In the past half year or so, the hoarding hamster, Fang, had accumulated a considerable amount of Fate Points. After the recent battle, his Fate Point count had reached an unprecedented peak.
However, this peak did not last long before it was abruptly halved.
Interfering with the emergence of resource nodes like ‘Mystic Stone Mine’ and ‘Curio Embryo Mine’ consumed 1,000,000 Fate Points.
Simultaneously, upgrading existing Lv6 resource nodes to Lv7 required an additional 600,000 Fate Points and 600,000 Curio Crystals. Fang You didn't care about a mere few hundred thousand Curio Crystals, but facing hundreds of thousands of Fate Points made him wince a little.
Yet, no matter how pained he was, upgrades had to be made.
The Fountain of Life and the Luminous Jade Mine were not worth mentioning. Even the rather unremarkable Ironwood Forest, upon reaching Lv7, could produce a small amount of legendary timber. This timber could be provided to suitable powerful individuals for Mythic Awakening, or serve as a primary material for crafting vehicles like airships.
Without the intervention of Fate power for upgrades, it might take decades or even centuries of meticulous care for a resource node to… not necessarily reach Lv7, let alone be enhanced towards rarity.
Early upgrade, early enjoyment; early purchase, early return on investment.
However, the thought of upgrading the newly spawned ‘Mystic Stone Mine’ and ‘Curio Embryo Mine’ from Level 1 to Level 7 would require another expenditure of over 2,000,000 Fate Points, causing Fang You’s heart to ache uncontrollably.
He set aside this portion of Fate Points, then further retained 1,000,000 Fate Points from the remainder for daily necessities.
At this point, the remaining points available for Fate draws were:
2,980,000!
Fang You fell silent.
Where were his Fate Points? All his abundant Fate Points? How had they dwindled to this in the blink of an eye!
To be fair, his Fate Points had indeed reached a historical peak, far exceeding previous ones. However, the upgrades for the Oasis’s various resource nodes had consumed far too much!
What could he say? He had to draw.
Three million Fate Points were still a considerable sum, capable of yielding many good items.
He silently opened the draw interface, stirring the vast, calm lake into violent ripples. The next moment, beams of treasure light erupted from within, landing outside the draw pool and appearing before him.
Gold, purple, blue, blue, blue, gold, gold, green, white, blue.
Fang You glanced over, pocketing most of the golden common and purple common items, and then paid them no further mind, proceeding to the next ten-draw.
Draw, skip, glance.
Draw, skip, glance.
He drew quickly. The golden glints, like shooting stars, vanished in an instant, unable to stir even a ripple in Fang You’s heart.
He remained calm, so calm he was almost silent, his gaunt, darkening face faintly reflected on the shimmering golden semi-transparent panel.
The draw cutscenes repeated endlessly.
The Fate Point balance in the upper right corner steadily decreased.
Concurrently, the speed of drawing and skipping accelerated, and beneath Fang You's expressionless facade, the fingers tapping the draw key trembled as if from drawing too rapidly.
Suddenly, a crimson rainbow flashed by, transforming into a palm that seemed to possess world-shattering might.
Fang You remained expressionless.
A mere crimson-grade treasure was not worth getting excited about. After all, his pre-allocated three million Fate Points were almost depleted! Out of so many Fate Points, only one crimson-grade item? This was a rip-off!
Of course, he, Tutor Fang, was a cultured individual. He was neither indignant nor sorrowful, maintaining his composure and grace. It was just that the depths of his eyes seemed to have lost their light, his pupils slightly unfocused.
He didn't spare more than a glance at this crimson treasure before skipping to the next draw.
Soon, another crimson rainbow appeared.
Tutor Fang remained expressionless.
This was the calmness befitting a tutor. From a probabilistic standpoint, with three million Fate Points yielding two crimson-grade treasures, he was still statistically unlucky.
And this draw was the final ten-draw. Even if he got another good item, he would not deviate from his initial plan to spend more Fate Points.
Hummm—
The crimson glow split, transforming into ten shooting stars that fell outside the draw pool, revealing the specific forms of the treasures, each enveloped in a different colored aura.
