From a Level 7 territory to a Level 9 territory in one leap, the monsters that appeared to attack White Night City that night grew even stronger.
That evening, alongside a horde of elite monsters ranging from Level 50 to 60 emerging from the void fissures, a massive three-headed flying beast—the Mutated Chimera—also made its appearance.
[Mutated Chimera]
Level: 70
HP: 6,000,000/6,000,000
Skills: Incitement, Magic Immunity I, Toxic Flame Breath
Weaknesses: Heads, Wings, Heart
The skill "Incitement" could amplify the attack damage of nearby monsters, while "Magic Immunity I" meant it was immune to all first-tier magic. "Toxic Flame Breath" was its signature AoE skill.
However, this time, Ye Bai wasn’t fighting alone. White Night City now had over 400 combat units, with nearly 300 of them having reached Level 60, making them the top-tier soldiers in the Ten Thousand Realms.
Add to that the economic foundation of White Night City—Ye Bai had been tirelessly occupying and excavating resource points, efficiently gathering vast amounts of high-tier resources. The best attribute gear produced in the territory was prioritized for the soldiers, while the second-tier equipment was sold to players.
Combined with battle formations and war machinery, White Night City’s military strength had reached the point where it could easily conquer an NPC town. With enough accumulated knowledge, it might even stand toe-to-toe with a main city.
With such a setup, even a Level 70 siege boss like the Mutated Chimera was manageable.
Elite soldiers marched beyond the city walls to face the Chimera, while other areas were assigned corresponding forces to deal with the elite monsters.
"One, two, three—Formation! Raise shields!"
Seeing the Mutated Chimera open its maw in the sky, Blaze immediately shouted. The next moment, a torrent of toxic, curse-laden green flames crashed against the shields raised by White Night City’s soldiers.
"Boom!"
The defensive formation, a later invention of Blaze, reduced the damage by 50%. Additionally, the soldiers wielded rare-tier [Obsidian Shields], forged from heavy gold, which boasted exceptional magic resistance and damage mitigation. Currently, only White Night City’s elite soldiers could wield this mass-produced gear—making it the most coveted defensive weapon among countless players.
The reason for its desirability wasn’t just its quality—high-tier equipment wasn’t rare in the Ten Thousand Realms. The key was that White Night City’s gear was mass-produced. As a player, Ye Bai could selectively manufacture equipment with attributes highly practical for players, available for purchase as long as one had the coin.
In contrast, NPC towns followed their own development patterns. Players could only obtain high-tier gear through limited quests or by gambling on random attributes in shops—like Ye Bai’s "Snowblade," where most players relied on luck to find gear that suited them.
Thus, White Night City, with its ever-upgrading industry, had become the largest equipment wholesaler in the Blue Star server. Many players from other regions even paid extra shipping fees to have friends "online shop" for them when they couldn’t find suitable gear.
Of course, the mass-produced gear sold to players was only available after White Night City’s own needs were met. So for now, the [Obsidian Shields] remained an envious sight for players watching the territory’s upgrade from afar.
After enduring the Chimera’s attack, the soldiers behind their shields suffered minimal direct damage—most of the harm came from the toxicity and curses carried by the flames.
At that moment, a glow enveloped the frontline shield-bearers—a [Dispel] cast by five newly promoted magic apprentices of White Night City.
Ye Bai had prioritized talent cultivation since unlocking education-related technologies, and now, the first fruits of that effort were blooming.
With access to arcane knowledge and the establishment of the territory’s primary academy, the battle also saw the participation of its first batch of magic apprentices, alchemists, and warlocks.
The magic apprentices served as support casters on the Chimera’s main battlefield, while alchemists and warlocks played their roles on the flanks—alchemists operated war machinery, occasionally triggering explosions, while warlocks unleashed various supernatural abilities to weaken and disrupt monster hordes, turning them against each other.
Ye Bai herself didn’t directly join the fight but observed from atop the city walls, occasionally intervening at critical moments.
Interstellar players who had expected a repeat of White Night’s "Undead Cataclysm" were disappointed. Still, as the battle progressed, they resumed their busy screenshotting.
As the only player-owned city in the Ten Thousand Realms, every major change in White Night City was enough to make galactic headlines.
This upgrade, coming two months after the last, not only dominated trending topics on the StarNet but also prompted frantic analysis by research teams across civilizations:
"White Night City’s military units have caught up to main cities—estimates suggest their top-tier forces are already Level 60 elite soldiers…"
"The real game-changer is the equipment! A single tier gap in gear is massive. Our best players are just hitting Level 50, and third-class advancements are at least two months away."
