Chapter 511 - 333: Was the Forecast Wrong?
Chapter 511: Chapter 333: Was the Forecast Wrong?
Chiba Yuki also bought a second-hand yacht. It wasn’t large, about twenty to thirty meters long. The hull was still in good condition, but the superstructure and decorations were extremely old, which was why she got it for a cheap price.
She had her four Shikigami—Profound Chi, Jintongzi, Garuda, and Yellow Springs—work together to renovate and modify the hull, rebuilding the wooden structure on top to serve as a convenient mode of transport.
Following the style of a Japanese pleasure barge, they built a two-story structure on the deck. Inside was a twelve-mat tatami tea room, with its beams and pillars inlaid with Exorcism Sanskrit carved by Yellow Springs. Sliding open a door revealed a three-meter-square sunken hearth, and the spot where the iron kettle hung was secretly connected to Jintongzi’s Spiritual Power as a fire source.
A semi-open-air hot spring bath was added at the stern. When steam filled the air, the wind chimes on the eaves would automatically play elegant musical excerpts from *The Tale of the Heike*.
Profound Chi had the ability to pilot boats and command water, so Chiba Yuki appointed her as the captain. Furthermore, she wielded the "Profound Nether Kangle," and by plucking its strings, she could summon the Bone-Eroding Mist to envelop the boat, protecting the housebarge within.
Below Mount Fuji lie the "Five Lakes": Lake Yamanaka, Lake Kawaguchiko, West Lake, Jingjin Lake, and Lake Ben Shih. These are all barrier lakes formed by the eruptions of Mount Fuji, located in Yamanashi Prefecture at the mountain’s northern foot. Among them, Lake Kawaguchiko was closest to Chiba Yuki’s hot spring inn and not far from the Shelter on the mountain. Thus, the housebarge was moored by the shore of Lake Kawaguchiko.
Lake Kawaguchiko covers an area of 5.63 square kilometers and is also the most scenic of the Fuji Five Lakes. In spring, especially, the view from the northern shore of Mount Fuji reflected in the water, along with the splendor of the cherry blossoms in full bloom, is truly unparalleled.
However, the housebarge’s renovations were not yet complete, so Chiba Yuki could only wait for Li Xiang’s next visit to invite him aboard to enjoy it.
She knew that Li Xiang had traveled the world and seen every beautiful sight imaginable. But with a different lovely companion, the scenery itself becomes different. She considered herself exceptionally charming, with a wide variety of tricks up her sleeve, and with several gorgeous Shikigami to liven things up, she was confident she could give Li Xiang a unique experience.
...
Li Xiang arrived in South America, in the Amazon Jungle, to visit Yaki Toto.
Yaki Toto had already reached Tier Three, so his cultivation progress was quite good. Li Xiang offered some guidance and a few words of praise, then inspected the preparations he had made for the great flood.
"Paya, please look. These are the canoes we’ve built. And the treehouses." Yaki Toto pointed to over a hundred canoes moored in a tributary of the Amazon, then gestured to the treehouses built high up in the massive trees.
"Also, we’ve established a base on that mountain over there."
The two of them went to the mountain. Li Xiang took a look and saw that the conditions were indeed harsh, and the caves suffered from severe water seepage. So, he used his Earth Superpower to help Yaki Toto renovate them.
After Li Xiang’s modifications, not only were there more and larger caves suitable for living, but he had also added a layer of "Seamless" Rock Armor.
When ordinary people lay tiles, they do it piece by piece, leaving gaps that need to be grouted. But when Li Xiang laid his "Rock Armor" (tiles), it was a single, solid piece.
To prevent slipping, he even intentionally designed some raised lines and patterns.
He asked Yaki Toto about the deity he worshipped, thinking he could help carve a totem on the Rock Armor. But Yaki Toto said, "The one I worship is Paya—that is, you, the great one. I beseech Paya to carve your totem on the Rock Armor."
Li Xiang chuckled and teased, "Since when did you learn to suck up like this?"
But then he saw Yaki Toto drop to one knee after speaking, bowing his head in devout worship. A thought suddenly struck Li Xiang. ’Could I have misunderstood? Is this what Yaki truly feels from the bottom of his heart?’
Li Xiang wasn’t so shameless as to carve his own portrait or erect a statue of himself in the caves. He just laughed, waved his hand, and dropped the matter.
He walked outside the base, glanced around, and with a wave of his hands, an arcing platform materialized out of thin air from where he stood, extending along the mountainside. It was over a hundred meters long and more than ten meters wide.
All sorts of wooden houses could be built on this platform. If the water level rose in the future, it could also serve as a dock for mooring boats.
But the great flood would never rise this high (that was the whole point; what good was a base if it got flooded?). Li Xiang thought for a moment, then built several stone staircases on the side of the platform to make it easier to climb up from boats in the future.
Yaki Toto was overjoyed. For his primitive rainforest tribe, climbing was a strong suit. Li Xiang then suggested that if they found the stone stairs inconvenient, they could always lower rope ladders made of vines.
Li Xiang used a branch to draw a few improved designs for the vine ladders on the ground, telling Yaki Toto to have his people make them accordingly.
Yaki Toto listened intently, carefully committing everything to memory.
Although the Amazon Jungle has complex terrain, including mountainous regions, most of it consists of plains, rivers, and lakes. The mountain Yaki Toto occupied, called "Cerro El Cono," already had the best strategic position within a radius of several hundred kilometers. After Li Xiang’s construction, it had truly become a "Holy Land."
"Other tribes might come to fight for this place in the future. You need to prepare for that," Li Xiang reminded him.
Although the rainforest often had flood seasons and was frequently inundated, this year’s great flood was no small matter. The other tribes wouldn’t be able to stay where they were and would certainly flock to this mountain.
Yaki Toto’s gaze was firm. "I am not afraid."
Yaki Toto was, after all, a Tier Three powerhouse, and his Superpower was perfectly suited for the rainforest. Now, with Li Xiang’s warning, he should be fine. Nevertheless, Li Xiang still taught him some simple Martial Arts, instructing him to select loyal subordinates, teach it to them, and have them practice daily to increase their overall combat strength.