I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

"Huh?"

The girl hesitated, glancing at her three companions before speaking in a low voice.

"Senior."

"When constructing a building, you need to draw out all its lines in your mind. This step is called 'Spirit Drawing.' In the outside world, as the Architect performs the Spirit Drawing in their mind, a phantom image made of white lines will gradually appear."

"Then, you crush Ghost Stones and gather the Spiritual Qi from them within the phantom image. Only then can the building take form."

"But—"

"Except for very powerful Architects, junior Architects like us have to keep our eyes shut tight when we build. Otherwise, there's too much interference from the outside world, and we can't complete the Spirit Drawing process in our minds."

"And the Spirit Drawing process must be completed in one go."

"There can't be any pauses in the middle."

"It's not really possible to... look at a Building Blueprint while constructing the building..."

'Why would this young senior ask such a question? Didn't his master teach him this?' she wondered.

"Of course, I know that."

Chen Fan nodded with a serious expression. "Have you reflected on why you failed?"

He didn't know jack shit.

This was the first time he'd learned how other Architects actually constructed buildings. 'It's so complicated,' he thought.

If even the slightest mistake was made during this process, the building's phantom image would collapse, and all the Ghost Stones would be wasted. Moreover, he could clearly sense that most of the Spiritual Qi had dissipated into the air, creating a lot of waste.

It pained him just to watch.

"Because I hadn't fully memorized the Blueprint..."

"Rote memorization isn't the way," Chen Fan said, shaking his head. "Do you remember what your master taught you? One plus one equals four hundred forty-four. Do you still remember the principle behind it?"

"I do."

The girl took a deep breath. She knew that an opportunity to converse with a senior like this was incredibly precious, so she tried her best to present herself well, her expression turning serious as she spoke solemnly.

"Master mentioned it in our very first lesson."

"For Architects, one plus one equals four hundred forty-four. This is a consensus among all Architects, and it's the first lesson for all of us."

"This saying originates from a very, very long time ago."

"It's said to have come from the first Architect of the Eternal Night Continent. He left behind many famous sayings that became cautionary teachings for later generations of Architects, with 'one plus one equals four hundred forty-four' being the most famous."

"It means that the number of Building Blueprints an Architect can truly comprehend in their lifetime is very small."

"Working hard alone, no matter how intelligent you are, is useless."

"But when two people come together to exchange their experiences and ideas, they can achieve the '444' effect. The number four is a homophone for 'death,' symbolizing the death of all Ghost Objects."

"Because of this—"

"Architects have set days for communication."

"Even factions that are usually at odds with each other will exchange their insights and ideas on this day."

"This is also the significance behind the founding of the Architect Exchange Conference."

"..."

Chen Fan stood there in silence, his face expressionless, not speaking for a long time.

'I knew it,' he thought.

'All these weird but widely circulated sayings must have come from some old coot spouting bullshit. But because that old coot had some minor accomplishments, the bullshit got passed down through the generations.'

"Actually, that's wrong."

After a long pause, he shook his head. "One plus one doesn't just equal four hundred forty-four. It also equals six hundred sixty-six."

With that, he didn't linger, immediately walking off into the distance to see what the other Architects were discussing.

'This Architect Exchange Conference is actually pretty lively,' he thought.

...

"..."

The girl stared at Chen Fan's retreating back, stunned. For a moment, she couldn't process why one plus one would equal six hundred sixty-six.

But just then—

An Elder from their family strode over, came to her side, and followed her gaze. Upon seeing Chen Fan's back, his pupils contracted. "Was Domain Lord Chen just speaking with you?"

"Domain Lord Chen?"

The youths were all taken aback, a flash of disbelief in their eyes. "He's the Domain Lord of the Mortal Realm, Chen Fan?!"

"The very same," the old man said with a grave expression.

Chen Fan.

In recent days, those two words were known by almost everyone.

Whether it was slaying the Ghost King during the rainy season, launching a night raid on the Pill Sect, or the recent establishment of the Silk Road, all these events had made Chen Fan's name famous. He was the most talked-about figure these days.

"If I had known, I would have asked him a few questions."

The young man who had initially comforted the girl was now full of regret. He had heard Chen Fan's name many times but had never known what he looked like, so naturally, he hadn't recognized him. Rumor had it that Chen Fan was an absolute genius of an Architect. To have a conversation with such a person would surely be incredibly rewarding!

If nothing else, if it weren't for Chen Fan, he never would have been able to buy a Skeleton Horse for just 2,000 Ghost Stones.

"Just now, Little Junior Sister tried to build a white Arrow Tower, but she failed the Spirit Drawing at the 17th Node, causing the building to collapse. Domain Lord Chen laughed out loud from the side."

"I didn't know it was him at the time."

"So I told him, 'If you think you can do better, then you do it.'"

"So he personally built an Arrow Tower. His Spirit Drawing time was extremely short, even faster than yours, Master."

"Is that the one?"

A fanatical gleam flashed in the eyes of the extremely gaunt, skin-and-bones old man. He looked at the several-meter-tall Arrow Tower standing nearby, rushed forward, and began to meticulously examine every detail.

After a long while, he finally murmured in disbelief, "Perfect. It's like a divine creation."

"What else did he say to you?"

"He also said that one plus one doesn't just equal four hundred forty-four, it also equals six hundred sixty-six."

"..."

The Elder furrowed his brow and looked down, deep in thought.

That statement meant refuting the entire consensus among Architects. "One plus one equals four hundred forty-four" meant that Architects should communicate frequently.