Why is my territory in a 2D anime art style?

Chapter 158 Zheng Family Night Talk

But Zheng Jun, standing to the side, simply raised his hand, interrupting Zheng Xifeng's subsequent words.

"So, let Zheng Xu go with his cousin. It'll be safer with him there. Anyway, didn't you say that territory is short of people? We can send them over for some training. You can keep an eye on things when the caravan passes by each day; it should be quite safe!"

"Uncle!"

Zheng Jun's words startled Zheng Qiuyu, causing her eyes to widen in shock. She never expected that her usually doting uncle would feign a move against her. Even a young man sitting in the corner innocently looked up: "Dad, why did you include me in this?"

"How dare you say that!"

Seeing Zheng Xu's innocent expression, Zheng Jun immediately hardened his face: "Since breaking through to level four, how many times have you gone out?"

"I put you under your cousin Mo's wing, but you complained about having to get up early and work late every day and refused, saying you wanted to join a hunting group yourself. As a result, you went to three or four hunting groups, but did you stay in any of them for a full month?"

"Or have you discovered that combat professionals can advance without killing source beasts?"

Zheng Xu felt embarrassed after being scolded by his father, and he tried to explain.

"Dad, I was just unlucky. The hunting groups I went to were all petty thieves. Could I do this kind of work?"

"Stop making excuses!" Zheng Jun interrupted his son's explanation directly, his tone stern, and he even slammed his hand on the table.

"You can give me excuses, but can you give them to the enemy too?"

"Can I talk to the Source Beast?"

"You don't think Jiangcheng will stay this peaceful forever, do you? Even your old man is working diligently every day, wishing we had high-level source beasts to slaughter every day. How dare you, you little brat, slack off!"

"We absolutely have to make the most of today—"

"Third brother!"

Zheng Wen finally raised his hand and calmed his irritable younger brother down. If he didn't intervene, a full-blown fight might break out.

Hearing his older brother call him, Zheng Jun's anger seemed to be suppressed, and he could only glare fiercely at his son.

Seeing his uncle take action, Zheng Xu didn't dare to say anything more, only muttering softly in the corner.

Zheng Xifeng, on the other hand, laughed heartily and quickly picked up the teapot to pour tea for his uncle, even making a teasing remark.

"Uncle, you're a light-attribute dad, how come your temper is even more volatile than mine, who's fire-attribute?"

Zheng Jun picked up the tea from the table, glanced at Zheng Qiuyu who seemed hesitant to speak, and said irritably.

"It's all because this little brat plays all day long, it makes me so angry! He must have been corrupted by his lazy older cousin!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Qiuyu immediately became unhappy, pouting and muttering, "Uncle, I didn't take care of them. I played by myself."

"Stop talking!"

This time, Zheng Wen spoke up, putting his daughter in her place: "You're already twenty-eight, and you're not planning to get married or get a promotion. What are you trying to do? You haven't put my mind at ease at all."

"Your uncle and your older brother are right this time. You two are too lazy. Even if I'm not a professional, I know that Jiangcheng is a volcano right now, and it might explode any day. But you two just don't care. How can you be so careless?"

"While we're stronger now, our chances of survival will be much greater if things get chaotic in the future!"

Although Zheng Wen is not a professional, he has always had a lot of influence in his family. As soon as he spoke seriously, the younger ones immediately fell silent.

After speaking, Zheng Wen turned his gaze to his third brother, Zheng Jun, and asked softly, "Are there any rumors circulating about the three city lords of Jiangcheng now?"

Zheng Jun took a sip of tea and shook his head slightly.

"I haven't heard any big news on my end, but I have a feeling that some people in these three territories have probably already met the promotion requirements, but they haven't dared to take the initiative to promote, for fear of attracting attacks from the other two."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Zheng Xifeng beside him: "Xifeng, is there any news from your trading company?"

Zheng Xifeng sat up straighter, his thick eyebrows twitching slightly, as if he had thought of something.

