Chapter 2: The First Tavern

"Let’s start with a tavern."

The words sounded considerably more reasonable last night.

Lin Yuan stood in the courtyard the next morning, holding a steamed bun in one hand while staring at the three old buildings in front of him.

The largest building sat closest to the road.

Two floors.

Wide front doors.

A large room downstairs.

Several smaller rooms upstairs.

At least, that was what it had been many years ago.

Now one window was missing, part of the roof leaked, several floorboards needed replacing, and the front door had developed the unfortunate habit of opening whenever the wind blew hard enough.

Lin Yuan took another bite.

"Maybe ’tavern’ is a little generous."

Fortunately, the building itself remained structurally sound.

According to the original owner’s memories, this place had existed before he’d purchased the surrounding territory. Long ago, when the old trade route was more frequently used, someone had operated a roadside inn here.

That explained the unusually large kitchen at the back and the stable beside the courtyard.

Whoever owned it had eventually abandoned the place as traffic through Blackstone Wasteland declined.

The building had been empty ever since.

Lin Yuan swallowed the last bite of his breakfast.

"Let’s see."

He focused his attention on the building.

Yesterday, he’d spent several hours experimenting with the Territory Core.

Most of his attempts had produced nothing.

Loose rocks weren’t recognized.

A wooden chair wasn’t recognized.

Neither were his cooking knives, storage bags, clothing, or flying artifact.

The Core appeared specifically connected to permanent structures within his territory.

The well had qualified.

So did the buildings.

Information appeared before him.

Abandoned Roadside Inn

Condition: Poor

Quality: Ordinary

Enhancement unavailable

Reason: Structure damaged

Lin Yuan wasn’t surprised.

He’d discovered the same thing yesterday.

The Territory Core could enhance things.

It did not appear interested in fixing his problems for him.

If he wanted to enhance the building, he first needed to make it usable.

That suited him just fine.

He didn’t particularly want a mysterious power that did everything on his behalf.

Well...

That wasn’t entirely true.

If it wanted to repair the roof, he certainly wouldn’t complain.

Lin Yuan looked upward.

A section near the western corner sagged slightly.

He sighed.

"Work first."

For an ordinary person, repairing an abandoned two-story building alone would have been a significant undertaking.

Lin Yuan was not an ordinary person.

He was a seventh-layer Qi Refining cultivator.

That didn’t make him an expert carpenter.

It did, however, mean that carrying a heavy timber beam was considerably easier when one’s body had been strengthened by years of cultivation.

The supplies he’d purchased in the city finally became useful.

Timber emerged from his storage bag.

Then tools.

Replacement tiles.

Nails.

Several bundles of cloth.

Lin Yuan started with the roof.

By midday, sweat covered his forehead despite the dry wind.

Cultivation helped.

It did not magically teach him carpentry.

More than once, Lin Yuan found himself staring at a piece of timber while wondering whether he’d made the situation worse.

Fortunately, the original Lin Yuan had maintained the property alone for several years and possessed some basic repair experience.

Combined with Lin Yuan’s own memories, it was enough.

Barely.

The damaged roof section was replaced.

Broken windows were repaired.

Rotten floorboards came out one by one.

The front door required considerably more argument than Lin Yuan expected.

Eventually, it surrendered.

By sunset, the building no longer looked as though it was waiting for an excuse to collapse.

Lin Yuan stood outside, covered in dust.

He crossed his arms.

"Not bad."

The building was still old.

Very old.

But now it looked intentionally old rather than abandoned.

That was an improvement.

Lin Yuan focused on it again.

Roadside Building

Condition: Usable

Quality: Ordinary

Enhancement available

Cost: 20 low-grade spirit stones

Lin Yuan’s satisfaction immediately disappeared.

"Twenty?"

Yesterday, enhancing the well had cost five.

He had thirty-two spirit stones remaining.

Twenty represented more than half of everything he had left.

Lin Yuan stared at the number.

"You’re expensive."

The Territory Core offered no defense.

He entered the building.

The main room was spacious enough for eight or perhaps ten tables without feeling crowded.

A counter stood near one wall.

Behind it was the kitchen.

Upstairs were six small rooms, though only four were currently usable.

