Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 557 - 388 Station
Li Banfeng put down the Oil Pot and sat on the edge of the bed, carefully pondering the question posed by his wife.
This question is of great importance: how should Bei Wushuang’s Contract Book be dealt with? Should it be returned to Bei Wushuang’s residence? Not to mention the difficulty of entering Bei Wushuang’s residence; even if I managed to enter and place the Contract Book properly, Pan Dehai would still be the one to benefit in the end. What would the consequences be if Pan Dehai took the Contract Book? If he wanted this land and chose to stay here as the Local Deity, that wouldn’t be an issue. But Pan Dehai has his own territory; he’s the Local Deity of a Proper Land. How could he possibly be interested in such a remote piece of New Land? If he got the Contract Book, he would most likely take it to the Inner State to exchange for a longer life. And if the Inner State got their hands on this Contract Book, some previously overlooked issues would undoubtedly come to their attention.
"My dear, I might as well keep this Contract Book with me and see if it comes in handy later. What do you think of this plan?"
"For you, husband, that might not be a problem, but trouble might arise in Bei Wushuang’s territory. It could lead to the emergence of Demon Monsters."
"What are Demon Monsters?"
"They are creatures with extremely high cultivation levels and combat strength, yet they also lack any semblance of humanity. New Lands generate cultivation levels day and night, but these cultivation levels don’t come evenly. In some places, there might not be any hint of cultivation level for eight or ten years, while in others, the cultivation level generated can allow Strange Monsters to advance several levels within a few months or even days. If such cultivation levels are obtained by a certain Strange Monster, this monster should, in theory, perish, as its body would be unable to withstand the rapid ascent in cultivation level. But if it happens to be an exceptionally robust Strange Monster that survives this ordeal, its cultivation level will skyrocket without a concurrent increase in humanity, and it will become a Demon Monster."
"Are Demon Monsters similar to Wandering Monsters?"
"They are much more ferocious than Wandering Monsters. Wandering Monsters possess humanity, while Demon Monsters have very little, if any. They completely disregard rules and even dare to wreak havoc in Proper Lands."
Daring to wreak havoc in Proper Lands? Li Banfeng had been in Puluo State for a year and a half and had never heard of such incidents.
"My dear, does this mean all unclaimed lands without a Local Deity will spawn Demon Monsters?"
"My dear husband, ’unclaimed land’ means there’s no Local Deity, but having no Local Deity is different from not having a Contract Book. Some Local Deities die, but their Contract Books remain within the territory. These Contract Books gather the cultivation level of the New Land and store it within the Land Seal. The capacity of the Land Seal is enormous; it can store cultivation levels for several decades without any issues. If another Local Deity later takes over the New Land, they just need to distribute the Land Seal’s cultivation level evenly to the Strange Monsters in the territory. This prevents any sudden surges in cultivation levels. If you take Bei Wushuang’s Land Seal directly with you, the cultivation levels here will be unconstrained, potentially leading to the birth of Demon Monsters. Moreover, many Strange Monsters will flock here to make a living, since the acquisition of cultivation levels here is unrestrained and entirely based on the survival of the fittest."
This won’t do. The chance of Demon Monsters forming is low, so I’ll set that concern aside for now. However, if many Strange Monsters gather here, word that the Contract Book was dug up will spread. If the Inner State then turns its attention to this territory, certain matters might be exposed. After some time, once Pan Dehai is no longer paying attention to Bei Wushuang’s affairs, I’ll find another opportunity to bury the Contract Book.
As Li Banfeng was discussing this with his wife, he suddenly heard sobbing sounds by his ear.
It was the Silk-pulling Earrings.
"Why are you crying?" Li Banfeng asked several times, but the Silk-pulling Earrings didn’t answer, only continuing to sob.
The Phonograph sensed something was wrong, had Li Banfeng take off the Earrings, place them on a tray, and examined them carefully for a moment. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
No matter who called out to them, the Silk-pulling Earrings showed no response.
The Phonograph sighed and said, "This girl has been injured by a Sound Cultivation Technique; she can no longer hear. The technique is called Blood-Splattered Homophone. Silk-pulling is a Peeping Cultivation, so she’s particularly vulnerable to this kind of attack."
Upon the mention of Sound Cultivation Techniques, Li Banfeng remembered something. "When I was fighting Bei Wushuang, I suddenly heard a loud noise. My sight blurred, and my ears even went deaf. It was only when I heard your voice, my dear, that I recovered. Was it you who saved me?"
HEH! His wife smiled and said, "Little Servant did indeed hear that loud noise, which indicated that someone had used a Sound Cultivation Technique. Little Servant was worried about you getting hurt. Our Portable Residence knew where you were, so it sent my song to you with the steam whistle."
Li Banfeng embraced his wife, pressing his face against her front counter, and said, "Thank you for saving me, my dear."
"There’s no need for thanks between a husband and his own woman; it makes Little Servant feel like we’re strangers. My dear husband, let Silk-pulling rest with me for a while to recuperate. How much she can recover will depend on my abilities and her own destiny. I’ve also prepared some medicinal pills. Take them to our friends outside. Anyone affected by Blood-Splattered Homophone can use these pills to recover."
Li Banfeng nodded and left the Portable Residence.
Upon reaching the territories of Zhang Wanlong and Root, Li Banfeng first offered his thanks for their earlier assistance, then inquired about the cost.
Li Banfeng never expected people to work for nothing; since Zhang Wanlong had been a big help, a proper reward was due.
While munching on a cucumber, Zhang Wanlong said, "Seventh Master, you’re too polite. I was just testing a new seed to see what it could produce; I genuinely don’t know what’s going on here."
He’s truly a smart man. He isn’t ignorant; he just doesn’t want to get involved in unnecessary disputes.
Li Banfeng surveyed the one-li plot of land stretched out before him; it was densely packed with various crops, leaving almost no room to walk.
"The crops you’ve grown look very promising. Tomorrow, I’ll discuss with Miss Meng about letting you open up another three li of territory."
Zhang Wanlong laughed and said, "I’ve told you before, Seventh Master, we don’t dare to expand our territory much because we can’t attract enough human energy, and we don’t want to trouble the Local Deity."
