Chapter 79: A Proper Entrance

The row of signboard shops was less impressive than Lin Yuan had expected.

Most were narrow storefronts crowded with wooden plaques, painted boards, and half-finished signs. Sawdust covered the ground, and the smell of varnish drifted through the open doors.

He stopped outside one of the larger shops.

A red plaque hung above the entrance.

Golden Brush Signworks

Several finished signs were displayed near the doorway. Some were ordinary carved wood, while others had faint formation lines running along their frames.

Inside, an elderly craftsman was carving characters into a dark wooden board. He finished his current stroke before looking up.

"Shop sign?"

"Something larger. Large enough for travelers to read from the road."

"For a shop?"

"For a territory."

The craftsman put down his knife. "Which territory?"

"Blackstone."

"The wasteland?"

"That’s the one."

The old man scratched his beard.

"You want to put a sign in the wasteland?"

"Near the entrance. People keep wandering into places they shouldn’t."

"Ah. That makes more sense."

The craftsman reached beneath the counter and brought out several sample boards.

The cheapest was ordinary hardwood with carved lettering. Better versions had been treated against rain, insects, heat, and spiritual erosion. One even contained a small formation that made the characters glow after dark.

Lin Yuan passed over the enchanted version.

He had already received a quotation of thirty-eight low-grade spirit stones for a warning formation. Glowing letters could wait.

He picked up a simpler board.

"How long will this last outdoors?"

"Five or six years with proper maintenance."

Lin Yuan considered the dust storms, dry winds, and relentless heat of Blackstone.

"What if the weather is particularly unpleasant?"

"How unpleasant?"

"It’s Blackstone."

The craftsman lowered his gaze to the board.

"Four years."

"Good enough."

The old man pulled a sheet of paper toward him.

"What do you want written?"

Xiao Lan had mentioned several times that Blackstone needed a proper entrance.

The new stone posts already marked the developed territory, but anyone approaching from the western road would still notice the Wandering Cloud Tavern first. The market had grown, more buildings had appeared, and people were coming and going every day.

Yet from a distance, it still looked like a collection of businesses scattered across the wasteland.

"Blackstone," Lin Yuan said.

The craftsman waited.

"Anything else?"

"That’s enough for the main sign."

"Not the tavern’s name? Or the market?"

"They already have their own signs."

The old man wrote the characters on his paper.

BLACKSTONE

The characters were clear and easy to read. Lin Yuan nodded his approval.

"Can I attach smaller boards underneath later?"

"For directions?"

"Directions, rules, warnings. Whatever we need."

The craftsman chuckled.

"How many rules can a wasteland possibly have?"

"More than I expected."

After considering the request, the old man brought out another design.

Two thick wooden posts would support a wide horizontal board, with space below for additional plaques. If Blackstone needed new directions or warnings, they could be added without replacing the entire structure.

The design suited what Lin Yuan had in mind. He could install it near the western approach, close to the boundary markers.

"How much?"

The craftsman named his price.

Lin Yuan looked at him.

The old man looked back.

"Too expensive?"

"I visited a formation shop earlier."

"Then you’ve already had a difficult day."

"Apparently, it isn’t over."

The craftsman laughed.

"If you want to save money, use local wood for the posts. Have your people build the supporting frame. I’ll carve and treat the main board here."

"How much would that save?"

"Enough that you might stop looking at me like I’ve robbed you."

"Now we’re getting somewhere."

They discussed the board’s dimensions, treatment, mounting requirements, and delivery arrangements.

Once everything was settled, the craftsman wrote an estimate.

Lin Yuan checked it before folding the paper. He wasn’t ready to place an order yet.

"If you decide within ten days, I’ll honor this price," the craftsman told him.

"Fair enough."

Lin Yuan thanked him and headed toward the door.

"Blackstone."

He stopped.

The old man was studying him with renewed curiosity.

"I’ve heard that name quite a few times this week."

"From whom?"

"Travelers, mostly. A few merchants."

"What were they saying?"

"One customer claimed the Cultivator Association discovered an ancient inheritance beneath the wasteland."

"They didn’t."

"Another said there’s a buried city."

"There isn’t."

"Someone mentioned a spiritual vein too."

Lin Yuan stared at him.

The craftsman raised both hands.

"Don’t look at me. I make signs. People talk while I work."

"Sounds like a good profession."

"It has its advantages."

Lin Yuan shook his head and left.

Outside, the afternoon streets had grown crowded. Merchant carts rolled past stalls selling pills and talismans, while shop assistants called out their prices to passing cultivators.

He joined the flow heading toward the western part of Green River City.

Only a short time ago, most people barely remembered Blackstone existed. Now, according to rumors spreading through the city, his territory contained ancient inheritances, a buried city, and a spiritual vein.

At this rate, someone would soon claim there was an immortal sleeping beneath the tavern.