With some furniture and cleaning, he could technically open without enhancing anything.

Lin Yuan walked to the kitchen.

The stove was ordinary.

The tables were ordinary.

The rooms were ordinary.

Everything was ordinary.

He looked through the open doorway toward the well.

Except that.

Lin Yuan filled a cup with Spirit-Touched water and returned inside.

He sat at one of the tables.

Twenty spirit stones.

Was an enhancement worth that much?

He didn’t know.

That was the problem.

The well enhancement had been useful, but five spirit stones was a manageable experiment.

Twenty was an investment.

And Lin Yuan currently had no customers.

He could spend days repairing the place, enhance it, purchase ingredients, prepare meals...

And nobody might come.

The old trade route was still used, but still used and busy were very different things.

During his previous journey, he’d once gone four entire days without seeing another traveler.

Lin Yuan took a drink.

Cool spiritual energy entered his body.

He tapped the cup against the table.

In his previous life, his parents had operated their restaurant for years.

It wasn’t large.

It wasn’t famous.

There had been good months and bad months.

Lin Yuan remembered his father sitting at the kitchen table late at night, calculating expenses after they’d renovated the dining room.

His mother had complained for a week about how much they’d spent.

Then she’d been the first person to suggest replacing the old sign outside.

Business always involved risk.

If you waited until success was guaranteed before spending anything, you’d probably wait forever.

More importantly...

Lin Yuan looked around.

What else was he going to do with this place?

Cultivate?

The spiritual Qi here was terrible.

Leave?

Then purchasing this enormous territory had been pointless.

At least the Territory Core gave Blackstone Wasteland something nobody else knew about.

Something that could change it.

Lin Yuan placed the cup down.

"Fine."

Twenty spirit stones disappeared from his storage bag.

"Enhance."

The response was immediate.

A faint vibration passed through the building.

Lin Yuan stood.

Spiritual energy emerged from beneath the ground.

Unlike the well, where the change had concentrated around a single point, this time thin lines of pale light spread through the entire structure.

Across the floor.

Up the walls.

Through the wooden pillars.

Overhead.

Lin Yuan stepped backward.

The light remained faint, but the scale was completely different from yesterday.

Dust lifted from the floor.

Tiny cracks in several wooden pillars slowly closed.

The rough surfaces of the tables became smoother.

A damaged section of wall repaired itself before his eyes.

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow.

"So you can repair things."

Apparently the Core simply refused to enhance a structure that wasn’t functional to begin with.

The process continued for nearly a quarter of an hour.

Then the light faded.

Silence returned.

Lin Yuan looked around.

The building hadn’t transformed into a palace.

The tables were still wooden.

The walls remained simple.

There were no golden decorations or precious jade floors.

But something had changed.

Lin Yuan couldn’t immediately identify it.

He walked to the nearest table and ran his fingers across its surface.

Smooth.

Cleaner.

The entire building seemed cleaner.

More importantly...

Lin Yuan closed his eyes.

"Spiritual Qi."

There was slightly more of it inside.

Not much.

Certainly nowhere near the cultivation city he’d recently visited.

But compared with the wasteland outside, the difference was noticeable.

Information appeared.

Restored Roadside Tavern

Quality: Low Spirit Grade

Effects:

Minor Qi Gathering — Slightly increases spiritual Qi within the building.

Dust Repelling — Significantly reduces accumulation of ordinary dust.

Comfort — Maintains a more pleasant interior environment.

Structural Reinforcement — Increased durability.

Next Enhancement: Requirements not met.

Lin Yuan read through the effects twice.

"Interesting."

He walked outside.

Hot, dry wind immediately struck his face.

Then he stepped back inside.

The difference wasn’t dramatic.

But it was there.

The air inside was cooler.

Not cold.

Simply comfortable.

The dry heat of the wasteland seemed weakened the moment he crossed the doorway.

Lin Yuan smiled.

Now that was useful.

A cultivator traveling across Blackstone Wasteland might not care much about comfortable furniture.

But after spending days beneath the harsh sun?

A cool room, clean water, food and slightly denser spiritual Qi suddenly sounded much more attractive.

