Chapter 299: Chapter 300 The Orderer’s Dragon
Runyu City was indeed not something just anyone could take over.

Luckily, Zhu Minglang never considered himself to be just anyone.

Once the directive from the City of Sin was issued, it meant that all the efforts of the people of Runyu City over the past month had been in vain.

Not to mention reviving the livelihoods of the people, keeping Runyu City from being razed to the ground by those with ulterior motives was already very difficult.

“Is there really no hope once the Orderer deems it a City of Sin?” Hu Bailing asked.

“Isn’t that obvious? Runyu City is naturally wealthy, surrounded by many Gem Mountains, and is a vital passage on the Neon Sea Trade Route with plenty of Spirit Veins. Now that the Godly Mortal Academy has announced its abandonment and the Orderers have branded the city as the City of Sin, many factions that were concerned about their reputation and didn’t want to plunder Runyu City will now act without restraint. Soon, Runyu City will be divided up until nothing is left!” Hu Chongming spoke with boundless indignation.

Oftentimes, it is not the roaming outlaws who are terrifying, but when all the people turn into robbers—that’s an unstoppable force.

The Godly Mortal Academy didn’t even need to lift a finger; just by issuing this directive, labeling Runyu City as the City of Sin, the wave of greed sweeping across the Tea-colored Ground would ensure Runyu City’s utter doom!

So this was effectively a death sentence!

“Isn’t that Orderer abusing his power?” Hu Bailing said.

“He’s using his power, not abusing it. Before we took over, Runyu City was indeed at risk of being judged as a City of Sin. It’s just that the Orderer turns a blind eye to the month of cleanup against evil we did,” Yao Junshi said.

“There should be at least two Orderers for a piece of land, and I don’t even know who the other Orderer is. If we could get his recognition, then there might be hope for Runyu City,” Hu Chongming said.

“That is if the two Orderers are not in good terms and do not agree with each other,” someone added.

“Or maybe we could just pay the two million gold per month as the Godly Mortal Academy administration suggested?” Yao Junshi whispered.

“That’s impossible. How much do we earn each month, and on top of that, we need to invest in the city’s infrastructure, management, and policy implementation, not to mention the money spent on recruiting and maintaining forces…” Both Hu Chongming and Hu Bailing, the siblings, opposed at the same time.

A wealthy city-state might not be able to produce two million gold in tax revenue each month, let alone the rundown city of Runyu, which required tens of millions in investment. How could they afford to pay protection fees to the Godly Mortal Academy?

The Godly Mortal Academy hadn’t done anything!

Hu Chongming even suspected that the Godly Mortal Academy was deliberately using the imminent designation of Runyu City as a City of Sin as an excuse to extort those who planned to rebuild Runyu City.

Otherwise, why didn’t they announce it a month ago, only to jump out once Runyu City started to improve.

Moreover, although the resident power could be changed,

It had to be a power with genuine deterrence in the Tea-colored Ground.

If the Zhu Gate were to take over, they had no branches, not a single Deacon, on the Tea-colored Ground.

If the Zhu Gate took over, it would be in name only, providing no protection or deterrence whatsoever.

The reason Li Chuan Continent was protected and blessed at the time was partly because the Yaoshan Sword Sect had intervened, and partly because Orderer Zhu Xuehen would oversee the situation.

Now, with the Orderers indulging in and causing trouble, and the resident power directly engaging in extortion and deprivation, the situation was completely stagnant!

“I thought we would quietly make it to spring, but suddenly we’re facing a desperate winter,” Yao Junshi sighed heavily.

Regarding the power struggle, Yao Junshi didn’t have any good solutions either.

After all, those major powers each considered themselves Cultivators, future Immortals, the rulers of the world, and had no care for the myriad living beings!

“Let’s try finding the other Orderer first,” Zhu Minglang said.

If Runyu City was indeed doomed, then there was nothing to be done about it.

Zhu Minglang only wanted the City Lord’s Seal in the beginning. He could just steal it from the Godly Mortal Academy when the time came, and then give Lian Feiling and the Orderer a good thrashing.

Of course, if there was still a chance, Zhu Minglang wouldn’t easily give up. After all, everyone had worked hard for over a month, and his wife had even invested a million gold. They couldn’t just let those in power trample over them!

“But we don’t even know who the other Orderer is. Come to think of it, the Tea-colored Ground is quite strange, too. Everyone knows there’s an Orderer from the Godly Mortal Academy, but the identity of the other Orderer is almost unknown to most people,” Yao Junshi said with a troubled expression.

“Don’t the people from the Hu Family know either??” Zhu Minglang asked, puzzled.

The Hu Family siblings shook their heads; they truly hadn’t heard anything about the other Orderer.

“That mysterious?”

“I suspect that even the Orderer Yan Guang doesn’t know,” Yao Junshi said.

“Working together, yet not knowing each other’s identity, how is that possible?”

As everyone discussed, they suddenly found themselves at an impasse again.

Without clear information about the other Orderer’s identity, they couldn’t overturn the conclusions of the City of Sin.

“I might… I might know…” At this moment, the Yin Spirit Necromancer girl Zhi Rou, who had been quietly listening to everyone talk, spoke up in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s.

Zhu Minglang turned his head to look at the Yin Spirit Necromancer girl.

Could it be?

The other Orderer… had died?

Otherwise, why would this girl, who could see Yin Spirits, know about him??

“My grandmother, she once told me about the Orderer,” the girl Zhi Rou said hesitantly, her eyes turning towards Li Xinghua as if seeking her approval before speaking.

Li Xinghua also guessed that this might be related to some matters of the Yin Spirit Necromancer village. Having promised the girl not to mention anything about the village, Li Xinghua understood that there were some things she couldn’t reveal in public.

So, Li Xinghua took her aside and slowly inquired about the other Orderer.

“One time, my grandmother came back from outside, very disturbed, and she strongly prevented people in our village from keeping Mourning Dragons. She told the leaders that an Orderer had become aware of our Pear Blossom Gully’s secrets and that if we continued like this, we risked annihilation by the Orderer,” Zhi Rou recounted some of her grandmother Master Shi Hua’s words.

“Then do you know who that Orderer is?”

“Grandmother said it’s in Green Bull Mountain. She admitted she hadn’t seen the Orderer himself, but she did witness the Orderer’s dragon, a Silver Tail Purple Dragon!” Yin Ling Shi Zhirou said earnestly.

Li Xinghua nodded…

With such a distinct characteristic, finding this Orderer should be much easier.

For now, the priority was to find this Orderer quickly. Green Bull Mountain was located within a Spiritual Mountain in Slaughter Country, and the journey wasn’t particularly far.

“Silver Tail Purple Dragon, that’s right, that’s right, Zhu Minglang, I’ve listed a new dragon pet for you, and the Silver Tail Purple Dragon is the top choice. Go catch and tame it quickly!” Mr. Jinli suddenly appeared and called out to Zhu Minglang.

“That’s someone else’s Orderer’s dragon!” Zhu Minglang’s face darkened.

There were only two Orderers on the Tea-colored Ground; he couldn’t possibly offend them both!

Purple Dragon, Mr. Jinli had mentioned it many times, insisting that Zhu Minglang must tame a Purple Dragon.

Now every time Mr. Jinli heard about a Purple Dragon, he wouldn’t stop talking!