Chapter 37: Raising the Tower, Banqueting All Under Heaven
It used to be even colder here. But when you’re always shivering, the body simply adapts—numbness becomes a way of life, and the cold no longer wakes you in the dark.
Now, though, with the “Heating System 1.0,” everything had changed. As the temperature rose, every shift between warmth and chill—when the hot water in the copper pipes cooled—became oddly uncomfortable. The body, dulled for so long by endless cold, now protested even the slightest drop.
So—
Before nightfall, he was determined to build a “Heating System 2.0”—one that would keep the Camp warm day and night.
…
The plan was simple.
Currently, the Camp’s heating relied on a basic setup: copper pipes ran outside to collect rainwater, which was then heated in the cabin’s boiler. The hot water flowed through pipes inside the wooden house, providing warmth.
But without a circulation pump, the whole process demanded constant manual care. Full automation was out of reach.
What he needed was a homemade “circulation pump” to provide the necessary pressure.
First, he spent two Ghoststones to craft a Beast Trap, then used ten more to upgrade it into Groundspikes.
For the Upgrade Path, he selected “Power Boost” to maximize pressure output.
Next—
He fashioned a square copper pipe—one meter wide, one meter thick—and set it upright atop the Groundspikes. The whole thing resembled an upside-down “T”: the Groundspikes and copper pipe matched in dimension, fitting together so perfectly it seemed a single, seamless structure.
Half an hour later—
“All done.”
Chen Fan stood outside the Camp, hands on his hips, chest rising and falling as he admired his handiwork. A broad grin spread across his face as he looked up at the bizarre, shadow-cast contraption.
A true piece of craftsmanship, if he said so himself!
Whenever the Groundspikes sensed enough pressure, the dark, hardened wooden spikes would shoot upward. But he’d modified them: he’d cut off and smoothed the tips, removing their lethality, then stripped some Monkey-Head Ghostbeast hide and wrapped it over the top.
Now, whenever the Groundspikes triggered, they would thrust upward, pushing a layer of Ghostskin before them.
Essentially—
A giant, leather piston.
And since Groundspikes were incredibly energy-efficient—capable of triggering again and again before breaking—they were, in his hands, practically perpetual motion machines.
Next, he ran a thick copper pipe from the new piston structure to the cabin’s stove, turning it into a massive, external boiler. Narrower pipes linked the piston, the outdoor copper tank, and the boiler together.
The copper pipe at the top of the piston was left open. Near the tip, a horizontal pipe branched off, piercing the Wall and running straight into the wooden house.
When rainwater filled the upright copper pipe outside, it built up pressure. The Groundspikes, sensing the weight, would activate—thrusting upward. Under pressure, rainwater would surge out through the horizontal pipe at the top, flooding into the boiler inside.
The hot water already in the boiler would be forced into the indoor pipes, circulating warmth. Meanwhile, the boiler would refill with cold rainwater.
The spent hot water? It would flow out of the house via copper pipes, dumped outside.
Just like that—
Heating System 2.0 was complete!
For aesthetics, he ran the horizontal copper pipe from the piston structure snug against the ground and along the Camp’s walls. It used a bit more Ghoststone, but reduced the risk of collapse—after all, copper pipes were just Building Modules, hardly sturdy on their own. Plus, it looked better.
…
Crippled Monkey and the others circled the piston structure outside the Camp, right up against the Wall. After Chen Fan finished explaining the design, everyone just stood there, dumbstruck, wordless.
“…”
Wang Mazi glanced at the five Groundspikes beside the Farmland, then back at the towering piston. His eyes were blank with confusion.
Groundspikes…
Could you really use them like this?
Why had he never thought of it?
He stared at Chen Fan’s back, a flicker of dread passing through his gaze. He’d always assumed Chen Fan had risen to power thanks to inheriting his mother’s Builder’s Legacy. But now? That explanation didn’t even come close.
A Legacy could be passed down. But genius? That wasn’t something you could inherit.
