Architects' Exchange Conference
Chen Fan remained expressionless and silent, not uttering a single word. What could he possibly say?
1+1 equals 444, what else can he say?
Just as he had expected, the answer was completely unexpected.
When 1 + 1 does not equal 2, it can equal whatever amount you want.
But what he didn't expect was that this was a consensus among Builder, indicating that other Builder also knew about it.
"Good."
Chen Fan smiled and looked at Tianqi: "Go ahead, I've given you permission to hold the Builder Conference in Mortal City. When will it begin?"
"Three days later."
Tianqi replied respectfully, he hadn't expected things to go so smoothly this time.
"Okay, go ahead."
Chen Fan looked at Tianqi's retreating figure, without asking why 1+1=444. Since this was a consensus among all Builder, he should know it too. If he expressed his lack of understanding, it would reveal a lot.
However, this incident also made him realize that the Builder Conference was very useful to him.
He can see how other Builder do it at this conference.
While you're at it, learn some Builder knowledge.
To avoid the headache of going to an Ancient Ruins in the future, obtaining the Builder's legacy, only to find that you can't open your Storage Ring because you don't know these common knowledge points.
I need to catch up on my studies.
Chen Fan didn't linger for long afterward. He walked to the side of the street, occasionally squatting down in front of a stall, picking up an Exotic Treasure, glancing at it, and then putting it down.
To be honest, he found the probability of finding a bargain to be quite low.
There weren't any particularly rare or Exotic Treasure; they were all pretty ordinary.
If only he could find a rare Exotic Treasure that could temporarily boost his luck, he still has a Yellow Grade Lucky Bag he hasn't opened yet.
Soon, it got dark.
Another busy day of work came to an end, and the core members of the Mortal Domain returned to their Camp.
The Camp became lively again.
Most members of the Shadow Pavilion used to cultivate in the Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion and rarely went out, so they had little contact with other Mortal Domain Member.
But today, every member of the Shadow Pavilion emerged from the Spirit-Nurturing Pavilion, dressed in Night Garment, twirling Dagger in their hands, their eyes filled with smugness.
Indeed, they had reason to be proud; both the Dagger and the Night Garment were made entirely of Earth Gold.
To put it bluntly, if any member of the Shadow Pavilion were to run away at this point, they could simply find a corner to hide in and live a life of comfort and ease.
Of course, since Eternal Night exists in this world, it's hard to find a truly safe place. Just like Flat City, which has been forgotten and silently died during this Rainy Season.
Few people even mentioned the fall of Flat City. Only after the Rainy Season ended did many forces from Jiangnan go to Flat City to collect the remains.
This is why everyone wants to join a powerful faction, at least to survive the Rainy Season.
"Stop showing off, it's just a Dagger, what's so special about it? You've been showing it off all day."
A Mortal Domain Member standing on the Sinkhole Surface looked at the dozen or so members of the Shadow Pavilion whose faces were full of smugness, and muttered to himself with some envy.
"That's no ordinary Dagger," a member of the Artifact Pavilion exclaimed with a look of deep emotion. "If this were sold outside, it would be priceless. Let alone Jiangnan, even in the West Pass Plains, it's not something an ordinary person could afford."
This guy used to be Zhao Shengping's apprentice, and later joined the Mortal Domain with Zhao Shengping.
"But that depends on whether someone dares to buy it."
The Mortal Domain Member, who was muttering under his breath, retorted, "Wouldn't it be too conspicuous to take something like this out? If we dare to sell it, the Mortal Domain will find out immediately."
"That's true."
The member of the Artifact Pavilion who spoke nodded in deep agreement; such a thing was indeed not easy to sell.
It's going to be quite lively tonight.
At Zhao Shengping's suggestion, the Domain Lord held a celebration to commemorate Qi Yue and Shao Qiu's breakthrough to Martial King with Perfect Body Tempering, making them the only two Martial Kings in the Mortal Domain.
All Mortal Domain Member, including those Mortal Domain Member had previously remained in Sunset City and Mortal City, gathered inside the Sinkhole tonight.
It made tonight seem especially lively.
