89: Chapter 89 The Order of the City Lord of Huacheng!

Zhou Yun gazed quietly at the sky, the heavy feeling in his heart demanding release.

It was unfair.

That was what he felt.

Hard work should be rewarded.

Effort should yield a harvest.

These Tiger-men would rather defy their own nature to plant crops and transport water to irrigate them.

They had already done enough.

In this desolate wasteland, they either had to grow crops and eat to survive.

Or, they had to survive through mutual slaughter among the Desolate Beasts.

Or, they had to raid human cities and survive on plundered resources.

Or else, they would die.

These Tiger-men had chosen the path of greatest self-reliance.

It also happened to be the most difficult path to walk.

But, Heaven could not see it.

Heaven would not help them.

Since that was the case...

I will help!

Zhou Yun's expression set, his gaze piercing the firmament as he shouted in a low voice: "Rain, come!"

The moment his words fell, a golden light surged from within his body, shooting straight into the clouds.

That golden light pierced through the gray, hazy sky, and exploded above everyone—above every Tiger-man—as a line of massive golden characters:

【Flower City Lord Decree: Rain, come!】

The golden characters hung in the sky, dazzling and brilliant, every stroke radiating an intimidating pressure that made one's heart tremble.

Immediately after—

The sky changed.

The previously clear, gray-white sky was now gripped by an invisible hand.

Dark clouds surged from all directions, layering upon one another, rolling toward this wasteland.

The sky darkened at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The wind rose.

The dry, hot wind was replaced by a moist, cool breeze, carrying the fishy sweetness of water when it blew against one's face.

Then—

The first drop of rain fell.

It struck the parched earth with a "splat," splashing up a small flower of mud.

The second drop.

The third drop.

The tenth drop.

...

The hundredth drop!

A torrential downpour descended from the sky!

When the bean-sized raindrops hit them, the White Tiger Clan did not move.

They remained frozen in place, heads tilted back, letting the rain pound against their faces.

That smallest White Tiger—the one with the red bell hanging from its neck—was still maintaining its posture of cutting its wrist.

The stone shard was pressed against its wrist, blood and rain mixing together as they dripped into the mud.

It lifted its head.

The massive golden characters in the sky had not yet dissipated.

【Flower City Lord Decree: Rain, come!】

The rain grew heavier and heavier.

The parched earth emitted dense sounds, like a mouth that had been thirsty for too long, swallowing desperately.

The cracks were closing, the soil was darkening, and the withered, yellow holly wheat seedlings were pressed down by the rain, only to tremble and straighten back up.

The stone shard in the Little White Tiger's hand fell.

It lowered its head, looking at the field beneath its feet.

The rainwater had seeped in.

It wasn't like before, where every inch was sucked dry by the parched earth.

It was truly, genuinely seeping in!

A thin layer of water shimmered on the surface of the soil, reflecting the golden characters in the sky.

An elder tigress beside it let out a low whimper.

It was not sadness.

It was the release of something that had been held back for too long and could finally make a sound!

As if a switch had been flipped, the White Tiger Clan erupted!

Twenty-some White Tigers jumped around in the rain like madmen!

Some threw themselves into the fields to roll, some opened their mouths wide to catch the rain, and some hugged their kin and jumped and shouted!

The tigress picked up her cub and held it high into the rain; the cub kicked its limbs in fear, but she held it even higher!

Wan'er stood behind Zhou Yun, her hair already soaked through, rainwater streaming down the scar on her face.

But she did not wipe it away.

Tie Shan and Minister Wang Fugui were the same.

Everyone watched this group of Desolate Beasts dancing in the rain, and no one spoke.

Zhou Yun was watching too.

The corners of his mouth held a hint of a smile, but his eyes were slightly red.

His fingers were trembling slightly, but not from the cold.

He actually hadn't been sure about that "Rain, come" just now.

The description of the 【Weather Control】 ability stated clearly: It was only effective within the sphere of influence.

And this place was more than an hour's walk from Flower City.

He just wanted to try.

The result—it succeeded!

What did this mean?

It meant that in the System's judgment, his sphere of influence was much larger than he had thought!

But exactly how large... he didn't know yet.

Zhou Yun silently noted this down.

The rain gradually slowed, turning from a downpour into a dense, fine drizzle.

A shallow layer of water had accumulated on the ground, reflecting the gray-white light of the sky.

The leaves of the holly wheat were covered in water droplets, looking less withered and yellow.

Whether they would live or not was hard to say.

But at least, they had a chance.

Zhou Yun took a deep breath and took one last look at the Little White Tiger in the field.

The Little White Tiger was looking at him too.

Their eyes met.

Zhou Yun opened his mouth, wanting to say something.

But in the end, he said nothing.

They had backbone.

They had rejected his offer of meat before, so if he approached them now, it would likely just be asking for a snub.

So, he just smiled gently, then turned and waved to the others: "Let's go."

He didn't go to say hello, nor did he wait for a response from the White Tiger Clan.

After the group had walked quietly for over a hundred steps...

Minister Wang Fugui finally couldn't help it.

"City Lord! You did them such a big favor, and they didn't even say a word of thanks! This is just... too unreasonable!"

Tie Shan, for the first time ever, stood on the same side as Minister Wang Fugui, "That's right! At least show some attitude!"

Although Wan'er didn't speak, the way she pursed her lips clearly showed she was feeling indignant for Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun stopped in his tracks.

He looked back at Minister Wang Fugui and smiled.

That smile made Minister Wang Fugui freeze—the City Lord seemed completely unbothered by this matter.

"Old Wang, look at it from another angle," he said:

"If they can't survive, they will eventually either starve to death or have to attack the city. Their territory is just west of Flower City, and we still need the water source from Ganlan Mountain."

"Keeping a neighbor who can survive is better than keeping one who can't. You are the Minister of the Trade Department; you should be able to calculate that, right?"

Minister Wang Fugui opened his mouth, then closed it again.

The logic held up.

Having done business for half his life, he naturally understood—if you can exchange a small cost for long-term stability, that is the most cost-effective deal.

But...

He secretly glanced at Zhou Yun.

The City Lord said it was "helping them is helping ourselves," but what was up with those red eyes just now?

Sigh...

Forget it, don't think about it.

Just follow the City Lord.

The group continued forward.

The air on the wasteland after the rain was exceptionally clear, the fishy scent of the soil mixed with the fresh, bitter taste of grass.

Zhou Yun walked in the lead, his pace neither fast nor slow.

He did not look back.

But he knew that far, far behind him, a pair of round eyes were watching him through the curtain of rain.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he heard a faint sound in the wind.

It seemed to be the red bell.

...

Returning to Flower City, Zhou Yun asked Lei Lie casually:

"How are the preparations for tomorrow's matter?"

Regarding the "matter tomorrow" that Zhou Yun referred to, Lei Lie naturally understood.

The seventh day after every Flower City Lord descended, they would face the Beast Tide and the Desolate Tide.

Before this, this had always been a disaster for Flower City.

But now...

The situation was completely different!