Wenbin smiled helplessly and said, “That was my father’s advice. Last time you sent me out as bait, I called home. I didn’t know how to explain my situation, and my father just said, ‘As long as you’re safe, you don’t need to explain.’”

Hearing this, Li Mingxing smiled. It seemed that in this place with few people, Zhao Wenbin was slowly becoming a philosopher.

Then Li Mingxing asked about life in the city, especially since 100 of the city’s workforce had been dispatched elsewhere, and how construction and work were proceeding.

Zhao Wenbin was prepared for this question. Now, only 50 fierce demon slaves remained in the city. Though it didn’t affect much at present, if Li Mingxing wanted to undertake large-scale construction, the effectiveness would be only half to a third of what it could be.

Li Mingxing was somewhat helpless about this. After all, this was his city. Unlike some projections that could just snatch workers nearby, he had to find slaves himself or acquire them through tasks.

But he didn’t have many resources now, so it wasn’t the right time to recruit. In the end, he could only consider finding an opportunity to bring back a batch of slaves.

Fortunately, the bottle used last time to hold fierce demon slave seeds was still available. Li Mingxing could take it to the bartender to make copies and, with some spiritual coins, exchange for more demon slave seeds. With seeds in hand, finding people to plant them would become much easier.

After settling the slave issue, Li Mingxing inquired about the nest of red-capped goose people Zhao Wenbin had brought in.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wenbin took Li Mingxing to the back of the city hall. There, Li Mingxing saw a few small trees with something resembling bird nests hanging above them.

Pointing to the nests, Zhao Wenbin sighed, “I originally planned to place this in the outer district, but it simply wouldn’t fit there, so I had to put it near city hall. Finding a spot for these little creatures gave me quite a headache.”

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“Oh, have those red-capped goose people already hatched?”

“Yes. All 39 goose eggs sent along with the nest hatched, but all were female. Each can fly from birth, resembling harpies, but with white wings on their backs, red heads, and human feet instead of talons,” Zhao Wenbin explained.

“Where are they now?”

“They’re unruly, running wild in the city daily. When hungry, they go to the breeding farm to eat fish. Luckily, I brought back some fish last time I returned, or else they’d have nothing to eat.”

“Forget it, let them be for now. But you must watch two things: I don’t mind if you take action against harpies or others, but you’re not allowed to harm a single red-capped goose person. Also, don’t teach them any nonsense. After I finish this task, I’ll build a temple here for them to pray in. They must maintain purity in both body and spirit.”

“I understand. But how do they reproduce? My lord, you brought back the nest, so surely there aren’t just these 39 red-capped goose people?”

“Of course not. I asked the harpies, and like them, once these reach a certain age, they lay eggs—one or two at a time, once a year. I believe in a few years, we’ll have plenty of red-capped goose people.”

“My lord, can they be a stable source of troops, like fixed soldier production?”

“No. We can’t take that risk. I’m hoping to have one or two high-level priests among them. For now, that kind of thing is out of the question. When their numbers grow and their strength increases, then we’ll consider it.”

Li Mingxing’s words met no objection from Zhao Wenbin. Just then, the red-capped goose people returned.

Seeing Li Mingxing from afar, they flew to his side and surrounded him, chattering endlessly.

Li Mingxing looked at them and saw determination shining in their eyes. Their innate wisdom made them fully aware of their current situation.

Yet, they showed no surprise. One of them looked at Li Mingxing and asked, “Are you a god? Do you need our faith? Will you protect us? How should we address you?”

“I am Li Mingxing, this is my city. You are my subordinates. Though I am not yet a god, I need your existence. I promise, as long as my city exists, you will not be harmed here.”

“Li Mingxing, understood. We will pray to the gods for you. Since you haven’t designated a specific deity for worship, the faith we gather will be limited. We will temporarily store the faith in your city hall. We hope you can build the temple soon; otherwise, the faith will dissipate,” the red-capped goose girl nodded toward Li Mingxing as she spoke.