Once one had that insider’s knowledge, that basis of how structures worked, the needs for foundations, of support to keep those grand ceilings up and more, then it turned from a building to a piece of art. Something filled with complexities, with hidden knowledge and information that was passed down generations, evolving and growing. It was no mere “building.” This was the beauty every crafter, every builder and creator could find within their work if they looked—the history behind it, the foundation that others had built and showed them, allowing them to take that and create something truly incredible.
It was Qin’s drug as she had moved from making defensive formations and other simple formations to the newest attempt, the lightning barrier, using a mix of information that she had gained by not only reading about formations but dealing with them on a constant basis. From seeing the marvelous creations on the Metal floor, the potential and the ecstasy that came from learning and knowing more drove her efforts.
She cleared a space at her station and put down the books. She flipped it open to a page, pulling out a number of sheets and spreading them around. She looked around the room and grabbed another pile of papers.
“Come on, where is it, the attribute control runes?” she muttered to herself, before she pulled out a piece of paper, a victorious smile on her face. She put it next to the pile of information that she had collected and pulled out already.
She tore out a fresh piece of paper and started to jot down designs from several different types of formations. She finished the last drawing and looked at them.
She took out another piece of paper and started to draw out a new formation made up from the formation components she had jotted down.
She kept working for a few minutes before she surveyed what she had so far.
“Ahh! No!” She threw the drawing to the side. The runes and shapes of the formation didn’t match. She could tell that the power would simply lose containment and shred the rest of the formation plate, turning it into nothing but a pile of smoky metal.
She sighed, dropping her pencil and holding her face in her hands.
“Wait! Maybe that’s it! Maybe I’m trying to exert too much control, trying to take over lightning…” Qin sunk into thought. “Maybe later I’ll be able to control it perfectly, but if I’m just looking to make a barrier, why don’t I just guide it a little bit? Give an area in the middle that is empty of lightning, then create an area around where lightning is concentrated?”
With this idea in mind, she started to write something out. It was much simpler than her previous attempts.
She pulled out a yellow topaz to power the formation and put it in the testing chamber.
She started it up and watched it.
The formation activated for a second. The sound of thunder rumbled through the building before it died out the next second. The formation plate was okay, a bit smoky, but the topaz had been turned into dust.
Qin looked up with a shocked look on her face as a notification appeared.
Her hearing came back shortly afterward.
“I need a medic!”
“Where did that lightning come from?”
Qin had a bad feeling as she headed out of the workshop.
The people who had been talking outside had been stunned and were on the floor, their bodies twitching as others with healing or Alchemy training worked on them.
“Crap.” She rushed over to help them out.
***
“Did you hear about the lightning barrier that Qin made?” Tian Cui asked.
“Yeah, heard that a few people were still suffering from that,” Storbon said.
“Well, looks like she has figured it out. Basically what was happening at the beginning was the energy was discharging all in one shot, wasn’t over a longer time; she added in more power to it and something to correct the power outflow,” Tian Cui said.
“That sounds incredibly dangerous,” Storbon said, sounding interested.
“Well, one of the parties went and tested it out in the battlefield dungeon. They were able to take down several creatures with the assistance of the barrier. Still, some creatures, like the Metal ones, aren’t affected or the charge isn’t high enough, but it’s a whole new way to farm mobs in the dungeon.” Tian Cui grinned.
“Mobs?” Storbon asked.
“Sorry—something that I heard Rugrat talking about. Kind of stuck.” Tian Cui shrugged.
“Guys! Guys!” Yao Meng said, gasping for air.
With his Stamina stat, he had to have been running hard to be this worn out.
Tian Cui and Storbon grabbed their weapons automatically, ready to deal with a threat.
“They started it,” Yao Meng said, his eyes wide and excited.
“Started what? What the hell is happening?” Storbon demanded.
“The new cookhouse!” Yao Meng looked as if he were about to cry.
Tian Cui and Storbon looked at each other before their eyes went wide as well.
“The tier-three upgrade?” Storbon said in a high-pitched voice.
“I need to tell the others!” Tian Cui said in a squeal as she messaged the rest of the party.
Storbon grabbed Yao Meng by the arms. “Pull yourself together, man! When will the upgrade be complete!”
“A week,” Yao Meng was able to squeeze out.
Storbon wasn’t sure how to express his happiness. He simply shook Yao Meng, who was grinning and then looking dizzy from the shaking.
“Imagine the buffs!”
***
Elise and Jia Feng sat in one of the tea houses in Alva Dungeon. Out of the window, one could see the academy.
There was a glowing blueprint around the cookhouse, with multiple automatons and people working to bring in the necessary materials.
As the tier of the buildings increased, their materials were simply placed in the right place and then the power of the Ten Realms, blueprints, and upgrade system worked together, changing and transforming the building.
The tier-two upgrade had cost 1,000 gold and the cost of materials, but the tier-three upgrade was 10,000 gold and the cost of materials had taken a large leap upward.
