Lord of the Myriad Worlds

Chapter 91: Thomas the City Builder

This moment!

The humble wheelbarrow, with the wooden raft lashed on top, hurtling downhill at this speed — anyone hit by it would be coming away with at least a few broken bones.

These were bandits, not trained soldiers. Naturally, their instinct was to dodge left or right.

And that was exactly what Li Wei had been waiting for!

His understanding of space and angles was beyond what ordinary people could comprehend. In layman's terms: extraordinary spatial awareness and razor-sharp eyesight.

Combined with the bodily stability and balance his 10 Agility points provided, plus the parkour he'd been practicing — it was like giving wings to a tiger.

So in that split-second, Li Wei shouted at Leon to hold steady while simultaneously surging forward onto the wheelbarrow in a single explosive step. He hurled the wooden spear at a bandit holding a round shield — one who appeared to be a squad leader, orchestrating the other two in an orderly dodge.

At less than fifteen meters, even a moving target didn't faze Li Wei.

And there was no dodging it.

Even the shield was useless. The wooden spear punched through the left side of the man's neck and erupted out from his right ribcage.The sheer force behind that throw was staggering!

And that single strike utterly demolished the fighting spirit of the remaining two bandits.

When the two men in front — faces splattered with their comrade's blood — threw down their weapons and fled in a blind panic, the chain reaction was massive.

Especially when Li Wei turned around with bow in hand. Just his gaze was enough — the two bandits to the north broke first.

Even though they still numbered six. Even though the other side seemed to have only one real fighter.

But could the two situations really be compared?

They exchanged one look, said nothing, merged into one group, and retreated southward.

That's right — retreated. Not routed.

They could clearly see that out of Li Wei's four, only one could actually fight.

If they could just close the distance, who would die was anyone's guess.

But none of them were willing to be the first to die.

Because up to this point, Li Wei hadn't missed a single shot.

Arrow out — guaranteed kill.

"Leon, go help Mom. Sis, take over pushing."

Li Wei's voice was calm, but in truth, his Stamina was nearly depleted. He'd staked everything on breaking the front line. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the energy to even run away.

What Stamina remained was just enough to maintain this final veneer of composure.

Soon, Leon brought back the wild-eyed Fila, while the four bandits had already retreated over two hundred meters. They regrouped with the two who'd been scared witless, then headed toward the camp entrance — hoping their allies had taken the gate. If they could hold that fortress, the future might still hold possibilities.

But as they arrived, they saw Thomas dragging an axe with one hand, drenched from head to toe in blood, emerging like some blood-soaked butcher of men. A single bandit was fleeing desperately ahead of him.

When that lone bandit merged with the six others and they finally mustered a sliver of courage for a countercharge—

Penny pushed the wheelbarrow over, carrying Li Wei. He held his bow at the ready. Even without making a move, the mere sight of him sent ice through the bandits' veins. Well then — admitting defeat was no shame.

With a collective scramble, the seven bandits turned and bolted. Not one of them dared look back.

Only then did Li Wei and Thomas collapse to the ground simultaneously. Leon and Penny were left gasping for air, and Fila could only lie sprawled in the grass, as if her spirit had departed for the heavens.

That had been far too close!

Thomas had been playing with fire. He'd been courting death!

And now look — Margaret had been killed because of it.

At that moment, lines of text appeared before everyone, essentially declaring the battle over.

[You have won this battle by the narrowest of margins. The ambushing bandits suffered heavy casualties and fled in disarray. However, you lack the strength to pursue them. This may pose unknown threats in the future, but for now — you have won.]

[Head of Household Thomas fought valiantly, holding a nearly impossible position in a one-against-ten stand at the camp entrance. Using the city wall as a defensive position, he slew six bandits. His courage and actions have partially mitigated his culpability. However, this does not excuse his brutal, autocratic behavior. He must bear responsibility for family member Margaret's death. He will be punished and will receive no Family Contribution from this battle. Nevertheless, he remains Head of Household until the end of this month.]

[Family member George demonstrated calm decisiveness and actively commanded other members. Utilizing available tools and weapons, he launched an effective offensive against the invading bandits. With the cooperation of other family members, he successfully killed four elite bandits. His merit is beyond question. His Family Defender title has been upgraded once more. When equipped, it now grants an 80 Contribution bonus. Additionally, he receives 60 Family Contribution Points as a reward.]

[Family member Penny remained calm and composed, actively supporting George, completing two assist kills. She receives 10 Family Contribution Points.]

[Family member Leon remained calm and composed, actively supporting George, completing two assist kills. He receives 15 Family Contribution Points.]

[Family member Fila, though her performance was rather poor, successfully called one target and completed one assist kill. She receives 5 Family Contribution Points.]

