Chapter 430 - 402: Underworld First Week Settlement
Qin Ziwen already knew that the Treasure Garden would alter the surrounding terrain based on the characteristics of the Extraordinary Plants, transforming it into an environment suitable for their growth.
The low valley where the Deep Sea Oxygen was located had completely turned into a marshland.
When he shone his flashlight over,
the water’s surface shimmered, reflecting a vibrant spectrum of light.
A large, lush cluster of Deep Sea Oxygen floated on the water, its plump, grape-like spheres bobbing with the ripples.
Around it grew stalks of rice, their stems thick and their leaves upright, each bearing heads of grain.
The most striking among them were a few rice stalks that had even changed color, their grains turning a shade of blue.
They were also a good head taller than the surrounding rice plants.
[Normal-Mutated Rice]
’It hasn’t transformed into an Extraordinary Plant yet. Looks like evolving from a normal plant to an Extraordinary one isn’t that simple.’
"Who’s there?!" a wary voice called out from behind him.
Flashlight in hand, Qin Ziwen turned around. Seeing it was him, Wei Zhaohua relaxed. "Oh, it’s you, Guild Leader. No one else usually comes here. You gave me a scare."
"I came over to plant something new. Just buried it over there," he said, pointing behind him.
Wei Zhaohua’s eyes lit up at his words. "Guild Leader, you got something new? What kind of plant is it?"
Qin Ziwen waved a hand dismissively. "I just planted it. It’s still only a seed, and it’s another matter entirely whether it’ll even sprout. It’s way too early to tell."
Wei Zhaohua said confidently, "It’ll definitely grow. I’ve never seen a place as magical as the Treasure Garden. Practically nothing planted here ever dies."
Seeing that Wei Zhaohua was even more confident than he was, Qin Ziwen chuckled. "Alright, I’ll let you get back to it. I’m heading back to the Gobi Desert."
After leaving the Treasure Garden, Qin Ziwen returned to the Gobi Map.
He took the opportunity to bask in the sun for a bit.
By afternoon, the teams hauling the carcasses had rotated several times, and many people were lining up to get their turn in the sun.
The work continued late into the night. Close to midnight, everyone was still bustling about. From a distance, they looked like a colony of industrious ants hauling their spoils.
Qin Ziwen returned to his Home.
It was just past midnight.
「You have successfully survived one week on the Island and Underworld maps. Current day: Day 6 on the Underworld map. You have constructed a Marvel, forged multiple Hunting Artifacts, tamed an insectoid swarm, hunted a large number of Extraordinary Creatures, obtained a certain number of Cards, made deals with other human factions, and acquired a massive amount of meat from the Gobi Map... Comprehensive Score: 3641」
「Rewards obtained: [Function Card] Level 1 Guild, [Expansion Card] Height Expansion Card (Large) x1, [Expansion Card] Blank Expansion Card (Giant) x1, [Task Card] Map Hidden Task Generation Card x1, [Duplication Card] Advanced Building Copy Card x2, [Advanced Building Card] Random Level 2 Advanced Building x1」
Qin Ziwen raised an eyebrow slightly after reading the rewards.
A score of 3641. That was a good deal higher than his previous scores.
He reviewed his actions from the past week and guessed the high score was likely due to two things: the Marvel, and that batch of Hunting Artifacts.
He had seen most of the reward Cards before; only the Map Hidden Task Generation Card was a new acquisition.
The name, Map Hidden Task Generation Card, reminded him of the Home Task Generation Card he had received before.
Before the previous map had ended, he had used a Home Task Generation Card and received a Level 4 Marvel, the Golden Fishman Statue, which he placed in the Fishman Cave.
’Judging by the name alone, this new Card is probably more difficult.’
’One refers to the entire map, while the other just refers to the Home.’
’But it’s hard to say for sure. Maybe they’re just different in scope, not difficulty.’
He took the bronze-colored Task Card from his rewards.
The Card had an amber border and a pitch-black question mark on its face.
After a moment of contemplation, he put the Card away.
He couldn’t use this Card yet. He would have to wait until the map stabilized and he had the time to spare for a task.
Now was not the time for tasks.
He would have to wait until the situation on the map settled down and his hands were free before considering it.
The task on the last map—catching a hundred tons of fish—was only completed so easily because it was late in the stage, after he had cleared away all the trouble and had no one to interfere.
He took out the Function Card and used it immediately.
[Function Activated: Level 5 Guild]
[Authority has been upgraded. Current Authority: Level 4 Authority (14/16)]
[Level 5 Guild: You can choose to form an alliance with other Lords of the Homeland. Maximum number of alliances: 50. Alliances unlock the following functions: Goodwill Alliance, Shared Buildings (2), Alliance Chamber of Commerce, Auction House, Cross-Server Communication.]
His authority was further upgraded. He was only two Function Cards away from Level 5 Authority.
With any luck, he could reach it after next week’s settlement.
He scanned the new list of functions, his gaze falling on the final item.
Cross-Server Communication.
After clicking to read the details, his expression shifted.
This function was something else.
It allowed guild members to contact each other through their Home’s sphere of light, regardless of what map they were on.
However, messages couldn’t be sent without limit. Each message cost 100 units of Home Currency to send, with a maximum of one message per minute and a limit of 100 characters per message.
"Home Currency?"
Qin Ziwen looked up at the sphere of light.
After inquiring, he understood.
Home Currency was a general term.
It referred to currency obtained through interactions and trade with visitors to the Home’s buildings. Home Currency was the collective term for all such types of currency, and only currency recognized by the Home was considered valid.
The copper coins, silver, and gold he had obtained from the tavern a long time ago all fell under the category of Home Currency.
’So that’s what the money is for,’ Qin Ziwen mused. ’If the Home’s buildings can use it, then it has a purpose, which gives it value.’
’If Cross-Server Communication uses it, perhaps other buildings have a use for it as well.’
’Once it has a use, the money becomes anchored to the function of the buildings, giving it the foundation to become a hard currency.’
Of course, at the present stage, the hard currency within the Qin Alliance was contribution points.
But contribution points could only be used within the Qin Alliance; they held no recognition externally, such as among the Home factions in other Tuiyuans.
The Qin Alliance’s contribution points had very little recognition there.
Therefore, he would eventually have to find a way to anchor the Qin Alliance’s contribution points to true hard currencies like Home Currency and Marvels.
Of course, that was all for later. Right now, his Home didn’t have the necessary professional talent.
He then took out the Height Expansion Card (Large) and crushed the Card.
The entire sky of the Home was enveloped in a layer of white light.
The already considerable height began to climb even higher.
When the light dissipated, the Home was plunged back into darkness. Due to the environment, it was impossible to see the new height clearly.
But through the Home’s interface, he could see that the current height had reached 115 meters.
It had reached the standard for a high-rise building.
Based on an average floor height of 3.5 meters for a typical building, that was roughly equivalent to 33 stories.
This height already exceeded the total height of the underground cavern outside.
The Beaked Eagle could now come out to fly in its spare time. At a height of over a hundred meters, it could fly close to the ceiling, barely affecting the daily lives of the residents below.
Next were the two Advanced Building Copy Cards. He would save those for later, to copy and upgrade a suitable building when he found one.
Finally, there was the random Level 2 Advanced Building Card. Qin Ziwen took it out.
He walked to the edge of the Home.
After finding an empty plot of land, he crushed the Card and used it.
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