【Level 6 Tree Hollow Shelter Upgrade Requirements: Iron Ore * 851,000, Orichalcum * 84,600, Silver Ore * 89,500, Gold Ore * 102,000, Obsidian * 8,120,000...】
Lan Qingyou was not feeling good at all after seeing this long string of numbers.
Not only were the current numbers a staggering eight to twelve times higher than what she had seen before, but basic materials like wooden boards, stones, and vines—things she hadn't needed for a long time—had suddenly reappeared.
Why?
Lan Qingyou couldn't help but ask herself.
Was it because her magic circle had been integrated into the shelter's shield system, causing the entire exterior area and the five giant trees to be included in the upgrade scope?
Wait!
If that was the case, could she use this to her advantage?
Thinking of this, Lan Qingyou suddenly realized she might have oversimplified things before.
Originally, she had just wanted to use the Yin-Yang fish as a boundary, using the shelter side for farming and the bird nest side for a factory.
Along the way, she planned to add some warehouses to store the alchemy materials that would be arriving in a steady stream, and resolve the energy issues of the shelter.
But things were different now. Truly different.
Setting aside the herb fields, factories, and warehouses for a moment.
Even the tree she had grafted with the Ancient Tree Branch should be included in the upgrade, right?
After all, she had prepared that tree specifically for any flying monsters that might arrive in the future. If it was being upgraded now, it would surely be counted as part of the facility.
It seemed acceptable that upgrading such a large area at once would require a massive amount of materials.
However, if that was the case, it meant she had even more room to maneuver!
Too many materials?
Someone else was footing the bill anyway, so why should she worry?
Since she didn't have to worry, why not organize her territory exactly as she pleased?
After making up her mind, a still-uncertain Lan Qingyou flew out of the shelter and went specifically to the edge of the magic circle to check the situation.
It was as if an invisible wall stood between the inside and outside of the magic circle.
Outside, the wind howled and mana was in chaos; inside, it was a scene of vitality and everything thriving.
This gave her a great deal of peace of mind.
So, after taking a bath and getting a wonderful night's sleep, Lan Qingyou woke up the next morning and immediately began the plan she had calculated the night before.
Actually, calling it a plan made it sound like a bigger deal than it was.
It was really just a bit of remodeling.
Since she was going to farm, the trees and scattered rocks inside the circle had to be cleared first. However, considering the scale of the project, even with the humanoid golems working, they probably wouldn't be able to finish the cleanup within the three days of the mana tide.
So, Lan Qingyou simply had them start by digging holes—tree hollows.
Since these were going to be used as warehouses and were about to be upgraded anyway, why not plan them out properly?
She had the golems start digging into the three warehouse trees from the very bottom, creating five floors in each to match the shelter. She maintained the mindset that if one facility progressed, they should all progress together.
Of course, digging tree hollows wasn't actually that complicated. They didn't even need to be as large as the shelter's interior.
A single day was enough to finish.
After tossing the materials into the tree hollows by category, Lan Qingyou ordered the humanoid golems to start clearing the rubble and excess trees within the magic circle while she went back to the shelter to write her thesis.
The golems were truly efficient, clearing out a significant amount of space overnight.
The area in front of the shelter was especially clean. Except for the large rock that had previously served as the 'boundary' for the shelter's magic shield, all other stones and wood had been cleared and piled up in the center.
Save where you can, spend where you must.
These stones and logs were still materials, after all; she couldn't just throw them away and let them go to waste.
With the golems working literally day and night, the clearing of the entire area was finally completed by the last day of the fourth mana tide.
Of course, this so-called clearing only applied to the surface.
Lan Qingyou didn't bother with the stones buried deep underground, nor did she need to.
After all, all she needed was a nominal herb field.
As long as she established the form of an herb field, the system would automatically transform it for her during the upgrade. It was an incredible bargain.
She moved all the herbs and sludge from the original first-floor herb field to the new outdoor herb field area and spread a significant amount of sludge over the remaining space.
Then, Lan Qingyou began assembling the components of a simple factory building she had prepared long ago on the other side of the herb field.
Although this simple factory building was a bit small, these things took time. There was no rush.
The assembled factory was located right beneath the tree hollow she had designated for storing golems.
This way, golems produced in the factory could go directly into the warehouse and wait for the day they would be awakened.
The Tower: "@Justice, I've sent you the list of upgrade materials I need."
After finishing her work, Lan Qingyou sent the now 'price-hiked' shelter upgrade list to Justice.
Justice: "Let me see."
Justice: "Are you sure this is a Level 6 upgrade list?"
Less than ten seconds after his previous message, Chu Yuan sent another one.
The Tower: "Yeah, I didn't expect it to change so much either."
Justice: "Oh? What exactly happened?"
The word 'change' made Chu Yuan realize there was something deeper going on.
So, Lan Qingyou gave a brief explanation of her magic circle and then shared her theory on the likely changes that occurred after the magic circle and the shelter were linked.
Justice: "So you're saying the magic circle's connection caused the entire area to be included in the upgrade scope?"
The Tower: "Exactly. Since it's something that can even resist the mana tide, I think this price increase is within a reasonable range."
Justice: "Wait a minute, did you say this magic circle of yours can resist the mana tide?"
The Tower: "Yeah. Walking around within the magic circle's range during the mana tide isn't a problem at all. Did I not mention that?"
Justice: "Like hell you did! Why didn't you say something so important sooner?"
The Tower: "Heh! I didn't? Haha, sorry, sorry. I've been so busy with the finishing touches on the magic circle these past few days that I forgot."
Click, click, click.
Lan Qingyou reached out and took a few photos showing the vivid contrast between the inside and outside of the magic circle.
Well then.
Once those photos were sent, even Chu Yuan felt embarrassed to say anything more.
After all, Lan Qingyou had been busy with the finishing touches of her research.
Scholars often worked from dawn till dusk and easily forgot other matters when absorbed in their studies; it was just how things were.
Sitting in his office, Chu Yuan looked at the messages Lan Qingyou had sent on the card. While reassuring himself, he also realized something.
If they could master this magic circle, wouldn't that mean they could establish a shelter similar to a settlement?
A circle with a diameter of one thousand meters was actually quite large.
And based on the height of the trees in Lan Qingyou's shelter, they could build a skyscraper of about 60 stories in a space two hundred meters tall.
That could house a lot of people.
Even if the resource consumption would be massive.
Rate on N.U.
