Territory

【Successfully collected alchemy tool Teleportation Runestone, Compendium entry unlocked +1】

Wu Yao glanced at the Compendium, which displayed more detailed information.

【Teleportation Runestone (Epic)】

【Category: Rune Product / Spatial / Consumable】

【Description: A faceted, greyish-blue crystal containing a solidified spatial fold within. It is said that during the Golden Age, grand witches who commanded the authority over “Space” could fold thousands of miles into a mere inch. Following the Witch Hunt, the last grand witch capable of crafting spatial runestones chose to “Return to the Moon.” Since then, the craft of spatial runestone making dissipated into the dust of history along with her silver glow.】

【Effect: Channel mana to teleport to designated coordinates up to 5,000 kilometers away. Has a 1% chance of encountering spatial turbulence, resulting in a teleportation drift or brief dizziness.】

【Crafting Requirements: Alchemy Skill Lv.15 + Rune Skill Lv.15 + Enchanting Skill Lv.10】

【Required Materials: Spatial Stone x1, Starlight Stone x3, Moon-Silver Stone x5, Mana Crystal x10】

【Note: Failed crafting has a 15% chance to trigger a spatial collapse, destroying the materials and dealing true damage equal to 80% of the crafter's maximum Health Points.】

Although it looked complicated, knowing she could craft it herself made Wu Yao feel a lot less stingy about using it. Before activating it, she saved her game.

Without designated coordinates, the Teleportation Runestone would teleport her randomly. Wu Yao knew practically nothing about the continent of Elderan, and all unexplored areas on her map were blank.

To her, a random teleportation was as exciting as opening a blind box.

She channeled mana into the runestone. The folds inside the crystal suddenly unfurled, tearing open an invisible rift in front of her. Looking through the rift, the world on the other side was a mess of distorted, shattered shadows. A brief buzzing sound rang in the air, a sudden sensation of weightlessness surged up from the soles of her feet, and her vision instantly went black.

In the next second, she was standing in the middle of a swamp, a pungent, rotten stench assaulting her nostrils.

【Teleportation successful! Current Location: Black Mud Swamp】

With a squelch, her boots sank into a patch of soft, rotten mud. Everything below her ankles was trapped in dark brown muck, making it impossible to lift her legs.

A layer of dark green duckweed floated on the swamp water. Bubbles of various sizes rose from the mud, and as they popped, they released small puffs of dark green toxic mist... Toxic mist!

Her health bar!

Before she could even get a proper look, she was forced to back out by environmental damage that shaved off 10 Health Points per second. Standing there for two more seconds would mean dying on the spot.

【Load Successful!】

The familiar campfire reappeared before her eyes. She gripped the Teleportation Runestone tightly once more. It was fine. Opening blind boxes meant occasionally pulling a dud. It was perfectly normal.

【Teleportation successful! Current Location: Holy Empire of Atoranca - Holy City】

This time, what greeted her wasn't a foul stench, but the deafening toll of bells, rippling across the city in waves and merging into the twilight.

There was a time difference, she realized. It seemed she had traveled quite far this time. She was stepping on moss-covered grey stone bricks. Behind her was a massive bronze bell tower. Standing at the very top of the tower, she had a bird's-eye view of the entire city.

Layers of red-tiled roofs, grand European-style palaces, and a towering white pagoda reaching into the clouds in the distance. The entire city was enclosed by high walls. The streets were already lit, with bright yellow lights linking the roads like pulsing blood vessels.

From below came the sound of rhythmic marching. Curious, Wu Yao poked her head out to look. It was a squad of guards in full plate armor, the feathers on their helmets bobbing in unison with their steps.

This slight lean shifted her center of gravity. Her boot soles slipped on the moss, and with her Agility of only 2, she didn't have time to make any adjustments before sliding right off the top of the tower.

The wind rushed into her ears, and the stone ground rushed up to meet her at terrifying speed. Before she could be splatted into a meat patty, she quickly hit the reload button.

【Load Successful!】

On her third try, there was no solid ground beneath her feet. She materialized mid-air, greeted by freezing high-altitude clouds and wind whistling past like a sharp siren.

She forced herself to look down. Below was a bottomless abyss, with a faint silver thread winding through the valley floor—likely a river.

Unwilling to gamble on her chances of surviving a freefall, she could only load her save again.

The fourth time, the fifth time, the sixth time... She suspected the game was messing with her. The initial novelty had completely worn off.

With nothing but duds from her blind boxes, she was now driven purely by spite: “Let's see where else this stupid game can send me.”

This time, Wu Yao smelled rot. It was damp and cold, like the scent of decaying wood settling over time.

She was already prepared to load her save.

Opening her eyes.

Twisted trees towered into the clouds, their branches gnarled like dying pythons, their bark a sickly greyish-black.

There were no leaves, only countless fine, vine-like fibrous roots hanging from the branches, densely suspended in mid-air and swaying in the night wind.

When the wind passed through the roots, it sounded like someone sighing in the distance, sending a shiver of goosebumps down her arms.

Two moons barely penetrated the dense layers of branches. The larger, radiant moon was chopped into fragmented patches of light, but the smaller Silver Moon, strangely enough, pierced through all obstructions, gently draping her in a soft, silvery glow.

【Current Location: Cursed Forest】

Wu Yao opened her map. The area surrounding the blue dot representing her position was a massive expanse of blank space, completely free of any faction markers!

“Finally, a safe, unclaimed territory!” Wu Yao's spirits lifted, and her lingering frustration instantly vanished.

She checked the quest requirements—all met!

She couldn't wait to click place.

【Please carefully consider the placement of the Territory Core】

“I am being careful...” Ignoring the warning, Wu Yao clicked place once more.

The Territory Core from her Inventory appeared in her palm. The silver light inside flickered rapidly, like an awakening heart. It rose from her palm and hovered about a meter off the ground.

The silver light suddenly burst forth, yet it wasn't a blinding glare but a gentle, flowing radiance like water.

Wherever the light touched, the hanging roots shriveled upward as if encountering a natural predator. The greyish-black bark let out faint crackles, as if being scorched by an invisible fire, quickly vanishing without a trace.

As the light dissipated, a simple cabin stood upon the wasteland. It occupied an area of only about twenty-odd square meters, entirely wooden and rather inconspicuous, save for the silver tiles on the roof that gleamed brightly under the moonlight.

Around the cabin, a translucent protective shield slowly rose, marking out a square plot of land. Once it closed, it rippled a few times before turning completely invisible.