58: Chapter 58 A Crazy Move

The tense silence was finally broken by a heavy sigh.

"Fuck."

One word, simple and crude, yet it expressed endless grievance and helplessness.

It was the "Demolition Office Director." He slowly lowered the giant axe in his hand that shimmered with a cold light. The blade hit the ground with a "clang," kicking up a circle of dust.

He didn't look at Holy Light Hunk, nor did he look at Zero. Instead, he looked at the group of former comrades who had just chosen to stand on the opposite side.

"Do we really have to fight?" he asked hoarsely. "Just for this crappy technique? Have you forgotten how we hacked our way out of Black Wind Stockade? Forgotten who blocked a fatal blow for you in the Chen Family Manor?"

His questioning made many of the players who had just defected subconsciously avoid his gaze.

"Director, times have changed," a yellow-named player whispered. "It's not that we want to change; the world is forcing us to. Monsters learn and evolve. If we keep using the old methods, we'll hit a dead end."

"So the shortcut is to turn yourselves into monsters?" Beside Holy Light Hunk, a female Paladin player sneered. She was the Vice President of the "Purifiers" Alliance.

Zero watched all this indifferently, as if watching a farce that had nothing to do with him.

He didn't care about their bickering. What he cared about was the thickening desire and greed surrounding the [Heavenly Demon Strategy] stone tablet.

That was the best nourishment.

It looked as though a bloody civil war sweeping through the entire player base was about to erupt right here, right now.

Suddenly, a voice that was completely out of place with the murderous atmosphere rang out.

"Wait! Everyone, wait!"

The crowd parted, and a man wearing simple miner's clothes with a few specks of dust on his face squeezed in, panting for breath.

His ID was quite peculiar—[Liver Emperor V87].

Most of the PVP players present didn't have much of an impression of him.

But in the eyes of all life-skill and production players, this ID was a god.

He was the incarnation of grinding, the pioneer of industry.

"Liver Emperor? Why are you joining the fray?" Demolition Office Director frowned.

"I'm not here to join the fray." Liver Emperor V87 caught his breath. He didn't look at the leaders on either side but walked directly to the center of the field, spreading his arms as if to use his not-so-strong body to separate the two colliding torrents.

"I only have one question." His gaze swept across the field, passing over Holy Light Hunk's face and pausing for a moment on Zero's cold armguards.

"Fighting is fine. But what happens after the fight?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"You win, and then what? The 'Purifiers' kill the 'Symbiosis Faction' all the way back to level Zero? Or the 'Symbiosis Faction' turns all the 'Purifiers' into their own kind? Then what? What we're facing is this living demonic land and those digitalized demonic creatures that can imitate and plot against us! Every resource consumed in a civil war, every person who dies, every piece of equipment dropped, ultimately weakens our entire 'Heavenly Chosen Filial Grandson' family!"

"We... are committing slow suicide!"

Liver Emperor V87's words were like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts.

Even the pupils of Holy Light Hunk, which were burning with golden light, contracted slightly.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" he asked in a low voice. "Are we supposed to just watch them go down the wrong path and make a mess of the Old Ancestor's foundation?"

"Those with different paths cannot make plans together," Zero's voice remained cold. "War is the only way to filter out the optimal solution."

"Bullshit!" Liver Emperor V87 actually cursed directly at Zero, making everyone's jaws drop. "Optimal solution? In the eyes of you PVP players, is the world just an arena? What about us? What about those of us who forge equipment, refine pills, make talismans, mine, and build?"

He pointed at himself, then at the obscure life-skill players in the crowd.

"You fight to the death, and we're supposed to stop our work, living in fear, ready to be caught in the crossfire at any moment? Why should we?!"

"Exactly!" a female life-skill player shouted loudly. "Why should the workshops we worked so hard to build be destroyed by your battles!"

"What about our mines? What about our herb gardens?"

The resentment of the life-skill players was instantly ignited.

They were the silent majority, but at this moment, their voices gathered together, forming a force that could not be ignored.

Holy Light Hunk and Zero frowned at the same time.

They could ignore each other, but they couldn't ignore this massive group that provided them with equipment, pills, and talismans.

Seeing that the timing was right, Liver Emperor V87 took a deep breath and threw out an earth-shattering concept.

"Since our paths are different, let's go our separate ways! If you want to fight, fine, go fight outside! Treat the entire Demonic Domain as your battlefield! But we need a place—an absolutely neutral, absolutely safe place that won't be affected by any war!"

"A... sanctuary for all non-combat players! A paradise for all production classes! A... city of our own!"

"I want to build a city!"

Liver Emperor V87's voice suddenly rose, his eyes burning with a light that bordered on madness.

"A city floating in the sky! We'll build it with our own hands, using the ore we mine, the steel we refine, and the bricks we fire—stud by stud, brick by brick! It will become a logistics base for all of us, a trading center for all of us, a home for all of us!"

"Sleep is a waste of life; infrastructure is a man's romance!"

He raised his arms and shouted with all his might.

"This city shall be called—the City of Liver Emperor!"

The entire place fell silent.

Everyone was stunned by this crazy and grand blueprint.

Build a city... in the sky?

What a massive undertaking!

What a wild imagination!

Even in Zero's frighteningly bright eyes, a hint of surprise flashed.

"Wishful thinking," Holy Light Hunk commented coldly, but his hand gripping the sword unconsciously loosened a bit.

"No, it's not wishful thinking!" The president of the chamber of commerce, "All Realms Connector," was the first to react. His portly body erupted with surprising agility as he rushed to Liver Emperor V87's side, his fat trembling with excitement.

"This is genius! This is a stroke of brilliance! An absolutely neutral trading zone, an industrial center where all production classes gather! Heavens... the business opportunities within... no, the value is immeasurable!"

