Qin Ziwen took the Cards and gave them a glance.
[Advanced Building Card] Level 1 Wanfu Grand Restaurant
[Advanced Building Card] Level 1 Tongwu Training Ground
Two genuine Advanced Building Cards. They were without a doubt extremely valuable.
These were true hard currency. Even if he didn’t use them himself, he could trade them away.
"This way," Qin Ziwen gestured.
Bai Shu relaxed, falling into step just behind Qin Ziwen like they were old friends who hadn’t met in years. "It’s all thanks to Lord Qin’s timely arrival this time. Otherwise, I truly don’t know what might have happened."
"It was merely a coincidence."
Bai Shu sighed. "Lord Qin, you’re too modest. I recall you saying that this wasn’t a natural disaster, but... man-made?"
Bai Shu’s eyes narrowed. He had never suffered such a great loss before.
They had suffered two consecutive waves of attacks. Not only were the losses of buildings and lumber catastrophic, but more importantly, casualties numbered nearly a thousand.
If those giant leeches hadn’t suddenly stopped trying to enter the castle, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
"It’s not wrong to call it man-made. After all, the word ’Fishman’ contains ’man’," Qin Ziwen said, before explaining the origins of the Dark Tide Fishmen.
After listening, Bai Shu’s brow furrowed deeply.
He didn’t ask why the Dark Tide Fishmen had attacked.
At this point, discussing the reason was meaningless.
Besides, judging by Lord Qin’s tone, he clearly had a use for Cyan Stone Castle.
He wasn’t afraid of being used—only of having no use at all.
"Based on what you’ve said, Lord Qin, how should we retaliate?" Bai Shu asked casually.
"I have a rough idea of the Fishmen’s location, but they live underwater. Even if we pinpoint it, reaching their main lair directly will be very difficult."
Bai Shu nodded. The fact that these Fishmen lived underwater was indeed a problem.
Qin Ziwen said, "Therefore, what you need to do, Lord Bai, is to set up defenses along the shore to curtail their land-based activities. At the same time, you should appear relaxed on the outside while remaining vigilant internally, waiting for them to come to you."
Bai Shu pondered for a long moment before finally nodding. "Very well."
...
After the people from Cyan Stone Castle had departed.
Only then did Qin Ziwen take out the two Advanced Building Cards he had acquired and use Insight on them.
This was a new ability that had emerged after his Insight broke through to Level 7.
It allowed him to perceive a Building Card’s effects post-construction before he even used the Card.
[Advanced Building Card · Level 1 Wanfu Grand Restaurant] Level 2 Fortune Gathering, Level 2 Talent Gathering (Special Effect: The restaurant contains a Wanfu Grand Wine Cabinet. For every unique bottle of wine placed in the cabinet, the restaurant’s Fortune Gathering effect is enhanced.) (Recruitable Positions: Shopkeeper 0/1, waiter 0/24, chef 0/8, accountant 0/2, guards 0/15)
Fortune Gathering: Temporarily increases one’s fortune after consuming food within the restaurant.
Footprint: 100x100 meters
[Advanced Building Card · Level 1 Tongwu Training Ground] Level 2 Vigor Recovery, Level 2 Martial Training Efficiency Boost (Special Effect: The more people training in the arena, the greater the boost to training efficiency.)
Footprint: 500x300 meters
After reviewing the effects of the two buildings.
The first building was the more attractive of the two.
It was essentially an advanced version of a tavern.
It could provide him with a steady stream of new talent.
As for the second building, its function overlapped with the Martial Arts Arena.
This "martial training efficiency" was simply the speed at which one learned martial arts.
The higher the efficiency, the faster one learned.
The Martial Arts Arena operated from a top-down approach, allowing one to grasp higher-level martial arts as if looking down from a great height.
The Tongwu Training Ground, on the other hand, focused on rapidly learning from one’s current foundation.
In terms of potential, the Martial Arts Arena was definitely superior.
