To be honest, Zhang Tie sometimes thought he was a little paranoid. Like right now: even though there was no one else at home, before entering Castle of Black Iron, he still carefully checked the little room, making sure the window and the stairwell were shut tight and sealed off from the outside. Only then did he prepare to enter Castle of Black Iron again. After all, this experience was far too extraordinary, and Zhang Tie wasn't sure whether entering Castle of Black Iron would cause some strange flashes of light or loud noises. Besides shock and delight, Castle of Black Iron had also brought Zhang Tie the burden of keeping this secret. So it was always better to be careful.
After checking everything, Zhang Tie still felt as if he had forgotten to bring something. He thought for a moment, then slapped his forehead and muttered to himself, "How could I forget something so important!" With that, he lowered the attic stairs again and went downstairs, heading into the courtyard near the kitchen. Two strings of dried corn cobs hung on one of the courtyard walls. Zhang Tie took a cob from them, then thought for a moment and went to a corner of the kitchen. He rummaged through a sack and found two potatoes that had started to sprout. Only then did he go upstairs again, returning to the little room in the attic. In the storeroom beside it, he found the two pieces of Fool's Gold he had tossed aside, as well as a scrap of rebar over a meter long. Finally, he rummaged through the drawer by his bed and took out the dagger his older brother had given him. After carrying or hanging all these things on himself, Zhang Tie stood in the room, closed his eyes, and began to sense the archway in his Sea of Consciousness.
Perhaps because he had already used it twice, this time he sensed the door much faster. Almost as soon as Zhang Tie closed his eyes and slowed his breathing, the door in his mind appeared clearly before him in less than twenty seconds.
"Enter!" Zhang Tie said in his heart. The light around him wavered slightly, and when he opened his eyes, he was already standing in that strange space.
--Welcome, handsome and imposing Fortress Master, to Castle of Black Iron!
The familiar system dialogue box appeared before Zhang Tie again and vanished a few seconds later.
"Handsome and imposing Fortress Master." "Welcome." Those two phrases were so damn well chosen! Zhang Tie thought with no small amount of pride, then hurriedly checked his "gear."
The rebar in his right hand was still there, the dagger tucked into his belt was still there, the potatoes and corn cob in his left hand were still there, and the two pieces of Fool's Gold stuffed into his bulging pockets were still there. If anyone saw Zhang Tie looking so strange right now, they would surely think something was wrong with him. They would never guess that he was beside himself with joy.
Zhang Tie actually jumped up and let out a couple of excited yells. This was great! He really could bring things from the outside world in. Even if he hadn't discovered any of Castle of Black Iron's other functions yet, this alone was enough to keep him excited for half a day. What did being able to bring things inside mean? It meant that from now on, Zhang Tie had a secret portable warehouse that no one could ever discover! He couldn't say yet how he would use this function, but sooner or later, it would surely come in handy.
"I've struck it rich, I've struck it rich..." Zhang Tie spun around several times in excitement before gradually calming down and collecting his thoughts. Since Castle of Black Iron's first function had been confirmed, it was time to test its other uses. Thinking this, Zhang Tie dropped the rebar and potatoes in his hands, took out the two pieces of Fool's Gold and tossed them on the ground, then removed the dagger from his belt. After setting these things aside, he squatted down and held the dried corn cob in both hands, picking the kernels off one by one. There were more than two hundred kernels on the cob, enough to fill nearly half a pocket once he had picked them all off. When he finished, he tossed aside the bare cob, stood up with the rebar in hand, and looked around.
The space before him was exactly the same as it had been yesterday. The seven-colored clouds roiling overhead, the strange little tree in the center, and the black swamp pool—nothing had changed at all.
After wandering around this land, so vast for a single person, Zhang Tie finally chose a spot. Then he drove the sharp end of the rebar hard into the soil at his feet.
With a thunk, the first twenty or so centimeters of the rebar sank into the earth.
Oh, that might have been a little too deep. He remembered their teacher saying at school that ten centimeters was about right. Zhang Tie scratched his head sheepishly and pulled the rebar back out of the soil. Judging by the texture of the earth, the soil beneath this patch seemed to have enough moisture. That gave Zhang Tie even more confidence.
