The Lord of Glimmer plants the sun in the eternal night.

"?"

The voice of the newcomer was somewhat unfamiliar.

Jiang Chuan told Ye Xuan to get dressed and hide in the inner room, then got up and went outside.

Outside the edge of the territory stood two middle-aged men, carrying bows and arrows and gripping iron spears, but their overall appearance was somewhat disheveled, with long, loose hair and unkempt beards, as if they had fled from some famine.

"Who are you?" Jiang Chuan asked.

"Where's Jiang Liu? This is Wang Anquan from Outpost Six."

Standing outside the territory, I looked at the fire spring that was clearly level 1 and the two arrow towers that looked formidable.

When Wang Anquan replied, his eyes still showed confusion and bewilderment.

What's going on...?

When did the patrol team get a builder?

What's going on with this arrow tower?

Two more?

He hadn't seen many patrol outposts with arrow towers. For most patrollers, an outpost was just a temporary place to stay. They usually lived in towns and would patrol and sweep the mountains at specific times.

No one would spend a lot of money to build arrow towers, and some small towns don't even have them; they only have watchtowers and man-made arrow towers.

"Wang Quan'an?"

Jiang Chuan remembered it.

He remembered that the other person was another patrolman who had been ostracized by Qin Kexing's group.

Based on Jiang Liu and the information he provided, Jiang Chuan concluded that the other party was simply a shut-in.

They rarely leave their homes, only going out to purchase supplies when they go on patrol.

Their thinking is—the world is already like this, let it be destroyed, quickly!

Now that he knew who the other person was, Jiang Chuan didn't hide anything and told the truth:

My older brother is dead.

"What!?"

"How is this possible?"

Wang Anquan's eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Nothing is impossible. We encountered a blood bear in the mountains," Jiang Chuan added.

"Alas, what a pity." Upon hearing this, Wang Anquan's thoughts were in turmoil, and in the end, he could only sigh.

"What do you need my brother for?" Jiang Chuan asked, looking at the two of them.

Wang Quan'an did not answer Jiang Chuan's question first, but instead expressed his doubt:

"You're Jiang Liu's younger brother? I remember you were a farmer, weren't you? You...you..."

His eyes were fixed on the two arrow towers, unable to look away.

"I am indeed a farmer, but my elder brother didn't say that only farmers exist in Snow Eagle Ridge, did he?" Jiang Chuan chuckled.

Even this guy who lives in the mountains knows he's a farmer, so there's nothing left to hide.

Upon hearing this...

A knowing look flashed across Wang Anquan's face, a hint of helplessness on his lips: "Your older brother really fooled me quite a bit. I thought he... found him in the wilderness... but it turns out you..."

Jiang Chuan remained noncommittal.

After his initial shock, Wang Anquan explained his purpose for coming.

He hadn't originally planned to say anything, but seeing that there was a builder in charge at Snow Eagle Ridge, it wouldn't be too bad to make friends with him through information.

"The fire spring in the Blood Bamboo Forest will go out in a day. Now is the perfect time to deal with that mutated creature. I originally wanted to go with your older brother. You should know that Qin Kexing and his group are no good. If they find out, we won't get anything."

Wang Anquan was filled with resentment and clearly disliked Qin Kexing and his group, but he was powerless against their overwhelming force and had no choice but to submit to their tyranny.

This might be part of the reason why he stays in the mountains and is unwilling to go out.

"Blood Bamboo Forest?" Jiang Chuan nodded thoughtfully.

"Alright, you absolutely mustn't take any risks. If I get the chance, I'll send you some," Wang Anquan said, looking at the arrow tower.

No, that's not the case.

Jiang Chuan shook his head, looked at Wang Anquan, and said softly, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Wang. If there is an opportunity in the future, we can cooperate."

"Okay, okay..."

Wang Anquan's tone couldn't help but carry a hint of excitement: "Then we'll head back to the base first. Just come find me anytime if you need anything."

Such a promise is tantamount to receiving an opportunity to collaborate with the builder.

It's just a matter of a single sentence; is there a more worthwhile deal than this?

"The builders?"

The man wearing a deer antler hat following behind Wang Anquan had a hint of envy in his eyes. Although the builders were not the strongest in terms of combat power, they were definitely the highest in terms of status.

After all, no matter how strong the combat power is, it can't be much stronger. When night falls, they still have to hide near the fire spring.

In this world, defense and survival are the mainstream strategies.

There is no such thing as a sequence suddenly rushing into the darkness and wreaking havoc; that's pure fantasy.

"Brother, Jiang Liu has really found a treasure in the wilderness!"

"It's a pity that his younger brother is the one enjoying the good fortune. The children born from their union will most likely also be builders. Could they develop another large city and a large family here in the future?"

"Brother, how about we join Snow Eagle Ridge? Life in the mountains is too hard. I want to enjoy a better life with you."

The man's eyes darted around a few times, and he became more and more excited as he spoke.

"Brother."

Wang Anquan didn't reply immediately, but after a while, he patted the man on the shoulder and said, "I've been in this world for so many years, and I've always understood one thing: there's no such thing as good or bad without a reason."

"Whether it's good or bad is for the people involved to judge."

"So, whether we're good or bad, whether we can join or not, isn't up to us to decide; it's up to Jiang Chuan to decide."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that I'm a swordsman. A swordsman and a builder are ultimately different. One is a construction worker, and the other is someone who works for others. The two cannot be compared."

"I think that kid is pretty shrewd. If we want to join, we'll need a pledge of loyalty."

"What is a pledge of allegiance? It means we have to prove our worth, not just talk the talk. This Blood Bamboo Forest is our opportunity, which is why I said that just now."

A hint of admiration appeared on the man's face, and he patted his chest: "Brother, you've thought things through clearly. Don't worry, brother, I'll do whatever you say. I definitely won't act on my own."

"Um."

Wang Anquan chuckled and patted the man on the back: "Let's go back to the base first. If you really join, and they want to expand, you'll have plenty of mines to mine in the future."

"They can't dig me to death, can they?"

What do you think?

...

"Ah Shui, what's wrong?"

Ye Xuan, who was inside the house, asked about the situation with concern.

The situation has changed too quickly lately, and Snow Eagle Ridge is not what it used to be. She is afraid that someone is watching them and that it will be detrimental to them.

"fine."

Jiang Chuan didn't say anything more, and there was no need for Ye Xuan to worry about anything.

As usual, after breakfast, I went outside and started working.

He first spent 2 points of Ether to activate the "Level 1 Sharpness" and "Level 1 Durability" of the [Tool] [Axe].

The old, rusty iron axe in his hand immediately became brand new, and the blade became smooth and sharp.

[Ether: 8]

...

Iron Axe

【Function: Chop】

【Characteristics: Level 1 Sharpness, Level 1 Durability】

[Durability: 200/200]

...

Jiang Chuan weighed it in his hand twice and nodded to himself.

Then they extracted the shadows cast by the firelight.

After handing the iron axe to the other person, he took it to the woods east of Snow Eagle Ridge.

He plans to clear the area so that he can build structures or cultivate farmland.

Furthermore, timber is also scarce.

He couldn't possibly build all the buildings, such as warehouses and cellars, with flint as the material; that would be too extravagant.

"Hmm... do it like this first, then like this..."