The hamster receptionist was delighted and continued, "In the North-West district there is the second largest market, mainly selling unique items from the city or items from outside, as it is the closest market to the outside.

It also has various important buildings dedicated to the customers, such as the Spirit Beast Hospital, that mostly tends to beasts.

After all, the cultivators north of our city are either from various forces or from Spirit Beast Clans. So the humans that arrive in the north usually stay in the north, while the beasts go west to be tended by those doctors specialised in tending to beasts.

The western districts are smaller than the northern ones, with a total of 50 smaller gates, and each district is mostly specialised in crafting and selling items.

Compared to the scene in the east gate next to us, with the focus being farming, the western gate fully specialises in crafting all kinds of things. It’s said that each district has a specialisation!

The west district also contains the largest market with the Grand Auction Hall, where the most desired auction is held!

As for specific districts there, well... the 20 districts to the north basically fuse together with the North-West district, mostly tending to various outside items, while the South-West district, which is 20 districts large, is famously called the Spirit Beast District! 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

In this district, the main population is Spirit Beasts. Even more, all the fields outside the west, not just the southwestern ones, are all in occupation by the beast tribes!

The districts in the southwest are more like the branches they left in the city, while they all have various territories in the western region, stretching all the way down the river to the open sea.

It’s said that the responsibility of the beasts is to protect the trade route of our city. Their territories are densely aligned, but they’re all busy protecting from the north, west and south, basically forming a huge line from the city to the sea, an astonishing view for those outside."

Fengyu listened and was curious, but he picked up something else, "River? What river?"

"The river, oh, I mean the river leading right from the sea into our city! Did fellow daoist not know? The Western Gate... it’s only ten districts large, basically just a line, because it’s the end of the river!"

Fengyu’s vision blurred, he didn’t understand. What? There was a whole river going right to their gate, not stopping but flowing through the whole western district and ending suddenly?

He looked shocked and asked again, but the hamster only told him that it didn’t know why it was like this, but that it had been like this for pretty much the whole time.

Suddenly, Fengyu felt like he understood why the city wanted to contract these Spirit Beasts so much.

Protecting a whole river, how difficult is this task?

It’s like telling a person to protect a whole territory, but this territory, while not particularly large, is stretched in a thin line, requiring ten times the workforce to protect than if it was a circular territory.

Worse, he said ’line’ but who knew how large the river was, and how winding and difficult it was to control?

In addition, the beasts also had to maintain it, ensure it never stopped, and even go further, protect the trade route and the ships.

This was clearly impossible for humans. Such a territory would be abandoned by everyone, or they’d choose to block the river mostly, and every time they send out ships, they would have to be extremely careful with their ships’ protection.

Such a revelation was too heavy for him, for he felt like his whole worldview was destroyed.

Everything connected to this made one wonder - what did the city plan?!

Such a trade route, the inheritance of so many paths, a clear order of the city, connecting everything. The more one looked at it, the more it felt like there was a huge plan, a plan that probably only the founders knew about.

Everyone else, including him, just went with the city’s plan, following their commands to expand the city continuously and make the city grander and grander...

But when he thought of this, he didn’t feel fear, but relief!

That’s right!

Since he had already bound himself to the city, the more this city planned, and the more meticulously everything was arranged, the more comfortable he would feel.

Looking at it that way, he would be astonished but grateful, grateful that he was standing on the shoulders of giants, not having to worry day in and day out about his food...

’Never mind, this is so far away from me. Who says I don’t have to worry? I’m trying to advance, so everything I do will cause countless conflicts and create dangers... but at least this way I have a foundation.

Hmm...

I think I understand it now. Zimu said that this place was one of great peacefulness, and everything else points to the fact that this city is extremely well designed and cared for.

Although I don’t have a full view, I can only say that this city has the foundation for great peace.

Lately, whenever I tried it out, I felt like Zimu’s view on peace is not locked to the present but also views the future.

This might mean that this city actually has the foundation of great peace!’

Fengyu’s guesses were not unfounded, but also not the truth. He could only make more guesses and think about various things, but these guesses gave him a sense of reassurance.

What people fear isn’t death, but hopelessness.

Having no hope on the path is the worst, it feels like an endless pit, where you can’t move a single step, where there is no chance to do anything, where death feels like a release from this torment.

Countless cultivators give their lives on the chance of rising in the path of immortality, while those that don’t have this chance go mad and become demons that destroy the world...