36. City of Death

"A beautiful place," Mo Fei said, gazing at the evening glow on the horizon. "Such a stunning place."

"Indeed, Lord Mayor. We're far from any city here—untouched by human destruction, so it's naturally beautiful," the elder replied with a smile.

"Throughout this journey, it's you and the elders who've made all the arrangements. I thank you, Elder," Mo Fei bowed respectfully to Elder Off.

"Oh, Lord Mayor, don't mention it. This past year with you has brought me more joy than all my decades before, ha ha."

"Then let us keep this happiness going! When we choose a site for the city, take care to protect every blade of grass and tree. They are alive as well."

"Of course. To destroy such beauty would be a crime," Cain chimed in.

"Let’s set up camp and rest for now. Tomorrow we’ll climb the mountain for a survey. Remind everyone not to wander into the forest, lest there be any accidents."

"Yes, sir."

Mo Fei embraced Vivian, and the night passed quietly, the two enjoying their tranquil world. The only incident along the way had been the matter of the seven thousand cavalry; no one dared provoke such a formidable force.

At dawn, breathing in the exceptionally fresh air, Mo Fei felt his spirits lift. He, Elder Off, and a dozen others set out to survey the terrain.

The mountain was not high—just a low, flat peak at the edge of the Death Forest, barely a hundred meters tall, mostly strewn with stones.

"Lord Mayor, we could build against the mountain here, and behind it is the plain. We could construct watchtowers atop the mountain and install a fixed ballista platform in the middle to guard the city gate—a strategy that serves many purposes," Cain suggested.

"Well said, Young Chief. If we start the city wall from the mountain’s base, we can protect the whole city within it," Elder Wharton said. "If we want strict control, we could build ballista platforms all over the mountain. Even if the enemy breaks into our city, they won’t gain much."

"I will not allow such a thing to happen," Mo Fei replied. "Whatever the tallest city wall on this continent is, ours will be higher."

"The tallest? That would be the imperial city of the Golden Stone Empire. The wall stands sixteen meters," Elder Off, well-traveled and knowledgeable, answered. Indeed, the richest empire on the continent would naturally build the highest walls.

"Very well, we’ll make ours twenty meters. Every hundred meters, a fixed ballista platform, each with ten ballistae," Mo Fei said offhandedly. "See those rocks on the mountain? If we flatten it, we’ll have enough stone for the walls. Perhaps there’s iron ore beneath—the exposed rocks even glint, suggesting a good iron content."

"Indeed," Elder Off agreed. "There must be an iron mine. We can dig the mountain, build the city walls, and extract ore all at once."

On the endless plain, at the edge of the Death Forest, a colossal fortress rose from the earth. The defense platforms, spaced every hundred meters, gave an impression of cold menace at a glance, yet on this remote plain, it became a landmark.

First came the residential houses, then the defensive ballistae on the mountain, and finally the outrageously tall city walls. The construction took nearly half a year before Mo Fei’s new city was truly complete. The towering walls, the arrow platforms every hundred meters, and especially the city gate flanked by two massive ballista platforms, each holding nearly sixty ballistae. On this continent, no army could break Mo Fei’s city—at least not yet. Elder Off, looking at his half-year’s labor, stroked his long beard and smiled with genuine satisfaction.

Mo Fei had not been idle during these months. Besides spending time with Vivian and cultivating, he led the dwarven beastmasters, a hundred berserkers, and fifty elven crossbowmen through the so-called Death Forest. Each time they emerged, they brought dozens of powerful charging beasts and countless rare medicinal herbs. Through repeated expeditions, Mo Fei’s heavy-armored magical beast cavalry finally began to take shape. Although their numbers were small—just over twelve hundred—they were enough to make most armies flee at the sight.

Cain did not participate in construction. At Mo Fei’s instruction, he streamlined the original ten thousand-strong force to fifty thousand. The surplus joined the city-building teams; once they shed their armor, they were no different from any berserker. When it came to defending their homeland, they would unhesitatingly take the front line.

Still, twelve hundred heavy cavalry was too few. Knowing the continent’s brutal warfare, Mo Fei understood he needed a powerful force to truly protect his home. He planned for fifteen thousand heavy cavalry, but catching enough magical beasts from the forest proved difficult—not due to a lack of beasts, but because those near the edges had all been caught. Going deeper was unrealistic.