There were no tables, so everyone sat on the ground, inhaling the aroma in the air—the smell of braised food wafting from the Heavenly Artifact Pavilion.
Soon, the aroma grew stronger and stronger, and one after another, different kinds of Braised Delicacies were served and placed in front of the Mortal Domain Member.
"It's really good."
The Crippled Monkey picked up a Chicken Leg and put it in his mouth, chewing it heartily. "I strongly suspect that Pavilion Master Zhao's suggestion to hold Victory Banquet was entirely because he wanted to make Braised Delicacies."
"No doubt about it."
Sitting to the side, Zhou Mo said with a sigh, "This was basically destined, it was bound to be like this. But I have to say, Pavilion Master Zhao's skills are indeed excellent. I wonder if he has any secret recipes or anything like that."
"Domain Lord, would you like to say a few words?"
Wang Kui leaned close to Chen Fan and whispered.
Chen Fan, who was sitting happily admiring the Building Compendium that had been lit up on the Endless Night Lord Panel, looked up at the group of Mortal Domain Member and noticed that everyone was looking at him and hadn't started eating yet. He then smiled, stood up, and looked at everyone.
"Today is just a simple Victory Banquet, firstly to reward everyone for your hard work these past few days. I have seen your contributions to the Mortal Domain. In the Mortal Domain, no one's efforts will be ignored, nor will anyone's efforts be wasted."
"Secondly, to celebrate the successful Triumphant Return the Shadow Pavilion's first operation, Shao Qiu led the Shadow Pavilion members to successfully destroy the Wind and Rain Tower, making a name for the Mortal Domain Shadow Pavilion. There were no casualties, and they even brought back 470,000 Eerie Stone, which deserves commendation."
"All members of the Shadow Pavilion can receive a reward of 1000 Eerie Stone, Shao Qiu can receive a reward of 5,000 Eerie Stones."
"Thirdly, it's to celebrate that the Mortal Domain now has two Martial Kings. Qi Yue and Shao Qiu simultaneously broke through to the Perfect Body Tempering Martial King, a rare occurrence in the world! This signifies that the Mortal Domain's fortune is flourishing."
"Fourthly, this is to celebrate the successful implementation of the Silk Road Plan in the Mortal Domain, which has already shown initial results. This is also inseparable from everyone's joint efforts these past few days."
"We've gathered everyone together today to celebrate this moment. Don't be too reserved, eat and drink as you please."
"The new year will be in a little over ten days, then we'll have a good meal together."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Mortal Domain Member applauded and cheered before starting to eat.
It's called a meal, but it's really just braised Braised Delicacies. There aren't many dishes; it's mostly Braised Delicacies, but there's a lot of variety.
It must have been hard work for Zhao Shengping to make so much Braised Delicacies all by himself. With over 200 people in Mortal Domain now, making this much Braised Delicacies is no easy task.
However, there was plenty of alcohol, enough to fill you up. With meat and wine, this was truly a good meal in this world.
The atmosphere gradually became lively and cheerful. Everyone was quite happy to receive the Domain Lord's approval.
"Good."
Shao Qiu sat down next to Chen Fan, put a braised duck wing into his mouth, savored it, and nodded with satisfaction. "Pavilion Master Zhao, your Artifact Refining skills are quite good, and your Braised Delicacies are also excellent."
Etc.
He suddenly froze on the spot. An Artifact Refiner made good Braised Delicacies. He seemed to have met such a person before, but that was back in the West Pass Plains, and the taste was only about 70% similar.
"Pavilion Master Zhao."
Shao Qiu turned his head to look at Zhao Shengping, somewhat bewildered, and said, "Your full name isn't Zhao Shengping, is it? You're from the West Pass Plains, and were once known as the most useless Artifact Refiner in Kansai, nicknamed the Western Pass Braised-Food Master?"
"It's me."
Zhao Shengping touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, not expecting his past embarrassing history to be exposed so quickly, which made him feel rather embarrassed.
Holy crap, it really is you!
Shao Qiu seemed somewhat shocked. "Weren't you in Kansai? How did you end up in Jiangbei? The difference between here is significant."
