89: Chapter 89 Organizing the Gains

That layer of pale gold protective shield also seemed to possess a life of its own, expanding rapidly outward in synchronization with the boundaries of the new city wall, always remaining tightly adhered.

The scene was nothing short of a miracle! The soldiers who originally lived near the old city wall watched in amazement as that heavy wall, which provided an infinite sense of security, pushed steadily further away like a giant python coming to life, while the light membrane of the protective shield stayed flush against the outside of the newly appearing wall structure.

No one panicked; there was only inexpressible shock and awe for the Lord's methods.

The entire expansion process lasted about half an hour. When the last section of the wall closed in the northwest corner, the vibrations subsided. What appeared before everyone was a more magnificent and towering super city wall with its scale expanded fourfold!

The "small city" that originally had a diameter of three hundred meters had now become a fortress with a diameter of six hundred meters, truly possessing the atmosphere of a grand city!

The total length of the city wall reached nearly one thousand nine hundred meters, towering and continuous like a giant dragon of grey rock, protecting a much larger expanse of land within.

The space inside the territory instantly became incomparably vast. The buildings that had previously seemed a bit crowded were now scattered within the newly expanded area, appearing somewhat sparse.

Lin Tian took Lin Yin and ascended the city wall once more.

Standing at the junction of the old and new city walls and looking outward, the field of vision suddenly opened up.

"Good! Now this looks like a proper 'city'!" Lin Tian slapped the brand-new battlements forcefully, feeling that solidity as pride rose in his chest once again. He turned and began walking along the top of the city wall, which had nearly doubled in width.

"Having walls alone isn't enough; we need to build more City Defense Giant Crossbows," he said to Lin Yin, who was following beside him and silently observing the defensive layout of the new wall.

Every certain distance he walked, he would stop, call up the [City Defense Giant Crossbow (Permanent)] blueprint, and select build.

One by one, ferocious and massive crossbow beds that required several people to operate rapidly materialized on the wall alongside the consumption of resources.

He evenly added twenty City Defense Giant Crossbows to the newly expanded wall which, together with the original twenty, formed a denser defensive network with wider overlapping fields of fire.

After the construction was finished, he showed no stinginess at all. He directly opened the resource panel and injected a large amount of spirit crystals into these newborn war machines, preparing enough "ammunition" for every giant crossbow. Watching the crossbows take on a faint luster of energy after the spirit crystals were injected, and the bolt slots automatically fill with shimmering heavy energy bolts, Lin Tian nodded in satisfaction.

"With this, even if a few more Rotting Skeleton Giant Bears come, or an even larger beast tide, just this city wall and the forty giant crossbows will be enough to give them a run for their money."

He smiled at Lin Yin, his tone carrying a bit of the smugness of 'becoming stronger through spending money'.

Lin Yin's gaze swept over the giant crossbows radiating a dangerous aura, then looked at the territorial space within the walls that had suddenly expanded several times over. She nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashing in her cold eyes.

Larger space meant more flexible strategic depth and more room for development, while stronger defense meant a more stable rear. This was especially important to her, having experienced the dangers of the Secret Realm.

After descending the wall, Lin Tian did not stop. As the territory expanded and the army continued to grow, the original livelihood facilities had to keep up. He called up the management panel again and began a major overhaul of upgrades and new constructions.

Barracks, cafeterias, kitchens, warehouses, bathrooms, and sanitation facilities, and so on—in one fell swoop, he raised the basic livelihood facilities of Lintian City to a level sufficient to support a population of one hundred thousand! Although there were only over thirty thousand people now, he believed that with his speed of development, this goal was not far off.

Following these operations, the entire latter half of the afternoon saw the territory immersed in a wave of construction fever.

The white light of resources flashed everywhere as new buildings rose from the ground and existing facilities were expanded and upgraded.

When the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the horizon orange-red, the frenzy of territorial expansion and livelihood upgrades gradually subsided. Standing on the newly leveled and significantly enlarged plaza in front of the Lords Mansion and looking around, Lin Tian's heart was filled with a sense of achievement.

The brand-new, towering city wall with its six-hundred-meter diameter was like the most reliable of arms. Everything was moving toward a more prosperous and powerful territory.

More importantly, after experiencing the shadow of "death" in the Secret Realm, this feeling of being grounded and watching his home grow and improve bit by bit by his own hands greatly healed the lingering fears in his heart.

"Alright, the main framework is set up; the details can be filled in slowly." Lin Tian let out a breath and rubbed his slightly aching temples. High-intensity planning and resource manipulation were also a drain on his spirit.

He turned and returned to the Lords Mansion study once more. It was time to take stock of the substantive gains from this Secret Realm challenge, besides the psychological shadows and the motivation to build.

Lin Yin followed him in like a shadow as usual, quietly closing the door, then walked to the side of the study window, leaning against the frame as her gaze fell gently on Lin Tian.

Lin Tian sat behind the desk and opened the system's storage space. The first things to catch his eye were the pile of materials obtained in the Secret Realm:

gold crystals: Split evenly with Lord Su Wan, plus what she gifted extra to show her gratitude, totaling 200 units.

wood crystal stones: Also split evenly plus the gift, reaching 600 units!

space crystals × 100 units.

Unit level increase: All soldiers who participated in the challenge, including Lin Yin, Lin Feng, and himself, had increased by a full two levels! This was a solid increase in strength, especially after going through such a hard battle; this kind of improvement was particularly precious.

"Whew... although the process was a bit life-threatening, these gains... are indeed bountiful!"

Lin Tian stretched, his bones making slight popping sounds, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.

His gaze finally landed on that Gold Treasure Chest gifted by Lord Su Wan, which radiated a soft and noble golden light.

"My first time getting a Gold Treasure Chest. I hope I can have a wave of good luck this time." Lin Tian said with a smile to Lin Yin, who had been staying quietly by the window, his tone carrying his usual self-deprecation and anticipation. Every time he opened a chest, it always gave him a feeling of "witnessing a miracle."

Hearing this, Lin Yin withdrew her gaze from the twilight outside the window and looked at the treasure chest, a hint of curiosity also flitting through her cold eyes.

She walked to the side of the desk, not getting too close, just watching quietly as if sharing in that subtle anticipation before opening the chest.

Lin Tian rubbed his hands, took a deep breath, communicated with his intent, and selected "Open."

Hum!

A pure and concentrated golden-yellow light radiated from the treasure chest, lasting for about a few seconds before quickly pulling inward and dissipating.