Fang You was initially focused on the treasure forms. He saw the treasure shrouded in a crimson aura, a gemstone whose shape was difficult to describe, appearing infinitely large and infinitely small – a World Oddity.
He was not unfamiliar with it; he had already handled two World Oddities. This was the third.
However, his peripheral vision seemed to catch sight of more than one World Oddity.
Fang You: "???"
He widened his eyes, counting from left to right, then, unsure, paused, blinked, and counted again.
No matter how many times he counted, he arrived at the same result – out of this batch of ten newly drawn treasures, there were a staggering four World Oddities!
Four crimson-grade treasures!
Fang, the person, fell into silence again.
He hadn’t miscounted, hadn’t hallucinated, and hadn't overspent Fate Points. So… should he eat and drink well?
After a long pause, Fang You looked at the five crimson treasures laid out before him, finally snapping out of his daze and breaking into a joyful smile.
He was lucky.
Being lucky once was normal. It hadn't been in vain that he wore his white robes every day, nor had it betrayed the hard work of the organization’s dedicated members.
Fang, the person, began to inventory his haul.
As everyone knew, the preciousness of an item was judged first by its color and aura, and second by its specific effects. High-level treasures were inherently valuable, but low-level treasures were not necessarily worthless.
He spent half an hour patiently and meticulously browsing through the hundreds of newly drawn treasures… and he actually found something good.
‘Kandara Vehicle Crafting Manual · Twelve (Gold)’
‘Description: This manual records some of the vehicle technologies of the lost Kandara Empire, and also contains the complete blueprint for the ‘Winged Serpent-class Train’.’
‘Winged Serpent-class Train (Extended Entry): One of the most representative common vehicles of the Kandara Empire, possessing extremely high passenger capacity and speed. When operated with a Spatial Warp Gate, the Winged Serpent-class Train can transport passengers or cargo to distant locations in a very short time. During the Kandara Empire’s heyday, the transport network constructed by this train spanned the entire empire.’
Fang You had previously drawn a similar crafting manual, numbered ‘Thirteen’. That manual contained the blueprint for the ‘Seagull-class Aircraft’.
Both of these manuals contained top-tier technology from the ancient glorious empire. Even a minuscule part of it was enough to significantly enhance the technological level of ‘Kindling’ in the field of vehicles. Master Wang Chui could also learn from it, broaden his knowledge, enrich his methods, and improve his skills.
In simple terms, some textbooks in the training camp could be updated.
It was a pity that the blueprint attached to this vehicle crafting manual was not for airships or flying boats. In the current environment of the Curio World, flying, passenger-carrying vessels were quite popular and practical. The crafting manual naturally mentioned related technologies, though not comprehensively. With this foundation, it wouldn't be too difficult for Kindling to develop a self-branded epic-class airship, but it would take a considerable amount of time.
Even more awkward was that among the organization’s personnel, only Master Wang Chui could truly be considered a high-end researcher. Master Wang had many orders and dozens of research tasks accumulated. It was unknown how long it would take for him to be free to research passenger airships.
To put it plainly, it was a distant, uncertain future.
If there were ready-made blueprints, Master Wang would only need a few days to study them before he could start crafting, and perhaps even design a production line for airship components. As epic-class vehicles, the peak masterpieces of the Kandara Empire naturally far surpassed Kindling's self-developed ones.
But there were none, and no matter how much Fang You wished, he couldn’t change that fact.
He read the description of the ‘Winged Serpent-class Train’. This train was more suitable for use within ‘Safe Zones’ and was not equipped to travel in the dangerous Curio World – this stemmed from its initial design purpose. It also indicated that the Kandara Empire’s territory was vast, far beyond that of the current Super Oasis.
“The ‘Spatial Warp Gate’ technology used in conjunction with it was not mentioned at all in the manual… perhaps it was technology from a different field.”
This made the Winged Serpent-class Train seem a bit redundant.
No, not entirely.
It was not applicable in the Curio World, but it could be used within the Blue Star… The Winged Serpent-class Train was not entirely without defense; it was just that its ability to resist erosion and corrosive impacts was weaker. The Blue Star, however, was far less perilous than the Curio World, and the law of ‘the more people gathered, the more evil spirits would breed nearby, without limit’ did not exist, making it quite suitable for train operations.