"I don't seem to have any obvious developments, but the trading company has introduced new rules this year, setting quotas for the purchase of source beast meat, but they don't tell us why they set them."

"Fixed-source meat procurement quotas?"

Zheng Jun was taken aback. After all, he wasn't with Ping An Trading Company, and this was the first time he had heard of such a thing.

He pondered for a moment, but didn't come up with any useful speculations.

Zheng Wen spoke up, saying, "Ping An Trading Company was established jointly by the three city lords. This quota shouldn't be targeted at anyone, and it shouldn't be related to the internal struggles of the three territories. Perhaps the situation has changed recently, or maybe the current supply of source beast meat can't keep up with the demand."

"Or perhaps something is about to happen, and they are preparing to store food in advance, since this is considered the most useful type of food."

"What's going to happen?"

Zheng Jun looked up and exchanged a glance with Zheng Xifeng, but Zheng Xifeng looked completely dazed, which made Zheng Jun purse his lips.

"I haven't seen anything unusual lately. It's probably just that the demand for goods is a bit higher."

Zheng Xifeng nodded: "Probably."

"Then let's just ignore it." Zheng Jun shook his head. If there were any dirty dealings among the three companies, it wouldn't have started in a business jointly operated by the three companies.

He glanced again at his two cousins, who were sullenly rummaging around to one side, and suddenly seemed to remember something, asking Zheng Xifeng again.

"Is that territory you mentioned, called Sui An, really safe? Is he just some arrogant brat?"

"Uncle, I can't guarantee it's safe. Even in the territory of the Great City Lord, people have gotten into trouble. You never know what might happen."

Zheng Xifeng didn't finish his sentence, but he added, "It's hard to say what the current combat strength of his territory is, but in early January, when it was still a level three territory, it experienced a massive rift."

"That night, he killed one level 5 source beast, the Thunder Giant Lizard, twelve level 4 Thunder Pattern Leopards in their breakthrough form, two level 4 giant bloodthirsty bats, plus more than 5000 low-level source beasts. There were about 2000 level 3 source beasts alone. When I weighed them, they weighed a full 320 tons."

"Uncle, a rift of this size would be difficult to completely take over, let alone a level 3 territory. Even a newly promoted level 4 territory would find it challenging."

"As a result, his territory remained unscathed. Keep in mind that back then, his territory only had a 3-meter-high green-quality wall, not the 10-meter-high walls we have now."

A 4-meter-high blue city wall.

Zheng Jun's brows furrowed and then relaxed. To be able to swallow such a large rift completely was indeed a testament to his considerable strength.

However, Zheng Jun, being a highly skilled professional with extensive experience, quickly grasped the core of the problem.

"A beast charge of this scale should theoretically be too much for that small wall to withstand. Either his territory has formidable firepower, or he has some special method that allows him to control low-level beasts to a certain extent."

"Was it done using hallucinogenic drugs or some kind of secret treasure?"

"Maybe!" Zheng Xifeng's finger unconsciously tapped on the stone table: "When I went to see it, there were still some marks on the wall. It didn't look like a newly built wall, which means that most of the source beasts didn't even rush to the wall."

"I suspect he possesses some kind of special structure that allows him to control low-level source beasts to a certain extent!"

Zheng Jun looked at him intently: "Why are you so sure?"

Hey~

Zheng Xifeng grinned and said, "Because this kid once asked me if the Rift Assessment for advancing to Level 4 could be held on Blood Moon Night."

"At that time, I speculated that he had a special building that could control low-level source beasts under the blood moon, which would have led him to this idea, because the blood moon can reduce the rationality of source beasts, and this method can only be most effective under the blood moon."

"That's absolutely possible!"

Zheng Jun largely agreed with Zheng Xifeng's assessment. Anyone who could come up with this method must have special skills, which seemed very strange and rare to the younger generation.

However, in the experience of these seasoned professionals, it can only be considered average.

