Chapter 238 - 148: "A Good Sculpture of the People.
"It will be quite difficult."
After a long moment, Chen Fan frowned and said, "This building is quite complex. Deciphering it will be mentally taxing and will also consume a good number of my Ghost Stones."
"I’ll have to return to my camp to know the specifics, but I should be able to finish deciphering it within three days."
"If you’re not in a hurry, you can wait for me in the Mortal Realm for three days. I’ll give you an answer then."
"If I fail to decipher it, the Building Blueprint will be returned to you."
"Alright." The old man nodded, rising to his feet with a long sigh of relief. He looked at Chen Fan with a serious expression. "Then I’ll be counting on you, Domain Lord Chen. If you can truly construct the building from this Building Blueprint, I can die without any regrets."
With that, he turned and took his leave.
"..."
Chen Fan watched the retreating back of the World Pavilion’s Pavilion Master, a smile finally breaking through, impossible to suppress.
’So this is the benefit of being famous. Fame is a double-edged sword; it has its downsides, but it definitely has its upsides, too.’
’Just like now, a Yellow Level Building Blueprint—the kind that only has a chance of dropping after killing a Ghost Object on the level of a Ghost King—has been delivered right into my hands for free.’
’I don’t have to spend a single cent, and the other party even has to thank me for my trouble.’
’It’s kind of like...’
’...the feeling of the World Pavilion’s Pavilion Master being infertile, unable to have a child, so he gives his wife to me for help, and then has to thank me profusely for it.’
’That’s exactly the feeling.’
’He couldn’t decipher it after 37 years. How full of regret must he be?’
’He’ll probably be thinking about this on his deathbed.’
’Wait.’
Chen Fan suddenly paused. ’37 years?’
’That number sounds a bit familiar. The last time the rainy season in Jiangbei arrived early was 37 years ago.’
’It seems the World Pavilion’s Pavilion Master obtained this Yellow Level Building Blueprint back then.’
Soon, word that the World Pavilion’s Pavilion Master had given a Yellow Level Building Blueprint to Chen Fan to decipher spread throughout the entire Architect’s Conference.
More and more Architects came knocking on his door.
Once someone took the lead, things started to progress much more smoothly.
Some people who had been hoarding their long-undeciphered Green Level Building Blueprints like treasures immediately cast aside their reservations when they saw that the World Pavilion’s Pavilion Master had even offered up a Yellow Level Building Blueprint.
’He offered up a Yellow Level Building Blueprint; if I keep treasuring my Green Level one, I’ll just look petty.’
For a time, the shop where Chen Fan was staying felt almost packed to the brim.
...
Chen Fan looked at the nervous Architect before him and shook his head helplessly. "This has no value for deciphering. It’s just a simple Beast Trap. Have you seen the Level 2 Earth Spikes for sale in the Marketplace? Those are an upgraded version of the Beast Trap. Just buy one and take it back to study."
This was the seventh Architect he had received, and the seventh "undecipherable" Building Blueprint he had been offered.
The World Pavilion’s Pavilion Master was the first. Among these seven people, he had only accepted the blueprint from the Pavilion Master. The blueprints from the rest were completely worthless for deciphering.
When he said they were "worthless for deciphering," it was because he already had all these Building Blueprints. ’And if I already have them, what the hell is the point?’
’After all, it’s not like I’m getting something for nothing. I’d have to go over to their factions and build one of these things for them. That’s a lot of time-consuming travel, you know?’
Especially the Building Blueprint handed over by the Architect in front of him now—it was for a Beast Trap.
He was actually a bit exasperated. The drawing on this Building Blueprint was extremely clear; it plainly and simply depicted a Beast Trap.
’Is this really that hard to decipher...?’
He could understand not being able to figure out the Celestial Pillar. After all, the Celestial Pillar’s Building Blueprint was too abstract—a pillar hundreds of meters tall was condensed onto a single blueprint, making it genuinely difficult to decipher.
But was a Beast Trap really that hard to decipher?
"Thank you for your guidance, Domain Lord Chen. I’ll go take a look at the Marketplace."
The young Architect nodded somewhat awkwardly, clutching the Building Blueprint to his chest as he walked out of the room.
The moment he stepped outside, a crowd of people surrounded him. "How did it go? What happened?"
"He didn’t take it." The young Architect shook his head, whispering awkwardly, "Domain Lord Chen said the building from my blueprint is for sale in the Marketplace... He told me to just buy one and take it back to study it myself..."
Immediately after, the next Architect in line took out a Building Blueprint from his robes and walked into the room.
...
「Mortal City Marketplace.」
The young Architect, still clutching the "Beast Trap" Building Blueprint, squatted in front of a stall, his eyes slightly red. He even felt a little like crying.
「Three years ago.」
His master had returned, gravely injured. Without saying a word, he had just shoved this Building Blueprint into his arms. Before he died, his master told him he had risked his life to retrieve it and that he must, absolutely must, decipher it.
His master wasn’t an Architect.
He didn’t understand what Architects did.
But his master had always been good to him.
「From then on.」
He had been trying to decipher this Building Blueprint ever since. He could guess it was some kind of trap, and it looked simple, but for some reason, it would always collapse whenever he tried to build it, unable to solidify.
He couldn’t find the reason why.
Until this year, when he heard Domain Lord Chen’s proposal at the Architect’s Conference and wanted to fulfill this wish with his help. But the result...
"A Level 2 Earth Spike for 30 Ghost Stones. It’s a great deal! Take it back, bury it outside your camp, and you’ll make your money back in no time."
The stall owner looked at him, his face wreathed in smiles.
"I’ll take it."
The young Architect’s eyes were red. "Give me one."
He hadn’t visited the Marketplace when he first entered the city, so he had no idea Earth Spikes were sold here. He just suddenly felt that his master had died in vain. The Building Blueprint his master had considered priceless was only worth 30 Ghost Stones here.