How Should I Choose
Li Hanqiang was overjoyed when he read the chain of system notifications.
He began to gather his thoughts.
The City Defense Center had just been constructed and it had awarded two City Defense Technologies for free, which were Demolish Defensive Tower and Repair Defensive Tower.
Li Hanqiang checked the descriptions of both of these technologies and realized that both the Chaotic City Lord and the Chief Officer could oversee the demolition and repair of Defensive Towers while it was the citizens who carried out the work. Regardless of demolition or repair, both required the spending of gold coins.
Furthermore, the expenditure of gold coins would come directly from the Chaotic Treasury. The gold coins on the Chaotic City Lord's body would not be relevant. If the Chaos' Core was not Level 2, it could not be used. Li Hanqiang had no way to check out the characteristics of the City Defense Center, nor could he receive any quests for City Defense Technologies or Stone Slab Technologies.
Young monk Huixin had finished his work and came over to Li Hanqiang, his hands held together as he said, "I have summoned the City Defense Center. My Lord, this City Defense Center is a critical building in the Chaotic City. In the future, I will be stationed there. As the Chaos' Core has yet to be upgraded, a lot of its functions have yet to be unlocked. My Lord, please consider upgrading the Chaos' Core at the first opportunity."
"Upgrading the Chaos' Core…" Li Hanqiang rubbed his jaw. Suddenly, a doubt crossed his mind.
This young monk Huixin was a Chief Officer he had snatched. According to the normal development plan, if he were to upgrade the Chaos' Core, only then would he gain a Chief Officer. Could a Chaotic City allow for two Chief Officers to exist at the same time?
Li Hanqiang asked, "Little Monk, I need to ask. How many Chief Officers can there be in a Chaotic City?"
"How many?" Huixin replied, "Of course there can only be one! Chief Officers are sent by an Empire and considered registered members of said Empires. A Chaotic City may only have one Chief Officer."
Li Hanqiang frowned. If he could only have one Chief Officer then what would happen after he upgraded the Chaos' Core? Would he just not receive a Chief Officer? Then what use was there in stealing a Chief Officer?
"I don't think it will be that way." Li Hanqiang shook his head. "I managed to steal away a Chief Officer through my own ability. Why would they replace him with another one?"
He thought about what young monk Huixin said and asked him, "Hang on, you said that Chief Officers are assigned by an Empire?"
Huixin nodded. "Of course. Us Chief Officers are the bridge that links the Chaotic City with the Empire Camps. Chaotic City Lords can receive quests issued by the Empire such as Gold Reward Quests, Bounty Quests, Investigation Quests, and more through us. We are the registered members of the Empire!"
"What if I don't join an Empire Camp!" Li Hanqiang asked. He had a sudden, daring thought.
"Don't join an Empire Camp?" Huixin paused. "How can this be? Not joining an Empire Camp means that our Chaotic City… To put it nicely, we'll be independent. However, to be candid, we'll just be pirates without a camp!"
"Independent? Campless pirates? What's the downside of that?" Li Hanqiang asked.
Huixin sighed and spoke, "My Lord, not joining an Empire Camp means you cannot gain military rank, and so you cannot gain the support of the Empire Void Airships. You also cannot gain the use of Empire Camp services and I also cannot initiate any Bounty or Reward Quests. How are we to develop in the future?"
"What?" Li Hanqiang knelt next to Young Monk Huixim, "Come, come, tell me. How many Camps are there?"
Huixin replied, "The Endless World has three Empires and therefore, three Empire Camps. They are respectively the Red Dragon Empire, the Magic Dragon Empire, and the Star Dragon Empire. Because My Lord has raided Chaotic City No. 69, we currently have negative relations with the Red Dragon Empire and are unable to join them for 30 days. However, we can still join the Magic Dragon Empire or the Star Dragon Empire. Once we join, you will not only be able to gain the support of the Void Airships sent over by the Empire, but you may also gain military rank."
"What's military rank? What use is it?" Li Hanqiang asked.
"Military rank… In the beginning, you will start off with the rank of a normal soldier. When you start to complete more and more Empire quests from me, you will gain military merit. With military merit, you can raise your military rank. There are many benefits to a high military rank, such as discounts on Empire purchases. Most importantly, with a high military rank, the Defensive Tower Shop in the Chaotic City can sell High-Level Defensive Towers!
"Normal soldier, that's the lowest rank possible, isn't it! I, a great City Lord, will only be the lowliest grunt when joining an Empire. Then won't you, a Chief Officer, be of even lower rank? Is that fitting?" Li Hanqiang thought about it seriously before continuing, "Tell me about the High-Level Defensive Towers that can be unlocked by the Defensive Tower Shop."
Huixin said, "As far as I know, if you join the Red Dragon Empire, the Defensive Tower Shop will unlock various Arrow Tower type Defensive Towers such as the Heavy Arrow Tower, the Rapid Fire Arrow Tower, the Long Range Arrow Tower, and more. Joining the Magic Dragon Empire will unlock the elemental series of Defensive Towers, such as the Ice Tower, Fire Tower, and Lightning Tower. Joining the Star Dragon Empire will unlock Cannon Tower type Defensive Towers, such as the Grenade Launcher Tower, Heavy Cannon Tower, and more. The higher the military rank, the higher the level of Defensive Tower you can buy."
"Then what are void airships?" Li Hanqiang continued to ask.
"Void airships are war engines that are able to travel through the Chaotic Void. With Chaotic Airships, we can bring our troops to explore the Chaotic Void and complete various quests such as Gold Rewards and Bounty Quests, as well as scavenge for resources." Huixin said. "When we join a Camp, the Empire will send us a void airship."
"Is that so…" Li Hanqiang began to think again. After a long while, he spoke, "Back to the original question. If I do not join any Camp, would I be able to gain two or more Chief Officers?"
Huixin frowned and thought for a moment before replying, "Theoretically, maybe, perhaps yes! However, what's the use of multiple Chief Officers? Am I not enough? Furthermore, if you do not join a Camp, the Chief Officer cannot initiate Camp quests and what would be the point then!"
"You Chief Officers have your passive skills!" Li Hanqiang rubbed the bald head of the young monk Huixin.
Whether or not he joined an Empire Camp was a question that would require careful thought from Li Hanqiang.
There were many benefits from joining a Camp, but many limitations as well.
He could only have one Chief Officer. Was that not a limitation?
Perhaps in the future, there were other officers and they would also definitely be limited to one.
Furthermore, between Chaotic Cities of the same camp, he worried that they would not be able to attack each other. Even worse, they would not be able to rob each other.
Li Hanqiang had the Cave Dwelling in Gremlin's Mountain that could rob other Chaotic Cities and even kidnap people. He had already opened the door to a whole new world and had no intention of closing it.
However, if he did not join a Camp and just stayed where he was robbing whoever he liked, the Defensive Tower Shop would not be able to sell the new High-Level Defensive Towers and he would not be able to receive the airship from the camp. That too, was a loss.
How would he choose?