Chapter 29: Tier 1 City

Although the arena maintains fairness and impartiality, it includes a position known as the "Referee." In "God's Bane," there are no formal dueling mechanics; players can kill one another at any time unless they are within designated safe zones. Outside these zones, players are always vulnerable to attacks from others. However, the introduction of a customizable talent skill tree has allowed players to exploit mechanics to achieve the effect of a duel.

The "Referee" is a specialized role derived specifically for the arena. Because deaths naturally occur during arena combat—and because players level 50 and above suffer an experience penalty upon death, even within the arena—this role is necessary. Losing one-fifth of the experience required for the current level is a staggering penalty. To ensure safety, the Referee can cast a skill when a player’s health drops below five percent, either restoring a portion of their health or providing a shield equivalent to about thirty percent of their maximum HP.

Once this skill is triggered, it serves as a vital lifeline, but it also acts as the standard for determining victory: triggering the effect essentially marks the player as the loser of the match. Of course, this skill is not an absolute safeguard; it does not grant invulnerability, and players can still be killed if the damage is high enough. In many older servers, top-tier players could deal enough damage in a single strike to bypass the Referee’s protection entirely.

Beyond the prize money for winners, the arena offers another draw: gambling. Night Feather and his companions, confident in their strength, realized that while they lacked fame initially, they could make a fortune by wagering their entire capital on their own matches.

With resources and funding secured, everyone supported Night Feather’s proposal to build a city. They immediately began construction within the "Ancient Heaven and Earth" map. Night Feather, his party, and the high-ranking members of the "Purple Void Mirage" guild led by "Knowing Warmth and Cold" gathered in the map, selecting a central location to establish the city’s layout near routes leading to dungeons, wilderness areas, and high-risk zones.

When construction begins, the system provides basic resources to lay the foundation. Choosing the right facilities is crucial; since resources are limited, poor choices can severely hinder future expansion and upgrades.

"The 'Ancient Heaven and Earth' map belongs to you, Boss," Knowing Warmth and Cold said with a wry smile, apologizing for his lack of expertise in city building. "The position of City Lord and all decisions regarding construction are yours to make. We don't know much about this."

"Wait a minute, Vice Guild Leader," interjected Xun She. "You manage the entire guild while he does nothing. Won't it be inappropriate to let them decide who becomes the City Lord? Aren't you worried the other brothers will be dissatisfied?" Xun She had never held a high opinion of Night Feather’s group and, being a level 40 player himself, was somewhat arrogant, believing he was no less capable than them.

Night Feather took the feedback in stride. He knew it was true; he and his group rarely managed the Purple Void Mirage, leaving the heavy lifting to Knowing Warmth and Cold and the core elders. Night Feather shrugged dismissively. "It’s fine. If you’re worried about the others, then leave the responsibility of choosing the City Lord to you, Cold." He viewed the title of City Lord as merely a name with no tangible benefits; profit-sharing was based on contributions made during construction, including money and materials.

"However, the early stages are critical, so choose the City Lord carefully," Night Feather cautioned. "I don't have much experience either; I've only researched official guides and tips from veterans on older servers. We should review the construction specifications first."

Unexpectedly, Luo Feng spoke up: "Enough. Let's just start building."

Night Feather frowned, surprised by Luo Feng’s sudden initiative. "Do you have experience in this area?"

Without waiting for an answer, Night Feather opened the city-building interface. A miniature 3D layout appeared over the selected area, featuring a simple button: "Build City." He clicked it, and the ground trembled. Dust billowed as stone blocks stacked themselves, rapidly forming a square wall. After a few minutes, the dust settled to reveal a small fortress—a nascent village with a central base building covering six hundred square meters.

The interface shifted to a 2D map with icons for various building sizes. As a level-one city, space was limited, and they could only build three of each size category. Night Feather turned to the calm Luo Feng. "Alright, the basics are done. What should we build first?"

Luo Feng shrugged, projecting an air of quiet confidence. "That depends on your goals. I’ve looked into this. The most popular city types are military, tourism, and commercial." He crossed his arms. "First, I’m excluding tourism. You might wonder why, but 'Ancient Heaven and Earth' is a late-game map for high-level players. It’s too dangerous for tourists; the surrounding monsters and high-risk zones are terrifying. We’d have to spend too much time and resources terraforming the environment, which isn't feasible right now."

Night Feather nodded. "Luo Feng is right. We should focus on a commercial city. Since this map is a key location for the late-game main quest, it’s a vital hub. If we make it a commercial center, the convenience of its location will attract other guilds. Plus, the materials found here are rare and highly sought after on the auction house. We can turn this into a high-end business metropolis. Our advantage is that no other server has access to 'Ancient Heaven and Earth'."

Knowing Warmth and Cold added, "And as the server level rises, more guilds will want to settle here. Word of mouth will drive up the price of materials, allowing us to profit immensely."

"Exactly," Night Feather agreed, exchanging a look with Luo Feng.

"In that case, we’ll build a commercial city. For our two large buildings, let’s choose a major teleportation station to connect to the entire map, and a resource recovery center to allow players to exchange materials for contribution points and missing supplies. For medium buildings, I suggest farms and logging camps. These provide the most resources, which are essential for leveling the city. They allow our guild members to AFK and gather materials automatically, which is a massive help when the city's population is still low," Luo Feng explained.

His proposal was unanimously accepted. "For small buildings," Luo Feng continued, "I recommend structures that optimize the efficiency of the medium ones and repair the environmental damage they cause. We must keep pollution under control; if it exceeds the limit, the city will suffer negative effects—like disease—that lower players' health and stats."

"The game is impressively realistic," remarked Cup of Wine Traps the Hero, who had been listening intently.

"Indeed," Luo Feng said. "We also need housing and a government district to attract a larger population. Currently, a level-one city can only hold five hundred players. As we expand, we’ll need more housing to raise that cap. Otherwise, nobody can enter unless they're part of a siege."

Everyone looked at Luo Feng in surprise, clearly impressed by his detailed knowledge. Night Feather gave him a thumbs-up.