I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

"Mmm."

Chen Fan nodded lightly and smiled. "Back when we were all struggling during the rainy season, you told me you used to be a traveling merchant. You said your greatest dream was to venture to faraway places and see what the rest of the world was like."

"Now, life has gotten better."

"All the brothers who struggled with us back then now hold key positions in the Mortal Realm."

"I haven’t forgotten a single brother."

"And now—"

"There’s a difficult mission, and I can’t seem to find the right person for it."

"The Mortal Realm has built a ’Sea Ship.’ It’s a large vessel with a hull as tough as a Level 1 City Wall. It has several turrets and its own Ghost Fire, allowing it to travel on the sea in darkness."

"I want to send people to find out what’s in the deep sea."

"But this journey will be dangerous."

"The Sound Transmission Talismans have a limited range, and we can’t build outposts on the sea yet. This means they’ll be unable to contact the Mortal Realm, and we won’t be able to provide any support. No one knows what lies in the deep sea. They might face many dangers we can’t even imagine."

"But."

"We have to see for ourselves."

WHOOSH...

After taking a deep breath, Wang Mazi knelt on one knee. His expression was grave as he lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Domain Lord, I, Wang Mazi, request this mission. Let me go. I swear I will bring you back an answer you’ll be satisfied with."

"..."

After a long silence, Chen Fan finally spoke softly, "I know you’re the most suitable person for this, but you’ve followed me for so long. I’m not willing to let you take such a risk. The main reason I called you here was to have you recommend a deputy."

"Someone to lead the expedition."

"Let me go."

Wang Mazi looked up at Chen Fan, his eyes filled with anticipation and resolve. He broke into a wide grin. "This is my dream, Domain Lord. To see what lies on the other side of the sea... it would be worth it, even if I were to die."

"If I run into danger, I’ll find a way to get a message back."

"Alright."

Chen Fan nodded. "Then you’ll lead the team. Assemble your crew and depart tomorrow."

"I’ll give you three Sea Ships and plenty of Ghost Stones. Remember, you must turn back when half of the Ghost Stones have been used up."

"The code name for this operation is ’New Continent.’"

"Understood!"

...

After Wang Mazi left, Chen Fan made his way to the top of the City Wall. He gazed up at the drifting clouds, leaning silently on his Jade Staff. ’What lies on the other side of the sea?’

’Another continent?’

’Or a Ghost Object stronghold?’

He didn’t know.

Both the Ancient Texts and all the information he’d gathered seemed to assume the Eternal Night Continent was a single, massive landmass, or that sailing across the sea would simply lead one to its other side.

Everything was unknown.

That was both the allure and the peril of such a voyage.

He then looked down at the Building Blueprints on his Eternal Night Lord panel.

At the Architect conference yesterday, he had received several blueprints for buildings the Mortal Realm didn’t yet have.

One of them was for a Suspended Basket, a White Level building.

Its construction cost was extremely low, only 10 Ghost Stones.

Although it could be attached to most structures, it was merely an ’Ordinary’ building, not an ’architectural module’ like the Copper Pipe. To this day, he had not acquired a second blueprint for an architectural module.

-

After spending 10 Ghost Stones, a Suspended Basket was quickly built on the side of the City Wall.

It hung on the inner side of the City Wall.

The structure consisted of the basket itself, along with ropes and pulleys. Inside the basket was a button that controlled its ascent and descent. It was used for quickly getting on or off the City Wall.

The Level 4 City Wall was a full 15 meters tall.

A Suspended Basket was extremely useful for a wall of this height.

Upgrading it required no materials, and the Ghost Stone cost was minimal—only 20.

-

[The Suspended Basket has been upgraded to Level 2.]

[This building has no alternate Upgrade Directions.]

-

The upgrade to Level 2 brought significant changes.

The Suspended Basket became safer.

Its ascent and descent speed increased.

The ropes grew tougher.

It was an overall improvement.

He continued upgrading.

Chen Fan spent a total of 490 Ghost Stones, upgrading the Suspended Basket on the inner City Wall all the way to Level 10 in one go. A panel popped up before him.

-

[The Suspended Basket has reached Level 10.]

[It has reached Max Level and cannot be upgraded further.]

[Acquired Max Level Effect ’Wind and Lightning’: The Suspended Basket will transform into a sealed unit. It no longer requires ropes, pulleys, or similar structures and can ascend and descend freely along a building’s surface.]

-

"An elevator."

Chen Fan chuckled as he looked at the Suspended Basket before him.

’A neat little gadget.’

’An elevator.’

It didn’t even need ropes or pulleys, making it both simpler and more elegant. He left the City Wall and rode the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage to the Celestial Pillar atop Nameless Mountain. He planned to build a Level 10 Suspended Basket on the Pillar’s exterior to test it.

Including the initial construction and upgrade fees, a single Max Level Suspended Basket cost 500 Ghost Stones.

Soon.

A Max Level Suspended Basket was created. It clung to the surface of the Celestial Pillar without any visible means of attachment, as if magnetized. When he stepped inside, a transparent canopy of light slowly rose and sealed the top of the basket.

The next moment—

The Suspended Basket shot upward.

In the blink of an eye, it reached the top of the Celestial Pillar and came to a smooth stop.

"..."

Standing inside the Suspended Basket, Chen Fan gazed down at the Wilderness below through the transparent canopy, a strange look on his face. This basket was even faster than the Celestial Pillar’s own built-in elevator.

And smoother, too.

From its rapid ascent to the abrupt halt, he hadn’t felt the slightest tremor inside the basket.

Perfectly stable.

It was almost unnaturally smooth.

The sensation reminded him of a scenic elevator from his past life.

"Not bad."

Chen Fan chuckled. ’Although this building doesn’t significantly increase the Mortal Realm’s power, it does improve our quality of life,’ he thought. ’And... this is the Mortal Realm’s seventh Max Level Building. Only three more to go to reach the goal of ten.’