Chapter 172: The Underground World
Ten days later, Shi An finally returned to Heaven Dou City in a carriage with two servants.
At this moment, Shi Lin was cultivating in the secret chamber. Upon hearing Shi An's voice, he immediately came out of the secret chamber.
"Greetings, young master!" Upon seeing Shi Lin emerge, Shi An hurriedly approached Shi Lin and respectfully bowed.
"No need for formalities. Did it go smoothly this time?" Shi Lin quickly helped Shi An up and looked him up and down.
Although this mission was stress-free, the constant travel back and forth was still quite tiring.
It had been almost a month since Shi Lin last saw Shi An, and he looked noticeably thinner and more weathered.
It seems that Shi Lin will be researching a Gu worm that can communicate over long distances in the near future.
In this way, Shi An won't have to travel back and forth, which would take at least half a month.
"Young Master, everything is going well. Recently, our family's wine sales have been exceptionally high, and we've accumulated a considerable amount of gold soul coins. Master prepared the materials you needed within a week, and I've also brought the craftsmen back." Shi An handed Shi Lin a bag filled with Small Manor Gu.
When they left, these small manor Gu were all empty, but now they are all full.
"Brother An, go back and rest first. I'll go settle them in." Shi Lin patted Shi An on the shoulder, then took the bag and hung it on his waist.
"Young Master, the Master sent me with one million gold soul coins and a letter." Shi An did not go back to rest immediately, but handed a soul tool to Shi Lin.
"Brother An, there's no rush. You should go back and rest. You must be exhausted from the journey. You're almost asleep." Shi Lin smiled helplessly at Shi An's tired appearance, then helped him back to his room.
Shi An was indeed exhausted. Not long after returning to his room, he began to snore.
Listening to Shi An's snoring, Shi Lin shook his head helplessly and turned back to his room.
Next, Shi Lin went directly to the basement to inspect the small manor Gu.
Sure enough, there was a small manor with more than a dozen people inside the Gu.
Shi Lin knew all these people; they were the workers who dug the basement for his family.
Shi Lin released these people directly from the Gu in the small manor.
"Greetings, young master!" After emerging from the Gu in the small manor, the workers immediately saw Shi Lin and instinctively bowed respectfully to him.
"No need for formalities, please rise. You've all had a hard time staying in the small manor during this time." Shi Lin clasped his hands in a respectful bow to the workers in front of him.
"No trouble at all, young master. The living conditions there are quite good." The foreman bowed to Shi Lin and then said with a smile.
"Alright, I hope you'll all rest in the basement today. We'll start work tomorrow. I've prepared some good food and drinks for you all." With a wave of his hand, Shi Lin brought out a table full of food from the Heaven Dou Royal Restaurant in the secret room.
"Thank you so much, young master!" The workers were so excited when they saw the steaming hot food that they almost jumped for joy.
"Here are various building materials, second-tier earth-burrowing Gu, and a map of Heaven Dou City. You will not only need to excavate the basement, but also help me determine how many secret chambers are underground in Heaven Dou City," Shi Lin said earnestly to the people in front of him.
"Your subordinates will certainly live up to your high expectations, young master!" Upon hearing Shi Lin's words, the workers cheered excitedly.
These people were originally slaves. Shi Zhen bought them back, sent them for further training, and then made them Soul Masters.
This made the workers extremely grateful, and they wanted nothing more than to repay him with their lives.
"Alright, everyone, get some rest. If you need anything from me, just let me know," Shi Lin said with a smile to the workers.
"Alright, eat and drink well, I'm going back now." Shi Lin waved his hand and then walked out of the secret room.
Only after Shi Lin left did the workers begin to eat and drink.
...
After returning to his bedroom, Shi Lin took out the letter that Shi Zhen had written to him from his soul tool.
Shi Lin studied late into the night by lamplight.
The letter mainly inquired about Shi Lin's recent situation, and Shi Zhen also expressed his desire to support Shi Lin.
In addition, Shi Zhen also mentioned in the letter the recent situation of the Shi family, which has basically stabilized. Next, they are just waiting for Shi Lin to get the title back, and then they can start the expansion.
