214: Blackstone

Even Hua Mulan and Han Huohuo, who were accustomed to slaughter, felt a bit uneasy. Was this really war? This was a massacre, wasn't it?

Even the Barbarians' destruction of cities wasn't this cruel.

It was utterly desolate!

It was hard to imagine what terrifying experiences this place had endured.

On the desolate land, the Tulip Merchant Group's convoy began to accelerate. Since it was a plain, there were no obstructions and the view was unobstructed.

After traveling for a day, Han Huohuo hadn't even seen a single rabbit, let alone a living person.

It was as if purgatory had descended upon the human world.

As a Lord, Han Huohuo was puzzled. Without a population, how could this place develop? Even with so many mechanical workers, he still needed a large population to develop industry and commerce.

The Southwest region was a bit strange.

As they approached Blackstone Fortress, they finally saw sporadic signs of human habitation, with people reclaiming abandoned land.

Although some small villages had become ruins, earthen houses were being rebuilt, and smoke rose from chimneys.

"We're almost at Blackstone Fortress. The inspections there are quite strict, so everyone, hold onto your passes and don't lose them."

Qin Yunlong reminded everyone.

Han Huohuo held a black stone plaque in his hand, carved with some patterns, with a 'Lin' character in the middle. Blackstone Fortress was property of the Lin family, so a 'Lin' character was normal. There was also a number, and the three of them were 66, 67, and 68 respectively.

From a distance, they saw an imposing Black Stone Castle, occupying a vast area, estimated to be over a thousand mu. Such a massive castle surprisingly had only one main gate.

There weren't many people entering or exiting. The Tulip Merchant Group was clearly a regular, and the guards at the gate looked relaxed when they saw the Tulip Merchant Group approaching.

"Isn't that Da Ge Qin? Are you on duty again?"

"Haha, I remember you. You two were guarding the gate last time I came."

"What can we do? Nobody else wants this thankless job. Boss says we're meticulous, so he always assigns us here. He's just taking advantage of our honesty, isn't he?"

They chatted with Qin Yunlong while inspecting the goods and personnel.

These two young men were indeed very diligent. Noticing that there were fewer goods this time, they couldn't help but ask, "You only transported this much stuff this time?"

"Yes, some urgent supplies were brought over first. Another merchant group will arrive in a few days."

"Oh, I see. Could these gentlemen please remove their masks for inspection?"

They stopped in front of Han Huohuo's carriage.

Qin Yunlong tensed up.

Han Huohuo didn't care. In fact, few people had seen his true face, so he casually took off his mask.

As it turned out, no one even looked at him properly. Everyone's gaze was drawn to Mu Jiu. Indeed, Mu Jiu was absolutely the most beautiful woman of her time, with immense destructive power.

The two guards couldn't help but swallow.

Just then, three more masked individuals entered from behind, walking towards Blackstone Fortress.

Their masks were a bit peculiar. Han Huohuo suddenly recalled the woman in the carriage when they passed Stone Mountain; her mask had a similar style, though these people's masks weren't as ornate as hers.

The three of them casually flashed a plaque, and the guards quickly bowed and let them in, without even requesting them to remove their masks for inspection.

Qin Yunlong was displeased: "You're doubting our Tulip Merchant Group, aren't you? They don't need to take off their masks, but our team members do, is that it?"

The guards were a bit embarrassed and whispered, "Those are Lord Cold Blade's people. How would we dare to inspect them? Please forgive us! Please forgive us!"

Finding no issues, they waved them through, allowing them to enter the castle.

The castle, built of black stone, was a pure military fortress. It was divided into three levels. The first level was where ordinary people lived. Upon entering the castle, they finally felt a sense of human activity in the Southwest.

Tulip had an outpost here. In the narrow, dark streets of the castle, all the shuttle vehicles drove into the outpost.

"Gentlemen, do you need anything else from us?"

"No, we'll part ways here. Thank you!"

Han Huohuo and the other two, wearing their masks and veils, walked out of the inn and into the first level of the castle.

This was the Lin family's war fortress, and originally, there weren't many civilians inside. Farmers and quarry workers cultivated land around the castle.

However, after the war, terrifying biological weapons swept across the entire battlefield.

Poisonous bees covered the sky.

The resistors cut down all the wood and set it on fire to fight the poisonous bees, but they still couldn't resist Cold Blade's forces.

The entire Southwest was shrouded in Cold Blade's terrifying shadow.

Blackstone Fortress was the first local power to surrender to Cold Blade, which is why it was preserved intact. However, in the war, all the farmlands outside were also abandoned.

These terrifying poisonous bees not only killed all animals but also all plants. After the war, countless poisonous bees remained in the wilderness, and even farming now required armed guards, causing the Southwest to be barren for thousands of miles.

It was then that Tulip seized the business opportunity, exchanging grain and weapons for various rare resources from this area.

The specialty of Blackstone Fortress was black stone!

This was a sturdy building material. If used in military construction, its hardness was three times greater than ordinary stone.

The Young Master of Blackstone Fortress was annoyed.

Before the war, his family was the undisputed local tyrant here. After the war began, his family became Cold Blade's dog, only responsible for mining black stone for Cold Blade.

Most of the black stone had to be surrendered, and only a small amount could be kept to exchange for some grain, barely surviving.

The Lin family dared not speak of their anger.

If it weren't for this being the Lin family's ancestral property and the black stone industry, which they were reluctant to give up, they would have moved their entire clan long ago.

No one liked being a dog, but those who refused to be dogs were all killed by Cold Blade. This Lord, who appeared out of nowhere, only trusted these strange masked people and never trusted anyone else.

In fact, the Young Master of the Lin family felt that he treated everyone else as slaves.

The Young Master of the Lin family was named Lin Buping.

He was particularly fond of meddling in the world's injustices. As he walked through the dark alleys of the castle, three strange masked figures who had just entered the city walked towards him.

He quickly moved to the side, bowing and nodding: "Distinguished guests have arrived, please take your time!"

The three masked figures walked past him with their heads held high, not even glancing at him. Lin Buping didn't even dare to raise his head.

He waited until the three masked figures disappeared into the depths of the alley.

Only then did Lin Buping wipe the sweat from his forehead.

He looked up, and three more people came towards him: two masked figures and a veiled woman.

Lin Buping felt displeased and snorted, "In this world, anyone dares to wear a mask and deceive others. They don't even bother to look at what kind of mask they're wearing; it's just incongruous."