Chapter 25: Changes in the Council Hall
"You came at the right time. I also have an idea about this city," said Gu Xi as he saw Luna enter. He wanted to share his plan for Aridowei City.
Hearing this, Luna smiled happily.
After gaining partial control of Aridowei City, Gu Xi noticed a change in Luna. Though still a ghost, the oppressive aura that once surrounded her was gone. She now appeared more lively and vibrant.
"Please go ahead, my lord," Luna replied.
"Luna, this is what I think: Now that a third of Aridowei City is ours, we may not have enough strength yet, but we have time. Let's start by building the city walls and gates. Once we have enough troops, we'll take over the remaining two-thirds of the city. I can't oversee everything, so you'll need to manage the city's arrangements."
Gu Xi had barely finished speaking when Luna began to share her thoughts.
"My lord, I was thinking the same thing. It's risky to send out troops before we've secured our current territory. Let's focus on constructing the smaller buildings like walls and gates first. Once we have sufficient forces, we can then move to capture the rest of Aridowei."
"Haha, it seems we're on the same page," Gu Xi said, feeling increasingly satisfied with Luna.
At this point, Luna added, "By the way, my lord, we can handle Aridowei City this way since we've established a foothold here. However, it's different for Victoria City. There, you need to establish an anchor point."
Gu Xi paused upon hearing this. "What makes Victoria City different?"
"My lord, do you remember those people who were used as sacrifices and the cultists preparing the blood ritual for you?" Luna asked.
Gu Xi nodded firmly. "I remember. They ambushed me. If I hadn't entered Aridowei City, I would have rooted them out completely."
"My lord, when I gained control over this part of Aridowei City, I saw some things. Because of the blood ritual by those cultists, the powerful figure sent into Aridowei City didn't die. What perished was this 2.9 square kilometers of Aridowei City."
Luna's explanation was somewhat vague, and Gu Xi didn't fully understand.
"Wait, is there an issue with that?" he asked.
"Yes. Initially, the mirrored city only included our 2.9 square kilometers of Aridowei City. The British royal family intended to exile and trap that powerful figure. But who would have thought that a group of cultists under his command would spread the word about the mirrored underground palace? This concept of the mirrored underground palace was propagated. And due to continuous mishaps in the British royal family over the years, the legend of the mirrored underground palace gained a mystical aura. The cultists' blood rituals provided the energy it needed. Consequently, this space has been replicating Victoria City over the years."
At this point, Luna sighed. "My lord, you might be surprised to know why our 2.9 square kilometers of Aridowei City turned into a dead city. It's because the corresponding area in the old Aridowei has long been abandoned for a new city district, leading to the old district's demise."
Gu Xi now understood the situation and Luna's plan.
"So, if I only want this 2.9 square kilometers of land, I can return now without issue. But if I want a city the size of Victoria City, I must establish an anchor point in the real world and fight my way to the new Aridowei district?"
"Yes. From what I've seen, the city has undergone six transformations. Capturing any of these transformed versions will be much larger than our current city," Luna explained.
Gu Xi thought for a moment. "Alright, I know what to do. Let me first handle things in Aridowei City, and then I'll head to Victoria City to establish an anchor point."
With Gu Xi agreeing, Luna simply nodded and followed him to explain the newly transformed Council Hall.
Although it had become a functional building, the two-story structure had not fundamentally changed. However, its functions had altered somewhat. The ground floor dining room had turned into the council hall, where the map of Aridowei City was displayed. Gu Xi could use the map to deploy troops and access information about Aridowei and surrounding areas.
The left-hand kitchen was now the design and storage point for architectural blueprints. Any construction within Aridowei required blueprints from this location. On the right was a staircase leading to the second floor, with a shelf beneath it. Though empty now, it was meant for storing Gu Xi's trophies. If Aridowei wasn't Gu Xi's main city, this space might be for Luna's trophies.
Ascending the stairs, Gu Xi saw three rooms on the second floor. Luna's memory recovery room had turned into a children's room, now sealed with ice, accessible only to Luna. The other rooms were a master bedroom and a secondary bedroom, both suitable for living, with the master bedroom also having a desk. Resting here for two hours restored all of Gu Xi's health and mana.
Additionally, there was a basement under the council hall for storing various documents, a necessity even if not immediately useful.
After inspecting the council hall and understanding its functions, Gu Xi took Luna outside. He noticed the battlefield had been cleaned up, with the eerie energy beads distributed as previously agreed: one-third to Gu Xi, one-third to the combat squad, and the final third to individual undead.
Seeing the pile of eerie energy beads in front of the council hall, Luna suddenly spoke.
"These can be converted into negative energy points at a one-to-one ratio."