Chapter 82: A Quieter Blackstone

Shortly after breakfast, the apprentice returned to the restricted area.

Unlike the western boundary, the excavation did not require a wide detection line. The exposed section was small, and the Cultivator Association had already marked most of the surrounding ground. Three additional nodes would be enough.

After helping Su Mei prepare for the morning customers, Lin Yuan went to inspect the installation.

An Association investigator had cleared the ground around the marker and dug three shallow holes outside the restricted line. Nearby, the apprentice was unpacking equipment from his wooden case.

"Three nodes are enough?" Lin Yuan asked.

"For this area, yes. The formation isn’t meant to physically stop anyone. It only needs to tell you when someone crosses the line."

That suited Lin Yuan’s needs. A determined cultivator could still cause trouble, but receiving an early warning was better than discovering footprints around the excavation afterward.

Installation occupied most of the morning.

Each node went deeper into the soil than the stakes along the western boundary, with a narrow formation plate providing reinforcement beneath it. Once the work was finished, little remained visible except three small carved marks.

A secondary receiving plate was mounted near the Association marker. Back at the tavern, the main plate had already been fixed high on the wall behind the counter, beyond the reach of most customers.

Xiao Lan had complained that it was too high.

Lin Yuan considered that confirmation he’d chosen the right place.

Near noon, the apprentice finished covering the final node and brushed the dust from his robes.

"That should do it."

One of the investigators glanced toward the marked boundary.

"Test it?"

"Go ahead."

Lin Yuan waited beside the secondary receiving plate while the investigator walked around the excavation.

Nothing happened until the man stepped across the restricted line.

A clear chime sounded from the plate. Moments later, a matching note carried faintly from the direction of Wandering Cloud Tavern.

After stepping back and allowing the sound to fade, the investigator tried crossing from another point.

Once again, the warning sounded.

Lin Yuan listened carefully. It was loud enough to attract attention nearby without disturbing the entire settlement.

More importantly, both detection areas could now send warnings directly to the tavern.

While the apprentice packed his tools, Lin Yuan asked, "You’re leaving today?"

"Tomorrow morning. I’ll stay overnight in case anything needs adjusting."

"That’s included in the installation fee?"

"Yes."

"Good."

After dealing with formations for the past several days, Lin Yuan had developed a healthy suspicion of anything described as additional work.

Back at Wandering Cloud Tavern, lunch had already filled most of the tables.

Su Mei moved between customers with practiced ease, taking orders and collecting empty bowls. Xiao Lan helped carry food from the kitchen, leaving Lin Yuan to manage the stove.

For a while, the dining room was busy enough that he had little opportunity to think about the excavation.

Not that he minded.

Interest in the buried structure hadn’t disappeared, but the visitors it attracted were changing.

Previously, many travelers had come hoping to discover treasure. Some tried to approach the excavation, while others spent their meals discussing what the Association might have found underground.

Now most understood that the area was restricted and that there was little to see from the road.

People still came to Blackstone, only with more practical intentions.

A hot meal and somewhere to sleep were becoming better reasons to stop than rumors of hidden treasures.

Later that afternoon, two wandering cultivators approached from the west.

Upon noticing the boundary posts, they changed direction and followed the marked entrance without anyone needing to intervene.

From the tavern doorway, Lin Yuan watched them pass.

A week earlier, he might not have cared where travelers chose to walk. Now the distinction mattered.

Blackstone had a road, a market, and boundaries that visitors were beginning to respect.

By late afternoon, enough customers had left for Lin Yuan to take a seat behind the counter.

One of the Association investigators entered shortly afterward. After ordering tea, he placed several folded papers on the counter.

"More reports?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Always."

"Shen Yao would be pleased."

"I doubt that."

The investigator looked tired.

Lin Yuan poured his tea.

After Zhao Wei and Shen Yao returned to Green River City, this man and his partner had remained behind to monitor the excavation. They still took regular measurements, although the work attracted far less attention now.

"Anything new?" Lin Yuan asked.

"Nothing important. The readings are stable. No new Qi disturbance, and no movement in the exposed stonework."

"So nobody is coming to dig farther?"

"Not for now."

Lin Yuan was glad to hear it.

Although the Association still considered the buried structure worth investigating, further excavation would have to wait until the existing records were reviewed.

Whatever lay beneath Blackstone had already caused enough trouble without actually doing anything.

While drinking his tea, the investigator glanced at the receiving plate behind the counter.

"If someone crosses the restricted line tonight, you’ll probably know before we do."

"That sounds like you’re transferring responsibility."

"Sharing."

"Very generous."

His visitor ignored the comment and continued drinking.

Around sunset, a larger caravan arrived from the west.

Six wagons approached the developed area, accompanied by mounted cultivators and several Ironhoof Beasts carrying supplies.

The lead driver slowed near the boundary, located the marked entrance, and guided the others through.

No warning sounded.

Xiao Lan, who had been standing beside Lin Yuan in the courtyard, folded her arms.

"The entrance works."

"The formation works," Lin Yuan corrected.

