Ten Thousand Ways To Eliminate Players
Chapter 45 - 045 Broken City

Chapter 45: 045 Broken City

"Cooperate? In what way?" Xu Longyun sat back down, her expression suddenly turning cold and distant.

"Naturally, to save the common people from their dire plight," Lin Bai replied.

"And what have the common people to do with me?" Xu Longyun raised an eyebrow and sneered. "I am merely a minor City Lord. Saving the world is the business of the monarch."

"..." Lin Bai said, "City Lord, you sheltered the Descended in your City Lord’s Mansion as Hidden Guards..."

"They came to me of their own accord," Xu Longyun retorted.

"You ordered Zhou Jiang to assassinate me to probe my identity and the Heavenly Dao’s response..." Lin Bai frowned slightly.

"I only asked Zhou Jiang to invite you for a discussion. His assassination attempt was his own idea. What has it to do with me?" Xu Longyun interrupted Lin Bai, sneering, "Even if he was injured by you, he brought it upon himself."

Impressive.

She’d managed to shirk all responsibility so cleanly!

Lin Bai was stunned for a moment before understanding dawned on him.

Xu Longyun’s attitude was the correct one.

On one hand, there was the divine oracle of the Descended, which could bring disaster to the common people at any moment. On the other, there was himself, a small fry of unknown origin, suddenly proposing cooperation...

Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t agree so rashly, let alone a City Lord. He himself had been foolish to make such a low-level mistake.

Xu Longyun was in a different position from him. He was unattached and possessed a System, so he could afford to be reckless and stir things up.

But Xu Longyun was the lord of a city. One wrong step from her could bring disaster upon Jiamucheng. Even if she harbored intentions to deal with the Players, she couldn’t do so openly.

If the City Lord had readily agreed to cooperate with him, that would have been truly suspicious. Still, this outcome was also good; at least Xu Longyun had made her stance clear.

The conversation had reached an impasse.

Lin Bai knew that if he continued to press the issue, Xu Longyun might very well have him thrown out to draw a clear line.

After a moment of silence, Lin Bai suddenly smiled. Pointing to the poetry on the table, he said, "If feelings between two are to be long-lasting..."

Xu Longyun started, her eyes immediately lighting up. "What comes next?"

"There’s no more," Lin Bai said.

[Resentment from Xu Longyun; +1+1+1]

"You did it on purpose! There was never any ’Heavenly Remnant Collection’! You knew all the poems all along, didn’t you?" Xu Longyun abruptly stood up.

"No, I was just guessing," Lin Bai shook his head and chuckled.

"’If feelings between two are to be long-lasting... If feelings between two are to be long-lasting...’" Xu Longyun muttered the line a few times. Blood vessels rapidly webbed her eyes, and she looked as if possessed as she glared at Lin Bai.

In Lin Bai’s mind, a flood of negative emotions from Xu Longyun began to stream in.

It was a pity that Defect Value was calculated per person.

Otherwise, that extra half-line of poetry he’d offered might have prompted the City Lord to contribute a martial arts technique...

"City Lord, have you ever considered making Jiamucheng the foremost city in the world?" Lin Bai asked with a calm smile, seemingly oblivious to the City Lord’s terrifying gaze.

"Tell me the last line of the poem," Xu Longyun’s voice grew huskier.

"City Lord, I excel at business, not so much at poetry." Lin Bai smiled faintly, paced a few steps around the room, and continued, "For a town to develop, the economy must be the top priority, followed by talent. And what does a town rely on to attract talent? I believe it should be its unique characteristics..."

"What are you trying to do?" Xu Longyun asked, forcibly reining in her thoughts that Lin Bai had thrown into disarray.

"Help the City Lord build Jiamucheng into a city of unique character," Lin Bai smiled. "Everything has two sides. In the City Lord’s eyes, the Descended may be the root of all worldly troubles. But from another perspective, are they not also talented individuals who could help govern? The City Lord may not like them, but there will always be those who are pleased to see them arrive in this world. In any case, their arrival is destined to alter the world’s course. Since we cannot prevent their descent, why not seek to change ourselves?"

"What on earth are you really trying to do?" Xu Longyun’s voice grew heavy.

"I intend to use the ’Heavenly Remnant Collection’ as a catalyst to transform Jiamucheng into a Broken City, helping the City Lord achieve fame throughout the land," Lin Bai stated proudly. "And, as a bonus, add some enjoyment to the lives of the Descended."

