Fan Domain Level 1 Trusted Faction

Today's Fan City was destined for madness. After the rainy season ended, factions arriving at Fan City carried vastly different motives. Many had only heard of Fan Domain after it wiped out Dan Sect and originally planned merely to test the waters. Yet... Upon arriving, they too were powerless to stop themselves from joining this madness. No one could restrain themselves. It was a banquet of absolute frenzy. Out in the Jiangbei Wasteland, ten outposts established by Fan Domain to accommodate merchant caravans dotted the plains. They were few in number, but Skeleton Horses possessed great speed, allowing the outposts to be spaced far apart. Their primary purpose was serving major factions. As for the denser outposts needed by ordinary merchant caravans, that piece of meat was left for the factions of Jiangbei City to feast on; it paid to leave some broth for others. At every outpost under Fan Domain's banner, any Level 1 trusted faction of Fan Domain was entitled to stay free of charge. Dusk gradually fell. Many factions had no intention of waiting for the auction a few days later. Arriving in the afternoon and buying up Skeleton Horses, they rushed to reach a Fan Domain outpost before nightfall. Every extra li traveled was ground gained; the sooner they brought the horses back, the sooner they could turn a profit and rake in more ghost stones. "The outpost under Fan Domain is just ahead." A middle-aged man riding atop a Skeleton Horse grinned as he glanced back at another Skeleton Horse trailing behind him. Halting outside the outpost, he bellowed, "Seeking lodging!" Soon enough, a white-haired elder emerged from inside the building. "We are a Level 1 trusted faction of Fan Domain, the Wang clan." The middle-aged man drew a token from his robes. "Can we stay for free?" "Naturally." This elder was none other than Patriarch Wang of the Qiuhe Wang family. Accepting the token, he aligned it with his own life token. The shared aura of Fan Domain infused during their creation resonated, casting a faint glow that verified the token's authenticity. "However, per the rules of the Eternal Night, everyone must enter the outpost holding ghost stones." "Of course, of course." The middle-aged man dismounted with a hearty laugh and stepped into one of the outpost's rooms, where he brewed himself a pot of tea while the outpost's attendants led string after string of Skeleton Horses into the camp perimeter. Before the tea even boiled, he could not resist taking out a voice transmission talisman to report back to his clan. "Patriarch, everything went smoothly! I sold the goods we brought to Fan Domain for eight thousand ghost stones and successfully became a Level 1 trusted faction of Fan Domain." "I've reached Fan Domain's Outpost No. 10 in the Jiangbei Wasteland. I expect to reach Jiangdong by the day after tomorrow in the afternoon. Patriarch, how are the presales going on your end?" The voice of an old man quickly returned from the talisman. "Everything has been reserved, and the ghost stones are already collected! We are just waiting for you to bring this batch of Skeleton Horses back. To be safe, the clan has already dispatched men to rendezvous with you. Moving so many Skeleton Horses is far too eye-catching—don't get ambushed by bandits." "Stick to main roads as much as possible. Don't worry about spending extra ghost stones, and don't take the backroads this time." "Pay whatever tolls need paying." "Raise the Wang clan's death banner too. Under no circumstances can we let ourselves get robbed!" "Understood." The middle-aged man clearly understood the gravity of the situation. Taking a deep breath, he continued his report: "There's one more piece of news. Fan Domain is hosting an auction seven days from now and released part of the lot list. One of the items is an Architect Token, capable of turning an ordinary mortal into an architect." The moment the words left his mouth, an incredulous roar erupted from the other end of the talisman: "What?!!" "..." The middle-aged man held the talisman a bit farther away and dug into his ear. The patriarch was somewhat overly agitated, though he could certainly understand why. To this day, the Wang clan did not possess an architect of their own. Awakening as an architect was entirely random, after all. They only had two consecrated architects, but those were outsiders, not kin. If someone of their own blood could become an architect, the boost to the Wang clan would be monumental. If Skeleton Horses merely helped the Wang clan amass enough ghost stones, then this Architect Token would drastically deepen their clan's foundational heritage. The Wang clan could pour mountains of resources into nurturing this architect, eventually making him the clan's revered ancestor. Before long, the patriarch's trembling, impassioned voice came through the talisman once more: "We must select a clever youth from within the clan to become an architect! We must secure this Architect Token at any cost!" "Return as fast as you can. Try to make another trip within these seven days!" "Then, using the profits from both runs combined with our clan's foundation, we will buy this Architect Token whatever