Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Build a High Tower, Feast the World’s Guests

It had been colder before, but since the temperature was constant, he never woke up from it. He had grown accustomed to the chill.

But now with the "1.0 Heating System," the temperature would rise, but the subsequent drop as the water in the Copper Pipes cooled made for an uncomfortable fluctuation.

And so—

He decided to build a "2.0 Heating System" before nightfall to provide the camp with a continuous source of heat.

...

The plan was simple.

The current heating system in the camp used a Copper Pipe that extended outside to collect rainwater. A boiler inside the Wooden House heated the water, which then flowed through the Copper Pipes inside to warm the room.

However, the lack of a circulation pump meant the process required manual intervention; it couldn’t be fully automated.

His task now was to cobble together a "circulation pump" to act as a pressure source.

First, he spent two Ghost Stones to create a Beast Trap, then spent another ten to upgrade it into an Earth Spike. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He chose the "Power Enhancement" Upgrade Direction to increase its pressure.

Next, he crafted a square Copper Pipe, one meter wide and one meter long. He stood it on top of the Earth Spike, creating a structure that resembled an inverted T (⊥). Since the Earth Spike was also a meter square, it was a perfect fit.

An hour later.

"Done."

Chen Fan stood outside the camp, gazing at the structure before him that looked like a black dick. Hands on his hips, he panted slightly and broke into a satisfied smile.

’A job well done!’

The Earth Spike would trigger under a certain amount of pressure, causing its hard, black Wooden Spikes to shoot out. Chen Fan had modified it. First, he had sawn off the tips of the Wooden Spikes and sanded them down, greatly reducing their lethality. Then, he had skinned a part of a Monkey Head Ghost and stretched the Ghost Skin over the top of the Earth Spike.

This way, when triggered, the Earth Spike would rapidly thrust upward, pushing against the Ghost Skin.

Like a—

—large, leather-covered Piston.

Moreover, the Earth Spike was an incredibly energy-efficient trap. It could be triggered numerous times before the Ghost Stones used in its creation were depleted, making it something of a perpetual motion machine.

Then, he connected a thicker Copper Pipe to the furnace inside the Wooden House, effectively turning the pipe into a large boiler. He then used narrower Copper Pipes to link this outdoor Piston building to the boiler.

The square Copper Pipe of the Piston building was left open at the top. Near the top, another Copper Pipe extended horizontally, passing through the City Wall and into the Wooden House.

When rainwater filled the upright Copper Pipe outside the camp, the weight of the water would create enough pressure to activate the Earth Spike below. It would thrust upward violently. Under this pressure, the rainwater inside would be forced out through the horizontal pipe at the top and flow into the boiler in the Wooden House.

This would, in turn, force the existing hot water from the boiler into the indoor Copper Pipes while simultaneously refilling the boiler with fresh, cold water.

The cooled water from the system would then be discharged outside through a separate Copper Pipe.

And just like that, the "2.0 Heating System" was complete!

For aesthetic purposes, he ran the horizontal Copper Pipe from the top of the Piston Building flush against the ground and the wall. This consumed a few more Ghost Stones, but it reduced the risk of collapse—after all, the Copper Pipe modules weren’t particularly sturdy—and it looked much neater.

There were, of course, other solutions—like harnessing the energy from the water flash-boiling in the boiler—but that approach had its own drawbacks.

For now, this was the simplest and most resource-efficient solution.

Of course, there was still plenty of room for optimization, but he could tweak it later. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

...

Lame Monkey and the others gathered around the Piston Building outside the camp. It stood flush against the City Wall. After listening to Chen Fan explain the principles behind it, they were all completely flabbergasted, at a loss for words.

"..."

Wang Mazi glanced at the five Earth Spikes next to the Farmland, then back at the Piston Building. His eyes were filled with pure confusion.

’Earth Spikes...’

’...can be used like this?’

’How did I never think of that?’

Then, his gaze fell upon Chen Fan’s back, and a chill of fear ran through him. He had assumed Chen Fan’s sudden rise was due to inheriting his mother’s legacy as an Architect. Now, he saw that wasn’t the whole story at all.

’A legacy can be passed down, but can raw intelligence?’

