Chapter Thirty-Nine: Cloudfall City

At the furthest east of the Phantasmagoric Mountains.

This was a small area on the very edge of the Phantasmagoric Mountains, already quite distant from Sairan City and the Azure Wave Plains. Here, level-80 monsters roamed everywhere, and a slightly shadowy forest guarded the place tightly.

Li Ren stood at the center of this area, known as the Bramble Forest, with the Gate of Darkness firmly in his grasp. As the altar before him slowly took shape under Shadow’s summoning, Li Ren could not help but feel a surge of excitement. Here, a city would rise—a city that belonged to him alone!

“Confirm city construction at this location?”

“Yes.”

“Please name your city.”

“Falling Cloud.”

Shadow, who had silently witnessed the founding of Falling Cloud City from the side, sighed quietly: “Falling Cloud, Falling Cloud… Once, this city bore that name too. Ah…”

The Gate of Fate slipped from Li Ren’s hand and floated gently onto the altar before him. An intense surge of dark power poured out from the Gate of Darkness, wild and unstoppable!

The towering trees nearby turned instantly to dust under this force, vanishing without a trace. Even the monsters that had lurked here were assimilated, transformed into the same dark power, slowly shaping the foundations of Falling Cloud City.

A not-so-small town now stood where there had only been wilderness, and Li Ren found himself at its very heart.

Behind him loomed a massive castle, its hard black stone exuding a heavy, oppressive aura, pressing down on the heart like the weight of a giant, inspiring deep awe for the city lord.

As lord, Li Ren enjoyed considerable authority, and he immediately set the city’s status to neutral.

“Changing this setting will cause unpredictable changes. Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Li Ren didn’t hesitate.

The naked darkness that had pervaded the city gradually receded, settling into deep concealment. Li Ren nodded with satisfaction. He insisted on neutrality because he knew rapid development would depend on players. As for why he needed players, he wasn’t sure—it was what Shadow had told him.

Li Ren followed Shadow to a building; thanks to his authority, he knew it had formed from the very essence of the Gate of Darkness. Aside from the lord’s castle, it was the most important place in Falling Cloud City—the Death Wishing Grounds.

“So, our future army will come from here?” Li Ren asked with curiosity. It was his first time founding a city in such a role.

“Yes. When the system creates a city, it grants the Death Wishing Grounds a unique summoning opportunity: you can call forth an exceptionally powerful being as your subordinate without any cost. Further summons, however, require vast amounts of souls.” Shadow, standing before the modest-looking wishing ground, explained everything he knew.

“Really? A special summon? The creature we summon won’t be like us, will it?” Li Ren asked with a hint of anticipation—though whether he hoped for a yes or no, no one could say.

“In theory, anything is possible. But beings like us are already at the edge of what’s permitted here. For another to appear would be extremely difficult—unless something extraordinary occurred,” Shadow answered honestly.

“Damn! There really could be more freaks like us? What kind of cursed place is this, where that’s even possible?!” The riddle gnawed at Li Ren’s heart, and it wasn’t the first time he’d pestered Shadow for explanations.

As always, Shadow only shook his head and said nothing. Li Ren just shrugged; he was used to this by now.

He’d given up after once shaking Shadow by the neck for a long time to no effect, cursing inwardly before resigning himself to the unpredictable Death Wishing Grounds before him.

Truthfully, this system was perfectly tailored for men: pure randomness, just like gambling. You never knew what you’d get in advance. And if there was a chance to summon someone of his own kind, any outcome would be worth it.

Sure enough, aside from the free summon, the highest-level summon—something called a Hero Summon—required a staggering ten million souls!

Li Ren rolled his eyes. What an outrageous gamble—ten million souls! How many monsters would he have to slay to collect that? He’d be a god by then. Truly… highway robbery!

By comparison, the other summon options seemed more reasonable. The number of souls required depended on the summoned creature’s level and attributes.

For example, the cheapest—Skeleton Warrior—cost only 100 souls, was level 40, with all stats at 300, HP 20,000, and no special skills.

This guy was more expensive and weaker than his own underlings. Li Ren couldn’t even be bothered to complain and passed immediately.

After all, this was supposed to be the defense system for a whole city—it couldn’t be too weak. After some consideration, he picked the Skeleton Guard as the main defensive force, requiring 1,000 souls apiece, at level 100, all stats 1,300, HP 800,000, with the skills Block and Heroic Strike.

But his own soul stock was only 18,000—enough for just 18 Skeleton Guards. That made Li Ren decidedly uneasy.

Before summoning any Skeleton Guards, he naturally chose the one-time, free, top-tier summon—the ten-million-soul gamble!

Staring at the mind-numbing string of zeroes, he shook his head to clear them away, then pressed confirm.

Looking back, he still couldn’t say what he’d felt in that moment—relief, hope, tension, or just inexplicable, masculine bravado.

Ah well, gambling is gambling, and he was a man. No shame in it.

The Death Wishing Grounds before him shook as if struck by an earthquake. Endless black mist materialized from the air, pouring mercilessly into the wishing grounds as if a vast rift had opened in the heavens, spilling a flood of souls.

It didn’t last long, but the commotion was considerable. When the black mist finally receded, a tall figure emerged from the center.

Pale blue eyes shimmered with a strange, enchanting allure; hands delicate as new shoots, skin flawless as fresh cream—smooth and lustrous, cool as jade. The faint smile on her face was the very embodiment of devastating beauty. Her fingers slender as scallion stalks, lips like rosy pearls; she moved with a dainty, graceful step—truly a marvel unmatched in the world.

If Li Ren had still been human, his eyes would have been dazzled to blindness, to say nothing of the other, more primal reactions provoked by her beauty—yes, like swallowing hard.

Fortunately, he was now just a skeleton, saving himself and all men everywhere from embarrassment. His skeletal face betrayed nothing, concealing the spellbound daze he’d fallen into—though the twin emerald flames in his eye sockets flickered a little more wildly than usual.

Watching the girl approach, her lips still curled in a faint, proud smile, Li Ren couldn’t help but glance at Shadow. As expected, Shadow’s face remained a perfect poker mask, betraying nothing.

Li Ren cursed inwardly, “Bah! Who are you trying to fool? You’re no normal man. Even if you were, you’d be the stone-faced kind, #%$@#@…”