Chapter 337 - 164: How Long to Dig... Dig... Dig... Dig

Chapter 337: Chapter 164: How Long to Dig... Dig... Dig... Dig

’This is probably the only thing I can do.’

’Like a bystander.’

’Unable to intervene.’

Wang Mazi nodded. After speaking with the Domain Lord, he felt much more at ease, but he quickly remembered something and added, "Oh, right. I’ve memorized the locations of all the defensive lines. The Commerce Pavilion’s exploration of the New Continent will speed up significantly now. We have clear targets—we just need to head for these Ancient Battlefields."

"Good."

Chen Fan chuckled. "That was thoughtful of you. To still be thinking about this at a time like that."

"I was thinking that if I could make it back, this information would be a huge help to the Mortal Realm."

"And what if you couldn’t?"

"Then I’d have been out of luck."

Wang Mazi spread his hands helplessly.

...

「An incense stick’s time later.」

His mental state now completely back to normal, Wang Mazi sat on a chair in the courtyard. He held a bowl of rice and shoveled food into his mouth, wolfing it down.

He hadn’t eaten in three days.

He hadn’t had a drop of water in three days.

Wang Mazi had nearly died out there.

If the final battle on the New Continent had lasted any longer, Wang Mazi would never have made it back.

The New Continent has no rainy season.

Sitting out in the open, now completely calm, Wang Mazi picked up a chicken leg and placed it in Zhang Damao’s bowl. His mouth full of food, he mumbled indistinctly.

"Zhang Damao, I mentioned your name to the Domain Lord. From now on, you’re a true brother to me, Mazi. Words are cheap, so I’ll show you through my actions."

On the third day he was missing, the other Commerce Pavilion members had all suggested falling back to within range of a Signal Tower to relay the information to the Mortal Realm and request reinforcements. Only Zhang Damao was adamant that they could not leave. He insisted on posting men to watch the center of the Deep Pit while others searched the surroundings. His priority was to find their man first, not report back.

It could be said that it was precisely because of Zhang Damao’s decision that Wang Mazi survived.

Otherwise, in a Deep Pit that large, by the time the Mortal Realm sent reinforcements and finally found him, who knows how long he would have been dead.

"Really!"

Zhang Damao’s eyes lit up. "So, uh, what did the Domain Lord say about me?"

With his mouth still stuffed, Wang Mazi first picked up a bowl of herbal tea, drained it in one gulp to clear his mouth, then satisfyingly wiped the grease from his lips and said seriously.

"That you dare to take responsibility and dare to make decisions."

"And..."

"The Domain Lord also knows everything about your performance while pioneering the New Continent, including how you were the first to stand up and support me when we were stranded on that Deserted Island."

"Really?"

Zhang Damao was so excited his body began to tremble. To him, the Mortal Realm was everything, and as the Lord of the Mortal Realm, receiving praise from Chen Fan was the greatest honor imaginable.

"Of course."

Wang Mazi grinned, leaning back in his chair. He lit his long-stemmed pipe and took a puff. "The Domain Lord said that when we in the Commerce Pavilion are out exploring and lose contact with the Mortal Realm, the most important quality is the courage to make decisions."

"Not immediately thinking of reporting back to the Mortal Realm first."

"By the time the Mortal Realm gets the message, it would be too late."

"The Domain Lord really admires how you were able to stand your ground and hold to your own ideas, even when everyone else agreed they should relay the message back to the Mortal Realm first."

"It proves you have considerable prestige within the Commerce Pavilion."

"Ahem..."

Wang Mazi gave a light cough and lowered his voice. "Don’t spread this around, but from what I gathered, it seems the Domain Lord is thinking of making you the Vice Pavilion Master of the Commerce Pavilion."

"The position of Vice Pavilion Master has been vacant for a while now, after all..."

"But it’s not set in stone yet, so don’t go blabbing about it or getting cocky."

"Understood, understood."

Zhang Damao and Wang Mazi exchanged a look, saw the smiles in each other’s eyes, and chuckled.

After that topic was settled, Wang Mazi sighed wistfully. "Speaking of which, why were you so determined to save me back then, instead of reporting back to the Mortal Realm first?"

"Because you saved my life when we were pioneering the New Continent, Pavilion Master. I was swept up by a wave and thrown from the Sea Ship. I managed to grab the edge of the ship, but I couldn’t hold on for long. The waves were too strong."

"If you hadn’t risked your life, coming out on deck in that storm to pull me back..."

"...I would have been a dead man for sure."

"You saved my life. That’s a debt I can never repay. I’ve experienced that despair right before death. I figured that when you came to, Pavilion Master, and found no one around, no Flying Ship... you’d feel that same despair. I just couldn’t bring myself to abandon you here alone."

"Did that happen?" Wang Mazi asked, slightly taken aback.

"Of course."

Zhang Damao said helplessly, "Pavilion Master, you saved a lot of people on the sea that day, including me. It’s just that the ones who stick in your memory are the ones you couldn’t save."

Wang Mazi fell silent. He had saved many people, but he’d forgotten who they all were.

At the time, he had just felt heartbroken.

He had led this group of men out to sea, and they had trusted him. Seeing them swept away by the waves one by one had crushed him.

"Pavilion Master, what’s our next move?"

"We continue exploring the New Continent, of course. But this time, we won’t be exploring blindly. We have clear targets. We’ll go mark the locations, draw up the Ghost Map, and hand it over to Lame Monkey. He can send people to do the digging."

"Oh right, Pavilion Master, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"Where did you run off to for three days?"

"If I told you I spent three days as the Celestial Dao, would you believe me?"

"Bro, I’m being serious."

"Actually, I’m being serious too."

...

Hey Hey was on the move.

It rode a Flying Ship, embarking on an exploratory journey with the Commerce Pavilion. This time, however, the target was the Deep Pit that Wang Mazi had just finished exploring.

’Blasted open by some immense force?’

Chen Fan remembered it crystal clear.

A place like this had a high chance of forming an extremely Rare Heavenly and Earthly Treasure: "Earth Gold."

He was naturally hoping they could find some Earth Gold.

The whole way, Hey Hey lay sprawled on the Flying Ship, marveling excitedly at the sensation of flying. But after traveling for three days, when the outline of the Deep Pit slowly came into view...

...the smile in its lantern-sized eyes gradually froze.

It now had only one thought.

’Please, please, please don’t let there be any Earth Gold.’

’If they find Earth Gold... how... long... will... I... have to... dig?!’