Chapter 445 - 181: "Find a wife, farm some land, isn’t that a good life, too?

Chapter 445: Chapter 181: "Find a wife, farm some land, isn’t that a good life, too?

"And other things."

"These rising factions, though few in number, are brimming with potential. Most of them build defense lines to guard their own territories. But where do their Ghost Stones and Architects come from?"

"Publicly, the story is that they’re all supported by the Eternal Night Hall."

"The truth is..."

"Most of those resources are their own."

"It has to be this way."

"You’ve only just begun to rise, and the main Ghost Race army from the Sea Realm of the Western Eternal Night Xuanwu No. 1 Frontline has already dispatched a massive Ghost Tide to infiltrate your area. Do you have any idea the price they paid to cross two regions just for this?"

"Less than one in a hundred made it through. Less than one in a hundred..."

Qiu Yisi gazed toward the horizon and murmured, "That massive Ghost Tide you saw? That was barely one percent of the original force. The other ninety-nine percent were slaughtered by the Grand Array’s heavenly lightning as they tried to cross."

"And if you grow even stronger in the future..."

"What do you suppose the main Ghost Race forces at the Western Eternal Night Xuanwu No. 1 Frontline will do then?"

"But once you’ve nominally joined the Eternal Night Hall..."

"Then all your future growth can be publicly attributed to the Eternal Night Hall’s support. They’ll still notice you, of course, but they’ll lower their guard considerably."

"Alright."

Chen Fan nodded in agreement.

A wide smile spread across Qiu Yisi’s face. He quite liked the young man before him. He was a man of few words, but he grasped the situation quickly and showed no resistance to the idea of joining the Eternal Night Hall.

"And you don’t have to worry about the Eternal Night Hall coveting the Mortal Realm’s Ghost Ore."

"The Eternal Night Hall never covets the unique fortunes of any faction."

"The Eternal Night Hall’s primary responsibility is just to guard the frontlines. Ultimately, victory in this war doesn’t depend on the Hall. It depends on the factions that are slowly growing stronger under our protection. Only when these factions finally unite will a new power emerge, one that can truly resist the Ghost Race."

"And they will continue to do so until they, in turn, replace the Eternal Night Hall and begin sheltering other nascent powers."

"This passes from one generation to the next. As long as we can hold the line, there will come a day when we launch our own counteroffensive against the Ghost Race."

"Also..."

"Though I’m quite certain the Mortal Realm’s unique fortune isn’t actually Ghost Ore."

Chen Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Qiu Yisi spread his hands in exasperation. "It’s like you all made a pact. Every single rising faction claims they’ve discovered Ghost Ore. It’s not like the entire Eternal Night Continent has been uninhabited for all these years."

"Just how much Ghost Ore would have to be buried out there, undiscovered for ages, only to be conveniently found by you all now?"

These were all core secrets of the Eternal Night Hall, not to be revealed lightly. The main concern was traitors. If this information were to leak, the fledgling factions under the Hall’s protection would face a frenzied onslaught from the Ghost Race.

The reason he told Chen Fan all this was because he trusted him.

’If a faction capable of defending Jiangbei were to one day defect to the Ghost Race, it would truly mean the Eternal Night Continent’s days were numbered.’

Even so, he didn’t reveal the specific names of the other factions under the Eternal Night Hall’s protection.

Chen Fan remained silent, lowering his head and rubbing his nose. ’The situation on the Eternal Night Continent seems a bit better than I thought,’ he mused. ’At least the leadership of the Eternal Night Hall isn’t just living day to day.’

’They have a plan for the future.’

’Whether that plan will succeed is another story, but at least they have one.’

"But..."

"I actually do need some support."

"You actually want some?"

Qiu Yisi froze, staring blankly at Chen Fan. ’Did I not make myself clear? The Eternal Night Hall’s ’support’ is just for show, to deceive the Ghost Race. It’s a cover for your own growth. Why is he actually asking for it?’

"Yes, I need a little."

"No." Qiu Yisi refused with a decisive shake of his head. "We absolutely don’t have any. If the Jiangbei Defense Line were in desperate need of Ghost Stones, we might be able to spare some to help you hold out. But now, with the supply lines to West Desolate Island cut, it’s nearly impossible to transport large quantities of resources there."

"As for Building Blueprints, the people on the frontlines are still studying them. We certainly can’t give them to Jiangbei."

"I need some High Grade Building Blueprints."

Chen Fan paid no mind to Qiu Yisi’s refusal, choosing his words carefully as he continued, "I can comprehend Building Blueprints very quickly. I can master one in about three days."

"The only catch is that the process permanently destroys the Building Blueprint."

"Didn’t the Western Eternal Night Xuanwu No. 1 Frontline recently capture a Blue Level Building Blueprint?"

"Give it to me."

"After I master it in three days, I can personally travel to the Western Eternal Night Xuanwu No. 1 Frontline and construct the building for them."

"..."

Qiu Yisi frowned, lost in thought for a long while before finally shaking his head.

"Impossible."

"Blue Level Building Blueprints are extremely Rare, and every single one is critically important. When they’re transported to other regions, it’s done under the highest level of security."

"Once one Architect masters it, they can travel far and wide, constructing this building for multiple defensive lines."

"If ten Architects master it, then ten Architects can construct it for multiple defensive lines."

"As long as the Blueprint exists, a continuous stream of Architects can master its contents."

"The price you’re asking—the complete destruction of the Blueprint—is unacceptable. We would never destroy a part of humanity’s foundation for a temporary advantage, not unless the Eternal Night Continent was on the very brink of a final, life-or-death battle."

"However—"

"I do know that the Western Eternal Night Xuanwu No. 1 Frontline has a duplicate Blue Level Blueprint. If I recall correctly, it’s for a City Defense Building. I can put in a word for you, but the frontlines don’t always listen to us. They won’t just hand it over for free."