Frostgate City - a place of glass towers, floating lanterns, and spirit mist glowing in the air. Thousands of players and NPC cultivators walked the stone-paved streets, each carrying ambition in their eyes.
But Rayan, known only as Zero, walked in silence - observing everything.
This was the first true city on the Eastern Continent, and unlike starter towns, it was alive with legacy and control.
City Structure and Power Distribution
Rayan had spent the morning walking through districts, asking quiet questions, listening to whispers, and checking official boards. What he learned was this:
Frostgate wasn't ruled by a single king.
Instead, it was balanced — held up by four pillars of power:
The Three Great Families (Branches):
1. Kapoor Family
Controlled: Cultivation Rooms (Spirit Qi Chambers) Alchemy Hall (for pills, herbs, spiritual roots) Blacksmith Hall (equipment crafting using monster cores and rare ores) Known for efficiency and fairness. Their members rarely fought in public but held massive influence behind scenes.
2. Dhull Family
Controlled: Auction House - largest in the city. Secret intelligence networks. Ruthless, business-minded. They profited from everything traded, even in the shadows.
3. Singh Family
Controlled:
Restaurants and Inns Array Master's Hall - for formations and defense barriers. Outwardly friendly, but every meal you ate gave them information and control. Their food also doubled as cultivation nourishment.
These families were only branches. Their real strength lay far away — in the Central Kingdom, the heart of Heavenly Place.
The Fourth Pillar: City Master
The city had a City Master, appointed by the system.
He managed law, taxes, and monster defenses.
But — he could not rule the three families.
"Their powers are equal'" someone whispered to Rayan, "None dares start open war."
"So it's a cold balance," Rayan murmured.
He had no intention of joining any of them. But he knew now — to grow, he had to learn their systems.
Cultivation Room — Kapoor Chamber
He visited a Cultivation Room owned by the Kapoor family
"Once I break into the next stage... I'll start forging my foundation."