"And the knowledge—quests that boost school affinities have always been our top priority. How did White Night accumulate so much affinity so quickly?"
"White Night City is heavily investing in tourism—likely the next big trend. We need to prepare early…"
Beyond individual combat prowess, this battle showcased White Night City’s comprehensive strength—its military’s effectiveness was backed by formidable economic and technological foundations.
"Groooar…!"
As the battle neared its end, Felix, wielding the rare-tier greatsword [Stormfang], leaped onto the Chimera’s back and drove the blade deep into the crevice between its three heads.
[Stormfang], forged from materials dropped by a void rift boss, was on the cusp of legendary tier and could be upgraded further. It was the latest masterpiece of Vider, White Night City’s top blacksmith, crafted specifically for his former apprentice, Felix.
This final strike, delivered as dawn approached, emptied the boss’s remaining HP, marking the end of the siege.
The interstellar players, having dutifully played the role of war correspondents all night, remained well-behaved. The trauma from the last player-led assault on White Night City lingered, and no one dared to entertain any ill intentions toward the territory now.
Eventually, to redeem their exploded equipment, players had no choice but to participate in White Night City's comprehensive infrastructure upgrade. Without any orders from above, they developed a sense of familiarity and affection for the place.
After all, when two players chatted casually on the streets of White Night City, the conversation could easily turn to things like, "See this brick on the ground? I was the one who laid it," or "This field was dug by me back then…"
Following this battle, the research teams that had been closely monitoring White Night's actions still only understood her based on her previous feats—her "third-tier profession" and "one-woman army" reputation. But their perception of White Night City's power had been refreshed once again.
Other lords who received the news watched as White Night City's territory rating soared past the 200,000 mark after the upgrade, jumping from just over 130,000. Even lords like Zeta and Himo, backed by cosmic-level civilizations, couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness—
White Night was strong—that was something all players across the realms already knew. But in the past, she was flying solo. Now, she was lifting her entire territory with her!
...
By the time dawn broke, the battle had completely ended. The wounded and exhausted soldiers began receiving treatment and resting, while workers from various sectors of the city stepped out of their homes and headed to the outer districts to clean up the battlefield.
Now, the most skilled hunters in White Night City had reached expert-level skinning proficiency, ensuring that materials from the Chimera boss were utilized to their fullest potential. Ye Bai didn’t even need to loot the corpse herself.
Moreover, during this battle, Ye Bai had barely intervened—she wanted to test the combat capabilities of her territory when left to its own devices.
Ye Bai was about to head to the Divine Realm for a main quest. Even though other interstellar civilizations were currently preoccupied with accumulating faction influence and had no energy to spare for White Night City, it was still necessary to flex a little muscle—just in case.
The results satisfied her. White Night City’s strength in every aspect now matched that of a true city. Even if she wasn’t present, no other force would dare challenge it.
Afterward, Ye Bai approached the Tree of Creation and touched its trunk.
According to White Night City’s information, the territory had reached level nine—just one step away from the final tier, level ten.
For NPC territories, the highest level was nine, known as a [Capital City]. Player territories, however, needed to reach level ten to achieve the same status. The difference was that all NPC capitals belonged exclusively to a single faction, while player capitals could integrate the strengths of three factions, achieving the ultimate "Trinity."
That said, the requirements for reaching level ten were the longest and most difficult of all territory upgrades—presented as an extensive checklist, with each condition practically qualifying as an "achievement" in its own right.
Population reaching 30,000; resident nobles exceeding 300; number of professional combatants surpassing 1,000; elite professionals numbering more than 10.
Full-time education coverage exceeding 30%; possession of an advanced academy and a grand library.
Monthly territorial revenue exceeding 10,000 gold coins.
Number of ultimate-tier military units surpassing 500.
Number of territorial inventions…
When "Realms" was being developed, the creators never expected every player to upgrade their territory to level ten. This achievement was reserved for the most hardcore players—those who invested immense time, effort, and money into the game, earning them a place in its hall of fame.
Once a player’s territory became a capital, it would receive a unique title—one recognized not just among players but also by NPCs, forever etched into the history of the Realms.
For players who loved the game, reaching this milestone would bring an unparalleled sense of accomplishment.
And for Ye Bai, her feelings toward "Realms" ran even deeper.
Standing beneath the Tree of Creation, she gazed at the vibrant city before her, as if seeing the moment she first built a campfire and dug a well. Overcome with emotion, she couldn’t help but smile wistfully.
"Before I knew it… we’ve already come this far…"
