Playing with fantasy beasts in the martial arts world

Chapter 37 Knowing it's impossible, yet still doing it.

It wasn't quite daylight yet, but the entire city of Xiangyang had already been mobilized.

It has lost the vibrant atmosphere of a normal city; a tense atmosphere pervades everywhere.

The people who remained in the city spontaneously helped reinforce the city walls, make bamboo arrows, carry stones up the walls, and do whatever they could.

The heroes who originally came from all corners of the land mostly restrained their arrogance and claws, listened to the teachings of their predecessors, put on armor and conducted joint attack drills, and became familiar with the use of various military equipment.

There was an area in the city that was always shrouded in thick smoke; that was the arsenal of Xiangyang City, where all kinds of iron and steel weapons and armor were produced, and then used to equip more soldiers.

Although, in theory, technology can be spread through the exchange of people between different worlds, the more advanced firearms manufacturing in some worlds should have been able to be introduced to this world, and the form of warfare should have changed drastically long ago.

However, in reality, apart from a small number of special firearms that incorporate special processes and forging methods and are difficult to mass-produce due to their widespread use, which are not greatly affected, firearms with large-scale universality have an extremely high probability of going out of control and spontaneously exploding.

It seems that some kind of rule prevents firearms from replacing traditional cold weapons and becoming synonymous with war, struggle, and killing.

"Now, mobilization is underway throughout the city in preparation for the upcoming Mongol army's attack. Most areas of the city are filled with heroes who have come from all directions to assist in the defense."

"It's really not easy to find a large enough and secluded open space," Guo Fu said, slightly troubled as she led Cha Nan around the city.

In present-day Xiangyang, almost no piece of land is idle, and not a single brick or stone is without value.

The shadow of war forced it to become a fortress rather than a city where people could live.

But soon, she clapped her hands and said with a bright smile, "I've got it!"

“It’s not only secluded, but also spacious, and heavily guarded. It definitely meets your requirements.”

Cha Nan had a bad feeling, but she still asked, "Where?"

"In the west of the city, there is the Liu family mansion, but now it is the grain storage area for the entire Xiangyang city. I heard my father say at the martial arts conference that there are at least seven layers of guard posts, both overt and covert, and more than three top-notch experts are stationed there!" Guo Fu revealed the most important place in Xiangyang city to Cha Nan without hesitation.

If Cha Nan is a Mongol spy, as long as Liu Yuanwai's mansion is burned down, Xiangyang City will probably fall without a fight and won't be able to hold out for long.

However, something seems off about what Guo Fu said.

"Let's go somewhere else!" Cha Nan shook her head.

If we set up our stronghold in the granary of Xiangyang City, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?
"It's okay! You're not a bad person!" Guo Fu pulled Cha Nan and headed west of the city, completely unaware of Cha Nan's deeper meaning.

Half an hour later, led by Guo Fu, Cha Nan and she passed through numerous checkpoints and entered the inner courtyard of Liu Yuanwai's mansion.

Not long after entering the room, Cha Nan frowned slightly.

Most of the courtyards and rooms of the mansion were indeed sealed off with heavy chains, and the doors were also sealed with tape. There were also many guards patrolling outside, showing that it was taken very seriously. However, Cha Nan did not smell the special rice smell that would come from a large amount of grain piled up together.

Typically, when large quantities of grain are piled up and not taken out to air out from time to time to remove the dampness and musty smell, they will develop that unique ricey smell. Of course, fresh, good rice will not have this smell when piled up, but even a fool could tell that the grain reserves in Xiangyang City could not possibly all be good rice.

"Or, this is just a decoy, a precaution against enemy spies infiltrating and burning down the granary."

"Or perhaps the food supply in Xiangyang City has been running low for a long time, and Guo Jing and Huang Rong set up this seemingly hidden but actually well-known granary to stabilize morale among the troops."

"Perhaps... both objectives are at stake?" Cha Nan felt that the city beneath her feet was like a small, swaying boat that could capsize at any moment.

"That doesn't seem right either!" "Although the defenses seem tight, Guo Fu easily led me in, which means that this kind of feigned defense isn't very effective."

"They didn't even do a basic disguise properly, yet I, an amateur, could easily tell something was wrong. This is not something that the female strategist Huang Rong could do."

"What other purpose and significance might this empty granary have?" Cha Nan turned around and glanced at the heavy doors behind him that were not yet closed. A group of soldiers passing by the door looked at Cha Nan at the same time, their eyes firm and resolute.

In that instant, Cha Nan understood!
The granary was empty, but the will to die was not.

The people who gathered here to fight for their lives were not unaware of the inevitable trend; they were simply unwilling to accept defeat, so they risked their lives and shed their blood.

To do something knowing it's impossible is what truly shows a hero's character.

Just like this granary that was merely a feint, perhaps when it bursts into flames, the entire city of Xiangyang will fall, but as long as it is held... even if it is empty, people's faith will never waver.

This empty mansion and the grain-free granary represent the determination of most of the people defending the city at this moment.

"Cha Lang! Is this a suitable place?" Guo Fu turned her head and asked Cha Nan cautiously.

Cha Nan thought for a moment and then nodded.

The situation in Xiangyang was already extremely precarious; in fact, there was no safe place left in the entire city.

If that's the case, why bother being picky?

Finding a secluded spot hidden by an artificial hill, Cha Nan walked in and touched the ground with both hands.

In the backpack, a piece of Palu ore, eight pieces of wood, and three pieces of stone disappeared at the same time, replaced by a blue Palu terminal.

As the terminal landed, the surrounding area became Cha Nan's home ground. He could adjust and control the terrain to a certain extent, and the team's Palu could be transferred to the base and either stored or placed in the unique work slot.

The Palu terminal in the Wuxia world is different from that in the Fantasy Beast world. It cannot be linked to the technology page, which means that Cha Nan cannot activate Fantasy Beast technology in the stronghold.

But this does not mean that the establishment of this outpost was meaningless.

First, just as Cha Nan thought, after the stronghold was established, the rebirth anchor point he was bound to in the martial arts world changed, and a new choice branch appeared. At the same time, the cost of crossing between the martial arts world and the fantasy beast world was also reduced. About every ten crossings, there would be one exemption from the consumption of Palu ore fragments. Even a mosquito leg is still meat.

Secondly, the fact that he controlled a piece of land to some extent gave Cha Nan a lot to think about.

For example, in the future he could transplant some exotic flowers and herbs from the martial arts world here, and arrange for mythical beasts with planting skills to work here, which might provide a stable supply of exotic flowers and herbs.

Upgrading the Palu Terminal is similar to that in the game World of Warcraft. It doesn't require completing quests; instead, it requires filling the terminal with more Palu Ore fragments to upgrade and expand the base territory, as well as gain more work slots.

For example, upgrading a terminal from level one to level two requires two more Paru ore fragments, and the next upgrade requires four, then eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and so on, doubling each time.

This upgrade method will eventually reach a data boundary where it is almost impossible to upgrade further, because the resources consumed are almost completely disproportionate to the returns obtained.

Cha Nan had no choice but to establish new strongholds instead of targeting one or two existing ones and cultivating them further.

The idea of ​​conquering the entire world by upgrading terminals and expanding bases is likely just a fantasy.

(End of this chapter)