Moonview Valley
The open-air balcony of the Shelter was very windy.
Lu Heng leaned against the wooden railing, gazing at the Frost Forest that stretched out in the distance.
The forest had shed its previous deathly stillness and was faintly showing signs of revival, but he felt no relief at all.
The message conveyed by the Forest Will still lingered in my mind.
The second unsealing is merely an intermediate stage. This land still has many shackles that have not been broken. When the third disaster strikes and the forest is completely unsealed, all sorts of unknown anomalies will appear one by one.
The unknown equals risk.
Having survived so long in the apocalypse, he dared not let his guard down just because of a great victory. Insect Queen and quelling the Insect Plague, he seemed to have seized the initiative, but after learning the secret of the three layers of unsealing, all that remained was a complex sense of apprehension.
No one can predict what terrifying things will emerge in the Frost Forest once it is fully unsealed.
Lu Heng slowly exhaled.
There's no need to get stuck in anxiety.
In his palm, the pass lay quietly. He already knew the significance of this card when he opened the treasure chest last time; it wasn't just a simple land deed, but the authority over the Frost Forest. Once a territory was chosen, the Forest Will would provide comprehensive protection for that area, and catastrophes and beast invasions would be subject to its rules.
With this bottom line in place, his safety in the Frost Forest far surpassed that of other survivors.
The thought ended there, and he stopped thinking about it. Lu Heng focused his mind and slowly poured his spiritual energy into the token.
A pale white light rose from the patterns on the animal hide, and a complete topographical map of the Global Region Frost Forest unfolded before his eyes.
Mountains, ravines, forests, and waterways—all the landforms were clearly presented, and the environmental characteristics of each area could be identified at a glance. Lu Heng's gaze swept quickly across the area, and he began to filter and eliminate unsuitable sites.
The first place we skipped was the Geothermal Valley.
He knew where that place was; the ground was constantly churning with heat, and the temperature of the rock strata was fluctuating. It was okay to stay there briefly, but the risks of settling there long-term were too great, so he crossed it off the list.
Looking eastward at the large lake, it has ample water and open terrain, which looks quite nice. However, it is adjacent to a vast grassland. The grassland is unobstructed, with a clear view, and it is also a necessary route for the migration of various mutated beasts. The coming and going of various creatures makes the risks uncontrollable, making it unsuitable as a permanent base.
To the south lies a narrow valley, well-hidden, but bordering a vast swamp of poisonous miasma. The swamp teems with venomous insects, is perpetually shrouded in toxic mist, and its soil and water are poisonous. Settling there would mean constantly having to guard against the toxins when storing supplies and cultivating crops, leading to endless troubles; therefore, this option was also ruled out.
The three alternatives each have their own flaws and are all unsuitable.
Lu Heng patiently continued searching on the map, his gaze finally settling on a place in the Inner Region the forest marked as Moonview Valley.
Just by looking at the terrain, he already had a good idea of what to expect.
Moonview Valley is surrounded by a ring of mountain walls, and the valley entrance is very narrow with a narrow passage. It is a natural pass that is easy to defend and difficult to be attacked.
The valley Inner Region is spacious and flat, large enough to build dwellings, cultivate large areas of land, and store supplies. It is more than enough space for a single person to live and develop here long-term. In the middle of the valley lies a small, flowing lake with a stable and clean water source, directly solving the most critical problem of drinking water for settlement.
Surrounded by mountains, it is isolated from the risks of open grasslands, far from toxic miasma in swamps, and free from the unstable disasters of Geothermal areas.
The environment is secluded, resources are plentiful, and it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Whether it's planting Black Spirit Ginseng, cultivating Moonlight Tree, or expanding territory and setting up defenses, this place is suitable.
Choose Moonview Valley.
With the new territory settled, this major matter was resolved. Lu Heng turned and left the balcony, returning to the Shelter to begin tidying up unused supplies.
The old Shelter has served its purpose and will soon be abandoned and relocated; there's no need to continue piling up a bunch of useless burdens.
He opened the Storage Space and began clearing things out one by one.
Old shields with cracked surfaces, deformed and broken armor, Combat Suit torn and worn in many places, and weapons left over from past battles.
In the past, these would have been life-saving items. But after fighting all the way and constantly upgrading equipment, these things are now just useless. Keeping them takes up Storage Space, but throwing them away seems like a waste.
Lu Heng looked at the pile of junk on the ground and then looked up at the Astrolabe Platform above.
He himself found it funny; during this period, he had practically treated this altar, which bore the Star Force, as a dumping ground for miscellaneous items.
However, the rules for exchanging items at the altar are set. These old items have no value to him anymore. If he can exchange them on the Star Platform for one or two pieces of infrastructure or defensive materials that are suitable for the new environment of Moonview Valley, he will have made a profit.
He was alone, with ample supplies of weapons and core armor, and did not need more combat equipment; there was no need for him to be greedy.
Lu Heng bent down and gathered all the damaged equipment and scrap materials, carrying them one trip at a time to the stone surface of the Starlight Altar.
With everything arranged, he stood before the altar, his mind calm, silently praying. There were no exaggerated actions, nor any excessive demands; he only hoped to use the power of the Star Platform to transform these discarded materials into resources useful to the new territory.
The next instant, clear and soft starlight slowly seeped out from the cracks in the altar stone.
Tiny starlight rose and spread, gradually covering the entire stone platform. Pure and boundless Star Force enveloped all the discarded objects piled on it.
Just then, the Blood Taisui within Lu Heng's body began to stir.
The mycelium lurking within the flesh Mycelium blood tensed instantly, a primal fear surging from the depths of its being. Born from catastrophe, pollution, and decay, the Blood Taisui was inherently resistant to this pure starlight energy.
Instinct drove it to cower and retreat, resisting the starlight.
But another restless desire simultaneously emerged from deep within the Mycelium.
This was an energy it had never encountered before, unknown, yet containing immense potential. Fear and greed intertwined, constantly tugging at the source of the Blood Taisui, plunging it into contradictory turmoil.
Fearful, afraid to get close, yet unable to resist the urge to peer into, touch, and even try to absorb this Star Force.
Lu Heng clearly sensed the pulling sensation within his body, but his expression remained unchanged, and he did not intervene.
He stood quietly amidst the starlight, watching as the broken equipment and scattered materials on the altar slowly blurred and dissolved under the starlight, gradually disappearing into a card.
Lu Heng picked up
Arrow Tower
Description: Automatic defense design; those who are recognized will not be shot at, while others will be actively shot at (requires additional arrows).
The old burdens have completely disappeared.
Everything that belongs to Moonview Valley is just beginning.