[Warning: There is no evidence to suggest the bandits will not bear a grudge and rally more forces for another attack. Remain battle-ready at all times.]

[Note: All battle spoils from this engagement belong to the family treasury. Distribution will occur during final settlement.]

—

[You have received 60 Contribution. Current total Contribution: 420 (with Family Defender title equipped)]

[You have received 400 Hunting Experience. Current total: 595.]

—

"Wahhh! Margaret, my dear friend, how could you leave me?!"

Outside the camp, Penny wept as though her heart would break. Nearby, Margaret's body had been buried in a small earthen mound. Next to it lay another mound — the grave of Anson, the family's adopted father.

Thomas said nothing. He sat in total silence, the light in his eyes flickering like twin ghost flames.

Margaret hadn't truly died, of course, but she'd clearly been one of Thomas's closest companions. After all, the way those two had thrown themselves into building the stone wall this month — that reckless, life-be-damned intensity — was genuinely awe-inspiring.

The question now was: what was Thomas going to do next?

Only seven days remained in the month.

Li Wei and the others certainly weren't going to complete their monthly main tasks.

Everyone settled into the camp — or up on the wall — rotating through patrols and rest shifts. The bandits could circle back at any moment, and nobody dared waste time.

Oh, except for Li Wei. He still had the mood to weed the wheat fields.

The two acres of winter wheat were growing splendidly. He estimated another month or so — early summer — and they'd be ready for harvest.

Wonderful.

The two acres of ordinary wheat were doing well too, though there was a concern: once the winter wheat was harvested, what should he plant next?

If Li Wei remembered correctly, you couldn't grow the same crop in the same soil continuously. Crop rotation was essential. Unfortunately, he didn't even have seeds for any other crops at the moment.

After finishing the weeding, he moved on to clearing irrigation channels and watering the fields. With that done, Li Wei climbed up onto the wall to bask in the sun — and incidentally, watch Thomas's one-man show.

Yes — Fila, Penny, Leon, and Li Wei, all four of them, had spent these past days in an unspoken, eerie synchronicity: observing, watching, waiting for Thomas to literally work himself to death.

Truly, that was what they were all hoping for.

Thomas was pushing himself beyond all reason.

Whether it was Margaret's death that had shocked him into this state was hard to say, but the man was skeletal, swaying when he walked, looking like a strong gust might blow him away — and yet he refused to rest. Every day, without a single word, he ate and went straight to work. Fifteen hours a day, without fail.

Honestly, it was surreal.

Just how deep were his Life reserves that he could burn through them like this?

All for a title. What title could possibly be worth this?

Since Thomas's arrival last autumn — nearly seven months now — he'd shaved off at least thirty years of his lifespan.

Every single day, Li Wei was certain Thomas wouldn't make it to the morning. And every morning, Thomas would appear again, swaying on his feet. Working. As long as life remained, work never ended.

And so the days passed. The bandits never returned for a second assault. But Thomas really was on the verge of finishing the wall.

On the evening of the month's final day, Li Wei, Penny, Fila, and Leon stood at the camp entrance, watching Thomas in the sunset light, still frantically packing earth atop the wall. He looked like a stick figure.

The setting sun stretched his shadow impossibly long — an eerie sight. Faintly, it almost seemed as if Margaret's ghost was there beside him, helping to shovel earth.

But the wall — 180 meters in perimeter, its core packed with crushed stone and clay — had truly been completed by his hands. All it was missing was a proper gate.

"Ahahahahaha!"

As the sun finally sank below the horizon, Thomas let out a ragged, owl-like laugh. He collapsed against the wall, seemingly crying and laughing at the same time.

Almost simultaneously, lines of text materialized before everyone.

[Professional Warrior * has spent seven months, with the help of all family members, successfully constructing a Level 2 city wall. He has earned the special title — City Builder. When this title is equipped and heavy armor is worn, he gains an additional 10 Defense and a 10% chance to trigger a one-second stagger on the target. This effect cannot stack with other titles.]

[Professional Warrior has been granted renaming rights. From this day forward, "Thomas the City Builder" shall be his unique designation.]

[Thomas the City Builder has completed his mission in this world. He will depart from this world in 10 seconds.]

[Note: Thomas the City Builder's completion of a title task in this world is permitted by the rules. After this month's end-of-month summary, a new player will join the family. Their identity will be determined based on the results of the monthly summary. Similar situations may arise in the future.]

—

'Holy—'

'No wonder Thomas had been so desperate. He really was pursuing a title all along. He really was a Defense specialist.'

'That title is insanely strong!'

Li Wei and the others stood there, hearts churning with shock and complicated emotions, watching in silence as Thomas was enveloped in gray mist and vanished from atop the wall.