I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

"And we’ve also been setting up the outposts over the past few days."

Wang Kui continued his report. "Some Mortal Realm Members have been dispatched to serve as heads of the outposts, where they are primarily responsible for managing Sound Transmission Talisman communications."

"Mm."

As Chen Fan listened to Wang Kui’s report, he frowned slightly.

’This was actually quite normal. Every faction set up these kinds of outposts. The main reason was the limited range of Sound Transmission Talismans. To contact people farther away, you had to establish relays.’

’But he found it a bit troublesome, since he had witnessed the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land’s ultra-long-range Sound Transmission Talismans.’

’If they could get their hands on the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land’s ultra-long-range Sound Transmission Talismans, they wouldn’t need to set up so many relay stations. It was both time-consuming and labor-intensive. The number of Ghost Stones consumed wasn’t actually a big deal—practically a drop in the bucket. The main issue was the drain on manpower.’

’The Mortal Realm was already short on people. Spreading so many of them out would leave even fewer behind.’

After Wang Kui had mostly finished his report, Chen Fan stood up and walked out of the room. He was planning to head to the Marketplace to browse the goods and see if he could score another hidden gem.

Just as he pushed the door open, he saw Shao Qiu standing at the entrance, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Noticing the smile on Shao Qiu’s face, Chen Fan gave him a slightly odd look. "Did Qi Yue not tell you?"

"She told me, she told me," Shao Qiu said, his expression serious. "But it doesn’t matter. I think breaking through to Martial King on my own is purer. A breakthrough at the Yunling Pavilion wouldn’t be pure."

"..."

Chen Fan was silent for a moment before nodding. "It’s for the best that you think that way. You certainly are... purer."

"So, uh..."

Shao Qiu scratched his head. "Domain Lord, I’d like to report on my work from the past few days."

"Go ahead."

Chen Fan remained where he was, ready to listen to Shao Qiu’s report right there.

"It’s like this."

Shao Qiu cleared his throat and began his report in earnest. "Initially, our first stop was Jiangnan Shuicheng. We took out a Wind and Rain Tower establishment there. After that, we moved on to the other locations they had set up in various cities."

"From these establishments, we learned about a recent Wind and Rain Tower operation: escorting a Sea Embryo. At the same time, we also found out the location of their headquarters."

"How did you find out the location of their headquarters?" Chen Fan asked, puzzled. "Don’t tell me Wind and Rain Tower clearly marks the location of their own base when they’re passing along intelligence?"

"No, nothing like that."

Shao Qiu shook his head. "I just found the people who were escorting the Sea Embryo and tailed them. Their base is deep out at sea, a great distance from the mainland. It would take about a day to get there by boat."

"I don’t recall you having a boat. How did you get over there?"

"I clung to the bottom of their boat."

"Don’t you need to breathe?"

"I have a Stealth Martial Technique. When cultivated to the Great Perfection Realm, it produces an effect similar to Turtle Breath, allowing me to enter a state of suspended animation where I don’t need to breathe."

"Mm."

Chen Fan gave a slight nod. ’He knew about this. As a special Living Dead Cultivator, whenever Shao Qiu’s Cultivation had a breakthrough, a Martial Art would materialize in his mind, and he would automatically master it to the Great Perfection Realm. It was, frankly, an insane ability.’

"As an organization of Assassins, the Wind and Rain Tower’s island must be heavily guarded, right? How did you get in?"

’If he wasn’t mistaken, Shao Qiu must have handled the assassination of the Wind and Rain Tower all by himself. After all, the other members of the Dark Pavilion probably couldn’t hold their breath underwater for nearly a day.’

"Well..."

Shao Qiu scratched his head. "The island they’re on is pretty special. It’s a Rock Island, and its surface is over ten meters above sea level, so Ghost Objects generally can’t get up. Plus, there’s no City Wall, and the lack of a City Wall makes things much easier to handle. But Assassins have very keen senses. I was worried they’d discover me, so I sacrificed a year of my life to activate my Heaven Concealing Martial Technique."

"I see."

Chen Fan nodded. "So what you’re saying is, you sacrificed a year of your life to destroy the Wind and Rain Tower, is that right?"

"That’s right."

"If I remember correctly, when you infiltrated the Slaughter Immortal Holy Land, you also sacrificed fifty years of your life, didn’t you?"

"Yes, that’s right. You have a great memory, Domain Lord."

"You’re in your twenties now, right?"

"That’s right." Shao Qiu nodded seriously. "I’m twenty-five this year."

"Which means, assuming a hundred-year lifespan, you have at most twenty-four years left to live."

Chen Fan’s face was devoid of expression. "Tell me honestly, do you have some way to extend your life? Because at the rate you’re going, I seriously doubt you’ll last much longer."

"I don’t."

Shao Qiu shook his head. "How could I possibly have a way to extend my life? I’ve never heard of any method for extending one’s lifespan, not in all of history."

"But here’s how I see it, Domain Lord. Look, while there are no concrete statistics, the average lifespan for people on the Eternal Night Continent is fifty years, maybe even lower. This world is filled with all kinds of Ghost Objects, after all. It’s easy to die."

"But let’s say a person’s lifespan is a hundred years, and you die at fifty. Doesn’t that mean the remaining fifty years of your life were wasted? So I figure, when it’s time to make a sacrifice, you make it. Don’t be stingy. It would be a real shame to die before you’ve used up your whole lifespan."

"Don’t you agree, Domain Lord?"

"..."

Chen Fan didn’t answer. He could feel a headache coming on; he had no idea how to respond to that.

’What was that supposed to mean, "It would be a real shame to die before you’ve used up your whole lifespan"?’

’He had lived two lifetimes, and this was the first time he had ever heard someone talk like that. Were those even the words of a sane person?’

"Stop paying with your lifespan from now on."

’This guy’s reasoning was clearly not normal.’ Chen Fan had no intention of correcting him, but he advised him with a serious expression, "The Mortal Realm has invested a great deal in you. If you die young, it means that entire investment goes down the drain. Try to value your life a little more. If you run into something you can’t handle, tell me. I’ll take care of it. You don’t have to bear it all on your own."