Chapter 562

【 MOUNTPEAK CITY 】

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True to their reputation, Moe Moe Committee had once again proven their unparalleled efficiency in construction to the extent that even if they humbly claimed to be “second place” in this aspect, not a single other guild in Elven Kingdom would have the confidence to claim first.

Once Little Salty Cat clearly explained her true plans, each guild member was immediately moved by her keen foresight…

Even the voices of skeptics fell silent a week later when Moe Moe successfully built a passage to the third designated city-building site.

Just as Little Salty Cat had said, although the layer of bedrock at this site was thick and prevented direct access to the Underground, there was an old tunnel dug by Rose that led straight to it.

And given that the tunnel was originally constructed to accommodate Rose’s considerable size during her golden-rank days, it was by no means narrow.

At the very least, it could easily accommodate two carriages driving side by side with room to spare and wide enough for four or five players to hop around without bumping into one another.

Good transportation infrastructure is a prerequisite for large-scale trade.

Although the tunnel was somewhat winding, that posed no major issue. At most, it would take players an hour on foot to reach the third site near the Underground. After that, they would just need to dig a passage to officially connect to the underground region.

Digging a passage wasn’t difficult either.

The bedrock separating the site from the Underground was thinner than anticipated, likely no more than 500 meters in thickness.

In fact, Rose’s tunnel already extended to a depth of 300 meters.

With the help of magic and crypt spiders, they only had to dig less than another 100 meters before they broke through and finally connect the passage into the Underground.

What surprised them was that the tunnel didn’t lead to Deep Cavern, where Blackrock City is located (as seen in Chapter 172), but instead one of the border city belonging to Hermetic Alliance (see Chapter 347).

This was a major development.

After all, the Hermetic Alliance had become the players’ most frequent trading partner in the Underground.

Deep Caverns was simply too small, and Blackrock City’s inhabitants were too few. They had long since been unable to meet the growing demand of the player economy.

So, ever since the player population surpassed 100,000, they had relied on Deep Caverns as a springboard to trade with allied member city-states of the Hermetic Alliance.

Under such circumstances, this direct trade route became especially crucial for Moe Moe Committee.

While Rivendell also had an entrance to the Underground region, it was far too remote.

At present, trade with the Hermetic Alliance either required navigating the convoluted lake systems of the Deep Caverns or using Blackrock City’s long-range teleportation array…

However, their array’s cargo capacity was limited.

While it was fine for transporting people in emergencies, it was far too costly to move large quantities of goods as the magic ore consumption needed to power it was enormous.

Moreover, putting goods into storage rings wasn’t a viable solution either, as it consumed more magic ores than transferring the goods directly…

This had to do with the spatial laws at play.

Therefore, establishing a direct trade route to the Hermetic Alliance was of critical importance.

At this point, no one in Moe Moe Committee questioned Little Salty Cat’s decision anymore as even just controlling the entrance fee on this passage they built could make them rich beyond belief. 𝙧ἁŊọ𝐁Е§

Sure, Heart of Nature was basking in glory thanks to their partnership with the dwarves…

But when it came to financial resources and funding capabilities, Moe Moe Committee was still the dominant force among all the guilds.

And now, if others wanted a more efficient trade route, they’d likely have no choice but to use this one.

In a way, Moe Moe Committee’s bright future was already assured.

Although their relationship with Heart of Nature was on friendly terms, there was always an undercurrent of competition.

Previously, they had completely outmaneuvered Heart of Nature thanks to their firm hold over the Chosen City’s real estate business. And now, with this trade route, they could once again take the upper hand.

Whoever controls the trade route holds the power.

Realizing this, each Moe Moe Committee members became even more enthusiastic.

Even if the environment here couldn’t compare to the Elven Forest—and even if there was nothing here yet—their hearts were full of hope for the future.

Thus, shortly thereafter, large-scale city construction officially commenced, with the primary building materials consisting of stones excavated from the mountains blasted by Little Salty Cat.

Which was a perfect example of nothing going to waste.

And surprisingly, the results were excellent!

The Dark Mountains were named so because of their abundant obsidian deposits.

In the realm of Seigües, this obsidian—though it shares its name with its counterpart on Earth—is a highly valued material, prized for its applications in both construction and spellcraft.

Of course, the Seigües variant of obsidian differs significantly from its Earth counterpart. While both possess a black, glass-like appearance, the Seigües version is notably more durable.

With the assistance of magic, this obsidian functions both as an excellent construction material and can be directly forged into city walls.

When these walls are reinforced with divine defensive barriers, their durability is significantly increased.

