Buddhist player

Chapter 144 The City Lord

They didn't linger there. After politely bowing to them, the merchant sat back down on the copper coin and headed elsewhere.

"—I hate this guy."

Looking at the figure in the distance on the horizon, Qingyi, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.

"That's normal, because you can't refute it."

Looking at the magic mushrooms busy clearing the road ahead, Bai Chen shrugged.

"So many people have died on the first day alone. It will be hard for ordinary people to get through the next six days. That guy was right. It's just 20 years of work. It's nothing compared to life."

"I know, but I'm still annoyed."

Qingyi pursed her lips.

"To put it nicely, it's working; to put it bluntly, it's slavery. Twenty years? I'm not sure if that fat guy can live for 20 years, but I bet at least 99% of those who signed the contract won't live past 20 years. Some might not even survive the first year."

"Too few."

Ye Qingheng shook her head.

"Don't forget, most of those people are injured. If the other party is ruthless enough to not even spare their medicine, those people probably won't last even half a month."

"Who cares? These are not our business."

With a wave of his hand, Bai Chen walked into the inner city.

"You all stay here for now. I'll go check out the situation in the inner city."

Compared to the outer city, which was severely damaged, the situation in the inner city was much better.

Although the street had cracked in several places, it hadn't collapsed into ruins. Most of the houses on both sides were still standing, though many of the roof tiles were broken, revealing the dark rafters underneath.

It seemed that the players who had entered the inner city earlier had done something, because these armored soldiers showed a rare respect for this strangely dressed fellow.

Before long, Bai Chen arrived at the city lord's mansion, led by a soldier. The situation inside the mansion was not much better than outside. The courtyard was crowded with people, mostly the elderly, women and children. They were all huddled in the corridors and corners, their eyes blank and empty.

A man dressed in a blue shirt, who appeared to be a steward, was directing several servants to distribute dry rations. Upon seeing him, the servant hurriedly...

He quickly bowed, pointed in a direction, and then went back to his work.

The door to the front hall was half open, and before Bai Chen even reached the door, he heard a hoarse voice coming from inside.

"The granary at the north gate cannot be touched; it's the last ration. Have someone clean the well in the east again; even if it's muddy, you have to drink it—it's better than dying of thirst. As for those who are injured, treat those who can be treated, and those who can't be treated—don't leave them on the street. Find a shady spot and give them some water."

The voice paused for a moment, followed by a violent cough.

A few seconds later, a man in armor, who looked like a sergeant, hurriedly walked out of the room. When he saw him, the man was stunned for a moment, then cupped his hands in greeting, and then quickly left.

Out of politeness, Bai Chen waited until the coughing inside stopped before knocking on the door frame and then stepping inside.

In front of the desk in the hall stood a middle-aged man wearing a worn blue official robe. He had white hair and a fresh wound on his face, which ran from his temple to his cheekbone. The wound was haphazardly wrapped with a strip of cloth, which was soaked in blood and looked somewhat black.

On the way here, Bai Chen had learned some basic information about the city lord from the armored soldiers. His name was Lin Wushan, his wife had died in childbirth a few years ago, he had no concubines, and he currently only had a young daughter who was a few years old.

"Go to Steward Liu for matters concerning provisions, and Dr. Liu for the wounded. Don't come to me for everything."

When Bai Chen entered, the other party was looking down intently at the city defense map spread out on the table. He didn't look up when he heard footsteps, but just uttered this sentence in a hoarse voice.

He had barely finished speaking when he seemed to realize something was amiss and looked up.

When the other person saw him, they were stunned for a moment, but quickly came to their senses.

"Which way did you come from? The west or the north of the city?"

"What, is this question important?"

Bai Chen raised an eyebrow.

"No, I just wanted to ask how many people survived there—never mind."

Lin Wushan sighed.

"The team from the east of the city came over earlier. Of the several thousand people who stayed in the east of the city, only a few dozen survived."

He couldn't continue speaking and closed his eyes in anguish.

"I wanted them all to retreat into the inner city, but the inner city simply couldn't hold them all. The denser the population, the heavier the casualties. I originally thought that at least one or two thousand people could survive in the eastern part of the city, but it turned out that almost the entire army was wiped out."

"Don't worry, I have several thousand survivors here."

Hearing what the other person said, Bai Chen frowned slightly.

He had been wondering what the merchant would use to explain human trafficking to the city lord, but to his surprise, the other party casually offered the excuse of total annihilation.

"Several thousand people!?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Wushan's eyes lit up, and his tone became urgent.

"I've ordered them to set up camp against the inner city wall. You can send men over there."

Seeing the other party's reaction, Bai Chen shook his head slightly.

He had been wondering why the people in the outer city weren't evacuating into the inner city, but once he actually entered the inner city, he realized that there really wasn't enough room.

It's not that the boulders won't fall into the inner city, it's just that the probability is lower compared to the outer city. But if they do fall in, given the population density of the inner city, the casualties will be dozens or even hundreds of times higher than those outside.

Thanks.

Lin Wushan let out a long breath and bowed solemnly to him.

"If it weren't for your timely assistance and the miraculous protection of the mountain boulders by the sky, countless more lives would have been lost in this city. I, Lin Wushan, on behalf of all the people of this city, express our gratitude to you. After this disaster is over, we will erect a shrine in your honor and offer incense to you day and night!!"

"Let's talk about these things after we survive."

Seeing through the other party's scheme at a glance, Bai Chen shook his head slightly.

The other party may not have truly believed what the merchant said, but in that situation, what could he do even if he raised questions?

—Is it because we saved so many people that they are more inclined to side with us psychologically?

"I want information about this world, and information about this city—everything."