When Ji Shiyou was alive, he had envisioned with Mingyue, using the Mingyue base as a foundation.
At the foot of Yunmeng Mountain, a city would be built to shelter survivors displaced in the apocalypse, named Hope City.
The purpose was to bring hope to those who had lost their homes in this cruel post-apocalyptic world.
Looking at the survivors before her, who had lost their homes and shelter, Mingyue felt an urge to fulfill Ji Shiyou's wish.
Seeing that no one left after her words, Mingyue nodded.
She then took out a city planning map and explained it to everyone, stating it was Ji Shiyou's遗物 (relic).
Before his death, he had made meticulous plans for Hope City.
Everyone looked at the blueprint, the planning and layout of Hope City, with excitement.
It was a magnificent city, a fusion of classical and modern.
The outer perimeter was a sturdy ancient city wall, complete with battlements, crenellations, watchtowers, corner towers, city gates, and barbicans.
Based on the terrain, it also incorporated walkways and gatehouses.
But upon closer inspection, the defense systems were all modern technology. Thick cannon barrels and shooting emplacements were visible on the walls.
Inside the city was even more modern, with a more detailed plan divided into several zones, including residential, energy, work, and leisure areas.
To everyone's surprise, there were even power plants and water stations within the city, providing all basic life necessities.
"City Lord, my name is Ci Shi. Before the apocalypse, I was in the construction industry.
Forgive my bluntness, but this Hope City is well-planned, yet difficult to realize.
Building such a city requires not only a large amount of skilled labor but also many large mechanical equipment for assistance.
Even before the apocalypse, constructing such a city would have taken several years.
Now, with our bare hands, it's impossible to complete."
The speaker was a man in his thirties, of medium build, a level six earth element ability user.
Most of the people standing with him were wearing construction site uniforms, and they nodded frequently at his words.
"Ci Shi, I can see you are very knowledgeable about construction.
Your concerns are valid, but don't forget, this is the apocalypse.
While the apocalypse has taken much from us, there are gains for every loss. The apocalypse has mutated us to gain abilities.
Ren Jian, lead everyone to the side and don't wander around."
Mingyue knew that everyone was excited about building Hope City but lacked confidence.
At this moment, what she needed to do was to show everyone hope.
Although Ren Jian didn't know what Mingyue was going to do, he never doubted her words. He quickly directed the survivors to stand along the edge of the sea of clouds.
Then, Mingyue waved her hand, summoning Qingluan, and ascended into the air.
Holding the design for Hope City, the power of the earth surged from her.
Feeling the ground shake violently, as if an earthquake, everyone supported each other to avoid falling.
With the tremors, everyone's mouths fell open as they watched the majestic city walls rise from the ground.
They directly enclosed the scope of Hope City, and then the land within the walls churned, clearly demarcating all the areas, and streets formed automatically.
Finally, the prototypes of various buildings from the design appeared, and Hope City materialized before their eyes.
The scene was silent, and everyone turned into statues, forgetting to speak.
They had witnessed a miracle, no, a divine act.
The construction of a city in just a few minutes was not something human hands could accomplish; it was the power of gods.
No one knew who started it, but applause thundered like thunder. They shouted, laughed, and cried.
Looking at the vast city before them, they saw hope. With this city, they could live like they did before the apocalypse.
The tall city walls and modern defenses gave them a sense of security.
Mingyue landed and led everyone through the city gate into Hope City.
Upon closer inspection, they realized that the city, condensed by the power of the earth, was solid but rough.
The city walls, for instance, were uneven, with many footholds for climbing, rendering them useless for defense.
The streets within the city were also pitted and uneven.
All the buildings were merely frameworks, with no internal partitions.
"Don't celebrate too early. The current Hope City is just a framework.
The detailed work will be up to you. Machinery and raw materials are all here.
Ci Shi, you are an expert. Estimate how long it will take to complete Hope City."
Mingyue waved her hand, and countless mechanical devices appeared on the open ground within the city.
Along with them appeared mountains of building materials.
These were all prepared by Ji Shiyou in advance, categorized and stored in his spatial artifact.
"City Lord, this will be quick. As you said, everyone has abilities.
With these machines, I estimate that we can complete it in a week with everyone working day and night."
Ci Shi's face was filled with surprise. He hadn't expected Mingyue to be so well-prepared and quickly estimated the completion time.
Next, a fervent construction project began at the foot of Yunmeng Mountain.
Although Hope City occupied a vast area, with the foundation laid by Mingyue and a large number of people, many of whom were ability users, the progress was rapid. It changed every day. Everyone from the base also came out to help.
Dr. You Hen and Shi Henian led the laboratory personnel to be responsible for the installation and debugging of the city's defense systems.
Jin Xi led the cafeteria staff to prepare hearty meals for everyone, which boosted their morale and energy.
After everyone's hard work, Hope City was successfully completed a week later.
The management model of Hope City continued the base rules established by Ji Shiyou. Mingyue appointed Wen Qingtian to manage it.
Gong Que and Bu Zhi served as his deputies. Gong Que selected five thousand people to form the city defense force, stationed on the city walls.
Bu Zhi was responsible for the power and water plants. He led two thousand water element ability users to ensure the drinking water and electricity for the residents of Hope City.
Everyone was assigned tasks according to their expertise. The entire city, like its name, was filled with hope.
Dr. You Hen also presented a great gift: he improved the soil of the entire Hope City.
With the activation of Tian Chang's ability, lawns appeared in Hope City.
Lush trees grew along the streets, making the city look prosperous and vibrant.
"Ji Shiyou, do you see it? Hope City has been built. Are you happy?
You said you wanted to give people in the apocalypse hope, to provide them with a home to shelter from the wind and rain.
We have achieved it now. Everyone is full of hope for the future, even though you are no longer here."
Standing on the peak of Yunmeng Mountain, Mingyue saw the touch of green in Hope City amidst the gray and yellow landscape.
Mingyue turned and spoke softly to Ji Shiyou's grave.
Then, she turned back, her eyebrows raised, and the boundless sea of clouds surged, engulfing Hope City.