Jiangbei is relatively barren, and people from Jiangnan have always looked down on Jiangbei. On the other hand, the West Pass Plains is more prosperous than Jiangnan, so people from the West Pass Plains also look down on Jiangnan, let alone Jiangbei.
Generally speaking, people from the West Pass Plains do not voluntarily travel to the Jiangbei of the river.
"Moreover, I ate your Braised Delicacies 7 years ago. I bought it from someone else at a high price that time, and it was amazing. It was the best braised Braised Delicacies I had ever eaten. But the Braised Delicacies you made this time is even better than last time, and the taste is a little different. What's going on?"
"Cough cough."
Zhao Shengping clenched his fist and coughed lightly. "After all these years, it's normal for skills to improve, isn't it? People always have to progress, right?"
"I remember you were Level-9 Artifact Refiner 7 years ago, how about now? Are you level 10?"
"No."
Zhao Shengping spoke expressionlessly.
"Why isn't there any improvement?"
"This depends on fate; it can't be rushed."
"Indeed." Shao Qiu nodded in deep agreement, without saying anything more.
The night ended quickly, and the Victory Banquet also drew to a close.
You can't always be tense; you need to relax occasionally.
The Victory Banquet allowed everyone in the Mortal Domain to relax considerably, and as time passed, three days later arrived.
On this day, many forces arrived in Mortal City.
The Mortal City has become more bustling than ever before. In the past, many Trade Association had been coming and going in Mortal City, but this time, many powerful forces brought their own Builder with them.
The Builder from each faction usually don't go out, but today they all came with their respective faction leaders.
No Builder is Rogue Cultivator.
Builder must join a faction, or create one himself. Cultivator can be Rogue Cultivator, Builder cannot be Rogue Cultivator. A Builder alone simply cannot obtain so many Eerie Stones and building materials.
A Builder cannot do it all by himself; there must be a support system in place to handle the logistics.
"This City doesn't look very impressive."
A young man stood in front of the convoy, looking at the City Wall not far away. Cars were coming and going all around, one after another arriving here.
He recognized the flags of many of these forces.
"These all look like Level-1 City Wall. Aren't the Mortal Domain supposed to be very powerful?"
The young man curled his lip.
The City Wall in their territory are all Level-3 City Wall; Level-1 City Wall are no longer needed.
That's not how you say it.
An Elderly Man standing beside him shook his head solemnly. "The Mortal Domain certainly possesses strength, but its foundation is somewhat weak."
"Think about it, the Mortal Domain is a power that rose to prominence during the Rainy Season. From its founding to now, it has only been a few months, less than three months. It's already quite impressive that it has achieved this much."
"Moreover, the main Camp for the development of the Mortal Domain was located in the nearby Nameless Mountain. It was precisely because of the Camp there that Slaying the Wraith King and Slaying Pill Sect Young Master during the Rainy Season."
"Mortal City is merely a mortal City in the Mortal Domain, used for commerce, not as a primary structure for defending against Strange Entities during the Rainy Season. It's already quite impressive that it has achieved this level of functionality."
"Our power has been passed down for many years, Mortal Domain has only been established for a few years. It's certain that its foundation cannot compare to ours. However, as Builder, Chen Fan's ability to build such a power in such a short time must require some extraordinary methods."
"Our main objective this time is to find a way to communicate with Chen Fan and try to learn something from him."
"Therefore, I hope you can adjust your attitude. We are not here to compete with the Mortal Domain, but rather to make progress together."
The Elderly Man man looked earnestly at the young man beside him. "Keep your flippant tone to yourself. When you have the chance to meet Domain Lord Chen, don't speak to him like that."
"I know."
The young man muttered, "I certainly wouldn't say that to his face, but if I whisper it, he wouldn't be able to hear me, would he?"
He just felt a little unhappy.
This Elderly Man is his biological grandfather.
He is the youngest Builder in his Family.
His talent was quite good, and the Family was originally proud of him. But since Chen Fan rose to prominence, everyone in the Family, whether it was the Family Head or the Elder, was discussing how Chen Fan did it, making him feel a bit ignored and that Chen Fan had stolen all the limelight.
