Chapter 109: The City Lord of Tingfeng City

Moss spread outward, transforming into a sea of green, from which countless blades of soft grass emerged. Like a carpet, the grass blanketed the ground for a hundred meters beyond the plaza's edge. Simultaneously, throughout Listening Wind City, every withered branch and tree began to sprout tender green leaves.

The bleak, withered city gradually regained its vitality.

On the streets, residents emerged one after another from the void, some continuing their strolls as if they had never stopped, others resuming the calls they had left unfinished. A symphony of colors and scents washed over all the players.

Finally, all the soul fragments merged into the Soul Crystal. As the crystal erupted with brilliant light, four smaller crystals extended from its four corners. These were the Teleportation Crystals of Listening Wind City.

With this, Listening Wind City was completely restored.

"Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan for completing the mission to reclaim Listening Wind City. You have earned the title 'Reclaimer of Listening Wind City'! This title increases favorability with all non-evil faction residents by 20%."

"Ding! Congratulations to player Zhao Nan for completing the mission. You have been rewarded with the position of Lord of Listening Wind City!"

"Ding! Mission complete. Character level increased by one!"

"Ding! Obtained Instant Healing Potion x3."

...

The rewards were countless. The difficulty of reclaiming a city was certainly no less than challenging a high-level standard dungeon, if not harder. Zhao Nan had been well aware of these rewards before accepting the restoration of the Soul Crystal, so he felt no excessive excitement.

The system's voice resounded once more, but this time, it was not just for Zhao Nan to hear; it echoed throughout the entire city.

"Player Zhao Nan shall serve as the Lord of Listening Wind City effective immediately!"

Lord!?

The crowd looked toward the center of the plaza in astonishment. Even the dimmest among them realized that this position was the ultimate reward for the reclamation event.

A golden light shot from the void into Zhao Nan’s forehead. A golden sword emblem appeared, glowing brilliantly for a moment before fading into his skin.

Zhao Nan was slightly surprised. This mark only appeared when one officially became a lord, not for some temporary role requiring public polls. In other words, by reclaiming Listening Wind City, he had bypassed all the procedural steps of the Lord System and reached the final status directly.

The term for a city lord is three years. During these three years, regardless of how much opposition arises within the city, one must wait until the term ends before a new election can be held. Unlike a temporary lord whose status must be confirmed through lengthy public opinion surveys, a certified lord possesses the authority to recruit residents into an army, activate city defense systems, and more.

They also hold judicial and sentencing powers.

From this day forward, a prison would appear in the city. The lord could summon all players or residents to join the city guard to combat crime.

Only after the system certifies a lord do a city’s functions truly become complete. As the lord, one naturally holds the most privileges.

In short, for the next three years, Zhao Nan would be the sole master of Listening Wind City.

...

"Lord..." It took Lin Yu several minutes to recover from his astonishment. He smiled casually, "I suppose I must call you 'Lord' from now on."

"Just use my name," Zhao Nan shook his head. "Aside from the residents, most players don't care for such titles."

"That's not necessarily true," Fu Yun laughed heartily. "Your prestige in everyone's hearts is at its peak! I’ve never admired anyone, especially not someone so young! But I’m convinced now. Truly, a hero is born in youth!"

Finina let out a soft, knowing giggle. Only Zhao Nan knew what she was smiling about.

Zhao Nan stepped forward and cleared his throat; his voice naturally carried to everyone’s ears. This was one of the lord’s privileges.

"Everyone, Listening Wind City has now restored all its functions. Even the quests you accepted earlier but haven't finished can now be resumed. We’ve all been through too much lately; for now, just enjoy life. I will notify you of any further developments via the city broadcast later. For now... go and celebrate!"

With those words, the entire plaza erupted in thunderous cheers. They had waited too long for this day. Every day since the city fell had felt like a year, with no end in sight. But now, it was finally over.

The cheering lasted for a long time before gradually fading, and the crowd dispersed to various parts of the city. No one knew what they would do, but that day, every establishment selling wine in Listening Wind City was bustling with activity.

"Everyone, let's part ways for now," Zhao Nan said to the group remaining with him. "It seems the Lord's Castle has opened; I need to go and activate its various functions."

"Very well, there are still many follow-up matters to attend to," Lin Yu shrugged. "Besides, after such a long time, I’d like to get some rest."

The others had similar plans and departed one by one.

Only Zhao Nan and Finina remained in the plaza. He summoned Osiris, and the two climbed onto the dragon's back, flying toward the newly opened Lord's Castle.

...

One day later, the Lord's Castle issued several announcements:

1. Recruitment for the City Guard.
2. Recruitment for city patrol members.
3. Recruitment for players to tackle the Level 20 standard dungeon. Unlimited spots; duration of five days.
4. Recruitment for exploration teams. These teams are responsible for discovering unknown quest types and locations on the map.
5. Activation of the city's automatic monitoring system. Non-consensual PK will be punished by the city defense system, leading to immediate arrest and imprisonment in the Listening Wind City jail.

These five announcements were transmitted to everyone via the city broadcast. The most welcomed was undoubtedly the automatic monitoring system, which significantly improved personal safety.

Of course, having survived the fall of the city, most had already formed deep bonds. With the current number of players in the city low, and all being human, few harbored ill intentions.

In less than half a day, the area outside the Lord's Castle became packed. A large number of residents had come to apply. This was thanks to Zhao Nan’s favorability rating among the residents; he already held the "Proof of Honesty" for a 20% boost, and the "Reclaimer of Listening Wind City" title added another 20%!

Zhao Nan set the criteria for the applicants and intended to let someone else handle the selection.

This individual, a Beast-kin Fox-man named Ren Feng, had appeared before Zhao Nan the moment the Lord's Castle was opened, claiming to be the castle's steward.

"Lord, someone wishes to see you," Ren Feng said, having just been recruited.

"Who?"

"A Chosen One named Xiong You!"