Chapter 264 - 263: Takeover, Renaming, Winter Town

Chapter 264: Chapter 263: Takeover, Renaming, Winter Town

I will continue to work hard for more updates in May. Thank you all for your support!

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Gu Su commanded the Graveyard Demon to withdraw from Trebot Town. They didn’t get far before he immediately ordered it to halt.

The enormous Undead Fortress came to a steady stop on the open ground outside the town.

He turned and climbed to the Watchtower atop the Graveyard Demon. Gripping the cold railing, he stared intently, his gaze piercing the morning mist. His eyes were locked on Trebot Town, trying to clearly see the bizarre transformation taking place within.

By now, Trebot Town no longer resembled its former self.

Ravaged by war and a strange, pulling force, the entire town had been practically razed. The landscape was a sea of shattered ruins and bare earth, without a trace of a single intact building.

Gu Su could see clearly that everything within the town—whether it was the still-standing broken walls, the collapsed wooden beams of houses, or the once-sturdy town walls on the outskirts—was being pulled by a powerful, invisible force. Like manipulated dust, it all slowly surged toward the massive pit in the town’s center. Eventually, it was all completely swallowed, disappearing into the black depths of the pit without leaving so much as a shadow behind.

What surprised Gu Su the most was that this powerful suction, strong enough to swallow the entire town, seemed to have no effect whatsoever on Jin Chang, Xi Yue, and the others.

Neither the players, like Jin Chang and Xi Yue, nor their Undead Team, showed any sign of being affected by the pull. They all stood their ground, silently watching the ever-emptying Trebot Town from the bare patch of land. It was as if everything unfolding before them was exactly what they had expected.

This scene continued for a moment, until every building in Trebot Town, whether intact or already collapsed, had been completely sucked into the massive pit by that force.

The once bustling town had been utterly transformed into a flat, open space, with only the bottomless pit in the center remaining, exuding an eerie aura.

At that moment, the Ritual Array that Jin Chang, Xi Yue, and the others had previously set up in key locations within the town finally began to take effect.

The entire land began to tremble slightly. A strange, pale green halo slowly welled up from beneath the ground, spreading out like a tide to cover the entire area where Trebot Town had once stood.

Wherever the halo passed, even the residual eerie energy in the air grew docile.

The black ashes that had been drifting in the sky began to slowly fall, as if drawn by an invisible force.

Strangely, the moment this black ash touched the ground, it quietly transformed. It shed its dark color, turning a peculiar milky white. As it settled on the ground, it looked like a thin layer of frost.

Jin Chang, Xi Yue, and the others still stood firmly in place, their expressions solemn. They didn’t move an inch, merely waiting quietly for the final transformation of this assimilation Ceremony.

The aura around them grew increasingly steady, as if they were preparing to greet some important moment.

About seven or eight minutes passed. The powerful suction that had enveloped the entire town finally dissipated, and the trembling of the ground ceased. Everything seemed to have returned to calm.

But in the next second, an even stranger sight appeared.

Dry, yellow straw began to grow frantically from the flat ground.

The straw grew incredibly fast, reaching waist-high in the blink of an eye and densely covering the entire open area.

Even more astonishingly, the dry, yellow straw didn’t grow chaotically. Instead, as if alive, it intertwined and wove itself together, methodically reconstructing a complete town in the exact location of the original Trebot Town.

Houses, streets, walls—everything was there. The outline was identical to the original Trebot Town, only it was woven entirely from dry, yellow straw.

Standing on the Watchtower outside the town, Gu Su watched the unbelievable scene unfold and couldn’t help but wonder, ’This is supposed to work?’

’A city built from straw... it’s so fragile. What kind of Defense Power could it have? A strong gust of wind could probably knock it over, to say nothing of defending against the strange attacks that might follow.’

’They can’t seriously be acting like the first of the three little pigs.’

Before Gu Su could even finish his silent complaints, the newly woven straw town burst into flames without any warning.

The fire spread with incredible speed, like a wildfire. In the blink of an eye, raging flames had engulfed the entire straw town, wrapping it in a sea of crimson fire.

Flames soared into the sky, and the air filled with the scorched smell of burning straw.

But strangely, despite being surrounded by the raging inferno, Jin Chang, Xi Yue, and the others showed no intention of retreating. They remained standing firmly in place, unmoving, their expressions unchanged, as if the searing flames had nothing to do with them.

This bizarre situation made Gu Su feel a sudden sense of unease and confusion.

’He couldn’t help but wonder if Winter was pulling some strings behind the scenes, using some strange power to Control Jin Chang, Xi Yue, and the others, leaving them unable to move and at the mercy of the flames.’

Fortunately, the bizarre fire didn’t last long.

Just as quickly as it had ignited, the fire began to die down after about seven or eight minutes. The crimson glow faded, leaving only plumes of smoke to rise slowly and dissipate into the air.

The moment the fire was completely extinguished, Gu Su stared intently and was shocked to find that the town’s buildings, originally made of straw, remained standing, completely undamaged. They hadn’t collapsed in the flames.

However, the color of all the buildings had turned to the scorched black of burnt straw. They looked incredibly fragile, as if a gentle breeze could cause them to instantly collapse and shatter.

Gu Su frowned, his eyes fixed on the blackened buildings. He was filled with confusion, completely unable to understand what was going on.

’Why hadn’t the straw turned to ash after being burned by such an intense fire? How could it still retain its shape?’

Just as Gu Su’s mind was filled with doubt, the morning sun happened to be rising. Golden sunlight pierced through the thin mist and fell upon the blackened buildings.

Surprisingly, the scorched surfaces began to gleam with a faint Metal luster. They had a distinct reflective quality, looking nothing like the fragile straw from before.

Gu Su quickly moved closer to the Watchtower’s railing, narrowing his eyes to get a better look.

A look of astonishment crossed his face.

Those buildings, which had looked like they were made of scorched straw, were in reality made entirely of blackened Metal. They were incredibly hard, merely covered by a thin layer of charred marks that made them look like fragile straw.

Only now did Gu Su finally understand. This had all likely been planned in advance by the Grass Thorn Deceivers.

From weaving the town with straw, to burning it with fire, to forging it into Metal—every step was within their control. The goal was to create a sturdy new town.

Just then, a loud and solemn voice suddenly boomed from the direction of the large pit in the town’s center. It echoed across the entire open area, reaching Gu Su’s ears clearly: "Now, this will be our town—the town of the Grass Thorn people! It is the first step in our rebellion against Wisconsin, and the first step to reclaiming our freedom!"

The voice paused, then continued, "This town of freedom will no longer be called by the decadent name of Trebot.

From now on, this place will be called Winter—Winter Town!

This is to commemorate the great pioneer who gave his Life for freedom—Mr. Winter!"