But soon, under the cold, unblinking stares of Crippled Monkey, Zhou Mo, and the others, Pockmark Wang snapped out of it, half his joy gone. He sheepishly rubbed his nose.
"Well, uh..."
"Station Master, this is your exclusive horse carriage. Even if another one were made, how could I possibly be worthy of using the same type of vehicle as the Station Master?"
"While out, the Chamber of Commerce represents our 'Fan Gate'. We must use something good."
With a smile, Chen Fan waved them off.
...
Meanwhile.
Somewhere far away, the sky had just brightened, yet the place was shrouded in endless darkness.
A man clad in a cloak knelt inside a palace, pressing his forehead to the floor in submission. However, the crimson triangles spinning wildly in his eyes betrayed his inner savagery.
The surroundings were enveloped in pitch-black.
Only pairs of crimson Eerie eyes could be seen drifting on either side of the hall.
A long time passed.
Finally, an ethereal voice drifted down from somewhere high above, "You have finally come to me. Since you have chosen to submit, I shall gift you a Mountain Embryo Corpse to aid your breakthrough to an Eerie King."
"Moreover..."
"I heard you sent someone to Nameless Mountain?"
The kneeling man pondered for a moment before rasping, "Yes, my old subordinate 'Qian Fu' led troops to Nameless Mountain. They died quickly, with no message sent out. Wiped out, all of them."
"Hah."
A cold snort came from the darkness. "Nameless Mountain is that person's former residence. Even though that person has been gone for 180 years, it is not something you can covet. A year ago, I dispatched troops to Nameless Mountain several times."
"Scouts reported that a beast of immense power guards the mountain."
"It is likely a contingency measure by that person."
"Afterwards—"
"For the last time, I sent three elite squads. One squad sacrificed itself to lure the beast away. The other two took the chance to infiltrate the abyss pit, searching for what that person had left behind. I might as well tell you the result."
"Instant death."
"The battle lasted but a moment. No messages came out. The Life Tokens of both elite squads shattered all at once."
"Since then, I have dropped all ideas about Nameless Mountain."
"That is not something I can covet, much less you."
"Since you have submitted to me, do not die unnecessarily."
"Go ahead."
"Break through to Eerie King during the Rainy Season. Announce to the world the birth of another Eerie King!"
"Let the darkness descend as scheduled."
"As one of the Four Eerie Kings under my command, bring fear and despair to those weak ants hiding behind their city walls!"
A Mountain Embryo Corpse slowly descended before the man.
...
The man stuffed the embryo into his robe, respectfully pressed his face to the floor once more, then rose and slowly retreated from the palace. The moment he stepped outside, his face darkened.
His knuckles turned white from clenching too hard.
That was his line, dammit!
If it weren't for that damned human, he wouldn't have bowed to this fool.
He sought to become an Eerie King to control his own destiny, not to be someone else's dog.
He had lied earlier.
Qian Fu had sent a message before dying.
A human camp had been established at the bottom of the abyss pit, featuring a Level-3 city wall, over twenty Level-5 Cannon Towers, and a method to restore the wall rapidly.
Using the abyss pit camp as bait.
Once all were inside, a wall would rise at the junction of the abyss pit and the canyon, blocking the retreat.
This human camp must have luckily inherited whatever treasure that person had left behind.
Of course.
Since that person was human, whatever had been left behind certainly wasn't meant for Eerie Creatures.
His next course of action was clear.
Break through to Eerie King by the end of the Rainy Season, then assault Nameless Mountain.
Annihilate the camp, seize the treasure, and use it to grow further.
He would someday make this fool, who had dared to make him kneel, lick his boots!
Just then—
The 'Qian Xi' Life Token in his robe quivered, before a message appeared on the piece of Eerie-hide in his hand.
'King.'
'Last night, the Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide rampaged on the Rivernorth Wasteland. The western Ping City has fallen. Using the blood of Ping City's dead and the Eerie Stones and Eerie materials we brought, we have laid the foundation for the Blood Sacrifice Formation.'
'However—'
'Due to the deaths of Qian Hou and Qian Fu, resources are insufficient. We still lack 20,000 Eerie Stones, some Eerie materials, and the most crucial material: 'Mountain Embryo Corpse' to serve as the formation core.'
Upon receiving the message.
"Good, good, good!"
"Heaven has smiled on me!"
The man couldn't help but exclaim 'good' three times. The crimson triangles spun excitedly in his pupils. Originally, breaking the city would have been troublesome due to Qian Hou's death, but the Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide had opportunely breached Ping City for him!
Now he could conveniently use the lives of Ping City to set up the Blood Sacrifice Formation.
He immediately replied.
'I have obtained a Mountain Embryo Corpse. In a few days, 'Qian Qiu' will bring sufficient Eerie Stones and Eerie materials to the Rivernorth Wasteland and rendezvous with you. Be sure to stay away from Nameless Mountain; the human camp there is not to be underestimated. I will personally lead troops there after I break through to Eerie King.'
'In 10 days, I will arrive at the Rivernorth Wasteland with the Mountain Embryo Corpse as the Rainy Season draws to a close.'
'Break through to Eerie King, marry Qiukui.'
'Let the darkness descend as scheduled!'
Today was the 18th day of the Rainy Season.
The Rainy Season lasts about 30 days.
There may be some variation, but it will never be less than 28 days. So, 10 days from now would be just right!
...
Time flew by in a flash.
Seven days had passed.
It was the 25th day of the Rainy Season, which was coming to an end.
It was late afternoon, almost dusk.
"All used up already?"
Chen Fan gazed, from the battlement, at the canyon cliffs, lamenting with a touch of emotion. In recent days, he had happened upon three windfalls!
The military supplies from Qian Fu.
The latrine pits of Heyhey's parents.
The Flesh Worm Ghost Eerie Tide.
These three windfalls had made the camp rich overnight, with the Eerie Stone reserve once on the threshold of 100,000!
But...
They had come as fast as they had gone.
During these seven days, Heyhey had worked hard. The canyon cliffs had been dug through.
He had built 100 Level-5 Cannon Towers and placed them high on the canyon cliffs.
Thus!
Both canyon cliffs now boasted a total of 140 Level-5 Cannon Towers. The abyss pit cliffs held 38 Level-5 Cannon Towers. The Level-3 wall blocking Cave No. 1 was equipped with 9 Level-5 Cannon Towers and 1 Level-6 Eerie-Eye Cannon Tower.
His savings had run dry.
In return, he got a full-fledged 'Meat Grinder'.
Without exaggeration.
Setting foot in the canyon meant entering his kill zone.
Normally, these Cannon Towers remained undetectable high within the cliffs. But once battle commenced, they would emerge to deliver devastating blows to the enemy.
Now, he only had a little over 10,000 Eerie Stones left.
These couldn't be spent anymore.
They must be set aside for contingencies.