Chapter 273 - 154: The Mortal Realm Alone Guards Evernight

Chapter 273: Chapter 154: The Mortal Realm Alone Guards Evernight

The Commerce Pavilion discovered the island about seven days after setting sail.

That was without knowing its exact location.

If they had traveled in a straight line, it probably would have only taken five days.

This island is a good distance away from the Thunderstorm Sea Realm. As long as the waves don’t sweep you into the Thunderstorm Sea Realm, it isn’t too risky to land on the island and gather resources. However, the New Continent is cut off by the Thunderstorm Sea Realm. Crossing it is no simple task.

According to Wang Mazi’s account.

It’s more like a forbidden zone, a natural barrier that humans absolutely cannot cross.

’I wonder if that person knows about this. If he did, he’d surely have gone to collect the Ghost Stones. The only reason he wouldn’t is that even he can’t cross that barrier.’

Wang Mazi was lucky enough to cross it the first time.

And cross it a second time.

But could he cross it a third?

Even if he could cross it a third time, it would be pointless. They need to make countless round trips to bring back enough Ghost Stones from the New Continent. To do that so frequently while relying on luck to cross the Thunderstorm Sea Realm... who knows how many lives would be lost.

The Mortal Realm couldn’t afford to sacrifice that many people.

’Unless...’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

’Unless we undertake a project of massive proportions. An Undersea Tunnel!’

’Dig a tunnel under the sea, leading straight to the New Continent.’

’Then, we could build a High-speed Rail at the bottom of the sea, linking the Eternal Night Continent and the New Continent. That way, the New Continent could become the Mortal Realm’s own Back Garden, with countless Ghost Stones ripe for the picking.’

But—

’I have to consider several possibilities.’

’The Mountain Remains Embryo can stabilize the tunnel, but an undersea tunnel must endure immense pressure. The Mountain Remains Embryo is only a green-grade Exotic Treasure. Can it really handle that kind of stress?’

’Second...’

’The depths of the ocean are a complete unknown. Who’s to say a Ghost Object won’t destroy our Undersea Tunnel?’

’Most importantly...’

’If the Thunderstorm Sea Realm is truly a forbidden zone—a place where neither humans nor Ghost Objects can tread—can we really sneak through it from the deep seabed?’

’And I also have to wonder...’

’How was this Thunderstorm Sea Realm formed?’

’And what purpose does it serve?’

But despite all these problems, he had to try.

The temptation was too great.

If he could truly set foot on the New Continent and bring back a massive haul of Ghost Stones, the Mortal Realm would instantly become a formidable power. With the Jiangbei, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and Jiangdong Defense Lines, he would completely forge the Four Areas Jiangbei into an iron fortress.

Even if the front lines on the Eternal Night Continent fell back in defeat.

He could still defend the Eternal Night Continent.

The Mortal Realm, defending the Eternal Night Continent alone.

He might even...

be able to launch a counterattack.

Faced with a temptation this great, any challenge was worth taking on.

He glanced over at Hey Hey, who was sunbathing outside the City Wall. ’This kind of massive project is probably going to wear Hey Hey out,’ he thought. ’I’ll have to feed it something good these next few days.’

Soon—

The victory banquet was ready to begin.

Everyone took their seats and looked up at Chen Fan, who was sitting atop the wall.

"..."

Chen Fan slowly rose, his gaze sweeping over the pairs of eyes below. "Today, we celebrate the Commerce Pavilion’s discovery of the New Continent," he said softly.

"Wang Mazi, Commerce Pavilion Master, is awarded ten thousand Ghost Stones."

"The other members of the Commerce Pavilion—Zhang Damao, Wang Tianfang, and the rest—are awarded five thousand Ghost Stones each."

"A great merit will be recorded for all involved."

"The families of our fallen brothers will receive the rewards on their behalf."

"Let the feast begin."

He kept his words brief. The Mortal Realm Members had been exhausted lately, so this was a good opportunity for everyone to relax.

He did not take a seat.

He still had some things to think through.

...

The atmosphere at the feast quickly became lively.

"I have to say, I’m impressed."

Zhou Mo walked over to Wang Mazi, cup in hand, and said with a sigh, "Back during the rainy season, I never realized you had this much guts. Just from your story, I can imagine how dangerous this voyage was. You’re lucky to have made it back alive."

"Just got lucky. It’s a damn shame about the other brothers."

Wang Mazi drained his cup, then pointed hesitantly at a High-speed Rail train parked on a red line nearby. "The Mortal Realm has changed so much while I was gone. That High-speed Rail... what is it?"

"A new creation of the Mortal Realm."

Zhou Mo chuckled. "It’s incredibly fast. You must have experienced it already. It only takes the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to get from Mortal City to Jiangbei City."

"The Mortal Realm has already laid four main lines."

"They run through Jiangbei, Jiangnan, Jiangxi, and Jiangdong. You can travel to any of those areas and return on the same day. If you really wanted to, you could even make several round trips in a single day."

"That fast?"

Wang Mazi stood there, stunned.

"Of course."

The atmosphere at the feast was quite lively, with all the Mortal Realm Members excitedly talking about their recent experiences. Many of them were usually stationed elsewhere, so now that they were all gathered in the Mortal Realm, they had endless stories to share.

Take, for instance—

Zhang Qianming.

The man whom Chen Fan had personally appointed as the station master of the Mortal Realm Jiangbei Bridge Station was also invited to the victory banquet. He sat rigidly at his table, a little intimidated, not daring to look around.

This was his first time visiting the Mortal Realm.

And he didn’t know anyone.

He felt more than a little anxious.

The ten men who came with him, all former guards of the Jiangnan Shui Family, were just as silent. They sat stiffly at the table, looking extremely constrained.

"Hey."

Just then.

Shao Qiu noticed the group and walked over with a grin. He remembered these guys. Plopping down next to Zhang Qianming, he said, "Don’t be so stiff."

"Yes."

Zhang Qianming scrambled to his feet to answer. He knew who this was: Shao Qiu, the Mortal Realm’s Dark Pavilion Master. He was several ranks higher than Zhang Qianming. Back at the Jiangbei Bridge, this was the man who had, like a phantom, slaughtered the men from the Jiangnan Shui Family in the blink of an eye.

"..."

Shao Qiu saw how tense Zhang Qianming looked, and he smirked, chuckling as he said...