There Sure Are a Lot of Geniuses in This World

"There sure are a lot of geniuses in this world." Chen Fan sighed softly, saying no more. It had been an exhausting day, and weariness was catching up to him. Matters in Jiangbei City had come to a temporary close. Next, he planned to finish the basic construction of the Fan Domain and make preparations for the auction in a month. He wanted to open a trade route between Jiangnan and Jiangbei to dump all his high-quality, inexpensive goods. Even if others were displeased, they would simply have to endure it. If he was in a good mood, he would let the profits trickle in slowly. If he was in a bad mood, he would roll out the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage and clear house in one sweep. Meanwhile, in Jiangbei City... The master of Jiangbei Market, that Level 2 architect, was currently kneeling expressionlessly before his ancestral shrine. Looking up at the ancestral portrait hanging on the wall, he muttered, "Venerable Ancestor, you must have pulled quite a few strings for me down there. How did we suddenly become the strongest faction in Jiangbei City? I haven't even had time to prepare." Jiangbei Market had originally ranked fourth among the powers of Jiangbei City. It was considered a neutral faction, rarely brought up; whenever people mentioned Jiangbei City, they spoke only of the other few powers. While he had also wanted to squeeze his way in among the top ranks, doing so had seemed nearly impossible. After the rainy season ended, the Qiuhe Wang family had sought him out to mortgage their camp. He had known then that his chance had come—perhaps he could take their place as one of the three major powers of Jiangbei City. Yet everything that followed had unfolded far too quickly, so fast that he had no time to react. First, the Fan Domain arrived at Jiangbei City and wiped out the Jiangbei Chen family. Immediately afterward, the Wild Wolf Gang publicly announced that their entire syndicate was joining the Fan Domain. The three major powers of Jiangbei City were wiped off the map overnight. His Jiangbei Market had become the city's foremost power. Good fortune had arrived so abruptly. He hadn't done a single thing. How had he suddenly reaped such a bountiful harvest? *** Dawn soon broke. At Nameless Mountain, a crowd of people was bustling about outside. Chen Fan, meanwhile, gathered Sick Monkey and the others on the wall to discuss the subsequent layout of the camp. "As of now, the Fan Domain has taken in the Qiuhe Wang family—forty-two people, twelve of whom are women. All of them are kin of Wang Qiuhao. They are now official members of the Fan Domain and will be responsible for logistics." Seated on the wall, Chen Fan went over the roster. "I plan to place these women in the Living Workshop. Xiao Qiu, how many hands do you need on your end?" "As for women, three will be enough," Xiao Qiu said after a moment of thought. "They can handle the finer, routine chores. But a good deal of the work in the Living Workshop requires swinging a heavy sledgehammer, so I'll also need three men. That should be plenty for now." "Very well." Chen Fan nodded in agreement. "You can go down and pick them yourself shortly." "We are establishing the Fan Domain's Logistics Pavilion. Xiao Qiu, you will serve as the first Pavilion Master. This department will specifically oversee the Fan Domain's logistics—including the Living Workshop and the Vehicle Workshop. Once we construct the alchemy workshop and artifact refining workshop, they will fall under your management as well." With those words, he produced a command token forged the night before from his robes and handed it to Xiao Qiu. "You are the first Pavilion Master of the Logistics Pavilion. This is your identity token and also your life tablet. It grants you authority over certain structures in the Fan Domain. For now, there are no candidates for Vice Pavilion Master; once the Logistics Pavilion grows busier, I'll find a suitable assistant for you." Xiao Qiu took a deep breath before standing up. Taking the token with both hands, he replied in a solemn, raspy voice, "I will not disappoint the Domain Lord!" The others looked on with envy. Wang Kui, in particular, was filled with emotion. Long ago, when he was still running a wasteland outpost, Xiao Qiu had been his mere attendant. Now, Xiao Qiu had become the master of a pavilion within the Fan Domain, commanding full logistical authority. Everyone understood that today was the day to reap the fruits of their labor. They had struggled together through the rainy season for so long, and the time to distribute the rewards had finally arrived. Securing an important position now meant that as long as they made no grave mistakes, their standing in the Fan Domain would rise steadily with the tide. There was no need to scheme for promotions; the Fan Domain itself would ascend. When the Fan Domain rose, so would they. "Good." Chen Fan smiled faintly and gestured for Xiao Qiu to sit. "For now, the Logistics Pavilion doesn't have too many responsibilities. Take your time to adapt and learn so that you can keep everything in hand once matters get busier." He had chosen Xiao Qiu for only three reasons: first, Xiao Qiu was genuinely skilled at managing the Living Workshop; second, his conduct during the rainy season had been commendable, having risked his life outside the city to retrieve ghost stones; and third, he was a trusted veteran of the camp. With these three points, there was