Lin Yuan looked at his remaining spirit stones.

Twelve.

His smile faded slightly.

"That hurt."

Still, regretting the expense wouldn’t bring the stones back.

He might as well make use of it.

The next several days passed quickly.

Lin Yuan cleaned.

Repaired.

Cooked.

And repeatedly discovered things he’d forgotten to buy.

Fortunately, none were important enough to justify another journey to the city.

He moved six tables into the main dining room.

Each table could seat four people comfortably.

He considered adding more, then decided against it.

Twenty-four seats already seemed optimistic for a tavern that currently had zero customers.

The kitchen was cleaned thoroughly.

His cooking equipment was arranged.

Rice, flour, dried vegetables and preserved meat filled the storage shelves.

Fresh ingredients were more troublesome.

Blackstone Wasteland wasn’t exactly known for its vegetables.

Lin Yuan had purchased some in the city, but they wouldn’t last forever.

That was a problem for later.

For now, his menu would be simple.

Noodles.

Steamed buns.

Rice.

Roasted meat.

Several stir-fried dishes.

Soup.

Tea.

Wine.

Nothing extraordinary.

Lin Yuan wasn’t trying to impress an immortal emperor.

He needed to feed tired travelers.

The Spirit-Touched Well handled the water.

On the fourth morning, Lin Yuan stood outside the building.

Something was missing.

He stared at it for several seconds.

Then realized.

"A sign."

A tavern without a sign was just a strange man cooking alone in the wasteland.

Lin Yuan found a suitable wooden board among his supplies.

He carried it inside, placed it on a table and picked up a brush.

Then stopped.

What should he call it?

Something grand?

Heavenly Immortal Pavilion?

Lin Yuan imagined his six wooden tables and leaking stable.

"No."

Nine Dragons Restaurant?

Even worse.

After considering several increasingly ridiculous names, Lin Yuan looked through the window.

The old road stretched across the wasteland.

He remembered the name he’d thought of during his journey.

Simple was better.

His brush touched the wood.

Four characters gradually appeared.

Wandering Cloud Tavern.

Lin Yuan examined his handwriting.

"...Acceptable."

He mounted the sign above the entrance.

Then he walked to the old trade road and planted another smaller sign beside it.

An arrow pointed toward the courtyard.

Food — Water — Wine — Rooms

Lin Yuan stepped back.

There.

A business.

Technically.

He returned to the tavern and began preparing lunch.

A pot of broth simmered in the kitchen.

Meat roasted slowly over the fire.

He prepared noodles and several simple side dishes.

Soon, the smell of food filled the building.

Lin Yuan looked around his empty dining room.

Everything was ready.

He sat behind the counter.

And waited.

An hour passed.

Nothing.

Lin Yuan poured himself tea.

Another hour.

Still nothing.

By midday, he ate one of the meals he’d prepared for customers.

It was good.

At least he wouldn’t starve.

Afternoon arrived.

The road remained empty.

Lin Yuan leaned against the counter.

Perhaps there was a reason nobody had opened a tavern here.

He glanced toward the Territory Core interface.

Twenty-five spirit stones spent between the well and building.

Several more spent on supplies and repairs.

Days of work.

Zero customers.

Lin Yuan drummed his fingers against the counter.

"Excellent start."

The Territory Core remained silent.

"You could at least pretend to be encouraging."

Nothing.

Lin Yuan shook his head and stood.

He began cleaning the kitchen.

There was no reason to panic.

The road wasn’t busy.

He knew that before opening.

Someone would eventually pass.

Probably.

The sun slowly descended.

Orange light spread across Blackstone Wasteland.

Lin Yuan stepped outside.

The evening wind was cooler.

He considered closing early.

Then he stopped.

Something had appeared at the edge of his spiritual sense.

Lin Yuan turned toward the old road.

At first, he saw nothing.

Then—

A small cloud of dust rose in the distance.

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

Something was moving toward him.

Not one person.

Several.

The faint sound of wheels gradually carried across the wasteland.

A carriage.

Then another.

Lin Yuan stood beneath the newly hung sign of the Wandering Cloud Tavern.

For the first time since opening, someone was coming down the road.

He smiled.

"Finally."