He missed the days when travelers only complained about the road.

Near the Cultivator Association compound, Lin Yuan spotted Zhao Wei standing beside a stone railing. Several rolled documents rested beneath the man’s arm.

"Finished shopping?" Zhao Wei asked.

"Finished looking at prices."

"That bad?"

"You could say that."

Zhao Wei smiled.

"You own a large part of Blackstone."

"Try telling that to the shopkeepers."

They entered the compound together.

Inside, cultivators moved between counters carrying reports, sealed cases, maps, and formation equipment. A few stood around a large table discussing something Lin Yuan couldn’t make out.

Shen Yao sat near one wall, surrounded by rubbings of the buried stonework.

She looked tired.

Lin Yuan pulled out the chair opposite her.

"You should sleep."

"I did."

"When?"

Shen Yao ignored the question and reached for another document.

Zhao Wei placed his reports beside her.

"The final measurements have been submitted."

"So what happens now?" Lin Yuan asked.

Shen Yao set down her brush.

"The patterns found beneath Blackstone match the system of stonework farther north. We can confirm they’re connected."

"We already suspected that."

"Now we have evidence."

"Do you know what they were built for?"

"Not yet. We have several theories, but none I’m willing to put in an official report."

"What about the site inside Blackstone? Are more people coming to dig?"

"Not immediately."

Shen Yao spread out one of the rubbings and pointed to several intersecting lines.

"The exposed section is small but stable. We don’t understand enough of the layout to excavate safely. Expanding the excavation now could damage whatever lies underneath."

"Then leaving it alone sounds reasonable."

"For now."

Zhao Wei leaned against the table.

"The Association marker will stay. I’ve also instructed the two investigators stationed near Blackstone to report anyone interfering with the site."

"Good. That should discourage a few curious visitors."

"Some," Zhao Wei corrected. "Don’t depend entirely on the Association’s marker."

"I know."

Shen Yao glanced at him.

"I assume the formation shop wasn’t cheap?"

"Thirty-eight low-grade spirit stones."

"That sounds about right."

"Are you buying it?" Zhao Wei asked.

"I haven’t decided. The shop gave me three weeks to accept the quotation."

Blackstone’s business had grown considerably, but Territory Revenue wasn’t money Lin Yuan could withdraw and spend. Wages, construction, supplies, food, and repairs still came from his actual reserves.

"I’ll decide after I return and check what I have available."

Shen Yao tapped the drawing.

"If you purchase it, concentrate the detection coverage near the western boundary and the restricted site. There’s no reason to pay for protection over empty land."

"That’s what I asked the shop about. The formation can also be expanded later."

"Good. Whoever installs it should inspect the perimeter with you before placing anything."

"They said an apprentice could travel with a western caravan."

"That should work."

Lin Yuan glanced at the documents covering Shen Yao’s table.

"How much longer will you two stay here?"

"A few days," Zhao Wei said. "There are still reports to finish."

"Quite a few," Shen Yao added.

Zhao Wei looked at the pile.

"We’ve made good progress."

Shen Yao gave him a flat look.

"If you bring me another stack today, I’m throwing you out the window."

"We’re on the first floor."

"I know."

Lin Yuan pushed back his chair.

"I’ll return to Blackstone tomorrow morning."

Zhao Wei turned toward him.

"Still have your flying artifact?"

"Of course."

"Be careful on the way back. The western road has been unusually busy."

"Because of Blackstone?"

"Partly. Mostly merchants and curious travelers. Nothing serious has been reported since we left."

"That’s something."

"Your boundary posts are already helping. The investigators said people have started paying attention to where the developed territory begins."

Lin Yuan would show Xiao Lan the signmaker’s design when he returned.

After a few more words, he said goodbye and left the compound.

By then, the sun was approaching the city walls.

He found a small inn near the western gate and rented a room for the night.

Once inside, he took out the two quotations and placed them on the table.

Thirty-eight low-grade spirit stones for the warning formation.

The signmaker’s estimate could be reduced further if Blackstone supplied the wood and built the supporting frame.

Lin Yuan read through both again, then put them away.

He would check his reserves after returning. For now, he had already spent enough time looking at prices.

He went downstairs for dinner.

The following morning, Lin Yuan left Green River City through the western gate.

His wooden flying artifact rose steadily above the road before turning west. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

Below, caravans moved between the low hills, their wagons following the winding trade route toward the wasteland.

More caravans traveled the western road than he remembered.

Lin Yuan adjusted the artifact’s direction and settled in for the journey.

Several days of travel still separated him from Blackstone.

By the time he returned, Xiao Lan would probably have a list of matters waiting for him. Market stalls, workers, supplies, customer complaints—something always needed attention.

She would probably ask about the entrance sign before anything else.

Perhaps he should mention the thirty-eight-stone formation first.

After hearing that price, a wooden sign might sound like an excellent bargain.