He had 16 days left.
In 16 days, he would face two major crises simultaneously.
One crisis was the possible arrival of the Eerie King. The other involved interacting with other forces after the rainy season ended.
After the rainy season, a months-long winter would take over.
Temperatures would plummet, and few merchant caravans or travelers would journey across the wasteland. According to past practice, all forces, including those in Rivernorth City, would be occupied with restoring their ravaged cities. They would have no time to venture out for trade.
Since almost no one crossed the wasteland in winter, the major clans would not even maintain stations there. The wasteland would not resume its buzz until the spring of the following year.
His goal was to start his business as a recognized player once the rainy season ended.
Killing Eerie Creatures for Eerie Stones was the gameplay for the rainy season. After the season, Eerie Creatures wouldn't be as easy to kill, and he would need other sources of Eerie Stones.
While contemplating the future, Chen Fan walked into the Meat Grinder Passage and continued to set up Cannon Towers.
Over the past days, Heyhey had dug many more caves along the Passage.
One, two, three...
One Cannon Tower took him 480 Eerie Stones, and the level 2 wall to conceal the cave 60 Eerie Stones. Together, that was 540 Eerie Stones.
This was the cost for one node in the Meat Grinder.
He wanted to give the home base an impenetrable web of firepower, which wouldn't let even a mosquito through. Even the Eerie King would be blasted into a sieve inside it.
He spent 10,800 Eerie Stones building another 20 Cannon Towers.
Now, there were a total of 38 Cannon Towers on the cliffs around the abyss pit.
Once enemies invaded the abyss pit, these 38 Cannon Towers, from different angles and heights, would form an air-tight web of firepower, pouring down strikes in every nook and cranny.
Moreover, the enemy would find it difficult even to fight back.
"It's done."
After finishing all this, Chen Fan, from the parapet, surveyed the abyss pit shrouded in the glow of Eerie Fire.
This abyss-pit part of the Meat Grinder could be considered complete. 38 Cannon Towers were all right.
Next, he ought to concern himself with the defense within the canyon.
He would be thinking about that when it was daylight.
He peered into the canyon, where a bolt-straight, two-meter-wide Eerie-Fire-brightened path stretched.
It had become part of the camp, a result of the copper pipes that had been laid there.
The camp was quiet, with only occasional thumping sounds—the crocodile was still digging.
The task he had given the crocodile tonight was to dig a tunnel through each cliff of the canyon. During the day, he would start setting up Cannon Towers on both of the cliffs.
Everyone else was now asleep. From the battlement, he stared blankly outside for a while before letting out a soft sigh and walking back, about to turn in.
This world was too harsh.
He had no ambition to become a king or anything. He just wanted to survive, live a little longer, and if he could, enjoy some comfort.
He was different from Pockmark Wang, who used to be a merchant and was very curious about the outside world. Chen Fan, however, shared none of his curiosity.
Just think about how dangerous the outside world was. There was even a man who could smash a pit into a mountain with a single hammer blow.
He just wanted to stay in Rivernorth, build an absolutely safe home base he could call his own, and spend the rest of his life there.
...
Soon, it was dawn.
The darkness faded as usual, and the camp once again bustled with noises and activities.
"Good job."
Early in the morning, Zhou Mo and the others went out to collect the spoils from the unmanned outposts, while Chen Fan walked where the abyss pit joined the canyon.
He looked up at the caves Heyhey had dug into both canyon cliffs.
There were six of them in total.
It was a bit slower than usual. After all, it was a long way from Cave No. 1 through the cliffs of the abyss pit to the canyon cliffs. The workload was actually larger than usual.
It was already beyond the camp's boundary.
Cannon Towers deployed in those caves could be activated via copper pipes, yet would be unable to deal with enemies beyond the boundary.
This was what he had to solve as he set up the Phase Two Meat Grinder.
"..."
