Chapter 14: Drainage System

The sewer system should more accurately be called the drainage system.

For a city, the drainage system was extremely important. After all, cities had dense populations. The amount of wastewater and sewage produced every day from eating, drinking, and daily bodily needs was astonishing, and for some cities with lower terrain, if the drainage system was not built with care, the rainy season could give rise to floods, directly and indirectly damaging the city’s economy.

Although Imperial Dynasty Builder Simulator, which he had invested in and planned, leaned toward an ancient aesthetic, it was a game after all and did not care about textual research. Besides, it was not as if ancient times had no drainage systems at all. So back then, he had hired a designer to simplify a city drainage system and import it into the game.

Now that they were in another world, the game had also automatically updated itself according to the laws of this world. A link as important as the drainage system in city construction had naturally been preserved, and it had even undergone localized optimization.

In the game panel, under the “Infrastructure” category, the current “mortal” level drainage system had already lit up.

[Mortal grade. Corresponds to below yellow grade in the Longevity Realm, but requires some yellow-grade materials and ten spirit stones.]

Chi Yixuan was a little surprised. “That expensive?” A drainage system that was not even graded actually needed materials comparable to a yellow-grade artifact refining workshop!

[If you have other arrangements, you may download the design blueprints and substitute manpower and other materials instead.]

Although building it with manpower would take time and effort, water was still a problem in this region right now, so the drainage system would not be very useful in the short term. Looked at that way, the second method seemed better. A long-term project could also solve employment for more people.

However, with his many years of online shopping experience, Chi Yixuan firmly believed in the principle that you got what you paid for. Cheap goods might not necessarily be bad, but good goods were definitely not cheap!

His gaze sharpened. “Tell me the truth. Is there some kind of trap with the second option?”

The life-bound artifact sounded helpless. [Your Majesty, please believe me. I am the artifact spirit born from the life-bound artifact. Even if I were reduced to ashes, I would never trick you.]

Chi Yixuan said, “So you would trick other people, then.”

The life-bound artifact was silent for a moment before saying, [It is not exactly a trick. It is just that if the city expands in the future and you want to upgrade the drainage system, it will need to be dug out.]

Chi Yixuan was shocked. “That’s still not enough of a trap?”

The life-bound artifact hurriedly explained, [Your Majesty, by then, Zhaoge will presumably already be on the right track, and you will presumably have countless subjects under your command. You need only issue an order, and they will do the work.]

Chi Yixuan wagged his finger. “No, no, that won’t do. My points are supposed to continuously create new points for me. What future is there in keeping their heads down all day doing dirty work? Besides, repairing roads costs money too. If we keep digging it up over and over again, won’t that be an eyesore?”

The life-bound artifact: […]

[But you only have ten spirit stones left.]

Chi Yixuan was extremely bold. “So what? Money isn’t saved into existence. Besides…”

[Very well. Please give the order.]

Chi Yixuan was interrupted halfway through his words, and suspicion immediately appeared on his face. “Are you getting impatient?”

The life-bound artifact’s tone was gentle. [How could that be? I am your loyal arm.]

Chi Yixuan’s expression turned strange. “I remember that what I set back then was an assistant with a lively personality. You don’t sound very lively.”

[Is that so? You do not look as steady as you claimed to be either.]

Chi Yixuan was startled. Was the life-bound artifact talking back? It could actually talk back now!

As expected of my life-bound artifact. It’s growing so fast!

Chi Yixuan was perfectly satisfied. However, though this pauper spoke generously, when it was really time to take out the spirit stones, he was still quite reluctant.

Unlike novel settings, where someone at the Qi Refining stage could have several hundred or a thousand spirit stones in their pocket, in this world, the Qi Refining stage did not count as being a cultivator. It was also different from true mortals who had not yet entered the Dao. They were called practitioners. People like Guo Qianshan and Ma Hongxuan did not even have half a spirit stone in their pockets, while those two stewards were relatives of a hall master, yet the two money bags together had only thirty spirit stones.

