I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

This was the first thing Shao Qiu felt upon getting his hands on it.

"Heavy."

This was the second thing he felt.

"Nice, very nice."

Nodding with eyes full of satisfaction, Shao Qiu thought, ’This is it. A weapon forged from Earth Gold has this unique sensation—both light and heavy at the same time.’

"It’s effortless to swing, yet it has a satisfying heft."

"It’s perfect for an Assassin, something no other material can replicate. A weapon forged from Earth Gold doesn’t just feel good in the hand; more importantly, it’s exceptionally good at breaking through defenses like Arrays and Protective Spiritual Qi. For an Assassin, this is the ideal Special Weapon."

"This level..."

Shao Qiu stared in a slight daze. After a long moment, a glint of gold flashed in his eyes. "Is this a Yellow Level Spirit Treasure?"

"Yes."

Zhao Shengping smiled. "Speaking of which, this is all thanks to the Domain Lord. His Celestial Artifact Pavilion has a special effect—any Spirit Treasure forged within has a small chance of increasing one level in quality. Normally, a Spirit Treasure made from Earth Gold is Green Level. Most Martial Kings do have Green Level Special Weapons, but they can’t compare to this one."

"An Exotic Treasure forged from Earth Gold is already in the absolute top tier of Green Level items."

"But—"

Zhao Shengping paused before breaking into a wide grin. "But, as luck would have it, we hit that small chance, and the weapon was upgraded to Yellow Level. Of course, that means it’s also in the top tier of Yellow Level Spirit Treasures."

"I was going to report this to the Domain Lord, but I just heard he went to Mortal City, so I thought I’d let you have a look first. What do you think of this weapon?"

...

Shao Qiu carefully cradled the dagger in both hands, his eyes filled with bewilderment.

If a man has only ever had a very ugly wife, he’d be thrilled if a woman who was a six out of ten offered him a one-night stand.

But if he one day met a perfect ten, he would turn and run without a moment’s hesitation.

The leap was too great.

It was either a trap or he was seeing a ghost.

The dagger he once considered a treasure only had a tiny bit of Earth Gold on its very tip.

And now, he had skipped right past Green Level and landed straight on Yellow Level.

Anything—be it a Spirit Treasure, an Exotic Treasure, or even a building—would possess unimaginable power once it reached Yellow Level!

"This..."

Shao Qiu looked up at Zhao Shengping in disbelief. "This Yellow Level dagger... it’s going to be mine?"

"What authority do I have to give it away?"

Zhao Shengping shook his head. "I’m just letting you have a look, letting you feast your eyes. After all the trouble I went through to forge it, I have to show it off, right? We’ll have to wait for the Domain Lord to return to decide what to do with it. What if I give it to you now and you just take off with it?"

As he spoke, he took the dagger back from Shao Qiu’s hands.

"I’d never run off! If I were going to, I’d have done it long ago. I wouldn’t have fled the Wind and Rain Tower only to come back to the Mortal Realm."

Shao Qiu felt a pang in his heart as the dagger was taken and hurriedly spoke up.

"Who can say for sure?"

Zhao Shengping set the dagger aside and pulled out a set of Night Traveling Clothes. "After all, the incentive was too small before. A Yellow Level Spirit Treasure is enough to make a man betray his own faction. Now, take a look at these Night Traveling Clothes."

"Is it also Yellow Level?" Shao Qiu’s eyes filled with anticipation.

"How could it be?"

Zhao Shengping replied, exasperated. "There’s only a *small* chance of breaking through a level. You can’t just assume a small chance will happen every time, can you? I’ve forged countless Special Weapons and Night Traveling Clothes, and only this dagger made it to Yellow Level."

"Even though these Night Traveling Clothes are only Green Level, they’re made entirely from Earth Gold, so their effects are definitely potent. Try them on."

Before he could finish, he saw Shao Qiu zip away into the distance. "Where are you off to?" he called out instinctively.

"I’m going to Mortal City to report my work from the past few days to the Domain Lord!"

"Oh, right—"

"Why does your Artifact Refining Room smell like braised meat? Reminds me of a guy I used to know."

Shao Qiu’s figure quickly disappeared over the horizon, his voice fading into the distance.

’He’s gone just like that?’

Zhao Shengping glanced regretfully at a pot of freshly cooked stew beside him. In addition to the Special Weapon and Night Traveling Clothes, he had also prepared a braised dish, intending to have Shao Qiu taste it first. But before he could even bring it up, Shao Qiu was gone.

...

"Yesterday, we took in another seven hundred thousand Ghost Stones."

「Mortal City.」

Wang Kui flipped through the ledger in his hand as he reported, "Several factions have already paid back their lines of credit. But we gave them a one-month deadline, so it seems the others will need more time."

"Mm."

Chen Fan gave a slight nod, flipping through the ledger Wang Kui handed him. For those factions, the sooner they paid, the better. Paying back early meant they could get a new line of credit, and their credit rating would improve, allowing them to purchase more Skeleton Horses to sell in their own territories.

But that was the ideal situation.

After all, not every faction had such good trade routes. It took time to transport the Skeleton Horses, time to sell them, and time for the journey back and forth. Aside from a few nearby factions with truly excellent trade routes, it was difficult for the others to quickly liquidate the Skeleton Horses they had purchased.

"There’s no rush for that."

Chen Fan closed the ledger. "Since we promised them one month, we’ll give them one month. We can talk about any factions that haven’t paid up after that time is over."