Chapter 197. I hope they come in numbers.

The news did not take long to leave the borders of MadCity.

In a lawless wasteland like the Kahra Desert, information was a very valuable currency.

Spies lurking deep within the city by rival territories were sending urgent transmissions back to their respective masters.

Six cities surrounded MadCity, each named after the ruthless crime lords who had conquered them and reigned over them for decades.

Within hours of the live satellite broadcast cutting to black, six separate reports landed on the desks of six separate powerhouses.

The message was identical, shocking, and impossible to ignore:

[Madmax is dead. The district lords are wiped out. MadCity has fallen to a single newcomer known as The Lodgekeeper]

In the territory of Feywater City, inside a room, City Lord Feywater slammed his fist on the desk.

He stared intently at the frozen satellite image on his monitor—a clear shot of an ordinary-looking man in a plain shirt and slippers, floating casually above a group of sandworms gobbling down Madmax and several others.

"A novice Legendary Rank 2?" Feywater snorted. "You’re telling me that some novice Legendary Rank 2 brat wiped out Madmax, his daughter, and his entire council of senior powerhouses in a single morning?"

His spymaster bowed respectfully, keeping his head low. "According to our operatives who monitored the broadcast, he used Madmax’s daughter as bait to lure Madmax and his elites straight into a Rank 3 sandworm territory. He didn’t even fight Madmax in a direct duel, my lord."

Feywater sneered. This was an opportunity he could not allow to slip by.

"So he’s a schemer, huh. Impressive. I have to admit he’s dangerous. But I’ve been a legendary rank 2 warrior for decades. There’s no way some young man will be a match for me."

He stood up.

In this area of the Kahra desert, MadCity had long been a central hub for transport to the western seaport. Because of this, the commercial capacity of the MadCity was on another level.

For years, Madmax’s rumored formidable Rank 3 strength had kept Feywater’s expansion plans entirely in check. But now? The entire city was being held by a single, unbacked newbie legendary rank 2 warrior who had no army, no established legacy, and no deep roots in the territory.

"Mobilize our strike forces," Feywater ordered coldly. "Prepare our elite units. If we move fast and hit MadCity before the others react, that entire territory will be ours."

****

Meanwhile, in the neighboring territory of Kali City, City Lord Kali sat in a room.

He slowly replayed the footage of the Intermediate Rank 3 sandworms tearing through Madmax’s armored convoy.

"Cruel. Ruthless. Tactical," Kali muttered, a slight, approving smile playing on his lips. "He used the father’s panic and grief to blind him, then let the local fauna do all the dirty work. But scheming without a massive force behind you is just a short-lived victory."

His chief lieutenant stepped forward cautiously. "Lord Kali, our spies inside MadCity report that The Lodgekeeper hasn’t even called for external mercenary support. He simply handed the basic administrative work over to a local disgraced family and their son."

"Because he’s an outsider," Kali scoffed, leaning back in his seat. "He has no faction backing him. He foolishly thinks that taking out the top dog makes him untouchable. He doesn’t realize that in the Kahra Desert, holding a city requires numbers, and sustained manpower presence—not just one terrifying reputation."

Kali stood up.

"Prepare our heavy assault squads," Kali said. "I’ll personally take The Lodgekeeper’s head and claim MadCity’s vaults for myself."

****

In Draven City, the atmosphere was equally tense. City Lord Draven watched the recorded satellite footage with narrowed, calculating eyes. Surrounding him were his top lieutenants. All of them were veteran warriors who had fought alongside him to secure their own city.

"He slaughters people without even launching an attack or using his affinity?" Draven said as he reviewed the textual reports attached to the video. "The public is calling him a phantom who can kill with a thought. What complete nonsense."

"Lord Draven, the residents are terrified of him," one of his officers said. "They believe he’s completely unbeatable."

Draven said as he laughed harshly"Terrified outcasts are easily fooled. He killed 50 raiders in a transport truck, cleared out Rustwater town, and then tricked Madmax into a sandworm nest. That doesn’t make him a god. It means he’s an expert at ambush tactics. Put him in an open battle against a veteran rank 2 powerhouse, and his little mind games won’t mean a thing."