it takes!" "Stay safe on the road. I'm going to assemble the elders for a meeting!" The patriarch had entirely lost his usual composure. And reasonably so. All of Jiangnan had long suspected that Tianxia Pavilion might possess a method to turn ordinary people into architects, but it had remained mere speculation; no one had ever seen it with their own eyes. It was only when Fan Domain revealed the auction's headline item that the truth was indisputably confirmed. That night... Everything that occurred in Fan City, alongside news of the auction's grand item, the Architect Token, spread rapidly across Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and beyond. Countless factions packed their belongings through the night, gathering their family fortunes to set out for Jiangbei's Fan Domain the moment dawn broke. That night, some were thrilled, some were agitated, and some could not sleep a wink. *** Jiangnan, West Lake Tower. An immensely renowned faction. Across Jiangnan, very few factions possessed the advanced structure known as the Vehicle Workshop—only two in total, and West Lake Tower was one of them. For years, they had grown fat off selling Skeleton Horses and other wares. Yet tonight, the sky had suddenly caved in. Word arrived from Jiangbei that Fan Domain was selling Skeleton Horses for a mere 1,500 ghost stones each. Furthermore, they did not sell them individually, strictly limiting purchases to bulk orders from factions. Numerous factions had already purchased large quantities of discounted horses, intending to bring them back to their territories for resale. This dealt a catastrophic blow to their foundation. "..." Late into the night, darkness shrouded the land as usual. The Master of West Lake Tower sat impassively in his chair, listening to his subordinate's report. After a protracted silence, he walked alone to the core area of the encampment. A Vehicle Workshop sat protected inside Level 3 walls. Striding inside, the entire expanse of the Vehicle Workshop came into view. He looked toward an elderly man bustling before the workshop and said calmly, "Old Qiu, how is it?" "I'll try once more." Old Qiu wiped the sweat from his brow. Taking a deep breath, he slowly shut his eyes again. In the blink of an eye, a pile of ghost stones beside him instantly melted into a milky-white liquid and surged into the workshop before him. Soon, a rumbling sound echoed within the workshop. Immediately afterward, a newly crafted Skeleton Horse was slowly guided out along the conveyor belt. "Still no good." A trace of frustration flickered through Old Qiu's eyes, and he murmured dejectedly, "This old man is a Level 7 architect, capable of keeping the energy loss rate of ghost stones within a reasonable margin. But the Vehicle Workshop naturally consumes immense amounts of energy. Even with the finest control possible to minimize the loss of ghost stones, the production cost of a single Skeleton Horse still sits at 1,278 ghost stones." "..." The Master of West Lake Tower stood beside him in silence, showing no expression. Operating the Vehicle Workshop required an architect to intervene personally, converting the ghost stones into liquid and directing them inside. Energy was inevitably lost during both the creation of structures and this very process. The higher an architect's rank, the more meticulously they could control energy, allowing them to construct higher-tier buildings and... reduce the rate of energy dissipation. Old Qiu was already a Level 7 architect, yet he could only drive the cost down to 1,278 ghost stones at best. At this price, he had lost all standing to compete against Fan Domain. However— The cost price for other factions buying from Fan Domain was 1,500 ghost stones, with a minimum retail price of 1,600 ghost stones. He could certainly lower his own prices further, reducing his retail price to 1,500 ghost stones, but that would leave razor-thin profit margins. Furthermore, he strongly suspected Fan Domain would simply slash prices again just to drive him out of business and monopolize the market. "Currently, the highest-ranking architect in all of Jiangnan is the Pavilion Master of Tianxia Pavilion, who is a Level 9 architect," Old Qiu said. "I strongly suspect that Chen Fan must be a Level 10 architect, or even higher. Otherwise, there is no way he could achieve such immense output." "Sigh." The Master of West Lake Tower sighed softly, at a loss for words. He had always assumed his ruin would come at the hands of his bitter rival; he had never imagined it would be an upstart faction from Jiangbei. Old Qiu had touched upon the most crucial problem: output. Their daily output was limited. An architect channeling ghost stones to craft Skeleton Horses expended tremendous mental effort; they could not produce many in a single day, with ten horses being roughly their limit. Yet the other side... their output seemed practically limitless. It gave off the distinct impression that as long as you provided the ghost stones, they could churn out as many Skeleton Horses as you wanted. He even harbored the daring suspicion that Chen Fan might very well be a Level 15 architect. Just then, a young girl in a red dress walked