The true stars of this grand celebration were naturally the residents of the Witches' Forest.
This group included far more than just ordinary Transmigrators and Witches.
When the voice of the world's will echoed out, almost everyone shared the exact sa reaction.
They froze in stunned silence for a brief mont before erupting into deafening cheers.
"Haha! Overcoming all those obstacles to move here was absolutely the best decision of my life!"
A burly man covered in elaborate dragon and phoenix tattoos threw his head back and laughed heartily at the sky.
He was a native of District 666, having initially started his journey near the Abandoned Ruins.
Back when Sherlock had enslaved him, he had genuinely considered ending it all to escape the tornt. But then Lan Qingyou appeared, shining like a brilliant star in the dark night sky, leaving an indelible light of hope in the hearts of all the slaves who had been so cruelly wronged.
Because of that, the mont he heard they were accepting permanent residents, he packed up and rushed over.
Excluding the uninvited squatters, he was among the second wave of settlers to arrive at the Witches' Forest.
He hadn't co seeking the Witch's Potion, nor was he driven by so noble desire to repay his debts. He simply wanted a safe, stable place to live out the rest of his days in peace.
Having been stripped of his freedom to beco a slave, only to have it returned just as suddenly, he had gained a unique perspective.
No one understood the priceless value of a stable life better than him.
This held true even though he looked like a hardened felon.
Well, in all honesty, back on Blue Star, he probably was exactly that.
District 666 lacked many things, but criminals certainly were not one of them. After all, it served as a penal colony for the worst offenders from Blue Star.
In truth, there were quite a few people just like him.
Lan Qingyou had rescued a massive number of slaves back in the day, after all.
It was safe to say that nearly half the population of the Abandoned City had migrated over via the Teleportation Array established by the Supre Council the mont Diana announced they were accepting new residents.
"The Temporary Leave Scroll was a bit pricey, but looking at things now, it was an absolute bargain."
A beautiful woman standing nearby, who had purchased one of the scrolls sold by the Witches, nodded in smug agreent.
Unlike the burly man, she hailed from a completely different region.
Her initial reason for coming here was purely to try her luck and see if she could secure a Witch's Potion.
Only upon arriving did she learn that a re few days prior, a batch of one hundred lucky individuals had already received the coveted elixir.
Refusing to miss her chance, she imdiately liquidated all her assets back ho and bought property in the Witches' Forest, hoping to strike it rich on her next gamble.
Later, when she heard about a scroll that could entirely relocate a Shelter, she gritted her teeth, bought one, and anchored her ho on the outer fringes of the Witches' Forest.
Since she was not a Witch, she had no inherent land rights, and her remaining funds were woefully insufficient to purchase a proper plot.
This temporary asure had been her only viable option.
At the end of the day, as long as she survived, it hardly mattered how badly her Shelter was battered by Mana Turbulence or a passing Mana Tide.
The two of them were hardly alone in their excitent; animated chatter buzzed throughout the entire crowd.
"The Witches' Forest is definitely the place to be. Thank goodness I didn't listen to those idiots telling to move to Holy Kabbalah."
"Why are you still calling it the Witches' Forest? It's Typhon City now."
"Actually, the official na is Witches' Forest—Typhon City."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. You clearly know better than the world's will itself. Are you the legendary know-it-all or sothing?"
"Whatever you want to call it, I actually think the na has a nice ring to it."
"Nice ring to it? Typhon is literally a god of destruction. Doesn't that make this the City of Destruction?"
"What, you don't like it? If you don't like it, you can pack up and get the hell out. Why are you even still here? Just begging for a beating?"
"Hey, back off! I never said I didn't like it! I just thought it was a bit ominous, that's all. I wonder who even ca up with it."
"Who else but the Tower Witch?"
"Now that you ntion it, doesn't the 'Tower' Tarot Card also symbolize destruction?"
"Oh! So she nad the city to match her own Title? Well, when you put it like that, it makes perfect sense."
Rumble!
Right as the gossip reached its peak, a violent tremor shook the earth. The crowd gasped as a towering wall composed of massive blue-grey stone blocks erupted from the ground in the distance, rising precisely where the boundary of the magical array t the outside world.
Those standing further away couldn't see the details clearly.
But those positioned near the periter had a perfect view.
This was especially true for the very first wave of squatters who had audaciously set up camp within the Witches' Forest.
Because they had trespassed illegally, they had constructed their makeshift hos on the absolute outer fringes. This was a strategic choice, ensuring they had a quick escape route in case the Witches decided to evict them—or massacre them outright.
To their utter astonishnt, not only had their residency been officially recognized, but the very patches of land they had illegally occupied were formally allocated to them for proper housing.
The only caveat was that the city's infrastructure had to be completed first; they could only work on their private hos during their off-hours.
Even with that stipulation, it was still a monuntal stroke of good fortune.
Thus, the original wave of illegal immigrants officially beca the residents of the city's outermost district.
Naturally, living right on the boundary line was a deeply unsettling experience.
Whenever a Mana Turbulence or Mana Tide ravaged the land, gazing out at the apocalyptic chaos separated only by a paper-thin barrier of energy was enough to make anyone's heart pound with sheer terror.
But things were different now.
With a towering physical wall acting as a shield, they could finally adopt an 'out of sight, out of mind' ntality.
The massive stone blocks gave the ramparts an aura of absolute, unbreakable solidity.
Bolstered by this newfound sense of security, a few brave souls ventured up the matching stone staircases to stand atop the ramparts.
The top of the wall wasn't excessively wide, spanning roughly ten ters across.
Peering over the edge, they were greeted by the familiar sight of the Abandoned Forest. Yet, viewed from this new, secure vantage point, the forrly dreaded wilderness suddenly held a refreshing charm.
The massive circular periter featured eight sets of colossal, double-leaved iron gates, each perfectly aligned with one of the eight cardinal directions.
If it weren't for the lack of paved roads leading out of them, the gates would have looked like perfectly natural extensions of a bustling tropolis.
"A perfectly circular wall, a picturesque river flowing through a bustling town... Man, I feel like I've just been dropped right into the middle of a generic fantasy ani."
High up in the branches of a massive tree, a man casually muttered this complaint as he chipped away at a hollowed-out wooden chamber, gazing down at the sprawling layout below.
His companion, who was busy hamring a wooden railing into place, chuckled softly.
"You an that default circular city that pops up in literally every single isekai ani?"
"Exactly! The classic circular fantasy town. Tsk, tsk, the imrsion is just off the charts right now, isn't it?"
"Too bad we aren't heroes or demon kings. Hell, we aren't even registered adventurers."
"If you're feeling that nostalgic, why not just trot down to the Adventurer's Guild and register as one?"
The man set down his tools, brushed the sawdust from his palms, and shot a cheerful grin at his friend.
"Nah, I'll pass. I was never cut out for a life of violence. I'm just happy to finally settle down in peace. Besides, I actually just opened up a restaurant over on Fenrir Avenue. You should drop by later to try it out—I'll even give you a fair price."
"You own a restaurant, yet you're still out here doing manual labor?"
"Hey, this is the tree hollow I bought. I'm working on my own house."
"Fair enough... A restaurant, huh? That actually sounds pretty good. Let's head over right now."
"It's just a sha that alcohol is so ridiculously expensive these days, otherwise we could share a few drinks."
"Don't even dream about it. I heard that even the Witches only use alcohol as a base for brewing Potions."
"Tsk, tsk. Boiling down precious liquor just to make dicine. Those Witches really do live in the lap of luxury."
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