Chapter 10: Allocation of Jurisdictions

Following the given address, Liu Zhi and Connor arrived in front of a small building named the "Hedran Mercenary Guild." Connor didn’t ask any questions and pushed the door open, finding seven or eight necromancers already seated on the sofas in the hall.

Liu Zhi and Connor took off their scaled raincoats and shook them vigorously to dry off the rain before entering the hall, holding their coats in their arms.

Liu Zhi noticed that none of the necromancers were idle; even while waiting, they were all absorbed in their own affairs—some meditating, others perusing magic tomes or calculating something. When Liu Zhi and Connor entered, they merely glanced up briefly but paid them no further mind.

After a moment’s thought, Liu Zhi found a place to sit and casually picked up a copy of the Malik Daily to read.

Perhaps because both players and anomalies coexisted in this world, the daily made no effort to censor such matters. Flipping through the pages, Liu Zhi found several reports of murders committed by anomalies, and even an advertisement for a haunted house for rent.

This struck Liu Zhi as both amusing and absurd.

Just then, a man emerged from inside. Liu Zhi immediately recognized him as a necromancer, though he appeared quite young—no older than forty. Yet his presence gave Liu Zhi the odd sensation of looking at his great-grandfather.

Though standing right before him, the man seemed somehow absent, an eerie feeling that unsettled Liu Zhi deeply.

The necromancer held a stack of documents and spoke solemnly, “Greetings, everyone. I am now the captain of the corpse collection unit for the Bunnel District. My name is Weyrd, but you may call me Captain. I will usually be stationed here, so if you have any matters, come directly to me. Now, I will outline the patrol areas assigned to each player. Someone will accompany you to your posts shortly.”

“Additionally, each district will have five police officers assigned. Should any issues arise, they will handle them. As for your summoned familiars and undead servants, they are not permitted to appear on the streets at will; they may only operate freely within your assigned districts. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal clear,” Liu Zhi involuntarily jumped at Weyrd’s shout.

When he calmed down, he saw that all the necromancers present had done the same.

Weyrd nodded in satisfaction. “Good. Now, I will explain your specific assignments and provide some information about your districts. Bowman, you will take point at Sewer Junction Three. It is a convergence point for the sewers. Besides monitoring the rift conditions of the Phantom Netherworld, you must also keep an eye on drainage issues there…”

As Weyrd continued assigning tasks, Liu Zhi gradually realized what Connor had mentioned—the prime spots like the sewers had long been taken by families with influence.

Fortunately, Liu Zhi seemed to have some luck. He was assigned to a small courtyard near Golden Scissors Street on the west side of Bunnel District.

The name "Golden Scissors Street" was a later invention; the street itself was shaped like a tilted fork. Using Eastern geomantic terminology, it was a scissor-mouth—a place where those who passed through often met with misfortune or violent ends.

Of course, this was merely an excuse. The true reason the area needed guarding was that, during foundation work intended for a small pier, the construction had struck a sinkhole connected to the Yew Swamp. Nearly twenty workers had been swallowed whole.

Since then, the foundation could not be properly laid. The construction team gave up the original plan and transformed the site into what is now Golden Scissors Street.

However, the bodies of those twenty workers were never recovered. This tragedy had stirred the energies of the Phantom Netherworld, forcibly tearing open a rift here and turning what was meant to be a functional pier into its current state—too dangerous for large ships to dock and too ominous for smaller vessels to approach.

Upon arriving, Liu Zhi’s duties included suppressing the Netherworld rift and daily monitoring of seven streetlamps at the intersection of Golden Scissors Street, ensuring none ever went dark.

What would become of the pier district was beyond Liu Zhi’s concern.

After hearing his assignment, five police officers were assigned to accompany Liu Zhi. Observing them, he noticed they were all ordinary humans. Their most impressive weapons were batons crafted from white bone—visually imposing, yet comparable in strength to Liu Zhi’s own skeletal soldiers.

Judging by their treatment of these batons, Liu Zhi sensed they were primarily tools for self-preservation.

Noticing Liu Zhi’s attention focused on the baton, the lead officer chuckled, “These are fine pieces our chief got from the Bone Guard. They’re not great for fighting people but are quite effective against anomalies. At least they give us some courage.”

“You say your chief, but I thought I was the top authority around Golden Scissors,” Liu Zhi teased.

The lead officer laughed too. “No, you’re just the only corpse collector near Golden Scissors, helping to keep the horrors at bay. The actual law and order here still depends on us police.”

Liu Zhi tilted his head, noticing despite their respectful demeanor, the officers’ eyes held a trace of resentment—not directed at players, but a sign of territorial grievance.

He was puzzled, unable to grasp the full picture.

Just then, Connor was assigned his own post and came to Liu Zhi’s side. “Sandler, our districts are close. Drop by sometime for a visit.”

Connor winked at him, clearly implying something.

Liu Zhi pulled Connor aside. “Connor, have you noticed something?”

“No, I’ve heard some rumors. Your district has a bit of profit potential, provided you don’t cause trouble.”

Liu Zhi frowned, thinking it over. “That abandoned pier is on the city’s outskirts. Are they using it for shady dealings?”

“As long as you know, it’s none of our business,” Connor patted Liu Zhi’s shoulder. “If I were you, I’d negotiate the division of interests on the way there. As long as your demands aren’t too high, they’ll just see you as an additional target for their offerings, not a threat.”

With that, Connor winked again and turned to leave.