He Fang followed beside Bai Fu. Dr. Bai Fu was giving him a full-body check-up. He looked quite professional about it, a handsome young doctor in a white lab coat, examining He Fang from head to toe. Yet, He Fang’s mind was elsewhere, pondering over the peace treaty.
Thinking it through, everything they were doing now could be seen as blatant plunder that disregarded the will of the mobile cities. But after seizing those cities, he was now allowing them to self-govern under the pretense of autonomy. In a way, that was a form of decentralization.
So, to the mobile cities that were already under his control, as long as they hadn’t torn up the treaty with the other cities, all the restrictions of the treaty still applied to them.
The agreements signed between them were still in effect. This was a choice made to avoid offending either side of the mobile cities.
But to those mobile cities in the Southeastern Region, whom they hadn’t truly interacted with yet, everything should be understood as being under the binding force of that treaty.
So even if the other party really did launch an attack against them, it would be perfectly justified. It was a loss they’d have no choice but to accept.
This should have been an obvious detail that someone ought to have noticed. Yet when Hope City was building the airport, no one raised any concerns. If just one mobile city had failed to notice, that might be understandable. But for so many of them to overlook something wrong was simply impossible.
They had noticed something was wrong, but none of them said a word. They were all waiting to see whether Hope City would stumble.
Even now, with the peace treaty still in place, these people had already started making calculations against Hope City.
If He Fang broke the treaty, then he would be using Hope City’s power to protect those mobile cities, essentially committing to a path of hegemony. That would be a direct betrayal of Hope City’s peace-based rule and a turn toward radical extremism.
But if he acknowledged the treaty and swallowed this silent loss, it would be the same as telling every mobile city what Hope City’s weakness was, handing them a reason to hold it hostage.
These people, each and every one of them, were making their own careful calculations.
Even the Library, which had agreed to submit, was secretly plotting behind the scenes.
At this point, everything had become a test of what kind of choices he, the City Lord, would make. Whatever he decided would certainly affect Hope City’s standing in the future.
So, what should he do?
He Fang’s medical report came out. When he went to check it, he suddenly froze.
This was… his attribute list?
It was the first time he had ever seen his own attribute list, and he was quite surprised.
So, just going to the hospital for a check-up could reveal a model’s attributes? He had never been to a hospital before, so he had no idea.
His name was He Fang, and following his name were several title tags: “City Lord”, “Hope City Lord”, “Angel City Lord”, “Library City Lord”, “Creator”, “Lord of Lords”.
His overall stats looked quite ordinary, roughly the same as a typical wild NPC’s baseline values, without any level designation. But he had an impressive number of achievements.
“City population reaches 10,000”, “City population reaches 50,000”, “City population reaches 100,000”, and so on. There were also titles like “Divine Lord Builder”, “Rainbow Squad Emblem”, and others, including things like “Build twenty 20-story residential buildings”, or “City happiness reaches 5000%”, and so on. An entire string of achievement data was laid bare before his eyes.
He Fang scrolled through his own information and hadn’t expected to have so many achievements. Many of them were things he had earned long ago while building cities.
Looking at all this information, He Fang’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“City Lord, your body is in excellent condition. There are no issues at all.” After looking over He Fang’s attribute list, Bai Fu was about to say something to him, but then he suddenly noticed the smile tugging at the corner of He Fang’s lips and paused. “May I ask, is there something that made you particularly happy just now?”
“Mhm, I was just thinking about when I first started building cities,” He Fang replied, his expression tinged with nostalgia. “Back then, I had nothing at all.”
When He Fang first entered the account in “Ruins Without Restart”, he truly had nothing, just a single mountain and a vast stretch of plains, forests, and so on. Thankfully, it wasn’t a resource-gathering-type infrastructure sim. Otherwise, He Fang might’ve gone insane.
In the beginning, He Fang had spent an entire year just staying inside that dry, barren game world, where there was absolutely nothing. All he could do was observe.
“At the time, I was recording things like weather conditions. Would there be extreme weather? Would there be a winter? You know, different climate conditions call for different requirements when it comes to building houses.” He Fang remembered the first buildings he made back then. Since he had to model everything by himself, they came out quite messy. He felt like his brain was about to go bald from the stress.
“Everything back then was rural, nothing like a real city. I spent a ton of money just laying down the first roads.” His expression was full of fondness. Later on, he chose to replicate his own city in a one-to-one scale, and only then did things start to ease up a little. He was genuinely happy when he realized that the same area in the game could actually support even more than he had expected.
