16: Light up the new illustrations and upgrade the territory

The sword body was long and slender, seemingly carved from ten-thousand-year-old profound ice, emitting a chilling aura throughout.

A dark blue gem was inlaid at the hilt, with faint streams of light swirling within it.

"A rare-grade ice-attributed weapon!"

Mo Yan took it out of his spatial storage, and as he gripped the hilt, an icy, bone-chilling sensation instantly spread.

But it was immediately neutralized by the Spiritual Qi within his body.

The sword felt quite heavy in his hand, and its sharp edge gleamed with a cold light, clearly not an ordinary item.

"Good sword!"

Mo Yan swung it twice with satisfaction, and the air immediately resounded with a whooshing sound.

Wherever the blade passed, it became even colder, leaving faint white frost marks.

The attributes of this sword were quite good, especially the 15% chance to trigger the Frost effect, which would definitely be a Sharp Weapon for crowd control in combat.

"Two treasure chests, one yielded strategic buildings and skill books, and the other gave a massive amount of resources and a powerful weapon.

My luck is good this time."

Mo Yan was in a great mood.

He put the long sword back into his spatial storage and then turned his gaze to the two skill books.

"Perfect, I'll learn them now."

"[Tip: Do you confirm learning, Rare Skill Book · Spiritual Energy Induction]"

"[Tip: Do you confirm learning, Rare Skill Book · Meditation]"

"Confirm!"

As his voice fell, the two skill books transformed into two distinct streams of light—one ethereal and elusive, the other serene and profound—vying to drill into Mo Yan's Sea of Consciousness between his brows!

Boom!

In an instant, Mo Yan felt as if his mind had been infinitely magnified, and the surrounding world became clearer than ever before in his eyes.

It was no longer just simple sight and hearing, but a completely new dimension of perception that was forcibly opened.

He saw countless colorful light spots floating in the air: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, purple...

They emitted various auras: some gentle, some violent, some icy, some scorching hot.

This was the Origin energy that made up all things.

Spiritual Qi!

It was far more real and shocking than any high-definition image!

"This is... Spiritual Qi?"

Mo Yan looked at the light spots before him in disbelief, attempting to touch a light cyan spot closest to him with his will.

A warm, vital sensation flowed through his body, and every cell cheered with joy.

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and activated the Meditation skill he had just mastered.

Buzz...

A cool sensation spread from the depths of his mind, like eating a chilled watermelon on a hot summer day.

It instantly soothed the fatigue from the intense battle and the restlessness in his heart.

As Meditation operated, wisps of pure energy gathered in his Sea of Consciousness, nourishing his Soul and bringing an indescribable sense of comfort.

"This is Cultivation..."

A strong desire surged in Mo Yan's heart; he was filled with longing for that ethereal path of immortal Cultivation.

He suppressed the urge to immediately sit cross-legged and Meditate, wanting to go further on this path.

Great strength was inseparable from the support of massive resources, especially the scarce Origin Stones.

Thinking of this, he immediately checked the number of Origin Stones he had.

He had acquired 8 from the wolf den, consumed 5 for building the Butchering Platform, another 1 for maintaining its operation, plus the 10 just opened from the treasure chest.

Calculating it, he only had 12 Origin Stones left.

"Only 12... far from enough!"

Mo Yan frowned deeply.

Both the Yu Shan Workshop and the Natural Hot Spring required Origin Stones.

Especially that hot spring, which could cleanse meridians and refine bones...

If it could improve Aptitude, that would put him ahead of other lords.

Its value was immeasurable!

"Origin Stones, I must find a stable Origin Stone mine as soon as possible!"

Otherwise, he would only be able to stare at the blueprints.

Mo Yan came to the Butchering Platform to check the results of the first batch of exotic beast corpses being processed.

The resident assigned there was sweating profusely but working with great enthusiasm, dissecting the exotic beast corpses.

After several hours of exploration and practice, he had largely mastered the operation of the Butchering Platform, significantly improving efficiency.

"Lord!"

Seeing Mo Yan arrive, the resident quickly put down his work and respectfully saluted.

"You've worked hard.

It's thanks to you that these exotic beast corpses were processed today."

Mo Yan softened his tone and said gently, "Are your hands alright?"

"Are they frostbitten?"

He looked at the resident's somewhat red hands with concern.

