Chapter 50: "Wooden House Upgraded to Level 3—Now a Stone House"
Chen Fan didn’t hesitate. He left the Wall and made his way toward the wooden house outside the Camp—a simple structure that currently served as their makeshift warehouse.
Once a building like the "Wooden House" was constructed, it couldn’t be moved.
Space within the Camp was already at a premium. If the upgraded house expanded and no longer fit, who knew what might happen? Would it merge with the Wall, or simply collapse? Chen Fan had no intention of testing it.
Upgrading the Wooden House to Level 2 required only ten Ghoststones.
He crushed ten Ghoststones in his palm.
Milky-white liquid shimmered in the air, and the translucent outline of the Wooden House—woven from luminous white lines—materialized once more. As the liquid seeped into it, the house didn’t grow larger, but its wooden frame thickened, and patches of stone began to appear throughout its structure.
The whole building looked noticeably sturdier.
A System Panel appeared before his eyes.
> Wooden House upgraded to Level 2. Durability increased.
>
> Please select an Upgrade Path:
>
> 1: Restful Sleep.
>
> 2: Peace of Mind.
>
> 3: Increased chance of pregnancy (does not affect Ghostbeasts).
"…"
Chen Fan gazed at the System Panel, expression calm. Honestly, he’d assumed this building—like the Farmland—wouldn’t come with any upgrade options at all.
The Eternal Night had descended upon this world centuries ago.
Ghostbeasts rampaged across the land.
Perhaps the only reason humanity hadn’t been wiped out was because of buildings like the "Wooden House." If you had a stable territory and loyal people, that third upgrade could actually help boost the birth rate.
He chose "Peace of Mind."
For a warehouse, it was the only sensible option.
At the very least, it would ensure a measure of tranquility for those coming and going.
He pulled out twenty more Ghoststones and upgraded the Wooden House to Level 3.
Again, the structure transformed. The last traces of wood vanished, replaced entirely by stone. Its defenses and shelter from the elements were visibly improved. The single-story house became a two-story building.
Now it rose taller than the Wall itself.
He’d been transmigrated into this strange world for some time now.
From those anxious early days, he’d gradually grown accustomed to it.
At the very least…
He found himself appreciating the world’s underlying rules.
If you worked hard, you saw results.
If you fed Ghoststones into a building, it always got stronger. That certainty—the sense of security it brought—was rare. In his previous life, effort didn’t always yield results. More often than not, he’d find himself staring blankly at his own reflection, wondering why luck never favored him.
He’d fall asleep without ever finding an answer.
Day after day. Year after year.
> Wooden House upgraded to Level 3. Now a Stone House—significantly more durable.
>
> Please select an Upgrade Path:
>
> 1: Expanded area; adds optional rooms such as kitchen, toilet, and bath.
>
> 2: Imbue with "Dustless Array"—keeps the interior perpetually spotless.
>
> 3: Imbue with "Shadow Array"—the Lord may observe every corner of the house at any time.
Three upgrade options.
One was a luxury expansion, one kept the place immaculate, and one offered complete surveillance.
All of them would improve quality of life.
He selected the third option.
For a warehouse, dust wasn’t a concern. The Shadow Array, on the other hand, might actually prove useful.
"…"
Standing outside the Camp, Chen Fan gazed at the new two-story Stone House. After reaching Level 3, the transformation was dramatic. If the Camp had looked crude before, with this Stone House now standing tall, it finally resembled a real settlement.
It looked like a place where people could actually live.
There was still no toilet in the Camp.
But out here in the Wasteland, toilets were about as useless as nettles—nobody cared about them.
He didn’t upgrade any further.
This round of experimentation had cost him a fair number of Ghoststones. He was down to 269. Maybe once he’d saved up more, he’d see what a Level 4 Wooden House—no, Stone House—would become.
It would probably rival the Arrow Bastion.
A true qualitative leap.
He was beginning to understand the nature of a Builder’s abilities: most buildings would undergo a qualitative transformation at a certain stage—like Beast Trap to Groundspikes, Arrow Tower to Arrow Bastion, Wooden House to Stone House.
But that threshold wasn’t always the same.
For some, it came at Level 2. For others, Level 3, or even Level 4.
Each had its own quirks.
He found himself more and more drawn to this world. He liked the idea of gradually building his own little sanctuary here, then spending the rest of his days peacefully managing his Camp.
"…"
Chen Fan returned to the Wall, gazing absently at the distant horizon.
For some reason, his emotions felt a little unstable today.
Maybe…
Ever since his transmigration, he’d lived under constant tension, never stopping to reflect. Today, everything he’d bottled up was threatening to spill over.
Zhou Mo’s subordinate had died yesterday.
He hadn’t even had time to ask the man’s name—only remembered a young, dark-skinned fellow, his jaw shadowed with stubble. He recalled Zhou Mo once shaving that stubble from the boy’s chin with his Broadsword.
No one in Camp had brought it up since. There was no crude funeral, no one asked questions. Life in Camp returned to normal.
Maybe everyone was just used to death.
Or maybe they all knew this was the most dangerous moment of their lives, and no one wanted to shake the group’s morale.
Someone always had to die.
No one lived forever.
During a recent Night Talk, Zhou Mo, Wang Kui, and the others had all shared their dreams. Chen Fan hadn’t said anything. The truth was, he didn’t have much ambition. All he wanted was to build a safe Camp and spend his days there.
Saving the world, conquering it—he couldn’t care less.
Even if he became the world’s only king, he’d just have more people to manage. He doubted he’d be any happier than he was now.
This world was just fine.
At least, he’d found the people here decent. The Green-robed Man who had first warned him about the Wasteland, Wang Kui who brought food and water, Zhou Mo who risked his life to defend the Camp the moment they met, and Crippled Monkey—his loyal, ever-faithful attendant.
He thought everyone here was pretty good.
If he had to name a dream—
It would be to build a safe Camp and protect everyone. Since they all put their trust in him, he didn’t want to watch the people he knew die one after another.
That would be enough.
As for Wang Mazi’s man who’d hidden away some Ghoststones—
Honestly, Chen Fan could understand.
When you first joined the Camp, it was only natural to want to keep a bit of your hard-earned savings for yourself. Later, when disaster struck and he tried to hand them over, it was already too late.
He’d been cornered.
There was no way out.
That’s how Chen Fan saw it.
He’d actually watched from atop the Wall as Wang Mazi’s subordinate wrestled with himself—his young face flickering with indecision in the rainy night. At the time, Chen Fan thought the boy was struggling over whether to volunteer for a mission outside the walls.
Now, it seemed, he’d been torn over whether to give up his hidden stash.
Before he could decide, Zhou Mo had already leapt over the Wall.
And then, the Ghostbeast Swarm retreated.