A Tavern in the World of the Living, a Workshop in the Underworld: [The Gold-Spending Shady Shop]

After the immense outpouring of spiritual energy, Lin Chen finally opened his eyes, drenched in sweat—

He found himself standing before a huge hotel. Beside it stood a massive tree that would take four or five people joining hands to encircle, with grapevines twining around it. Inside the establishment, three enormous wine jars stood in a row.

Two Gold-Consuming flags were planted before the entrance. Each was engraved with five golden characters:

"Drunk, the universe seems vast; in the pot, the sun and moon endure!"

The author had brought Lin Chen here to beg for votes and follows!

Its ranking was near the top, yet it still couldn't take first place.

Lin Chen was fretting. "You could at least cast me a monthly vote before you go!"

The second round of recommendation-slot battles is underway—help this book make a strong push!

Chapter 44: A Tavern in the Mortal Realm, a Workshop in the Underworld: The Gold-Consuming Black Shop

"Drunk, the universe seems vast; in the pot, the sun and moon endure."

This was precisely Happy Forest's signature slogan!

A heavy emerald-green location card fell into Lin Chen's hand.

Card Name: Gold-Consuming Black Shop · Happy Forest at Cross Slope

Type: Building / Hotel / Forest Garden

Quality: Excellent Grade · Emerald Trim · Three-Star

Building Layout:

'Front Hall · Happy Forest Tavern'

Regenerative Wine Pulp The Happy Forest wine jars are buried deep underground and brew century-old active wine pulp, continuously producing "spirit wine" materials. It can be combined with Methanol to create "Bewitching Wine."

Muscle Regeneration Through Drinking Consume spirit wine in the front hall to greatly restore the drinker's health and heal wounds.

Flesh Fermentation Whenever an enemy is dismantled on the second floor, inside the Flesh Workshop, the wine jars absorb its remaining flesh and produce one additional serving of "Burning Saber Fiendish Wine."

'Backyard · Datura Flower Field'

Bewitching Garden: The backyard soil is fertile and can produce Datura flowers. Once ground into powder, they become "Methanol," which has a rapid intoxicating and paralyzing effect.

'Second Floor · Flesh Workshop'

Meat into Filling: Drag unconscious or defeated enemies into the workshop and process them into flesh. Depending on quality, it can be made into "Meat Buns." Consuming them restores a large amount of blood vitality and increases fiendish energy.

As the saying went: "Drink jade nectar in Happy Forest; let bones become fragrant before Cross Slope!"

Lin Chen had completed his first building card!

Three spatial anchors had absorbed the core spiritual land of three locations, forming the three areas of this Gold-Consuming Black Shop.

The front hall was the most important, so it naturally possessed three skills.

The most surprising thing was the Regenerative Wine Pulp effect. It could actually generate "spirit wine" without limit!

Lin Chen didn't need to add materials and brew the wine himself. How had this been accomplished?

Lin Chen pondered for a moment before realizing that this was the remnant of the Black Goat cub's authority of "Regenerative Breeding"!

After all, that mythical creature had dissolved in the wine cellar. It had at least left behind a little something good!

Black Goat cub, your wool is so easy to fleece~

The remnant effect of the "Harvest" authority also allowed the backyard to continuously produce Datura flowers.

Lin Chen only needed to pay the spiritual energy required for the building card's daily maintenance, and he could obtain spirit wine and spiritual plant materials continuously, at no cost!

It truly was inexhaustible, impossible to use up.

This wasn't a building card at all. It was a money-printing machine that never stopped running!

Although creating a building card consumed a tremendous amount of resources, once it took shape, the returns were equally great.

Don't be fooled by the fact that this Happy Forest Hotel was merely a green card. Building cards required more spirituality to upgrade than other cards.

Among cards of the same level, the effects of building cards crushed those of every other type!

And this building card could provide Lin Chen with far, far too many benefits.

Leaving aside its material production, it could also work together with these two cards, Wu Song and Lu Zhishen, both of which possessed drunkenness skills!

It was practically a gas station for Wu Song and Lu Zhishen!

Come in for a drink before a fight, and their power would double instantly!

Though he would have to put up a sign in the shop by then: "If you want to fight, take it outside!"

This card could also work together with the Door God. All it required was placing a Door God statue inside the hotel.

The Door God's Guardian Home Blessing skill could then activate, making the hotel part of the territory protected by the Door God.

If any strange creature appeared, Lin Chen could simply duck into the hotel and rely on the Door God's home-ground advantage. It would surely be defended as solidly as an iron fortress!