In infrastructure-building games, population is a very important achievement. But rather than chasing rapid population growth, He Fang ultimately chose to prioritize stability. Once he had filled all the land in the city, he began upgrading the buildings within. He didn’t quite understand the mechanics, but as he upgraded, the population also gradually increased. That alone made He Fang incredibly happy.
Unlike now, back then, it was just a simple and pure city-building game. All he wanted was to create a city that would never fall, then watch as the number of NPCs slowly grew, living in peace and happiness.
Bai Fu looked at the nostalgic look in He Fang’s eyes, lowered his gaze slightly, then slowly said, “Thank you, City Lord, for creating this perfect city for us with such care. Here, all of us have finally gained the life we once longed for most.”
“Don’t you think, compared to post-apocalyptic cities, this place feels too dull?” He Fang asked.
Bai Fu lifted his gaze. There was always a kind of benevolence toward all living things in his eyes. Even though he was a doctor, he gave off the aura of a priest, sacred and serene. “After experiencing life and death, people’s perspectives often change drastically. Many go through a transformation in character after struggling back from the brink of death. Humans are born ordinary. There’s no need to force greatness.”
He Fang blinked. “Is that the reflection of a doctor?”
Bai Fu pressed his lips together slightly, then smiled faintly. “Perhaps so.”
But He Fang laughed. “If possible, I still hope people won’t have to experience life and death just to understand the beauty of the ordinary. After all, we aren’t born for the sake of dying.”
Bai Fu’s eyelashes trembled ever so slightly. He didn’t raise his eyes to look at He Fang, but instead said, “But all people must die eventually. Maybe… people are born only to walk toward death.”
He Fang hesitated too. But in the end, he still shook his head at Bai Fu’s words.
“But no one would regret having lived once, right?” Though He Fang had suffered quite a bit due to his social anxiety, it was because he was alive that he got to enjoy so many fun games and got to meet all kinds of interesting NPCs in “Ruins Without Restart”. In the end, he met the delivery guy he now knew.
“Yes. Even knowing that everything ends in death, we still all carry endless hope for life. That’s what makes someone truly human,” Bai Fu said with a gentle smile. “At least for us now, we’ve never once regretted being alive.”
He Fang blinked, not expecting to end up discussing such philosophical questions with an intelligent NPC.
He glanced back at his own attribute panel. After seeing all those achievements, a sense of clarity washed over him.
He Fang issued a command.
He would have all the mobile cities that had already signed a contract with him completely withdraw from the Peace Treaty.
This was a mandatory announcement. He Fang wouldn’t pursue the reasons behind this recent attack by a mobile turret, but now that he had discovered the underlying issue, he would eradicate it completely.
The Peace Treaty had originally existed to ensure that mobile cities wouldn’t clash due to the parasitic nature of Nightmare Beast Seeds. It was fundamentally a measure related to those seeds. But in reality, the current situation was that the Nightmare Beast Seeds no longer had a chance to parasitize anyone. The Peace Treaty had lost its meaning.
Since that was the case, the treaty brought only restrictions and offered no benefits. It was entirely pointless.
He Fang was determined to open up the skies to aircraft, as air travel could very well be a vital component of future development. Any kind of progress requires communication.
He Fang couldn’t obtain the Peace Treaty himself because of the confidentiality of the agreement. A city that hadn’t signed it couldn’t access its contents. So now, he had Yuan Zhiran issue threats to all relevant parties, demanding that they each provide a formal application to voluntarily withdraw from the Peace Treaty, along with a letter of entrustment to Hope City. He Fang would take all of these declarations and personally visit the city that initiated the treaty.
That way, he wouldn’t need to waste time wondering who had secretly been stifling Hope City’s development. He could directly launch an attack. Anyone who stepped forward to oppose him would instantly become a target for Hope City’s defense and retaliation.
In this new agreement, He Fang would demand that air travel within the Holy Land be fully legalized. Anyone entering the Holy Land would also be allowed to fly freely, without being subject to any restrictions.
After that, He Fang instructed the research institute to begin studying airspace management, so that no one could wreak havoc in the skies unchecked.
His orders were quickly passed down. He Fang’s stance was clear: he would swallow this loss, but he wouldn’t give anyone the chance to make him suffer a second time. Let them think carefully about that.
Once the Library became an allied city under Hope City, the leaked news that Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian had both been demoted to deputy city lords served as a clear warning. In He Fang’s presence, no one had the right to play tricks, unless they no longer wanted to be a city lord.
