Huh? Isn't this an adventure kingdom building game?!-Chapter 736 - 715: No Pain, No Gain

"Lord City Lord, let's get straight to the point."

Leng Yutang remembered his mission well and, after paying his respects, got straight to the point: "I left Sand Hill City years ago because of the cold poison, and after many years of wandering, I finally found a cure and brought back a Divine Doctor.

Mr. Jiang not only crafts Elixirs to treat cold poison but is also an Elder of the Cloud Concealment Sect, skilled in foretelling the secrets of heaven.

Learning that Sand Hill City has been closed for many years under unusual circumstances, he paid a great price to calculate the catastrophe that threatens the city's destruction—the Earth Fire has been accumulating too much during the Sky Pit's closure, attracting an Abnormal Fire.

Once the Earth Fire is reignited, it will cause the Abnormal Fire to spread, turning the entire city into ashes!

Lord City Lord, please reconsider and order to open the city gates to welcome Mr. Jiang. With him here, Sand Hill City will surely survive the crisis."

Ming Qingyan was startled upon hearing this. Since the decision to reignite the Earth Fire had been made due to public demand, Sand Hill City had been closed off for over three years. How did he know the details so clearly upon returning?

Could it be that the gentleman calculated it all?

This technique is terrifying to the extent that even numerous details can be known?

Sand Hill City, although remote, collaborates with many places due to the Sky Pit's production. As both City Lord and Clan Leader, her information is not so limited.

The might of the Ancient Ten Great Sects is known; the fact that a Cloud Concealment Sect Elder could be invited this time suggests that the cold poison might truly be cured!

Her expression hadn't yet eased when she immediately thought of another more severe issue—money.

Given that the Furious Fire Bear Race has been suffering from cold poison since ancient times without finding a cure, it must indeed be extremely tricky to heal.

Moreover, the dignified Elder of the Cloud Concealment Sect coming personally for the treatment will surely come at a great price. Not to mention other costs, Spirit Medicine doesn't appear out of thin air, nor are Elixirs as common as wild herbs in the Wilderness.

Can an ordinary Demon Cultivator afford such a price?

Furthermore, with so many in Sand Hill City infected with cold poison, exhausting the city's resources might only be sufficient to cure one or two Demon Cultivators, a mere drop in the bucket which still cannot alleviate the citizens' anxiety and fear.

"First, join me in welcoming the gentleman into the city. In the meantime, tell me the whole story of how to cure the cold poison," Ming Qingyan was troubled inside, but as the leader of both the city and the clan, she had to try to seize any sliver of hope for the tribe's survival.

Whether there's an Abnormal Fire in the Sky Pit is still unknown;

but records that Leng Yutang indeed suffered from cold poison and was expelled can be verified, and now he has indeed recovered. With no deceit apparent, it is best to understand the full context before making decisions.

"Lord City Lord, the truth is that our Furious Fire Bear Race was not infected with cold poison." Recognizing the actual reason for the "cold poison" is most crucial for the race, and Leng Yutang did not mince words, directly stating: "Mr. Jiang said we were parasitized by a rare Insect Demon Beast!"

Insect Demon Beast?

Ming Qingyan's face turned serious, suddenly remembering the ancient records stating that ancestors followed the Earth Fire to this place. Legend has it that the Earth Fire is a remnant of a divine and demonic war, and the burned demon in word-of-mouth tales was a terrifying giant insect demon!

It is said that wherever the insect demon goes, it drains the life force of all living things, turning lush forests into desolate deserts.

After a fierce battle between the celestial gods and the demon controlling the insect demon, a flame descended from the sky, burning the insect demon to ashes, thus ending the extinction threat to the Wilderness World.

But the content of that ancient book was more like a mythical story, and it was a fragmented travelogue, not official history, so she always regarded it as a fabricated myth without taking it seriously.

Suddenly hearing it from an outsider, she was sure that not even the city's officers had consulted that ancient book, so it couldn't have been spread from Sand Hill City. Could it be true?

Leng Yutang briefly explained the reason given by Jiang Yuan, and the more Ming Qingyan listened, the more chills ran down her spine. She needed to meet the Elder of the Cloud Concealment Sect as soon as possible to seek his guidance!

