Chapter 2261: Strange Land

"Are the city walls made this way too?" As the Mao Ling Giant approached, Sun Hongye found the city walls increasingly magnificent.

"Indeed, they’re all made from molds. What we see now is merely a scaled-up version. And with sufficient spiritual energy, they can even adjust their structure. This approach saves the most labor, time, and money." Pu Hua chuckled, "Building city walls was once backbreaking work. I heard Beijia's towering walls took eleven years to barely finish, and their cost was likely sixty times ours, nearly becoming an abandoned project."

"Sixty times the cost!" The exorbitant total cost was beyond Sun Hongye's comprehension.

"Yes, the walls of Ju City were constructed in sections, taking only a year and seven months to fully grow into place and join completely. The amount of labor required was less than a tenth of Beijia's." Pu Hua tallied on his fingers for Sun Hongye: "Consider that Ju City already used fewer laborers for its walls, and also saved ten years of human and material resources compared to Beijia."

Constructing walls using traditional methods was a lengthy and immensely costly process. The excessive number of intermediate steps led to low efficiency, exorbitant unnecessary expenses, and countless other vexing issues.

"All things considered, Beijia's city walls were actually completed not many years before ours."

As they conversed, the Mao Ling Giant moved swiftly, quickly passing through several checkpoints and arriving before the city gate.

Upon arrival, the Mao Ling Giant also had to retract its special abilities.

With the exception of those naturally winged, all beings within the city were required to use ground transportation, and the use of swift travel abilities was prohibited. Although this made travel slower, it helped maintain order within the city.

In a city of this size with such a large population, maintaining "order" was the greatest challenge for its administration.

Only those with genuine emergencies requiring aerial travel were permitted to do so, provided they possessed a pass issued by the official authorities.

Once shrunk, the Mao Ling Giant appeared much like an ordinary human, save for its two somewhat unsettling heads.

The group took a roundabout route, entering through the North Gate, which was closer to the royal palace.

As they detoured, dusk fell, and the wind intensified, causing Sun Hongye's beard to whip wildly.

Observing the city walls up close, he was struck by their immense breadth and majesty. The wall-top was so wide that three carriages could travel abreast. Sun Hongye found it utterly incredible that such a magnificent structure had been completed in just over a year.

Compared to the series of discoveries he had made since arriving at Giant Deer Port, his time in Fu State had been utterly stagnant, as if the entire world had abandoned him.

As they passed through the city gate, a colossal dragon head emerged from the city wall!

It had a red head, red horns, and eyes that glowed with white light.

Sun Hongye jumped in alarm: "A dragon... a Dragon God?"

Everyone knew that Emperor Jiuyou of the Golden Plains was said to be the reincarnation of a Dragon God.

"No, this is a Red Jiao, the gate beast for the north wall," Pu Hua explained. "Each section of the city wall has its own guardian beast, specifically designed for defense."

"So this is a gate beast!" Sun Hongye had heard much about them, but seeing it firsthand was different. He knew that some large cities would deploy gate beasts to bolster their defenses. While these beasts were highly effective, they were also energy-intensive. Ju City's ability to keep one active at all times suggested its immense wealth.

"They are also barrier beasts," Madam Zhu noted, observing his surprise. "Ju City operates on an 'no entry without invitation' policy. Should unwelcome evil spirits or malevolent entities approach, they will be blocked outside. Anyone attempting to smuggle such beings into the city will also be intercepted and thoroughly searched."

"Are you implying?"

"Nightmares or specters."

"So, one needn't worry about malevolent spirits causing mischief when residing within the city?"

"One could certainly say that." This was among the hidden advantages of living in a major city.

The Red Jiao's large eyes remained fixed on the Mao Ling Giant and Madam Zhu, clearly sensing their formidable power. However, possessing a valid pass, the duo could disregard the Jiao's scrutiny.

With several crackling sounds, after a peal of thunder, strong winds laden with torrential rain swept in!

"Quickly, into the city!" Large raindrops lashed their faces, stinging painfully.

However, the moment he stepped through the city gate, Sun Hongye immediately noticed the wind's abatement.

Outside the city, the strong wind registered at least Level 8; inside, it barely reached Level 3 or 4.

Separated by only a single wall, the wind's intensity had been halved.

"Oh, is there also a wind-calming barrier within the city?"

"Indeed," Pu Hua replied, casually pointing to the city wall. "Look, those are the wind-calming beasts, also known as Wind Lion Lords."

Perched atop the wall stood several enormous stone sculptures. Though resembling colossal lions, their posture was human-like, standing on two hind legs, with an overall endearing clumsiness.

"Those are also relics from an immortal sect that Jiuyou retrieved from Wind Demon Mountain," Madam Zhu explained, as if to say, 'I wouldn't bother with this if Sun wasn't an old friend of Jiuyou.' "They were then polished and re-engraved to serve as the anchor points for the new windbreak barrier. This plain is excellent in every regard, except for the persistent strong winds that can sometimes even lift carriages and horses off the ground."

"Since the Plain Mountain Marsh is the Great Wind Demon, why not have it quell these strong winds?" Sun Hongye wondered. "Isn't that its specialty?"

"It can, but it's not appropriate," Madam Zhu stated. "The flora and fauna on this plain have long adapted to the persistent strong winds. Many seeds and pollen rely on the wind's power to propagate to distant lands. Furthermore, two types of medicinal herbs can only have their root systems dislodged and thus reproduce when fierce winds rage. The strong winds also bring nutrients from distant places. If we were to suppress the winds on the plain, we would also suppress its vitality. For this reason, Jiuyou forbade it, choosing instead to expend profound crystals to establish windbreak barriers."

Sun Hongye scratched the back of his head, remarking, "Ju City even considers such matters as these?"

"When one is poor, one looks after oneself; when prosperous, one benefits all under heaven. As long as we have the surplus capacity, we must not compete for resources with the natural inhabitants of the plain."

Upon entering the city, Sun Hongye observed that the main roads were perfectly straight and wide, capable of accommodating eight carriages abreast. Deer carts and horse-drawn carriages were ubiquitous. Many yokai walked the streets, coexisting peacefully with humans.

Despite the constant flow of people and the clamor of traffic, the streets were remarkably clean. Pu Hua informed Sun Hongye that the main roads were equipped with sectional cleaning arrays, which would automatically relocate refuse and filth to street corners at regular intervals, where dung beetles and other scavengers would then process them.

The wind-calming barrier did not impede the rain, and the downpour was quite uncomfortable.

Sun Hongye mused, "Ju City is so vast. Even traveling by deer cart, how long would it take to get from the east to the west?"

"Several hours, even if traffic isn't congested," Madam Zhu replied. "However, if you wish to travel between different districts, we possess a much more convenient method." She then turned and instructed, "Follow me."

A furry, colossal spider walking down the road garnered significant attention, yet elicited little fear.

The residents of Ju City had, over the past few years, become quite accustomed to such sights.

Madam Zhu and her companions entered a brightly colored orange house by the roadside.

The house's striking color undoubtedly served a functional purpose.

Sun Hongye was mentally prepared, yet he still recoiled in surprise upon entering. From the outside, the building appeared unremarkable, but once inside, he realized it was a colossal greenhouse!

Two enormous, fleshy-red flowers lay sprawled on the ground – only two of them – yet they almost completely filled the entire room.

The room was empty, but several pits dotted the floor.

Each of these massive flowers measured over fifteen feet in diameter, featuring five thick, plump petals dotted with white spots across their surfaces. At the center of each was a large, concave circular opening.