In doing this, He Fang had, in a way, returned to his original intent. His goal had shifted from creating a city that would never be destroyed to building a world that would never be destroyed. The people he now had to care for were all people, not just the ideals of a select few in the upper ranks. If those individuals no longer wanted to be in charge, then he could just as well send someone else to take their place.
The NPCs of his city, now influenced by a rich cultural atmosphere, had begun to develop tags that had never existed before. Such abundant knowledge. How pitiful it would be if it couldn’t be put to use.
But He Fang’s new move quickly met with backlash. Using the clause in the treaty that forbade him from interfering in other cities’ internal affairs, others mounted a full resistance to his actions.
Everyone understood that if Hope City were allowed to interfere even once, a second and third time would inevitably follow. No one could guarantee that Hope City wouldn’t one day seek to outright replace them.
Yet He Fang simply smiled. He reissued the message, saying that the people he intended to send weren’t city lords, but embassies.
In other words, the primary-city NPCs stationed in the foreign embassies would unconditionally support a designated “city lord successor”. They wouldn’t become the city lords themselves; they would merely offer support.
In that instant, the high-level figures still seated in power were stunned.
In mobile cities, most successors had familial ties to the current city lords and were well-educated, similar to the hereditary systems of ancient times. And since it was hereditary, that meant there really was a “throne” to inherit. There was no shortage of children with “royal blood”. It was normal for a city lord to have multiple children. If one of those “princes” or “princesses” truly desired the highest seat of power, gaining the support of someone from Mirage would make them virtually unstoppable.
The embassy itself wouldn’t actively meddle in internal affairs, but once it chose to stand behind one of these “royals”, the rise of the next city lord would be all but guaranteed. Even if that heir became a puppet ruler, there would certainly be someone willing to play that puppet. There might even arise cases of palace coups. That was a terrifying possibility.
Moreover, now that they no longer had to fear Nightmare Beasts, the number of “worthless individuals” labeled as “old and feeble” would rapidly decrease. Exploration teams would become unnecessary, and those seated in the position of city lord, so long as they had sufficient capability, even if aged and frail, would no longer be expected to step down.
Now that He Fang had seized upon this flaw, all the cities could no longer help but feel threatened.
After all, under the Holy Land usage treaty, embassies were permitted to exist. Everyone knew this could potentially be inviting a wolf into the house, but no one expected He Fang to play this card so soon.
Shi Canghai personally wrote and handed over the letter of entrustment and the withdrawal application to the Mirage government personnel who had come to collect them. Only after sending them off did he let out a long sigh and sink into the sofa.
“Brother,” Shi Sangtian asked worriedly, “What exactly does Mirage want to do?”
Shi Canghai shook his head. He had no idea what He Fang, the city lord of Mirage, was really planning.
“I really can’t read City Lord He Fang at all. His actions and behavior have no discernible pattern. It feels like he just does whatever he wants, without considering anything. He completely lacks the depth a city lord should have.” Shi Sangtian was also anxious, her hands unconsciously clenching.
Leaning back against the guestroom sofa, Shi Canghai suddenly asked, “Sangtian, do you regret becoming an allied city of Hope City?”
Shi Sangtian paused, then lowered her head. After a long while, she finally said, “I don’t regret it.”
Ever since the Library moved onto the land provided to them, they had gained access to things they had never even dared to dream of before—resources, food, support. City Lord He Fang had spared no effort in helping them preserve their historical documents, and even those who came from Mirage treated them with deep respect. Staff from the Design Institute would often visit to help plan the future of the Library’s city.
This was what they had always hoped for, yet never imagined could be obtained so easily—simply by becoming an allied city.
“Then that’s enough,” Shi Canghai replied.
After all, the Library was merely a city surviving under the protection of the strong. They didn’t need to overthink things.
“Is there something you’re dissatisfied with?” A voice suddenly came from the doorway. Instantly, both Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian froze. They turned around and saw Yuan Zhiran, who had somehow appeared at the door without them noticing.
Shi Canghai immediately stood up and said respectfully, “Minister Yuan, your soldiers just left with the necessary documents.”
Yuan Zhiran walked into the room and took a seat on the guest sofa across from the siblings. Accompanying him was a tall, middle-aged man they had never seen before. His skin was slightly dark, his expression calm and alert. He had a strong, athletic build, but lacked the sharpness usually seen in soldiers. He looked more like a man who enjoyed sports.
“You should be about done resting by now, right?” Yuan Zhiran didn’t address the earlier comment but instead opened with a new topic.
“What kind of rest are you referring to?” Shi Sangtian asked cautiously, respectful yet wary toward this Minister of the Mirage Armed Forces.
