Chapter 466
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Rejigging my Night Emperor cultivation technique had the one advantage of forcing me to restudy it with new eyes, considering everything that had to be done to make it work with the new environment. Under the flow of the Tower’s heavier Yang mix of energy, he had to carefully manipulate it through his body, pulling it through multiple cycles in different directions to ensure that it ‘washed’ out the Yang energy properly before it reached his core.
That was the easy part.
The hard portion was trying to cleanse the energy that was stuck inside him already. Working out how he was going to do that required more time, though he eventually cobbled together a rough method that could run in the background of his concentration while using Simultaneous Flow.
It was not perfect and it would take days to clear out the Yang energy, though he knew that number would drop as he cultivated new energy and used some in the various chores. By the time he was ready to return to the team, he did so to a Clan building that was half-built.
“How…?” Arthur muttered, only for Yao Jing to proudly clomp over with a grin.
“Told you, worked in construction lah. I know how to do this.” Then, he leaned in and whispered. “Also, do you know they got proper materials in one of the buildings in the back?”
“No. How did you…?”
Yao Jing smirked, put a finger to his nose and sauntered off, strutting like a peacock. It was highly annoying, but Arthur understood. It was rare for the man to get a chance to act big.
Arthur wandered around the building, shaking his head. He had only been gone for hours, but they had somehow managed to put together a makeshift building. It wasn't perfect, of course - there were no windows, for example - and the roof was basically a bunch of planks nailed down, and then rushes and clay being added to it now. As he was walking, he could hear Mel and Casey who were doing the work up there arguing.
"Should get some proper tar or pitch and cover the roof properly, otherwise when it rains, it'll all come down," Casey was saying.
"Sure, you know how to make tar? Or pitch?" Mel didn't even bother waiting for an answer, before continuing. "We're using what they have on-hand and that Yao Jing acquired. We're lucky we didn't get caught as it stands, and unlikely they'll miss all this. Anyway, I told you, it doesn't rain much here."
"Much means what?"
"One report Iah, in like dozens if not a hundred more that I read."
"Where you got time to read?" Casey muttered.
"I was preparing," Mel said. "You can get downloads, you know, for a tablet. Just easier to read while we wait in traffic, ever since Yao Jing or Jan started driving us around."
Malaysian traffic was not a complete disaster, especially with the addition of electric bussses helping to reduce the burden and a lot more public transit options like the LRT and MRT; but it still was not amazing. There were just too many people moving across too small a space and even if not everyone had a job anymore, it just meant that traffic jams spread out across the day more.
And it wasn’t as though no one had jobs – government work, artists and entertainers, service personnel and food and beverage, the two or three factory workers and the dozen or so mechanics required to keep a factory working that had once hired hundreds were still needed. Cars broke down, tow trucks and quick fix mechanics were all necessary, especially when you had gangs and roving groups of bored young anarchists breaking up such conveyances.
“Still, better to do it once.”
“Arthur only requires a building to be up, lah. Don’t need perfect.”
“That kind of thing is how you all-”
Arthur tuned it out, letting the women argue as he finished his circuit. Lam was missing, still, and so was Jan but no one was particularly worried. Not yet. This floor might be a little tougher, what with the various side quests involved, but had very low fatality rates just because it was mostly running errands.
Oh, there were some big red lines that ended with Climbers stuck in duels or getting thrown into jail; but if you managed not to cross the wrong people and just were patient while in jail; you eventually were released. The dangers were minimal here, and really…
“Not worth being thrown in jail,” Yao Jing was saying to Rick, as they strapped down the rush-door. Rather than building one with hinges into it, this was a movable door that could be picked up and slotted into space. Rather crude, and made the place look even more makeshift compared to the elegant buildings in the rest of the tiny village but it would do.
“Have you ever gone to jail?” Rick said, as a non-sequitur. “I never have.”
“Of course you haven’t.” Yao Jing rolled his eyes.
“So you have?” Rick said, a touch of admiration in his voice.
“Uhh… no lah.” Yao Jing snorted. “What you think I am? A gang member, ah? Why would I go jail?”
“I, well, you are-” Yao Jing’s eyes narrowed and Rick decided perhaps silence – or a change of topic – was the better part of wisdom. “They say there’s better energy concentrations in the jail.”
“We already got the Clan building lah.”
“Well, don’t you want to know which is better?” Rick said.
“You just wanna get thrown in jail.” Yao Jing shook his head at the over-enthusiastic rich kid.
Arthur kept walking, looking steadfastly away from the two as he slipped inside. Not unexpectedly, the newly made Clan building was incredibly dark on the inside, but the moment he crossed the threshold, notifications began to appear and glow around him.
He squinted a little, making some quick choices and was amused to hear a lot of shouts and cries of exclamation. Moments later, the sound of loud thumps from outside accompanied cursing, even as the insides of the Clan house shifted and twisted.
In less time than it took a few deep breaths and for the cursing to come to an end, the transformation of the building ended; leaving him with a modest two storey residence in place rather than the makeshift hut they had built before.
“What was all that?” Casey came striding in, growling. “Warn us the next time!”
“I didn’t know that was going to happen.” He chuckled after a moment. “Though I figure making this into a more secure facility, a place where we can come back and secure goods rather than a residence makes sense.” He pointed upwards. “Only three rooms up there.” Downwards. “Big armoury and vault down there.”
“How…?”
“Wireframe.” Arthur eyed the schematics floating before his eyes, then dismissed them. Really cool, but mostly useless; though he could see how it might be worthwhile if this was a larger building to keep track of individuals and those trying to sneak in. Rather than get distracted, he clapped his hands together and grinned at the annoyed group who had wandered in to the new Clan building, enjoying the sensation of more Tower energy concentrating within.
“So. What’s next?” he said.