He couldn't help but mutter a few words.
But he couldn't be foolish enough to say that in front of Chen Fan, needlessly making an enemy for his Family.
Soon, one force after another arrived in Mortal City.
Accompanied by the Crippled Monkey, Chen Fan walked through Mortal City, where he had specially cleared out an open Open Ground to prepare for the upcoming Builder Conference.
Builder Conference.
There are no matches.
There's no competition among the participants, so there won't be a first, second, or third place ranking.
It all depends on communication.
This was the first time Chen Fan had seen how other Builder designed buildings. He stopped in front of four or five people, who were all Builder from various factions, but they were probably from the younger generation and were not very old.
There's an ironclad rule in the Builder!
That is, the older the Builder, the stronger they are.
That's for sure.
After all, how many Building Blueprint and details can a young Builder remember in their mind, and how much time do they have to truly understand them?
Of course, Chen Fan an exception.
This is also the biggest question and puzzling thing that outsiders have about Chen Fan.
"I'll go first!"
One of the girls among the four or five people seemed a little nervous, but she still took a deep breath, took out a Building Blueprint of the "Arrow Tower" from her pocket, and quickly looked at it carefully again.
He tucked the Blueprint into his arms and stood there, closing his eyes tightly.
His arms trembled slightly.
A phantom image of Arrow Tower made of white lines quickly appeared before them. The Eerie Stone piled at their feet shattered one by one, turning into a viscous white emulsion that surged toward the phantom image.
The building gradually solidified.
Until a few breaths later.
"Snap!"
A crisp cracking sound rang out from the phantom of the building. The phantom of the Arrow Tower, which was not yet fully solidified, shattered instantly, turning into spiritual energy and dissipating into the Heaven and Earth.
"Failed again."
The girl opened her eyes and looked at the shattered phantom of the Arrow Tower in front of her, her head drooping in disappointment.
"It's alright, it's alright."
A boy in a long robe stepped forward and patted the girl on the shoulder, comforting her, "Arrow Tower are indeed difficult to build among White-Grade Building. You made a mistake on the 17 Nodes. Just don't make the same mistake again next time."
"Pfft."
Chen Fan, who had been quietly watching the show from the sidelines, couldn't help but laugh when he saw this scene.
This scene reminded him of his past life.
In my past life, when taking exams, many people would quickly skim through their textbooks just before the exam bell rang, like a last-minute Buddhist practice, and then rush to answer the questions when the bell rang.
This girl is somewhat like this.
"Why are you laughing!"
Perhaps his laughter was a bit abrupt, because the boy who was comforting the girl looked at Chen Fan with some anger. "I see you're not very old, you're probably just a junior Builder, do you really think you can build anything that well?"
Those who are allowed into this venue today.
Most of them were Builder and their accompanying staff.
There were no outsiders.
"I can."
Chen Fan smiled and waved his hand. The phantom of the Arrow Tower, composed of white lines, quickly appeared on the Open Ground and solidified in the blink of an eye. In a moment, an Arrow Tower took shape.
The four young Builder, who were chatting together, stared at the scene before them, dumbfounded, and froze on the spot for a long time before they came to their senses.
"How is that possible!"
The boy was the first to react, his eyes filled with disbelief, but then he stared at Chen Fan expectantly. "Senior, can we ask you some questions?"
Although this person looks to be the same age as them, the skill he's displayed suggests he's at least a level five or six Builder —definitely their senior.
"It's not really asking for advice, it's more like exchanging ideas."
Chen Fan smiled as he looked at the four young Builder. It was rare to see such innocent people these days. He wondered which faction these four came from, as they exuded a pure, childlike aura.
"Tell me first how you built this Arrow Tower."
He looked at the girl whose attempt to create the item had failed.
"Senior..."
The girl in the white dress timidly pulled out Building Blueprint the Arrow Tower from her bosom and said, "I followed my Master's instructions and divided the Arrow Tower's Architectural Drawing into 37 nodes, building it one node at a time."
