Chapter 411 - 176: "A Bit Interesting.

Chapter 411: Chapter 176: "A Bit Interesting.

...

The Mortal Realm was now in a period of stable development, so there wasn’t much to worry about.

So, Wang Kui finally had some free time to go out for a while.

And his first stop...

Was "Mortal Realm Site No. 17."

This was a Mortal Realm High-speed Rail station, located at the junction of Jiangbei and Jiangxi. After he entered the station, an old man leaning on a cane walked over, trembling.

"Pavilion... Pavilion Master Wang, do you have any important matters for me?"

"..."

Wang Kui looked at the old man, whose eyes were filled with dread. He sighed softly, a hint of melancholy flashing in his own eyes.

This old man was none other than...

...the former Patriarch of the Jiangbei Hill and Valley Wang Family.

Before meeting the Domain Lord...

This man had sent him to the Jiangbei Wilderness to serve as a station master for thirteen years, with no promotions and no raises. He even had a famous saying: "If I don’t make the competent people work, who will? The incompetent ones?"

After the Mortal Realm absorbed the Hill and Valley Royal Family...

The Domain Lord had granted his request, permanently locking the once-glorious Patriarch Wang into the position of station master. Now, as their seniority grew, the original members of the Hill and Valley Royal Family had all been gradually promoted. The fastest-rising one was even just a step away from becoming a Vice Pavilion Master.

When the Hill and Valley Royal Family was absorbed by the Mortal Realm, the Mortal Realm barely had any people.

Those who joined the Mortal Realm back then had truly impressive seniority now. They were old-timers.

With time, they had accumulated some merits and, having passed the test of time, earned enough trust to be naturally promoted.

Only the Patriarch of the Hill and Valley Royal Family had been in charge of the station from beginning to end.

"Patriarch Wang, have you felt any resentment these past few days?"

"I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare."

Patriarch Wang shook his head frantically. "The Mortal Realm has given the children of my Wang Family a future. I am already very grateful. How could I dare to feel resentful?"

"..."

Wang Kui silently watched the man before him. Patriarch Wang had aged rapidly in recent years, as if growing old overnight. Now his eyes were dim, and his walk was unsteady. "I’ve already spoken with the Domain Lord," Wang Kui said. "We can lift the restriction on you. If you’re willing, you can move up the ladder. After all, you have good management experience."

"Thank you for your kindness, Pavilion Master Wang, but..."

Patriarch Wang gave a helpless, bitter smile. "You can see for yourself. This old body of mine has grown frail and is no longer of much use. Over these past few years, I’ve personally watched the Mortal Realm grow rapidly into the behemoth it is today. And the children of my Wang Family are spread across various positions within the Mortal Realm. I truly share in their glory."

"It’s more than enough."

"Now, I only have one wish: for the Mortal Realm to develop even further."

Wang Kui hadn’t expected Patriarch Wang to refuse his offer. He had thought the man would be thrilled. After a pause, he asked another question. "What if you could go back a dozen or so years?"

"Back then, you already knew what the future would hold. You knew the Mortal Realm would rise, and that I would rise with it."

"Would you still have assigned me to be the station master in the Jiangbei Wilderness for thirteen years?"

"I would."

Patriarch Wang answered without the slightest hesitation, his tone firm and decisive.

"Why?"

"Because back then, I didn’t have many other choices."

After a long moment.

Wang Kui started to laugh. The resentment he had harbored in his heart for Patriarch Wang all these years completely dissipated. The knot in his heart was untied. He didn’t linger, instead turning and walking toward the Mortal Realm High-speed Rail waiting nearby.

He was on vacation.

He was going to take the Mortal Realm High-speed Rail to see Jiangxi, to see Jiangnan, and to see the Guanxi Plain.

He wanted to see for himself the territories the Mortal Realm had secured over the past few years.

Accompanying him were several members of the Battle Pavilion, responsible for his safety during the trip.

"I’m off."

Before leaving, Wang Kui sat on the Mortal Realm High-speed Rail, smiled, and waved at Patriarch Wang. "Take care of yourself. You don’t look to be in the best of health."

...

「Medicine King Valley.」

It was now an Alchemy Influence with a near-monopoly on all Elixir sales in the Four Areas Jiangbei, a veritable behemoth. Wang Kui’s first stop was Medicine King Valley because he had heard they built a theme park here.

Just as he stepped off the High-speed Rail...

...he heard a noisy commotion all around him.

Children weren’t a common sight in the Four Areas Jiangbei.

In this day and age, the birth rate wasn’t high. If a Ghost Tide hit, a pregnant woman would have nowhere to run. A moment too slow, and she’d become "belly-wrapped meat." No one was willing to raise a child in such a world.

But after arriving at Medicine King Valley...

...he could hear the clamor of many children. Many men who usually wore cold expressions while serving as station masters, guards, or Martial Artists in various factions now had smiles blooming on their perpetually icy faces, like spring flowers.

They were either holding their children’s hands or carrying them on their shoulders, following the crowd through the "Medicine King Valley Theme Park."

In an era ravaged by the Ghost Tide, where countless people died every moment, such smiles were an exceedingly rare sight.

’Interesting.’

Filled with curiosity, Wang Kui led his attendants off the High-speed Rail and looked at the scene before him. He had already learned about this from the intelligence reports sent by the Dark Pavilion, but that was just information on paper. Seeing it with his own eyes for the first time today was a novel experience.

There were all sorts of entertainment attractions related to Alchemy.

For example...

The "Immortal Vine"—you could ride in a Suspended Basket and glide along a track of glowing vines over Medicine King Valley. From above, you could overlook the Farmland below, with its dancing Moonlight Mushrooms, mist-breathing Seven-star Orchids, and itchy ginseng disguised as ordinary weeds.

The final destination was the "Enlightenment Tea Pavilion."

There, you could find Spirit Tea specially refined by Medicine King Valley.