Draven slammed his hand on the table.

"MadCity’s economy output is too valuable. Order the elite unit to move out immediately. We strike MadCity before the day ends!"

****

Further across the dusty terrain, inside Markoff City, City Lord Markoff sat surrounded by his personal guards.

His territory was known for its ruthless resource extraction of desert minerals, and the sudden power vacuum in MadCity was the greatest opportunity to secure money to further his business.

"Madmax was a fool to let his emotions drag him into a trap," Markoff said. His tone was full of disdain as he watched the video of Madmax being gobbled up by a sandworm. "But this Lodgekeeper... he thinks he can just kill a lord and sit comfortably on the throne?"

"Lord Markoff, our intelligence confirms that MadCity’s main fighting force were the ones killed alongside Madmax," his intelligence officer stated. "The city is essentially wide open."

"Then we would be idiots not to take it," Markoff declared. He stood up with a fierce grin. "Assemble the elite vanguard. We are taking MadCity, and if this Lodgekeeper gets in our way, we will grind him into blood paste."

****

In the stronghold of Malakor City, City Lord Malakor was already reviewing troop deployments on his monitors.

He was a veteran warrior who had survived decades in the desert by being faster and more aggressive than his rivals.

"A single newbie Legendary Rank 2 warrior holding a goldmine like MadCity?" Malakor chuckled darkly. "He played a smart hand against Madmax, I’ll give him that. But he’s playing king in a land of wolves. He has no foundation."

"Should we contact the other city lords to coordinate?" a lieutenant asked nervously.

"Coordinate?" Malakor glared at the man. "Are you insane? In the Kahra Desert, you don’t share meat with other wolves. If we hesitate, someone will take the city first. Tell the drivers to prepare the heavy transport trucks. We ride for MadCity now!"

****

Finally, in the territory of Zenon City, City Lord Zenon stood on the balcony of her villa, looking out over her dusty domain.

In her hand was a printed report detailing the events of the morning.

"The Lodgekeeper..." Zenon murmured, her eyes cold and calculating. "A man who came out of nowhere, conquered Rustwater town, and wiped out Madmax in less than twenty-four hours."

"Lord Zenon, do you think he has a secret background?" her advisor asked quietly. "Perhaps backing from a major faction outside the Kahra Desert?"

"Anyone traveling in these parts is an outcast. Why would someone from an influential faction come here?," Zenon said with a cold expression on her face. "He’s an ambitious lone wolf who got lucky. But luck runs out the moment real power shows up."

Zenon turned around. She handed the report to her advisor. "Gather every Rank 2 warrior in our ranks. Prepare the heavy war convoy. I will take care of this newbie legendary rank 2 warrior myself.

MadCity belongs to Zenon City now."

****

None of the six city lords communicated with one another.

In the lawless Kahra Desert, trust did not exist, and alliances were meaningless. Each lord knew that their rivals had received the exact same spy reports at the exact same time. It was a chaotic, desperate race against time—first to arrive, first to strike, and first to claim MadCity’s massive wealth.

To all six city lords, the logic was absolute and undeniable:

The Lodgekeeper was merely a single newbie Legendary Rank 2 warrior. Each one of them were veterans at legendary rank 2 who could kill him in a direct confrontation.

His victory over Madmax was achieved through a scheme involving desert beasts, not direct, overwhelming force.

He stood completely alone in a city filled with terrified, unorganized civilians.

By nightfall, heavy engines roared to life across all six territories.

Heavy metal vehicles appeared on the open sands of the Kahra Desert.

All of them were headed towards MadCity.

They moved fast, driven by pure greed and ambition, determined to crush the arrogant newcomer before he could establish a true foothold in the region.

None of them realized that inasmuch as they had accessed the situation with pure experience and logic, they were chess pieces moving on the chess board of the person they thought they wanted to crush.

And in the city lord’s residence, Aiden finished drying his hair with a white towel.

He threw the towel onto a chair.

"News must have reached the neighboring city lords by now," he thought. "I hope they arrive in large numbers."