"What I mean is, you glanced at the Building Blueprint before building, then put Blueprint away during construction, keeping your eyes closed the whole time. Since you can't remember the Blueprint, why didn't you look at Blueprint while building?"
Chen Fan asked, somewhat puzzled.
This isn't an exam.
Is there any such thing as "open book" or "closed book" anymore?
"Ah?"
The girl paused slightly, glanced at her three companions beside her, and then whispered.
"Senior."
"When designing a building, the architect needs to visualize its various lines in their mind. This process is called 'Spirit Drawing.' In the real world, a silhouette of a building composed of white lines will gradually emerge, following the Builder's mental Spirit Drawing of the spirit drawing."
"Then crush the Eerie Stone, allowing the spiritual energy from its shattering to gather within the illusory image, so that the building can take shape."
"But-
-"
"Apart from very skilled Builder, we younger Builder all need to close our eyes when designing buildings, otherwise there's too much external interference, making it impossible to complete the Spirit Drawing's step in our minds."
"And the process of Spirit Drawing must be completed in one go."
There can be no pauses or interruptions.
"It's not really possible to... look at Building Blueprint while simultaneously building a building..."
She was a little confused as to why this young senior would ask such a question. Hadn't the young senior's Master mentioned this point?
"Of course I know that."
Chen Fan nodded seriously. "Have you reflected on why you failed?"
He knows nothing.
This was the first time he had seen how other Builder designed buildings; it was quite complex.
If any mistake were made in this process, the phantom building would collapse, all the Eerie Stone would be wasted, and he could clearly sense that most of the spiritual energy dissipated into the air, causing considerable waste.
It pained him to see it.
"Because I didn't memorize the Blueprint..."
"Rote memorization isn't a good method." Chen Fan shook his head. "Do you still remember what your Master taught you?"
Adding one equals four hundred and forty-four. Do you remember the principle behind this?
"Remember."
The girl took a deep breath, knowing that this opportunity to communicate with her senior was extremely valuable, and tried her best to perform well, speaking in a serious and deep voice.
"My Master mentioned this in his very first lesson."
"For Builder, one plus one equals four hundred and forty-four. This is a consensus among all Builder, and it is also the first lesson for all Builder."
This saying comes from a very, very long time ago.
"He is said to be the First Architect of the Eternal Night Continent. He left behind many famous sayings, which became the admonitions of Builder in later generations. The most famous of them is 'One plus one equals four hundred and forty-four.'"
"It refers to the Building Blueprint that Builder can comprehend throughout their lifetime, and these are only a few."
"No matter how hard one tries, or how intelligent one is, it's useless."
"But when two people come together and exchange their experiences and ideas, they can achieve the effect of 444. The number 4 sounds like the word for death, implying that all the General Strange be killed."
"That's why -
Builder have designated days for networking and exchange.
Even factions that are usually at odds will exchange their insights on this day.
"This is also the significance of the establishment of the Architects' Exchange Conference."
Chen Fan remained silent, expressionless, for a long time.
He knew it.
All those strange-sounding but widely circulated sayings must be the ramblings of some old fogies, but because these old fogies have Achievement something, they've been passed down.
That's not true.
After a while.
He shook his head. "One plus one doesn't just equal four hundred and forty-four, it also equals six hundred and sixty-six."
Having said that, he didn't linger and immediately walked away to see what the other Builder were discussing.
He felt that the Architects' Exchange Conference was actually quite lively.
The girl stared at Chen Fan's departing figure, stunned and unable to process for a moment why one plus one equals six hundred and sixty-six.
But at that moment—
Elder from their Family suddenly strode over to her side. Following her gaze, he saw Chen Fan's back and his pupils constricted. "Domain Lord Chen just speak to you?"
"Domain Lord Chen?"
The teenagers were all stunned, a look of disbelief flashing in their eyes. "He's the Domain Lord of the Mortal Domain, Chen Fan?!"
"Indeed," the Elderly Man said solemnly.
Chen Fan.
These two words have become almost universally known and understood in recent days.
Whether it was Slaying the Wraith King Rainy Season, raiding the Pill Sect at night, or the Silk Road these days, Chen Fan's fame has soared, making him the most talked-about figure these days.
