I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

"It was left by a senior sword cultivator."

"Good."

Qi Yue took a deep breath, then said with a solemn expression, "In that case, I will name the first technique of my self-created swordsmanship ’Diary’!"

"This swordsmanship will be called Qi Yue Swordsmanship."

"Qi Yue Swordsmanship, First Technique: Diary!"

"..."

After a long, expressionless silence, Chen Fan said softly, "How about changing the name?"

"Is the name no good? Senior went so far as to use his Sword Qi to carve the word ’Diary’ onto an ordinary bamboo slice. There must be a deep meaning to it, something I haven’t yet comprehended."

"It’s great. Take your time figuring it out."

He couldn’t be bothered to say anything else and walked straight out of the canyon. He needed to go to Mortal City and check on how his business was doing.

He had only given Qi Yue the bamboo slice with the fewest words. There were still several more.

He was very curious how Qi Yue would name his subsequent sword techniques after comprehending this word.

’Qi Yue Swordsmanship, Second Technique: So Boring!’

’Qi Yue Swordsmanship, Third Technique: Wanna Screw Someone!’

’Qi Yue Swordsmanship, Fourth Technique: I... Am So Freaking Awesome.’

The thought alone was bizarre.

Forget it.

’I’ll just let the guy have his fun.’

"Oh, right."

He suddenly stopped and turned to look at Qi Yue. "Later, go to the canyon entrance and erase the words ’Mortal Sect’ from the mountainside. Replace them with ’Mortal Realm.’ Make it look good. Use that ’Diary’ swordsmanship of yours."

After that, he left without another word.

He strode towards the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage and left the camp.

...

*Phew...*

Qi Yue stood where he was, gazing at the name "Chen Fan" he had carved into the rock wall. A flash of confusion crossed his eyes again. The word "Diary" on the bamboo scroll had been left with an incredibly powerful residual Sword Qi.

But...

And yet... the bamboo scroll was just an ordinary object.

’How could someone use such ferocious Sword Qi to carve on an ordinary bamboo scroll without shattering it?’

’To be able to do that...’

’...requires a level of control over Sword Qi as natural as moving one’s own limbs. I’m nowhere near that level.’

’To think such a master exists in this world.’

’It’s truly staggering.’

...

「Inside the camp.」

"Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?"

Shao Qiu urged from outside the Life Workshop, "I’m about to set off! Can you speed it up?"

"Almost there."

Inside the Life Workshop, the clang of hammers rose and fell as seven or eight bare-chested, muscular men worked tirelessly. Before long, Xiaoyu emerged and handed more than a dozen special Tokens to Shao Qiu.

"They’re all here. Use them sparingly. The camp is running low on Ghost Bone."

"Thank you, Pavilion Master Qiu."

Shao Qiu grinned, carefully stuffing all the tokens into his robes. He glanced back at the subordinates he had trained over the past few days, then strode out of the cave toward the dozen or so Skeleton Horses waiting by the Celestial Pit.

He swung himself onto a horse and waved his arm grandly.

"This is the Dark Pavilion’s first mission. Victory is the only option. Failure is not permitted."

"Let the name of the Dark Pavilion resound through Jiangbei!"

"Let the decrees of the Dark Pavilion shake the very soul of Jiangnan!"

"Ride!"

...

The minor disturbance didn’t affect the mood in the Mortal Realm Marketplace. The atmosphere was as lively as ever. Only a few people sensed that something might have happened, having heard the violent tremors from Nameless Mountain a short while ago.

After all, Domain Lord Chen’s Nine-Five Dragon Carriage had left the city not long after the noise.

But they didn’t know what exactly had happened.

However, when they saw the Nine-Five Dragon Carriage return, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

If something were to happen to the Mortal Realm, many people would actually benefit. It would mean they wouldn’t have to repay the Ghost Stones they’d borrowed, essentially a free windfall. But compared to a one-time score, everyone clearly wanted to earn much more.

A single score wasn’t enough to satisfy these people.

Chen Fan returned to a building on one of the streets flanking the Mortal Realm Marketplace. He strode over to Wang Kui, who was in the middle of bookkeeping, and said casually, "Found a suitable accountant yet? You can’t be stuck here doing the books every day."

’It’s not an easy position to fill.’

’First, they need to be quick-witted, meticulous, unerring, and loyal to the Mortal Realm.’

’Those requirements made Wang Kui the best candidate for now.’

"Is everything alright with the Mortal Realm?"

"Just a small matter. It’s already been handled."

Wang Kui, sitting at the desk, hesitated for a moment before saying, "I’ve been searching for a suitable candidate for the past couple of days. I initially considered the former bookkeepers from the Hill and Valley Royal Family and the Jiangbei Chen Family, but they’re all rather old."

"This position is best filled by someone without personal ambition."

"I actually did find a suitable candidate these past couple of days, but... she’s not one of our own."

"Who?"

"Gongyang Yue."

"The only daughter of the Sheep Race?" Chen Fan said, his face expressionless. "Are you insane? Why don’t you just ask the Patriarch of the Sheep Race to do our accounting while you’re at it? Besides, her mind is completely focused on Qi Yue. How could she possibly have the time or inclination for bookkeeping?"

"I’ll keep looking, then."

"There’s no rush. Take your time."

After a look around, Chen Fan walked over to inspect another street. This was the free-trade street he had established, where various factions could trade as they pleased. Many had already set up stalls.

After all, aside from the little episode with the Silk Road, most factions had come here with goods, their primary goal being to conduct trade within the Mortal Realm.

He decided to browse the wares.

’See if I can find a hidden gem or something.’

’Since a thing like the Architect’s Order exists to turn an ordinary cultivator into an Architect, then shouldn’t there be an Alchemist’s Order or an Artifact Refiner’s Order? I need an Alchemy Master and an Artifact Refiner.’

’Goddammit...’

’I desperately need them!’

’A huge batch of Earth Gold is just sitting in the warehouse, practically crying out for someone to come and refine it.’

’If I really can’t find one... I might as well just kidnap somebody.’