Chapter 216: Chapter 216

"Mage Sir, please come in," the City Lord hastily cleared a path.

Only then did Du You remember that they were still standing in the middle of the road, and it’s indeed not a good place to discuss matters.

As he entered the City Lord’s Mansion, Du You gained a deeper understanding of Qingji City’s poverty. Even the mansion itself clearly showed signs of longstanding neglect.

Many items appeared to have been used for many years, including the doors which were riddled with woodworm holes. Obviously, they couldn’t have made it look on short notice - they simply wouldn’t have had the time. Seeing this, Du You’s opinion of the City Lord improved a bit.

"I apologize for our lack of hospitality. We are a small border city with very few resources," the City Lord said with a blush.

Then he had someone bring over a cup of water. Yes, just water. Du You wondered whether tea didn’t exist in this world, or whether these people were just too poor to afford tea leaves. But he believed it was likely the former.

Moreover, Du You noticed their refreshments consisted of just two pieces of what seemed like either dry bun slices or bread slices. Looking at these stale snacks, Du You don’t even bother to touch them.

The City Lord started to eat. Only then did Du You realize the purpose of the cup of water - it wasn’t meant for drinking.

The City Lord submerged the bun slice in water until it softened slightly, then began nibbling on it. This scene made Du You uncomfortable - was this really a City Lord?

"Alright, enough idle chit-chat. Tell me about the bandits in this area," requested Du You.

Setting the bun slice down, the City Lord nervously said: "Around here, we used to have only two groups of mountain bandits, who were essentially just bandits in name since we have nothing valuable. But recently, many people came from who knows where...They have been looting, killing, and committing all kinds of atrocities since they arrived. We are suffering badly."

"We’ve been secretly investigating. There are 32 groups of bandits in total. Among them, 22 are mountain bandits, all with established hideouts. The rest roam place to place." Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥

Surprised at the sheer number, Du You’s eyes sparkled.

"What is their strength like?" This was what Du You really wanted to understand.

"Their forces are stronger than us in Qingji City, but they couldn’t overcome us behind our city walls," the City Lord explained. Du You had a general idea now, these bandits were essentially useless. They were even weaker than goblins.

"But I heard there is a mid-tier first level warrior near Thumb Peak, either level 5 or 6."

To Du’s surprise, this world also used such grading criteria. Normally, these kinds of levels are a method only professionals would use. Other worlds rarely had such classifications.

Of course, these classifications could be a bit different from what he was used to. But Du You thought he could check it out for himself later.

If it were indeed only a level 6 opponent, Du You wouldn’t be worried. The difference between levels 6 and 7 was vast in power, let alone facing an exceptional existence like himself.

"Alright, I understand what you’ve told me. I can indeed handle these bandits. But, what can you offer to hire me?" Du You inquired.

The officials closed their mouths, and all hopes fell upon the City Lord, with their eyes shining, but their intentions unclear.

However, the City Lord seemed quite confident, not worried at all: "As you can see, our Qingji City cannot offer much wealth. And I am sure you wouldn’t be interested in anything else we have."

Du You nodded in agreement. The City Lord was quite right. "You seem very confident, City Lord. You must have a plan," Du You speculated.

The City Lord nodded lightly: "Yes, I do have a proposition. Although our Qingji City is not a large city, we are not incapable of offering anything. We have a position available...a nomination, to be precise."

"A nomination? What is that for?" Du You was now a bit confused.

"A nomination for a city in the Divine Flame Empire - a chance for you, Sir, to go to White Stone City," replied the City Lord.

Without waiting for Du You to inquire further, the City Lord continued, "White Stone City stands on the edge of the Quicksand Empire. It’s the largest city in our Divine Flame Empire that holds the Quicksand Empire at bay. There’s a vast amount of unclaimed wasteland outside the city. By participating in the battles in White Stone City, one’s military merits get recognized directly by the empire. These merits are useful for both nobles and commoners seeking to improve their noble standings."

So that’s how it is! Du You thought. In a typical Derived World, a noble title wouldn’t mean anything to him, but this world was different, an actual Otherworld.

If he could attain a noble title here, it would provide him with a better identity and starting point. Although Du You didn’t like strategizing, it didn’t mean that such a status would be useless to him.

"Furthermore, the outskirts of White Stone City happen to be one of the only three regions where the empire is expanding. Therein lies a plethora of unclaimed wastelands. If you have the power, you could occupy an area and the empire will recognize your ownership. The wastelands outside White Stone City are excessively barren, hence why the empire doesn’t demand half of the conquered lands. All the lands are your own territory."

Du You thought in his mind, in this world, nobles who develop territory needed to cede half of it to the empire.

However, in White Stone City, you wouldn’t have to surrender any. The place was either extremely chaotic or immensely barren, possibly even both.

"Of course, that place’s land is probably of no interest to you, sir. But military merits are always helpful. Wouldn’t a noble status do you some good?"

Du You nodded gently. That was indeed true. Having a noble status would make things easier for him in the future.

Firstly, it would be much easier for him to find the location of those monsters he was seeking.

Moreover, the City Lord of Qingji City wasn’t aware that, from the perspective of the locals in this world, the barren land might not seem very appealing. But from an outsider’s point of view like his, it was a different story.

Areas that were free from the empire’s rule and devoid of numerous nobles would be a great place for him to develop. Du You had a faint suspicion that the land he needed for his building blueprints might be something . Regardless, it was worth a try. Even if he failed, it wouldn’t really matter.

As a professional, he couldn’t confine his vision to just one world. If he indeed were to fail, he could just abandon this place. In any world, as long as a professional didn’t die, they could always continue their progress.

"Alright, I agree," Du You nodded in approval. Seeing this, the City Lord finally breathed a sigh of relief. At last, he had found a solution to their problem.