over, leaned against his shoulder, and whispered, "Father, are we going to wage a price war against Fan Domain?" "..." The middle-aged man, who had maintained his silence throughout, paused for a long time before gently stroking his daughter's head. "We cannot fight. In a price war, we can't beat them. And even if we somehow did, the moment they grow desperate, that dragon carriage will press right up to our doorstep." "You saw how Dan Sect was wiped out." "We cannot stop them." "Then what should we do?" The girl looked up at her father with an aching heart. Since receiving the news, her father seemed to have aged years in an instant. She could offer no help and had no idea what to do. "Fan Domain's rise is an inevitable trend, and its momentum has already formed. Hard resistance is unwise; actively embracing it might reveal a way forward." "For example—" "Over the years of selling Skeleton Horses, we have accumulated vast trade routes and networks. We can buy Skeleton Horses in bulk from Fan Domain and then dump them into other territories, such as the distant Guanxi Plain." "The major factions in the Guanxi Plain have been locked in chaotic warfare for years, the atmosphere is tense, and their demand for Skeleton Horses is astronomical." "Other factions have difficulty entering that market." "Yet because we have consistently sold Skeleton Horses into the Guanxi Plain over the years, we've gained the trust of many factions there. We can leverage Fan Domain to boost output and sell to the Guanxi Plain." "That way, though the profit per horse will be lower than before, the sheer volume will be far greater. We might even end up earning more." "Really?" The girl's eyes lit up. "Father, you are amazing!" "That is only the ideal scenario." The middle-aged man smiled helplessly. "We set off tomorrow and arrive in Jiangbei the day after. I need to visit Fan Domain and assess the situation myself. If I can meet Chen Fan and exchange a few words face-to-face, that would be even better." A family ought to avoid restructuring recklessly if it could be helped. No one knew whether a change would turn out for better or worse. Yet at present, there was no alternative. He had to pivot. He was being forced to pivot. *** Late into the night, the factions that had not yet departed Fan City were resting inside their inns. Chen Fan had returned to Cave No. 1 inside the Nameless Mountain sinkhole. As usual, he reclined in his rocking chair atop the wall, listening to the excited chatter of Sick Monkey and the others beside him. "Young Master!" Sick Monkey reported excitedly. "The first day's results were an absolute triumph!" "All twenty slots for Level 1 trusted factions of Fan Domain were snapped up! We sold a total of 1,509 Skeleton Horses and 129 Ghost Camels. Fewer carriages were bought, with only seven sold." "The vast majority were taken on credit." "Only 138 Skeleton Horses, 49 Ghost Camels, and 4 carriages were paid for in cash." "The upfront earnings from that portion came to exactly five hundred thousand ghost stones." "As for the rest... once all twenty-two Level 1 trusted factions—including Medicine King Valley and the Gongyang clan—deliver the ghost stones owed on credit, we will take in another 2,231,500 ghost stones..." After counting meticulously for a long time, Sick Monkey's voice could not help but tremble. "We will take in over two million more ghost stones!" That figure terrified him. Never in his life had he imagined a day when ghost stones would be measured in the millions. "..." Wang Kui was utterly dumbfounded as well. He had spent the entire day toiling away, knowing only that business was wildly booming, but seeing the actual numbers left him completely dazed. When he worked for the Qiuhe Wang family, he had earned 120 ghost stones a year. These ghost stones were equivalent to... Grabbing an abacus, he calculated frantically before arriving at a final answer. "I would have had to work in the Qiuhe Wang family for 18,595 years to earn this many ghost stones..." "Domain Lord! How on earth did we earn this much? How is the revenue so much higher than wiping out Dan Sect?!" "..." Chen Fan gently rocked in his chair, smiling without a word, his eyes brimming with amusement until he could no longer hold back a laugh. A resounding triumph on the very first day. He had not planned on explaining it in detail, but perhaps because he was in exceptionally high spirits today, he could not resist explaining anyway. "Wiping out Dan Sect yielded over a hundred thousand ghost stones. Is that a lot? By ordinary standards, yes." "Yet in truth, we didn't completely seize all of Dan Sect's earnings; we couldn't take over the shops they established across various cities. Destroying a faction often yields the lowest return." "Whereas this time—we have effectively pillaged the accumulated heritage, and even the future earnings, of countless factions across Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and Jiangdong." "Those factions will find ways to gather up the ghost stones within their own domains and deliver them to our Level 1 trusted factions, who will then hand them over to us." "We in Fan Domain need only sit in Jiangbei and do nothing, while ghost