[Building: Spiritual Spring]
[Level: 1]
[Upgrade Progress: 0/300]
[Quality: SSS (0/5)]
[Defense: 500/500]
[Consumption: 3,000 spirit coins per ton produced]
[Production Speed: 3 tons/day]
[Special Attribute: Spring water rich in spiritual power]
[Introduction: A font of spiritual energy, it accelerates crop growth, bolsters physiques, hastens cultivation, and aids recovery from injury and fatigue. Requires 5 Spiritual Springs to evolve further.]
Zhou Yan marveled at the duo's specs—jaw-dropping powerhouses. The Spiritual Spring, especially, stunned him: a versatile water source solving his prior scarcity woes. "A steady stream of spirit resources," he murmured, elated. Its three-ton daily cap, at 3,000 spirit coins per ton, posed no strain—his coffers could handle it. Low output irked him, but upgrades would fix that.
Chat room pleas for water echoed in his mind—many lords landed in parched zones, their carried reserves thin. "This spring's too potent to oversell," he decided, weighing demand against caution. Trial-stage wealth existed, but he'd gauge the market first.
"These buildings are unreal," he said, sharing their details with Diao Chan. Her excitement mirrored his—Spiritual Field and Spring promised unstoppable growth.
"Our territory's only going up," he said, extending his hands with a warm smile, eyes alight with hope. "Will you guard it with me?"
Blushing, Diao Chan summoned courage, her soft hands clasping his. "Yes," she whispered, fingers intertwining.
Zhou Yan guided her to the field. "Let's level up the Spiritual Field and Spring, then plant crops—see what they yield." School web searches had revealed rare lords with spiritual fields growing attribute-boosting harvests—pricey, elusive crops few glimpsed. This field could bankroll him, yet farming alone didn't define his path.
Once, adventure called—exploring, battling, scavenging. Now, he craved both: farming for stability, adventure for glory, a dual ascent to supremacy.
Farming lords thrived on resource cultivation—crops, herbs, mining, logging, crafting, refining, raising livestock. Adventurous lords built defenses, barracks, and siege engines, venturing into the Lord Continent's wilds for riches through combat. Risks loomed large: bountiful hauls or ruinous monster ambushes could erase a territory overnight. Countless tales bore this out.
A third mode lurked—war lords, outlawed across Canglan. These plunderers raided territories, from resource theft to crystal-shattering bans on lordship. All nations shunned them, issuing bounties continent-wide. Yet, they persisted, shadows fueling every lord's vigilance. Criminals among peers, their capture meant trial by national laws.
Zhou Yan turned to upgrades.
[Territory Prompt: "Consumed 100 spirit coins. Spiritual Field rises to level 2."]
[Territory Prompt: "Consumed 200 spirit coins. Spiritual Field rises to level 3."]
[Territory Prompt: "Consumed 300 spirit coins. Spiritual Field rises to level 4."]
…
[Building: Spiritual Field]
[Level: 20]
[Upgrade Requirements: 30,000 spirit coins, one-star earth crystal core]
[Quality: S (0/2)]
[Defense: 10,000/10,000]
[Special Attribute 1: Hastens maturity, infuses aura]
[Special Attribute 2: Fortifies crops, enhancing their attributes]
[Introduction: An aura-rich field accelerates crop growth, imbues them with energy, and strengthens their traits. Requires 2 Spiritual Fields to evolve further.]
A new attribute emerged—crop fortification, its effects pending planting. Herbs or elixirs would thrive here, but his common seeds—corn, cabbage, greens, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, peanuts, beans, apples, grapes, pomegranates, peaches—sufficed. No elixir stock from his modest past, just variety prepped for hunger. Level 20 spawned nineteen more fields, twenty total, ample for his haul.
"Chan'er, let's sow some veggies," he said, unpacking his labeled seeds. Fruits as seeds surprised no one here—he'd stocked up fearing famine, a foresight now blooming. Without this, he'd not have maxed the field's level, claiming such expanse.