Looking at the letter his father had written to him, Shi Lin sighed. Gazing at the moon outside the window, a deep longing for home welled up in his heart.
"I wonder when I'll be able to go home," Shi Lin sighed, sounding somewhat helpless.
The ability to refine healing pills himself can save the Heaven Dou Empire a lot of military expenses. Unless something particularly serious happens, Emperor Xue Ye will not let Shi Lin leave Heaven Dou City.
Therefore, going home is now almost unattainable for Shi Lin.
However, Shi Lin was not a pretentious person. Since he was in Heaven Dou City, he should make good use of his time there.
Whether it's to make money, gather intelligence, or collect the corpses of spirit beasts...
In short, Shi Lin still has a lot to do in Heaven Dou City.
After organizing all these things and writing them down in his notebook, Shi Lin went back to his bed to rest.
...
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Shi Lin heard the bell ringing in the basement.
This is a signal for Shi Lin to contact these workers; the workers need to speak with Shi Lin.
Shi Lin quickly exited his cultivation state and went into the basement.
"Greetings, young master!" The foreman bowed respectfully to Shi Lin.
"No need for formalities." Shi Lin helped the foreman up.
At this time, only the foreman and a few workers were left in the basement; everyone else had disappeared, leaving only a few holes in the wall.
"Young Master, last night we used the Earth-Escape Gu to explore the surrounding environment. I must say, Heaven Dou City truly lives up to its reputation for its profound resources; there are so many secret chambers underground." The foreman handed Shi Lin a blueprint filled with squares.
Shi Lin took the blueprints and glanced at them, discovering that they were densely packed with secret rooms.
"Young Master, I think if we don't have any special requirements, we can build an underground world outside Heaven Dou City. That way, it will not only be safer but also quieter, which is more beneficial than staying inside the city." The foreman took out a map of Heaven Dou City and its surrounding area and showed it to Shi Lin.
Shi Lin took the map and continued looking at it.
Indeed, there is no suitable place in Heaven Dou City to build a large-scale underground construction room, so the best option is to dig a secret passage to leave Heaven Dou City and then build this underground training base outside Heaven Dou City.
Moreover, digging a basement outwards has another advantage: it provides a ready-made secret passage out of Heaven Dou City.
After all, no one knows if Shi Lin will need to leave this place through the secret passage one day.
Or perhaps, is it possible to enter Heaven Dou City through this secret passage?
"Alright, foreman, I'm entrusting this matter entirely to you. Draw up the design drawings as soon as possible and give them to me. Once we've confirmed that there are no problems, we can start work immediately," Shi Lin said to the foreman very seriously.
"Alright, young master, don't worry, I will definitely deliver the design drawings to you before tonight," the foreman assured Shi Lin, patting his chest.
"It's alright, there's no rush with this basement. Let's design it carefully; I'll be spending a lot of time here in the future," Shi Lin said with a smile, patting the foreman on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, young master. My life was given to me by the master. I will do my best to serve you and will not dare to be careless in the slightest." The foreman knelt down on one knee and said earnestly to Shi Lin.
"No need for formalities. I know your loyalty. Rest assured, I will make you all stronger in the future. Work hard, and you'll never be short of good wine and meat." Shi Lin helped the foreman up from the ground with satisfaction.
"Young Master, we've also discovered some secret rooms that haven't been used for a long time. Shall we…" The foreman stood up and gave Shi Lin a sinister smile.
"Don't touch it for now, but be sure to mark it carefully; it might be useful in the future," Shi Lin earnestly instructed the foreman.
Shi Lin didn't want to cause any more trouble, since he was still in a relatively dangerous situation in Heaven Dou City, with many people watching him.
There's no need to invite unnecessary trouble because of your curiosity.
When it's time for him to leave, Shi Lin will check if there are any treasures in these secret rooms. If there are, he won't take them with him.
After all, Shi Lin has a strong curiosity about the unknown.
"Alright, young master, I will definitely mark it properly." The foreman understood Shi Lin's thoughts and earnestly assured him.
"This is your food supply for a month. The soul tool doesn't dissipate heat, so everything is fresh. Distribute it yourselves. If you need anything, just call me with the bell," Shi Lin said to the foreman.