He paused for a moment. "The City Lord must be aware of my Chef’s Divine Food Stall. Has the City Lord ever considered what Jiamucheng would be like if everything in it resembled the Chef’s Divine Food Stall? The Carpenter’s Shop becomes the ’Wood-Fragment Shop,’ the Blacksmith Shop becomes the ’Missing-Iron Smithy,’ the Winery becomes the ’Spillage Place’..."

As Lin Bai described it, an image of a new Jiamucheng unconsciously formed in the City Lord’s mind, and her face darkened. "Nonsense!"

"Why is it that the Descended can act nonsensically, but we cannot?" Lin Bai laughed. "The Heavenly Dao forbids interference with the Descended, but it doesn’t say we can’t modify our own city, does it?"

"When imperfection becomes the norm in Jiamucheng, weapons produced by the armories will lack points and edges, and pill medicines from the apothecaries will be short in weight. In the short term, the Descended might find it amusing. But in the long run, as the gap between the Descended in Jiamucheng and those in other towns widens, I fear few will choose to descend into Jiamucheng anymore..."

Xu Longyun suddenly fell into silence.

After a long moment, she raised her head. "What about the people’s livelihood?"

"The people’s livelihood will improve day by day," Lin Bai chuckled. "A city with unique characteristics will attract curious visitors. Whether they are people of this era or the Descended, if they wish to come to Jiamucheng to experience the beauty of imperfection, it wouldn’t be excessive to charge them a small admission fee, would it? They’ll still need to eat and drink in the city, and they’ll surely want to take a souvenir when they leave, right? Once the flow of people increases, all of this translates into money. The common folk will only grow wealthier..."

"..." Xu Longyun had completely calmed down. "Why do this?"

"No reason," Lin Bai shook his head. "Ever since I left my mountain, my master told me to simply roam the world and do whatever I deem right."

"And where might your esteemed master reside?" Xu Longyun asked.

Lin Bai smiled but remained silent.

"If it’s merely about imperfection, other cities can imitate it easily," Xu Longyun said.

If they dare to imitate, my income will only increase!

He smiled faintly. "They don’t have the ’Heavenly Remnant Collection.’ City Lord, we can host an annual ’Heavenly Remnant Culture Festival,’ inviting wise scholars from the cultural world to decipher the poems. If we capitalize on this, sister cities won’t be able to imitate us even if they want to."

[Resentment from Xu Longyun: +1+1+1...]

The moment poetry was mentioned, the negative emotions from Xu Longyun in Lin Bai’s mind began to surge.

He hadn’t expected such a shrewd City Lord to harbor the soul of a literary romantic.

Lin Bai smiled. "If the ’Heavenly Remnant Collection’ is deciphered, I still have the "Di Que Collection"..."

[Resentment from Xu Longyun: +1+1+1...]

As expected, the City Lord’s breathing quickened. She gritted her teeth. "Lin Bai, you are fooling the world!"

"Perhaps this is my mission!" Lin Bai sighed with a hint of melancholy. "Without me, what meaning is there to this world? We can’t just stand by and watch the Descended monopolize the spotlight!"

"Tell me the complete poem, and I can agree to cooperate with you," Xu Longyun said after a moment of silence.

"I cannot trust the City Lord," Lin Bai looked at Xu Longyun and stated frankly. "Besides, isn’t it more interesting to complete the poem oneself?"

"One poem," Xu Longyun held up a single finger.

"I am a merchant, unskilled in the poetic arts," Lin Bai bowed slightly, an apologetic smile on his face. "City Lord, please do not make things difficult for me."

Xu Longyun gave Lin Bai a long, searching look. Without agreeing or disagreeing to the proposal of building the Broken City, she asked instead, "What about the Hidden Guards you sent to the City Lord’s Mansion?"

"They’ve already been delivered to your doorstep; just pick the ones you deem suitable. It was their own choice, so no one can blame the City Lord," Lin Bai said. "However, one of them, named Lao Mi, cannot stay."

"Why?" Xu Longyun asked.

"He is the chief of the Beggar Gang whom I have chosen," Lin Bai smiled. "Being a Hidden Guard would impede his future prospects."

"Very well." Xu Longyun glanced at Lin Bai. "I will find an excuse to send him away."

"No, not send him away, but order him to go undercover and infiltrate the Beggar Gang," Lin Bai shook his head. "Then, once he has departed on his mission, revoke his status as a Hidden Guard. Even if he returns, do not acknowledge him as such."

Upon hearing this, Xu Longyun’s expression changed slightly. She shot him a displeased glance and said, "What Hidden Guards? Thanks to you, they’ve long since become Mingwei."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.