With the Winged Serpent-class Train, the sixteen major base cities on the Blue Star could achieve large-scale personnel exchange in the future, and material transport could be elevated by several levels, thereby significantly increasing production efficiency!
He hadn't considered this aspect initially, finding it redundant. But now, the more Fang You thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
As expected from the Kandara Empire, there were no waste products.
Wait,
Thinking of the ‘Spatial Warp Gate’ technology, Fang You rubbed his chin, a bold idea vaguely emerging – they didn't have this technology, but they possessed Mystic Realm traversal passages.
If they could use these passages to build train tracks, transferring ordinary citizens for the Starfire Oasis would be quicker and more discreet in the future.
…
Besides this manual, among the pile of golden common bonus items, two rare finds appeared – two complete legendary buildings.
——‘Dragon Vein Blood Pool’
——‘Heart-Viewing Waterfall’
The former was a body-tempering building. Once placed, it would likely be a large lake with bubbling blood-colored ponds, enclosed by red crystal walls, forming over a dozen smaller blood-colored pools. Mighty, ferocious dragon heads stood around the small lake, spitting out crimson liquid from their gaping mouths – these dragon heads were essentially the water inlets of a swimming pool. The crimson liquid injected was not entirely blood, but a body-tempering potion extracted from various high-grade materials and infused with the Dragon Vein Blood Pool's own abilities.
This was an expensive building and could not be used frequently. However, in terms of body tempering effect and potential, the Dragon Vein Blood Pool far surpassed the Gravity Field and the Body Tempering Furnace, and it could also bring some auxiliary effects. For example, increasing resistance to fire and ice.
But it also had a side effect – not counting the cost.
If the Awakener using the Dragon Vein Blood Pool did not have a sufficiently strong physique, they might not be able to withstand the surge of berserk power during tempering, leading to their body cracking and shattering like a porcelain doll.
This was a cultivation building with a considerable risk factor. But danger was never an issue; cautious use was sufficient.
The latter was a mental cultivation building.
From its model appearance, it was an ordinary, albeit spectacular, waterfall, with no apparent mysteries within.
Its effects followed the lineage of mental cultivation buildings, providing effects such as calming the mind, concentrating the spirit, and slowly increasing mental power. Additionally, the Heart-Viewing Waterfall possessed a core ability – Heart-Viewing.
—Observe and directly confront one’s inner self, challenging oneself in the space of the mind.
If the challenger defeated themselves, their mind would be tempered and elevated, their mental power greatly increased, their willpower enhanced, impurities purged, and their mind purified.
Conversely, if one failed during Heart-Viewing, their mind would be damaged, and the challenger would become listless and dejected for a period in the future.
Tutor Fang’s evaluation was…
“Good!”
They were very suitable for use by mid-to-high-level personnel within the organization. He declared these two buildings to be the organization’s new foundation.
…
Suppressing his anticipation and restlessness, Fang You sorted the newly drawn treasures one by one and listed them with appropriate contribution exchange prices for his warriors to redeem.
Next, he handled some other affairs – including, but not limited to, the losses and gains of Starfire Oasis under the onslaught of siege, resource node planning, new personnel arrangements, and intelligence related to the Blood Emperor… and so on.
After finishing these tasks, Fang You finally looked at the five crimson treasures floating before him, brimming with irresistible temptation. The last one was particularly captivating.
Although World Oddities were rare, he was very familiar with their effects. But this crimson treasure, resembling a severed hand, what marvels did it hold? Was it redundant or an ultimate treasure, an offensive tool or an auxiliary one?
He knew none of it.
As his gaze fell upon it, an ancient name gradually surfaced in his mind, carrying infinite antiquity and vicissitude.
‘God-Slaying Weapon · Lord of Realms’ Hand (Red)’
…
…
Fang You quickly returned to the Blue Star and, with great eagerness, fed the four World Oddities one by one.
Unlike the first time, he now had a very close connection with the Blue Star world and possessed top-level administrator privileges, making the feeding process very easy.
