Chapter 23

After riding the tricycle for most of the afternoon, Zhang Tie returned home when it was already pitch dark. On the way back from Sister Teresa, Zhang Tie already felt his legs weakening, and the speed of his ride slowed down significantly, taking much longer to get home. However, Zhang Tie still felt very happy. Helping others really made one feel a sense of joy from the heart, especially seeing the innocent and pure smiles on the faces of those pitiful children when they saw him. To be honest, Zhang Tie was really content. Although the things he delivered might not be worth much, and some people might not even think much of them, Zhang Tie didn't feel that his and his family's actions were particularly noble or virtuous. That bit of rice gruel was just something that would make him feel heartache if it went to waste, and they couldn't store too much at home. If it could be of some use, then let it be of some use, especially for doing good deeds. This event was very ordinary, even trivial, but Zhang Tie was still very content and happy.

The nightlife in Black Flame City was actually quite rich. Every time night fell, certain places with bright lights and music would start to get lively, but these were all out of reach for Zhang Tie. He whistled all the way back home on his tricycle.

When he got home, the family's small shop was already closed, and the front door was locked. Zhang Tie unlocked the door, pushed it open, and wheeled the tricycle inside. This tricycle, modified by his father, was ugly in appearance but had one advantage: the extra wheel and the cargo box in the middle could be folded and removed, so it didn't take up too much space when stored at home.

His parents had gone out again, probably to a friend's house to play cards or to the church. They had only a few hobbies, and as their son, Zhang Tie had nothing to say about it.

After putting away the tricycle and washing his hands, Zhang Tie took the small bag of seeds given by Sister Teresa to the kitchen. The familiar aroma of beef in the kitchen made his stomach growl and his mouth water.

The food was kept warm in the pot by his mother. The meal was simple, with the main dish being beef stewed with potatoes. The leftover beef from the canned beef his brother brought yesterday, which he had been reluctant to eat at noon, was saved for his father to eat in the evening. In the evening, his mother stewed it with potatoes to make a large bowl of beef and potato stew. With her skillful hands, the small amount of beef turned into a large bowl of delicious food.

Looking at the bowl of "beef stewed with potatoes" and counting the few pieces of beef in it, Zhang Tie knew that his parents hadn't eaten any of the leftover beef from yesterday. They had only drunk a bit of the soup and eaten some potatoes, leaving all the beef for him.

With a feeling he couldn't quite describe, Zhang Tie silently finished all the food. Even he hadn't noticed that his appetite had been gradually increasing over the past two days.

After dinner, he cleaned up the house. Estimating from past experience, his parents would return home in about two to three hours. This time was enough for him to do something. Thinking of the barren land in Black Iron Castle and the corn and potatoes he had planted, Zhang Tie quickly took action.

Zhang Tie felt a bit neurotic. When he got home, he clearly remembered locking the door from the inside, but he still went to check it again to feel reassured. He thought to himself, "Is this how a small person feels when they realize their lottery ticket has won a big prize—always thinking that the place where they hid the ticket might be discovered?"

Well, if he was a small person, so be it. He was a genuine small person, and he didn't care if others laughed at him.

With a determined heart, Zhang Tie's actions became even more swift. He found two tin buckets in the backyard, ran to the well, and filled them with water in no time. After filling the buckets, he quickly carried them to the small bathroom in the backyard.

The bathroom in Zhang Tie's home was only a little over two to three square meters and was usually very clean. Half of the bathroom was taken up by a bathtub for the family to use. The bathtub was about half a person's height, not finely crafted but very sturdy, with a thick and smooth coat of paint. It was the first gift his brother gave to his parents after getting his salary and allowance in the army.

With a splash, Zhang Tie poured the two buckets of water into the bathtub. The water level in the wooden tub was just enough to cover the soles of his feet. After pouring the water, he ran back to the well and filled two more buckets, then ran back to the bathroom and poured them into the bathtub.

He repeated this process eight or nine times, taking about ten minutes to finally fill the bathtub. If his mother were there, she would have heated up some hot water for him to take a hot bath, but Zhang Tie always insisted on taking a cold bath like his brother, which would earn him a scolding from his mother. But now, since he wasn't really taking a bath, he didn't care about pretending. He left the last two buckets of water next to the bathtub, returned to the kitchen, and picked up the small bag of seeds given by Sister Teresa, then went back to the bathroom. After eating, he felt a bit uncomfortable in his stomach and intestines, but at this moment, who cared?

