Chapter 76: Boundaries

After breakfast, Lin Yuan walked through the developed part of Blackstone.

He started from Wandering Cloud Tavern, passed the courtyard and stable, followed the road beside the Travelers’ Market, then continued north until the buildings gave way to open wasteland.

There was nothing obvious separating one from the other.

A traveler could leave the main road near Qiao Ren’s shop, pass behind the market, circle around the stable, and continue north without realizing where the public area ended.

Only the warning sign near the excavation marked where they were supposed to stop.

Until recently, that had been enough.

When Lin Yuan first arrived, Blackstone had little worth wandering around for. The tavern was old, the stable had been falling apart, and most of the surrounding land sat empty.

That was no longer the case.

Wagons waited beside the courtyard. Several stalls in the market were already opening for the day. Spirit beasts shifted inside the stable while merchants prepared goods along the roadside.

Qiao Ren’s shop had added another reason for travelers to stop.

Blackstone had grown one improvement at a time.

Unfortunately, nobody had ever planned where one part of the settlement should end and another begin.

Lin Yuan stopped near the northern side of the market.

Last night had exposed the problem clearly.

A warning sign only worked on people willing to respect it.

"You’ve been walking around since breakfast."

Lin Yuan turned.

Qiao Ren had left his shop and was approaching at an unhurried pace.

"I’m thinking."

"I gathered that."

Qiao Ren stopped beside him.

"About the two idiots from last night?"

"About how easily they reached the excavation."

"They ignored the sign."

"That’s the problem."

Qiao Ren considered the open land ahead.

"So what are you planning?"

Lin Yuan gestured across the settlement.

"I want the developed area to have a clear edge."

"A wall?"

"Too restrictive."

Blackstone depended on travelers being able to enter easily.

Wagons needed space to turn. Merchants unloaded goods beside the road. Spirit beasts had to reach the stable without squeezing through narrow entrances.

Building heavy walls around everything would make the settlement harder to use while protecting large stretches of land that still contained nothing.

Lin Yuan had no interest in spending spirit stones to guard empty dirt.

"I don’t want to keep people out," he said. "I want them to know where they’re allowed to go."

Qiao Ren nodded.

"That makes more sense."

They started along the western side of the settlement.

Behind the stable, the ground remained mostly bare.

Lin Yuan stopped there.

"Posts along this side would be enough."

Qiao Ren studied the distance.

"Move them farther out."

"Why?"

"You’ll regret placing them too close when you expand the stable again."

Lin Yuan considered the building behind them.

"You sound very certain I’ll expand it."

"I’ve been here long enough."

That was difficult to argue with.

They continued walking.

The solution did not need to be elaborate.

A visible line around the developed area would be enough for most people. Posts could mark the perimeter, while short sections of fencing or low stonework could guide foot traffic away from places where nobody had a reason to wander.

The main road would remain open.

Travelers arriving normally would barely be inconvenienced.

Anyone deliberately cutting behind the buildings would know they had left the public part of Blackstone.

By the time they reached the northern side, the idea had become clearer.

The restricted excavation lay ahead.

One of the Association investigators stood nearby while Shen Yao worked beside a formation plate.

She noticed them approaching and straightened.

"What are you two doing?"

"Planning where Blackstone should end."

Her gaze swept across the settlement.

"I didn’t realize it had an edge."

"That’s why we’re here."

Shen Yao understood immediately.

"Because of last night?"

Lin Yuan nodded.

"The Association can guard this place while your team stays here. That doesn’t help me once you leave."

"You could fence off the excavation."

"That works for ordinary travelers."

"But not cultivators."

"Exactly."

Shen Yao closed the small case beside her.

"What do you actually need?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment.

"I want to know when someone enters an area they shouldn’t."

"That’s easier than trying to physically stop them."

"And cheaper?"

"Usually."

At least that part sounded promising.

Shen Yao pointed across the open ground.

"A detection formation should be enough. You place formation markers around the area you want watched. If someone crosses between them, the formation reacts."

"How?"

"Depends on the formation. Simple ones can make a sound or produce light. Better versions can send a warning to a linked token."

Lin Yuan remembered the sound of metal scraping against stone the previous night.

That small noise had been the only reason he noticed the trespassers when he did.

Relying on luck a second time would be foolish.

"Could one cover all of Blackstone?"

"It could, but there’s little reason to protect every patch of empty land right now."

Qiao Ren spoke from beside him.

"Can it be extended later?"

Shen Yao nodded.

"If you buy one designed for expansion. Some cheaper formations have fixed coverage. Once you outgrow them, you replace the whole thing."

Lin Yuan made a mental note to ask carefully before spending anything.

"Green River City should have something suitable?"

"Yes."

"What about installation?"

"For an area this large, hire someone experienced."

Lin Yuan had no intention of arguing with that.

He already had enough responsibilities without teaching himself formation work beside a buried structure nobody understood.

Shen Yao returned her attention to the excavation.

"I would establish your perimeter first. Once you know exactly what area matters, a formation master can place the detection points properly."

That fit Lin Yuan’s plans.

