I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

...

Mortal City.

The Pavilion Master of the World Pavilion had been standing guard at the city gate. More than two hours had passed since Chen Fan’s last visit, but he remained there, unmoving.

He hadn’t gone to the Architect conference in the city.

He felt that the Copper Pipe structures Domain Lord Chen had laid earlier had to have some purpose.

He couldn’t understand it.

But he was certain Domain Lord Chen would be back.

So he waited, afraid of missing a single detail. He wanted to learn a trick or two if he could. Chen Fan had demonstrated plenty so far, but nothing the Pavilion Master could replicate.

He had to find something he could learn.

Finally—

In the distance, a black dot faintly sped towards Mortal City.

"He’s here!"

The Pavilion Master’s eyes lit up. The black dot was moving at an incredible speed; it had to be Domain Lord Chen’s Nine-Five Dragon Carriage. In just a few moments, the dot rapidly grew larger and came into focus.

Upon reaching the gates of Mortal City, it came to an abrupt halt.

Its speed instantly dropped to zero.

A Skeleton Horse could never decelerate like that, with absolutely no inertia.

But when he saw it clearly, he realized...

It wasn’t a Nine-Five Dragon Carriage at all, but a long train of ten connected Suspended Baskets, their tops sealed by a transparent canopy of light.

Looking closer,

it was hovering just above the ground.

"What the hell is this thing?"

The Pavilion Master stood stunned, his face a mask of bewilderment. He had no idea what this was. ’Is it a structure?’ He’d never seen a structure like it.

’And what kind of structure can move this fast?’

’Where does the speed come from?’

’Does it just appear out of thin air?’

’Shouldn’t there at least be a Skeleton Horse pulling it or something?’ He couldn’t fathom its power source.

Soon—

The canopy of light above the basket dissipated, and a portly man stepped out. He looked around in a panic, especially when he saw the two words "Mortal City" carved into the city gate. He froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

"And who is this now!"

The Pavilion Master was completely bewildered. Who was this person? He’d never seen him before.

Just then, another black dot appeared at the edge of the Wilderness. It rapidly approached and then slowly came to a stop at the gate of Mortal City. This time, it was the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage.

...

The commotion attracted quite a few people out of the city.

After learning that a new structure had arrived, all the Architects from the conference poured out of the city to have a look. The area around the gate instantly became bustling, even congested.

"Everyone."

Stepping down from the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage, Chen Fan leaned on his Jade Staff with both hands. He stood before the long train of ten Suspended Baskets and smiled at the crowd.

"The Mortal Realm’s new creation, the ’High-speed Rail.’ It currently connects Mortal City and Jiangbei City."

"Care to give it a try?"

The crowd at the city gate looked at each other, not quite understanding what the term "High-speed Rail" meant. ’Tall pieces of iron?’

"Master Li."

Chen Fan tilted his head, smiling at the portly man beside him. "Tell everyone, how long did it take you to get from Jiangbei City to Mortal City?"

"Three... three hundred and sixty breaths."

Master Li stood there, his face deathly pale and his legs threatening to give out. He still hadn’t fully processed what had happened. The ride itself had been perfect, with barely a single jolt.

He had sensed that the speed was incredible.

But with no points of reference in the Wilderness and the extreme stability of the car, he had no real concept of how fast they were going.

But when he saw Mortal City, his mind went completely blank.

He knew exactly how far Mortal City was from Jiangbei—a full seventy kilometers. He had wanted to visit Mortal City himself, but without a Skeleton Horse, the journey would have been too much trouble, so he never made the trip.

The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

He just never imagined...

Seventy kilometers in just three hundred and sixty breaths.

The shock of it...

...was no less than waking up to find himself in the Underworld.

"Three hundred and sixty breaths."

"Just enough time for a cup of tea."

Chen Fan looked at the crowd at the gate and said with a smile, "Would you all like to try? I can take you to Jiangbei City in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. We’re in the trial operation phase right now, so there’s no charge. It’s free."

As his words fell,

the crowd at the gate erupted into a commotion. After a long moment, a skeptical voice called out.

"Domain Lord Chen, we all admire you greatly. But we are a full 70 kilometers from Jiangbei City. Reaching it in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea... how is that possible? That’s far faster than any Skeleton Horse."

"It’s not that we don’t want to believe you, but it’s simply too difficult to imagine."

"It’s fundamentally impossible."

Voices of doubt rose one after another.

Not even Chen Fan’s reputation could suppress such skepticism.

This completely shattered their common sense.

The story of Chen Fan saying that one plus one equals six hundred sixty-six had already spread. Everyone believed it, because they assumed the statement held some profound, hidden meaning, not its literal one.

But seventy kilometers in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea? That could only be taken literally.

This violation of common sense was just too much for them to believe.

But...

The Pavilion Master of the World Pavilion remained silent the entire time. He believed it. He believed it completely.

He had seen with his own eyes the speed of this thing Chen Fan called the "High-speed Rail." Now, he was pondering its consumption. ’It must consume a huge amount of Ghost Stones, right?’

"Seeing is believing."

Chen Fan wasn’t angered. He simply smiled at the crowd and said, "Get on board and you’ll know for yourselves."

The crowd began to stir. Soon, nearly a hundred people surged forward, piling into the High-speed Rail. With ten people standing in each Suspended Basket, it was still quite spacious.

"Master Li."

Chen Fan looked to the portly man beside him. "You’re experienced now. You’ll be in charge of operating it. Once you reach Jiangbei City, let them get out and take a look, then bring them back."

"Understood."

Master Li nodded firmly in acknowledgment.