I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

This was also why everyone was willing to cooperate with the Mortal Realm; its reputation was quite good.

...

「Two hours later.」

The sun was directly overhead.

The Nine-Five Dragon Carriage came to a stop at the gates of Jiangbei City. Chen Fan stepped down from the carriage, stretching his stiff bones with a look of satisfaction.

The distance from Mortal City to Jiangbei City was 70 kilometers.

The Nine-Five Dragon Carriage was more than fast enough.

His crafting speed was much faster than before, but the process required intense concentration, leaving his body aching.

During the rainy season, the Warehouse had stored a total of over one hundred thousand meters of Copper Pipe.

Now, more than half of it had been consumed.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

He could now easily afford the cost of the Copper Pipes.

The area by the Jiangbei City gates was already packed with townspeople, all staring with excited and curious faces at the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage, which looked completely out of place.

These days, as the city closest to the Mortal Realm, they had naturally heard plenty of news about it.

This was especially true since Chen Fan had recently visited Jiangbei City and interacted with them up close, which made them look up to this legendary figure all the more.

Just then—

"Domain Lord Chen, Domain Lord Chen."

A chubby man squeezed out of the crowd, panting as he trotted to Chen Fan’s side. Bowing obsequiously with a beaming smile, he asked, "What are your orders for this trip to Jiangbei City?"

"Orders?"

Chen Fan raised an eyebrow. ’It sounds as if Jiangbei City has become this fellow’s personal territory.’

"Young Master."

Lame Monkey whispered in his ear, "This fellow is the Pavilion Master of the Jiangbei Marketplace, the Level 2 Architect. After the Jiangbei Chen Family was annihilated and the Mortal Realm absorbed the Hill and Valley Royal Family and the Wild Wolf Gang, the Jiangbei Marketplace suddenly became the strongest power in Jiangbei City."

"He converted the former mansion of the Hill and Valley Royal Family into a City Lord’s Mansion."

"He calls himself the City Lord."

"This is the first time Jiangbei City has been unified in years."

"But it’s said he’s actually gotten a lot of practical things done. He even established a Government Office and cracked down on crimes like the abduction of women, giving the common folk a place to air their grievances. The people seem to hold him in high regard."

...

Chen Fan looked at the chubby man before him and chuckled. "So you’ve become the City Lord of Jiangbei City?"

This was indeed a good thing.

Jiangbei City never had a Government Office before.

If the people had a grievance, they just had to swallow it. No one cared. If you were pissed off, you could grab a knife and go cut someone down, and still, no one would care.

Life was truly cheaper than dirt.

You were lucky just to be alive.

Now that there was a place to seek justice, things were much better than before. This guy had actually accomplished something tangible.

"It’s all thanks to you, Domain Lord Chen."

The chubby man gave an abashed grin. "Jiangbei City will forever be loyal to the Mortal Realm. Just give the order, Domain Lord Chen, and Jiangbei City will be the first to charge through mountains of daggers and seas of flames."

It really was all thanks to the Mortal Realm.

He had never thought he could become a City Lord before.

After all, he wasn’t even considered one of the three major powers in Jiangbei City.

But such is fate.

After Chen Fan’s purge, he had become the strongest one left.

Of course, his own power wasn’t enough to control Jiangbei City. Ordinarily, factions from other regions would have come to challenge him for it. However, the moment they learned that Chen Fan himself was from Jiangbei City, they instantly dropped the idea.

A single Jiangbei City didn’t offer much profit.

It wasn’t worth provoking the Mortal Realm over.

It could be said that he owed his entire fortune—both becoming the City Lord and holding onto the position—to the Mortal Realm’s influence.

Before, Jiangbei City had been jointly ruled by three major powers, and many things fell through the cracks. But now that he was the only power left, Jiangbei City was his.

Naturally, he had to start taking responsibility.

After all, this was his territory.

Who wouldn’t look after their own territory?

...

"Very good."

Chen Fan smiled but said nothing more. He walked to the end of the Copper Pipe, consumed 5,000 Ghost Stones, and in one go, crafted ten Max Level Suspended Baskets, linking them together to form a long train.

The Suspended Baskets fit snugly against one another.

Each Suspended Basket could hold a dozen or so people; the space inside was quite large.

"How should I address you?"

He tilted his head to look at the Pavilion Master of the Jiangbei Marketplace standing to the side.

"Just call me Xiaoli."

The chubby man bowed obsequiously, his posture extremely deferential. ’A man must understand one thing in this life,’ he thought, ’and that’s who’s putting food on his table.’

"Master Li."

Chen Fan pointed to the first Suspended Basket. "The Mortal Realm’s newest creation: the ’High-speed Rail.’ Care to try it?"

"Of course."

Without any hesitation, Master Li didn’t even ask why. He simply climbed into the first Suspended Basket and awaited instructions.

"Press the button, and the High-speed Rail will start."

"It’s quite fast."

"Don’t worry. If you run into any trouble, press the button inside the car, and the High-speed Rail will stop. Once inside, keep your breathing steady and count them. When you reach the destination, tell me how many breaths it took."

"Understood."

"Depart now."

The next moment—

The High-speed Rail, a train of ten connected Suspended Baskets, made its official debut on the Eternal Night Continent. Before the eyes of the Jiangbei City populace, the long train shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow, rocketing toward the depths of the Wilderness at incredible speed.

It kicked up a powerful gust of wind.

"Quickly, keep up!"

An excited Chen Fan leaped onto the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage and looked at Lame Monkey in the driver’s seat.

"Yah!"

Lame Monkey snapped the reins. The nine Flaming Dragon Horses reared up and whinnied before shooting off toward the Wilderness at top speed, sticking close behind the High-speed Rail.

One chasing the other, both moving at incredible speed.

But...

The High-speed Rail was just a bit faster.

The Nine-Five Dragon Carriage was gradually falling behind.

’This thing is even faster than the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage! It’s absurd!’

This time, he had activated the Clear Wind Array. The speed boost it provided also affected the Suspended Baskets, making them travel even faster as they skimmed across the ground.