"Terrific! Simply terrific!"
Chen Fan couldn't help but marvel, casually tossing the bamboo scroll away, which got swept up by a swirl of emerald-green mist, then resumed its place in the air.
This was his camp.
Any structures built within the camp's boundaries would, by default, give him the highest privilege.
Naturally, the same went for this warehouse. But the structure supported delegation; he could grant full or partial permissions to people.
However—
He could also override this default setting, creating an "ownerless building" that could be sold to other forces. Once purchased and blood-bonded with another force, they would take over the highest privilege of it.
Architects couldn't leave backdoors in this mechanism.
This was partly what underpinned the world's order.
If this mechanism ever malfunctioned, things would get very messy, and perhaps even amusing.
"Wang Kui."
He walked out of the warehouse into the cave, then constructed a four-meter-long Level 1 city wall to block the entrance and motioned Wang Kui over, tossing him a Token of Authority. "Go inside and drip your blood on the warehouse surface. From now on, you will be in charge of this warehouse."
"This Token of Authority also requires your blood. It grants permission to freely pass through the city walls at Cave No. 1 and the warehouse entrance."
"Right now, you're the only one with unrestricted access to this warehouse."
"Manage it well."
"Yes, sir!"
Wang Kui accepted with discreet deference the Token in cradled hands, his eyes shining with excitement.
"You've got hard work to do tonight. Move everything here from the old warehouse, and also the spoils. No need to sort them out, get some rest early after you're done."
"My pleasure."
...
After handling all that,
Chen Fan turned to the crocodile trailing behind Qi Chong with eagerness and chuckled. "Alright, time to sleep. Haven't we already grilled a few crabs for you?"
"Everyone's tired tonight."
"It's time we slept."
"We'll grill you the octopus tomorrow—that'll definitely be chewy and satisfying."
"Remember those spots I marked on the cliffs earlier? If you're not tired, keep digging tonight. The 'Meat Grinder' still needs more firepower."
Hearing this, the crocodile drooped a little and stopped tailing Qi Chong. But perhaps thinking of tomorrow's grilled octopus, it perked up again and scurried off into the tunnel, carrying on with the excavation project.
"Hmm..."
Chen Fan watched the crocodile leave, pausing for a moment before picking up a blade and carving a "Meat Grinder Passage" on a wooden board. He placed it at the entrance of the tunnel that the crocodile had entered.
This was the artery branching out to all the firing positions of the "Meat Grinder".
It needed a decent name.
That felt more ceremonial.
He quite enjoyed naming things.
Admittedly, the way it was positioned looked unsightly. He'd have preferred carving the name into the wall or nailing the board to it, but the mountain rock was too hard—nails wouldn't sink in.
He'd figure out a solution later.
It hardly mattered, but completing it would make him happy.
Apart from survival, people needed things that brought them joy and happiness.
After a long day's work.
Everyone was exhausted.
In unison, they stopped their tasks and prepared to sleep.
The spoils hadn't been tallied in detail yet; that would wait for tomorrow morning.
Chen Fan entered the stone house, washed up briefly, and went to bed. Currently, there were two stone houses for sleeping. He shared one with Crippled Monkey, while the second served as a bunkhouse for the rest of them.
They were still far from the luxury of providing detached housing for each person.
"Young Master."
Crippled Monkey had already prepared his bed—something Crippled Monkey had done daily back in the Chen Clan.
"Mhm, let's sleep."
Throwing Crippled Monkey a glance, Chen Fan smiled, stretched lazily, and said casually, "Once the rainy season ends, we'll return to Rivernorth City for a visit."
"To reclaim your heir status?"
Crippled Monkey suddenly perked up.
"No."
Chen Fan gave him a strange look. "I do want the Chen Clan's resources, but I'm not particularly interested in the heir position. Above all, I want to go there in disguise to have a look—it's been a long time since I've seen other people. Feels a bit isolated; I got to hang out for fun."
"And see if we can recruit some people. The camp is desperately short on hands."
"Crippled Monkey."
"I've always wondered—why are you so eager for me to reclaim the heir position?"
"Ah?"
Crippled Monkey was taken aback, then lay down on the wooden bed and muttered, "Ever since you were sidelined in the Chen Clan, you've been gloomy. So I thought you might want to reclaim the heir status..."
"That was then, this is now."
"People have to look forward."
Chen Fan lay in bed, hands behind his head, smiling as he gazed at the ceiling. "Alright, lights out. Time to sleep."
Soon,
The oil lamp was extinguished.
The room dimmed, colored only by the glimmer from the stove.
Many in this world disliked sleeping in the dark, which he understood. It was a primal fear; a glowing oil lamp provided a sense of security.
Gradually, quietude settled in.
Only the breathing could be heard.
Before long, snores arose.
All the camp drifted off into a sound slumber.
Except for one man and one crocodile.
Inside the silent "Meat Grinder Passage," the crocodile was diligently digging, excitement gleaming in its eyes. Hard rock chipped away under its front claws.
It opened its mouth and swallowed the dislodged soil and rubble.
With great enthusiasm for work.
If thoughts could materialize, a line of text would likely be floating above the crocodile's head right now.
"Those plump, thick octopus tentacles must be delicious grilled! Can't wait to eat them, hurry hurry hurry!"
"Crab is yummy yummy yummy too."
"All of them are yummy."
And the other one still awake was... Wang Kui.
...
Inside Cave No. 1,
Wang Kui stood before the warehouse wall, Token in hand. Drawing a deep breath, he raised the Token of Authority solemnly, rasping, "Open the gate!"
The next moment—
The wall at the entrance sank into the ground, revealing the way to the warehouse.
At the sight of this, his wrinkled face quivered with excitement, before he held high the Token of Authority again, thrilled.
"Close the gate!"
The wall obeyed again, rising from the ground to seal the entrance once more.
"Heh heh..."
He cautiously glanced back at the Station Master's residence. The oil lamp was out, confirming the Station Master was asleep. Giddily, he experimented with the Token repeatedly. The Token in his hand not only granted access to this warehouse but also Cave No. 1 itself.
But he didn't dare test it on that wall.
After all, it wasn't dawn yet.
If some lurking Eerie Creatures were watching outside the camp and charged in the moment the wall lowered, he'd drag all the camp down with him—not even death could atone for such a mistake.
The permissions granted by this Token represented absolute trust in him.
And the warehouse that the Station Master had specially built gave him real authority.
Henceforth, he would be handling all resources that entered and left the warehouse.