Chapter 308 - 160: "You Have to Be Alive to Spend It.

Chapter 308: Chapter 160: "You Have to Be Alive to Spend It.

Ghost Ore was an extremely special substance. On the Ancient Battlefield, vast numbers of Ghost Objects had perished in battle. As time passed, the Ghost Stones they left behind were buried deep underground, eventually forming Ghost Ore.

Logically, since Jiangbei was the primary front line during the Ancient Era, it should have had a greater number of Ghost Ore deposits.

But in reality, Jiangbei produced almost no Ghost Ore, while new deposits were discovered in Jiangnan from time to time.

Once he had a general idea of the situation, the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley was no longer worried.

He didn’t covet it in the slightest. For one, he was well aware of the Mortal Realm’s power. For another, Medicine King Valley was currently developing quite well. While it couldn’t compare to the Mortal Realm, it was far better off than most other factions.

’One shouldn’t only compare themselves to those above.’

’There’s no end to that.’

’There will always be people stronger than you and factions more powerful than Medicine King Valley. You could spend a lifetime comparing and never finish.’

’It helps to look down sometimes; it’s a good way to relieve stress.’

’As long as we don’t go to war, everything will be fine.’

...

In just one night, information about the Mortal Realm had fermented into several different rumors.

Some claimed they were heading south to attack the Guanxi Plain.

Others said they were digging for Ghost Ore.

Still others claimed they were using human lives for a sacrificial array formation, much like the Blood Sacrifice Grand Array. After all, the Jiangbei Chen Family had set such a precedent. Their former Patriarch had once laid a Grand Array in Jiangbei City. If Chen Fan hadn’t handled it properly, every citizen of Jiangbei City would have been sacrificed.

The discussions were rampant.

Dawn broke.

Chen Fan sat atop the City Wall in front of Cave No. 1, a smile in his eyes as he read through the rumors Shao Qiu had delivered.

’Ghost Ore?’

’From a certain point of view, they weren’t entirely wrong.’

’The New Continent could indeed be considered a source of Ghost Ore.’

’It’s just that this "deposit" was a tiny bit larger, and its output was just a smidgen higher.’

The City Wall he had originally been sitting on had already been deployed, forming a 14.8-kilometer barrier that completely encircled the Mortal Realm. The one he was on now was just a temporary construct.

It was certainly useless for defending against Ghost Objects.

It was mainly because he had grown accustomed to sitting in this spot.

He was in a rather good mood.

After working so hard for so long, he could finally rest for a few days. He’d even had a satisfying meal of his favorite dumplings last night. Now, there was nothing left for him to do; the Logistics Pavilion was working around the clock to recruit people.

Fifty thousand laborers.

The recruitment process could only be described in two words.

"Extremely smooth."

The rainy season was fast approaching.

What was there to hesitate about when a faction with an extremely high safety rating was hiring at a time like this? The monthly salary was already high, but even if there were no pay—even if they had to pay for the privilege—they would still be clamoring to join.

This wasn’t just a job.

This was a sanctuary from the rainy season.

If the Mortal Realm hadn’t stipulated that they wouldn’t hire anyone who had joined another faction in the past year, even more people would have applied. Even with that restriction, the applicants were already arriving in a continuous stream.

The Mortal Realm had set up recruitment points in multiple cities.

But many people were too impatient to wait and came directly to Fan City on the High-speed Rail.

They were arriving much faster than he had imagined.

...

"HUMMM..."

The ground trembled slightly as the distant City Wall slowly retracted into the earth. A High-speed Rail, long as a dragon, shot through the opening from the edge of the wilderness and entered the Mortal Realm’s territory.

In the front car of the High-speed Rail, a man in the official uniform of the Mortal Realm stood with a solemn expression. He gazed back at the receding City Wall, then forward at the approaching Fan City.

He raised the Sound Transmission Talisman in his hand and spoke in a gravelly voice.

"Fan City Station."

"This is Mortal Realm High-speed Rail, Jiangnan 173. We have passed the Mortal Realm City Wall and are approaching Fan City."

Soon, a crisp female voice replied through the Sound Transmission Talisman.

"Station copies."

"Jiangnan 173, proceed to platform 3. You are cleared for a standard stop."

"Copy that."

The man lowered the Sound Transmission Talisman. He watched the red guide lines on the ground as the train slowly entered Fan City. After passing through the city entrance, the track split into seven paths. He steered the train onto the third track. The High-speed Rail eventually glided to a smooth stop at the platform.

An announcement echoed through the train’s interior.

"We have now arrived at our final destination, Fan City Station. Please follow the platform signs and exit in an orderly fashion."

The moment the train came to a complete stop, the doors slid open.

The crowd followed the signs, disembarking from the High-speed Rail in a remarkably orderly fashion.

No one caused any trouble.

The scene was one of perfect harmony.

It wasn’t that everyone was so well-behaved. It was just that the grass on the graves of previous troublemakers was already several meters high.

After leaving the High-speed Rail, the crowd from this train all ran in the same direction.

That’s right—they were all people hoping to be hired as auxiliary members of the Mortal Realm.

A single order from the top meant those at the bottom had to run themselves ragged.

A casual order to "hire fifty thousand people before the rainy season"...

...meant the people below had to work day and night without rest to meet the deadline.

This was fifty thousand people, not fifty thousand pigs. Even if they were sending fifty thousand pigs to the New Continent, all the logistics—food, clothing, shelter, transport—would have to be in place. Ghost Stones were valuable, but you couldn’t eat them.

It was only because the Mortal Realm had already grown to a certain scale that it could handle a mobilization of this magnitude.

...

In Fan City, a street temporarily cleared for the recruitment drive was now packed to the brim. The line of people was so long it snaked out of sight like a great dragon.

Dozens of Battle Pavilion members had been stationed there to maintain order.

"Sir."

A middle-aged applicant sidled up to a Battle Pavilion member, a fawning look on his face. He slyly produced three Ghost Stones from his clothes and tried to press them into the member’s hand, clearing his throat. "Ahem... so, is there any inside scoop on this recruitment drive?"

"..."

The Battle Pavilion member glanced down expressionlessly at the Ghost Stones in the man’s hand, then looked back up at the crowd without giving them a second thought.