He drove the rebar into the soil again. With another thunk, it went in a little over ten centimeters this time, about half as deep as before. That should do it, Zhang Tie told himself. He pulled out the rebar again, leaving a small, shallow hole in the ground. He took a dried kernel of corn from his pocket, placed it in the hole, then covered it with soil. That was all it took to plant the corn seed. Zhang Tie's heart filled with delight. He had succeeded the first time, so the rest would be even easier. He copied what he had just done: jab the rebar into the earth to make a hole, drop a kernel in, then cover it with soil. He left about fifty centimeters between each hole. And so,
Thump, a seed, planted...
Thump, a seed, planted...
Thump, a seed, planted...
Thump, a seed, planted...
In just over ten minutes, Zhang Tie had planted all the corn kernels from his pocket, sowing seven or eight crooked, uneven rows in a small patch of land. He kept up the momentum and ran back to the pile of things he had left behind. Drawing his dagger, he cut the two slightly sprouted potatoes he had picked out into five or six pieces each. Then he returned to the spot where he had planted the corn. Beside the cornfield, he used the dagger to dig a pit like a dog pawing at the earth and buried one piece of potato. He did the same with the rest, burying the potato pieces in a row, one piece to a hole. When he was done, Zhang Tie brushed the dust from his hands with satisfaction and stood up. He chuckled foolishly for a while, then stuck the rebar beside the cornfield and potato patch he had "cultivated," like a marker.
The corn was to the left of the rebar and the potatoes to the right. Whether they would grow was up to fate.
Having completed his second task in Castle of Black Iron that day, Zhang Tie was in high spirits. He gathered up the things he had brought and walked toward the swamp pool, which kept bubbling with black bubbles. Zhang Tie had already figured it out: nothing in this space could be useless. That black swamp pool must have some purpose.
This time, Zhang Tie went much closer to the black swamp pool than he had when he first explored the place. He walked right up to its edge, stopping within arm's reach. Of course, Zhang Tie wasn't stupid enough to reach in and touch it. The place gave him a feeling of extreme danger, as if it were warning strangers to stay away. That feeling told him that if he reached in, the consequences would probably be disastrous.
He walked around the edge of the strange black swamp pool twice, but still couldn't figure out what it was for. At last, his eyes lit up as he suddenly thought of a way to find out. He didn't know if it would work, so he would have to test it. He ran to where he had left the two pieces of Fool's Gold, picked them up, then ran back. From about ten meters away, he flung one piece into the black swamp pool. The moment the Fool's Gold sank beneath the surface, Zhang Tie hurriedly opened Castle of Black Iron's management panel and selected the Castle of Black Iron basic attributes item in the menu bar.
--Castle of Black Iron --Length: 1 Krosha --Width: 1 Krosha --Spirit Qi Value: 0 --Merit Value: 1 --Basic Energy Reserve: 0 --Special Products: None
Merit Value 1? How strange. Where had that Merit Value come from? Zhang Tie was puzzled, but before he could react, he saw the "0" after "Basic Energy Reserve" suddenly jump to "0.1." As the number changed from "0" to "0.1," the text for "Basic Energy Reserve" also came alive, changing from its original pale black to a raised blue.
--Basic Energy Reserve: 0.1 (blue)
The raised item box reminded Zhang Tie of the "Confirm" buttons in the system, so he pressed the "Basic Energy Reserve" item box, curious to see what would happen. A translucent log window appeared before him. There were two entries in the dialogue box: one was centered at the top of the log window, and the other was the log entry below it.
--Everything in the universe is the manifestation of energy. Matter is low-frequency energy in a condensed form, while space is high-frequency energy in an exalted form. Therefore, all matter and space can be reduced to their source: energy. --On May 13, 889 of the Black Iron Calendar, at 8:38 p.m., a piece of Fool's Gold was converted by the Pool of Chaos. Castle of Black Iron gained 0.1 units of Basic Energy Reserve!
So that strange black pool was called the Pool of Chaos. It seemed to be useful: it could convert whatever was thrown into it into the most basic energy. Wasn't that just like the garbage incinerator in Black Flame City? The garbage incinerator burned trash, and the heat produced provided heating for the residents of Black Iron City. The Pool of Chaos worked the same way, only it seemed a lot more powerful! Having solved another mystery and learned what the strange black swamp pool did, Zhang Tie felt another rush of delight. As for the first entry in the log, Zhang Tie vaguely felt its contents must be important, but it was too far beyond his ability to understand, so after reading it once, he automatically ignored it.