Back in the bathroom, he locked the door from the inside, held the small bag of seeds under his right armpit, and carried two buckets of water in his hands. He stood still, took two deep breaths to calm himself, closed his eyes, and "searched" for the mysterious "archway"...

This time, the process seemed easier. After a few experiments over the past two days, Zhang Tie found that as long as he focused his consciousness on the point between his eyebrows, he could clearly "see" the "archway," which was actually the entrance to the gate of Black Iron Castle, directly in front of his forehead.

Zhang Tie didn't understand why this was the case, but as long as it worked, who cared? Who would spend the energy to study it...

See—Lock—Enter—

Holding two buckets of water and a small bag of seeds under his arm, Zhang Tie disappeared from the small bathroom.

Feeling the change in the air around him, Zhang Tie opened his eyes and found himself in Black Iron Castle.

The surroundings were still that vast, open land, with the prominent "Manjusha Flower of Infinite Fruits" tree in the middle. Of course, there was also the sentence that made Zhang Tie's humble vanity swell:

—Welcome, handsome and majestic lord, to Black Iron Castle!

Seeing this sentence, Zhang Tie immediately felt invigorated. His stomach no longer hurt, his intestines no longer cramped, his legs no longer trembled, he no longer needed to get up at night, and his body no longer lacked calcium. Cough... cough...

"I am the master here... ah..." Feeling his inflated vanity, the pale youth let out a loud cry, which would have surely summoned the neighborhood security officer if he were outside, but here, Zhang Tie couldn't even hear an echo.

He had never shouted so loudly before. After letting out his frustrations, Zhang Tie suddenly felt a sense of clarity and comfort. Hmm, strange, he felt much better.

So, Zhang Tie decided to shout again...

"I am the master of this world... ah..."

Feeling even better, he shouted again...

"I want my parents to have beef every day... ah..."

Feeling even better...

"I love Teacher Daina... ah..."

Shouting again...

"I want to become a rich person... ah..."

Shouting again...

"All the big-buttocked, big-breasted beauties, your dream lover is here... ah..."

After a series of loud shouts, Zhang Tie really felt much lighter and more comfortable. It was a great feeling, and he suddenly realized that this might be a good way to vent his emotions and stress.

After venting, Zhang Tie felt much more at ease. He dropped the seeds he was holding and carried the two buckets of water to the field where he had planted the corn and potatoes. Although he felt that the land in Black Iron Castle should be very suitable for plant growth and the soil moisture seemed adequate, he still felt that something was missing if he didn't water the seeds after planting them. This place seemed to never rain, and who knew if it mattered. Maybe the seeds that could have sprouted would rot in the soil because he was lazy and skipped the watering step?

Arriving at the two fields where he had planted the corn and potatoes, Zhang Tie put down one bucket and watered the rows of corn that hadn't sprouted yet. After one bucket of water, only about a quarter of the corn field was wet. He then used the other bucket to water half of it. He picked up the two buckets again, closed his eyes, and focused his consciousness on the point between his eyebrows...

See—Lock—Exit—

...

The next moment, Zhang Tie reappeared in the small bathroom, standing in the same spot. He opened the drain at the bottom of the bathtub, refilled the two buckets, and stood still again, closing his eyes.

See—Lock—Enter—

...

After five consecutive trips, in Black Iron Castle, Zhang Tie stood in front of the rebar he had used as a marker, panting heavily. He felt very satisfied, but his head was slightly painful, as if something in his brain had been drained. He had been so busy watering that he hadn't noticed it until now. He tried to focus his attention on the point between his eyebrows again and quickly "saw" the mysterious "archway." Unlike the previous times, this "archway" was very unstable, appearing and disappearing. When Zhang Tie finally managed to focus his consciousness on it and issued the "exit" command, something unexpected happened...

Suddenly, Zhang Tie felt a heavy sensation in his entire brain, and his head spun as if he were falling into a bottomless, dark tunnel. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. After a while, Zhang Tie opened his eyes, pale-faced, and recovered...

What happened? Why did this happen? Zhang Tie felt inexplicably anxious.

Suddenly, words appeared before his eyes, answering his confusion:

—The system has detected that the handsome and majestic lord's mental energy is severely depleted. It is suggested that the handsome and majestic lord rest or meditate in Black Iron Castle before leaving. System notice: Frequent entry and exit from Black Iron Castle in a short period of time consumes a lot of mental energy. When mental energy is insufficient, it is not advisable to frequently enter and exit Black Iron Castle to avoid damaging mental energy...

Page break AD starts

Page break AD ends