A Young Master bullied his whole life in the Chen Clan suddenly becoming a prodigy the moment he entered the Wasteland? Impossible!
His entire approach—his aura—was nothing like the Chen Fan he’d known in the Chen Clan. Hiding his brilliance for years, just to break free from the Clan’s grip and soar on his own? That kind of calculating mind was terrifying.
“Young Master!”
Crippled Monkey was nearly trembling with excitement, hobbling around the piston structure in circles. “I never imagined you could use Groundspikes like this! And I have a feeling, Young Master, that this ‘piston’ you’ve invented—there must be even more ways to use it?”
“Of course.”
Chen Fan stood at the Camp’s edge, gazing at the crude piston with a satisfied smile. “This is just the foundation. I call this whole approach… mechanical engineering.”
“Mechanical engineering?”
“You could think of it as… boiling water, but smarter.”
“Ohhh…”
This was a xuanhuan world, yes.
But—
He wasn’t a native. In his hands, a Groundspike wasn’t just a Groundspike—it was the seed of revolution.
“Um…”
Just then—
Wang Kui timidly raised his hand. “Station Master, the heating system is great and all, but it relies on rainwater during the Rainy Season. What about when Winter comes—when there’s no rain? How will it work then?”
The group fell silent, exchanging worried looks.
He had a point.
Winter was the real killer—cold enough to freeze a man to death. Without a steady supply of rainwater, wouldn’t the whole heating system become useless?
“No need to worry,” Chen Fan replied lightly. “Right now, the waste water from the indoor copper pipes just drains outside. Once the Rainy Season ends, we’ll add a buffer tank and connect the waste pipe back to the piston. That way, we can recycle water indefinitely.”
“For now, we’ve got all the rainwater we need. Saves us some Ghoststone on extra copper pipes.”
“Save what you can, when you can.”
The next moment—
“Station Master!”
A shout rang out from the Camp’s edge. Zhou Mo, after getting Crippled Monkey’s nod, strode up to Chen Fan, his men in tow, grinning from ear to ear. “Station Master, we had a great haul today—and on the way back, we even…”
“Eh?”
Zhou Mo’s eyes caught on the shadowy copper pipe structure jutting from the ground. “What the hell is that?”
“…”
Chen Fan just laughed, pulling the Broadsword Unique Treasure from his coat and tossing it to Zhou Mo. “Let them explain it. I’m going inside for a break. Come find me later with your report. It’s almost dark—everyone get ready.”
“This blade’s yours now.”
“Ahem.”
Crippled Monkey coughed into his fist, his face turning solemn. “First of all, what I’m about to say never leaves this Camp. This is a secret construction method the Young Master invented—he calls it ‘mechanical engineering.’”
“A true secret art.”
“What you see here is called a piston. Inside, it uses a Groundspike as the pressure source, and…”
Crippled Monkey noticed Zhou Mo’s eyes glazing over, but he couldn’t help growing more animated, pride radiating from every word.
This was his Young Master’s creation!
No one in all Jiangbei City had anything like it!
After a while—
Zhou Mo glanced at Crippled Monkey, his expression dead serious.
“Brother, don’t worry about me leaking anything.”
“Because I haven’t got the faintest clue what you just said. Even if I wanted to tell someone, I couldn’t.”
“But…”
“This blade is damn fine.”
Zhou Mo gazed down at the Unique Treasure Broadsword in his arms, a grin splitting his face. He strolled off into the Camp, absolutely smitten.
“Sigh…”
Crippled Monkey let out a long, helpless sigh. These people were hopeless—no appreciation for true innovation. Back in the Chen Clan’s private school, he’d always scored top marks in theory.
The Young Master’s piston invention was worth more than that blade a hundred times over.
He could sense it, faintly: this wasn’t just a heating system. It was the foundation of an entirely new era—one that belonged to the Young Master alone.
Like the cornerstone of a tower—
With a blink,
The tower would rise, and all under heaven would come to feast.