"We can't really work them to death, can we?"

"A Builder..."

A flicker of envy crossed the eyes of the bronze-skinned man following Wang Kui. Builders might not have been the strongest Cultivators in combat, but they definitely held the highest status.

After all, no matter how strong Cultivators were, there was a limit to their power. Once night fell, they still had to hide near a Bonfire.

In this world, hunkering down behind defenses was the only real way to survive.

No Cultivator could suddenly charge into the darkness and slaughter everything in sight. That was pure fantasy.

"The Chen Family really lost a treasure this time. If the Chen Family Head knew about this, he'd be so furious he'd cough up blood."

"But... Station Master, should we report this to the Family? Chen Fan definitely won't return to the Chen Family now, and he's a newly awakened Builder with no faction backing him. If we could get the Family to send someone to recruit him, that would be a major achievement for us, too."

The man's eyes darted about, and he looked rather excited.

"Little Qiu."

Wang Kui did not answer immediately. After a while, he patted the man's shoulder. "I joined the Wang Family when I was twenty, and I've spent thirteen whole years as a Station Master. What kind of job is that?"

"It sounds glamorous. At least you get to hold an official post."

"But in reality, you're gathering money for the Family in dangerous conditions. To put it bluntly, you're a Worker Bee in a hive. Your fate is to work yourself to death or die suddenly in some strange tide. You collect ten eerie stones a month as your salary, and that's all there is to it."

"My surname may be King, but I'm not actually a member of the clan. There's no chance of promotion."

"You've been with me for three years now. Whatever Station I go to, I bring you along. You should think about your future, too. Have you ever thought about where our prospects lie?"

"Reporting this would certainly earn us some credit."

"But what would that credit get us?"

"Besides—"

"Chen Fan only awakened as a Builder after coming to the Wasteland, but do you really think he only found his opportunity here? Even an idiot could figure out that he was being targeted at every turn back in the Family, and only here could he act freely. He'd planned this long ago."

"What does that tell you?"

"It tells you Chen Fan has wanted to strike out on his own for a long time."

"If you report him now, while he's still weak, he might agree to join the Wang Family under pressure. But do you think he'd resent the two of us? Would he ask the Wang Family to deal with us? Do you think the Wang Family would hesitate to sacrifice us?"

"You need to think through the consequences."

"And if Chen Fan really does want to establish his own faction, he'll owe us a favor. Couldn't we take the opportunity to join him? Even if it's a new faction, being a core member there would still be better than being a Worker Bee in the Wang Family, wouldn't it?"

Admiration appeared on the man's face, and he thumped his chest. "You've really thought this through, Station Master. Don't worry. I'll do whatever you say. I definitely won't act on my own."

"Good."

Wang Kui smiled and patted the man's back. "Let's head back to Camp. I'm glad you see it that way. I've been thinking about something all these years. Every faction needs Worker Bees, but... they should at least promote a Worker Bee who's put in thirteen years."

"We can't really work them to death, can we?"

"Young Master."

Crippled Monkey walked over and peered into the two Porcelain Crocks on the Handcart Wang Kui had just brought before speaking. "They've brought another crock of water and some food."

"That's good."

Chen Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke softly, but there was little cheer on his face. He had not wanted to reveal his identity as a Builder so soon, but those two Arrow Towers were hard to conceal. It would come out sooner or later.

If Stationmaster King chose to report him, he would face considerable pressure.

He had to strengthen the Camp as quickly as possible. Then, even if outside pressure came, he could hold out for a while. Ideally, he should design an escape route, too. If he truly could not withstand it, he could move elsewhere and start over.

For now, Stationmaster King seemed to be a smart man.

Hopefully, he could see the long-term benefits and would not let short-term gains go to his head.

He looked toward the newly tilled and planted Farmland at the edge of the Camp. Its crops would take three days to mature, so there was no rushing that.

He still had eight eerie stones left.

That was not quite enough.

The biggest problem was that he had no way to obtain more eerie stones in the short term. Last night, the Beast Trap had not caught a single strange entity. He did not know why. In theory, strange entities moved about in the darkness, so there was no possibility that all the ghost beings in this area had been killed off.

"Let's give it a try."

After thinking for a moment, Chen Fan motioned for Crippled Monkey to follow him. He tucked the remaining eerie stones into his robe, left the Station, and pulled the Handcart deeper into the Wasteland.

Only practice could reveal the truth.

Guesswork alone was useless.

They walked for roughly two hours.

This stretch of the Wasteland had almost no hills or gullies, and the terrain was flat. Looking back, they could still faintly see the two Arrow Towers.

"This spot will do."

Chen Fan took the Ghosthide Map from his robe and checked his location. This stretch of the Wasteland was not large, and he was already nearing its edge. There were no Stations nearby.

To the east of the Wasteland lay North River Market.

To the west lay Flat City.

To the south was a desert, while the north bordered the sea.

From his current position, another four to six hours north would bring him within sight of the sea.

Generally, travelers crossing the Wasteland went back and forth between North River Market and Flat City. The south was uninhabited, and since they were crossing the Wasteland, the shortest route was naturally a straight line between those two points.

As a result, the Stations in the middle of the Wasteland were packed with travelers practically every day.

His former Chen Family Station No. 37, however, lay in the northern part of the Wasteland, far from the central route. Naturally, few people passed through. The only traveler he had seen these past few days was that middle-aged man in a blue robe.

Now, he had walked another two hours north.

There were even fewer people here.

There would be no Stations here, either.

It was practically uninhabited territory.

"Phew..."

Chen Fan exhaled softly and slowly closed his eyes. He took three eerie stones from his robe and tossed them into the air. In an instant, the three stones turned into a milky-white liquid, and the phantom outline of an Eerie Fire slowly appeared in midair.

As the milky-white liquid flowed into the phantom, it gradually solidified, but it did not become fully solid as the Arrow Towers had.

He plucked a handful of Withered Grass from the ground and tossed it in.

Only then did the phantom become fully solid.

It settled onto the ground.

An archaic-looking Eerie Fire landed firmly on the earth.

"Y-Young Master?"

Watching from the side, Crippled Monkey began breathing faster, his eyes filled with disbelief. The Eerie Fire was an ordinary building, so its construction recipe was widely known. He remembered that it required many different materials. How had his Young Master finished building one with just a handful of Withered Grass?

And he had only used three eerie stones?

An Eerie Fire sold for around sixty eerie stones at the Market!

How much profit could he make from that?!