Volume 9: From Green Leaves to the Undead Chapter 16: The New City of Chanas

Following the plans Li Bin had devised along the journey, they arrived at the dragon-shaped sand dune. Li Bin went straight to the spot where Kelaosa had once stood, which was now completely deserted.

As this was the heart of the dragon-shaped sand dune, Li Bin ordered the level 8 Undead City Heart to be buried there. This time, he chose the "Death Dune" type. This configuration reduces the survival rate of living beings within the city by 30% and grants all troops trained there an enhanced constitution, providing +10 Health and +1 Attack. He named the city Chanas, the true name of the ancient dragon.

As soon as the City Heart was buried, Li Bin felt the black dunes churning like massive waves. An archaic, rugged temple-style town hall rose before them, and in front of it, five fountains of varying sizes began spewing black, quicksand-like negative energy.

A system notification chimed in Li Bin’s ears: "Your city, Chanas, has been established as a Death Dune type. Because the City Heart was buried at the heart of the continent's ancestral ley line, your city has earned the title 'Origin of the Continent.' System rewards: City level +1, fountain energy accumulation speed +100%, and the fountains will randomly produce 1 unit of resources daily. Because your city is located on the ancient corpse of a dragon, your city has earned the title 'Origin of the Dragon Corpse.' Reward: Monthly random acquisition of one Undead-type dragon. Because your city simultaneously encompasses a Death Zone (the entire area affected by Aska’s self-detonation), an ancient dragon corpse, and a Death Dune, your city has earned the title 'Origin of Death.' System reward: City Necromancy skill increased by 15%. Foreign living troops entering the city have a 20% chance of being converted into equivalent-level undead and joining your forces..."

Li Bin’s jaw nearly dropped. He knew building the city here would yield great attributes, but he never expected such generous rewards. Still, in his excitement, he did not forget his design. Carrying the remaining City Hearts, he hurried to the designated spots on his blueprints.

At the dragon’s head, Li Bin placed a level 7 Undead City Heart and built a new Mage Tower, designating this area as the Magic District. It would serve as a hub for magical research and the crafting of magical artifacts. Here, Skeleton Mages, Mummy Curse Mages, Vampire Mages, clerics of various races, and even Nether Spirit Soldiers and Undead Druids would be trained. The Death Library, the training facility for the level 10 Undead unit—the Lich—was also constructed here.

Between the dragon’s two foreclaws, Li Bin placed a level 6 City Heart, designating it the Knight District. The level 9 Death Knight training facility, the Death Training Camp, and the Skeleton Knight training facility were built here, along with a level 8 Black Knight training camp. Once equipped with suitable warhorses, these Black Knights could rapidly promote into Death Knights. He could not yet build the level 12 Terror Knight training facility.

On the wings of the dragon-shaped dune, Li Bin designed the Bone Dragon District. He placed a level 7 City Heart there, though due to its current level, it only housed a Bone Dragon Research Lab and a Nether Dragon Summoning Array, with other facilities awaiting a city upgrade.

At the dragon’s hind legs, another level 6 City Heart was buried, designated as the Archer District. This area would primarily train Liches and Phantom Undead Archers, alongside Cyclopean Corpses and various Skeleton Sharpshooters. It also housed the longbow and long-arrow workshops.

All other level 7 units were arranged at the dragon's tail. This "Miscellaneous Troop District" also consumed a level 6 City Heart, but it became the most densely built area in Chanas. Li Bin even planned to build a graveyard here to provide a steady supply of corpses.

After placing the City Hearts, Li Bin set aside residential zones for future inhabitants outside the various districts. These cemetery-like residential areas perfectly partitioned the major sectors.

However, what attracted the heroes most was the dragon’s body. Li Bin allowed only key buildings here: two taverns, heroes' mansions, a medical research lab, city guards' quarters, a blacksmith, a siege engine workshop, a market, and an undead research lab. According to Li Bin, this central area would become the commercial, administrative, and research hub—the economic, political, and technological heart of his territory.

Knowing this would take time, Li Bin left the management to his subordinates after establishing the city's development path. He personally oversaw the construction of the "Dark Veil" and the "Toxin Source." The Dark Veil was built directly above the Chanas town hall; as it reached completion, it enveloped an area within 1,500 kilometers of Chanas in perpetual night, devoid of starlight or moonlight, significantly boosting the abilities of all undead.

The Toxin Source was placed at the dragon’s maw. Though the pool was only half the size of the fountains, it spewed three times the volume of green liquid. Within days, the sea near the dragon-shaped dune had turned entirely green.

With these tasks handled, Li Bin buried himself in his Undead Research Lab to begin developing new units. Not wanting to waste high-level troops on experiments, he focused on maximizing the potential of low-level ones. He soon discovered that the largely abandoned Undead Gargoyles held great potential. As part of the Spirit-Mechanical branch, they possessed excellent load-bearing capacity, allowing them to fly even while carrying significant weight.

Ultimately, Li Bin created a new unit using five Undead Gargoyles: a Death Ballista, with a stone ballista fixed firmly onto three gargoyles, while one gargoyle was responsible for carrying ammunition and reloading, and the final one handled aiming and command. Tests showed these units could fly at speeds of 300 kilometers per day at altitudes of over 1,000 meters and strike targets accurately from 3,000 meters away. Li Bin judged these new troops to be at least equivalent to level 9 units; as their numbers grew, he would possess a formidable new siege weapon.