Sandstorm City, located in the Desert of Death, exemplifies this application.

In truth, if the Dark Mountains weren’t so remote and not in such close proximity to Orc territory, some human nation would have already attempted mining in this region long ago.

After all, even the harshest environment has its value and one just have to know the right way to uncover them.

By this point, the members of Moe Moe Committee couldn’t help but sigh.

Those orcs really were sitting on a mountain of treasure all along without even realizing it.

And as if responding to that sentiment, another piece of good news arrived right after the passage to the underground region was opened…

A vein of magic ores and mithril was discovered at the third site!

Not only that, a substantial iron ore deposit was discovered beneath the primary vein. Notably, some players specializing in blacksmithing, particularly those focused on life-oriented aspects of the game, also uncovered traces of the rare metal adamantite.

It was truly a double blessing.

After playing Elven Kingdom for so long, players had become very familiar with the game’s common magical materials.

Mana ores require little explanation as they are the cornerstone of nearly all magical infrastructure. From powering teleportation arrays that link distant regions to enabling the function of magical firearms wielded by players, their role is indispensable in this magical world.

On the other hand, mithril is a marvel of metallurgy. Visually reminiscent of polished silver, it is incredibly lightweight yet stronger than conventional steel. Its superior mana conductivity not only makes it a coveted material among blacksmiths but also places it at the forefront of magical craftsmanship, especially in the creation of elite-grade weapons and enchantments.

In fact, a good number of player-crafted gear already contains mithril.

As for iron ore and adamantite, the former is the main raw material for all sorts of equipment, while the latter, with an even higher magical affinity than mithril, is often used to forge legendary artifacts.

Interestingly enough, the players who discovered these mineral veins did so by following the tunnels created by the crypt spiders. Upon arrival, they observed signs of gnawing along the walls, although the markings appeared to be quite old.

Clearly, the Spider Queen once lived here. However, what baffled them was that she didn’t consume all these ores, and after staying for a while, she moved on to Rivendell.

After thinking about it, someone suggested it was likely because Rivendell had even richer and higher-quality mineral deposits.

Unfortunately, most of Rivendell’s surface-level resources had already been mined out, leaving only some mediocre veins.

While vast quantities of top-tier minerals lie deeper underground, they’re incredibly difficult for players to access and only creatures like the crypt spiders can reach them.

And even if players could reach those depths, whether the Spider Queen would allow them to mine her food source is another matter entirely.

Ores you can’t mine is as good as non-existent.

So finding this rich vein in the Dark Mountains came as a major surprise to them.

Even better, they were delighted to discover that the old spider tunnels were still usable.

One player tested it and, to their amazement, found they could walk all the way to Rivendell through these tunnels and exit from a hidden cavern!

The whole journey took less than seven days…

That was far faster than trekking on the surface for a month, or even taking the winding path through the Deep Caverns.

Traveling through the underground region back to Rivendell also required crossing various subterranean lakes and rivers, which took about 10 to 15 days.

And people said the Dark Mountains were barren and hopeless?

This place was a gold mine—literally!

But the good news didn’t stop there…

Half a month after the mineral deposits discovery, a third wave of exciting news arrived.

The route leading to the Eastern Fertile Plains had also been finally blasted using magic bombs.

Just as Little Salty Cat stated, the Fertile Plains which border the southern edge of the Dark Mountains were part of the Aries Kingdom.

With the construction of this new route, they could now fully exit the Dark Mountain region in under an hour. From there, it would take approximately one day of travel to reach the nearest human villages.

Of course, the Aries Kingdom map hadn’t been fully unlocked yet, so players could only reach the outskirts of these villages, but that was more than enough for them.

With this route now open, a proper trade network could now form.

Previously, there had been only one way to travel from the Fertile Plains to the western upper layers of the Underground region, where the Dark City-States and Hermetic City-States resided, and that route was through Sandstorm City in the Desert.

But using that route meant crossing the desert, enduring seven days and nights of harsh conditions, with the constant threat of attacks from orcs or desert lizards.

Now things were different.

If this new route they created was officially opened, players could now set out from the edge of human territories via this route and reach the first site within a day. From there, it would take just a few more hours to reach the Underground entrance.

The improvement in efficiency was astronomical!

The western Underground region, the Kingdom of Aries, the Desert of Death, and the Elven Forest…

Without them even realizing it, their Guildmaster, Little Salty Cat had chosen a site for their city that had become a central hub which connected all these major regions—each now accessible by the fastest available routes!

Even the most slow-witted among them were beginning to grasp the value of this hidden gem of a site.