In the blink of an eye, these four World Oddities were integrated one by one. The Blue Star began a new round of earth-shattering changes.
However, under Fang You’s macroscopic control, the changes in the Blue Star were not conspicuous. Most people in the world remained unaware. In unseen places, the world’s crystalline walls became increasingly radiant, faintly emitting streaks of multicolored light.
The energy level of the Blue Star was steadily rising, and at the same time, the area of the Blue Star world was rapidly expanding.
In some time, people on the Blue Star would discover one or several vast new continents across the ocean – this was also the result of Fang’s macroscopic control. Otherwise, if the land continued to expand, it might trigger certain uncontrollable disasters… The current changes had minimal impact and facilitated future development.
The Blue Star's energy level was now very high, and it interacted with the Curio World. These newly born continents might, like the ‘Shallow Layer of the Curio World’, possess numerous resources from the moment of their birth, perhaps even legendary resources.
Fang You planned to establish several base cities and numerous pioneer zones on the new continents. With the current strength of the Blue Star, he could even directly dispel the grey fog in certain areas, which would facilitate the construction and development of some resource areas.
Well, these were matters for later; he would make plans once the new continents were fully formed.
…
As the Blue Star world continuously ascended, the closely related ‘Kindling Mystic Realm’ also began a new round of expansion.
Previously, the Kindling Mystic Realm was Lv5. To upgrade to Lv6, it required accumulating 100 units of ‘Experience Points’. However, here, 1 point of experience represented the consumption of 1 Mystic Stone. The Kindling Mystic Realm had been stuck at Lv5 for a long time!
At this moment, the Kindling Mystic Realm was also rapidly expanding with a roaring sound, breaking through the level barrier and advancing to Lv6, and it continued to rise rapidly until it absorbed energy equivalent to hundreds of Mystic Stones before its growth rate began to slow.
With the breakthrough of the mystic realm’s level, various facilities could be further upgraded, and the number of oases that could be incorporated into the base module increased from 3 to 6.
Suddenly,
He heard a soft ‘pop’ sound, as if something had broken through.
Fang You looked around, his eyes bewildered.
The Kindling Mystic Realm’s current ‘Experience Points’ were at 100 units, still a long way from the 300 units required for upgrade. Clearly, the mystic realm’s upgrade was still far off.
Fang You’s eyes widened, his pupils constricting, reflecting the vast and boundless Blue Star world.
“What is changing is…”
The Blue Star underwent the greatest changes during its first absorption of World Oddities, ascending from an ordinary world to a high-energy world. At that time, Fang You, leveraging the Blue Star's vast world power and home-field advantage, even repelled a high-level existence that had crossed space and exerted terrifying power.
And now, after absorbing and integrating six World Oddities in total, the Blue Star had finally broken through again and undergone a grand ascension!
The world power transformed into a surging river flowing across the sky, within which seemed to float one world after another. The world’s crystalline walls became smooth and unified, and the cracks formed by the impact of the Curio World were healing at a visible rate, until they completely disappeared!
Fang You discovered that the world power he could manipulate had increased dozens of times.
He could even control the Blue Star world to gradually detach from the Curio World and completely isolate itself from the erosion of the Curio World. Of course, this was unnecessary.
The Blue Star world was protected by the Dawn Lighthouse defense perimeter, and it was constantly ascending. It was no longer the Curio World that was eroding the Blue Star, but rather Fang You was using the Blue Star as a channel to continuously fleece the Curio World.
He also discovered that the Blue Star’s world power could extend to the shallow layer, and even to the closest Fallen Star Great Domain!
Even with the attenuation, it still possessed boundless power!
He, Fang, the person, had become legendary enhanced!
Suddenly, he heard another soft ‘pop’ sound, this time from within his own body.
This time, the world’s ascension had brought about direct feedback to himself. The divine nature within his body buzzed and trembled, and strands of divine nature factors condensed at a decidedly non-mythical speed under the influence of the vast power.
In the blink of an eye, a hundred strands of divine nature were condensed to the maximum.
It couldn't hold anymore.
It overflowed.
Fang You: “……”