"The entrance tells them where to go."

"The posts do that."

She glanced toward the unfinished wooden frame beside the road.

"The frame helps."

"The frame has nothing on it."

"Yet."

Lin Yuan headed back toward the tavern before she could continue.

By the following morning, the apprentice had finished inspecting the installation.

Every node remained in place. There had been no false warnings overnight, and nobody had disturbed the restricted site.

Before leaving, he explained what to do if part of the formation was damaged.

Someone with basic formation knowledge could repair minor damage to an outer plate. A problem with the main pattern, however, would require help from Green River City.

Once his wooden case was packed, the apprentice added one final warning.

"Try not to let anyone dig them up."

"I was planning to avoid that."

"Good."

He joined a small merchant group traveling east, leaving Lin Yuan to watch them disappear along the road.

With the installation finished, both the western boundary and the restricted excavation had their own detection lines. Unless something unusual happened, the Association could continue its investigation without needing his constant attention.

Lin Yuan turned toward the tavern.

He hadn’t reached the entrance when Xiao Lan intercepted him.

"Now the sign."

He should have expected that.

She handed him a folded sheet of paper.

"I wrote something."

Lin Yuan unfolded it with immediate suspicion.

We still want the Blackstone sign. Please send the new price.

He read the message twice.

"That’s all?"

"What else does he need?"

Lin Yuan considered adding an explanation for the delay.

On second thought, the craftsman didn’t need to hear about Blackstone’s recent security problems. All he needed to know was that they were still interested and that the previous estimate had expired.

After adjusting a few words and adding his name, Lin Yuan sealed the message.

Qiao Ren found an eastbound caravan before lunch, allowing the letter to leave Blackstone that same day.

For the moment, Xiao Lan appeared satisfied.

Lin Yuan gave it a few days before she started asking about the reply.

Life soon settled into a familiar routine.

Over the following days, the detection formation sounded twice.

The first warning came when a traveler attempted to take a shortcut between two western boundary posts instead of following the road.

Hearing the chime from the tavern, he froze.

Lin Yuan stepped outside.

The traveler glanced between him and the posts.

"I didn’t know."

Without arguing, Lin Yuan pointed toward the proper entrance.

The man quickly retreated outside the boundary and walked around.

Another warning came from the restricted site.

One of Qiao Ren’s customers had wandered too far while looking for somewhere private. Fortunately, an Association investigator redirected him before Lin Yuan even arrived.

For the next three days, the formation remained silent.

Lin Yuan began to suspect that its greatest benefit wasn’t catching intruders.

Apparently, one unexpected chime was enough to teach most people where not to walk.

Meanwhile, the Travelers’ Market opened every morning.

Qiao Ren spent much of his time complaining about customers asking for discounts, though he somehow looked perfectly happy while doing so.

At the tavern, Su Mei decided to reorganize the storage room after discovering that Xiao Lan had placed dried vegetables beside a barrel of lamp oil.

When questioned, Xiao Lan pointed out that both were supplies.

Su Mei moved the vegetables anyway.

Association investigators occasionally passed through the settlement carrying measuring equipment, but few people bothered following them anymore.

Rumors about the excavation continued circulating.

Depending on whom one asked, Blackstone concealed an ancient city, a forgotten inheritance, or even a spiritual vein beneath the tavern.

Without new discoveries, those stories gradually became ordinary topics of conversation over meals.

Lin Yuan stopped correcting the last rumor.

If someone wanted to buy dinner while waiting for a nonexistent spiritual vein to reveal itself, he saw no reason to interfere with their patience.

One evening, after the last dinner customers had either gone upstairs or returned to their caravans, Lin Yuan stepped outside.

Cool air greeted him in the courtyard.

Lantern light spilled from Wandering Cloud Tavern, illuminating the nearby walls and part of the road. Farther away, smaller lights marked the market and occupied buildings.

Beyond the courtyard, the seven stone posts along the western boundary were barely visible in the darkness.

Blackstone Wasteland stretched beyond them.

Most of the land remained dry and empty, with little spiritual Qi to support cultivation.

Closer to the tavern, however, a caravan had settled beside the road for the night. Someone laughed near the stable, and dishes clinked faintly inside as Su Mei and Xiao Lan finished cleaning.

Qiao Ren’s shop had already gone dark.

Farther away, a small lamp illuminated the Association marker. Nothing moved around the restricted site.

Lin Yuan remained in the courtyard, enjoying the quiet.

The buried structure was still beneath his land. Sooner or later, the Association might uncover something that brought more trouble to Blackstone.

There was little he could do about that tonight.

Tomorrow would bring the usual work: customers to feed, rooms to maintain, supplies to purchase, and probably another reminder from Xiao Lan about the sign.

The tavern door opened behind him.

"Owner Lin," Su Mei called. "Are you coming inside?"

"In a minute."

"The kitchen still needs checking."

Of course it did.

Lin Yuan glanced toward the quiet road before turning back.

For once, nothing in Blackstone needed him urgently.

He decided not to complain.