[Apprentice Grade Alchemical Array Base (E)]

She had built her fortune on potions, and since Basic Potions was a sub-discipline of alchemy, it would undoubtedly provide the greatest boost to her capabilities. That was the one.

As for the others... she would worry about them later.

Staring at the Basic Potions book, Lan Qingyou took a deep breath, her fingers trembling as she reached toward the Small Screen.

Finally, gritting her teeth, she pressed it.

"Whew—"

Watching the leather-bound book appear on the Small Screen, Lan Qingyou exhaled a long breath of stagnant air.

Now that it was chosen, she didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Setting it aside, Lan Qingyou picked up the book, flipped through it briefly, and then closed it.

She had chosen correctly; this thing was highly practical and would be a great help to her alchemy. She would study it properly in a little while.

She approached the Desk, wanting to check the upgrade requirements for level three.

Instead, she saw the text (Please Name) above the level two Tree Hole Shelter.

[Note: Once named, it cannot be changed. Please consider carefully.]

What was there to consider? Did this even require thought? Lan Qingyou filled in the two characters for 'High Tower' without a second thought.

Yes, even though it only had two floors right now, it was called 'High Tower'.

It was clear how obsessed Lan Qingyou was with tall buildings.

Or perhaps, how much of a psychological shadow those three days had cast upon her.

After finishing the naming, Lan Qingyou checked the upgrade requirements for level three.

[Tree Hole Shelter (Level 3) Upgrade Requirements: Wood*25000, Stone*1000, Vines*5000, E-rank Devilish Creature Crystal Core*100]

Good grief, it had increased tenfold.

At this rate, would level four require 250,000 wood?

This Tree Hole Shelter was clearly expanding; with so much wood being removed from the inside of the tree, it would be unreasonable enough if it didn't drop wood for her, yet it actually demanded even more.

Where did all these materials go?

Forget it, forget it. Let's look at the Alchemy Workshop first.

Putting aside her inner complaints, Lan Qingyou floated toward the workshop.

The workshop was partitioned off with Wooden Planks, and the room was quite small, about ten square meters.

Inside the room was a sturdy-looking wooden table, several wooden platforms on the table presumably for holding items, a circular window identical to the one outside, and an iron step beneath the window.

Other than that, there was nothing else.

[Function: You can engrave your own unique alchemical array here and place your cauldron.]

[Introduction: Apprentices are a strange bunch; they always manage to draw alchemical arrays to new heights that don't belong to them, so an iron base is sufficient. After all, no one's heart will ache if this thing gets destroyed, right?]

So that's why iron was needed; it was for crafting the Alchemical Array Base.

Judging by the introduction, novice apprentices weren't exactly well-regarded.

But then again, engraving one's own alchemical array was indeed no simple task.

New alchemists just beginning to study Semiotics and Drafting would have a lot to say about that.

After checking the Alchemy Workshop, Lan Qingyou quickly went to the adjacent bathroom to take a look.

It was a combined bathroom and washroom.

A squat toilet, a vanity, a shower head, and even a mirror.

A squat toilet?

Isn't this making things difficult for me?

Do I look like the kind of material that can squat down?

Forget it, forget it. It's better than nothing.

Lan Qingyou sighed, turned around, and headed upstairs.

The room that previously had no windows now featured a large, semi-circular glass sliding door.

Since sand had been used, it was glass; that made perfect sense.

Outside the door was an even larger semi-circular terrace.

Lan Qingyou gently pushed the door open and floated out, discovering that on the edge of the terrace, there was a chevron-shaped sunshade woven from vines that occupied a third of the terrace's area.

Now she not only had a place to dry herbs, but also a spot to relax and read in her spare time. She just wondered if it was sturdy enough.

Lan Qingyou floated up to inspect it and found that these vines were rooted directly into the tree trunk.

It seemed there was no need to worry about it withering and ruining such a nice sunshade.

Afterward, Lan Qingyou floated around the perimeter and spotted the window of the Alchemy Workshop diagonally below, and next to the window was a square wooden box.

If she wasn't mistaken, that must be the water tank for the bathroom.

Lan Qingyou floated over to open it and take a look; it was indeed a toilet, but there was no water, so it seemed she would have to add it herself.

Looking further ahead, one could see the light shining from the window of the Shelter entrance.

With an entrance and exit now available, Lan Qingyou walked directly in from the door and moved all of her bedding to the side of the Fireplace.

Then, she brought over those books and the Magic Hurricane Lamp.

Originally, she had intended to refine medicine tonight, but for one thing, she didn't have that many test tubes, and the Mana Potion she refined last night hadn't sold out yet; for another, since she had acquired so many new books, it would be a disservice to herself not to read them and gain some knowledge.

Of course, the most important thing was: now that she had a bathroom, how could she not take a proper bath?

Although it was still cold water, Lan Qingyou felt very comfortable washing up.

After finishing, she lay on the bed like that, quietly absorbing the knowledge from the books.

She turned a deaf ear to everything happening outside.

Those who were guarding the Desk, wanting Lan Qingyou to give them an explanation, stared fixedly at the Desk, but half an hour passed without a single word of news.

"Scatter, scatter. She's a busy person, after all; why would she reply to your messages?"

"Exactly. Sucking our blood while acting all high and mighty—I look down on people like that the most."

"Anyway, I won't be buying her stuff to generate revenue for her anymore."

"Clowns, do you really think that by saying things like this, you can subtly influence everyone's opinion of Lan Qingyou?"

"You say you won't buy? If you can actually resist not buying Mana Potion, I'll call you a legend."

"Heh, what kind of people are these? Do they take us for college students who haven't entered society yet?"

"Don't do that, Ailuaier. What's wrong with college students? I'm a college student too, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid."

"If nothing unexpected happens, they probably took some hush money before coming out to bite people."

"Let the bullets fly for a while. Based on my years of experience as an undercover agent, the mastermind behind the scenes is likely trying to use public opinion to pressure Lan Qingyou, forcing her to help them achieve certain things."

"Ivan, you were actually an undercover agent!?"

"Otherwise?"

"Fine, fine, fine. I didn't expect you to hold out until Karim before jumping out. I will avenge our fallen comrades."

Friends who often surf the internet know that when a topic suddenly appears under another topic, the previous topic is often no longer paid any attention to.

As the two began to discuss the topic of being undercover, the tone of the conversation gradually began to shift.

No one cared anymore what Lan Qingyou's Shelter looked like after the upgrade.

If they had the spare time, they might as well worry about how much longer it would take for their own Shelters to upgrade.

Who knows what it will be like once that so-called novice period ends? Only by raising the level of their Shelters do they have any hope of continuing to survive.

Someone once calculated that seven days is, for people like them, just about the limit to get their Shelter upgraded to level two.

That's right.

Even for those without a Mana Wheel Axe, seven days is barely enough to gather the thousands of units of basic materials required.

It's just that it might require a "work from sunrise to sunset" extreme schedule, and one cannot slack off for even a single day.

Of course, that only refers to the materials.

The Devilish Creature Crystal Core is a separate matter.