While many people might not be used to the regional merger...
After all, everyone had been together for a month.
Regardless of how they interacted, they had at least managed to reach a tentative balance.
In such a situation, the merger was no different from directly shattering that balance.
As the population of the region expanded, social circles naturally grew with it.
Humans are, after all, social animals.
Trying to get by without communication is difficult, a fact especially prominent in this other world.
But for Lan Qingyou—or rather, for 'researchers' of her kind—this merger was a benefit.
A massive benefit.
For instance, right now, Lan Qingyou held the frame of her glasses with one hand while holding a light blue potion in the other, its color even paler than a mana potion.
【Apprentice Frost Potion (E)】
【Effect: Creates an explosion in a 5x5 area, dealing 50 points of instant damage and inflicting a freeze effect for 10 seconds.】
【Description: A perfect potion. Whether used against monsters or to chill food, it is a very interesting item.】
This was the result of Lan Qingyou’s hard work throughout the day.
It was crafted using herbs gathered from the Abandoned Beach.
Although the freeze effect only lasted ten seconds, it was more than enough for Lan Qingyou.
She had made this for two reasons: first, Shang Chuan had sent materials, so she didn't have to be stingy with her resources.
Second, she hadn't gone out to play 'bomber' for several days, and her hands were getting itchy.
Of course, the most important reason was that Lan Qingyou wanted to level up.
In over a month, she hadn't seriously gone out to hunt monsters and level up.
As a Level 1, she really needed to gain some levels.
Even though she currently possessed the attributes of a Level 40 player due to her title, she still had to go out.
This was because it was tied to one of her plans.
That was why she was so frantic to finish the potion before the mana tide arrived.
That very day.
Right after finishing the potions, Lan Qingyou flew out and headed straight for the wetlands. The sludge monsters there were as numerous as ever.
Floating in the air, Lan Qingyou didn't say a word. She started by dropping a Frost Potion, freezing the slow-moving creature in front of her, and then followed up with an Explosion Potion to blow it into fragments.
Seeing this, Lan Qingyou immediately descended, drew her dagger, and stabbed the largest block of ice.
Though the dagger was small, it couldn't withstand the massive stat boosts.
The dagger, which had been raised to +35 strength by being 'fed' mana potions, instantly finished off this E-rank small fry.
【Monster slain. A portion of mana obtained will be used for individual level-up.】
After killing the sludge monster, that sentence immediately rang in Lan Qingyou’s ears.
Oh!
So that's the kind of message you get after killing a monster.
Lan Qingyou was stunned. Although the lack of a digital increase like 'EXP +N' felt a bit strange, she didn't dwell on it. she reached out and picked up a frozen chunk of the sludge monster from the ground.
【Sludge (E)】
【Effect: Can be used to cultivate low-level flora.】
【Description: Soil containing a certain amount of mana.】
Looking at the description box popping up in her identification glasses, Lan Qingyou smiled slightly.
Exactly. This was exactly what she wanted.
She had previously wanted to grow her own herbs for emergencies, but planting required soil.
The sludge that these sludge monsters drew directly from the swamp was undoubtedly the best choice.
Most importantly, because it dropped from monsters, the mana content was significantly higher than the mud she could dig up from the swamp herself.
Before, with only Explosion Potions, she couldn't do much about them.
But now that she had Frost Potions, the situation had completely reversed. Killing them was like slaughtering chickens or dogs.
And so, in the short two hours before dark, Lan Qingyou obtained an entire bag—about one cubic meter—of sludge.
Of course, she had consumed quite a few potions.
Not a single bottle of the Frost Potions she had made today remained, but she felt very satisfied.
Because she had reached Lv3.
Yes, two hundred sludge monsters only allowed her to level up twice.
There was no experience bar, so she wasn't sure exactly how the leveling or calculations worked.
But at least she had gained two levels and two points of spirit, bringing her spirit directly to 20 points and rounding out her mana pool.
After returning, Lan Qingyou poured the sludge from the herb bag directly onto the second-floor terrace.
The moment she poured it, a foul, nauseating stench wafted across the terrace.
It was sludge, after all; the smell was bound to be unpleasant.
Though it was indeed pungent, Lan Qingyou didn't care.
Was this a joke? People were seriously underestimating alchemists.
What kind of smells hadn't she encountered while brewing potions? This little bit of stimulation was nothing. Besides, once the second-floor door was closed, she wouldn't smell it inside anyway.
The reason she poured it here was to let the moisture in the sludge dry out first.
Only then could it be used as planting soil.
Although the subsequent cleanup might be a bit troublesome, she had the Magic Broom for that; there was no need for Lan Qingyou to do it herself.
There was a reason Lan Qingyou was so satisfied with that thing; simply put, it was useful.
Holding her breath, Lan Qingyou closed the door to the second floor and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Having finished all this, she went to the first floor and tossed the herb bag into the wooden bucket to soak in mana potions along with the Moonstone Dagger.
In the past, Lan Qingyou would have gone to take a bath at this time.
But today, because she had harvested the sludge, she still had plenty of things to do.
After extracting some stones from her desk, she used them to wall off a small area on the originally empty first floor.
This area was prepared for her future planting.
Not only was there plenty of sunlight, but it was also right next to the alchemy workshop. By modifying the water tank in the workshop and setting up a drip irrigation system, she wouldn't have to worry about it anymore.
She had even decided what to plant.
First were the Fire Bells.
With the Fire Essence, Lan Qingyou could grow them even inside the tree hollow.
For the same reason, other water-attribute herbs could also be grown here.
She could even grow things like Glow Mushrooms.
Thinking about it this way, the first floor—which wasn't very large to begin with—seemed insufficient?
But that was fine. She didn't have any plans for the third floor anyway. She could expand the planting area there as much as she wanted.
In the future, she would just use the alchemy workshop and the second floor for brewing potions.
Moreover, the shelter could be expanded once it reached Level 4.
Thus, Lan Qingyou, who already knew the monthly disaster cycle, basically finalized the arrangements for her house.
After finishing her work, she took a bath and prepared to return to the second floor to sleep.
Because the sludge was drying on the terrace, she took the internal passage of the tree house.
But for some reason, the moment she flew to the second floor, she felt a trace of a chill.
Rate on N.U.
