53: Chapter 53 Mission Settlement and Wetland Blueprint

Lin Muchen stepped into the Mission Hall, the smell of mud still clinging to him.

He placed his Storage Pouch on the counter.

"ding zi 163, submitting."

The old attendant behind the counter glanced up at him, took the pouch, and scanned it with his spiritual sense.

"Thirty Water Spirit Grasses, two Swamp Crocodile skins... good integrity."

The old man nodded, took out a ledger, and began recording.

"280 contribution points, three Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. Verify for yourself."

Lin Muchen took the mission token and a small pouch, weighing it in his hand.

"System, settle."

[Mission 'Ding-163' completion confirmed.]

[Reward points converted: 520 points.]

[Current point balance: 629 points.]

[Warning: Point balance is positive. Debt crisis resolved.]

The corner of Lin Muchen's mouth lifted.

Comfortable.

From being in debt to having a small nest egg, just a swamp away.

He turned and left, his mind already starting to plan.

629 points. How to spend them?

"System, bring up the recommended exchange list for Wetland ecology."

[Retrieving recommended list generated based on Blackwater Swamp ecological data...]

[List generation complete.]

[Core Item: Swamp Prototype (Primary).]

[Cost: 150 points.]

[Can generate basic swamp terrain in a specified area of Origin Star, including mudflats, shallows, and three basic Wetland plants (Reed, Cattail, Water Candle).]

[Species Supplement Pack: Wetland Species Pack (Primary).]

[Cost: 200 points.]

[Contains six Wetland species: Marsh Frogs (20), Leeches (50), Dragonfly Larvae (30), Water Boatmans (20), Swamp Shrimp (15), Water Striders (40).]

[Total cost: 350 points.]

[Remaining points: 279 points.]

[After exchange, Origin Star's Wetland ecosystem species count will increase from 6/12 to 12/12, meeting the basic requirements of Task Three.]

"Buy!" Lin Muchen didn't hesitate.

points are useless just sitting there; turning them into tangible ecology is the real deal.

[Exchange successful.]

[points consumed: 350.]

[Current point balance: 279.]

[Items distributed: Swamp Prototype (Primary), Wetland Species Pack (Primary).]

Lin Muchen didn't stop, heading straight for his residence.

Once inside, he closed the door and sat down cross-legged.

His consciousness instantly sank into his Dantian.

Origin Star was still Origin Star, but something was different.

He "looked" towards the low-lying area where he had placed the Swamp Prototype.

It had completely changed.

What was once just damp, muddy ground had become a proper small swamp.

It wasn't large, roughly the size of a few soccer fields.

Dark green muddy water shimmered faintly, with clusters of Reeds and Cattails poking straight up from the water.

There was also a plant with slender leaves and a tip resembling a candle—likely the Water Candle.

A few scattered duckweeds floated on the water's surface.

"Not bad. Those 150 points were well spent," Lin Muchen chuckled.

The terrain and plants were there. Now, just the animals were missing.

With a thought, he dumped all the contents of the Wetland Species Pack into this newborn swamp.

Splash—

The calm water surface instantly became lively.

A group of Marsh Frogs plopped into the water, their vocal sacs puffing as they began croaking.

Slender leeches wriggled slowly in the mud at the bottom.

Dragonfly larvae cruised underwater like tiny submarines.

Water Boatmans paddled their legs, moving swiftly.

Translucent Swamp Shrimp raised their claws, cautiously assessing their new environment.

The most noticeable were the Water Striders, dozens of long-legged creatures skimming across the water's surface like skaters, darting back and forth.

[Species deployment complete.]

[Origin Star Wetland Ecosystem species count updated: 12/12 (Met).]

[Long-term Ecological Task Three progress updated: 4/5.]

[Completed: Land, Freshwater, Ocean, Wetland.]

[Incomplete: Forest (8/12).]

[Note: Wetland ecology is preliminarily established, but food chain structure is weak, stability is low (65%).]

[Suggest prioritizing the introduction of mid-level consumers to improve energy flow.]

"Food chain..." Lin Muchen stroked his chin.

He called up the Ecological Monitor's panel.

[Wetland Ecological Monitor (Primary)]

[Species List: Reed, Cattail, Water Candle, Duckweed, Marsh Frog, Leech, Dragonfly Larva, Water Boatman, Swamp Shrimp, Water Strider, Microorganisms (various).]

[Current Food Chain:]

[Producers (Plants) → Primary Consumers (Marsh Frogs, Water Boatmans, Swamp Shrimp, Water Striders, etc.)]

[Missing: Mid-level Consumers (animals that prey on Marsh Frogs, Shrimp, etc.), Apex Consumers.]

[Energy Flow: Unidirectional, no closed loop formed.]

[Stability Assessment: 65% (Low).]

"Got it. It's just missing something that eats meat," Lin Muchen nodded. "Only herbivores, no carnivores."

"This ecological imbalance is like having a hotpot with only vegetables and no meat. Unsatisfying."

He looked at his point balance.

279 points.

"System, recommend something that eats Marsh Frogs and shrimp, cheap and cost-effective."

[Scanning exchange list...]

[Recommended Species: Water Snake (Already exchanged, can add), Kingfisher (Already exchanged, can add).]

[Water Snake (50 points/each), skilled at preying on Marsh Frogs, small fish.]

[Kingfisher (30 points/each), skilled at preying on Swamp Shrimp, small fish.]

[Suggested configuration: Add 1 Water Snake, 2 Kingfishers.]

