Steam Era: The Lord of 'Puluo'-Chapter 725 - 476

The Projector was quickly prepared; using a tuft of black smoke, it concealed Li Banfeng’s form and face, leaving only a cluster of green flames to drift and float within the smoke.

What came next was flight. Li Banfeng said to the Judge’s Pen, "The stopover time is limited, so hurry up."

"HMPH!" The Judge’s Pen let out a sigh, stretched, and carrying Li Banfeng, flew to the center of the plot. The Projector chose its own hiding place and presented Li Banfeng before everyone in the form of mist.

Li Banfeng looked down at Chu Er and asked, "You want to cultivate the land?"

Chu Er was puzzled why the Local Deity had not yet responded, thinking that there might be a problem with the offering.

Unexpectedly, the Local Deity suddenly appeared, making the Pioneers very nervous.

Chu Er respectfully replied, "Yes, I would like to cultivate a plot of land with a radius of three miles on your territory."

"Why do you want to cultivate on my territory?"

Why even ask? Chu Er thought.

Chu Er replied, "I came here on a friend’s recommendation."

This was the truth. Chu Er had been recommended by He Yuxiu, who said the place was quiet and very suitable for Chu Er’s cultivation practice.

Li Banfeng asked, "Have you chosen your Pioneers?"

Chu Er truthfully answered, "The Pioneers are all here."

Li Banfeng said, "Foreigners are not allowed to cultivate here."

Cui Tiq was taken aback; he hadn’t expected the Local Deity here to discriminate against Foreigners.

Was this really a Local Deity? he wondered. This presence was indeed terrifying.

Cui Tiq replied, "Respected deity, I am not one of the Pioneers. I’m a Doctor employed by the Pioneers."

There were two other Doctors behind Cui Tiq.

If Cui Tiq was not involved in reclaiming the land, there might still be room for negotiation.

Li Banfeng instructed Chu Er, "You must clarify the identity of the landlord and the Pioneers in the Contract Book. After preparations are in order, come back tomorrow with the offerings."

With that, Li Banfeng vanished.

Chu Er had some experience with land cultivation but did not understand the Local Deity well. She didn’t dare to question impulsively, so she could only rewrite the Contract Book.

With the help of the Greenwater Beggar, Cui Tiq had reached Ninth Layer Cultivation. He perceived that the Local Deity who had just appeared was somewhat unreal. However, not having extensive experience in reclaiming land, he didn’t know what kind of image a Local Deity in this state should have.

Gazing into the distance, he saw the territories of Zhang Wanlong and Xiao Genzi.

Amidst the remote New Land, such lush crops grew. Cui Tiq was intrigued and glanced over the fields.

Zhang Wanlong, carrying a hoe, came over and greeted with a smile, "Hello, foreign friend, can you understand what I am saying?"

"Yes!" Cui Tiq nodded.

"Are you here to buy grain or fruits and vegetables?"

Cui Tiq eyed Zhang Wanlong up and down and said, "I want to buy some of both." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

When it was time to leave, Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Residence, waited a few minutes, then returned to Xiaoyao Lodge.

He handed over business matters to the manager, replenished his Portable Residence with some necessities, and immediately set out for the New Land.

Land reclamation needed examination, which could not be resolved with stopover time alone; Li Banfeng had to make the trip personally.

He arrived just as the music festival was ending. There was a bustle of carriages and horses in front of Xiaoyao Lodge. Li Banfeng walked ahead, lowering his top hat, and suddenly noticed a man standing under a streetlight, staring around with huge eyes.

Those eyes were too big, Li Banfeng thought. If he had a spicy strip at hand, he would have liked to test if his five-meter skills were rusty.

Isn’t this Light Bulb? he mused. When did he come to Puluo State?

Li Banfeng approached and stared at Light Bulb for a moment.

Light Bulb, looking at the bearded man in a black suit and black top hat, felt a growing nervousness.

Li Banfeng asked, "Are you looking for me?"

"No, not at all," Light Bulb said, turning his face the other way.

Li Banfeng confirmed again, "I am Li Qi. Are you sure you’re not here to find me?"

"No, not at all." Light Bulb’s voice grew fainter.

He was here looking for Li Qi. The job Xia Shumin had given him was to monitor Li Qi.

This black-suited man had admitted he was Li Qi. For Light Bulb, what did this mean?

It meant trouble was afoot.

If this man wasn’t Li Qi, it meant my cover was blown, and I still had no idea who he was.

If this man was indeed Li Qi, it likely meant I was going to die.

Sweating profusely, Light Bulb prepared to escape.

Li Banfeng offered a suggestion, "I can find you a good place to escape to, where most people can’t find you."

"What?" Light Bulb was startled.

Li Banfeng grabbed Light Bulb and started to run at high speed.

Light Bulb had ridden in Xiao Zhenggong’s convertible, but even when Xiao Zhenggong floored the accelerator, it wasn’t as fast as this.

Light Bulb’s legs couldn’t keep up; he could only slide on the ground, his feet unable to move fast enough.

Before the oily film on his skin could even dissipate, Light Bulb didn’t know how to break free.

Li Banfeng reminded him, "Conserve your oil. Spread it on your soles. We have a long way to go."

Light Bulb didn’t know how long he had been dragged, nor how far he had gone. When they finally stopped, his oil was depleted, and his shoe soles were worn through. Snot and tears streamed down his face, dried in the wind, then flowed again, forming layer upon layer of a hard crust on his face.

Sitting on the ground, Light Bulb gasped for a long time before he finally began to cry, his mouth crooked.

"WAAAH! AAAH!" Light Bulb pointed at Li Banfeng, looked around, slapped his thighs several times, and was unable to speak for a long time.

Li Banfeng handed him a water bottle, two cans of food, and a loaf of bread.

"This is the New Land. There are many Hunter camps nearby. If you can find a way out, you’ll live. If you can’t, you’ll stay here forever. Remember?"