There was no need to solve every future problem at once.

Blackstone had grown by dealing with immediate needs and leaving room for the next improvement.

He could do the same with security.

"Thanks."

Shen Yao raised an eyebrow.

"That sounded sincere."

"Don’t get used to it."

Qiao Ren laughed.

Lin Yuan headed back before either of them could add anything.

By lunchtime, a rough map covered part of one tavern table.

Wandering Cloud Tavern sat near the center.

Lin Yuan had marked the stable, courtyard, Travelers’ Market, Qiao Ren’s shop, main road, and the restricted site farther north.

The drawing was rough, but it showed everything Lin Yuan needed.

Su Mei stopped beside the table while carrying an empty tray.

"What is that?"

"Blackstone."

She studied the page.

"It looks crowded."

"It isn’t."

"Your drawing is."

Lin Yuan examined it again.

She had a point.

Xiao Lan appeared on the opposite side of the table.

"What are those?"

She pointed at several marks along the outer edge.

"Posts."

"For what?"

"To show where the developed area ends."

Xiao Lan traced the rough line with one finger.

"So people can still enter?"

"From the road, yes."

Lin Yuan indicated the northern and western sides.

"These areas don’t need open foot traffic. If someone crosses there, they should know they’ve gone somewhere they’re not supposed to."

Su Mei nodded.

"So nobody can say they wandered in by mistake."

"Exactly."

Lin Yuan tapped the main road.

"This entrance stays wide. Wagons still need to pass through easily."

Xiao Lan stared at the empty space for a moment.

"You should put a sign there."

Lin Yuan paused.

"We already have a sign."

"That one tells people not to go near the excavation."

Qiao Ren, eating nearby, glanced over.

"She means a sign for Blackstone."

"I know what she means."

"Then why did you answer the wrong question?"

Lin Yuan ignored him.

Xiao Lan spread her hands above the map.

"Put two big posts beside the road and the name between them."

Su Mei seemed to like the idea.

"It would make the entrance easier to recognize."

"People know they’ve reached Blackstone."

"Three customers asked me this morning what this place was called."

Lin Yuan fell silent.

Qiao Ren lowered his head toward his bowl, but Lin Yuan could see the smile.

A massive gate would be unnecessary.

A simple entrance marker would work without interfering with traffic. Two sturdy posts with a sign mounted above the road between them could clearly mark the entrance to Blackstone.

For the first time, the settlement would have something resembling a proper front.

It had started as a tavern beside a road.

Now people came here to eat, sleep, stable their beasts, trade at the market, and purchase supplies.

Perhaps the place had earned something more than an old building to announce its existence.

"Nothing excessive," Lin Yuan said.

Xiao Lan smiled immediately.

"So we’re getting one."

"I said nothing excessive."

"That still sounds like yes."

Lin Yuan returned to the map.

The conversation was over as far as he was concerned.

Later that afternoon, he walked the route again with the sketch in hand.

This time, he was not deciding whether the project was necessary.

He was deciding where everything should go.

The western side needed more space than he had first expected. If the stable expanded later, he did not want to tear down half the perimeter and rebuild it.

He left additional room on the eastern side as well.

Qiao Ren had already proven that merchants were willing to establish permanent businesses near the tavern.

Others might follow eventually.

Planning for some growth now would save trouble later.

The northern section required the most attention.

Unlike the market and stable, the excavation sat beyond the busiest part of the settlement. Someone approaching from the wasteland could reach it without passing through much foot traffic.

The posts there would be placed closer together.

Short barriers could guide ordinary travelers back toward the road while still leaving enough open space for Association investigators and future work.

If Lin Yuan later installed a detection formation, it could follow roughly the same route.

He stopped near the excavation and faced south.

From there, the changes to Blackstone were easy to see.

Wandering Cloud Tavern stood larger than the building he had inherited.

The repaired stable regularly sheltered traveling spirit beasts.

The market brought cultivators and merchants together each day.

Qiao Ren’s shop had become another permanent part of the roadside.

What had once been mostly empty ground was slowly turning into a settlement with its own routine.

Lin Yuan was satisfied with how far the place had come.

That growth also meant the tavern could no longer be the only thing he thought about protecting.

Clear posts and low barriers would show people where the public area ended.

Later, the formation could warn him when someone deliberately crossed beyond it.

Stronger defenses could wait until Blackstone had enough wealth and enough need to justify them.

There was little value in building a fortress around a settlement that still depended on welcoming travelers.

Lin Yuan eventually returned to the main road.

A wagon approached from the east, its wheels grinding against the dry ground.

The driver recognized him and lifted one hand in greeting.

Lin Yuan returned the gesture.

The wagon continued toward the tavern without slowing.

That was how Lin Yuan wanted Blackstone to remain: easy for travelers to enter and convenient for merchants bringing goods, without heavy gates or guards slowing them down.

The new perimeter would leave the road open while making the limits of the settlement clear.

Soon, travelers would be able to tell exactly where Blackstone began.

After that, anyone who crossed beyond the marked line would have no excuse.