Chapter 3

Chen Ping rubbed his hands and quickly went down to open the chest.

[Congratulations, you have obtained ×10 Population Units]

[Congratulations, you have obtained ×10 Plow Oxen]

[Congratulations, you have obtained ×10 Fine Equipment Packs]

One by one, the ten chests were opened, and the dazzling rewards nearly blinded Chen Ping’s eyes.

In summary, the Supreme Dimension had once again gifted him ten laborers, ten plow oxen, and ten sets of militia equipment.

Additionally, there were ten units of high-quality food packs, one hundred units each of wood, stone, and iron ore.

Finally, it also granted a golden token; upon equipping it, Chen Ping gained +1 Energy.

That was an unexpected bonus.

After all, the principle that Heaven rewards diligence applied to Chen Ping as well—stronger energy meant more time to generate gains.

Gazing at the setting sun on the horizon, Chen Ping waved his hand.

If the reward for tenth place was already so generous, how incredibly tempting must the rewards for the top nine, especially first place, be?

Next time, he must strive for the top three—and aim for first!

Chen Ping silently set himself a goal.

He immediately summoned the ten laborers and assigned them a full schedule of work.

Even after nightfall, the entire territory bustled with energetic activity.

Thus, the seventh day arrived.

When the sky turned completely white, a rumbling sound suddenly came from afar.

A long train composed of dozens of connected carriages slowly approached Chen Ping’s territory.

The locomotive had a steam-powered design, emitting thick rolling smoke.

However, this world was one filled with magical forces; upon closer inspection, Chen Ping noticed the train was actually floating above the ground as it moved forward.

From its appearance to arrival, the train took less than ten minutes.

Ka-chi~!

A hissing sound of released air came as the locomotive’s door split open on both sides, and a man in a suit stepped down.

Upon seeing the scale of Chen Ping’s territory, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Greetings, my esteemed lord. I am the conductor of the patrol train. You may call me Max.”

The man gave a bow to Chen Ping, who had just walked out of the lord’s hall, and spoke calmly.

05: Hidden Trade, Knowledge Hall Entry Ticket

Conductor of the Patrol Train.

Although Chen Ping had already read many introductions about him in books,

he still couldn’t suppress his curiosity.

“May I ask—is this your clone?”

“Of course. This is my clone.”

Conductor Max gracefully bowed and replied with a smile.

According to the books, Max was a legendary figure possessing divine power.

He could manifest countless avatars, each differing in appearance and race.

The only common trait was that they all possessed a train.

Max took out a small booklet from his person and handed it to Chen Ping.

“This is the cargo list from the patrol train during the trial period.”

“It will also periodically release certain tasks, mostly procurement orders for specific resources.”

“Even when the patrol train isn’t present, this list will update automatically.”

Chen Ping accepted the cargo list from Max and immediately opened it to inspect.

Meanwhile, Max stood with hands behind his back, admiring Chen Ping’s territory.

After a short while, Chen Ping snapped the booklet shut and said with a smile:

“I currently don’t lack resources. In fact, I have a batch I’d like to sell to you.”

“Oh? You already have resources to sell?”

Chen Ping called over several militiamen and had them push forward all the prepared wheat flour from the warehouse.

Max opened one bag, grabbed a handful, and carefully felt it between his fingers for a moment.

“Good quality wheat flour. The raw material is excellent.”

“For this much, I can offer four gold coins. Would you prefer coins, or would you like to exchange for supplies?”

Eighty bags of wheat flour amounted to only four gold coins.

Roughly twenty bags per coin.

If developing the territory relied solely on farming, it would take forever to make progress.

So Chen Ping did not choose to take the gold coins.

Recalling a story he once read in the Sacred Academy’s library,

Chen Ping organized his words before finally saying:

“I wish to use this first trade opportunity to request a chance to study within the Knowledge Hall.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Max’s expression changed.

His eyes narrowed slightly, looking at Chen Ping with a faint, ambiguous smile.

Chen Ping looked at Max squarely.

"Where did you learn about the Hall of Knowledge?"

"From a book left by someone in the past."

"Hmm, I once swore not to reveal anything about it myself—yet that person actually managed to record it."

Max's expression became slightly more serious.

He seemed to think highly of the one who had been able to leave such a record in a book.

At least he, Max, couldn't do that.

Chen Ping nodded.

The book he had seen was actually the personal travelogue of the first dean of East District Seven.

It was thick, and had sat in the library for who knew how many years.

When Chen Ping first saw it, dust had piled up an inch thick.

"Since you know this matter, you naturally understand my agreement with the Hall of Knowledge."

Chen Ping nodded again.

The first dean had written about it in the book.

He had made a deal with a person of profound background who possessed the incredible ability to traverse countless worlds.

As long as it was the first time trading with that person, one would gain a single chance to enter the Hall of Knowledge.

Actually, the dean hadn't revealed who that person was—Chen Ping had deduced it himself.

So just now, he had merely been bluffing Max.

He hadn't expected to actually guess correctly.

"I want the knowledge within the Hall of Knowledge, so anyone I send inside must possess exceptional learning ability."

"By 'exceptional,' I mean learning at least three pieces of knowledge."

"If you fail to learn three, I will take your soul as the price."

"But if you succeed, depending on what you learn, I can exchange something of equal value."

Max returned to his previous calm demeanor.

Yet Chen Ping detected cruelty and coldness in his words.

Entering the Hall of Knowledge must come at a cost; otherwise, Max wouldn't have been so cautious.

But Chen Ping was very confident in himself.

Even before his talent awakened, he had already possessed outstanding learning ability—otherwise he wouldn't have become number one.

Now, with his talent Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence, it was like adding wings to a tiger.