no reason not to employ him. "Next is the Hundred Grains Pavilion. It will primarily oversee planting and animal husbandry for the Fan Domain, including the medicinal herbs brought from the Dan Sect and the Hundred Herb Garden we will establish in the future. Anything involving planting or livestock falls under the Hundred Grains Pavilion. That includes feeding Weiwei. "Qi Chong will serve as the first Pavilion Master of the Hundred Grains Pavilion, with A'le as Vice Pavilion Master." Chen Fan once again produced two identity tokens forged the previous night and handed them to Qi Chong and A'le. "Thank you, Domain Lord!" The two stood in unison, accepted their tokens, and exchanged glances, both catching the undisguised excitement in each other's eyes. Qi Chong faintly recalled what A'le had once told him: *"What you do doesn't matter; who you do it with is what counts.* *Follow the right person, and you get promoted. Do the right thing, and you get rich. Follow the right person and do the right thing, and you get both!* *Farming brings honor to our ancestors, pig-raising brings glory to our forefathers. Put the two of us together, and we bring honor and glory to our ancestors!"* He had to admit, A'le truly had great foresight. In the past, they had been nothing more than lowly farmers. What were they now? Now, he was Qi Chong, Pavilion Master of the Fan Domain's Hundred Grains Pavilion! "Your tasks over the coming month will be quite heavy," Chen Fan said, pointing toward the canyon. "Within this month, we need to move many buildings outside the canyon and build a city out there. For instance, the farmland—the cave can no longer hold it all. All the ghost plants we harvested this time must be sown, and the medicinal herbs need to be transplanted as well. The batch of jade slips brought back from the Dan Sect includes instructions on the cultivation and care of medicinal herbs. Study them diligently in your spare time." Immediately following that, Chen Fan continued, "Next is the Heavenly Granary Pavilion, responsible for managing the Fan Domain's storage. Exotic treasures, heavenly materials and earthly treasures, ghost stones, martial techniques, ancient texts, and the like will all be kept in the Heavenly Granary Pavilion. We won't divide things into a Spirit Treasure Pavilion or a Scripture Pavilion; everything will be housed together. The first Pavilion Master will be Wang Kui, with no Vice Pavilion Master for now." He pulled out an identity token and handed it to Wang Kui. "Your responsibilities are immense. You will hold all the resources of the Fan Domain, and not the slightest loss can be tolerated. Keep a close watch over everything. "Then comes the Commerce Pavilion. Wang Mazi, you will serve as the first Pavilion Master and take full charge of this upcoming auction. After the rainy season, you must assemble a merchant caravan as soon as possible, construct outposts along the routes, and open trade lines with other factions. "As for the War Pavilion, Zhou Mo, you will serve as Pavilion Master, and Da Yu will be Vice Pavilion Master. You will oversee the daily security of the Fan Domain's camp and the grounds of our city, as well as external operations. You two must elevate your cultivation as quickly as possible. "For the Penal Pavilion, Sick Monkey, you will be Pavilion Master. You will oversee internal discipline, holding the authority to supervise all other pavilion masters, pass judgment on anyone who violates the rules of the Fan Domain, uphold our laws, and conduct interrogations. "And finally, the Dark Pavilion." Chen Fan paused for a moment before taking out another token and looking toward Shao Qiu, who sat nearby with a grave expression. "You will oversee external assassinations and intelligence gathering for the Fan Domain. You must establish an intelligence network belonging to the Fan Domain as soon as possible, and cultivate the ability to carry out assassinations. Do not let me down. "Xiao Qiu, drive the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage back to Jiangbei City to bring back the Wild Wolf Gang and recruit a batch of laborers. "The rest of you may go down and pick your people." Outside the wall, the group from the Qiuhe Wang family and the Jiangbei Chen family stood on the ground, anxiously awaiting their assignments. "Oh, right," Chen Fan added. "Last night, Xiao Qiu used the Cloud Fabric to craft ten robes, tailoring a custom set for each of you. Go see Xiao Qiu to collect them." Having arranged all of this, Chen Fan stretched lazily and headed back into the camp. The framework of the Fan Domain was largely in place. He needed to go back to bed and catch up on some sleep. Throughout the rainy season, he had never managed a decent rest, living every day on edge. Now that the rainy season was over, he could finally enjoy a few days of peace. Over the past few days, not a single ghost creature had charged into the camp. Once the rainy season passed, ghost creatures generally ceased throwing themselves against the ghost fire. *** "Heh, heh-heh..." Wang Kui stood outside the wall, gazing at the bronze mirror mounted on the stone wall. He admired his new attire with utter satisfaction. It was crafted by the Logistics Pavilion—a robe fashioned entirely from Cloud Fabric. It was vibrant crimson throughout, with the emblem of the Heavenly Granary Pavilion and the flag of the Fan Domain embroidered on the chest. It proclaimed his status as the Pavilion Master of the Heavenly Granary Pavilion. The