After Qin Shilei walked far away, the survivors around him came back to their senses.
"Is he really Qin Shilei from the leaderboard?"
"Authentic."
"Is he really the founder of your Boulder Warband?"
"Precisely."
"Can I join the Boulder Warband?"
"As long as you pass the assessment, we will definitely welcome you. For now, let's clear out these sea beasts first."
"Okay, I'm a silver-star expert. I sincerely hope to join the Boulder Warband."
Having personally witnessed Qin Shilei's battle with the Golden Tiger Octopus, all the evolvers at the scene were conquered by his strength.
Learning that the Boulder Warband was indeed founded by Qin Shilei, many small teams and lone wolves began to consider joining it.
After this sea beast attack, the Boulder Warband became a sensation.
The once ignored Boulder Warband became a popular spot, with more and more people coming to join.
Even the Junhao Empire, which belonged to the Boulder Warband, became famous. Countless people flocked to dine there, hoping to coincidentally meet Qin Shilei and establish some connection with him.
Qin Shilei's deeds spread throughout Junhai City through word of mouth.
"Have you heard? There's a super big shot in our Junhai City."
"What super big shot? Is it the one who is invincible in Beishan Kindergarten?"
"Hmph, you're so ignorant. This person beat up Zhao Yulong, one of the Four Young Masters, as soon as he arrived, and even demolished the Zhao Mansion's gate."
"Such a bold person, won't he be ground to ashes by the Zhao family?"
"Ridiculous. This person then annihilated hundreds of Tang family elites in the Junhao Empire in one move, and glared Tang Lingfeng to death with a single glance."
"Are you kidding me? Is someone really that powerful?"
"Of course. Wasn't there a golden-level great octopus during the sea beast attack? This person casually unleashed a sword energy thousands of meters long, splitting the octopus in half."
"Incredible! Who is he? I want to pay my respects to such a peerless expert."
"This person is Qin Shilei, the backbone of the Boulder Warband. But do you really want to pay your respects?"
"What? Will I be glared to death just by looking at him?"
"Not necessarily, but this person is eighty-eight feet tall and eighty-eight feet around the waist. A sneeze from him could deafen you."
The rumors started out somewhat plausible but became increasingly exaggerated.
In the end, Qin Shilei became a monstrous being who could transform into a thousand-foot-tall, one-horned, eight-armed monster.
While everyone was discussing Qin Shilei, the three major families were troubled by the Golden Tiger Octopus that Qin Shilei had killed.
"Evolvers with abilities have confirmed that the great octopus had reached at least the golden level," Lin Hetai said with a frown.
"Even golden-level sea beasts have appeared. Our Junhai City is in danger," Li Anshi also said with a troubled expression.
"Do we really have to leave Junhai City?" Lin Hetai asked helplessly.
"The great octopus is dead, isn't it? As long as Qin Shilei stays in Junhai City, what's the harm if another great octopus appears?"
Zhao Zhiyuan was reluctant to leave Junhai City, as he was deeply attached to his homeland.
"I'm afraid Qin Shilei won't stay in Junhai City for long," Li Anshi worried.
After a discussion, the three decided to probe Qin Shilei's intentions.
Junhao Empire.
Zhao Zhiyuan and the others, through Zhao Lingyue, managed to arrange a meeting with Qin Shilei.
After a brief greeting, Zhao Zhiyuan got straight to the point: "Mr. Qin, do you plan to continue staying in Junhai City in the future?"
Qin Shilei shook his head. "I will be leaving Junhai City in the next two days."
"Uh!" The expressions of Zhao Zhiyuan and the other two changed simultaneously.
Qin Shilei smiled and said, "You don't seem to want me to leave Junhai City?"
Zhao Zhiyuan chuckled dryly, "We just feel that your Boulder Warband has just been established, and it might not be ideal for you to leave now."
Qin Shilei said with a half-smile, "Aren't you afraid that if I stay here, I'll dominate the entire Junhai City?"
Zhao Zhiyuan and the other two felt somewhat awkward.