"I should have asked a few questions earlier."
The boy who had initially comforted the girl was now filled with remorse. He had heard Chen Fan's name many times, but he had never seen Chen Fan's face, so he naturally didn't recognize him just now. It was widely rumored that Chen Fan an absolute genius Builder, and being able to communicate with such a person would definitely be very rewarding!
Putting aside other things...
If it weren't for Chen Fan, he would never have been able to buy Skeleton Horse that cost 2,000 Eerie Stone.
"Just now, Junior Sister tried to build a White-Grade Building Arrow Tower, but the building collapsed because the Spirit Drawing on the 17 Nodes failed. Domain Lord Chen laughed out loud next to her."
"I didn't know it was him at the time."
"I told you, if you're so capable, you do it yourself."
"He personally built an Arrow Tower, and his Spirit Drawing time is extremely short, even faster than yours, Master."
Is it that one?
The Elderly Man, who looked extremely thin and bony, had a glint of fanaticism in his eyes as he looked at the several-meter-tall Arrow Tower standing to the side. He rushed forward and carefully examined every detail.
Much later.
He murmured in disbelief, "Perfect, as if created by heaven."
What else did he say to you?
He also said that one plus one not only equals four hundred and forty-four, but also six hundred and sixty-six.
The Elderly Man frowned and lowered his head.
This statement negates the consensus of the entire Builder. One plus one equals four hundred and forty-four, which means that Builder need to communicate frequently.
However, the fact that the other party used the word "more than" suggests that they are not denying the matter.
But what profound meaning does that 666 hold?
Nonsense?
Impossible.
This kind of person wouldn't speak carelessly; there's no benefit in deceiving a few juniors.
There must be a deeper meaning behind this, and considering the context, it's very likely about how to quickly Spirit Drawing.
"I think I've got it."
A glint of light flashed in the Elderly Man's eyes before he sat cross-legged on the spot, his eyes tightly closed. "Don't let anyone else disturb me."
"As expected of my Master."
The boy sighed with some emotion. It was the same sentence, yet he felt nothing, while his Master had already begun to understand. No wonder he was the strongest Builder in their sect.
As Chen Fan walked through the Architects' Exchange Conference, he was puzzled by something: Building Blueprint like "Arrow Tower" and "City Wall" all had line drawings on Blueprint.
It's perfectly normal to be able to clearly see the structure of a building and Spirit Drawing in your mind.
But what about some abstract architecture?
For example...
"Vehicle Workshop"
For example, the "Sky-Piercing Pillar".
The thing that the Undying Celestial Master couldn't comprehend even in his death—the actual object and the picture are completely different—it would be a miracle if anyone could comprehend it. If someone could truly comprehend it, they would be a god!
No.
I need to go back and ask again.
It's inappropriate to ask others about such basic Builder knowledge; those young Builder from earlier seem easy to fool.
He immediately returned the way he came.
Soon they saw the four boys talking to each other again, and next to them was an Elderly Man sitting cross-legged, looking like skin and bones, as if he had passed away.
"This is..."
Chen Fan looked at the Elderly Man with a strange expression.
"Domain Lord Chen."
The boy who had just comforted the girl saw Chen Fan approaching again and hurriedly said respectfully, "I didn't know who you were earlier, please forgive me. This is my Master."
He is meditating cross-legged.
"What are you trying to understand?"
"Domain Lord Chen, before you left you said that one plus one not only equals four hundred and forty-four, but also six hundred and sixty-six. This junior is dull and has not grasped the profound meaning, but Master seems to have understood and is currently comprehending the Dao. At this moment, he cannot hear any sounds from the outside world."
"I must thank Domain Lord Chen for your generous guidance."
"I also have a question I'd like to ask... but I don't know..."
Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Ask away."
He finally understood how the consensus that one plus one equals four hundred and forty-four was passed down.
The boy took a deep breath and asked the question that had been troubling him for a long time.
"Senior."
"My question is, how can we minimize energy loss during building construction?"
"Good question."
Chen Fan nodded calmly. "The lower the energy loss, the less it costs to build a building. This involves the Builder's understanding of the Blueprint."