What energy, what matter, what space? Why say so much nonsense? Zhang Tie felt as if his intelligence had been challenged, and thought indignantly, It's just a lousy pool, a garbage disposal plant. Why make it so complicated? What's wrong with it?!
After closing the log window, Zhang Tie casually tapped "Merit Value." He clearly remembered Merit Value being 0 the last time he came here, so how had it become 1 today? What was more, the text color and status of "Merit Value" were obviously the same as those of "Basic Energy Reserve." It could be clicked to open, too, so Zhang Tie immediately tapped it.
Just like the previous one, the dialogue box that appeared contained two entries.
--Doing away with evil and upholding good—this is the Creator's greatest mercy to the human world. Revering Heaven and loving others—this is the closest stairway from the mortal world to the Kingdom of Heaven. Fortunate one, as you make your way back to the Kingdom of Heaven, please let the Creator's mercy shine throughout the world, so that all the gods in the heavens may understand your heart. Go forth and reap the most sincere joy and gratitude offered to you by billions of living beings. Go forth and put an end to evil souls and boundless darkness. Become the light, and you will find that when you become the light, you will surely walk upon the light. A glorious and brilliant road has opened beneath your feet.
The contents of the first entry in the log struck Zhang Tie with enormous force. As he read, he didn't even know why, but his eyes inexplicably grew moist. When he read the second entry, Zhang Tie finally couldn't hold back his tears.
--On the evening of May 13, 889 of the Black Iron Calendar, the handsome and imposing Fortress Master shared a reunion dinner with his family, then voluntarily washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen, keeping the house tidy and bringing joy and comfort to his parents. Gained 1 Merit Value.
So he didn't have to do anything earth-shattering. Just doing something as simple as this could make his mom and dad so happy!
The mystery of Spirit Qi Value remained unsolved, but what he had gained today had already surpassed his wildest expectations. With complicated feelings, Zhang Tie left Castle of Black Iron and instantly returned to the little room in the attic. He stood there dazed for a while, then dashed out of the room like a madman...
A little over two hours later, when Zhang Tie's father and mother returned home together and opened the door, the whole house had been cleaned from floor to wall to furniture. Every surface gleamed, and even the neglected corners and places where odds and ends were piled had been tidied into perfect order. Zhang Tie's parents stood in the doorway, unable to react for a long time.
"How did the house change so much? We were only gone for two hours. Did we come to the wrong door?" Zhang Tie's father said, puzzled.
Zhang Tie's mother stood there with her mouth open, unable to say a word. She wondered if there was something wrong with her eyes. Just then, Zhang Tie came downstairs carrying a bucket of water and a mop. The moment the couple saw him, they understood.
"Son, did you do all this?" His father looked at Zhang Tie as if he were an alien.
"Yeah!" Zhang Tie smiled and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Son, did something happen to you? Don't scare Mom like this!" His mother nervously reached out to feel Zhang Tie's forehead. At home, Zhang Tie sometimes helped with chores, but he had never been this willing or hardworking.
Hearing his mother's words, Zhang Tie felt both moved and ashamed. "Dad, Mom, I'm fine. I had nothing to do tonight, so I just wanted to surprise you. So, are you happy?"
A surprise from their son? Zhang Tie's father and mother exchanged a glance. As they breathed a sigh of relief, smiles spread across both their faces. They nodded and said in unison, "Happy!"
Zhang Tie smiled too, feeling utterly content...
When it was time to sleep, alone in his little room, Zhang Tie entered Castle of Black Iron once more and tossed the remaining piece of Fool's Gold into the Pool of Chaos, erasing the last evidence of Castle of Black Iron left in this world. Then he opened Castle of Black Iron's basic attributes panel.
--Castle of Black Iron --Length: 1 Krosha --Width: 1 Krosha --Spirit Qi Value: 0 --Merit Value: 2 --Basic Energy Reserve: 0.2 --Special Products: None
As expected, Basic Energy Reserve had increased by another "0.1." When he opened the Merit Value log, a new entry had appeared there as well.
--On the evening of May 13, 889 of the Black Iron Calendar, the handsome and imposing Fortress Master once again voluntarily cleaned the house, keeping it tidy and bringing joy and comfort to his parents. Gained 1 Merit Value.
With a satisfied smile, Zhang Tie fell into a deep sleep...