"It seems that we have also benefited from the Cloud Concealment Sect's token." Jiang Yuan watched as the city gates opened and the City Lord personally led many officials to greet him, thinking that having a reputable identity is indeed useful when traveling.

Otherwise, no matter how much one can predict the future, with a humble status and light words, no one would believe, wouldn't it be a waste?

Back then, the Cloud Concealment Sect suffered from this very issue, lacking sufficient strength and struggling to hold a position among the Ten Great Sects. Despite all their efforts, no one heeded, ultimately leading to a disaster caused by a demon race invasion.

This time, by leveraging the name of the Cloud Concealment Sect, he finally had a chance to persuade the City Lord and others, thereby saving the entire city!

Of course, saving Sand Hill City also indirectly safeguarded the original source of the crucial materials for crafting the Resurrection Talisman.

Though using Demon Cultivator bodies to nurture the Silver Foot Snow Underworld Insect is somewhat cruel, if the spores can't be eradicated at the root, using Elixirs to keep them alive is indeed a blessing in disguise.

It's far better than burning everything to death in a great fire.

"There are many in Sand Hill City infected with cold poison. To prevent transmission to other races and avert a pandemic, we had no choice but to seal the city gates and even shut down the Teleportation Array. We also established a rule not to entertain external guests, which is why you were stopped outside the gates. We ask for your understanding," upon meeting, following Leng Yutang's introduction, Ming Qingyan sincerely apologized and explained the reason.

She thought the person should be a venerable elder, at least a steady-looking middle-aged man, never expecting that Mr. Jiang, the Elder of the Cloud Concealment Sect, was so young!

It wasn't the youthful appearance maintained by a Youthful Appearance Pill, but a genuinely young age, shocking even the bear's senses.

The opponent was indeed human, rich with the scent of humanity, yet no Spiritual Power fluctuations could be sensed from him, suggesting he carried some sort of exotic treasure.

No idea what Realm he was in, but his Combat Power was certainly not high.

After all, both alchemy and divination demand vast amounts of time, energy, and talent, and neither is related to combat. Even for a prodigy, it is impossible to master martial arts thoroughly at such a young age.

Seeing this, Ming Qingyan felt more at ease.

No combat power threat + Cloud Concealment Sect Elder token at the waist = impossible to be a scammer, otherwise, they wouldn't survive this long just by deceit.

"There is a reason for this, Lord City Lord is responsible to the citizens and to the Wilderness, which is admirable." Jiang Yuan responded with a smile, showing understanding.

Surrounded by a group of Bear Demons, he finally entered the gates of Sand Hill City.

"Bang!"

The heavy city gate closed behind him. Jiang Yuan glanced around and quickly noticed the scene revealed by the Foreknowledge Technique — towering sand dunes arranged in a circular pattern in the extreme distance, likely surrounding a Sky Pit.

"Mr. Jiang, you have traveled from afar, we should arrange accommodation for you to settle in and then bother you after you have rested well.

But as you can see, among every ten Angry Fire Bears, two or three are infected with varying degrees of cold poison, causing the citizens to be panicked and restless. As the City Lord and Clan Leader, the burden is too much to bear. I hope Mr. Jiang can kindly advise us!" Ming Qingyan welcomed him into the mansion, served Spirit Tea, then saluted and asked for guidance.

The eyes of the officers holding positions in the city were also brightly fixed on him, eager to know what capabilities this man possesses to warrant the City Lord personally opening the city gates to greet him. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"City Lord, no need for formalities, the urgent matter is to quickly resolve the hidden dangers in Sand Hill City." Jiang Yuan was not in the mood for formalities and resting, knowing such things would delay too much.

Besides, arriving instantly through a Teleportation Array, how could one feel tired?

"First, about the cold poison source, Daoist Leng was parasitized by the Silver-footed Snow Nether Insect, resulting in symptoms similar to cold poison.

Regarding this type of insect demon, I only know from the elders, went to the Black Tortoise Pavilion to find a Star Flame Antitoxic Pill which drove the mature insect demon out.