Initially, they had indeed hoped that Qin Shilei would leave Junhai City as soon as possible.
Even now, they feared that Qin Shilei would continue to stay in Junhai City and dominate it.
However, the threat posed by the golden-level sea beast forced them to hope that he would stay.
Zhao Zhiyuan frowned and asked, "In your opinion, Mr. Qin, will golden-level异兽 attack Junhai City again in the future?"
Qin Shilei stated with certainty, "There's no doubt about it. It's just a matter of time."
"Do we really only have migration as an option?" Lin Hetai murmured with a worried expression.
Migration was an option, and Zhao Zhiyuan and the others had discussed this possibility.
Setting aside their attachment to their homeland, finding a suitable place to migrate to was not an easy task.
If it was too close to Junhai City, the sea beasts from the sea would easily attack them.
If it was too far away, migrating millions of people would be difficult.
In fact, after killing the Golden Tiger Octopus, Qin Shilei had also been contemplating a question.
Should he continue to develop the Boulder Warband in Junhai City?
Staying in Junhai City had both advantages and disadvantages.
After some thought, Qin Shilei took out the City-Protecting Monument from his ring.
"Do you wish to refresh the attributes?"
"Refresh."
Fortify (Red): The defensive power of the City-Protecting Monument's city walls is increased by fifty percent.
Expand (Red): The length of the city walls is increased by twenty percent.
Advance (Purple): The City-Protecting Monument advances to a large City-Protecting Monument. The city walls become one hundred kilometers long and fifty meters high, with a thirty percent increase in defense.
Originally, this City-Protecting Monument was fixed with the all-things attribute and could not be refreshed again. However, after reaching the golden level, the all-things refresh attribute had removed this restriction.
It was indeed excellent that it could now refresh a purple attribute.
When Qin Shilei chose to display the attributes, Zhao Zhiyuan and the others were immediately captivated by the purple light emanating from the City-Protecting Monument.
After a long while, the three of them withdrew their gaze and exchanged glances.
Then Zhao Zhiyuan spoke, "Mr. Qin, we wonder what conditions are needed for you to give us the City-Protecting Monument?"
"What conditions can you offer?" Qin Shilei smiled, prompting them to make an offer.
"We'll discuss it outside and give you an answer later," Lin Hetai said.
After more than ten minutes, the three returned to Qin Shilei's office.
"Two hundred thousand crystal cores, and a force of thirty thousand evolvers," Zhao Zhiyuan presented their offer.
The thirty-thousand-strong force was intended to create more ties between Qin Shilei and Junhai City. It would not affect their rule while ensuring Qin Shilei's assistance in case of powerful异兽 attacks.
Qin Shilei weighed the City-Protecting Monument in his hand and said calmly, "Three hundred thousand crystal cores, and I want to become the Lord of Junhai City."
The expressions of Zhao Zhiyuan and the other two changed simultaneously.
Lin Hetai said coldly, "Qin Shilei, you're being too ambitious. You want to be our Lord with just a City-Protecting Monument?"
Li Anshi also said displeasedly, "At worst, we'll migrate entirely. Daxia Country is vast; I don't believe we won't find a suitable place."
Qin Shilei said calmly, "I will be leaving Junhai City soon, and even if I return, I won't stay long. If I become the Lord, I will only establish a Lord's Mansion and a city guard of a mere fifty thousand men. I will not interfere with your existing affairs."
"You will still be the dominant force in Junhai City and control it."
The three of them continuously pondered Qin Shilei's proposal.
Agreeing to let Qin Shilei become the Lord had many benefits.
The greatest benefit was that once powerful 异兽 appeared, this Lord would wholeheartedly eliminate them.
However, there were also many drawbacks.
Although Qin Shilei spoke well, once he became the Lord, he would likely gradually erode the power of the three major families.
The three of them discussed for another half hour.
"We agree to your terms. We hope you will keep your word and not interfere with the existing management of Junhai City," Zhao Zhiyuan said in a deep voice.