"The Flower Crippled Monkey Planted Has Bloomed!"

After the elders withdrew.

The Chen Family Head sat alone in the Council Hall. In just a few days, he had aged considerably, his temples graying and his eyes weary. Only his back remained as straight as he could hold it, like a lion refusing to bow.

Decades ago.

While traveling, he had met Chen Fan's mother, a Level 4 Builder with no allegiance.

The Chen family's previous Builder had died of old age, leaving the family without one. He had immediately pursued her with fervor, married her into the Chen family, and fathered Chen Fan.

After their marriage, he had always cherished her.

He had never dared neglect her.

But... a serious illness had cut her life short.

The Chen family had once again found itself without a Builder. Then the head of the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association had offered him his daughter's hand in marriage, with a Level 5 Builder as her dowry. He knew what the association was thinking.

Though the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association had a Builder, having one alone was not enough to build a powerful faction.

He wanted their Builder.

They wanted his Chen family.

He believed they were no match for him. Once he found a new Builder, he could destroy the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association whenever he wished. During their decade-long struggle, he had had no time to pay attention to Chen Fan. His primary duty was to develop the Chen family, not to be a kindly father.

Until...

Chen Fan had been sent to the Wasteland and become a Builder.

It made all his years of effort seem rather absurd.

It had even made him doubt himself for a time.

But he had recovered his composure.

If Chen Fan survived the Rainy Season, he would go to him personally and talk with him through the night. If Chen Fan was willing to devote himself to the Chen family, he could immediately destroy the Sky-Pacifying Merchant Association and support Chen Fan with everything he had.

But if Chen Fan resented him for years of neglect and refused to return to the Chen family.

Then that potential threat would have to be snuffed out as soon as possible.

"..."

There were no outsiders left in the Council Hall, yet he still refused to let his rigidly straight back bend.

He did not believe he had done anything wrong.

He had simply...

Been unlucky.

Inside the Chen Residence.

After leaving the Council Hall, the elders exchanged glances. The First Elder spoke first, his voice hoarse. "The Family Head is getting old. The Chen family needs someone new at the helm. If Chen Fan survives this Rainy Season, I think... how about bringing him back as Family Head?"

"Agreed."

The other elders offered little comment, merely nodding in the rain.

No one mentioned Chen Quan.

By bloodline, Chen Fan was the Chen family's eldest legitimate son.

In terms of ability, if Chen Fan survived the Rainy Season, he would be several times stronger than Chen Quan, who relied on his mother's family.

In terms of temperament, Chen Fan had endured for years, then broken free the moment the rain came. Chen Quan's childish scheming could not compare.

As long as Chen Fan truly survived the Rainy Season.

And... was willing to lead the Chen family.

Hundreds of years ago, Eternal Night had invaded.

The world had undergone countless earth-shattering changes.

Those changes had transformed the world.

People had even forgotten what this continent had originally been called. They knew only its current name: the Eternal Night Continent.

Dawn broke.

With Eternal Night's Passing, another night was over.

"..."

Standing atop the City Wall, Chen Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. There had been no Strange Tide last night, only a few dozen Anomalies charging into the Camp from time to time, leaving Eerie Stones and corpses scattered across the ground.

With daylight here.

He began taking stock of the Camp's assets as usual.

But when he passed the Eerie Fire, he froze for a moment. Why were there only forty-five Eerie Stones inside it?

He had replenished it to fifty just yesterday. Normally, maintaining the Eerie Fire overnight consumed one stone. The Arrow Towers had barely activated, so they could not possibly have consumed four Eerie Stones. Besides, the Eerie Fire's second upgrade had reduced the attack costs of Defensive Structures.

After a while.

He finally realized what had happened.

It had to be that ten-thousand-meter road.

Yesterday, he had laid ten thousand meters of Copper Pipe across the wilderness, intending to use the route as a Highway after the Rainy Season, connecting Northbank City and Flat City. The Eerie Fire could flow through the Copper Pipe and create a Safety Zone within one meter of it.

Flowing back and forth over such a long distance had accelerated the Eerie Fire's consumption of Eerie Stones.

Once he understood that.

He immediately severed the connection between the Camp and the road.

The Copper Pipe was still only being laid and was not ready for use. Consuming Eerie Stones for it now was pure waste.

There had not been many Strange Entities last night.

The few that had appeared seemed to be fleeing for their lives, stumbling into the Camp in their panic. From that, he could infer that the Wasteland had certainly not been peaceful last night.

At the edge of the Camp.

"Stay safe out there."

Chen Fan stood outside the Camp, looking at Zhou Mo, who was operating the Three-Wheeler, and a young, dark-skinned boy. The boy had previously worked under Wang Mazi, but Chen Fan had now assigned him to accompany Zhou Mo.

The Three-Wheeler's performance tests were complete.

It would not collapse.

After reaching Level 4, the Arrow Fort had become significantly lighter, weighing far less than an Arrow Tower. Placing it on the Three-Wheeler alongside the Eerie Fire would reduce its speed somewhat, but not by much.

They could now travel to more distant abandoned Stations and bring back their resources.

"All right."

Zhou Mo nodded resolutely, without his usual excitement. His brother's death yesterday had taught him that even in daylight, the wilderness was not completely safe during the Rainy Season.

After seeing Zhou Mo off.

Chen Fan glanced at everyone busy working around him and prepared to return to the Wooden Hut to sleep.

Just then—

"Station Master!"

Qi Chong's shout suddenly came from beside the Farmland. "It bloomed! The flower Crippled Monkey planted has bloomed!"

"Oh?"

Chen Fan paused, then remembered the flower. Smiling, he walked toward the Farmland to take a look.

When they had first cleared this patch of Farmland.

Crippled Monkey had fetched a seed from inside the hut and buried it in the Farmland. Later, it had actually sprouted and grown a flower bud. Chen Fan had even built a crude little Wooden Hut for that bud.

"It's pretty."

Chen Fan stood smiling beside the Farmland, gazing at the flower growing in one corner. Its stem was translucent and jade-white, while its peony-like petals were a vivid, penetrating red, as though dyed.

But...

Soon, his smile slowly froze.

Why... could he see a panel beside the flower?

-

"Exotic Treasure name": Human-Blood Wraith Flower.

"Exotic Treasure grade": Green Grade.

"Exotic Treasure effect": Mature. Can be used as a special Forging material.

-

After a long silence, he quietly took a piece of Wraith Hide from inside his clothes. It had dropped when the Female Wraith died. The panel for this unmarked Wraith Hide clearly displayed a single line... "Must be watered with a Human-Blood Wraith Flower before the writing can appear."

He had never known where to find a Human-Blood Wraith Flower.

He had never imagined that what seemed so far out of reach had been right under his nose.

But if the seed Crippled Monkey had found was a Seed-Type Exotic Treasure, why had no panel appeared when Chen Fan first saw it?

"Station Master."

Qi Chong spoke with enthusiasm. "I've never seen a flower like this before. It looks like a rare, valuable variety. Once the Rainy Season ends, we might be able to trade it for some Eerie Stones at North River Market. It certainly looks extraordinary."

"It certainly is."

After a brief pause, Chen Fan smiled. "Give Crippled Monkey an extra chicken leg when we eat later."

"You get one too."