Chapter 265 - 264: Player Retreat

Chapter 265: Chapter 264: Player Retreat

As the resounding and solemn declaration faded, the black ash drifting over Winter Town suddenly began to fall faster, rustling down like a fine black rain.

In an instant, the black ash had covered the scorched, black Metal buildings in a thin layer, lending the fledgling town an even more eerie and solemn air.

The Grass Thorn Deceivers, who had all but vanished within the raging inferno, now reappeared.

Their forms slowly solidified out of the swirling smoke. Faint scorch marks remained on their bodies, yet their expressions were still fanatical as they bowed toward the deep pit in the center of town.

More strikingly, an increasing number of Deceivers began to emerge from the surrounding forests.

Their forms varied. Some were wreathed in dead grass, while others had ashen-gray skin. They advanced toward Winter Town in an orderly procession, stepping one by one into the fledgling town forged from Metal, as if flocking to a grand ceremony of their own.

Just as the Deceivers were streaming into the town, Xi Yue arrived in a hurry with the other players.

The blood on their bodies had yet to dry, and their armor was still scarred from battle, but the looks of relief on their faces were unmistakable as they strode to the base of the Graveyard Demon’s outer wall.

Looking up, Xi Yue shouted toward the Watchtower, "Brother Gu, could you open the gate? We need to discuss something important with you."

Hearing this, Gu Su immediately turned and gave the command, and the Graveyard Demon slowly opened its heavy gate.

A wide Metal ramp slowly lowered, landing securely on the ground.

At the same time, Gu Su leaned out curiously and called down to Xi Yue, "Brother Xi, what brings you all here? Where’s Jin Chang? Why isn’t he with you?"

Xi Yue strode up the ramp and explained with a smile, "Jin Chang is still in the center of town activating the train station, busy setting up the train service. He’ll be over as soon as he’s finished."

He paused for a moment before explaining their purpose, his tone earnest. "We came here this time to unbind our Furnace Stones.

Now that Winter Town is completely built, once the train station is activated, traveling in and out of the game will be much more convenient. So, we plan to use Winter Town as a temporary main city.

We truly owe you for your support and protection during this time. Without you, we never would have been able to take Trebot Town so smoothly and establish this new base."

Gu Su nodded. He understood immediately.

’This was only to be expected.’

When he first entered the game, his role had simply been to act as a placeholder, securing a location for players to enter and exit the game. Now that Winter Town was built and they had a permanent base, they no longer needed his Graveyard Demon to serve as their access point.

This meant his own movements would no longer be restricted to this area. He could be completely free. He might even get a chance to go see the Inverted Tower.

’For him, this was undoubtedly a welcome development.’

However, before he began any new explorations, Gu Su had one more important matter to attend to.

’He had to finalize the siege quest first and secure his rewards. That was his most pressing priority.’

Xi Yue had apparently guessed Gu Su’s thoughts. The smile on his face widened as he clapped Gu Su on the shoulder. "By the way, Brother Gu, there’s one more thing I need to ask you to help with. It’ll only take a few minutes."

"Oh? What’s that, Brother Xi? Go ahead," Gu Su asked, raising an eyebrow. ’I’m curious.’

Xi Yue got straight to the point. "Now that we have a permanent city, our next step is to set up resurrection points in town. This will make it easier for players and Deceivers to rest and resupply in the future.

Jin Chang also promised you before that he’d give you all three Cemeteries outside of town to deal with.

So, would you be able to take care of those Cemeteries soon? We need to clear the space to set up the resurrection points."

"Not a problem. It’s a small thing." ’This isn’t a bother at all,’ Gu Su thought. ’He’s just phrasing it that way to be polite.’

He agreed at once. "I’ll command the Graveyard Demon to head over now and clear out those three Cemeteries as quickly as possible. I won’t hold you up."

"That’s great! Thank you for your generosity, Brother Gu!" Xi Yue said, his face alight with joy.

’Gu Su knew he was putting on an act, but he was so natural about it that Gu Su almost believed he was actually doing Xi Yue a favor.’

Then Xi Yue added, "I really can’t thank you enough!

After you’ve cleared the Cemeteries, park the Graveyard Demon in the open area on the outskirts of Winter Town. We’re going to designate that as an external docking point, and future flight points will be set up there too, to make it easy for players to come and go."

Gu Su nodded in agreement, then changed the subject to what he was most concerned about. "Brother Xi, there’s one more thing I wanted to confirm. When can I finalize the siege quest I was on?

I’d like to claim the rewards as soon as possible."

Xi Yue smiled. "That’s simple. Once Jin Chang gets here, we can go straight to the Town Hall to collect the rewards. The process is quick and easy."

Then he remembered something else and added, "Oh, right. About the two buildings in town that Jin Chang promised you—do you have any thoughts on that yet?

If you’ve already decided which ones you want, just let us know so we can designate them for you."

Gu Su thought for a moment before replying, "I do have a clear idea about one of them.

When Jin Chang was exploring Trebot Town, didn’t he find that cotton gin that could produce ammunition?

The one that was supplying the patrol train’s Artillery.

I want that cotton gin.

My Artillery requires a massive amount of ammunition, and with that factory, my supply problems would be completely solved."

He paused, then added with a smile, "As for the second building, I don’t have any special requests. I’ll take whatever is convenient for you guys to give me, as long as it’s useful."

Xi Yue nodded repeatedly, patting his chest in assurance. "The cotton gin is no problem. We’ll designate it for you right now."

As for the other one, why don’t you go have a look around Winter Town first? As long as it’s not the Town Hall or the train station, you can take your pick."

Gu Su smiled, satisfied. "All right. Then it’s a deal."

So, Xi Yue took the other players to the Doomsday Tavern to unbind their Furnace Stones, then had one of them escort Gu Su into the town.

As Gu Su left the Graveyard Demon, he gave it its orders: move to the Cemeteries outside the town and devour them.

’As for the two buildings in Winter Town, he would have to see them before deciding what to do.’