Do you know how Builder decipher those vague Building Blueprint?
"Know."
The boy's expression turned serious, and he hurriedly said solemnly.
"When constructing buildings with unclear plans, there are often two approaches."
The first type.
"Sect Inheritance."
The actual design of this "Building Blueprint" will be passed down from the Master.
"The second type."
"Self-realization."
"Try to 'Spirit Drawing structure from scratch in your mind. Each time you try, carefully observe the lines of successful Spirit Drawing, and then continuously improve upon them until you achieve success after many attempts."
"That's right."
Chen Fan nodded slightly and said calmly, "That's the problem. One plus one doesn't just equal six hundred and sixty-six, it also equals eight hundred and eighty-eight."
After saying that, he left again.
You'll figure it out slowly.
Just like how he racked his brains but still couldn't figure out what one plus one equals.
They all like to talk nonsense.
He said that too.
After leaving the four young men, Chen Fan continued to stroll around. Today's Architects' Exchange Conference was quite lively, with many people coming and going.
Take a few steps.
You can see several Builder gathered together exchanging ideas.
Builder, who were rarely seen in the past, are all gathered here today. As far as the eye can see, they are all Builder, like cabbages.
To put it bluntly...
If he were the Wraith King, he would spare no expense today to lead his troops to kill these Builder. Once these Builder are dead, the Four Regions of Jiangbei will all be doomed during the next Rainy Season; there will be no saving a single one.
All forces and all City must be conquered.
Countless Living Beings will perish as a result.
"Um?"
Chen Fan raised an eyebrow and walked into the crowd ahead, looking at a Builder standing on the platform who was imparting his experience. There were quite a few people gathered here, more than a hundred, not counting the Attendant, there were more than thirty Builder here.
"As is well known."
Standing on the platform, imparting his experience, was an old man, neatly dressed and possessing a dignified air. "Upgrading a building will result in a random 'upgrade direction,' which we call 'Heavenly Dao's Gift.'"
"But based on experience, we know there are three upgrade paths. How can we ensure we get the one we want randomly?"
My experience is...
Sincere Heart!
"As long as your heart is sincere enough, you can randomly get the upgrade path you want."
For example, "City Wall."
"City Wall with a uniform Vein Patterns is several times more effective than City Wall with a mixed Vein Patterns. When building Level-3 City Wall, we often need to demolish a large number of City Wall with incorrect Vein Patterns to ensure that the final City Wall Vein Patterns has a uniform Vein Patterns. This step will result in the loss of a lot of Eerie Stone."
"But how can one be absolutely Sincere Heart?"
"First, we must rid ourselves of Mundane Root."
"After I cut off my Mundane Root, the probability of randomly getting the upgrade path I want has increased significantly. Although it's not quite 80% or 90%, it's reached 40% or 50%, which is much better than before."
"As Builder, one must protect the world and fight against Eternal Night."
"A little Mundane Root is nothing but external things; there's no need to care about it."
"I didn't originally intend to share this experience, but as my time the End Is Nigh, I want to leave something behind for the world before I pass away. So I'm sharing it at this Architects' Exchange Conference, hoping it will be helpful to everyone."
The Builder in the audience nodded thoughtfully.
Chen Fan remained silent, expressionless. He wanted to believe that the person on stage was just joking out of a sense of shame, and that the people below Xixi and joking. But the reality was that the old man on stage was speaking with utmost seriousness.
Judging from his voice, this old gentleman's words and actions were consistent, and he was truly sincere.
Instead of immediately questioning, the audience members were reflecting on the situation.
Soon.
The Elderly Man stepped down from the stage.
Another Builder then came up on stage to share their insights.
This was a Middle-Aged Man dressed in Green Robe. The audience announced his identity: he was the First Elder of a powerful force in Jiangnan, adorned with gold and silver from head to toe. Yet today, he was quite amiable as he shared his insights on stage.
"The topic I want to share today is 'Qualitative Transformation'."
"As Builder ourselves, we should all know that there's a very small chance of a qualitative Qualitative Transformation occurring during the building upgrade process. But Qualitative Transformation, it often means the building possesses unpredictable and powerful effects."