stones from Jiangnan and beyond flow toward us in a never-ending stream." "It naturally yields far more than merely wiping out a single Dan Sect." In truth, the numbers Sick Monkey reported were gross revenues, not net profit, but... Chen Fan's costs were so ridiculously low that it could practically be considered pure profit. A Skeleton Horse cost him only 100 ghost stones to craft; seeing the figures even gave him a headache from sheer abundance. "Furthermore," Chen Fan paused and continued with a smile, "with the influx of other factions in the coming days, there should be another peak, after which the market will be largely saturated and enter a sluggish period. After all, Skeleton Horses are quite durable." "After that, we'll need to expand into new channels." "Zhou Mo, I asked you to select a group of people skilled in swimming. Have you chosen them yet? We're preparing to head out to sea and have a look." "Pretty much done." "Good." "Now, one final matter." Chen Fan stood up and looked toward the crowd with a smile. "Everyone has worked hard this past month for the Fan City marketplace. Now that we've had such a resounding opening, regular wages will be paid as usual this month, and all Pavilion Masters will receive a bonus of 1,000 ghost stones." "Vice Pavilion Masters will receive a bonus of 500 ghost stones." "Every member of Fan Domain will receive a bonus of 100 ghost stones." As the words fell, the crowd did not immediately rejoice. Instead, they exchanged glances until Sick Monkey spoke up hesitatingly on everyone's behalf: "Domain Lord, perhaps you shouldn't hand out the bonuses. After all, four years from now we'll need vast amounts of ghost stones to build up Jiangbei. It's better to save them." "..." Chen Fan glanced at Sick Monkey, paused, and could not help chuckling. Last night, he had already informed Fan Domain's upper echelon about the plan: "Four years, three hundred million, defend Jiangbei." It was an announcement he had to make; with such massive revenues pouring in today, handing out a mere thousand ghost stones as a reward would inevitably breed subtle resentment if unexplained. One thousand ghost stones was already an enormous sum—equal to ten years of Wang Kui's former wages. Yet... Compared to Fan Domain's total revenue, it seemed insignificant. Though he trusted these men, human nature meant people might feel imbalanced seeing their faction rake in astronomical wealth while receiving only a tiny fraction themselves. Thus, he had addressed the plan beforehand. Refusing to pay them was impossible; with such a large crowd following him, how could he fail to distribute rewards to his subordinates? Judging by their reaction now, the approach had worked remarkably well. "No need." Chen Fan looked beyond the wall and stretched languidly. "There are three reasons why I intend to defend Jiangbei." "First, I like Jiangbei, and I've grown accustomed to it." "Second, crisis brings opportunity. Perhaps many high-grade building blueprints will drop. We can only obtain higher-tier blueprints by slaying higher-level ghost creatures; even if we left this place, we would still have to find ways to hunt high-level ghost creatures." "Third, I am very interested in the Heavenly Dao blessing for defending Jiangbei. It most likely extends one's lifespan; otherwise, that person wouldn't have lived so long. If it can grant longevity, I want to live a bit longer." "These three reasons led me to formulate the plan of 'four years, three hundred million, defend Jiangbei.'" "However—I know what I'm doing." "We will do whatever human effort can achieve, but if push comes to shove and our strength falls short, Fan Domain will simply withdraw from Jiangbei." "There's no need to worry about things so far off. Take the bonuses I give you." "Especially you..." His gaze landed on Wang Kui as he chuckled. "During the rainy season, you said your greatest dream was to marry a wife. Without ghost stones in your pocket, what are you going to marry a wife with?" "That's all. Dismissed." "Sleep early; tomorrow will be busy." After Chen Fan walked down the wall, Sick Monkey, Wang Kui, and the others looked at each other, the excitement in their eyes finally surfacing. "A thousand ghost stones!" Wang Mazi could not resist daydreaming with longing in his eyes. "Last time the Domain Lord took us to Guihua Tower, we only had drinks. With the Domain Lord and Da Yu around, I felt too awkward to show you a real good time. Now that we have money, next time I'll take you for some proper entertainment!" "..." Wang Kui watched Chen Fan's departing figure with mixed emotions. Before meeting Chen Fan, he had labored for thirteen years in the Qiuhe Wang family. Yet today, a single bonus of one thousand ghost stones equaled the entirety of the first half of his life. On one hand, he felt exhilarated—thrilled that Fan Domain was flourishing and that the Domain Lord still treated them as generously as ever. On the other hand, he felt a twinge of sorrow, lamenting just how cheap his past life had been. "Let's go!" Taking a deep breath, he put the thoughts behind him and strode toward the warehouse with a broad grin. "Follow me to the vault to collect your bonuses!"