I am the Arcane Archer, and all my skills are self-created.

"Because of the 'City Building Order'," Hua Zitong said, each word carrying a certain magic that made the air in the car heavier.

"City-building order?" Li Wu repeated, this unfamiliar term only adding to his confusion.

"Yes." Hua Zitong nodded and began to explain this core rule hidden deep within the game to him.

"There are a total of thirty-six districts in 'The Realm of Origin,' but these thirty-six districts will ultimately correspond to only nine major cities. That is to say, every four districts will share one major city. For example, our district 21 will correspond to the same major city as districts 22, 23, and 24 in the future."

"Each main city will only produce one 'City Building Token'. The guild that obtains this token is qualified to build a city of its own next to the main city, roughly the size of a town."

"Owning your own city means independent taxation, independent resource production, and absolute control over your territory... This is the true foundation of becoming a 'super guild'."

Hua Zitong paused, giving Li Wu some time to process the information.

"The five super guilds you see now, Flower Language Guild, Iron Blood Alliance, Sword and Rose, Blood Wolf Guild, and Rising Storm, are able to become super guilds because they obtained the city-building orders for their main cities in the regions of 17, 1, 5, 9 and 13 respectively, and thus own their own cities."

Li Wu's heart skipped a beat.

He finally understood.

Those seemingly high and mighty behemoths came to this new world of District 21 not to develop any branches, but to seize the only city-building token for the birth of the new main city!

If successful, it would mean that their guild territory would expand again, becoming a true behemoth with two cities!

"You mean...we should also try to seize this city-building token?" Li Wu's voice was somewhat unsteady.

"Just the two of us, starting from scratch, competing with behemoths like Flower Language and Blood Wolf that have been developing for decades?" Li Wu finally broke the silence, his voice carrying a hint of dryness that he himself hadn't even noticed.

He wasn't questioning, he was confirming.

The idea was so crazy that it seemed unreal to him.

This is no longer a matter of courage; it's about snatching food from the jaws of a tiger, and from the mouths of five of the most ferocious prehistoric giants.

He initially entered the game simply to earn money for his mother's surgery. Later, as his strength grew and his horizons broadened, his goal became to become stronger, strong enough to protect himself and his family, strong enough to have a place in the apocalyptic war ten years later.

Is it possible to create a super guild?

This has completely exceeded his plans for the future.

"That's right." Hua Zitong's answer was decisive and without the slightest hesitation. "If others can do it, why can't we? Besides, we have you."

Her gaze fell on Li Wu, filled with an almost blind trust.

"Your talent and your profession destined you for limitless achievements in the future. Only if we can obtain the city-building order and establish our own power can we have a real voice in the fight against the Star Shatterers ten years from now, instead of becoming cannon fodder for some powerful force."

Li Wu fell silent.

Hua Zitong's vision was too grand and too tempting.

Own your own city, build your own power...

This is not just about dominating the Origin Realm, but also about having the power to protect everything you cherish in the face of a real-world apocalyptic crisis.

He thought of his mother, who was gradually recovering in her hospital bed, his innocent and carefree younger sister, and the resolute figure of Ghost Swordsman heading towards the moon.

An unprecedented ambition, like a wildfire, burned fiercely in his chest.

Perhaps she is right.

In this world where everyone is a soldier and the future is destined to be cruel, merely being content with protecting oneself is far from enough.

To truly control one's own destiny, one must rise to a higher position and possess greater power.

"Okay." Li Wu took a deep breath, his eyes regaining their resolve. "I'll do it."

Seeing the flame in Li Wu's eyes, Hua Zitong finally revealed a barely perceptible smile.

She knew that the man's inherent pride and ambition would never allow him to be subservient to anyone.

"To obtain the city-building order, the prerequisite is to have a guild, and the guild level must reach level five. However, establishing a guild requires us to reach level thirty," Hua Zitong continued, breaking down the grand goal into actionable steps.

"Therefore, our first goal after returning to the Realm of Origin is to reach level 30 as soon as possible."

"The second goal is to obtain the necessary resources for establishing a guild."

Li Wu nodded, memorizing this information. His thoughts were completely absorbed by this grand plan, his brain racing as he considered every detail.

"What are the requirements for establishing a guild?" he asked the most crucial question. "How much money does it cost?"

"Establishing a guild requires a core item called the 'Guild Creation Token'." Hua Zitong leaned back in her soft chair, her expression turning serious.

"The drop rate for this item is extremely low; it only has a very small chance of dropping from world bosses level 30 and above. Because the quantity of this item is extremely limited in the early stages of each server, its price has remained consistently high."

"How much money?" Li Wu pressed. His concept of money was still limited to the three gold coins he had earned.

Hua Zitong extended two fingers.

"Twenty gold coins?" Li Wu guessed. This number already made his heart skip a beat. Twenty thousand silver coins, converted into real currency, was an astronomical sum.

Hua Zitong shook her head and softly uttered a word that almost made Li Wu jump out of his seat.

"Starting price: 200 gold coins."

"Two...two hundred?" Li Wu felt his throat go dry.

Two hundred gold coins is equivalent to two hundred thousand silver coins. According to the exchange rate that Li Wu has learned about in the past few days, that is twenty million real currency!

Would you spend 20 million to buy the right to establish a guild in the game?

This was beyond his imagination.

"This is just the starting price." Hua Zitong's tone was very calm, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

"In the early stages of the game, all the major guilds will frantically compete for the first guild token to establish branch guilds and seize resources. It's normal for the price to be driven up to three or even four hundred gold coins. For those super guilds, money is not the issue; speed is."

Li Wu was completely speechless.

He felt that the slight sense of pride he had felt from earning three gold coins had been instantly crushed.

In the face of real capital, his little bit of money is nothing.

"So, we need to find a way to get one?" Li Wu quickly calmed down and began to think of a solution. Since they couldn't afford to buy one, they would have to do it themselves.

"Swipe? Theoretically, it's possible." Hua Zitong glanced at him, a strange smile in her eyes.

"But a level 30 world boss, let alone whether the two of us can beat it, even if we can, with that one in a thousand drop rate, how long do you think it will take us to farm it? By the time we get it, it will be too late, and other guilds will have already divided up the territory."

Li Wu's brows furrowed tightly.

I can't afford it, and I can't get it.

Isn't this a dead end? Their grand city-building plan is going to fail before it even begins?

"However..." Just as Li Wu felt a sense of powerlessness, Hua Zitong changed the subject and said slowly, "Buying and swiping are just conventional methods. We have unconventional methods."

Li Wu's eyes lit up instantly. He stared intently at Hua Zitong, waiting for her to continue.

Before she could continue speaking, a cold system notification sounded in their ears.

The global maintenance for "Origin Realm" has ended. The servers will reopen in ten seconds.

【10......9......8......】

The countdown has begun.

Li Wu and Hua Zitong exchanged a glance, both seeing a burning flame in each other's eyes.

A new journey is about to begin!