Chapter 237 - 148: "A Good Sculpture of the People.
Chen Fan stood in the center, not approaching the edge, and gazed down at Mortal City far below, murmuring to himself.
A City Wall couldn’t be built on top of the Celestial Pillar. Otherwise, they could have enclosed the platform’s edge, making it feel less dangerous. It was a decent observation deck, as long as you weren’t afraid of heights.
Lately, he had two main hobbies to pass the time.
One was coming up to the Celestial Pillar to zone out. The view from this spot was exceptional, and the scenery was stunning.
The other was looking at the Max Level Buildings he had unlocked in his Building Atlas. There were five in total, and just looking at them gave him a sense of accomplishment. He needed to unlock five more Max Level Buildings to get the next reward, which wouldn’t be possible anytime soon.
Lame Monkey hadn’t come up with him. The guy had a serious fear of heights. The last time they came up together, his legs had gone soft just from standing on the platform. He couldn’t even stand steady, and his face had gone pale.
Just then, the Sound Transmission Talisman in his pocket suddenly grew warm. He took it out, and Lame Monkey’s voice came from within: "Young Master, a message came from Mortal City. They said the Pavilion Master of the World Pavilion wants to present a Building Blueprint for you to decipher."
"Got it."
Chen Fan smiled. ’Not bad. My words had an effect after all.’
The last time Tian Qi had sought him out to invite him to the Architect’s conference, the woman who had previously talked back to him was nowhere to be seen. He knew then that the World Pavilion knew how to handle its affairs.
’Though, I’ve always wanted to say, that guy’s name is a bit arrogant... Tian Qi...’
"I’m coming down now. I’ll head back to Mortal City."
Placing the Sound Transmission Talisman back in his pocket, Chen Fan quickly reached the bottom of the Celestial Pillar, boarded the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage, and headed toward Mortal City.
The reason he’d come to the Celestial Pillar right after making his proposal on stage before the Architect’s conference ended was, in truth, a form of escape.
When facing an unknown outcome, he preferred not to confront it too directly. He needed to give himself a buffer.
It was like how he always insisted on bathing and changing his clothes before drawing for a Direction of Qualitative Upgrade.
In reality, he knew full well that these rituals didn’t actually bring him any better luck, but they did help reduce his minor anxiety.
Reason told him that the plan he proposed was an absolute win-win for all the factions involved.
But not everything develops along the lines of reason.
He was also worried that no faction would pay him any mind, which would be incredibly awkward. So, he had decided to hide out on the Celestial Pillar for a while. If someone took him up on his offer, he would go back.
Of course, he would never tell anyone about this. It would be far too embarrassing.
His excuse to Lame Monkey was that he simply wanted to come to the Celestial Pillar to enjoy the view and rest for a bit.
「...」
Inside a shop in Mortal City, Chen Fan sat at a table, looking at the old man before him.
This old man was the Pavilion Master of the World Pavilion. He looked to be in his seventies or eighties, his face full of wrinkles and his hair stark white.
"A Level 9 Architect." Chen Fan smiled and poured the old man a cup of tea. "The Pavilion Master of the World Pavilion. I’ve heard so much about you. Meeting you today, I can see you are truly extraordinary."
"Domain Lord Chen." The old man gave a somewhat helpless smile. "Let’s not mention such things in your presence. But there is something I’m very curious about. What level of Architect are you, Domain Lord Chen? It seems you’ve never publicly announced it."
"..."
Chen Fan didn’t answer right away, just smiled. "A little higher than you, I suppose."
’What level of Architect was he?’
’He wasn’t an Architect at all.’
’Strictly speaking, he was currently a Level 2 Cultivator who had not yet broken through to become a Level 3 Cultivator.’
The old man wasn’t too surprised by this. Although he didn’t know Domain Lord Chen’s specific Architect level, he was certain it was higher than his own.
He didn’t beat around the bush any further. Instead, he solemnly took a Building Blueprint from his pocket and placed it on the table.
"Domain Lord Chen, your proposal deeply moved me."
"I know that deciphering a Building Blueprint is extremely time-consuming and mentally draining, not to mention the cost in Ghost Stones. Your willingness to help everyone decipher their Blueprints shows great vision."
"I have been trying to decipher this Building Blueprint for thirty-seven years."
"By the twentieth year, I wanted to give up. I had already tried countless times and spent at least 100,000 Ghost Stones trying to decipher this Building Blueprint, but I still hadn’t made much progress."
"But then I’d think about all the time, energy, and Ghost Stones I’d already invested. If I gave up then, it would all have been for nothing. So I kept at it."
"By the twenty-fifth year, I regretted it. I should have given up long ago. But giving up at that point would have meant an even greater loss, so I continued. I’ve been at it so long now that I can’t let it go."
"I am now seventy-eight years old. I don’t have many years left to live."
"I originally thought I might never be able to decipher this Building Blueprint in my lifetime. Just as you said, Domain Lord Chen, for an Architect to spend their entire life on a Building Blueprint and die without finishing it would be their greatest regret."
"Domain Lord Chen, would you please take a look? Is this Building Blueprint worthy of your attention?"
"Let me see."
Chen Fan took the Blueprint and cleared his throat, pretending to examine it from top to bottom while actually looking at the panel in front of him.
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[Exotic Treasure Name]: Soul-Devouring Sculpture.
[Exotic Treasure Level]: Yellow.
[Exotic Treasure Effect]: A sculpture-type Building Blueprint. When placed in a camp, it provides a buff to camp members.
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A Yellow Level Building Blueprint.
Building Blueprints of this level were quite Rare in the Mortal Realm. Currently, there were very few Yellow Level buildings in the Mortal Realm.