Development of the Chaotic Territory

Three months later, Chaotic Territory.

Lei Lin was scouting the outskirts with a few subordinates to find a suitable location for his laboratory, while simultaneously using Electromagnetic Induction to scan for his target.

Suddenly, after searching for several days, a trace of joy appeared on Lei Lin's face.

After leading his men to thoroughly survey the surrounding ten miles, he stated directly, "Pass the word down: with this spot as the center, a radius of ten miles will be the scope of my future laboratory."

"Designate a thirty-mile radius as the future workshop planning zone. Get the architectural plans ready and have the Dawson Chamber of Commerce bring in all kinds of building materials immediately!"

"Furthermore, the construction of the laboratory and workshops involves family secrets. I don't trust outsiders; it must be handled by the craftsmen raised within our family."

A burly man beside him said, "Lei Lin, isn't a laboratory spanning ten miles a bit too large?"

"And the workshop planning—are you sure you want to make it that extensive?"

"Family Head, do you even realize how small Nifeng City is?!"

"Besides, although the family has been vigorously training various craftsmen over the years, not many have been transferred here, and manpower is tight."

"Should we follow the usual rules and recruit from the locals? The citizens of Nifeng City have been living in dire straits; they would certainly cherish the opportunity to work for our Zi'ao Family."

"Doing so would also help our family maintain control over the city."

Lei Lin looked at him and said, "Brother Laite, you're right, but this laboratory is very important to me."

"It's too chaotic here. I don't trust outsiders; it has to be our own people!"

"If manpower is insufficient, we'll build it slowly. For the initial phase, we will build a core laboratory with a radius of three hundred meters here."

"As for it being too big? I plan to integrate the alchemy workshops, laboratories, and other buildings later on, and even that might not be enough."

"I may need to continue expanding outward based on this in the future."

Buried beneath this very ground was a Magic Crystal Mine worth hundreds of billions, and at its core lay the incredibly precious Planar Secret Chamber.

If not for his principles, he had even considered killing all the craftsmen responsible for the construction once it was finished, just to ensure secrecy.

After all, wealth moves men's hearts, and he was truly afraid of flipping his own boat!

At this point, Lei Lin continued, "Brother Laite, we grew up together. I don't trust anyone else with this."

"You will personally oversee the construction!"

"Once it's finished, I'll give you a gift!"

Laite pulled a bitter face and said, "Sigh, alright, alright. Who told you to be the Family Head now!"

"But the gift you give me later better satisfy me, or else I'll go spread rumors about you, saying you have a special preference for noble ladies wearing painted ghost makeup..."

Lei Lin immediately stopped him from continuing, "Fine, fine, it will definitely satisfy you~"

Afterward, he and Laite discussed their overall strategy for Nifeng City and the livelihood of the commoners.

As for the Planar Secret Chamber, he had no intention of digging through the mine to enter it just yet.

After all, he could claim that finding the Magic Crystal Mine was a "coincidence" while building the laboratory.

But if Beirut were watching him, digging straight through the mine to find the Planar Secret Chamber would inevitably attract attention.

He couldn't afford to provoke a Sovereign yet!

Secondly, finding it now would be useless anyway.

Without sufficient strength, trying to enter the Planar Secret Chamber was just asking for death.

The entrance to the Planar Secret Chamber was guarded by spatial cutting forces that even the Saint Realm Undying Warrior Bark found dangerous; it was certainly not something he could withstand at his current level.

What mattered most for him now was accumulation and reaching the Saint Realm. Everything else was secondary and merely preparation for the future.

Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Lei Lin, who was cultivating in his Chaotic Territory laboratory, looked at the Communication Crystal in his hand and muttered, "Lin Lei, if I had made a move on Alice back in the day, would you have been spared this trial of the heart?"

The Communication Crystal had been upgraded, no longer requiring both parties to be online simultaneously to communicate.

One could send messages directly and wait for the other party to view them upon activation, and the message storage capacity had increased from 3 to 50, significantly improving its utility.

The messages Lei Lin had received over the past few days were exactly Lin Lei's gloomy reflections on the emotional entanglement between him and Alice.

During this period, Lin Lei felt that his relationship with Alice was gradually drifting apart; whenever he asked her out, Alice always had "something to do."

Although he respected Alice, he felt a buildup of indescribable negative emotions in his heart.

He couldn't easily discuss such matters with his roommates like Yale or Reynolds, but Lei Lin, his big brother far away in the Chaotic Territory, had become a very suitable person to confide in.

Of course, the messages in the crystal weren't just venting negative emotions; they mostly described the inexplicable friction he felt with Alice and various events that had occurred between them.

Lin Lei asked Lei Lin if he had any good solutions, as Lei Lin was more experienced.

Lei Lin knew from the messages that this was definitely the work of Kalan, the third party, but Lin Lei was completely inexperienced and hadn't taken it seriously, merely thinking that Alice's mood was a bit off.

However, Lei Lin had seen too much of this in his past life; he was practically an expert.

Yet, he had no intention of warning Lin Lei—he read all the messages and didn't reply!

After all, for Lin Lei, this would be the opportunity for him to have an epiphany, break through his spiritual energy, and become the second... or third genius in history!

It was the catalyst for the birth of his masterpiece, [Dream Awakening]!

It was also the beginning for him and Delia, the girl who would accompany him for the rest of his life!

"Sigh~, if I had made a move on Alice back then, Lin Lei, would you have been spared from experiencing such heart-wrenching pain?"

"But then again, a man has to go through certain things in life."

"I will keep an eye on your Grandpa Delin and your father Hogg for you, but when it comes to matters of the heart, brother, I really can't help you!"

"After all, if I were to actually interfere, an unsuitable partner might lead to even more troublesome situations for you in the future."

"It might not truly be a good thing for you!"

"Lin Lei~, savor the bitterness of love for a while!"

After putting away the Communication Crystal, Lei Lin also left the laboratory.

The Nifeng City of today had changed drastically; under the control of the Zi'ao Family, the entire city seemed to transform with each passing month.

The lives of the common people were busy yet prosperous, and their morale was like a prairie fire, filled with hope everywhere.

In terms of economic development, it had shifted from the most basic agriculture to an industry primarily focused on construction and the production and processing of alchemical materials, presenting a scene of booming prosperity.

As for administrative policies, the Zi'ao Family also actively adjusted them according to the city's development, striving to ensure justice and fairness in the lives of the people.

Well, if it weren't for the fact that policies must be adjusted in line with current circumstances, Lei Lin would have intended to take a shortcut and directly replicate various policies from his past life.

Under these various changes, Nifeng City had become a famous and wealthy city throughout the Chaotic Territory!

However, there are gains and losses; people fear fame just as pigs fear being fat, and once Nifeng City developed, it immediately attracted the covetous eyes of surrounding forces.

Countless wars, both large and small, had broken out, and it was fortunate that the people here had long since grown accustomed to war.