On the beastmasters’ advice, all the female magical beasts captured early were kept in a breeding base near the Death Forest, just outside the city walls. Their breeding capacity was astonishing: often a single beast could produce more than ten offspring per litter, and two litters per year. Their growth was rapid; after half a year, there were nearly three thousand fully grown male beasts, ready for training. In all, building a force of fifteen thousand heavy cavalry within a year was entirely possible.

However, a problem arose. These beasts were so large that anyone riding them, no matter how they swung their blades, could not reach their enemies. The enemy could not strike them, nor could the berserkers’ massive axes reach their foes. Elder Off found a solution: all the beasts were fitted with armor, and since the warriors atop couldn’t strike, they would use crossbows instead. But the dwarven and elven crossbows were too light; the berserkers, once frenzied, would pull too hard and break the strings after only a few shots. Thus, the ballistae from the city walls were downsized, and, thanks to the berserkers’ immense strength, these slightly smaller ballistae were adapted for rapid fire. The dwarven crossbows, after modification, could fire twenty bolts at once, while the berserkers’ giant crossbows could load one hundred, and their range was nearly twice that of the dwarves and elves.

When the berserkers charged as heavy cavalry, just before contact, they would unleash a volley to kill the enemy’s ranged attackers, leaving the armored beasts to deal with the infantry. As most mages on the continent specialized in fire, the heavy armor was forged by melting high-grade fire magic cores into the iron, providing effective resistance against low-level fire spells and extra protection for both beast and rider.

Mo Fei also relocated the spirit-gathering array stone slabs from Mist City to the new city. He spent peaceful days here with Vivian.

Vivian was deeply curious about Mo Fei’s cultivation, which relied on magic arrays, and even tried to cultivate within one herself. But due to the differences in meridian structure between this continent and the world of cultivation, while the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was beneficial, she could not absorb it because the cultivation systems were entirely different. She had to give up.

So another year passed calmly and uneventfully. Mo Fei’s heavy cavalry stabilized at twenty thousand, with dwarves and elven archers as the main city defenders, supported by berserkers. The offensive force was led by the twenty thousand heavy magical beast crossbow cavalry, with berserkers as backup. According to drills, the five thousand berserker infantry mostly served as rear guards, since after a heavy cavalry charge, few enemies survived. Thus, the five thousand light-armored infantry gradually became more like sentries.

The shrewd dwarves also established several trade routes during the year. Every day, resources flowed out from the city, while needed supplies streamed in.

This heavy cavalry force was used mainly to clear obstacles for the new trade routes. Within two hundred miles, all local powers, big or small, dared not ignore the warnings of the heavy cavalry. The beasts alone were intimidating, but the cavalry atop them even more so: magical attacks had no effect, and before anyone could get close, a hail of arrows would fill the sky, killing most attackers. Upon contact, the beasts were impervious to blades and spears, and with a toss of their heads or a stomp, enemies were sent flying or crushed beyond recognition. After a few rounds, only fools or corpses would stand against this heavy cavalry.

Their goods were also exceptional—their blades would slice others’ swords in half with a single stroke. Besides, their prices were reasonable, so why obstruct their trade? It was mutually beneficial, so interference was senseless. If you wanted to meddle, you needed the strength to back it up. You might not know the king, but you certainly knew the City of Death, and those Death Knights were not to be trifled with.

Thus, when Mo Fei was unsure what to name the city, Cain dispatched seven contingents of a thousand heavy cavalry each to open up seven trade routes, all without losing a single man or beast. These expeditions established the reputation of the City of Death and earned the cavalry the title of Death Knights. When Mo Fei heard Cain’s report, he named the new city—the City of Death. The Death Knights lived up to their name.

After spending so long in the city and seeing everything settle into place, Mo Fei resumed his plans to travel the continent with Vivian. He spent nearly a month preparing, then left the city’s defense to Cain, who had always managed it.

After so much cultivation, Mo Fei’s strength had recovered to the late Foundation stage, equivalent to an eighth-rank Sword Saint on the continent. Yet he had never publicly revealed his true power. If people knew Mo Fei had Sword Saint strength at twenty-two, it would shake the continent.

With security assured, Mo Fei decided not to bring Cain. However, Crowe and Tucker, as the princess’s knights, would never allow Vivian and Mo Fei to travel alone. Besides, during this time, Crowe and Tucker had benefitted greatly from Mo Fei, so they were eager to join.

Thus, the four set out together on their journey across the continent.