I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

"..."

Chen Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly as he silently observed everything before him. After activating the "Eternal Night Lord" panel, he had obtained the Blueprints for five basic buildings and one special building.

The "Beast Trap" was that special building.

A Beast Trap wasn’t a particularly difficult trap to make, but only one crafted by an Architect possessed a special Building Effect and could inflict damage on Ghost Objects.

As for the other five basic buildings, they were—

"City Wall," "Farmland," "Arrow Tower," "Wooden House," and "Sacrificial Tower."

After observing for a while longer, he quietly withdrew and returned to his camp.

... 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

As he neared the camp, he saw Lame Monkey in the distance, sitting on the ground weaving a hemp rope while constantly looking around on high alert.

Seeing Chen Fan return, he hurriedly got to his feet and rushed forward to report.

"Young Master!"

"I’ve already woven a three-meter-long hemp rope. The conditions aren’t great, though. There was no lime water, and I couldn’t sun-dry it. This dried grass is no match for hemp stalks, so it might not be very sturdy."

"It’s fine."

Chen Fan shook his head. "As long as it’s more or less usable, it’ll do. It doesn’t need to be too sturdy."

"Have you eaten?"

"Not yet."

"Have some rations."

"I saw we don’t have many rations left. I’ll be fine skipping a few meals. I’m used to being hungry."

"Don’t." Chen Fan turned his head to look into the depths of the Wilderness, his brow furrowing slightly. "We have work to do tonight, and you need a full stomach for strength. Don’t worry about food. I’ll figure something out."

The Chen Family had dumped him at this station with no intention of letting him return alive, so naturally, they hadn’t left him many rations. The nearest Marketplace, the Jiangbei Marketplace, was still a long way off.

’Perhaps I can trade some Ghost Stones for food, relying on the Chen Family’s reputation.’

Just then—

Two figures appeared on a dirt slope in the distance, striding toward their camp. As they drew near, the middle-aged man in the lead looked at Chen Fan with a slightly odd expression and cupped his fist in salute.

"You must be the station chief of the Jiangbei Chen Family’s Station 37, I presume?"

"I am Wang Kui, station chief of the Hill and Valley Royal Family’s Station 17."

A smile appeared on Chen Fan’s face as he returned the salute. "Greetings, Station Chief Wang. I am Chen Fan."

He had seen these two men before.

They were from the station he had just gone to observe. He just didn’t know what business they had with him.

Wang Kui gave a light cough before speaking tentatively. "Station Chief Chen, as far as I know, your Chen Family’s Station 37 has been desolate for over a month. Why reactivate it all of a sudden?"

"Not many people pass through this stretch of road, and there isn’t much profit to be made. Have you perhaps heard some news?"

"Our two families may not have much of a relationship, but for those of us out here doing the dirty work, even if we’re from rival families, we should stick together out in the wilds. If a Ghost Tide breaks out, neither of us will survive."

"After all, the glory belongs to the family, but our lives are our own. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Chen Fan didn’t answer right away. He had a rough idea of what Wang Kui was thinking. Clearly, the man was reading too much into it.

But before he could speak...

...the man behind Wang Kui spoke up in surprise. "You’re Chen Fan? The illegitimate son of the Jiangbei Chen Family?"

"..."

Chen Fan nodded, his expression unreadable. "Yes."

"Hold your tongue."

A flash of understanding crossed Wang Kui’s eyes. He shot his subordinate a look of feigned anger, then forced a helpless smile as he turned back to Chen Fan. "My subordinate is ignorant. Please excuse him. It seems I’ve been in the Wilderness for too long and haven’t kept up with matters of the outside world."

"I’m still needed back at my station, so I’ll take my leave now."

Then, without lingering, he turned and left with his man.

...

On the Wilderness plains, Wang Kui walked across the cracked earth with his subordinate, his brow furrowed. "What’s the specific background on that Chen Fan? Tell me everything."

Ever since he began serving the Wang Family, he had basically been stationed out here for a full thirteen years.

However, he rotated to a different station each year.

He really wasn’t up to date on this sort of gossip.

"This whole affair is actually pretty famous."

The man behind him, his skin a coppery bronze, picked at a dry flake on his face and grinned. "It’s about that old man of the Chen Family. Back when he inherited the position of Patriarch, the Chen Family wasn’t as strong as it is now. The main reason was that the family had no Architects."

"But you know what?"

"When Patriarch Chen was young, he was quite handsome. He met a female cultivator, a Level 4 Architect. She had no background, a pure Loose Cultivator. After shamelessly pursuing her, Patriarch Chen won her over, and they had a son—that’s Chen Fan."

"After that, relying on this Level 4 Architect, the Chen Family slowly established a foothold in Jiangbei."

"But when Chen Fan was young, the woman died. Then, Patriarch Chen arranged a marriage alliance with the Pingtian Commerce Association and had another son—the current heir. The dowry included the services of a Level 5 Architect."

"The Architect serving the Chen Family now is the one from the Pingtian Commerce Association."

"Think about it. The new wife had an Architect backing her, so of course she’d want her own son to inherit the Chen Family. Chen Fan’s status naturally plummeted. Originally, Patriarch Chen still held out a sliver of hope. Since Chen Fan’s mother was an Architect, he wondered if Chen Fan might awaken as one too."

"A retained Architect is definitely not as reliable as having an Architect from your own bloodline."

"The result is obvious. He failed to awaken. So, Chen Fan completely lost favor. His being sent here probably isn’t because he heard some news. If nothing else, he was sent here to die."

"..."

Wang Kui frowned. "How can you call him an illegitimate son? I thought it was with a maid or something. Isn’t he clearly the legitimate firstborn son from the original wife?"

"Heh, if his Level 4 Architect mother hadn’t died, he’d be the legitimate firstborn. But since she’s dead, he’s as good as an illegitimate son."

"True enough."

Wang Kui sighed heavily. "The sordid affairs of these great families are truly endless. Alright..."

He thought for a moment before speaking again.

"Since he was sent here to die, they surely didn’t leave him any Ghost Stones or food. In a bit, I want you to take some food and water from our camp over to them. And... give them five Ghost Stones as well."

"Huh?"

The bronze-skinned man was stunned. "Station Chief, the family is coming to collect the accounts in half a month. If we give away five Ghost Stones, the books won’t balance."

"I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket. It won’t go on the station’s books."

"Oh, oh..."

The man scratched the back of his head. "Then it’s fine. But Station Chief, why the sudden act of kindness? Those two are dead for sure. Even if you give them five Ghost Stones, they won’t last more than a few days."

"It’s not kindness. It’s an investment."

Wang Kui shook his head. "He’s in a nearly hopeless situation right now. But when we met just now, Chen Fan didn’t ask us for help at all. And that cripple—his eyes were full of vigilance and caution, without a trace of despair or fear."

"What does that tell you?"

"It tells me that perhaps he isn’t so desperate after all."