He hurried back inside the cave, spiraled up the Meat Grinder Passage, and arrived at one of the caves on the canyon cliff.
Standing at the edge of it, he looked down into the canyon.
It was a perfect position, about 40 meters above the ground. There were only two ways into the abyss pit: march through the canyon, or jump from the abyss pit's top.
To tackle those moving through the canyon, this was the best vantage point.
He spent 3,240 Eerie Stones to construct one Level 5 Cannon Tower in each of the six caves Heyhey dug last night.
The Cannon Towers' angle of depression was quite steep, but it would be hard to hit someone directly below a vertical cliff. Having three on each side left no blind spots down there.
With this done, he connected these six Cannon Towers to the Eerie Fire via copper pipes.
Now, as soon as the copper pipes were activated, the six Cannon Towers could fire at any time—though they couldn't hit anyone yet. There was another thing to do.
Chen Fan ambled from Cave No. 1 to the canyon again and lifted his gaze at the caves on both cliffs.
Meanwhile, Heyhey had dug a pit one meter deep in the canyon floor on his order.
He came up to the pit and built a level 3 Eerie Fire inside it (cost: 63 Eerie Stones), then filled the soil back in.
After that, Chen Fan clapped his hands in satisfaction.
This level 3 Eerie Fire was not lit yet, but had already been connected via copper pipes to the level 5 Eerie Fire inside the camp.
With a thought, this Eerie Fire would be instantly kindled. At the same time, the six level 5 Cannon Towers inside both canyon cliffs would come back to life, attacking any enemy who barged into the canyon.
After choosing the upgrade direction for increased range, a level 3 Eerie Fire could span a diameter of 50 meters.
Just enough to fit the canyon's width.
The canyon was a thousand meters long.
That meant he only needed a string of 20 level 3 Eerie Fires to include the entire canyon within the attack range.
This was what he called the Phase Two Meat Grinder.
This peaceful, harmless-looking canyon would transform into a life-reaping harvester the moment the Phase Two Meat Grinder was activated.
Of course, it had merely taken shape now. This was an undertaking too great to be completed soon.
After the Phase Two Meat Grinder was activated in battle, he would have to let these 20 Level 3 Eerie Fires fall apart. Of course, if he still wanted them in place, the 20 Eerie Fires could be sustained permanently.
The daily cost wasn't high—just 20 Eerie Stones per day, equivalent to sustaining two snow lotuses.
But he wouldn't be able to take the enemy by surprise.
The scenario he envisioned for the Phase Two Meat Grinder was when enemies tiptoed through the canyon passage, preparing to attack the abyss pit. By then, they would have formed a long column within the thousand-meter canyon.
For example, the Eerie King would never imagine that this thousand-meter-long, darkness-enshrouded canyon could instantly become part of the camp.
This Phase Two Meat Grinder would catch them utterly off guard.
He had learned a lesson when forced to leave the old camp. Many Eerie Creatures would deliberately stay just outside camp range to attack you. If you do not dare to venture into the darkness, you can only endure attacks passively. He was sick of that.
This thousand-meter-long canyon was a death trap. It cost 20 level 3 Eerie Fires to activate it once----1,260 Eerie Stones—he could afford it.
Any enemy worthy of him activating the Phase Two Meat Grinder would surely bring enough returns.
"Good."
Chen Fan stood in the middle of the canyon, looking with satisfaction at the rock walls on both sides.
In the days to come, he had to finish fortifying the whole canyon before the rainy season ended.
He had buried the Eerie Fire one meter underground. Not that he didn't want to place it deeper, but copper pipes could only be laid at a maximum depth of one meter. Should an Eerie Fire sit any deeper, the pipes couldn't reach it.
"Good job."
Chen Fan looked at the crocodile nearby, happily wagging its tail as it sought praise, and encouraged with a gratified look.
"Keep up the good work. Try to complete the Meat Grinder Passage inside both canyon cliffs as soon as possible."