As for whether other cultivators in the city are parasitized by the insect demon, I will need to examine them personally to draw a conclusion."

In a few short sentences, the Bear Demons present secretly clicked their tongues.

Truly worthy of being an Elder of the Cloud Concealment Sect, listen, as soon as he speaks, it's about the interpersonal exchanges within the Ancient Ten Great Sects.

Not to mention the mere Lord of Sand Hill City, due to the enmity between the two races, even the Lords above the Wilderness in the daytime might not necessarily obtain the Black Tortoise Pavilion's elixirs!

Thinking of this, the Bear Demons exchanged glances, their mood plummeted.

A single elixir from the Black Tortoise Pavilion, it is already known without saying that it's lavishly expensive, and obtaining it is not guaranteed. With so many infected with cold poison in the city, where would the funds to acquire a large number of elixirs come from?

"Then... later, I labor Mr. to proceed to the Sky Pit to first check the cultivators with the most severe symptoms. If..." Ming Qingyan opened his mouth, unsure how to continue.

What to exchange for? These are elixirs! You cannot just smile and say some nice words, expecting them to be offered for free.

Jiang Yuan didn't react momentarily, unsure why the City Lord suddenly stopped speaking, so he looked inquiringly at Leng Yutang.

"Sir, Sand Hill City is in a remote location, managing just to extract and transport firestones from the Sky Pit in exchange for some wealth. Although your Star Flame Antitoxic Pill is excellent, the city's citizens cannot afford it, even if the entire Sand Hill City were sold, it would be a drop in the bucket."

He explained with a wry smile, "Moreover, to prevent the spread of cold poison and to restart the Earth Fire to be reborn in flames, the entire city has been closed for over three years, basically at the end of its resources, only waiting to restart the Earth Fire to fight back. Even knowing the elixir can save lives now is still all in vain."

So that's how it is!

This situation is indeed quite tricky.

Elixirs may be easy to refine, but the medicinal materials are not blown in by the wind.

Do Good Deeds Every Day received a big gift pack of medicinal materials, choosing a few rare kinds can indeed produce several furnaces of Star Flame Antitoxic Pills, one furnace contains 99 pills... forget it, without giving something hard to get something else in return.

"Here's the plan, let's first sort out the current situation. Later, I'll go see those severely ill. If they are indeed parasitized by the insect demon, the elixirs can be negotiated." Jiang Yuan thought, exchanging one elixir for a Silver-footed Snow Nether Insect is not a loss.

The thing is too rare, even cannot be obtained from the gift pack rewarded by the system, finding the lair with difficulty, he cannot sever the road to making the Resurrection Talisman over small gains.

The more the medicinal materials accumulate, the better the elixirs can be refined, yet no amount of elixirs are as good as having a Resurrection Talisman, that is a life-saving measure! Right now, his life is precious indeed.

"Then I shall, on behalf of the city's citizens, thank the gentleman for his great compassion and mercy in advance!" Ming Qingyan immediately breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and hurriedly asked: "May I trouble the gentleman to elaborate on the divination results?

It's not that we doubt the Cloud Concealment Sect's divination technique, but it's just that the Furious Fire Bear Race, having taken root here, has never heard any rumors of Abnormal Fire.

I would like to understand more because the whole city's livelihood depends on the Sky Pit, if there is truly Abnormal Fire, the Sky Pit might never be unsealed and mined again. This is a significant matter, hoping the gentleman can patiently explain."

Jiang Yuan immediately grasped the intent behind this, it's merely wanting to hear the details to judge the divination's accuracy.

The entire city has been tightening their belts for over three years after preparing, and suddenly a person arrives indicating there is danger, telling them to stop. Without sufficient evidence proving the accuracy of the divination, how can one easily believe it?

It's about the future of tens of thousands of Bear Demons, which is not child's play.

"Then I will elaborate on the scenes witnessed in the divination." He cleared his throat, starting with the scene description, followed by the content of the City Lord's speech, the excitement of the citizens.

As Jiang Yuan spoke of the striking scene of the golden crow dancing at noon, Ming Qingyan's face suddenly changed.