It was growing increasingly oppressive in here, making it hard to breathe.
Chen Quan couldn't help but tremble while kneeling, yet he didn't leave. Instead, he steeled himself and remained on his knees at the doorway. Today, he was resolved to get an answer—at the very least, he must know who his biological father was!
"Your father..."
The woman spoke in a calm tone, tinged with amusement. "...is actually Chen Fan."
"What?"
Chen Quan felt as if struck by lightning. He froze in place, then looked up incredulously at his mother, who was sitting in the chair. "Mother... Chen Fan is only four years older than me. How could you..."
"Just teasing you. I don't know who your real father is either. When you grow up, go find the answer yourself."
…
After Chen Quan left,
The man in white reappeared. He glanced at the closed door and frowned. "What's that Patriarch up to?"
He had no interest in such a trivial matter; something more important was at hand.
The woman before him was notoriously wanton—a beautiful yet venomous scorpion. Even though they were allies, he had to stay vigilant, wary of her stinging him with her tail at any moment. He ignored the revealing glimpse of her figure and asked in a low voice, "Still no leads?"
"Mhm..."
The woman lounged lazily by the bed, toying with an exquisite teapot in her hand. "Nothing concrete. We only know that over the years, he's been having Clan Guardian Liu construct quite a lot of ordinary buildings. Other than that..."
"There's no other information."
"He must be scheming something. But I don't know the specifics of his plan. He's kept his guard up around me, and he has been doing things in secret."
"You mean you've never shared a bed with him?" The white-clad man frowned. "It's the best time to gather information when sharing a bed. Weren't you living in the same room a few years ago?"
"We lived together, but he never touched me."
The woman glanced at her reflection in the bronze mirror and tilted her head slightly. "Perhaps... I was already old?"
"..."
The man sank into silence. No man could resist this woman's allure when alone with her. She didn't even need to do anything—no disrobing was necessary.
Her sitting there alone was enough to stir the deepest, primal desires in a man.
And if a man could restrain himself then and there, it meant... he was aiming for something greater.
"You've never mentioned this before. I must report it to our master to avoid any mishaps."
The woman's expression visibly chilled.
"Shaoqiu."
"I may have to clarify one thing: I am in charge of this operation. You merely assist me."
"Return to the Sky Flattening and do your job."
"Moreover—"
"Although I don't know the specifics of his plan, I can roughly guess. He's solely focused on growing the Clan, to the point of disregarding even his own biological son. His scheme is likely just about using our Level 5 Architect to swallow the other two major forces in one go and make his the strongest Clan in Rivernorth City."
"He's probably stockpiling goods to monopolize the market or something."
"It won't affect our plan."
"I have my own judgment."
The man fell silent again, then, after taking steps back, seemed to dissolve into nothingness, vanishing into the wall.
…
"Not bad."
Rivernorth Wasteland, Nameless Mountain.
In the abyss pit.
Chen Fan looked at the banner Qiu Junior had crafted and nodded in approval. The banner had already been finished, and Qiu Junior had even added some artistic touches.
Against a sweeping white background.
A single character, "Fan(凡)," in black.
The dot in the center of "凡" drew inspiration from the Eerie-Eye Cannon Tower, featuring an open vertical eye with a dark red iris.
This gave the banner a look less plain and more bewitching.
"Very good. I like it."
Chen Fan handed the banner to Zhou Mo, signaling him to plant it just outside the canyon.
Cave No. 1 opened, across the abyss pit, onto the canyon.
Standing just outside Cave No. 1, he gazed toward the canyon entrance, nearly a kilometer away. Even in the rainy night, he could clearly see the banner fluttering, the crimson vertical eye animated as an Eerie King's would be.
This was the effect of the banner.
Even from a distance, it would be identifiable, allowing one to identify the force it represented.
Afterward,
Chen Fan walked to Cave No. 2 for the "Vehicle Workshop". He had the entrance wall retract and peered at the huge bulk of it inside. It was the only yellow-grade structure in the camp.
Upgrading it to Level 2 required 2,000 Eerie Stones.
Previously, he hadn't had enough to upgrade it.
Now, with 79,940 Eerie Stones on hand, it was time.
Soon,
After consuming 2,000 Eerie Stones, the structure was upgraded to Level 2. It didn't change much in appearance.
A panel popped up.
Vehicle Workshop upgraded to Level 2.
Please choose upgrade direction.
1: Vehicle construction time slightly reduced.
2: Vehicle construction cost slightly reduced.
3: Vehicle energy consumption slightly reduced.
"Hmm..."
Chen Fan pondered for a moment before choosing the first upgrade direction. Although the current construction rate for Skeleton Horses was quite fast—taking only about a dozen moments to complete one—future higher-grade vehicles would likely take longer.
His reasoning was simple.
The latter two options could be compensated for with Eerie Stones, but the first one couldn't.
Not surprisingly, he would choose the first option.
A new constructible vehicle was unlocked.
3: Eerie Camel. Slow speed but possesses strong load-bearing capacity. Requires 200 Eerie Stones, some Eerie bones, and Eerie skins to construct.
"Not bad."
Chen Fan nodded. Although the Skeleton Horse was fast, its load-bearing ability was poor. For transporting goods, the Eerie Camel was indeed more suitable.
"These would all be excellent goods for sale..."
He muttered to himself.
He didn't know much about Riversouth,
but he gathered that in the region, few forces possessed a "Vehicle Workshop." His Skeleton Horses and Eerie Camels should fetch a good price. But he might have to start by having his hands bloodstained.
Without bloodshed, how could he make himself feared?
He checked the upgrade condition. Reaching Level 3 required only 3,000 Eerie Stones.
He upgraded it to Level 3.
Vehicle Workshop upgraded to Level 3.
Please choose upgrade direction.
1: Vehicle construction time slightly reduced.
2: Vehicle construction cost slightly reduced.
3: Qualitative Change: No upgrade direction is available this time, but the next upgrade will have a 30% chance of offering a Rare Qualitative Change(Common).
"..."
Chen Fan stood there silently, his expression unreadable.
It's too much of a temptation
He immediately chose the third upgrade direction.