Planning

Lincon picked a few clusters of mushrooms, fetched a small pot filled with water, tossed in the Beautiful Abalone Mushrooms and several slices of dried Carrion Rat meat, then set it over the stove to heat.

Before long, the water began to boil. Amid the rising steam, a rich fragrance of food spread throughout the room.

Lincon picked up a Beautiful Abalone Mushroom with his chopsticks and took a bite. An indescribable freshness instantly filled his mouth.

The Beautiful Abalone Mushroom's texture was somewhat like black truffle. Every chew released a fragrant flavor, making it more delicious than any delicacy from the mountains or sea Lincon had eaten in his previous life.

Most importantly, after swallowing a bite, his stomach was immediately enveloped in warmth that gradually spread through his entire body, instantly sweeping away the cold brought by nightfall.

Even the Carrion Rat meat became tasty under the Beautiful Abalone Mushroom's influence. No other seasoning was needed—only the pure, fresh flavor of the food itself.

Lincon quickly finished everything in the pot, his face full of satisfaction.

It had been a long time since he had eaten so comfortably. His whole body felt as though it were soaking in a warm spring, and all his exhaustion had vanished.

Because of the darkness's corruption, much of the soil had turned into dead earth and could no longer be used for planting. As a result, Lincon had not eaten fresh vegetables for a long time.

But today, the Beautiful Abalone Mushroom had given him an alternative way to obtain fresh vegetables.

As long as he had enough Sunlight Points, Lincon could recreate every vegetable from before the Dark Age, perhaps even improve their quality and grant special effects after they were eaten.

Lincon opened the panel and looked beneath his personal data chart.

[Remaining Sunlight: 17]

[Reputation: 1]

"This little sunlight is nowhere near enough."

Rubbing his chin, Lincon had already formed a plan. He intended to use the Plant Cultivator's traits to turn Longwind Fortress into a special town, a safe zone standing within the darkness while also accumulating reputation.

One person could provide one point of reputation. If he wanted to gain reputation quickly, he had to develop Longwind Fortress or make his name known.

Still, Lincon was in no rush. He had already endured three years, so there was no need to worry about this short while.

"Knock, knock, knock..."

As Lincon was making plans, a sudden knock came from the door.

The knocking was not loud, only soft, yet in the silent surroundings, it sounded like a sinister funeral bell that seized the soul, making Lincon's heart tighten.

Going outside after dark was not a good habit.

And at this time, no one should have been coming to Longwind Fortress.

Could it be the messenger from daytime?

Lincon made no sound. He remained seated in his chair, his eyes fixed directly on the door.

The candle flame burned steadily, casting his shadow onto the wall.

"Brother Lin, it's me, Zhang Rui!"

Hearing those words did not relax Lincon's taut nerves in the slightest. His expression turned strange as his hand gripped the hilt of the Ghostshadow Sword Orchid.

"Pathetic acting."

He had never told that messenger his name.

After living alone in Longwind Fortress for three years, Lincon had never lacked vigilance.

After a while, the thing outside seemed to grow impatient. It gradually became more agitated, and the knocking grew louder and louder.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Open the door! Why won't you open the door?! You just want to watch me die in the darkness, don't you..."

Lincon frowned slightly, his fingers lightly stroking the Ghostshadow Sword Orchid's cold, sharp blade.

Was it a Weird Calamity or an Anomaly Calamity?

It was his first time encountering a dark creature that could speak and disguise itself as a human.

Since when had dark creatures begun to possess intelligence?

Or was the thing standing outside his door some high-level existence?

After the commotion outside continued for a while, the knocking suddenly stopped. It was followed by a piercing scream and the sounds of some creature chewing and swallowing.

Though puzzled, Lincon remained where he was, gently wiping the blade without the slightest intention of getting up to open the door.

No matter what had happened outside, it could wait until tomorrow.

The night passed quickly.

The first ray of daylight shone into the room through the crack beneath the door.

Lincon opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and pushed open the door.

The courtyard was much the same as yesterday, with no major changes.

The sliced Carrion Rat meat on the iron rack was covered by black cloth. The charcoal beneath had already gone out, though it still gave off a faint warmth when he drew near.

Several pieces of stone meant for carving a shrine were piled to one side, along with a small stool and tools scattered carelessly across the ground.

Except...

Lincon looked at the Man-Eater Flower, its petals now closed, then at the Dark Matter crystal it had spat out beneath it, and gradually understood.

A dark creature capable of imitating humans had indeed appeared last night. But the final scream had not been an imitation—it had been eaten by the Man-Eater Flower.

Lincon picked up the Dark Matter from the ground and discovered that the crystal was the size of a fist, several times larger than the crystals he had accumulated before.

The Dark Matter it dropped alone showed that last night's dark creature had definitely not been weak.

It possessed intelligence and could imitate a human knocking on a door. If Lincon had not spent the past three years living alone, making him wary of everything, he might really have opened the door and let it in after it kept knocking for so long.

Could it have been that Pale Wraith?

Lincon considered it, but quickly shook his head.

That Pale Wraith had left a deep impression on him. A Weird Calamity of that level could not possibly have been eaten by the Man-Eater Flower.

"It was probably a D-rank Weird Calamity or Anomaly Calamity."

Lincon put away the Dark Matter and touched the Man-Eater Flower's wriggling, closed flower head.

This Sunlight Man-Eater was even more formidable than he had imagined. Lincon had initially thought that the Man-Eater Flower could at most devour E-rank dark creatures, but unexpectedly, it could swallow D-rank ones as well.

However, the Man-Eater Flower could only consume one dark creature at a time. After feeding, it would enter a prolonged digestive stage, so it was not the best choice for a guard.

"I wonder whether the Man-Eater Flower devouring dark creatures will give me more sunlight."

Lincon opened the panel and checked. His remaining sunlight had increased by 10, becoming 27. His experience had also increased by 50, and it would not be long before his Plant Cultivator level broke through to level three.

If an E-rank dark creature gave one point of sunlight, then the D-rank dark creature devoured by the Man-Eater Flower this time giving 10 points was quite reasonable.

Still, 27 points of sunlight were far from enough. If he wanted to use the Plant Cultivator's abilities to develop Longwind Fortress, he would need a large amount of sunlight.

Lincon turned his gaze toward the Sunlight Sunflowers.

Although sunlight was currently scarce, he could use the resources at hand to strengthen Longwind Fortress's ability to resist the darkness.

Sunlight Sunflowers could still glow at night, making them a good choice for fighting against the darkness.

Although dark creatures did not fear sunlight, they did not like it either.

Once he planted Sunlight Sunflowers around the entirety of Longwind Fortress and kept the darkness outside, he would be able to reduce attacks from many low-level dark creatures.

With the Plant Cultivator's accelerated regeneration ability, it would not take long to shape a sea of Sunlight Sunflowers.

Staring at the seeds on the Sunlight Sunflower buds, Lincon's mind had already filled in various plans and schemes.

Meanwhile.

Zhang Rui, carrying his pack, finally returned to the route marked on his map.

He used a pen to mark the route he had taken out of the dark zone, then wrote the four words "Longwind Fortress" beneath a carefully drawn symbol.