Chapter 344 - 166: Cunning Struggle

Chapter 344: Chapter 166: Cunning Struggle

Mortal Realm.

Chen Fan stood inside the warehouse cavern, gazing at the dozen or so warehouses, all filled to the brim. He inspected them one by one, not because he was worried anything was missing, but just to look.

After a long while. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

He finally stopped before the door of a Jiezimai Room in one of the warehouses, remaining silent for a long time.

The mining operations on the New Continent were proceeding smoothly.

The Mortal Realm Warehouse’s reserve of Ghost Stones had now reached 189 million.

million Ghost Stones.

Enough to forge tens of millions of basic Ghost Fires.

This was an immense sum.

This many Ghost Stones should not have been found in Jiangbei. Even if you dug three feet deep across all Four Areas Jiangbei, it would be difficult to unearth this much. Otherwise, Jiangbei wouldn’t be so remote and barren. Without the New Continent, acquiring so many Ghost Stones would have been an incredibly difficult task.

...

Nearly ten million Ghost Stones were being mined every day. And as the end of the rainy season approached, he had gone to the New Continent to build a few more strongholds, extend some of the High-speed Rail lines, and... after distributing the batch of pickaxes forged from Earth Gold, the mining progress had increased once again.

There were still three years until the Undersea Ghost Tide made landfall.

It was enough time.

As long as the Undersea Ghost Tide didn’t arrive early, or the Thunderstorm Sea Realm that had persisted for millennia didn’t suddenly vanish, the Mortal Realm would be able to develop to a sufficiently high level in these three years.

Once he saved up 300 million Ghost Stones,

he could first set up a basic version of the Jiangbei Defense Line, and then gradually add to it based on the Ghost Stones he acquired later.

"Domain Lord."

Just then—

The Sound Transmission Talisman in his robes grew faintly warm, and Shao Qiu’s voice came through.

"I have reached the Guanxi Plain and will soon be out of the Signal Tower’s effective range. According to the plan, I will return before the rainy season arrives at the end of the year. Do you have any other instructions?"

"No."

Chen Fan took out the Sound Transmission Talisman and said softly, "Stay safe. Safe journey."

He had sent the Dark Pavilion out.

After the rainy season ended, Shao Qiu had immediately led some members of the Dark Pavilion south to the Guanxi Plain. The plan was to cross the Guanxi Plain and travel all the way to the Guandong Plain.

To see what the situation was like on the Guandong Plain.

To see if there was a defensive line along the Guandong Plain’s coast, and if so, what level it was.

He knew far too little about the outside world.

The Dark Pavilion.

These were the feelers he extended to gather information about the world beyond.

When he learned from the map on the Celestial Pillar that the Guandong Plain was also a coastal region, he knew he had to get a clear understanding of the defensive situation there.

His Jiangbei Defense Line was only designed to defend against the sea.

This was based on the assumption that the Undersea Ghost Tide would only make landfall from the sea, leaving the continental interior safe. But if the Guandong Plain’s defenses fell, a massive Ghost Tide would land on their coast and surge north, passing through Jiangnan to reach Jiangbei.

And there was no defensive line between Jiangnan and Jiangbei.

This was something he had to consider.

...

He silently gazed at the calendar hanging on the door of the Jiezimai Room in the warehouse.

Eternal Night Calendar, Year 380, January 3rd.

A new year had arrived.

Speaking of which, his birthday was coming up soon.

He was born on April 18th.

In his previous life, he wasn’t in the habit of celebrating his birthday. But now, in this world, he suddenly remembered it. No one in this world celebrated birthdays, largely because many people didn’t even know their own date of birth.

If you asked Lame Monkey when he was born,

Lame Monkey would just stare at you blankly. Hell if he knew what day he was born; he wasn’t even sure if he had his own age right.

After a long while.

He let out a soft sigh, walked out of the warehouse, and returned to the top of the City Wall.

He sat in the rocking chair on the City Wall, his expression dazed, lost in thought.

For some reason.

He felt the sky seemed a little dark today.

It wasn’t very beautiful.

...

"You, you’re such a blockhead."

Big Fish was in the Mortal Realm’s dining hall, eating lunch by herself. The auntie who worked there, bustling about, couldn’t help but come out from the kitchen. Wiping her hands, she sat down next to Big Fish, her tone one of exasperation.

"I’m telling you, Big Fish, you’re a young woman. Are you really going to stay Vice Pavilion Master of the Battle Pavilion forever?"

"I heard that during the first rainy season, before the Mortal Realm was even established..."

"...your group had ten people, and you were the only girl?"

"What a missed opportunity!"

"If you had captured the Domain Lord’s heart back then, wouldn’t your future be set? A lone man and a lone woman trapped in one place—that’s the easiest way for feelings to blossom."

"Think about it."

"The Domain Lord still hasn’t taken a fancy to any woman. Don’t you think it’s possible he’s had his eye on you all along and is just waiting for you to make the first move? You can’t expect someone of his status to approach you first, right? If you ask me, you should just..."

Her voice trailed off abruptly.

A member of the Mortal Battle Pavilion had appeared beside her at some point and was glaring at her with a dark expression.

"Er..."

"You two carry on, I’ll go back to sorting vegetables."

The auntie quickly got up, making way, and scurried back to the kitchen, abashed.

After the auntie left,

the Battle Pavilion member spoke respectfully in a low voice, "Vice Pavilion Master, the Battle Pavilion has brought back a person from the Guanxi Plain. They’re waiting for you to interrogate them."

"Understood."

Big Fish slowly brought the last mouthful of rice to her lips before getting up and heading towards the interrogation room.

The Battle Pavilion member who remained watched Big Fish’s retreating figure, then glanced at the auntie’s, his expression turning a little ugly.

’The Vice Pavilion Master is too soft.’

’How dare a kitchen helper, an auxiliary member of the Mortal Realm, speak to the Vice Pavilion Master like that? The difference in their status is more than just one level. It’s only because the Vice Pavilion Master never gets angry at others that this middle-aged woman dares to be so bold with her gossip.’