A nexus.

This location represented an as-yet-undeveloped transportation nexus, poised to become a future center of trade and commerce.

At that moment, the rugged terrain of the Dark Mountains revealed its true strategic advantage:

It was naturally defensible and difficult to assault.

Even if this critical nexus were to become the target of numerous factions in the future, a single well-fortified city would render its defenders unshaken.

By now, everyone in Moe Moe Committee was utterly in awe of Little Salty Cat’s foresight.

Impressive.

Truly impressive.

What initially seemed like an unremarkable city-building site turned out to be incredibly valuable after a series of strategic decisions.

In comparison, the region’s low mana density became a minor concern.

And when players considered their Guildmaster’s real-life age, all of them couldn’t help but feel like their years had been lived in vain—like they’d handed their lives over to a dog.

Such comparison truly was mortifying.

Even though their leader will sometimes accidentally PKed them along with the enemies with her overpowered spells, her strategic vision was undeniably impressive.

She didn’t seem like someone who had just turned fifteen.

With the roads cleared and foundations laid, it was time to begin constructing their city.

Taking into account the terrain, the game’s lore, and the availability of local materials, Moe Moe Committee decided on a Western-style Castle Fortress aesthetic, while also incorporating as many elven design elements as possible.

After all, elven architecture was naturally grand and visually stunning.

Under the planning of players like HootyBird and her design team, the fortress-city would house over 50,000 players and could eventually expand to accommodate up to 200,000 once its completed.

Of course, such estimates didn’t even consider the potential use of the two additional connected sites.

The city’s name had already been decided by Little Salty Cat herself.

Mountpeak City.

The city on the summit of a mountain which illuminates the world.

On one hand, the name reflected its mountain-top location; on the other, it symbolized the players’ lofty ambitions.

They were determined to build an epic, awe-inspiring commercial city that would capture the attention of all.

The Moe Moe Committee’s construction work progressed in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, the other major guilds and alliances were not far behind either.

One after another, they each familiarized themselves with their respective sites’ terrains, finalized their plans, and began building their own cities.

And as expected, Heart of Nature designed their new city as a port, choosing a traditional elven architectural style thanks to the half-elf designer on their team.

After some discussion, Li Mu named their city Grey Havens, a tribute to the elven port from the Western fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings, which paired nicely with their other city, Rivendell.

First Legion’s city-building process was much simpler as well.

They mainly used locally sourced wood, then animated the structures using druid magic.

It was a highly efficient method of construction. One that had been used in the early days of Chosen City and First Legion, which was known for their practical approach, had now reused it.

Surprisingly, once animated, the wooden houses really did resemble treehouses, full of fantastical charm.

Their city was named Winterhold by FriedTomato

As the future northern hub, he thought the name was fitting.

Meanwhile, the Scourge Knights, which was the fourth-largest guild, went with a distinctly Earth-inspired approach.

They chose traditional Chinese architecture and built a oriental garden-style city in the northwest region of the Elven Forest.

Of course, they also used plant animation to bring the wooden structures to life.

Their city was named Shangjing (Upper Capital).

Among all the city names, it was the one with the least Western fantasy flavor to it.

As for the remaining three guild alliances…

All-Star Alliance also chose elven architecture as their motif, naming their city Atlantis.

Azeroth Union on the other hand, opted for a classic Western fantasy style and named their city Lordaeron, which was a straightforward and blatant nod to World of Warcraft.

From top to bottom, everything about it screamed homage.

Finally, Long Live the Goddess alliance had a less uniform city design.

As the largest alliance with the most guild associates but also the weakest overall, they allowed each guild to construct its own district in the city after the general layout was decided. The result was a city that ended up feeling somewhat like a new Chosen City.

Their city was named Eden, a decision made through a popular vote.

It was… interesting, to say the least.

Strangely, while people often used wildly creative or bizarre naming schemes for their usernames and guild names, they became much more grounded when choosing the names of their cities.

This was largely because most city names were chosen by vote, which limited personal eccentricity. And probably another reason was that the players had begun to deeply immerse themselves within the game world.

Roleplaying had become increasingly prevalent amongst the playerbase, while instances of trolling and meme-based naming had significantly diminished.

Then again, it wouldn’t have mattered too much even if someone had picked a bizarre city name. To the natives of this world, all city names sounded like foreign words anyway.

Just like how Chinese people on earth wouldn’t know that the ancient meaning of “Manchester” was “breast-shaped hill”…

Thus, the establishment of these seven newly constructed player cities was, for the most part, successfully completed.

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