I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

As for why the seed Lame Monkey had picked up back then didn’t display a panel, he had a faint guess as to why.

All Seed-type Treasures were encased in something like a thin membrane. The seed back then had been a single grain, without any membrane wrapping it. Perhaps that was why no panel had appeared.

’My luck is pretty good.’

Chen Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly. Green Level Seed-type Treasures often had special Planting Conditions. For example, the Meat Ghost Mother and Child Species needed to be watered with Ghost Blood every hour.

Yet, despite being completely unaware of the Planting Conditions for the Human Blood Ghost Flower, he had managed to grow it by a sheer stroke of luck. Fortune was smiling upon him.

’Looks like my luck in this life isn’t bad.’

There are tens of millions of hardworking people in the world, but less than one in ten thousand ever becomes famous.

It’s not that those who fail lack ability; it’s simply that their luck is bad.

Luck alone can’t guarantee success, but luck is one of the necessary conditions for it.

Immediately after,

He used two wooden sticks to pick up the flower from the edge of the Farmland. He spread the Ghost Skin flat on the desolate ground and squeezed gently. Scarlet liquid, like blood, trickled down the stem and dripped onto the Ghost Skin.

Soon, no more liquid flowed out, and the once-vibrant flower instantly withered, losing its life.

Chen Fan crouched by the Farmland, his eyes fixed on the Ghost Skin. As the flower’s liquid landed on it, lines of text slowly materialized.

-

「We met and parted in last year’s rain; a year has passed since that rainy day.」

「Deep in the cold tarn, white bones soak by the midnight moon.」

「Beneath embroidered silks, dark hair is wreathed in autumn’s endless haze.」

「I tear my skin as armor for you, cut my soul as silk to bind new scars.」

「Sudden, an umbrella’s crack shakes the world; a Ghost Tide forms ranks across the Wilderness.」

「An old friend returns, treading through the rain, yet we meet as strangers, faces pale as snow.」

「Though rain erodes this beauty a thousand times, in this life I wait for you, and you alone.」

-

Then, the panel for this Exotic Treasure also changed.

-

「Exotic Treasure Name」: Ghost Skin.

「Exotic Treasure Level」: Green.

「Exotic Treasure Effect」: A special Ghost Skin, personally crafted by a High Level Ghost Object. When worn close to the body, it can block a fatal attack.

-

"..."

Chen Fan stared at the lines of text appearing on the Ghost Skin in his hand. After a long, expressionless silence, he sighed softly. A headache was suddenly coming on. ’Actually... the sunk cost for this base isn’t that much. Maybe I should just pack up and move as soon as possible.’

The poem wasn’t too difficult to understand.

The general meaning was this:

The female ghost he had killed was highly intelligent. Last rainy season, she had met another male ghost, and they had fallen for each other. After they parted, she had torn off a piece of her own skin and, using other methods, crafted this Exotic Treasure.

A defensive Exotic Treasure.

And that male ghost...

「Suddenly, an umbrella’s crack shakes the world; a Ghost Tide forms ranks across the Wilderness.」

Sounded just like a Ghost King.

Not only was he powerful, but he also commanded a large force.

This dame had been waiting in this Wilderness for that male ghost. Perhaps this rainy season, the male ghost would arrive with a great army to marry her, but she... was already dead at his hands.

When that time comes...

When that time comes...

Chen Fan turned his head toward the Warehouse. He had skinned the female ghost and stored the hide in the garage. Ah Le’s knife skills were good; he had removed it quite cleanly. ’Could I just hand over the whole skin? Sew it onto another female ghost? That might work in a pinch.’

Sentient Ghost Objects were extremely rare.

And as for a Ghost Object that could craft an Exotic Treasure, he only knew of this one female ghost who possessed such a skill.

If the Ghost King didn’t care about the female ghost at all, then he might escape this disaster. But given her looks and her skills—she was presentable enough for the grand hall and could even craft Exotic Treasures for the Ghost King—it seemed unlikely that he wouldn’t care...

’I’m screwed.’

"You lovesick ghost," Chen Fan muttered, "if you were going to wait for your Prince Charming during the rainy season, you could have just found a corner to hide in quietly."

"Why did you have to keep coming after me, again and again?"

"And look what happened."

"You left me with this huge mess."

"So what if one of your subordinates died? Was that worth charging into my camp to fight me to the death?"

Chen Fan rubbed his temples, his head aching. The Ghost King would most likely return to the Wilderness during the rainy season. The enemy was strong and had a large force. To deal with him, he had to be fully prepared. At the very least, the camp’s current defenses were definitely not enough.

’However...’

’He might not know where I am. After all, there were no eyewitnesses. Oh, right. In that case...’

’Like hell he won’t!’

’My camp is the only one in the entire Wilderness, as conspicuous as the sun in the dead of night. As long as that Ghost King isn’t a complete idiot, he’ll come looking for me the moment he sets foot in the Wilderness!’

’Forget it!’

’I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and looked toward the Warehouse again. The female ghost had used just a piece of her skin to craft such an Exotic Treasure. And he had her entire hide stored in his Warehouse.

’Once I find an Artifact Refiner, maybe I can use this hide to have a full suit of Soft Armor made for me.’

He casually tucked the Ghost Skin into his linen clothes, close to his chest.

It was pleasantly warm.

Quite comfortable, actually.

In his youth in a past life, a girl had once knitted a scarf for him, keeping his heart warm all winter.

He never thought that in this world, a female ghost would use her own skin to weave a Heart-Protecting Armor for him. It was quite romantic, in a way.

’How thoughtful.’

...

「Inside the camp.」

Chen Fan stood on the City Wall of the breeding pen, looking down at the Fake Human Ghosts screeching and baring their teeth in the downpour.

The wall was five meters high.

The group of fakes hadn’t tried to climb the wall by forming a human ladder. It was unclear if the thought hadn’t occurred to them or if they simply didn’t have the time to think about it. Ever since he had brought these Fake Human Ghosts here, they had been mating indiscriminately day and night, without pause.

In the poem written by the female ghost, there was a line:

-

「Though rain erodes this beauty a thousand times, in this life I wait for you, and you alone.」

-

Corrodes.

That wasn’t a pleasant word.

’Perhaps...’

’...the rainy season is also a painful experience for Ghost Objects?’

’Like sulfur raining down on their bodies, causing unbearable pain, which is why they rampage during the rainy season?’

Just then—

Ah Le, who was standing nearby, reported, "Station Chief, no major enemies attacked the camp last night. I ran an experiment. I discovered that the larval Ghost Objects don’t have Ghost Stones inside them. The Ghost Stones only form after they’ve matured."

"Also, this rainwater might have some special energy."

"After I used a Wooden Board to shield a few of the Fake Human Ghosts from the rain, they immediately stopped mating, snarled at me viciously, and prepared to attack."

"But when I removed the Wooden Board, they immediately went back to mating."

"Mm."

Chen Fan nodded lightly. "Good work."

Raising this batch of Fake Human Ghosts wasn’t just about obtaining more Ghost Stones; it was more about gathering intelligence on Ghost Objects. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

From the looks of it,

the rainy season had a huge impact on Ghost Objects, but the effects varied between different types.

For Fake Human Ghosts, it was uncontrollable mating.

For Meat Worm Ghosts, it was an uncontrollable, clan-wide migration.

For the female ghost, it was a pain like sulfuric acid corroding her flesh.

’This might be...’

’...the reason the female ghost built herself a sedan chair.’