They were using stone blocks, iron ingots, special enhancing ingredients, monster cores, and Mana stones.
Just the building material cost was around the 15,000 gold mark, not including the wages for the laborers working on the building.
“Looking forward to the upgrade?” Elise asked as she poured Jia Feng tea. She was no longer the laidback woman from before. Like Elise, there was an additional weight to her presence, an unconscious pressure that was released.
Both of them were powerful women in their own right. Elise controlled Alva Dungeon and all that came with. Their population had just reached the three hundred and fifty mark. Their military took a full one hundred and twenty people. Many didn’t actively go out to fight with parties, in the Beast Mountain Range or the battlefield dungeon, but it was a good way to increase levels and one didn’t know when they might find themselves in a fight. Nearly everyone had at least some fighting capabilities. The defense of Alva Village had showed them that they couldn’t rely on others for their defense.
Not only were their people able to fight, they were crafters of all veins, traders who roamed the First Realm and now the Second Realm.
Their trades had long passed the one thousand gold mark and traders were working on deals that were worth tens of thousands of gold.
In some places, people were looking at building manors or increasing the size of their houses. The blueprint office was filled with building permits and commissioned to design new homes. Sick and invalid? Basic healthcare was provided by the medics; whether they were alchemists or healers, it didn’t matter. If one was looking to increase their overall power through opening Mana gates, assistance to increase the power of the Mana Gathering systems or increasing their Body Cultivation, they would need to pay more.
Systems that were not seen in even the higher realms were put i
nto place as the strength, wealth, and ability of the people of Alva’s dungeon continued to grow.
“Of course I’m looking forward to it. I wonder what we’ll be able to make. The people from the battlefield dungeon have been bringing back the various beasts and ingredients that they have found and the farmers are still messing with various plants to bring us new things to play with. I almost want to tell the people going into the battlefield dungeon to stop pulling out damn recipe books.” Jia Feng laughed as she took the teapot and poured for Elise.
“I know the feeling, though I can’t say I blame them.” Elise grinned, losing the air of the council leader as she and Jia Feng took their cups and sat back.
Jia Feng shook her head and smiled.
“Do you know how hard it is to have everyone asking for you to test out their latest attempt! I’ve had to join the fighting courses to stay in shape! Though some of them are bad enough that I don’t even need to taste them to see what’s gone wrong.” Jia Feng sipped from her cup. The lines on her forehead flattened out as she closed her eyes, taking in the hit of caffeine and relaxing as the warm liquid filled her stomach.
“That is some good tea. Hard to find tea that actually tastes how it smells.” She put the cup down.
“This place is run by an alchemist who turned toward cooking and teas. Her husband used to run a tavern but he was too old for that, so he got the idea to start up a tea shop. Now she sells her tea leaves to most of the tea houses and he brews the tea and runs the place,” Elise said.
“I will have to try to get some of her leaves,” Jia Feng said with a note of approval. She looked out at the academy and the growth that was happening. The stacks of materials, once placed, were combined into the building, causing it to grow.
“So how are things with you and Shu Wanshu?” Elise asked, catching Jia Feng off guard.
“Not so loud.” Jia Feng waved her hands and looked around in a panic to make sure no one else could hear.
Elise snickered at her friend’s actions as she leaned forward to get some more information. “Well, how is it?”
“Well, it’s very stress relieving.” Jia Feng glared at her friend before she sighed and rolled her eyes. “I thought that being the council leader might civilize you!”
“I thought that you’d have your hands full with the cookhouse, but I was wrong.” Elise grinned into her cup.
Jia Feng let out a cough and a flush appeared on her cheeks.
“So?” Elise asked.
“Everything is good. If you could be quiet, it would be better!”
Elise rolled her eyes, wanting more details.
“We’re taking it slow. We’re both department heads in the academy. We’re very busy and we’re still trying to train up teachers to take on some of the load and give the students the attention that they need. Though it is nice to have someone to talk to who is going through the same difficulties that I’m going through. And his hands—they might be calloused but they’re very nimble and flexible.” Jia Feng raised an eyebrow and the corner of her mouth lifted in a pleased arc, reminding Elise of a preening cat.
“We need to find you someone to meet with. All of that built-up tension is just going to lead to problems. What about Blaze? Didn’t you have a thing for him?”
It was Elise’s turn to glare at Jia Feng. But she could only sigh; it was only fair that her own attacks be used against her.
“Well, I’m now the council leader and he’s part of the Alva Dungeon military. It would be kind of wrong if we were to go out together. It’s our job to work together and we shouldn’t be biased one way or another. Also, we can get into fights—not everyone is pleased with the decisions that I make.” Elise sighed. Blaze was, after all, the reason that she had gone to Alva Village, a young girl following her knight in shining armor. She had founded a store, been given the trading interface, and then Blaze had worked to build up the village. She had hoped that she might be able to draw his attention after he was done building the village, but then the beast horde had come and they had moved to Alva Dungeon and she found their roles reversed.