’A young master who was bullied by everyone in the Chen Family suddenly has a breakthrough the moment he reaches the desolate wilds?’

’Impossible!’

’His methods, his very presence—they’re completely different from the Chen Fan I knew back in the Chen Family. To hide his true abilities for so many years, just waiting for the day he could break free from the family’s grasp and soar... that level of forbearance is terrifying.’

"Young Master!"

Lame Monkey, visibly excited, limped around the Piston Building again and again. "I never imagined an Earth Spike trap could be used like this! And I have a feeling... this thing you’ve named a Piston, Young Master... it could have even more uses, couldn’t it?"

"Of course."

Chen Fan stood at the edge of the camp, looking at his incredibly crude Piston Building with a satisfied chuckle. "This Piston is just a basic application. I’ve named this entire field of study... Mechanics."

"Mechanics?"

"You can think of it as a fancy way of boiling water."

"Oh, oh..."

This was a Mystical World.

But...

He was no native of this world. In his hands, an energy-efficient, pressure-activated Earth Spike was far more than just an Earth Spike.

"Um..."

Just then, Wang Kui timidly raised his hand. "Um... Station Chief," he began hesitantly, "this heating system is amazing, but its main water supply is the heavy rain during the rainy season. Once the rainy season is over and winter arrives, how is it going to work?"

As he finished speaking, the men all looked at each other.

’He’s right.’

Winter was the coldest time of year—a deadly cold. Without a plentiful supply of rainwater, the heating system would be useless.

"No need to worry."

Chen Fan replied casually, "Right now, the cooled water from the heating pipes in the Wooden House is discharged directly outside. Once the rainy season is over, we just need to add a small reservoir and connect the discharge pipe back to the Piston. That will create a closed, recycling loop."

"Since it’s the middle of the rainy season, we don’t lack for water. This way, we save a few Ghost Stones that would have been spent on extra Copper Pipes."

"Every little bit counts."

The next moment—

"Station Chief!"

Zhou Mo’s shout came from the camp’s perimeter. Only after Lame Monkey had cleared him did he and his men hurry over to Chen Fan, "Station Chief," he said, beaming, "today’s haul was great! And on the way back, we..."

"Huh?"

Zhou Mo’s eyes suddenly fell upon the pitch-black Copper Pipe structure standing nearby. "What’s this?" he asked, surprised.

"..."

Chen Fan smiled, pulled the Great Saber Treasure from his robes, and tossed it to Zhou Mo. "Let them explain it to you. I’m heading inside to rest. Find me later to give your report. It’s almost dark, so make sure you’re all prepared."

"Use this saber."

"Ahem."

Lame Monkey cleared his throat with a light cough into his fist, his expression turning serious. "First of all, nothing I’m about to tell you can be repeated outside this group. This is the Young Master’s New Research on Building Secret Technique. He’s named it ’Mechanics.’"

"It’s a highly guarded secret."

"This structure you see is called a Piston. It contains an Earth Spike that provides the pressure, and..."

As Lame Monkey spoke, he watched Zhou Mo’s eyes grow wider with confusion, which only fueled his own excitement. He couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from curling into a grin.

’This is my Young Master’s masterpiece!’

’There’s nothing else like it in all of Jiangbei City!’

「A long moment later.」

Zhou Mo looked at Lame Monkey with a dead-serious expression.

"Brother, you have nothing to worry about when it comes to me spreading this."

"Because I didn’t understand a single word you just said. I couldn’t leak the secret if I tried."

"But..."

"This saber is really something else."

Zhou Mo looked down at the Great Saber Treasure in his arms, a grin stretching nearly from ear to ear. Laughing like an idiot, he caressed the weapon lovingly as he walked back into the camp.

"Sigh."

Lame Monkey heaved a long, helpless sigh. ’These guys are so uncultured,’ he thought. ’Back in the Chen Family’s Private School, I always aced my theory classes.’

’The Young Master’s Piston Building is far more valuable than that stupid saber in your hands, you know.’

He could vaguely sense it. This wasn’t just a heating system. This was the dawn of a new era—the Young Master’s era.

’It’s like... a foundation.’

A foundation upon which, in the blink of an eye, a great tower could rise to host the entire world.