“An architect, huh.”
The bronze-skinned man following behind Wang Kui had a trace of envy flash through his eyes. Although architects were not the strongest in combat among cultivators, they were definitely the ones with the highest status.
After all, no matter how strong a cultivator’s combat power was, there was a limit to it; once night fell, they still had to hide near a bonfire.
In this world, defending and scraping by was the mainstream way to survive.
There was no such thing as some cultivator suddenly charging into the darkness and slaughtering everything in all directions. That was pure fantasy.
“This time, the Chen family has really lost a treasure. If the Chen family head finds out about this, he’ll definitely be so angry he spits blood.”
“But... Station Chief, should we report this matter to the clan? Chen Fan definitely won’t return to the Chen family now, and he’s a newly awakened architect without any faction behind him. If we can get the family to send people over to recruit him, that would be a great merit for us too.”
The man’s eyes rolled a few times, and he seemed rather excited.
“Xiao Qiu.”
Wang Kui did not answer immediately. Only after a while did he pat the man on the shoulder. “I joined the Wang family when I was twenty, and I’ve been a station chief for a full thirteen years. What kind of job is being a station chief?”
“It sounds glamorous. At least it’s an official position of sorts.”
“But in truth, it’s just making money for the family in a dangerous environment. To put it less nicely, we’re worker bees in a hive. Our fate in this life is to work ourselves to death, or suddenly die in some eerie tide. We receive ten Eerie Stones as salary every month, and that’s about it.”
“Though my surname is also Wang, I’m not truly one of the clan’s people. Promotion is definitely out of the question.”
“You’ve been following me for three years now. Wherever I’m sent, I bring you with me. You should also think about your future. Have you ever thought about where our prospects lie?”
“Reporting this matter upward would indeed be a merit.”
“But what can that merit bring us?”
“Moreover—”
“Since Chen Fan only awakened as an architect after coming to the wasteland, do you really think he only encountered his opportunity after arriving here? Anyone could figure out that he must have been targeted at every turn in the family, and only here could he truly let loose and act. He had planned this long ago.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means Chen Fan has long wanted to strike out on his own.”
“If you report it now, Chen Fan is still weak at present, and perhaps under pressure he would agree to join the Wang family. Then tell me, would Chen Fan bear a grudge against the two of us? Would he have the Wang family deal with the two of us? Do you think the Wang family would be reluctant to sacrifice the two of us?”
“You need to think through the stakes clearly.”
“And if Chen Fan really does intend to establish his own faction, and he owes us a favor, couldn’t we take the chance to join his faction? Even if it’s a newly emerging faction, being a core member there is still better than being a worker bee in the Wang family, isn’t it?”
A trace of admiration appeared on the man’s face. He patted his own chest. “Station Chief, you really do see things clearly. Don’t worry, Station Chief. Whatever you say, I’ll do. I definitely won’t act on my own.”
“Mm.”
Wang Kui smiled and patted the man on the back. “Let’s go. Back to camp. It’s best that you can think this way. All these years, I’ve been pondering one thing: a faction will always need someone to be a worker bee, but... at the very least, a worker bee who’s worked for thirteen years should be given a promotion.”
“They can’t really just use him until he dies, can they?”
“What do you think?”
“Young Master.”
Lame Monkey walked over to the two porcelain vats on the handcart Wang Kui had just brought over and glanced inside before speaking. “They sent over another vat of water and some food.”
“Very good.”
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, but there was not much of a smile on his face. Although he did not want to expose his identity as an architect so early, those two level-2 arrow towers would be difficult to hide. Sooner or later, they would be exposed.
If Station Chief Wang chose to report it, then the pressure he would have to face would become very great.
He had to increase the strength of the camp as quickly as possible. That way, even if external pressure came, he could withstand it for a while. It would be best to design an escape route as well. If he really could not hold out, he could move elsewhere and make a comeback.
For now, this Station Chief Wang seemed to be a smart man.
He hoped the other party could see the long-term benefits and would not be blinded by short-term gain.
He looked toward the newly reclaimed and planted farmland at the edge of the camp. The crops in this field would only mature in three days, so there was no need to rush for now.
And he still had eight Eerie Stones left in his hand.
Not quite enough.
Most importantly, there was no channel to obtain more Eerie Stones in the short term. Last night, the beast traps had not caught a single eerie creature. He did not know what was going on. Logically speaking, eerie creatures were constantly moving in the darkness; there should be no possibility that all the eerie creatures in this area had been killed off.
“Let’s give it a try.”
After thinking for a moment, Chen Fan waved for Lame Monkey to follow him. He placed the remaining Eerie Stones in his robes, left the station, and pulled the handcart toward the depths of the wasteland.
Only practice could reveal the truth.
Guessing blindly was useless.
After walking for about two hours.
There were basically no hills or ravines in this wasteland. The terrain was flat. When he looked back, he could still faintly see those two arrow towers.
“Here will do.”
Chen Fan took out the Eerie-hide map from his robes and looked at his current position. This wasteland was not large, and the place where he stood was already close to its edge. There was not a single station nearby.
To the east of the wasteland was Jiangbei Market.
To the west was Pingcheng.
To the south was desert, and to the north was the sea.
From where he was now, if he walked north for another four to six hours or so, he would be able to see the sea.
Generally speaking, travelers crossing the wasteland mainly shuttled back and forth between Jiangbei Market and Pingcheng. The south was a no-man’s land. Since they were crossing the wasteland, the shortest route was naturally a straight line between two points.
Thus, the stations in the middle of the wasteland were basically packed with travelers every day.
As for the original “Chen Family Station No. 37” where he was located, it was situated toward the north of the wasteland and far from the central route, so naturally, not many people would pass by. The only traveler he had seen these past few days was that middle-aged man in a green robe.
Now, after walking north for another two hours.
There were even fewer people here.
There was even less chance of there being a station.
It was practically a no-man’s land.
“Huff.”
Chen Fan exhaled lightly, slowly closed his eyes, took three Eerie Stones from his robes, and tossed them into the air. In an instant, the three Eerie Stones transformed into milky-white liquid, and an illusory image of an “Eerie Fire” slowly appeared in the air.
When the milky-white liquid flowed into the illusion, the illusion gradually solidified, but it did not fully solidify like the arrow towers had.
He then plucked a handful of withered grass from the ground and tossed it in.
Only then did the illusion completely solidify.
It settled upon the ground.
A simple, ancient-looking “Eerie Fire” landed steadily on the ground.
“Y-Young Master?”
Standing to the side, Lame Monkey saw this scene, and his breathing gradually quickened. His eyes were filled with disbelief. The Eerie Fire was an ordinary building, so its construction recipe was widely circulated. He remembered that it required many different materials. How had Young Master completed it just by tossing in a handful of withered grass?
And it had only consumed three Eerie Stones?
One had to know that the selling price of an Eerie Fire in the market was around sixty Eerie Stones!
How much profit was that?!