Master of Kaidan
Chapter 100 Where is the Way Forward?

Chapter 100: Chapter 100 Where is the Way Forward?

Mr. Li didn’t understand what Feng Xue was saying about the notebook, but he didn’t care. Each "No" came from different worlds, and cultural differences were to be expected. He couldn’t nor needed to figure it all out.

After Feng Xue asked a few more questions about the Kaidan, Mr. Li figured the timing was about right, so he initiated:

"You should leave that Landfill you were at, right? Got any new targets?"

Feng Xue raised an eyebrow, knowing the cost of asking Mr. Li for information was coming, and followed up with his suggestion, "Not yet, do you have any recommendations?"

"Hmm, let me ask you this, do you have anything related to ’Hidden’, ’Hermit’, or other similar elements? Hmm, don’t tell me, regardless, if you do, then any Landfill will do, but if not, then you’d better think twice."

Mr. Li said this without waiting for Feng Xue’s reaction and continued:

"You saved a Door Opener before, and as long as you didn’t kill the Manager, your information must already be known in the residential area. Even if you’re wanted, the people underneath might not remember your face, but once you’re found out, you need to run immediately."

"Oh, so the residential area and the Managers of the Major Landfills are in cahoots?" Feng Xue asked as if he didn’t know, and Mr. Li responded sternly:

"More than in cahoots, you can consider all the Landfill Managers as the lapdogs of the residential area. Well, that’s not entirely accurate, since they have opportunities to reside in the residential area too."

With an undeniable air of taunt in his tone, Mr. Li continued, prompting Feng Xue to think ’figures as much’, though externally he remained unflustered:

"So you’re saying the residential area would back up their dogs?"

"Back up?" Mr. Li questioned with a taunting tone, not waiting for a reply before giving the answer:

"They only care about interests. To them, the Landfills are their farms; everything produced is their harvest, and the Managers are just their tenant farmers. They don’t care about the life and death of farmers, but they care if the yield decreases, get it? Of course, there are spoiled sons of landlords who go down to the countryside for the experience. If you encounter a Manager decked out in outrageously expensive gear, it’s best to stay as far away from them as possible. Offending a tenant might be manageable by simply hiding, but offending the landlord’s foolish son, that could lead to a crackdown!"

Changing tack, Mr. Li added:

"However, it actually makes no difference to the ordinary ’No’. Like you, who have been marked, if you want some peace without the ’Hidden’ type of Name and still want to avoid trouble, either live in the wild until nobody remembers you, or just move to one of the Four Major Landfills."

"Four Major Landfills? Aren’t those under the control of the residential area?" Feng Xue asked with some surprise, but also understood that this was likely the "obvious path" Mr. Li was hinting at, so he continued to inquire.

"That’s right, but the Four Major Landfills are some of the oldest in Infinite City. Although theoretically under direct control of the residential area, they are home to many Experts whom even the parasites of the residential area dare not provoke lightly. These failed challengers of the Tower of Babylon’s seats, both Kaidan and near-Kaidan entities make the Four Major Landfills more lenient than others. Most importantly, it’s a large place with lots of people, where occasionally, if a door appears, Managers can’t arrive in a few minutes like they do in ordinary Landfills. Even if they get there, they won’t dare to go too far. Do you understand what I’m saying?"

Mr. Li’s almost explicit explanation made Feng Xue understand his point, but he pressed on:

"What do you mean by ’seats in the Tower of Babylon’? What does that have to do with the ’Tower of Babylon’ rooms you mentioned before?"

"That’s too early for you at this stage; when you become a Kaidan, come ask me then."

With that, Mr. Li seemed tired and immediately hung up. Listening to the busy tone from his work badge, Feng Xue stretched and climbed out of the cardboard box.

He opened his work badge and called up the map of Infinite City, considered the distances, and then pulled out several small universal wheels and a reel of rope that he’d obtained from the Real World. He took out a bottle of glue from the Storage Bag—

Name: Phantom Object·Strong Glue

Elements: [Tool], [Crafting], [Connection], [Sturdy], [Reliable]

Description: A refined bottle of strong glue effective on most solids requires only a three-second press for a perfect bond. Yet, for some reason, it looks somewhat like a lubricant.

Remark: This is not Vaseline! Not Vaseline!

...

Though the remark was somewhat mystifying, the glue was very powerful. Combined with the [Manufacturing] element awarded by Feng Xue’s [Money Printer] label, he quickly affixed the wheels to the four corners of the box, and with the rope attached to the front, he transformed the cardboard box into a high-capacity handcart.

As for discarding the wheels later, that was easy since they were True Objects—Feng Xue only had to suck in his breath, and the attached parts would disintegrate, naturally eliminating any permanent alterations the Phantom Glue could have caused.

With that settled, Feng Xue packed items like the Scavenging Set that wouldn’t fit into the Storage Bag into the cardboard box and, like walking a dog, dragged it toward the north.

Although the information from Mr. Li obviously had a certain agenda, Feng Xue didn’t have many better options. As Mr. Li said, he could either keep hiding in the wild until everyone forgot him or take the risk.

He didn’t know if the Four Major Landfills were as safe as Mr. Li said, but with the resurrection ace up his sleeve, trying was better than just waiting.

After all, he was just a rumor; no one knew how long the Impressions of the [Money Printer] and [Demon] would last. As for the official side of Yan Country, Feng Xue didn’t expect any outcomes in the short term.

After all, it was Martial Arts we’re talking about; even just for experimentation, let alone widespread implementation, Yan Country would likely require lengthy cycles. Predictably, they would begin with theoretical research, then select a small number to practice, verify there were no significant issues in the short term, and only then select a few hundred more, ensuring there weren’t any overt negative effects before promoting it internally. If he received any returns within three years, that would already be efficiency at its governmental best.

But the silver lining of slow governmental efficiency was that by the time the government decided to commit, the path to becoming a Kaidan would likely be paved—just a mention in textbooks would mean more than any folklore’s presence.

Mr. Lu Xun had so many memes about him not only because of his sharp pen and penetrating insights into the era but also because of their inseparability from everyone’s school days.