He pushed the door open and stepped out into the blinding afternoon sun.
Squinting, he saw the tall walls of Snowfield City stretching out before him, extending so far to the left and right that he couldn't see their end.
Guards patrolled atop the walls, looking like tiny moving sesame seeds from this distance.
These walls were built from Special materials.
They were extremely sturdy.
But most importantly, they weren't just walls. They were also a massive Array.
If the Magical Beasts outside wanted to assault the city, they wouldn't even be able to Attack the walls.
As they approached, they would be forcibly teleported into the territories of powerful Lords.
This Array was connected to the system.
It would assign Magical Beasts of varying strengths to the territories of different Lords based on their registered power levels.
Even during a beast tide, with hundreds of thousands of Magical Beasts attacking the city, they would be separated by the Array and sent in batches to different Lords to be eliminated.
There was strength in numbers.
No matter how many Magical Beasts invaded, if they could be divided into tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of smaller groups, they could be dealt with calmly.
As long as the number of Lords remained above a certain threshold, and as long as this Array was not destroyed, then Snowfield City could be considered a paradise in this frigid Northern Territory.
At night, one could see the sapphire-blue fluctuations of Spiritual Power outside the walls.
It was as beautiful as the aurora.
The Array outside the walls was powerful.
It was also the guarantee that allowed Humans and many other Races to survive in this world.
The Array's Consumption was also immense.
After all, it had to remain active 24/7, unable to stop for even a single second.
The amount of Energy it consumed was enormous.
So, Snowfield City's high taxes were understandable.
Of course, the high taxes were targeted at high-value items or products.
The tax rate for daily necessities and low-priced goods wasn't that high.
For example, that large bag of old bedsheets and clothes Zhao Chi had earlier only required a tax of 1 Copper Coin.
It wasn't even 3 PM yet.
The people in the village were all at work.
Some were fighting Magical Beasts, while others were producing Supplies.
There weren't just Combat Lords; there were also production-type Lords.
After all, some people were naturally timid or completely lacked command and management Abilities. Forcing them onto the battlefield was just sending them to their deaths and would be a waste of a World Stone.
It was better for them to focus on production, where they could still make a Contribution.
If an Alien Race force appeared in their territory, they could hire a Combat Lord or some Martial Artists to exterminate it.
Snowfield City's high tax rate was also levied on these production-type Lords.
After all, although they put in the labor, they were relatively safe.
Plus, they had villagers to help them with production.
Even with the high taxes, they could still earn a decent income and live quite well.
Besides them, there were many people who had lost their Territory Worlds due to defeat in battle.
There were quite a lot of them. After all, war was unpredictable, and not many could remain undefeated.
Just surviving and escaping the battlefield was considered lucky.
They had made Contributions, so even in defeat, they were considered Heroes.
There were also some who had been overthrown by their villagers for their excessive actions and were forced to leave their Territory Worlds.
Those people were just scum.
Others were unable to enter a territory for various other reasons.
Whatever the reason, if one wanted to establish a new territory, they had to spend a fortune hiring professionals to completely erase all traces of their old one.
Only then could they start a new territory.
Otherwise, the Territory World would be unstable.
There would be a chance it could collapse.
After that, they still needed to spend a huge sum to buy another World Stone.
Only then could they start over.
But whether it was erasing the traces or buying a World Stone, it was something ordinary people could hardly afford.
These people either became Craftsmen, producing Supplies in the Great World for a meager wage, or became hired Martial Artists, participating in battles within various territories to earn a Commission.
Or they became artists, instructors, and various other service industry personnel.
Although they couldn't become fabulously wealthy, they could still make a living without issue.
Those with good skills could also live well.
Zhao Chi's village was quite remote.
So it was very close to the city walls.
The entire Snowfield County City encompassed eight counties, with towns under the counties, and villages under the towns.
The Eighth Lord Academy was located in a nearby town.
It wasn't too far from Zhao Chi's home, about six kilometers in a straight line.
He usually ran there, which also helped train his agility.
He ran to the town this time as well.
This time, he didn't go to the Exchange to buy Supplies, but to a general store instead.
The Exchange charged a Transaction Fee.
'Buying just one large bag of rice earlier wasn't worth the hassle. But since I'm buying a lot this time, I should try to save some money.'
Soon, Zhao Chi finished his shopping.
[Shopping List]:
[Family-size Body Wash] x2
[Family-size Shampoo] x2
[Bar Soap] x10
[Bath Towel] x20
[50-meter Hemp Rope] x1
[Oil, Salt, Soy Sauce, & Vinegar Set] x1
[10kg Rice] x7
[Family-pack Toilet Paper] x2
[Total: 1,467 Copper Coins]
Zhao Chi only had a total of 17 Silver Coins in savings.
He had just spent 1 Silver Coin on rice.
Now he had to spend another 14.67 Silver Coins.
He was a little reluctant to spend it.
But when he thought about the fighting spirit of those female villagers, how proactive they all were, his reluctance vanished.
'After all, it's just a little money. What's there to be reluctant about? Besides, these are all necessities, the bare minimum for a decent standard of living. I can always earn more after I spend it.'
This wasn't like his time studying theory anymore.
Back then, he was just a poor student.
But now he was a Lord, and the opportunities to make money were growing.
Pay!
He was left with 1 Silver Coin and 33 Copper Coins.
Next, he took his shopping list and ran to the Exchange.
These were all separately purchased Living Supplies, all subject to a 3% tax.
He paid another 44 Copper Coins in taxes.
He had 89 Copper Coins left.
Home, to the territory!
He ran all the way, entering his territory out of breath.
The moment he entered, he saw Gu Qing heading right for him, carrying a massive log.
"Whoa!"
Zhao Chi quickly dodged.
Gu Qing was startled too.
She quickly pivoted her Body to avoid hitting Zhao Chi.
"Oh, my! My Lord, what are you doing here? I didn't hit you, did I?"
"No, you didn't. But you're carrying such a huge log all by yourself? Let me help."
Zhao Chi walked up to Gu Qing and reached out his hands.
Gu Qing turned to the side.
"No need~ I'm fine, just a moment."
Gu Qing, still carrying the log, tilted her head.
She walked over to the Lord's House, squatted down, and unloaded the log from her shoulder.
A pile of Supplies had already accumulated next to the Lord's House.
It seemed Gu Qing and the others were using this as a temporary storage area.
Following behind Gu Qing were three other female villagers in a single file line, also carrying logs. However, it took the three of them to carry two logs together.
Their Power was a little lower, so sharing the load like this was more efficient.
The 21 Goblins were also hauling logs; every seven of them carried two logs together.
They were grimacing from the effort, but not a single Goblin complained.
Zhao Chi found this incredible.
'What's with these Goblins? Are these some kind of hardworking Goblins?'
But when he saw their swollen cheeks, Zhao Chi understood instantly.
'They were probably beaten into submission by Gu Qing.'