However, this kid was lucky; he knew to ask around beforehand, otherwise—

Zheng Jun chuckled inwardly and pondered for a moment before speaking again: "Having the means to control a large number of low-level source beasts is indeed half the battle won in the Rift battle. The fact that he can kill double-digit level 4 source beasts with level 3 strength shows that he has a powerful and repeatable attack method. The fact that he can kill two levels higher shows that he has a powerful trump card."

"If all of this truly wasn't achieved through secret human intervention, then it certainly deserves the description of extraordinary luck!"

"Looking at it this way, I can rest assured that Zheng Xu is going over there!"

"Brother, what do you think?"

Zheng Wen shook his head: "I don't know anything about this, and no one in the family knows more than you and Xifeng. You said going would be beneficial and would help you develop yourself, so..."

Let the autumn rain pass by!

Zheng Xu, sitting in the corner, had a bitter face but didn't dare to argue. He could only resign himself to his fate and slump in the chair.

Zheng Qiuyu stared wide-eyed, wanting to say something, but was silently silenced by her father.

Zheng Xifeng, who was standing nearby, quickly seized the opportunity and told him what he had seen: "Dad, I saw the blueprints for his alchemy workshop. The effect is to reduce the alchemist's energy consumption and material consumption, and make it easier for alchemists to gain skill insights. At level three, it can reduce it by 15%, so the skill insight effect will not be too weak."

"Level 3 blue buildings are definitely most effective for low-level alchemists, but they can certainly be useful for level 4 alchemists as well."

"Even the exclusive alchemists in Ping An Trading Company, intermediate alchemists who haven't reached a certain level of contribution, only have an alchemy workshop that only has energy-saving and production-increasing effects, but no effect on improving additional skill insights."

"In Jiangcheng, if it weren't for my uncle's influence, my younger sister wouldn't even be able to get in line for a building like this, let alone have the chance to pick and choose here."

Zheng Xifeng's barrage of words left Zheng Qiuyu dizzy and unable to find any rebuttal, so she stomped her feet in frustration.

Zheng Wen, on the other hand, kept nodding.

"indeed!"

Even Zheng Jun added fuel to the fire: "Her hands hurt today, her eyes are sore tomorrow, and she can't get up the day after tomorrow. With an alchemist as lazy as her, she'll starve to death. She has no competitiveness at all in Ping An Trading Company."

"They drink energy potions like coffee every day. Not only do they drink energy potions, but they also drink stamina potions to restore their energy. They start working as soon as they open their eyes every day, afraid that their contribution will be surpassed by others and the good alchemy workshops will be useless."

"You lazy girl, you've wasted all the good recipes the family found for you. I was counting on you to take care of me when I'm old, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. When I'm old, I'll take your dad to beg on the streets. I don't know if we'll still be able to beg."

As Zheng Jun spoke, he kept clicking his tongue and sighing, as if Zheng Qiuyu had done something terribly regrettable.

Zheng Wen's eyebrows twitched, and he slammed his hand on the table.

"Go, let her go!"

"Xifeng, tomorrow you tie her up and take her there, along with some source stones to thank the young lord and ask him to keep an eye on her!"

Zheng Qiuyu's eyes rolled back, and after listening, she felt as if the sky had darkened.

Only Zheng Xifeng nodded with a smile: "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on her tonight, so she doesn't run away!"

Zheng Xifeng personally escorted his two younger siblings to Sui An's territory.

"Captain Zheng, why do I get the feeling that these two aren't very enthusiastic?"

Sui An looked at the two young men and women who seemed listless and weak, and felt somewhat puzzled.

Besides, wasn't he supposed to be introducing his alchemist sister over?

So what's the situation with this young man?

Buy one get one free?

Zheng Xifeng turned around and glared at the two of them: "How rude! This is Sui An, the owner of this territory. From now on, you should call him Boss Sui. Hurry up and greet him."

Zheng Qiuyu tightened his fur coat, rubbed his big eyes, and looked somewhat exhausted.

