【Building Blueprint: Gathering Fortune Pavilion】
【Rank: Earth Grade】
【Special Building】
【Gathering Fortune: Slowly organizes the spiritual rhythm within a certain range, slightly increasing resource production efficiency and the probability of talent emerging within the territory, and possessing an extremely low probability of attracting special opportunities.】
【Fortune Spring Water: If a person with an Auspicious God destiny oversees it, it can produce Fortune Spring Water daily. Used to irrigate spiritual plants, it slightly increases the probability of mutation; used to feed spirit beasts, it slightly increases intelligence.】
【Construction Requirements: Omitted】
After reading the blueprint, Chen Zhou was certain: this child was no coincidence.
"Lu Cheng, Zhang Cuigu," Chen Zhou called out.
"This old one is here!" "This humble woman is here!" The two immediately bowed.
"I have accepted the blueprint. Lu Cheng, go down first, gather your men, and survey the spirit veins. There is no rush for this matter."
"Zhang Cuigu, you have done well regarding the blood bodhis. I will allocate the blood required for the follow-up."
"Yes, my lord."
Though the two didn't understand why their lord was suddenly no longer in a hurry, they didn't dare to ask. Being acknowledged by their lord was enough to satisfy them, and they respectfully withdrew after bowing.
Chen Zhou fixed his gaze on Jiu'er once more.
"My lord..." Jiu'er became even more uneasy. His small hands nervously gripped the hem of his clothes, and he kept his head low, not daring to look up.
With a thought, Chen Zhou summoned the Test Immortal Stone before the altar.
"Lord Rat, what... what is this for?" Jiu'er whispered to the Plague Rat.
Lord Rat was also somewhat puzzled but explained in a low voice, "It's for testing spiritual roots. It's to see if you can practice cultivation."
"Cultivation?"
Jiu'er's eyes quickly dimmed.
Seeing his hesitation, Lord Rat gave him a light kick. "If the lord tells you to touch it, touch it. Don't dawdle, hurry up."
"Oh, okay."
Jiu'er walked nervously to the Test Immortal Stone.
He felt inferior; he knew he was just a mortal, a beggar. The Bone God had saved him and even given him such a precious treasure; he already had no way to repay the debt. Now, his lord seemingly wanted to see if he had the potential for cultivation. He knew he didn't have a spiritual root; even a divine pill hadn't made him a cultivator. He feared he would disappoint his lord.
Jiu'er reached out and pressed his hand against the Test Immortal Stone.
Several breaths passed, and the stone monument remained completely still.
"..."
However, while Jiu'er was feeling restless, the corner of Chen Zhou's mouth curled up slightly.
【Jiu'er】
【Aptitude: No spiritual root: Mortal body, unable to cultivate】
【Auspicious Noble (Red): The virtue of heaven and earth, favored by the five elements, born at an auspicious hour, destiny entered into a noble rank. One will turn bad luck into good and escape danger throughout life. If residing in one place, they can gather the fortunes of a region, blessing all living beings.】
【Averting Calamity with Fate (Special): Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; even a noble has a Noble's Tribulation. Can actively consume one's own destiny's fortune to resolve a calamity for a protected person. When the destiny's fortune is exhausted, it will consume lifespan instead.】
This wasn't just a little beggar; this was clearly a peerless treasure capable of elevating the fortune of the entire territory.
Unfortunately, his previous fortune had been shallow, and the protection he could provide for himself was minimal. Among the effects of the unaging pine cone, there was a phrase: 'perhaps there are other unknown benefits.' It hadn't seemed useful before, but Chen Zhou understood now. For a special destiny like Jiu'er's, those 'unknown benefits' likely replenished his destiny's fortune.
Good, very good.
Greatly reassured, Chen Zhou looked toward the unaging pine.
The unaging pine was a high-level auspicious entity. It was blissfully absorbing the spiritual rhythm when it suddenly felt a cold gaze fall upon it.
"???"
The unaging pine's branches shook.
