Chapter 429 - 178: "Eternal Night Hall, Tian Yi!

Chapter 429: Chapter 178: "Eternal Night Hall, Tian Yi!

Beside him followed a massive figure, about the size of three or four normal people. It was draped in a huge black robe, its face hidden from view.

It was like a small mountain.

"Greetings, Domain Lord Chen."

After bowing once more, the man’s expression turned serious. "First, on behalf of the Eternal Night Hall, I’d like to express our gratitude. Thank you to the Mortal Realm for building the Jiangbei Defense Line to shelter countless lives."

"Second."

"I want you to know that I’ve come with good intentions, without a shred of malice."

"And finally."

"I would like to know where the Mortal Realm acquired so many Ghost Stones to build the Jiangbei Defense Line."

"That doesn’t sound very well-intentioned," Chen Fan chuckled. "That’s a core secret of the Mortal Realm. Besides, it wasn’t that many. You could say that we’ve exhausted our reserves to build this Jiangbei Defense Line."

"I know a little about the Eternal Night Hall."

"I know the Eternal Night Hall is responsible for building nearly all the defense lines on the Eternal Night Continent and protecting it. On behalf of the Jiangbei Mortal Realm, I’d also like to express our gratitude to the Eternal Night Hall for sheltering countless lives."

"..."

The bare-chested man nodded grimly. In truth, his question was just a formality. The Jiangbei Mortal Realm had most likely found a Ghost Ore mine left over from Ancient Times. The quantity wouldn’t be that large, and there probably wasn’t much left after building the Jiangbei Defense Line.

Most importantly...

Even if the Jiangbei Mortal Realm really handed over two or three billion Ghost Stones to him, it wouldn’t change the situation. The Eternal Night Hall was lacking more than just Ghost Stones. Besides, just getting them back would be a huge problem.

"Understood."

"For the Jiangbei Mortal Realm to have risen so quickly, it must have its unique strengths. I came here on one hand to confirm the existence of the Jiangbei Defense Line, and on the other, to make contact with this faction."

"The Eternal Night Hall hopes... to receive some support from you."

"If you have any to offer."

"What kind of support do you need? I don’t know much about the Eternal Night Hall. Tell me what you’re looking for."

"We need everything."

The man said in a low voice, "There’s nothing the Eternal Night Hall doesn’t need. For example..."

Just then—

Amidst the pattering rain, he suddenly caught a whiff of food. His stomach rumbled uncontrollably, and he subconsciously glanced behind him toward the nearby Xiyang City.

A massive canopy was stretched over Xiyang City.

And below it.

Countless plumes of steam rose into the air. The aroma of food wafted to the City Wall, even overpowering the pervasive stench of the approaching Ghost Tide.

"What... what is that?"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Kui beside him. "Ask Qi Chong what he’s doing."

An answer came back quickly.

"Steamed Pork Ribs with Fermented Black Beans. They’re preparing food for the people coming off the defense line after sunrise."

"Steamed Pork Ribs with Fermented Black Beans???"

The man, whose face screamed ruthlessness, suddenly froze. He dazedly pulled his gaze away from Xiyang City behind him and looked back at the people on the Jiangbei Defense Line. "You’re having Steamed Pork Ribs with Fermented Black Beans today?"

"Yep."

"What about yesterday?"

"Steamed yellow croaker, I think."

"The day before?"

"That one I remember. It was dumplings. They were pretty good," Chen Fan said, reminiscing a little.

"And the day before that?"

"Should’ve been braised pork with cabbage and vermicelli, or maybe steamed bowl dishes. I kind of forgot."

"What the hell!"

The man was completely frozen in place, looking as if he’d just heard a ghost story. He was even more shocked than when he’d seen the Jiangbei Defense Line. "You guys eat this well every day?"

"It’s alright. What do you eat on the Eternal Night Frontline?"

"We... we eat ’fried flour.’ You just swallow roasted flour with water."

"You don’t farm?"

"..."

The man looked up at Chen Fan and said gloomily, "Domain Lord Chen, how are we supposed to farm... on the Eternal Night Frontline?"

"You could farm in the continent’s heartland."

"We can farm some in the heartland, but the interior of the Eternal Night Continent has already been corrupted. Transporting a batch of supplies is no simple matter, and something like food doesn’t have a high priority."

For a moment.

’He even felt like staying at the Jiangbei Defense Line.’

"Then I know what kind of support the Mortal Realm can provide the Eternal Night Hall."

Chen Fan smiled. "Perhaps the Mortal Realm can start by providing the Eternal Night Hall with food and logistical route support. But we’ll need some Ghost Stones as payment. After all... laying down routes is quite expensive in terms of Ghost Stones."

"..."

The man’s brows furrowed tightly. "The Eternal Night Hall can’t spare a single Ghost Stone right now, unless..."

"Unless you can pick them up yourself."

"What do you mean, ’pick them up yourself’?"

"It means you go to the Eternal Night Frontline to pick them up. Many of the Eternal Night Hall’s transport routes have been destroyed, and the remaining ones are stretched thin. On top of that, we have internal traitors leaking intelligence, so it’s very difficult to transport large quantities of Ghost Stones to other regions. But if you were to go to the Eternal Night Frontline to pick up the Ghost Stones yourself, there wouldn’t be a problem."

As he spoke, he stared intently at the High-speed Rail that was racing along the base of the Jiangbei Defense Line’s wall. He seemed to have a faint idea of what the Mortal Realm meant when it said it could provide "logistical route support."

"Mhm."

Chen Fan walked over to a small hut built on the Jiangbei Defense Line.

"The rain’s heavy out here. Let’s talk inside."

...

Inside the teahouse.

Chen Fan poured the man a cup of tea. "Tell me about your Eternal Night Hall’s transport routes, and why they were destroyed."

"Alright."

The bare-chested man held the teacup with both hands, pausing for a moment before speaking. "First."

"Domain Lord Chen, you should be aware that there is a Grand Array beneath the Eternal Night Continent. This Grand Array protects the Eternal Night Continent, preventing Ghost Objects from invading. It is only where certain Nodes have shattered that the Ghost Tides can make landfall."

"I know."

"Then, Domain Lord Chen, do you know how to determine if a region’s Node is in a shattered state?"

"..."

After a moment of thought, Chen Fan shook his head. "Not really."

He had never received any information on this topic.

"It’s actually quite simple."

The man pointed into the distance beyond the Jiangbei Defense Line. "The continuous mountain range along the coast is the manifestation of this Grand Array’s Array Patterns. Where there are mountains, the Nodes are intact. Where the mountain range is missing, the Nodes are shattered."

"The Ghost Tide can never cross the continuous mountain range, not because the mountains are high enough, but because those are array points. The Ghost Tide can only make landfall in places without the mountain range."

"This is where defense lines are needed to patch up these areas with shattered Nodes."

"Like the Jiangbei Defense Line and the No. 7 Defense Line."