The man was middle-aged. He also hadn’t shaved for a long time, so he had a long and rough beard.
The man said to him with a shrug, "The sect determines how the fortress cities are designed. We don’t know who exactly gave the order. We just received the order and executed it."
Loki found the man’s nonchalant attitude towards the design of the city interesting. He wanted to know more, so he said to the man, "You know that sect grounds are also designed exactly the same way. Surely, there has to be a reason why everything about the sect is designed the same way."
The man asked in return, "So what if they are identical? What does it matter to people like us who just take orders and struggle to live year after year because of the sect’s financial evaluation?"
This question made it Loki’s turn to shrug as he said, "I am just curious."
The man nodded in understanding before he said, "I’ve heard something about this. I heard that the sect master used to be orderly like this and liked everything to be in the same way."
But Loki shook his head and said, "The sect master should be dead by now. After all, the sect has been established for more than a hundred thousand years. I doubt anyone can live that long. Only his Dao Path should be left behind."
"Even if he is alive, I doubt that someone so ancient and powerful cares about things as trivial as the layout of a fortress city in some earthly battlefield."
The man tilted his head and asked, saying, "What if the sect master does care about something as trivial as the layout of a fortress city in some earthly battlefield?"
Then he explained his point by saying, "I know for sure that if I were that powerful, I would use my power to control everything. After all, that’s the purpose of having great power. It is to make everything in the world according to your wishes.
His explanation was compelling, so Loki nodded in agreement and said, "You are right. Anything is possible with great power. After all, the higher the power one possesses, the higher the freedom they can enjoy."
The fact that he agreed made the man smile and say, "I am Benard. It is nice to meet a kindred mind."
Loki also smiled as he said, "I am Loki. I am happy to be here."
Neither of them offered their hands for a handshake. After all, it was common sense to avoid contact with everyone unless one was willing to risk death.
After the introduction, the two of them spoke about some more things along the way. One of the most important things that they spoke about was the dwindling manpower in the city.
The man complained, saying, "We are losing men faster than we get reinforcements. Just today, we lost nine people because of an ambush."
Hearing this, Loki pretended to be shocked. He gasped and asked, saying, "What happened?"
The man looked around before speaking. When he saw that there was no one around them, he sneered and said, "According to our captain, it was all because they were ambushed by people from the Martial Body Sect."
"If I didn’t see the large airship that he brought back and the corpses of the giants, I wouldn’t have believed at all that they encountered enemies. I still think he had something to do with their death, but I also believe that the Martial Body Sect had something to do with it, too."
When he saw the strange look that Loki was giving him, he felt aggravated as he said, "Trust me. He is capable of something like this. He can kill at the drop of a hat and has killed many people for various offenses."
"I am not the only person who suspects that he has something to do with the death of so many people on their first day. But no one dares to say anything because Captain Greg is so powerful."
After speaking so much, Loki finally responded, saying, "Is that so? I didn’t know that the Captain was so dangerous. I just thought that his mouth was too caustic."
His words caused the man to chuckle and say, "There’s that too. His words are so infuriating that they can raise the dead. But that’s just the least of our problems."
"The man problem is that it is not only the people of the Martial Body Sect that can kill us. We can also die at Greg’s hands."
"It is so infuriating to think about that I feel like punching him. Doesn’t he know that the fewer men we have, the less we will be able to resist the attacks of the Martial Body Sect? Or does he think that because he can survive, our lives don’t matter?"
"Once I acquire level 3 Dao Status, I will immediately leave this forsaken place. What a pain."
The man complained some more, and Loki listened attentively. They spoke until Loki was dropped off at his new accommodations in the sect grounds.
The two of them bid farewell to each other. Then the man returned to guarding the walls while Loki entered his new room to check it out before getting to work. At least, that’s what appeared to be what Loki was going to do.
The reality was that as soon as Loki locked himself in his room, he didn’t come out ever again. He stayed indoors doing something unknown.
Normally, they were to take turns guarding the city and preparing for attacks. Jobs like this would earn them contribution points, which can be turned into energy stones for cultivation or for buying things. But Loki wasn’t interested in money, so he didn’t bother to sign up for patrols.
The only way to force him out is if the captain calls him to defend the city in the case of an attack. Even then, he can still choose not to participate in the defense of the city. He will just have to pay a fine for the dereliction of duty.
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A/N: Please, don’t forget to vote with your power stones and golden tickets. Thank you.