She glanced at Sui An and found that he looked unusually young; how could he be just a little kid?

But Zheng Xifeng clearly noticed the change in her expression and kicked her heel, which brought Zheng Qiuyu back to her senses.

Thinking back to my older brother's introduction yesterday, this kid has only been a professional for less than half a year, but he's an extraordinary person.

Without hesitation, she greeted him, "Little brother, I'm sorry, the road was so bumpy, I fell asleep."

Zheng Xifeng's face turned black on the spot, and Zheng Xu, who had turned his head away, subconsciously trembled.

He had been looking around constantly, showing his playful nature; it seemed Ping was still quite curious about this territory. Hearing his older cousin's instructions, he quickly and obediently greeted them.

"Hello, Boss Sui!"

Fortunately, Zheng Xu didn't say anything shocking, which made Zheng Xifeng's expression look better.

"Uh, hello to you both!" Sui An was a little confused by the behavior of these two.

But Zheng Xifeng took the initiative to pull Sui An aside, sighed first, and then began to speak.

"These are my younger sister and cousin. After they broke through to level 4, they've been too lazy for the past two years and haven't made any progress. Yesterday, I discussed it with my dad and uncle. Since your territory is short of people, why don't you send them over here to train?"

Sui An hesitated, then asked, "Your cousin is—"

Zheng Xifeng instantly understood Sui An's meaning: "Oh, it's an ice-attribute combat class. When the time comes, let him participate in the defense of your territory, and you can just assign him the tasks as usual."

"This—Captain Zheng, aren't you trying to put pressure on me?!"

Sui An was startled. Although he understood Zheng Xifeng's meaning, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Alchemists don't need to participate in combat, so I can take care of their safety. But once combat professions get into battle, I can't guarantee their safety."

"If anything were to happen to me, your uncle would skin me alive!"

"Don't worry about that!"

Zheng Xifeng waved his hand, trying to reassure Sui An: "My cousin is quite capable, he just likes to play. He's too lazy in Jiangcheng, and he's very afraid of dying. Even if you really ask him to charge into battle, he won't agree. Just let him control the buildings and shoot arrows or something."

But Sui An wasn't so easily appeased. He quickly added, "If you stand by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet. This city wall is so big, what if a cold arrow comes flying—"

Zheng Xifeng, still grinning, said, "He has a secret treasure given to him by my uncle. If it's just these stray arrows, there's no need to worry too much!"

"As long as you're not deliberately using Boss Sui as a target, there won't be any problem."

Zheng Xifeng said it with a smile, but wasn't it also a warning to himself not to try to use the secret treasure given to him by his uncle to deliberately block harm?

Sui An suddenly regretted asking Zheng Xifeng; wasn't this just forcibly binding him?

He could only manage a wry smile: "Captain Zheng, can I still say no now?"

Zheng Xifeng patted Sui An on the shoulder, but didn't mention the matter of returning the item at all.

"Young man, don't be so nervous. My uncle probably won't let my cousin stay in your territory for too long. Just help me train him for a while and make sure he doesn't get too lazy. I'll remember this favor, and my uncle will remember it too. If there's anything we can do to help in the future, we'll do our best to help."

"Okay, I'll do my best to ensure safety, but as you know, Captain Zheng, I can't guarantee anything about this!"

Sui An accepted the favor with a bitter face. This was the downside of asking for favors; favors always had to be reciprocated.

He originally intended to exchange the source beast meat for the person who introduced him, but unexpectedly, the other party not only did not mention the source beast meat, but also sent his younger brother and sister directly.

Does he really trust himself that much?

"Don't worry! My uncle is a seasoned veteran. He's the one who brought the person here. If something unexpected happens, he won't blame you unreasonably."

Zheng Xifeng kept urging Sui An to hire people: "My dad said you don't need to pay them a salary, just use them normally."

As he spoke, he beckoned the two of them over: "Qiuyu, Xiaoxu, come here!"