“Do you like being the council leader?” Jia Feng asked, none of the playfulness or ribbing in her voice.
“I find it gives me purpose.” Elise paused.
“But?” Jia Feng prodded.
“I really do like adventuring. I want to see the rest of the Ten Realms. I want to keep trading, the thrill of the deal, of seeing incredible new things. I get to see some of that, but most of the time I am stuck just sitting in the back, trying to keep everything afloat. I have set up the department of aides who are helping for a large part, dealing with the issues of the people and keeping everything organized, so I only need to make the big decisions, but I’m tired. I was given the position by Erik and Rugrat but I want to do more, do different things.”
“Or people,” Jia Feng said, getting a look from Elise.
“What? You expect me to let that one go?” Jia Feng asked before she turned serious. “What it sounds like to me, it sounds like you need a change of pace, of scenery.”
“Like I’ll be able to get that any time soon.” Elise scoffed. “It’s not as if Erik and Rugrat are going to come back here and manage all of this by themselves and take it off my plate. It is clear that they want to travel to ascend the realms to gain strength and it is that strength that pulls us forward as well.”
“If they won’t replace you, then you need to find someone who can take over your job. If not someone, then something,” Jia Feng said.
“What do you mean?” Elise asked.
“In the academy, it doesn’t matter who you are; it only matters what your skill is. The higher your skill is, the greater your standing. I have only kept onto my position because I am the most advanced cook. Tan Xue is the most advanced smith and she has effectively been selected by Taran and the other smiths to take over.
“Taran retains his position because he has the faith of the different department heads. We haven’t put anything into writing but that’s what we have planned to do going forward: the person who is the most capable in their department will lead it. This puts a fire under their ass to do the best job. What if you were to have something similar? Have Egbert pick out the person who is best suited to lead Alva, turn it into a position of prestige, allowing them more resources to dedicate on what they care about. The aides are switched out based on their ability but they run the city for the most part, coming to the council leader who replaces you with their suggestion.”
“Why Egbert?” Elise asked. Although she was pessimistic on the outside, inside she was excited by the possibility.
“Well, Egbert, while he is nice to everyone, he is bound to Erik and Rugrat, meaning that he is neutral in matters relating to the dungeon, and he was told to do what is best for the dungeon. With this stipulation, no one can go against him when he picks someone to be the leader of the dungeon’s council.”
As Jia Feng’s words landed, Elise felt as if something had snapped in place within her mind. A path appeared in front of her and Jia Feng saw the huge smile on Elise’s face.
Chapter: Resam Regional Headquarters
Erik moved to the observation deck as word came that they were now in sight of Resam Regional Headquarters.
The observation deck turned silent as they descended through the clouds.
Resam Regional Headquarters appeared before them. It dominated a large basin; mountain ranges lay around it, turned into the Regional Headquarters’ walls. This showed just how grand they were as inside the basin the land rose up. A massive, sprawling city over fifty kilometers across greeted their eyes.
A faint medicinal mist could be seen covering the lands. The basin created a natural focusing formation, creating a world cut off from the outside.
Growing fields, growing buildings, houses, taverns, auction houses, Alchemy workshops, and meandering rivers all served to break up the landscape before one’s eyes were drawn to the twin citadels of Resam.
; The citadel to the north looked like a cauldron, with smoke coming from its peak. The smoke, instead of covering and stifling the city, seemed to purify it as if incense in a temple. The mist spread out to cover Resam. To the south, there was the second citadel. It was, similarly, a large building but with multiple growing levels that spiraled up the building before ending in a large growing area. At its center, a tall pillar reached into the sky.
A massive walkway ran between the two buildings. There were multiple levels to it, with each covered in plants.
As they got lower, Erik took in a deep breath. The air here was filled with nutrients. Countless plants over centuries had been grown and harvested here. Instead of the grounds becoming barren from over-farming, they became stronger with growers using spells and formations to increase the natural Mana in the area. Fertilizers, water, soil—all of it had been perfected with time, creating a holy ground for plants to be grown in.
As they were coming down, Erik noticed that between the two large citadels, to the east, a hill overflowed with ingredients, covered in a thick mist. It was hard to see against all the other gardens and plants that surrounded it.
They headed for the tall pillar sticking up in the sky from the south citadel.
The beasts circled before they flew down. They flapped their wings wildly before they came to a stop on the platform.
Everyone made to disembark as Erik checked his gains.
==========
Skill: Alchemy
==========
Level: 57 (Journeyman)
==========
Able to identify 1 effect of the ingredient.
Ingredients are 5% more potent.
==========
==========
697,943/1,055,000 EXP till you reach Level 31
==========
He’d been able to rapidly advance his skill level due to working on the new, harder formulas and working to consolidate the Alchemy Book information in his head.
He had ideas of what to change with the Journeyman-level concoctions and he was confident enough to try them. However, without any Mana stones coming in, or the ability to replenish his supplies, he was hesitant to waste them on his ideas.
The Third Realm Page 34
