Death Notice Novel Book 3: Chapter 3: City Management

Book 3: Chapter 3: City Managent

The managers of Apostle City were the Sapient Races of the Shattered Starry Sky. Their authority was based on the city codex, giving them clear judicial and administrative power.

The city codex was created by the original top Apostle team. Over a long period, it underwent revisions and major reforms. It now covered nearly every aspect of the entire city. Each Apostle City’s codex was different, and the codex of Devil’s Horn also had its own unique features.

Based on this city codex, the Sapient Races managing the city ford the Militia and administrative organizations. They were responsible for coordinating and managing Apostle City. Due to the special nature of Apostles, imprisonnt and trials were practically useless. For illegal activities, Devil’s Horn mainly used enforcent thods like fines, confiscation of employnt points, and revoking city resident status.

Of course, because the strength of the Militia mbers was limited, they were not enough to supervise and control High Apostles. At such tis, other High Apostles would take over the handling.

In Apostle City, the bullying of the weak by the strong and survival of the fittest that Qin Lun imagined were unavoidable. Of course, those who could beco Formal Apostles usually had strong minds. As long as it wasn’t a life-or-death feud, they generally would not go too far. And even when bullying the weak, everyone tended to keep a low profile.

Interestingly, the low profile Beruses ntioned wasn’t about High Apostles towards law enforcers, but rather towards the weak they bullied.

An Apostle’s strength could change very quickly. A weak person now might beco strong after just a few Otherworld Missions. Among Apostles, there were no permanently dominant strong ones. Sotis, failing just one Otherworld Mission could cripple a High Apostle, turning them from strong back to weak. Even those god-level and demon-level Apostles from ancient tis had all disappeared over the long years. No one knew what happened to them.

Most Apostles in Apostle City used masks and cloaks to hide their identities. Before confirming an opponent’s strength, few fools would deliberately provoke others.

For Apostles in Devil’s Horn, there was no such thing as testing the waters. Once provocation started, it had to end with a winner and loser. Cowards who retreated without fighting would soon be devoured by others, stripped down to their last Shattered Crystal.

“Hearing you say that, even if they can hide their identity, low-level Apostles don’t seem to benefit much in Devil’s Horn. Even if they just want to exchange experiences with other Apostles, their true strength could easily be detected, putting them in danger!” Qin Lun slightly frowned, looking strangely at the old demon.

“Haha, actually, low-level Apostles can grow fastest only in Apostle City. Cheap equipnt discarded by High Apostles, detailed information on Otherworld Missions, diverse city employnt tasks, sparring matches in various Arenas and Training Grounds…” Beruses shook his head with a smile.

“No single-race Floating City can offer low-level Apostles so much content and choice! As for safety, low-level Apostles receive so protection in every Apostle City. Devil’s Horn is the sa. One of the city employnt tasks for High Apostle teams is to investigate criminals who persecute low-level Apostles. Once caught, the punishnt is very severe, possibly even imdiate revocation of Apostle City resident status.”

“You ntioned resident status, and that City Points…” Qin Lun’s eyes flashed as he asked doubtfully.

“Devil’s Horn’s Apostle residents are divided into three types. One is permanent residents, who make up about half the city’s population. The second is semi-permanent residents. These Apostles have hos in Apostle City but often return to their original Floating City to live. Both types can have a formal identity in Devil’s Horn!”

Beruses paused, then continued, “The last type is wandering Apostles. These Apostles didn’t get recomndations from the manager races and are only temporarily staying in Devil’s Horn. Most leave after completing transactions or after so ti. Of course, they can also gain formal residency by completing city employnt tasks and accumulating City Points!”

“As for City Points, they relate to city employnt tasks. There are many types of employnt tasks. So are posted by Apostles themselves, usually involving information, special items, teaching specific knowledge, martial arts sparring partners, etc. The points for these tasks are paid by the Apostles themselves, with the managent authority acting as escrow! There are also employnt tasks posted by Devil’s Horn’s managent authority. Their content is more varied: war employnts from other Floating Cities, caravan guards, assassinations… anything is possible.”

“What can City Points be used for?” Qin Lun asked curiously.

“In Devil’s Horn, City Points are a hard currency. Even High Apostle teams and the manager council have no authority to add or subtract City Points. City Points are generated through the operation of Apostle City. Every point generated corresponds to an Apostle’s Shattered Crystals or equipnt items.” Beruses said solemnly.

