Fifteen days after Alek's death, Cross Street had completely vanished from Obsidian Town.
During these 15 days, Obsidian Town underwent tremendous changes.
First was the official establishment of the Obsidian Alliance.
After the first Alliance meeting, the members of the first Alliance Presidium were confirmed.
All prominent races and factions in Obsidian Town joined the Alliance, and their leaders became members of the Presidium.
Additionally, the Town Mayor and Chen Bugu, as Nine Star Awakeneds, became the only two honorary members of the town.
Liu Chengfeng, widely recognized as Obsidian's foremost figure, naturally assumed the role of leader.
Although Chen Bugu, whom all races were curious about, did not attend the meeting that day,
the proposals put forth by Liu Chengfeng still received unanimous support in all decisions.
After the meeting, there were two areas where the town experienced the most significant changes.
One was the fortification of the city wall guards, which changed from the original system of various races taking turns to a unified deployment by the Alliance.
The second was the establishment of a Trade Hall in the town's central square, where stalls could be set up for free trade. Individuals and factions alike could sell goods there, or consign them to the Alliance for official sale. The Alliance was responsible for handling all transaction security and disputes.
Liu Chengfeng understood that during the initial phase of the Alliance's establishment, there would inevitably be attempts to test its boundaries.
The establishment of the Trade Hall encroached upon the interests of some behind-the-scenes figures in the underground market, which led to a few discordant voices.
To demonstrate their stance, he instructed Hong Ziyu, the head of the Alliance's Guard Department, and Long Er of the Magic Lizard Clan, the Vice Lord, to launch a joint overnight lightning strike on the underground trade market.
According to feedback from the accompanying guard members that night, the two were ruthless in their actions, and the condition of the enemies was horrific.
However, it was thanks to this decisive action that those with intentions to test the waters obediently reined themselves in, ensuring that everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Aside from these, for Human Race Awakeneds, the biggest change was the official establishment of the Outer Hall of Unyielding Hall.
Unyielding Hall's annexation of Cross Street had already been completed, but due to the formation of the Alliance, the establishment of the Outer Hall was delayed for some time.
Now, the Outer Hall has fully taken over the legacy of Cross Street, including its members and assets.
The plaque at the original Cross Street entrance had been removed, and after a new blank plaque was hung, Liu Chengfeng brandished his saber, carving the three characters “Unyielding Hall” onto it.
Subsequently, Liu Chengfeng immediately announced that Chen Bugu would serve as the Outer Hall Master and Xie An as the Outer Hall Vice Lord, jointly managing the Outer Hall.
New members must first join the Outer Hall. After one year in the Outer Hall, they can apply for an assessment, and those who pass will enter the Inner Hall.
Inner Hall members not only receive more black obsidian each month but can also follow the Hall Leader to learn ancient martial arts and improve their strength.
Liu Chengfeng hoped that through this incentive, Human Race Awakeneds would continue to improve their strength even after reaching Obsidian Town.
These public announcements spread throughout Obsidian Town within a day, and even Human Race members who had just arrived in town were aware, except for Chen Bugu, who remained completely oblivious.
Xie An, as the Outer Hall Vice Lord, also found Old Zhou.
"Old Zhou, isn't Chen Bugu leaving? Why did Hall Leader Liu still make him the head of the Outer Hall?"
"The Alliance has just been established. Building momentum for Chen Bugu is also building momentum for Unyielding Hall. Little Xie, don't you understand this yet?"
"I understand, but why did you make me the Outer Hall Vice Lord?"
"Didn't I say before that I would make you the person in charge of the Outer Hall?"
"Ah? Aren't you joking?"
"Who's joking with you? Most of the people in the Outer Hall were originally from Cross Street. Your reputation was quite good in Cross Street before, and no one knows about your being an undercover agent. For you to be the Vice Lord, in their eyes, precisely shows that we haven't underestimated the original people of Cross Street, which is more conducive to your management."
"But I'm only Six Star..."
Xie An pouted, clearly aware that insufficient strength was his biggest weakness.
"That's why you're only the Vice Lord. Compared to that Hall Master Chen Bugu, who suddenly rose to fame, do you think those original Cross Street people will be more inclined to support you?"
"You also said that kid is leaving. He won't care about these things. Also, although you'll essentially be in charge of the Outer Hall after he leaves, don't forget, he's the Outer Hall Master, and you're the Vice Lord. Making subordinates revere the Hall Master is the task I've given you. Remember, it's reverence, not fear."
Old Zhou looked at Xie An meaningfully, not wanting him to misinterpret certain powers.
"Old Zhou, although I'm occasionally not serious, don't you trust me?" Xie An smiled; how could he not understand the meaning of Old Zhou's words.
"Speaking of which, Chen Bugu probably doesn't know he's become the Hall Master of the Outer Hall, does he?"
"Of course he doesn't know. That guy has no idea what he's doing. If Old Sun hadn't said he was absorbing an important item, I would have almost thought he was dead. It's been half a month already."
Old Zhou rubbed his temples, getting a headache whenever he thought of Chen Bugu.
At this moment, half a month had passed since Chen Bugu secluded himself in the house for cultivation.
After those several fire-attribute crystals shattered, the temperature throughout the house plummeted, and a large number of ice spikes grew within a short period, transforming it into a complete ice house, which also affected the surroundings.
If Old Sun hadn't confirmed that Chen Bugu was still alive through the Water Element, Liu Chengfeng would probably have already split open that ice house with a saber and forcibly dragged Chen Bugu out.
But even so, as time passed day by day, the chill emanating from inside that house grew stronger, and the surrounding area was increasingly affected.
The temperature of the entire side courtyard was about 30 degrees lower than outside, and all the trees had withered, as if their moisture had been sucked dry.
Seeing that it might affect the Inner Hall's main hall in a few more days, Old Zhou was very worried.
On another note, although Liu Chengfeng had previously told Chen Bugu to act low-key, he never expected him to be *this* low-key.
To the various races outside the Hall, Chen Bugu had not shown his face since the day he committed suicide to kill Alek, which inevitably led to speculation.
Even Jiang Sisi had come to inquire about it two days ago, but by then the small house was completely encased in ice, and no one could see Chen Bugu.
Although Jiang Sisi believed Chen Bugu was still in town, other races might not think so, and secretly, who knew how many people were eager to test the waters.
There were even rumors circulating that Chen Bugu was severely injured and on the verge of death after his battle with Alek, which was why he hadn't appeared.
And precisely at this time, the Alliance's reconnaissance department sent back an urgent message—a new beast tide had formed, and this time, the numbers would far exceed the last one.
Although the Unyielding Hall had now become the sole Human Race faction in Obsidian Town, with its growing strength and large numbers, the overall combat power of Obsidian Town had not changed much.
The Alliance had just been founded, and if this battle could not be won spectacularly, the wave of doubts would only grow stronger.
Liu Chengfeng and Hong Ziyu had been preparing for the beast tide recently, while Old Sun was keeping an eye on Chen Bugu, leaving the remaining trivia to Old Zhou.
However, just as Old Zhou was worrying, Old Sun rushed out of the Inner Hall, grabbed him, and started pulling him back.
Old Sun only said three words, which made Old Zhou unconsciously quicken his pace.
Those three words were: "The ice melted!"