Jiangbei Market

"Two hundred ghost stones..." Chen Fan narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the panel before him. According to his original plan, he could have comfortably and smoothly navigated his developmental phase. But the sudden early arrival of the rainy season had thrown all his plans into disarray, catching him somewhat off guard. Now, he had to bolster the camp's strength as much as possible if he wanted any hope of surviving. Two choices lay before him. With two hundred ghost stones in total, he could spend one hundred ghost stones to upgrade the two Level 2 arrow towers to Level 3. Or... Gather three hundred and twenty ghost stones to construct a thirty-two-meter-long circular wall, forming a protective barrier within the camp. Naturally, this was not along the perimeter of the Level 2 ghost fire's safe zone, but rather the safe zone of a Level 1 ghost fire. Enclosing a Level 2 ghost fire campsite with a wall would be far too expensive. As for which of the two would boost the camp's strength more, it was naturally the latter. With a wall to hold back ghost creatures charging into the camp, the arrow towers would have the best possible chance to continuously unleash volley after volley without being overwhelmed and destroyed by the ghost tide. But he didn't have that many ghost stones on hand right now. If Wang Kui could bring back enough ghost stones after taking in the people from the other outposts, then Chen Fan would build the wall before night fell. If Wang Kui failed to do so, Chen Fan could only upgrade the arrow towers as much as possible and construct defensive structures like traps. He couldn't afford to wait. Last night had merely been an appetizer; whether he could survive tonight was something only the heavens knew. He glanced toward Quehou not far away, who was still digging into the farmland to bury the ghost creature carcasses. Quite a few carcasses had already been buried in this plot, so he wouldn't have to worry about a fertilizer shortage for a long time to come. Yesterday, they had killed a total of forty-seven maggot-like ghost creatures, yet not a single exotic treasure had dropped. He felt a pang of nostalgia for that mother and daughter. Had he known, he wouldn't have killed them; if he had kept them penned outside the camp, who knew if he could have set up some sort of ghost creature assembly line. ... Jiangbei Market. The largest market within several hundred li, its master was a Level 2 architect. It was situated in the western district of Jiangbei City. Because of its renown, people often referred to going to Jiangbei City as going to Jiangbei Market. The rain poured relentlessly. Countless merchants and travelers milled about between various shops and umbrella-covered stalls. Everyone understood that with the rainy season arriving early, the ghost tide that had swept across the entire wasteland thirty-seven years ago might break out once again! They had to prepare in advance, just in case. "The rainy season has come early." Standing at the doorway and looking out at the torrential downpour, a shop manager inside the Pingtian Chamber of Commerce was full of worry and unease. "Who knows how many will die this time, or if Jiangbei City can hold out." "Manager." Behind him, a shop boy happened to return from outside just then, walking into the shop through the storm. He peeled off his outer garment and wrung it out forcefully, then wiped the rainwater from his face and said offhandedly, "We don't need to be so nervous, really. "Jiangbei City's defenses were built jointly by three factions: the Jiangbei Chen family, the Qiuhe Wang family, and the Wild Wolf Gang. "Those costly walls protect all of Jiangbei City tight and firm. "And there's an arrow tower every ten paces. "In all these years, ghost creatures have never breached them. They certainly won't this time either." "..." The manager looked at the shop boy with mixed emotions and said nothing. Ignorance was bliss, one could only say. In a normal rainy season, Jiangbei City's geographical location and vast Level 1 walls could indeed guarantee peace and safety. But with the rainy season coming early, there was a high probability that a ghost tide would strike! He had lived through the ghost tide thirty-seven years ago. Less than one in a thousand people across the entire city had survived in the end. He had witnessed it firsthand, and the only reason he had survived was that he had pulled a clever trick back then: seeing that things looked bad, he had slipped into the Wild Wolf Gang's core territory in advance and survived thanks to the Level 3 walls and defenses of that core area. This was also why he had stayed with the Pingtian Chamber of Commerce all these years. The Pingtian Chamber of Commerce and the Jiangbei Chen family were now one and the same. Every major faction had its own core area, where the walls were of a higher tier and the defensive buildings far more formidable. If the city fell, core members would make an emergency retreat to their faction's core area, scraping by to survive. After a long while, the manager stood at the doorway, pressed his palms together, and looked into the distance at the overcast sky and endless deluge, murmuring, "Heaven protect us. "May no ghost tide emerge." An early rainy season only brought a high likelihood of triggering a ghost tide; it wasn't a certainty. If no ghost tide broke out, that would naturally be best. In this world, dying of old age was simply too difficult. ... Jiangbei City, the Jiangbei Chen family. Inside an expansive courtyard, a pale-faced, unsteady-footed middle-aged man held a ghost-skin map in his hands, currying favor as he bustled over to report to a youth inside a pavilion: "Young Master, Jiangbei Chen Family Outpost No. 37 remains lit. It seems his luck wasn't bad last night, and no ghost creatures attacked the outpost. "However, ghost creatures will become increasingly active as the rainy season goes on. Surely he won't be so lucky tonight." "Mm." Seated in the pavilion, the youth fingered an emerald bead bracelet, a glimmer of satisfaction flickering in his eyes. Taking the ghost-skin map handed over by the man, he stared intently at Outpost No. 37, situated in the deepest northern reaches of the wasteland. It was as though he wanted to extinguish the outpost through sheer force of will. According to plan, this outpost should have gone dark long ago. After all, they had only given that kid three ghost stones. Who would have guessed that after several days, it still hadn't flickered out? It showed he had good luck—at such a remote outpost, travelers had actually passed by and lodged for the night. But such good luck was due to run out. An early rainy season meant rampaging ghost tides. At an outpost without a scrap of defensive architecture, he had no idea how anyone could survive. Although they had always called that fellow an illegitimate son, everyone within the Chen family knew deep down that he was the Chen family's true eldest son by the primary wife, holding absolute legitimate right of succession in name. If that fellow didn't die, his mind would never be at ease. His own mother was the sole daughter of the president of the Pingtian Chamber of Commerce, and the current mistress of the Chen family. As long as that fellow died, he would hold the absolute, legitimate right of succession. "By the way—" The youth's brows knitted slightly. "Are there any flaws in how Chen Fan was dispatched into the depths of the wasteland?" "None." The middle-aged man shook his head solemnly. "Everything was done according to the rules. In accordance with the Chen family ancestral teachings, all Chen clansmen must serve a one-year rotation at a clan outpost upon reaching adulthood. It was Chen Fan's turn to go. "Before he left, he was given three ghost stones—that is also stipulated by ancestral rules. "It all followed procedure. "It's just that..." The man grinned. "...we dispatched him to an abandoned outpost where virtually no travelers ever pass by. Even if the Master looks into it, he won't be able to find any fault. "Besides, how could the Master not know about this? He tacitly consented long ago. "After all, the Master still has to rely on the Level 5 architect consecrated elder brought over by your mother."