[Total cost: 50+60=110 points.]

[Remaining points: 169 points.]

[This configuration can preliminarily construct a simple food chain: Plants → Frogs/Shrimp → Snakes/Birds, improving Wetland ecological stability.]

"Buy." Lin Muchen made the decision.

[Exchange successful.]

[points consumed: 110.]

[Current point balance: 169.]

[Items distributed: Water Snake (1), Kingfisher (2).]

Guiding with his will, he placed the new Water Snake into the swamp's deep water area.

He placed the two Kingfishers on the Reeds at the swamp's edge.

The Water Snake entered the water and immediately swam silently towards a Marsh Frog basking in the sun.

The Kingfishers stood on the Reed stalks, their small eyes sharply fixed on the water's surface, waiting for Swamp Shrimp to surface.

[Wetland food chain preliminarily perfected.]

[Ecological Stability Assessment: 65% → 72%.]

[Signs of a weak closed-loop energy flow beginning to appear.]

"Now it's getting there," Lin Muchen nodded in satisfaction.

At that moment, the five light clusters in his Dantian suddenly vibrated in unison.

Especially the dark blue water element node, its glow noticeably brightened for an instant.

Immediately after, a faint but clear stream of spiritual energy, carrying the scent of moist vegetation, fed back from the Origin Star's swamp area, flowing along the Five Elements Cycle into his Meridians.

[Detected resonance between Origin Star's new Wetland ecology and the water element node.]

[world will Feedback: Faint Water-Wood attribute spiritual energy.]

[Feedback Efficiency slight fluctuation: 9.0% → 9.02%.]

[Note: The perfection and stabilization of specific ecosystems may trigger additional resonance and feedback from corresponding Five Elements nodes.]

"There's this benefit too?" Lin Muchen's eyes lit up.

Even a mosquito's leg is meat.

0.02% doesn't seem like much, but it adds up with more ecosystems.

Land, Freshwater, Ocean, Wetland—that's four now.

If each could trigger resonance, wouldn't the Feedback Efficiency skyrocket?

"System, plan it out. How can I spend the remaining 169 points to get the forest ecology up to standard the fastest, and also improve the Wetland food chain a bit more?"

[Analyzing...]

[Forest Ecosystem current species count: 8/12, missing 4 species.]

[Suggest exchanging 'Forest Completion Pack (Primary)'.]

[Contains: Squirrels (2 pairs), Woodpeckers (1 pair), Mushroom Spores (3 types), Vine Plants (2 types).]

[Cost: 180 points.]

[Insufficient points.]

[Alternative plan: Exchange in steps.]

[Step One: Exchange Squirrels (2 pairs, 80 points), Mushroom Spores (3 types, 60 points).]

[Total cost 140 points.]

[Remaining points: 29 points.]

[Forest species count will increase to: 10/12.]

[Wetland food chain strengthening requires introducing potential apex consumers, e.g., Juvenile Swamp Crocodile (requires water area to meet standards).]

[Current points and ecological conditions are insufficient. Suggest postponing.]

"Alright, let's focus on the forest first," Lin Muchen glanced at his points. "140 it is. Exchange!"

[Exchange successful.]

[points consumed: 140.]

[Current point balance: 29.]

[Items distributed: Squirrels (2 pairs), Mushroom Spores (3 types).]

He tossed the Squirrels into the forest, watching them hop onto branches and start looking for pinecones.

He scattered the Mushroom Spores on tree roots and rotting wood, where they visibly began to sprout.

[Forest Ecosystem species count updated: 10/12.]

[2 more species needed to meet the standard.]

"Still missing two..." Lin Muchen sighed, looking at his pitiful 29 points.

"Forget it, that's enough for today. Take it one bite at a time."

He withdrew from his internal vision and opened his eyes.

On Origin Star, the swamp was there, the species were complete, the food chain was set up.

The forest was also more than halfway there.

Task Three, five ecosystems, four were already completed.

Even though his points were nearly gone again.

But ecological construction had officially taken off.

He walked to the window, looking at the darkening sky outside.

His mind was already sketching a blueprint for Origin Star's future.

The Wetland needed expansion, the forest needed completion, the food chain needed apex predators...

And that 'Ecological Regulation' authority, unlocked upon completing Task Three.

Would he be able to directly modify Origin Star's rules then?

For example, speed up time in the swamp area to accelerate species evolution?

The more Lin Muchen thought about it, the more promising it seemed.

"System," he suddenly asked, "if I raise the Wetland ecological stability above 80%, will the water element node's resonance become stronger?"

[Theoretically, the more stable and prosperous the ecology, the deeper the resonance with the corresponding Five Elements node, and the stronger the feedback.]

[Specific data requires actual observation.]

"Understood." Lin Muchen grinned.

So he needed to keep investing points to improve the ecology.

He glanced at the "29" on the System panel.

"Time to make money again."

But this time, his mindset was steady.

points are meant to be spent.

Spending them on ecology is spending them on his future self.

This deal is a guaranteed profit.

He turned back to the bed and sat down cross-legged.

"Cultivate first, consolidate the gains. I'll visit the Mission Hall again tomorrow."

"See if there are any... lucrative jobs that also help collect new species data."

He took one last look at his Dantian.

On Origin Star, the newborn swamp breathed quietly in the faint light.

Marsh Frogs croaked, Kingfishers waited, Water Snakes swam.

A scene full of vitality.

A smile on his lips, Lin Muchen entered a meditative state.

The room fell quiet.