"Is there any way to increase this probability?"
"I believe I do."
The trick is "Milestone Timing."
"Based on my experiments, the probability of Qualitative Transformation occurs when you build the 100th, 200th, and 300th buildings of the same type, such as the Arrow Tower, 200th, and 300th Arrow Tower."
"So-
"I suggest everyone keep track of the number of buildings they've constructed. When you reach a certain point, the buildings you construct at that time are likely to have Qualitative Transformation effect. You should carefully consider their placement when constructing them to avoid wasting a Qualitative Transformation effect."
The audience nodded thoughtfully again, clearly having gained a lot.
After the man stepped off the stage.
Another person took the stage.
This is an old woman, with white hair and a wrinkled face, but she exudes an air of nobility. The Jade Necklace around her neck is eye-catching. She laughed a few times after coming on stage before speaking.
"It is truly a privilege for all of you to gather here today for this exchange."
"Every Builder has their own unique understanding."
"What I want to share today is one..."
"Spirit Drawing"
"Spirit Drawing makes perfect; with more repetitions, speed and accuracy will naturally improve."
"But many young Builder find it difficult to Entry."
"My suggestion is to train your Spirit Sense, for example... spend some time each day imagining what an apple looks like, and imagine an apple with a candle next to it."
What effect will a beam of light create when it shines from different angles?
"Imagine what it feels like to touch Soil or tree bark, to train your Spirit Sense, and thus achieve..."
The old woman spoke at length before finally stopping.
The applause from the audience was thunderous.
A young Builder raised his hand and asked, "Senior, I always fail at the very beginning of my Spirit Drawing. I can't even do the most basic Spirit Drawing. I can't even visualize a single aspect of 'architecture' in my mind, not even the Eerie Fire. What should I do?"
"You might need some supplementary Pills; perhaps you could try asking at Medicine King Valley."
Chen Fan turned his head expressionlessly to look at the Builder who had raised his hand to ask a question. He really wanted to speak, he really wanted to.
He really wanted to say it.
You don't need to go to Medicine King Valley for your illness.
He showed it to you.
You're absolutely Mind Blindness to your own nature; you're destined to never be Builder, you're doomed.
The sign of Mind Blindness is the inability to visualize any images in one's mind. Since Builder must Spirit Drawing in their minds, if you can't visualize any images, you naturally can't Spirit Drawing.
He figured it out.
What each Builder shares is essentially a folk remedy, but because there's no definitive answer, none of them can be disproven, so people tend to believe them rather than dismiss them.
Let's set aside whether what was shared is right or wrong.
There was at least a hint of genuine interaction.
Whether they are high-level Builder (levels seven or eight) or Builder levels one or two), everyone is sharing their insights.
He also really wanted to share.
The correct answer is with him.
You hand over all your Eerie Stone to him, and he'll guard Jiangbei for you. After that, he'll head south and bring over all the Eerie Stone from the West Pass Plains, and he'll guard Kansai as well. If you can give him all the Eerie Stone from the Eternal Night Continent, starting tomorrow, there will be no more Eternal Night.
The Eerie Stone has been wasted on you all.
Thinking about it now.
These Builder have really had it tough. Without knowing the right answer at all, they've been exploring all these years and have actually figured something out. He felt a little sorry for them.
We just had to figure it out by trial and error.
It's like groping for a stone woman in the dark, searching for a long time without finding the cave, and finally finding her mouth.
Although it's not the correct answer either.
But at least they got in.
That's the answer.
Just then -
The old woman suddenly looked at Chen Fan: "Domain Lord Chen, you've been listening for quite some time now. Would you be willing to come up and share your insights on Builder? Domain Lord Chen, you were able to create the Mortal Domain single-handedly during the Rainy Season; you must have extraordinary abilities."
The words had barely left his mouth.
Following the old woman's gaze, everyone discovered that Chen Fan, the master of Mortal City, had been listening in among them for quite some time.
Immediately, a crowd of expectant eyes turned to him.
"Domain Lord Chen a few words."
"Just share a little bit, that's fine."