attire within the Fan Domain was now standardized: only pavilion masters could wear crimson robes, their subordinates wore solid black, and Chen Fan wore azure. These were official robes. Although Shao Qiu also possessed one, he certainly wouldn't wear a crimson robe when heading out on an assassination mission. Winter had arrived, and temperatures were dropping, yet wearing this robe kept away even the slightest chill. Moreover, it was featherlight, weighing practically nothing on the body. Looking once more at the identity token of the Heavenly Granary Pavilion Master in his hand, Wang Kui let out a long breath. The Fan Domain was on the right track, and his own wishes had finally been fulfilled. This look was grand indeed. He began to look forward to the auction in a month's time, when he would make his formal public debut. From then on, he would have an official title in the outside world: Pavilion Master of the Fan Domain's Heavenly Granary Pavilion. A resounding, illustrious title. No longer would he be called something like 'Stationmaster of Qiuhe Wang Family Outpost No. 17.' Nearby, Qi Chong and A'le walked side by side outside the camp, pacing back and forth in front of the assembled crowd with an air of importance, appearing as though they were carefully screening candidates. In truth, they simply couldn't resist showing off. Back when they worked for the Pingtian Chamber of Commerce, they had been the lowliest of hands—one farming fields, the other raising pigs, situated at the very bottom of the hierarchy. Now, in the blink of an eye, they had risen to become figures of authority. "Eh?" A'le suddenly noticed a middle-aged man in the crowd trying to avoid his gaze. A broad grin spread across his face. "Old Supervisor, you're here too! Pavilion Master Qi, I want this man. I think he's a natural fit for raising pigs." "Fine, have it your way." Hearing the words 'Pavilion Master Qi,' Qi Chong felt a pleasant warmth wash over him. Beaming from ear to ear, he agreed without hesitation. That title sounded marvelous to the ear—so satisfying that it made his entire body feel relaxed. *** Shao Qiu, on the other hand, wore a sour expression as he inspected each candidate's build and bone structure one by one. He was eager to assemble the Dark Pavilion and carry out the Fan Domain's first assassination mission to prove his worth, but the bone structures of the people before him were simply too poor. It wasn't a matter of low cultivation. A low cultivation didn't matter; with the Spirit Accumulation Pavilion and the Domain Lord's willingness to invest heavily, he could quickly elevate their realms. The problem was that they were all too old, with hardly any youths among them. The ideal recruits for the Dark Pavilion were young people, not these middle-aged men in their thirties and forties. He acknowledged that these older men might make fine stationmasters, but grooming them into operatives capable of flawlessly executing assassinations was out of the question. None of them would do. They were too old and lacked potential. He glanced around irritably, truly at a loss for how to choose. Even when trying to pick the best out of a poor bunch, he couldn't find anyone—they were all equally mediocre, with not a single one standing out. Just then, the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage returned. Xiao Qiu had brought back the members of the Wild Wolf Gang. Shao Qiu froze briefly, and then his eyes lit up as he strode forward to meet them. These people were fairly young and possessed great potential; selecting ten from their ranks would be no trouble at all. Before long, he spotted a promising recruit: a lean youth looking somewhat anxious, his gaze darting away, his frame not yet sturdy. "Not bad." He nodded in satisfaction. Pulling a sticker stamped with 'Dark Pavilion' from his robes, he slapped it onto the young man and waved a hand. "Head over there." This was the kind of person he wanted right now, unlike those whose habits and limits were already set in stone. Today was the day to draft hands. Whenever a pavilion master found a suitable candidate, they would place their pavilion's sticker on the person. If someone ended up with stickers from two different pavilion masters, the matter could be negotiated afterward, all to ensure that everyone's talents were put to their best use. *** Meanwhile, Sick Monkey remained alone inside the camp. Cross-referencing the clan rules of the Jiangbei Chen family, the clan rules of the Qiuhe Wang family, and the sect regulations of the Dan Sect, he was preparing an initial draft of the Fan Domain's code of conduct. Rules had to be established. Serving as the Pavilion Master of the Penal Pavilion, he possessed the authority to oversee all other pavilion masters. In other words, Chen Fan had made it abundantly clear to everyone that Sick Monkey was his most trusted confidant. Such regard and trust stoked his enthusiasm for the task to an absolute peak. Nameless Mountain had never been so lively. Even Weiwei, who had initially hidden away out of social anxiety, emerged and lay outside the wall, its tail rhythmically thumping against the ground in sheer excitement. Everyone was busy, each attending to their own duties. Only Chen Fan... He was fast asleep in his room, resting soundly as if lost in a sweet dream. These past days had exhausted him completely. He needed a thorough rest, and the remaining matters could be left for Sick Monkey and the others to handle gradually.