Thinking of this, Chi Yixuan remembered another thing. Today was the fifth day the menials had been working for him, yet not only had he not paid them a single cent in wages, he had not even mentioned it. Even worse, right now, they were still the ones supporting him.

Thinking of the menials who went out to fight insects every day before dawn, then thinking of the spiritual food exchanged for mystic armor beetle shells, Chi Yixuan let out a long sigh. “I’m poor—”

Fortunately, he would soon be able to reach Foundation Establishment. By then, there should be ways to make money quickly.

Chi Yixuan looked out the window.

There were now a thousand people living in this valley. Previously, he had worried that so many people eating, drinking, and relieving themselves would produce a huge amount of garbage and make the place stink everywhere. But that was not the case.

After observing, he discovered that the people in the valley, whether they were the original slaves or menials like Guo Qianshan, were all extremely thrifty and hardworking. The water used for washing was reused over and over again, until it was too murky to use anymore, and only then was it used to water the ground—a vegetable patch the people had spontaneously fenced off. At present, the seeds had yet to sprout.

As for what came out of their bodies, every household collected it for composting. Forget throwing it around randomly. The care they took with it was so meticulous that they were afraid someone else might pick it up and take advantage of them.

As for other garbage, that was even rarer. They even saved up withered leaves to burn as kindling.

In summary, the sense of life in this valley grew stronger by the day, yet the ground remained as clean as ever. Aside from sand and soil, there was nothing else. It was so clean that Chi Yixuan was moved to tears.

My subjects are super easy to look after!

But he could not give up on the drainage system because of that. As the economy developed, this inefficient and cumbersome way of saving would inevitably be abandoned. By then, the drainage system would be the city’s savior! Moreover, if he wanted to build this place into a city, he had to solve drainage first! This was a step just as important as laying a foundation.

Noticing that he had been looking out the window for a long time, the life-bound artifact suggested again, [Even a mortal-grade drainage system surpasses the design of the vast majority of cities in this world. Perhaps it will not need to be upgraded in the future.]

“No. It must be upgraded!” Chi Yixuan said decisively.

The life-bound artifact did not quite understand. [In the future, after the Medical Workshop is upgraded, it will be able to produce high-level pills such as fasting pills. Your nation will surely become prosperous and powerful. At that point, no one will be unable to afford fasting pills or Digestion Pills, so there will be no need for an overly advanced drainage system.]

“What if someone just can’t afford them, or can’t use pills because of their constitution?” Chi Yixuan asked in return. “If we don’t do something just because most people don’t need it, then does that mean cities don’t need tactile paving or barrier-free access either?”

The life-bound artifact fell silent.

Chi Yixuan said softly, “I hope that when that time comes, everyone can have a life where they don’t need to be frugal and thrifty, yet can still live and work in peace and contentment. I hope that in the future, no one will be discriminated against because of their physiological needs. Isn’t the discrimination of cultivators against mortals in this world already enough?”

The life-bound artifact: […Your vision is far-reaching, beyond what I can match.]

Chi Yixuan said with a beaming smile, “It’s fine. You’re only a newly born artifact spirit. You still have a lot to learn!”

There was one thing Chi Yixuan did not say. Although people could avoid using the toilet, people still had appetites and desires for food, so kitchen waste definitely could not be avoided. Wouldn’t it still need to be cleaned up by then? It would be better to solve everything in one go.

Another thing was that he felt he was actually quite wasteful in his daily life. When he bought something and it did not suit his taste, he would rather throw it away than make do with it. If there was a large pile of food that did not suit his palate, he would rather pour it out than force himself to eat it, even if these things had cost him a lot of money.

But this sort of behavior truly stood out too much in an environment like this. Especially now that he was a leader. Everyone under him was living a hard life, while he was extravagant and unrestrained, even if that had been his daily norm before. No matter how he looked at it, he felt guilty. Once everyone became rich in the future, he would not stand out when mixed in among them!

The problem was, when would he finally become filthy rich?

Chi Yixuan spent his last remaining spirit stones to unlock the drainage system, his heart full of resentment.

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