Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'

Chapter 546 - 380 Little Master

"As long as it’s within the normal stopping time, the doors remain open," the Portable Residence offered a solution.

Li Banfeng was overjoyed.

After obtaining the rails, the Portable Residence could take Li Banfeng to his designated destinations based on his thoughts.

But there was a serious drawback. The key was outside the Portable Residence and couldn’t be taken along. If Li Banfeng left and the Portable Residence locked its doors, he wouldn’t be able to return home.

However, if the door wasn’t closed, this problem would be solved.

Li Banfeng asked the Portable Residence, "How long is the normal stopping time?"

"It depends on whether it’s a large station or a small one."

"How do you distinguish between large and small stations?"

"It’s determined by the scale of the platform."

Li Banfeng stood up and said, "I’ll build a large station, one that can stop for a whole day at a time."

"There’s no such station! Unless the train is broken, it wouldn’t stop at a station for an entire day."

"Then what’s the maximum stopping time at any station?"

"A large station can stop for up to an hour, and a small station for at most half an hour."

This amount of time was indeed limited. However, considering typical train stop durations, the Portable Residence’s stopping time wasn’t actually short.

Li Banfeng took out a map and started planning.

"I want to build a large station on my territory, one in Greenwater City, one in Medicine King Valley, and also one at Black Stone Slope. The soda from Soda Kiln is delicious, so I could consider building a large station there. The food at Hai Chi Ridge is good, so a large station is warranted there too. Pants Belt Pit might not need a full hour, but having a large station there would be excellent..."

As Li Banfeng was drawing with enthusiasm, Phonograph reminded him, "My dear Husband, you should first ask our Portable Residence how much material is needed for one large station. I’m afraid those materials will be hard to find."

He had almost overlooked that.

"What kind of materials are needed to build a station?"

The Portable Residence replied, "To build a large station, you need stone."

Li Banfeng laughed, "Stone is no problem! There are stones everywhere here. I have several mountains on my territory; you can dig wherever you like."

"Ordinary stone won’t do for my stations. A large station needs to be built with Sky Heart Stone."

Sky Heart Stone? Li Banfeng had never heard of the term.

His wife reminded him, "Husband, Sky Heart Stones are extremely expensive."

"How expensive?" Li Banfeng said disdainfully. "When have I ever been short of money?"

The Portable Residence responded, "The price of a single Sky Heart Stone is equivalent to a pair of rails, and building one large station requires three Sky Heart Stones."

Li Banfeng was silent for a moment and then said, "Building such a large station in this remote wasteland seems a bit too ostentatious. Let’s first talk about the smaller stations. Do small stations also require Sky Heart Stones?"

"Small stations can be constructed with earth, but it has to be Heavenly Spring Delighted Earth."

"Heavenly Spring Delighted Earth..." Li Banfeng rubbed his hands together and said, "Judging by the name, that doesn’t sound cheap either, does it?"

"Cheap or not is one thing, but do you even know where to buy it?" the Portable Residence asked with a hint of mockery.

Buy it? he wondered. Could he find it at a general store? He had never even heard the name before; where was he supposed to purchase such a thing?

After a moment of silence, his wife spoke up.

"Little Servant has seen Heavenly Spring Delighted Earth before. If you’re lucky, Husband, you might be able to gather some."

Li Banfeng’s eyes lit up. "Where can I gather it?"

"Little Servant knew of a few places before, but the Heavenly Spring Delighted Earth there has all been gathered. This earth is a type of medicine; when consumed, it can revitalize a man’s vigor and enhance a woman’s charm."

"So can’t I just buy it from a Medicine Shop?"

"Husband, typical Medicine Shops don’t carry such rare items, and even if they did, how much could they possibly have? They use it as medicine, but we need it for constructing a station; a mere few ounces of earth won’t be nearly enough. Little Servant is familiar with a type of insect in New Land called the Three Joyous Worms. These insects live for about a hundred years, must mate three times each day, and greatly love this kind of medicinal earth. If you can catch a few Three Joyous Worms in New Land, perhaps we can find out the location of Heavenly Spring Delighted Earth from them."

"Wife, what do these insects look like?"

"Their bodies are glossy, and they have very long antennae. They vary in size; the small ones are like fingernails, and the large ones are about three feet long..."

After his wife gave a detailed description, Li Banfeng immediately went out to catch the insects.

Before long, Li Banfeng brought one back. After seeing it, his wife said, "Husband, this is a cricket."

Li Banfeng went out again and brought back another one.

"Husband, this is a longicorn beetle."

Li Banfeng then brought back another one.

"Oh, Husband, throw it away quickly! Cockroaches shouldn’t be brought into the house."

Finding an insect based solely on a description was indeed too difficult.

Phonograph said, "The Three Joyous Worms aren’t rare, but they do possess some Spirit Attribute, so they’re not that easy to find. I will teach you the song ’Little Master.’ Little Servant previously used this song to lure those insects, and it never failed. Perhaps you could try it too, Husband."

The sound of the pipa rose, and his wife sang a ballad: "Sunlight on the flowering trees, before the mirror, I arrange my face with care. My thoughts of my beloved are intense, I only resent his heartless air. When my beloved returns home, I will keep him here with me. My silken robe for him I’ll unfasten, my sash for him I’ll loosen free. My crimson lips I offer to my beloved’s embrace, desiring only you, my Little Master, in this place..."

No wonder they said this song never failed.

Never mind the Three Joyous Worms; Li Banfeng, oil pot in hand, had already crept up behind Phonograph.

Phonograph exclaimed, "Hey, Husband, focus on the task at hand! Have you learned the song yet?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Oh, Wife, you’re really making things difficult. Do you think I could learn that? And even if I did, would it sound any good when I sing it?"

Phonograph said, "No problem. I’ll cut a record for you, Husband. Find a suitable place to play it, and if you see any similar-looking insects, catch them and bring them back. The Three Joyous Worms don’t possess much Spirit Attribute, and very few people in this world can communicate with them. Your Insightful Spirit Sound Technique isn’t proficient enough yet. Little Servant can speak with these insects. As long as you catch the right one, Little Servant will be able to find out..."