His words woke many people up.

Players began to whisper to each other, and the originally tense atmosphere was replaced by a hum mixed with doubt, shock, and excitement.

And right at this moment, a system notification sound that everyone was incredibly familiar with, carrying supreme Majesty, boomed throughout the world!

[Family Epic Engineering Quest: City of the Firmament has been triggered!]

[Quest Issuer: Old Ancestor]

[Quest Description: Sensing the rising internal strife and the surrounding external enemies, clan member 'Liver Emperor V87' has proposed a great vision. He wishes to gather the strength of the entire clan to build our clan's first war fortress and never-falling capital in the firmament. This city can defend against external enemies above and settle the people below; it is a foundation for ten thousand generations. The Old Ancestor is deeply gratified and hereby issues a decree to assist this endeavor with the power of the system!]

[First Stage Objective: Foundation. Construct the first floating foundation 'Pangu No. 1' three thousand meters above the Blackstone Valley, with an area of no less than ten thousand square meters.]

[Quest Rewards: All participants in the construction will receive massive experience, the exclusive title 'Heavenly Craftsman,' and initial equity in the 'City of Liver Emperor' based on their contribution!]

[ 特別提示： 此工程將解鎖全新“ 社會職業” 體系， 敬請探索。]

Boom!

If Liver Emperor V87's vision was a giant rock thrown into a lake, then the Old Ancestor's system announcement was a depth charge!

Initial equity!

Social professions!

Personally certified by the Old Ancestor!

These four terms instantly ignited the passion of all players!

"Holy shit! The Old Ancestor has spoken!"

"Initial equity, brothers! This is a motherfucking investment in the future!"

"Don't stop me, I'm going to dig dirt right now! What kind of bullshit civil war is this? Is it as good as infrastructure?"

"Big Boss Liver Emperor! Take my knees! From today on, you're my real brother!"

The situation underwent a world-shaking reversal in just one minute.

Over eighty percent of the players, including most of the PVP players who had previously chosen to side with Zero, now surrounded Liver Emperor V87 with glowing eyes, asking about the details of building the city.

Holy Light Hunk stood where he was, his face turning blue and white.

He felt as if his full-strength punch had hit a ball of cotton.

He wanted to denounce it as escapism, but the words "Old Ancestor" made it impossible for him to argue.

Zero slowly put away the [Heavenly Demon Strategy] stone tablet. He looked at Liver Emperor V87, who was surrounded by the fanatical crowd, then at the announcement. The mocking curve of his lips became even more playful.

"Interesting. A war fortress? A never-falling capital?" he whispered to himself. "It's just a bigger, more convenient meat grinder."

He turned around and, leading the most extreme group of "Symbiosis Faction" players who were still loyal to him, walked into the depths of the Demonic Domain without looking back.

"Our path is on the battlefield."

His voice drifted away in the wind.

Holy Light Hunk watched his departing back, then looked at the bustling "construction site" before him. Finally, he could only let out a helpless sigh and led the core members of the "Purifiers" in another direction.

"We'll go hunt those evolved demonic creatures. This city... needs defending."

A civil war that could have torn the entire family apart was dissolved into nothingness in a way no one could have imagined.

No, it didn't disappear.

It merely transformed from direct confrontation into another form of competition—a race to see whose path could better protect this "City of Hope" and bring more glory to the family.

Deep within the ancestral hall.

Lu Bei slowly withdrew his focus.

His spiritual body could still feel those two split forces of incense, but between these two forces, a brand new, massive, and cohesive incense filled with the desire to create and build was growing wildly!

It was like a solid dam, temporarily holding back the flood of division.

"I still underestimated the creativity of these guys..." Lu Bei murmured to himself.

He wasn't lying; Liver Emperor V87's vision had indeed impressed him.

All he did was go with the flow, incorporating this player-owned creation into the "system" framework, giving it "legitimacy," and guiding it in the direction he desired.

"Social professions..."

Lu Bei's thoughts swept over the Blackstone Valley, where work had already begun.

To build a city, a massive amount of materials was needed.

And since the Demonic Domain was full of dangers, transportation lines were lifelines.

Thus, the demand for the first batch of "social professions" arose.

[Battlefield Courier]: A group of players pursuing ultimate speed and stealth. They gave up direct combat ability in exchange for unparalleled mobility.

They took on transportation quests, moving like ghosts through the most dangerous monster-occupied areas, carrying resources collected from the front lines back to the rear, bag by bag.

Every successful delivery was accompanied by high rewards and the thrill of a life-or-death moment.

And the operation of a city required rules.

[Broker]: Led by "All Realms Connector," merchants quickly established the earliest exchange in the temporary camp of the "Pangu No. 1" foundation.

They didn't participate in any factions; they were only responsible for setting trading rules, providing a common platform for anonymous trading of the "Purifiers'" enchantment materials and the "Symbiosis Faction's" demonized equipment.

They took a cut and made a fortune, also becoming the bond that maintained the fragile balance between the two sides.

Information was power.

[Paparazzi]: Led by "Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet," these information Brokers didn't sell any physical goods, only information.

Which mining spot had a rare vein respawn?

Which elite demonic creature had the highest drop rate?

What new tactics had the "Symbiosis Faction" researched?

Where was the "Purifiers" Alliance's hunting target tonight?

As long as you could afford the price, there was no information they couldn't get.

A miniature, deformed, yet vibrant prototype of a player society sprouted in a wild manner on this construction site beneath the firmament.

Lu Bei's gaze pierced through the ancestral hall and looked toward that distant, unknowable void.

That prying gaze seemed to show a nearly imperceptible ripple because of this unexpected turn of events.

It was as if a chess player saw a piece jump out of its designated square.

The corners of Lu Bei's mouth curled up slightly.

The game has only just begun.