Li Banfeng held the remote control, studying it repeatedly. It wasn’t that he lacked the courage to try it, but he genuinely couldn’t discern what modifications the Portable Residence had made. The crucial point was whether the functions after modification were what Li Banfeng desired.
"Do you know what this is for?"
The Portable Residence replied, "For passage."
"Do you know what I need to pass?"
"How could I not? Wherever you go, I follow."
"Can this thing open the Border Line?"
"For thirty seconds at a time, once a day."
Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and said, "You’re talking about this mechanism, right?"
"What else could it be? The Craftsmanship Method is ingenious. With the current items, this is as far as we could modify it. Go try it out; whether it works or not is another matter."
Li Banfeng took a paper effigy, sprinkled some blood on it, exited the Portable Residence, and stood near the Border Line, then pulled the lever.
He controlled the paper effigy to cross the Border Line; it was unharmed.
The paper effigy used twenty of the mere thirty seconds available. Li Banfeng didn’t hesitate and dashed through the Border Line. Ten seconds later, the mechanism clicked, the lever returned to its original position, and Li Banfeng couldn’t move it anymore.
Puluo State’s unbreachable border had opened just like that. Li Banfeng could hardly believe it.
As long as the remote control wasn’t damaged, Li Banfeng could walk freely in most parts of Puluo State in the future, without having to consider the Guide Token anymore.
Behind him lay Black Stone Slope, and ahead was Soda Kiln, adjacent to it.
Li Banfeng carefully tucked away the remote control, lowered the brim of his hat, and disappeared into the night.
...
Soda Kiln was a town roughly the size of Medicine King Valley.
The place had a most distinctive name. During his time at the newspaper office, Li Banfeng had once asked about the origin of Soda Kiln’s name. Xiao Chuanzi’s explanation was that the soda here was exceptionally delicious.
At dawn, Li Banfeng arrived in town. A rich, fragrant aroma greeted his nose.
It was the scent of soda. Even at this early hour, several soda stalls were already open for business.
Li Banfeng found a stall to sit at, and the stall owner asked him what flavor of soda he’d like to drink.
Orange, grape, honeydew—the sodas here were concocted purely with artificial flavorings, containing absolutely no natural fruit juice.
Yet, somehow, with whatever techniques they used, the concocted sodas were genuinely delicious.
Li Banfeng ordered two bottles of grape soda and also selected the stall’s signature set meal: two authentic Ingrid Sausages, a plate of authentic Greenwater City pork head meat, a dish of Soda Kiln’s traditional spicy pickled cabbage, plus a bowl of the stall’s specialty congee.
Li Banfeng found it quite suitable: generous portions that were filling, flavorful, and not at all greasy.
While eating, Li Banfeng chatted with the stall owner about the history of Soda Kiln.
The name originally had nothing to do with beverages.
"Our Soda Kiln produced Puluo State’s first batch of boilers. In the boilers, water turns to steam, and steam condenses back to water. This steam-water cycle is the fundamental principle of the Steam Engine.
"Every household in our Soda Kiln had steam heating much earlier than Black Stone Slope. If it weren’t for the business acumen of the people in Black Stone Slope, we in Soda Kiln would be living much better lives!
"Later, Soda Kiln gained some renown. Someone started a soda business in Soda Kiln and preposterously claimed that Soda Kiln was the birthplace of soda.
"Consequently, Soda Kiln’s Steam Engines saw little improvement, while the soda-making business thrived. Locals and visitors alike loved it. Soda stalls sprang up all over town, and everyone started saying our town’s name came from the soda. Isn’t that just a baseless rumor...?"
The stall owner looked to be only in her mid-twenties, but when she spoke of Soda Kiln’s history, she couldn’t stop. Seeing that Li Banfeng was nearly done eating, she gave him another bottle of soda, just to chat with him a little longer.
After the meal, Li Banfeng returned to the Portable Residence for a nap. At dusk, he bought a map and strolled through the streets.
At this time, there were even more soda stalls. Li Banfeng was wondering where to get dinner when he soon spotted the same stall where he’d eaten breakfast.
The stall owner saw Li Banfeng and quickly beckoned him over. Just then, she heard someone nearby say, "Friend, don’t be in such a rush. Allow me a word."
Li Banfeng looked over. At the roadside stood a man wearing a black cloth long gown, a round cap, and sporting a goatee, holding a mahogany Folding Fan.
In front of him was a square table, with a sign hanging beside it. The sign bore two lines of large characters: "Knowing the past, foretelling the future, transformations without end; Of fortune and calamity, all tidings known in advance."
This was a fortune-teller.
The stall owner coughed a few times, signaling Li Banfeng not to engage.
Li Banfeng approached the fortune-teller and asked, "You were looking for me?"
The fortune-teller nodded and said, "First time in Soda Kiln, right?"
Li Banfeng honestly replied, "Indeed, it is."
The fortune-teller pinched his fingers, calculating for a moment, then his brow suddenly furrowed. "You shouldn’t have come."
Li Banfeng was startled. "Why shouldn’t I have come?"
"Your fate is marked by a baleful doom. This doom resides in Soda Kiln. Now that you’ve arrived in Soda Kiln, you’ve encountered this bane, and a bloody disaster is inevitable."
"What’s a ’baleful doom’? That sounds terrifying." Li Banfeng clasped his hands together and squatted down, looking perfectly harmless.
The fortune-teller said, "Are you here to visit relatives or friends?"
"To visit a friend."
"Is your relationship with this friend deep?"
"Deep? It’s a life-and-death bond! We’ve saved each other’s lives multiple times!"
The fortune-teller snapped his Folding Fan shut and asked sternly, "You’ve come to collect a debt, haven’t you?"
Li Banfeng replied in astonishment, "Not at all. I’ve come to repay a favor."