To sum up, this building card combined material production, combat support, recovery and healing, defense, shelter, and many other functions.

And this was a black shop! With more materials added in the future, it could even evolve toward traps and ambushes.

The black shop would become a killing formation. Whoever entered would be bewitched!

Its sole drawback was still that it consumed far too much spiritual energy.

Only a Card Master like Lin Chen, whose mental power was as vast as the sea, could afford to sustain it.

Lin Chen took another look at his proud creation:

A tavern in the mortal realm, a workshop in the underworld.

The front was bright and joyful, overflowing with the fragrance of wine, while behind the scenes, flesh and bones were chopped apart and corpses chilled!

If they were friends, there was fine wine. If they were enemies, they could serve as fatty meat.

Lin Chen was extremely satisfied. He couldn't help praising it: "What a black shop—welcoming guests with smiles and serving poison with the wine!"

Another faint voice chimed in, "Yes, this hotel is both imposing and sinister!"

Lin Chen nodded in agreement, then suddenly realized that the voice sounded both unfamiliar and familiar.

He turned around and saw Chen Xiao Diao speaking!

"You're awake?!"

Chen Xiao Diao said hazily, "Mm. I feel like I had such a long dream. It was as if a mouse kept crawling all over me, making me feel so itchy."

Lin Chen desperately wanted to complain: You weren't just itchy. You almost turned into a sheep!

Seeing that Chen Xiao Diao still didn't understand what had happened, he felt a thousand conflicting emotions.

Should he apologize for failing to protect her? Or promise that he would never let her risk herself again?

But no matter what he said, it would sound too sentimental and impractical.

In the end, Lin Chen said nothing. He simply stepped forward and gave her a gentle hug.

He smiled. "Welcome back. It's all been resolved."

Chen Xiao Diao was a little puzzled. Why had Lin Chen suddenly become so sentimental?

Still, being hugged felt rather nice. Ever since her parents had died when she was very young, she had never again received this kind of care.

Chen Xiao Diao then asked, "If everything's been resolved, how should I write my report?"

Oh, right. He still had to report this to the Security Bureau.

How should he put it?

First, there were so many victimized Card Masters. The Security Bureau would certainly have to handle the aftermath and provide an explanation.

Second, the authorities had to be alerted to the heretical actions of the Wine God and the Mother Goddess cults. The roots had not been cut out this time, so trouble was bound to remain!

What Lin Chen was considering was whether he should confess that he had been the one to resolve everything.

If he directly admitted to defeating the cultists, it would amount to exposing his trump card!

A rookie Card Master had taken on two major heretical cults alone? Who would believe that?

Come on, tell us all the secrets you're hiding!

But once he exposed the God Card...

What attitude would the Security Bureau's higher-ups take?

Recruit him? Control him? Or confiscate it outright?

Anything was possible...

Lin Chen was uncertain, but he understood one principle: until he reached the end of the road, the decision-making power and initiative had to remain in his own hands.

He had never wanted to be a pawn on the card table. He wanted to be the player holding all kinds of trump cards!

The authorities could borrow one another's strength and cooperate, but he couldn't simply think about bowing his head and relying on them.

Before he had a clear understanding of the Security Bureau's higher-ups' attitude, he still had to wait and observe—but there was no need to resist too fiercely.

He could first use his connection with Chen Xiao Diao to make indirect contact with the Security Bureau and test the waters.

Then, the report on this "Destruction of the Heretical Cult Stronghold" could read as follows:

Not a single one of the crimes committed by the mastermind, Amber, could be omitted!

Hunting Card Masters, performing bloody sacrifices, breeding Evil Offspring, summoning evil gods—her crimes were too numerous to record!

But the brave and resourceful patrol officer Chen Xiao Diao had acted according to circumstances and commanded with precision. She had dispatched the Card Spirit Lu Zhishen, who infiltrated the stronghold through great hardship and achieved victory through a surprise attack!

He had interrupted the birth of the Black Goat's Egg and destroyed Amber's ritual to resurrect the Wine God.

As a result, Amber had been forced to fight the Black Goat cub for its blood brew. One had been beaten to death, while the other had been sacrificed.

Both sides had suffered, and everyone had gone home happy.

The account was completely true—except that it omitted one Apprentice Card Master who had hidden his achievements and left without seeking recognition.

This way, the necessary warning would still reach the authorities, the true culprit would have paid with his life, and the victims could rest in peace.

As for the credit, it all belonged to Chen Xiao Diao... No, it all belonged to Lu Zhishen!