“I mean, the time you’ve had to settle in. You’ve been given plenty of that, haven’t you?” Yuan Zhiran gestured to the man beside him. “Let me introduce you. This is Guo Miaofeng, Director of the National Land and Resources Bureau. He’ll begin some discussions with you. I hope you’ll cooperate and share what you know about the other mobile cities.”
Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian immediately understood. Guo Miaofeng was here to gather intel. And targeting people like them was a very smart move.
“What we can offer isn’t much,” Shi Canghai said after glancing at Guo Miaofeng. “It’s mostly general knowledge, what the public already knows. It might not be more detailed than what you’ve already collected.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Guo Miaofeng suddenly said. “Weren’t you once the teachers of many of the upper-level figures from those other mobile cities?”
Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian hadn’t expected Guo Miaofeng to speak so bluntly. For a moment, their expressions stiffened.
As the woman, Shi Sangtian knew that in tense situations like this, she should be the one to ease the atmosphere. She put on a faint smile and said to Guo Miaofeng, “Even if we were teachers, every situation is different in reality.”
“But don’t you also have a habit of keeping confidential information from other mobile cities?” Guo Miaofeng asked again, eyes wide with innocence, as if he truly didn’t realize he was saying anything inappropriate.
Shi Sangtian’s expression grew increasingly stiff. “We… we actually don’t know what that confidential information is.”
“If you don’t even know, yet you still dared to keep it, aren’t you afraid someone might falsely accuse you of losing something someday?” Guo Miaofeng bluntly exposed the issue without hesitation.
Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian instantly realized the man might be deliberately giving them a hard time. Off to the side, Yuan Zhiran had already lowered his head, struggling to suppress his laughter.
Guo Miaofeng was indeed a bit slow-witted and extremely direct. Heaven knew that there wasn’t a hint of sarcasm in what he’d said. He was genuinely asking out of pure curiosity.
“We didn’t have any choice,” Shi Sangtian lowered her head, her long hair falling over her face, looking as if she’d been wounded by the whole exchange.
“Did the City Lord treat you badly?” Guo Miaofeng, seeing the sadness in her expression, asked this as his first reaction. “I really don’t get it. You’ve already been given everything. What else could you possibly be dissatisfied with?”
He Fang, who had secretly followed Yuan Zhiran over, happened to overhear the conversation just as he reached the doorway. Guo Miaofeng’s words were clear to his ears.
He quietly leaned against the door to listen to the conversation inside. Ever since the Library became an allied city of Hope City, He Fang had given them the very best treatment because of their unique status.
He Fang could observe the changes in the state of the Library’s NPCs. This group already ranked among the high-attribute NPCs of the wild mobile cities. Whether in adaptability or learning ability, they improved rapidly. Even the overall happiness index of the Library’s residents was on the rise. At first glance, everything seemed to be thriving.
However, the two former City Lords of the Library continued to show signs of melancholy.
Zhu Yan had also targeted Shi Canghai during their last interaction. Even though the confrontation was partly due to the situation at the time, Zhu Yan would not have gone after someone from the Library without a reason. When something deviates from the norm, there must be something unusual behind it. While He Fang didn’t want to doubt the Library’s NPCs, his trust in his own city’s NPCs made him instinctively more alert.
“We haven’t done anything,” Shi Canghai finally spoke slowly after a long, tense silence. “Please believe us. Our loyalty to Mirage is real.”
He Fang opened Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian’s attribute panels. They weren’t maxed out, but both had surpassed ninety percent, at least much higher than where Hope City had started in the beginning.
“If there really isn’t a problem,” Yuan Zhiran said, “then at the very least, you should sincerely be doing something for the City Lord.”
Even while seated, Yuan Zhiran sat with a perfectly straight posture, radiating pride and authority.
Shi Sangtian sighed softly. They both knew that hesitating while under Hope City’s protection was not a good sign.
“I understand. We’ll do our best to tell Director Guo Miaofeng everything we know about the other cities.”
Leaning against the wall, He Fang felt like he still hadn’t gleaned anything particularly crucial.
Then Yuan Zhiran’s voice came from inside again: “Please do it as soon as possible. And now we need one specific piece of information—please answer honestly: Which city was the originator of the Peace Treaty?”
At that moment, silence fell over the room.
He Fang frowned, then decisively pushed the door open. “Is that something that can’t be said?”
The sudden appearance of He Fang startled Shi Canghai and Shi Sangtian. For a moment, they were both stunned. Guo Miaofeng, on the other hand, jumped up excitedly: “City Lord, long time no see! How have you been lately?”