Not good. I've been targeted by the evil spirit.
'Old timer,' Chen Zhou sent a mental transmission.
The unaging pine's canopy swayed, indicating it was listening.
'Look, this child is of great use to my City of the Wrongfully Dead. He's in poor health and his fortune is shallow; he needs some nourishment.'
Unaging pine: "..."
The unaging pine instantly tensed up. Hadn't it just paid its rent recently? That was a treasure it only produced once every hundred years!
'You have several more on your canopy. Why be so stingy?' Chen Zhou's tone was gentle.
"!!!"
The unaging pine's needles almost exploded! Those were its treasures for continuing its lineage!
The unaging pine shook violently, its needles rustling loudly as it expressed its resistance.
Chen Zhou didn't get angry; he only said slowly, "Lu Cheng just comprehended the blueprint for the Gathering Fortune Pavilion. I see the pavilion is still missing a few landscape trees to suppress its fortune..."
"Hiss—"
The unaging pine gasped. Landscape trees? Didn't that mean he wanted to transplant it there?
"Furthermore, the Gathering Fortune Pavilion requires a person with an Auspicious God destiny to oversee it. This child will live in the Gathering Fortune Pavilion from now on."
"..." The unaging pine fell into thought.
"The Fortune Spring Water produced daily by the Gathering Fortune Pavilion can be used to irrigate spiritual plants," Chen Zhou mused as if talking to himself. "I imagine it should be of some benefit to you."
Benefit?
"But," Chen Zhou's tone shifted, "if this child doesn't have enough fortune and dies early, the effects of the Gathering Fortune Pavilion will likely be greatly diminished, and the Fortune Spring Water will be gone."
"..."
The unaging pine stopped moving entirely.
It felt like it was being manipulated. This damn evil spirit!
It weighed its options. One pine cone in exchange for a long-term meal ticket...
'Old timer,' Chen Zhou lost his patience, 'Drop some loot, don't dawdle, or I'll come pick it myself.'
Rustle!
The unaging pine's dignity shattered completely under Chen Zhou's intimidation. It resigned itself to its fate. A branch stretched out tremulously and let go in front of Chen Zhou.
Clack.
An unaging pine cone fell into Chen Zhou's hand.
The unaging pine's needles instantly wilted. It silently retracted its branches, curled itself into a ball, and huddled in the corner.
Chen Zhou didn't bother with the old drama queen. He weighed the pine cone in his hand and casually tossed it toward Jiu'er.
Jiu'er, still immersed in the depression of having no spiritual root, instinctively caught the pine cone.
"Eat it," Chen Zhou commanded.
"Ah??" Jiu'er was completely dazed.
"Munch on it like candy."
Munch... like candy?
At a loss, he could only peel out the pine nuts, putting them into his mouth one by one and chewing mechanically.
Chen Zhou redeployed his ghost domain, covering the entire City of the Wrongfully Dead.
He saw Li Dazhu felling trees in the lumberyard. With one axe swing, a seemingly ordinary piece of leaden wood fell, but the heart of the tree revealed a section of wood brimming with spiritual energy. Li Dazhu scratched his head, grinning as he picked up the wood and handed it to the netherflame ghost servant responsible for material collection.
He saw Qin Kuan digging in the mine. Under the strike of his pickaxe, a rare ore emerged from the shattered rocks, drawing envious looks from the surrounding miners.
At this moment, the entire City of the Wrongfully Dead seemed to enter a carnival of harvest, with good things happening everywhere.
As the spiritual rhythm gradually deepened, even the wilted unaging pine suddenly straightened its back and began breathing in the spiritual rhythm.
The spiritual rhythm of the entire City of the Wrongfully Dead had reached a critical point.
At that moment, a wonderful notification sound Chen Zhou had been waiting for finally rang in his ears.
【Current Ghost Servant count: 999/1000】
"This is what I've been waiting for!"
Chen Zhou immediately instructed Lord Rat, "Take him down and settle him in well."
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