So, Apostles incurred significant consumption in Devil’s Horn. Residence, food, equipnt repairs, potion replenishnt, etc., all required paying Devil’s Horn a certain amount of currency. Moreover, Apostle City didn’t accept Shattered Starry Sky currency, only special Apostle currencies. For example: Shattered Crystals, Soul Power Crystals, equipnt items…

Although City Points couldn’t be used outside, they were an indispensable currency in Apostle City. They could be used to post tasks, purchase special services only available in Apostle City. For example: hiring city-trained Alchemists to synthesize equipnt, using skill Training Grounds, employing life-type followers, etc.

The quantity and quality of Apostles in an Apostle City represented the city’s hard power, while accumulated City Points belonged to soft power. These points accumulated more than they were spent during normal tis. Neither High Apostle teams nor the manager council had the authority to use them.

Only when Apostle City posted large-scale employnt tasks would City Points be heavily consud. Generally, this happened either when Apostle City received a challenge from another Apostle City, or when the managing race faced an external invasion, requiring Apostle City to fulfill its protection obligation.

“Besides Sapient Races service personnel, Devil’s Horn usually maintained around twenty thousand Apostles. Last month, the City Hall’s stored City Points reached one million. During the Demon Clan’s managent period, City Points increased by over one hundred thousand.” Beruses said proudly, “The main reason those Elves ended up in their current situation is because during their managent period, City Points decreased by a full fifty thousand points.”

A city of twenty thousand people, with a main currency amount of only one million, aning an average of only fifty City Points per person. Qin Lun raised his eyebrows. The old demon’s words revealed two pieces of information to Qin Lun.

A currency amount of one million couldn’t possibly et the entire city’s consumption circulation. This showed both the preciousness of City Points and indicated that Formal Apostles had many private transactions not going through the city authority, since they had universal currencies like Shattered Crystals and Exchange Vouchers among themselves.

As for the Elven Race… Qin Lun glanced lightly at Beruses. The old guy’s words hid many things. Even if the Elven Race lacked business sense, they wouldn’t deplete so much.

Actually, he guessed correctly. During the years the Elven Race was in charge, a war happened among the Elven Race, between the Moonlit Elves and Night Elves. Although Apostle City fulfilled its war obligation, the consumption of City Points was unavoidable.

Moreover, since this war was for the Elven Race itself, the change in main managent rights beca inevitable, giving a sense of fate.

The Elven Race was ntally prepared to lose the main managent rights. They just didn’t expect the Demon Clan to unite with the other three manager races, planning to exclude them from the manager council.

Apostle City perford remarkably under the Demon Clan’s managent. Deducting task consumption, City Points increased by a full one hundred thousand in just a few years. Even without that war, the Demon Clan’s performance was better than the Elven Race’s.

Under this premise, plus the absence of other lawful-aligned Sapient Races in the manager council, the Elven Race imdiately fell into a desperate situation. Actually, in recent years, the Elven Race had tried hard to input Apostles from their racial Floating City into Apostle City, to win city people’s hearts. But facing the union of four manager races, they seed powerless despite their efforts.

The Moonlit Elves understood they absolutely couldn’t lose the managent rights of Apostle City. Otherwise, their racial influence would imdiately drop a level.

What did having managent rights of an Apostle City an? It ant the Moonlit Elves had twenty thousand Formal Apostles and hundreds of High Apostle teams behind them. Before Devil’s Horn was destroyed, no race could defeat the Moonlit Elves in war.

Losing the protection of Apostle City was like ancient China losing its nuclear umbrella. This was the Moonlit Elves’ Achilles’ heel, an unbearable weight.

“By the way, you said earlier that for new Apostles to establish themselves in Devil’s Horn, they just needed to follow one principle. What did that an exactly?” Qin Lun returned from his thoughts, looking calmly at the old demon.

“Haha, you already know that as long as identity is well hidden, generally, they won’t face deliberate provocation.” Beruses said with a smile, “But if they’re already involved in a dispute, then they must be very careful about one thing: don’t leak their Apostle number!”

Qin Lun lowered his head in thought. In Devil’s Horn, whether bullying or being bullied, it clearly created countless grudges. Apostles had nurous abilities, including skills and combat techniques similar to others. Body shape and appearance could also change at any ti. Even if participating in robbery, as long as they kept a low profile, nothing would happen.

If their unique Apostle number was leaked, the city punishnt was manageable, just so Shattered Crystals. But if other Apostles held a grudge, that was no small matter.

The old demon’s reminder was probably the most important point among all the information.