Furthermore, the footprint required for the Tongwu Training Ground was absurdly large. Most people wouldn’t have enough space to build it even if they had the Card. It was no wonder the Card had remained unused in Bai Shu’s possession.
As for why the first Building Card went unused, Qin Ziwen guessed the Bai family was probably unaware of the restaurant’s effects, since they had never constructed a tavern-type building before.
After all, he only knew the Wanfu Grand Restaurant’s effects because of his advanced Insight. Without it, one could only view a building’s abilities through their Home interface after it had been successfully built.
After a moment of thought, Qin Ziwen walked to an empty plot of land and crushed the Card. A vast expanse of white light covered a ten-thousand-square-meter area before him.
[Similar lower-tier building detected. Do you wish to merge?]
"Merge."
In the distance, a building transformed into a beam of white light, which then flew into the new construction before him.
As the light gradually faded,
Wing-like eaves soared into the air, their brackets interlocking. Large red lanterns hung high, and glazed tiles shone with a gentle luster in the light.
A magnificent, luxurious grand restaurant came into view.
It was the most opulent building he had ever seen.
The vermilion-lacquered main doors stood a full twenty feet high, their panels densely studded with copper nails.
The door plaque bore the name "Wanfu" in gilded characters.
He paused outside for a moment before pushing the doors open and stepping inside.
The main hall was vast, spacious enough to hold a hundred tables.
The floor was paved with large bluestone tiles, each one polished as smooth as a mirror.
Lanterns and candelabras hung above the seating areas.
Over a hundred pearwood "Eight Immortals" tables were arranged in a celestial pattern.
The hall’s seating was tiered, rising through six distinct levels from front to back.
Gauzy curtains cascaded down from the second-floor balustrade. The interior decor was utterly extravagant.
The most eye-catching feature was a hundred-foot-tall red sandalwood wine cabinet that stood in the center of the hall.
It was shaped like a massive tree, its branches dotted with empty compartments. The shelves were bare, waiting to be filled.
This was the new building: the Wanfu Grand Restaurant.
Qin Ziwen took a tour. The number of lanterns and candelabras alone was staggering.
The interior was lavishly appointed, its only flaw being the complete absence of people.
For such a lively-looking venue to be so deserted lent it a strange, eerie quality.
The number of people the restaurant could recruit was quite substantial. Including the Shopkeeper, it could hire a total of fifty people.
This was equivalent to fifty slots for binding new people to his territory.
"This restaurant is certainly something else," Du Yu remarked, taking in the surroundings.
Ever since the restaurant was built, he could feel that his official "position" had been transferred here.
Qin Ziwen was quite curious about the Wanfu Grand Restaurant’s fortune-boosting effect.
It was the first time he had ever seen a building related to fortune.
It wasn’t just buildings; it was the first time he had come across anything—Cards included—that was related to something as ethereal as fortune.
To boost one’s fortune, all one had to do was eat a meal here. Furthermore, the more varieties of wine placed in the central, tree-shaped red sandalwood cabinet, the better the Fortune Gathering effect would be.
"Liangcai, is there any wine left in our Home?"
Jia Liangcai thought for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "My lord, grain is tight within the alliance, so we have no surplus for brewing. Our previous stores of wine have also been nearly depleted. However... there might be some inside the newly acquired hospital building."
"Look for wine in a hospital? You’d have better luck finding rubbing alcohol," Qin Ziwen said, speechless. ’Anywhere else would be fine, but a hospital? Finding wine there seems a bit of a stretch, even if it is a private one.’
"Go and ask around. See if anyone has a private stash of wine. If so, offer to buy it at a premium."
"Yes, my lord."
Qin Ziwen added, "Also, find two chefs and have them prepare a meal in the Wanfu Grand Restaurant’s kitchen. Nothing too complicated, just keep it simple."
After giving his orders, Qin Ziwen went to Giant Beast Heavy Industry.
Ever since Jiang Shan had eaten their canned food and broken through to the Extraordinary level in the Martial Arts Arena, the products from Giant Beast Heavy Industry had become a hot commodity.
Several groups of people were gathered outside the facility.
...
...