"Thank you, young master!" Upon seeing that the soul tool was full of fish and meat, the foreman hurriedly and respectfully bowed to Shi Lin.
"Get back to work. I'm going back now," Shi Lin said earnestly to the foreman.
"Respectfully seeing off young master!" The foreman bowed respectfully to Shi Lin.
After seeing Shi Lin off, the foreman summoned the others who were still exploring back, and they had breakfast while discussing the next map.
...
After leaving the basement, Shi Lin went to the courtyard, where Shi An was already sitting at the dining table waiting for him.
"Brother An, will there be any problems going back home this time?" Shi Lin asked Shi An.
"Everything is fine at home. Notting City is going to be expanded again soon. Our Shi family is paying for it, and it feels like Notting City is getting more and more impressive." Shi An suddenly thought of something and said to Shi Lin.
"That has nothing to do with me. It's good that everything is alright back home. By the way, Brother An, starting today, you only have one task: apart from eating, drinking, and going to the toilet, put all your energy into cultivation and make sure you break through as soon as possible." Shi Lin earnestly instructed Shi An.
"Yes, young master, I will do my best to cultivate." Shi An quickly stood up and bowed to Shi Lin.
"Brother An, sit down and eat." Shi Lin shook his head helplessly at Shi An's serious expression; his brother An was still too honest.
Then, the servants in the courtyard brought out the prepared breakfast.
After having breakfast with Shi An, Shi Lin left the courtyard.
"Young Master, where are you going?" Shi An asked Shi Lin.
He also considered going with Shi Lin.
"I bought a shop in Heaven Dou City to acquire some items. You don't need to go; just stay home and cultivate. I'll go by myself." Shi Lin waved to Shi An, then left his courtyard and headed towards the "Nabao Pavilion."
Shi An watched Shi Lin's retreating figure, scratched his head in confusion, and then returned to his room to begin cultivating.
With the blessing of the dual-flavor wine gu, Shi An's cultivation speed increased significantly.
...
A few minutes later, Shi Lin arrived at the entrance of the Nabao Pavilion.
Now that the "Nabao Pavilion" has officially opened for business, Shi Lin is preparing to go to work at the shop to see if he can find suitable spirit beast materials and other rare materials.
Upon arriving at the shop, Shi Lin didn't greet Huang Qi. Instead, he went to his workstation and began cultivating while waiting for his turn.
As expected of the core city of the Heaven Dou Empire, Heaven Dou City is a place where people still come to visit, even though this shop is in a relatively remote location.
Just then, a young man walked in from outside.
"Do you collect spirit beast corpses here?" the young man asked Huang Qi in a calm voice.
"Yes, young master, we also buy spirit beast corpses here. May I ask what kind of spirit beast corpses you sell?" Huang Qi asked the young man with a smile.
"I don't know if there's a spirit bone inside this five-thousand-year-old Dragon Blood Golden Crocodile, so I'd like to sell it to you at a price that's not very attractive," the young man said to Huang Qi with a hint of pleading.
"Three hundred gold soul coins," Shi Lin said.
"Thank you, thank you!" the young man said excitedly.
"Young Master, you've arrived?" Huang Qi quickly bowed to Shi Lin.
"No need for formalities, just give him the money," Shi Lin said, waving to Huang Qi.
"Yes, young master!" Although Huang Qi was puzzled, he still took out a bag of five hundred gold soul coins from his soul tool and handed it to the young man.
"Thank you so much!" The young man excitedly accepted the bag full of gold soul coins and then hurriedly left.
Watching the young man walk away, Huang Qi came up to Shi Lin and smiled and nodded at him.
"Young Master, you've overpaid. This five-thousand-year-old spirit beast corpse is only worth a hundred or two hundred gold soul coins. If you negotiate the price down, you can get it for less than a hundred gold soul coins," Huang Qi said to Shi Lin, scratching his head.
"Skin this crocodile later, I need it," Shi Lin said with a smile to Huang Qi.
"Yes, young master." Huang Qi nodded without hesitation and then arranged to find someone skilled in the craft.
Just then, Shi Lin suddenly noticed a flash of golden light in the crocodile's mouth.
Shi Lin's eyes widened involuntarily.
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[end of the chapter]