Chapter 310: Chapter 211 Iron Gate Fort_2
Looking around, Li Banfeng didn’t see a train but noticed that at the entrance to the canyon, the gate on the far left had opened.
CHUFF! CHUFF!
He didn’t see who opened it, only black smoke and white steam spewing from the door panel.
A Steam Gate?
Such a mechanism exists?
TOOT! TOOT!
Two whistle blasts sounded, and the gate swung fully open.
Li Banfeng walked a few steps toward the gate without sensing any danger. He needed to ask for directions and also wanted to see who was operating this Steam Gate.
But when he got behind the gate, he saw no one, only a huge grandfather clock.
The clock stood two meters tall, its large pendulum swinging back and forth, perfectly reflecting Li Banfeng’s entire figure. Numerous gears extended from behind the clock face, driving large connecting rods that controlled the pneumatic valves on the pipes.
Li Banfeng had studied basic mechanics in university. After a long inspection, he seemed to understand some of it.
This clock has a timer function and also a scheduling function.
It was seven o’clock in the morning. When the time came, the clock’s mechanism automatically opened the pneumatic valves, and the Steam Engine would then drive the gate open.
High technology!
Li Banfeng had been in Greenwater City for so long, yet he had never seen such an automated steam door. The Steam Gate was built with great precision. It opened and closed without human operation and had limit switches on its axles that automatically closed the pneumatic valves once the gate reached its position.
But surely someone has to stoke the boiler, right?
Please don’t tell me there are steam robots.
Li Banfeng followed the smoke to find the chimney, and from there, the boiler room.
Indeed, men were stoking the boilers in the boiler room. There were five men in total: two adding coal, two adding water, and one taking readings, recording the temperature and pressure.
Li Banfeng walked to the doorway and asked, "Excuse me, can you tell me what place this is?"
The boiler room was very noisy. The men looked at Li Banfeng, seemingly unable to hear what he was saying.
Li Banfeng shouted again, "Excuse me, I’m asking for directions!"
The men still couldn’t hear him. They pointed to a sign by the door which read: No Admittance for Unauthorized Personnel.
Li Banfeng turned and walked away. He didn’t necessarily have to ask these particular men for directions.
In such a large village, couldn’t he ask anyone? They were busy; no need to bother them.
There were many houses in the village, densely packed and all remarkably similar in design—two-story buildings with flat roofs, each featuring a large, dark iron gate. Each floor of the small buildings was about seventy to eighty square meters, making the total area around one hundred fifty to one hundred sixty square meters. The spacing between buildings was about five meters.
Why was this village built so uniformly?
Perhaps because Li Banfeng had arrived too early, there wasn’t a single person on the streets.
With no pedestrians, who could I ask for directions?
Li Banfeng went to the front of one small building and knocked on the dark iron gate. After a long wait, there was no response from inside.
If this house didn’t answer, he’d knock on the next.
The next one didn’t answer either.
After knocking on a dozen or so houses, one finally showed some signs of life.
CLICK! CLACK!
The cover over the door’s peephole was opened.
CLATTER!
The person inside looked through the peephole for a long time, then opened a small window in the iron gate.
"Who are you looking for?"
A young man stood behind the door. Through the small window, Li Banfeng could see most of his face. His skin was very white, as if he hadn’t seen the sun in a long time. His hair was a bit long but neat. A bluish-black shadow above his lips indicated he shaved, though not very often.
This man’s appearance gave Li Banfeng a strong sense of familiarity.
But the young man didn’t seem to feel any warmth toward Li Banfeng; his eyes darted around, actively avoiding Li Banfeng’s gaze. It was obvious he didn’t like strangers.
"I’m here to ask for directions," Li Banfeng said. "Can you tell me what place this is?"
The young man replied, "This is Iron Gate Fort."
Iron Gate Fort?
Back Three-Land?
I actually followed the train to this place.
Now, how do I get back?
Go to the station, buy a ticket?
Li Banfeng had a Guide Token, a round-trip one for Black Stone Slope and Greenwater City.
But would that thing work in Iron Gate Fort?
Even if it did, Li Banfeng didn’t really want to go to the station; his experiences at stations since coming to Puluo State hadn’t been very pleasant.
Let’s head back from New Land.
Elder Yao’s map had marked the location of Iron Gate Fort.
"Excuse me, how do I get to New Land?"
"Which New Land are you asking about?"
Li Banfeng recalled the markings on the map. "I want to go to Peach Blossom Lake New Land."
The man thought for a moment and then said, "First, leave the fort. Then, at the main gate, turn right and go straight. Walk for ten to fifteen minutes, and you’ll find a fork in the road. You’ll see a big willow tree at the junction; that willow tree is really big and easy to recognize. When you’re facing the willow tree, take the left fork and keep walking. Don’t take any other turns; just keep going straight. After walking for about half a day, you’ll see Peach Blossom Lake. Facing Peach Blossom Lake, walk along its shore to your right, covering about half its circumference, until you reach a large Stone. Jump into the lake. At the bottom, you’ll see New Land."
Directions were given using front, back, left, and right, not cardinal points. Distances were measured in time, not in li or meters.
Li Banfeng felt an increasing sense of affinity with this man.
"Thank you." Li Banfeng pulled out a banknote and tried to stuff it into the man’s hand.
The man lowered his head. "I don’t want money!"
Easily embarrassed, easily flustered—Li Banfeng felt as if he were seeing an old friend. He wanted to chat more, but the man opposite him seemed reluctant to continue talking.
Li Banfeng tucked the banknote into the crack of the door and turned to leave.
The man called out from behind, "Wait a moment."
Li Banfeng didn’t wait.
The man unlatched his door and chased after him. "I don’t want your money! I just forgot to tell you, if you can’t swim, don’t go to Peach Blossom Lake. You’ll drown."
Li Banfeng nodded and said, "Thank you for that. This money..."
"I don’t want it!" The man was a bit stubborn, the kind of stubbornness unique to homebodies.
He turned to go back inside, then suddenly saw an old man driving a donkey cart into the fort. The cart was loaded with sacks. The young man walked over to the cart and asked, "How much for a jin of white rice?"
This old man was selling grain.
"Two-fifty!" The old man stopped the cart.
The young man thought the price was high but said nothing more. He seldom bargained when shopping.
"Give me a bag."
The elder handed a bag of rice to the young man, saying, "Fifty jin a bag, one hundred twenty-five yuan."
The young man nodded, counted out the money, and gave it to the elder. When he bought things, he always paid first.
The elder handed over the bag of rice. The young man opened it and looked inside, saying, "There’s a bit too much grit in this rice, could I switch for another bag..."
"They’re all the same, why bother switching!" The old man drove the cart away.
He wasn’t good at negotiating when shopping. Especially after he had already paid.
These characteristics were all too evident. They were practically the hallmark traits of every Home Cultivator.
Watching the man, Li Banfeng couldn’t help asking, "Are you a Home Cultivator?"
The man looked at Li Banfeng, said nothing, picked up the rice, and went back into his house.
The old man on the donkey cart laughed and said, "Is this your first time in Iron Gate Fort? Everyone living in Iron Gate Fort is a Home Cultivator!"
Everyone is a Home Cultivator?
Then I should stay in this fine place for a few more days.
After all, Ling Miaoying couldn’t possibly know I’m here, and this is a great opportunity to learn about Home Cultivation.
PS: Iron Gate Fort, a place one truly yearns to visit.