After this period of adjustment, the two are in much better shape. When they go out, they dare not disobey their older brother, because he really will beat them up.

"Listen up, during this period, Boss Sui will be responsible for your food and lodging. Your family will not give you a single source stone, so you must listen to Boss Sui in everything you do. I will come to see you every day."

"They won't even give me a single Originium!" Zheng Qiuyu exclaimed anxiously.

Zheng Xifeng immediately glared back: "You can't buy anything here. What's the point of giving you source stones? You can just help Boss Sui refine materials!"

"No, no, no!"

Sui An quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "I can't let you work for free. I'll pay you. We can discuss the wages later."

Zheng Xifeng didn't seem to mind, but added, "I can pay you, but it has to be monthly, and you have to settle the bill in front of me. All the source stones are held by me; I'll give them to you after you return from the territory!"

Sui An, listening from the side, felt a chill run down his spine. Was this really his own brother?

It feels like they're dealing with a shady real estate agency.

Zheng Qiuyu clearly thought so too, staring wide-eyed, ready to argue again.

But Zheng Xifeng's words sealed the deal: "Zheng Qiuyu, this is outside, you can only listen to me!"

He turned to his gloating cousin beside him: "Xiao Xu, you're the same!"

Zheng Xifeng is gone.

They left behind two overly friendly young masters and ladies, along with a pile of luggage.

"Where should we stay? Is there a decent place?" Zheng Qiuyu quickly adapted to her situation, even though she had been saying last night how terrible and dangerous the outside world was.

But when she actually arrived, she became quite curious.

Sui An sighed, unsure whether the arrival of these two was a blessing or a curse, but what was done was done, and he could only deal with it as best he could.

"Come on, I'll take you there."

Sui An arranged for the two to stay next to Aunt Zhao, so that if any unexpected situation arose, Aunt Zhao, as the highest combat power in the territory, could handle it.

Thus, the innermost row of houses consisted of: Zheng Xu, Zheng Qiuyu, Zhao Feng, Wang Ping, Wang Hu, Erhu, Erhu's brother and sister-in-law, Erhu's father, Fang Si, Fang Nian, and Fang's parents.

There are exactly ten people, filling the innermost row.

"This is a level 4 territory after half a year? It looks pretty ordinary!"

Zheng Qiuyu looked around the stone house. Although it was spacious and bright, it was obviously no match for her residence in the city.

Zheng Xu leaned against the door frame, glanced around, and only after confirming that there were no people around did he begin to speak: "I looked, his main buildings are all on the city wall and inside the surrounding wall."

"Since what my elder brother said is true, the buildings in his territory must be of very high quality, so they don't need to take up much space."

"There are four strange-looking houses over there; that might be your alchemy workshop."

"Who cares? Do they think they can make me work just because I came here?" Zheng Qiuyu rolled her eyes at Zheng Xu, showing no curiosity about the alchemy workshop he mentioned.

Zheng Xu rolled his eyes at his silly older sister: "Sis, I advise you to think this through. If you don't break through to level five soon, you may never be able to go back. Uncle's actions last night clearly showed he was serious."

Zheng Qiuyu plopped down on the bed: "I won't!"

Zheng Xu shook his head: "I don't think you can last long. I took a look, and apart from those on duty on the city wall, there's basically no one around this house. I think you'll go crazy from boredom after two or three days because there's no one to talk to."

"There's really no one here!" Zheng Qiuyu couldn't be stubborn anymore and quickly got up to look outside.

I didn't see anyone at all.

"No way, there are so few people!"

"Yes, there are. It seems like someone is training in the small courtyard over by the first row of houses. Most of the people who can work in this kind of territory are people who are desperate to make a living. It's unlikely that you'll find anyone to play with."

Zheng Xu sighed. His sister couldn't find anyone to keep her company, and neither could he!

Zheng Qiuyu stamped her foot: "That damned Zheng Xifeng, I knew he had no good intentions when he sent us here!"

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