Only then did he turn his gaze to the Materials piled next to the Butchering Platform.

Icefield Wolf Meat × 1200 portions (Common Quality)

Icefield Wolf Hide × 10 pieces (Common Quality × 9, Rare × 1)

Icefield Wolf Bone × 7940 pieces (Common Quality)

Icefield Wolf Fang × 840 pieces (Common Quality)

Ice Crystal Stone × 2 (Tier 1)

"[Tip: You have lit up the Common - Icefield Wolf Meat, Icefield Wolf Bone, Icefield Wolf Fang illustrations, and activated Level 3 automatic production!]"

Common - Icefield Wolf Meat + 10 / every 17 minutes

Common - Icefield Wolf Bone + 10 / every 17 minutes

Common - Icefield Wolf Fang + 10 / every 17 minutes

"Indeed, the Butchering Platform can not only decompose Materials but also improve the quality of Material acquisition."

Mo Yan picked up the Rare quality Icefield Wolf Hide; it felt delicate and soft, and its toughness far exceeded that of ordinary wolf hide.

"Unfortunately, the territory currently has no craftsmen."

These wolf hides, wolf bones, and wolf fangs were all good Materials for crafting equipment.

Especially the wolf bones and wolf fangs, their hardness was sufficient, and after polishing, they could be made into bone spears and bone daggers.

They could even be inlaid on shields to increase defense, effectively enhancing the combat power of the Soldiers.

These Materials could not yet be converted into equipment; he could only wait until the Tavern was built to see if suitable craftsmen could be recruited.

Mo Yan looked at the 3 new illustrations that had been added.

With wolf bones and wolf fangs, he would no longer lack Materials for manufacturing weapons and armor, allowing him to endlessly arm his Soldiers!

Mo Yan looked at the mountain of wolf meat and said to the resident, "Use this fresh wolf meat to prepare a hearty dinner for everyone."

"Everyone worked hard today, especially the Soldiers who defended the city.

Let them have a good replenishment."

"Yes, Lord!"

The resident's face lit up with joy, and he immediately responded.

After giving instructions, he turned to begin planning the upgrade and construction of buildings within the territory.

He opened the building list and found the long-desired Tavern blueprint.

"Build Tavern!"

"[Required resources: food x2300, wood x1500, stone x800, iron ore x300, gold coins x5000, Origin Stones x10]"

"Confirm!"

"[Remaining construction time: 5 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]"

Looking at the countdown of nearly six hours, Mo Yan nodded slightly.

Six hours; it would be finished by late night, not affecting tomorrow's actions.

A faintly glowing architectural phantom condensed in the center of the territory.

Mo Yan did not pay too much attention to the Tavern's construction progress, but rather glanced at Gun Gun, who was idle, hugging bamboo, and dozing off.

The little fellow seemed not to have fully recovered from the previous intense battle.

His eyelids drooped, and his chubby body gently rose and fell with each breath.

Mo Yan's lips curved into a smile.

He shook his head and shifted his gaze to the few simple wooden houses.

"It's time to improve the living environment for the residents.

They can't keep living in these drafty, broken wooden houses."

"Upgrade 6 simple wooden houses."

"[Upgrade Simple Wooden House (Lv1 → Lv2) Required resources: wood × 60 * 6, stone × 40 * 6 Upgrade time: 30 minutes]"

After consuming a small amount of wood and stone, the six simple wooden houses were simultaneously enveloped in a soft white light, undergoing overall renovation and upgrade.

"The Barracks must also be upgraded to prepare for the next beast tide!"

He then looked at the Barracks.

"[Upgrade Barracks (Lv1 → Lv2) Required resources: food × 200, wood × 100, stone × 100, iron ore x60 Upgrade time: 45 minutes]"

"Confirm!"

Finally, his own Ice Crystal Cabin also needed to have its defense and comfort improved.

"[Upgrade Ice Crystal Cabin (Lv1 → Lv2) Required resources: wood × 60, stone × 40, ice blocks × 100 Upgrade time: 30 minutes]"

"Ice blocks are also needed."

Mo Yan nodded and ordered an idle resident, "Go collect 100 units of ice blocks."

Only after the ice blocks were collected did he confirm the upgrade.

For a time, multiple buildings inside and outside the territory simultaneously entered upgrade and construction states, with light flashing and a busy scene unfolding.