Chapter 222: If You Don't Buy, Others Will

For the people of Kuangsha City, the resolution of this catastrophic crisis deepened their heartfelt approval of the Lord and the Lord's Wife, and made them especially proud of the river that runs across the entire desert.

Although Kuangsha City had previously lost some of its citizens, the current count still includes over ten million Beastfolk; most of the bloodline races are not adept at combat, yet even the smallest mouse tribe stands over a meter tall and is several times stronger than an adult male.

Especially when they unite in wholehearted support of Kuangsha City's Lord, that becomes an enormous force.

When Mo Lie issued the external order to rebuild the city and its walls, the young and robust male Beastfolk across the city responded in unison, cheerfully helping the domain.

All over Kuangsha City, activity was bustling and vibrant, a scene of upward optimism.

When the city residents work, the Lord's Residence calculates daily wages; each male Beastfolk who works a full eight hours can receive 100 Beast Coins.

This price was not high in the past, but recently, with the Lord's Wife, food and water in Kuangsha City are already cheaper than before; ten Beast Coins can buy a jin of Small Exotic Beast meat, equivalent to ten jin of meat per day, and moreover, water is now abundant, and the Lord does not charge any fee for drawing water.

The river that appears in the desert originates in the northern desert and ultimately flows toward An Sen Da Lu; after its course was clarified, Kuangsha City was built along both banks of the river.

The ancient city that the Beast God originally revealed in anger spans both sides of the river; construction on the city side proceeds more quickly, with fewer people assigned to transport stone and repair the ancient city.

Building the city walls requires starting foundations in the sand, then transporting stone and mixing clay to construct walls 150 meters high and 40 meters wide; even with several million Beastfolk mobilized, the pace is still not that fast.

That day, when the parties that came from outside Kuangsha City looked at the city in the desert, they were all stunned.

"Where is this... Kuangsha City?? How has it changed so much!"

"Look at this magnificent city; it's more grand than any city of other Lords I've seen."

"Beast God of the land! The rumors from outside are actually true; this is a domain favored by the Beast God, wow!"

"Hey, Hu Meng, didn't you flee Kuangsha City early? Why are you back..."

"Uh... it's Ying Qi, right? Your Luo Lai Caravan has also returned."

Groups of parties stood in the desert not far from Kuangsha City, gazing at the distant city as if in a vision; several leaders, separated by a distance, sized each other up, and those who recognized familiar faces waved from afar.

The crowd moved forward with the people, and the closer they got, the more they felt the city's splendor: white stone structures in the golden desert, a wide and clear river winding through the city like the Beast God's bloodline, branching out into tributaries; one can imagine that Beastfolk living on this land will never lack water again.

In one of the parties, inside the carriage on a sand wolf's back, Su Li was left staring in shock!

Lin Manzhi is just too powerful! Every time she comes to Kuangsha City the changes are huge; this time it's absurd— the Beast God directly bestowed a city and a river!

A few days ago, they set out under Lin Manzhi's command; now the sand wolf pack returning to Kuangsha City is utterly astonished, recalling that the rumors they've heard along the way say the Lord's Wife performed sacrifices to the Beast God for blessings, and that all these are gifts from the Beast God…

On the other side, Lin Manzhi led a group of planters together in the Planting Base.

In the past day or two, a bunch of Cherry Tomatoes hanging on the seedlings have turned from green to red, heralding a second wave of large‑scale ripening; each plant bears bright red fruit, looking delightful.

These Cherry Tomatoes continue to mature gradually; each day workers are assigned to pick them and deliver them to Yuequan Lou, and most Beastfolk in Kuangsha City still rely on rush buying.

Residents of Kuangsha City can use Beast Coins to purchase Cherry Tomatoes, with a purchase limit per person; the currency accepted at Yuequan Lou is also non‑consumable.

As the Lord's Wife of Kuangsha City, Lin Manzhi must consider the city's future.

Now it is early in the cold season; the desert has only recently gained water, and the ecological changes are not rapid, so prey in the desert remains scarce; therefore, to keep food prices in Kuangsha City reasonable, the city still needs to import large quantities of cheap food from outside.

Thus, with this large harvest of Cherry Tomatoes, Lin Manzhi does not intend to sell them all at Yuequan Lou; she originally planned to trade them with foreign merchant caravans for food, cloth, and spices, but now caravans from other cities have all fled, so she chose the Wushen Temple as her trading partner.

I wonder when the people from the Wushen Temple will arrive…

Just as Lin Manzhi was pondering this, Hei Cheng came over and said, "Lord Lin, Lang Ze and the others have returned."

Lin Manzhi stood in the Cherry Tomato greenhouse, her eyes brightening: "I'll leave this to you; I've decided to go back."

Lang Ze is the sand wolf male Beast she previously sent out; at that time she heard that merchant caravans from other territories had all fled Kuangsha City, and with war looming, the caravans' actions signified that the major powers were refusing peaceful trade with Kuangsha City.

She then understood the other territories' stance—they were very angry; since Kuangsha City fell under Mo Lie's control, it had never considered acting against these foreign merchant caravans, and when the crisis arrived, they even agreed to disappear together. Isn't that a backstab?

Of course, each has its own position and she couldn't force them to stay; Lin Manzhi was angry, and a phrase burst into her mind: "If you don't buy, there are plenty of people who will."

"You think you've cornered me, leaving me no choice, but there's still the Wushen Temple, right? In terms of wealth, the Wushen Temple's power certainly doesn't lag behind other Lords."

Moreover, having read the original book, she knows the Wushen Temple's purchase prices are the lowest in the world; she holds the medicinal plants the Beastfolk need, so she won't be constrained by anyone.

Lin Manzhi hurried back from the Planting Base and entertained the Shamaness representing the Wushen Temple in an exquisite garden hall.

She entered from behind a finely carved column, her gaze falling on the female seated on a white‑fur rug pile in the hall, a smile appearing in her eyes.

"It's Su Li this time, an old acquaintance."

Su Li looked up at Lin Manzhi, her mind still somewhat shaken by everything she had seen along the way.

To be favored by the Beast God!

The Lord's Wife's influence is now nearly on par with the Great Witch of the Wushen Temple, perhaps even higher than the Great Witch's reputation.

Having dealt with her for a long time, Su Li is one of the few who have witnessed her evolution from a female in coarse hemp clothing to now a ruler of a domain.

For the first time, Su Li stood up on her own when facing others, offering Lin Manzhi a gentle smile and saying, "Lord's Wife, each of your actions never fails to surprise everyone; this is the first time I've seen such a huge river in the desert—truly breathtaking."