Choosing a Site for the Future Base

"So, where's your new idea?" Su Ming asked. Since the main objective hadn't been achieved, this riddle had to be torn up.

"My hometown, Dragon Valley," Zijin replied.

As the team grows, its composition becomes increasingly complex. Now, when the two exchange confidential information, they use Mind Synchronization.

[Aren't we still being chased and pursued by the dragon?] Su Ming's thoughts were filled with confusion.

[The root of the problem is still the succession of the Dragon King—this is not unsolvable.] Zijin replied, [The Dragon Race has always respected the strong. Our Dragon Race has seven races, and we possess three Saint Rank powerhouses— Gelie, the Dragon King of the Gold Dragon Race; Elder Yinfei of the Silver Dragon Race; and Lanmo of the Ice Dragon Race.]

[So the successor will be chosen from between Yinfei and Lanmo?]

[No, it's Yinfei and me.] Zijin corrected, [My relationship with the Ice Dragon Race is quite good, especially with Lanmo. Aside from Ice Dragon Race affairs, he's completely indifferent to everything else; no dragon expects him to get involved.]

Both the Ice Dragon Race and the Feather Race reside in the Polar City, located on a small continent on the outer edge of the Arctic. It is separated from Su Ming's landing point by thousands of kilometers of ocean.

[So, is Yinfei in charge of pursuing you right now?]

[Incomplete.] Zijin shook her head. [The Bone Dragon is inherently a sensitive and marginalized identity, so many Dragon Race are happy to see a group of "righteously indignant" dragons come looking for trouble with me.]

[In other words, most of the Dragon Race don't want to see you rise to power.] Su Ming understood. [They won't personally intervene, but if they see Yinfei picking a fight with you, they'll only kick you when you're down.]

[No, they're just lazy.] Zijin sighed. [Most Dragon Race don't like interacting with other races.]

So, who are these "righteously indignant" Dragon Race?

Zijin said helplessly, "[The elite of the Dragon Scale Guard.]"

[I knew it!] Su Ming couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead. [When are you going to find me some easy enemies to deal with?]

Since neither of them was wearing a coat, the two chatted as they returned to the server room, Su Ming used the bone plate to seal up the window that had just been smashed.

How do you plan to solve this problem?

"[In exchange for giving up my Bone Dragon Form and withdrawing from the Dragon King's succession, we will reach a reconciliation with them.]" Zijin said decisively.

[Wait!] Su Ming was taken aback. [Giving up the Bone Dragon Form? Will it have any side effects on you?]

"Of course, we have to give up some things, but we'll also gain other things," Zijin explained. "This is Stacy's plan, and the details are quite complicated."

Stacy, a close friend of Zijin. Known as the White Pheasant Healer, she is Sebastian's apprentice and one of the key targets of this Divine Might Prison rescue operation.

"[What's the general idea?]" Su Ming asked, frowning.

[Stacy's explanation is that the White Bone Mark need to be reorganized into a triangular connection.] Zijin said, [From now on, I will only possess the Ailisha form to alleviate the pressure on my soul's capacity. Before, this was just a concept. But now that you are my master, it means there's a possibility of it becoming a reality.]

"[... Don't call me master or anything like that.]" Su Ming pouted. He didn't quite understand what a triangle connection meant, but he grasped another key point. "[Will you get closer to being a pure human?]"

Zijin sighed softly, "[Yes. But Stacy said I can regain my original affinity for all four elements, so my combat power should increase rather than decrease.]"

Su Ming's lips unconsciously curled up into a smile. "That's good."

Zijin looked at Su Ming strangely, "Why did you disconnect from Mind Synchronization?"

"Let's take a break." Su Ming reached up to rub his temples. "I've been teleporting too much during the day, my brain's a bit sluggish."

Without a doubt, Zijin waved her hand, creating a silencing barrier and an anti-spy barrier. A pale purple magical aura swirled around the two of them, isolating them from external disturbances.

"In short, this is the general plan." She moved closer to sit beside Su Ming. "If we successfully reconcile with the Dragon Race, we can propose a condition: establishing a base on Dragon Race territory. Don't worry, if it works out, I have ways to make them abide by the contract and even provide them with protection!"

****

Su Ming drew Green Bamboo Slip slip from his waist and unfolded the map to examine it.

The valley where the Dragon Race reside is located on the northeastern side of the Dwarf Continent, spanning both temperate and subtropical climate zones. It is bordered to the west by the goblin-inhabited Gray Ridge, to the south by the elven Silver Moon Forest, and to the east by the Midsummer Island shipping route, which connects it to the Eastern Ocean of the alien planet and establishes trade links with the Western Continent.

This place has a suitable climate, convenient transportation, and the Dragon Race barrier that can be utilized, making it an excellent location to establish a base.

"If that's the case, it's definitely worth considering." Su Ming put away the map.

"But first, we need to deal with this group of 'righteous dragons' and force Gelie and Yinfei to the negotiating table," Zijin said. "These two are quite stubborn, and the Gold Dragon Race and Silver Dragon Race they represent are also the dragon Dragon Race with the deepest prejudice against Bone Dragons."

"If we can't kill the dragon," Su Ming sighed, "It'll be very difficult!"

"These people won't kill me," Zijin said. "So, logically speaking, we shouldn't kill them either."

From any perspective, reaching a reconciliation with such a powerful race is the best option.

Su Ming glanced at Zijin, who was standing close to him, and felt a headache coming on. "Will Gelie and Yinfei take action themselves?"

The girl smelled strongly of shower gel and shampoo, and we were in a cramped computer room, and we were standing so close to each other.

Su Ming felt it was really bullying!

"It certainly wouldn't have happened before," Zijin analyzed, "But now that I've also advanced to the Saint Rank, Elder Yinfei will personally intervene."

As she spoke, Zijin leaned closer and patted Su Ming's shoulder, "I believe in you, good luck!"

Su Ming unconsciously turned his head away, which made Zijin look puzzled.

Within the privacy barrier, her Omniscient Vision was unusable. So Zijin bent down, tilted her head, and leaned closer, trying to see Su Ming's expression.

Su Ming immediately pulled out the Bone Staff of the End from his body. "Alright, here you go."

Their eyes met at very close range. Zijin was slightly taken aback, reached out to grab the bone staff, but instead grasped Su Ming's hand.

"Zijin-- "

Before Su Ming could finish speaking, the girl suddenly exerted her strength, releasing her Magic Power without any spellcasting, which exploded between the two of them. Su Ming and his chair were sent flying, crashing through the bone plate on the newly repaired window, and he was thrown out of the server room by the impact.

Zijin withdrew her hand, her fingertips gently touching her slightly flushed cheeks. Just a moment ago, Su Ming's dark eyes inexplicably reminded her of the scene during the day when she was setting up glittering mirrors under the pure blue sky.

In that instant, she seemed to think—

"Bay Owl!" Outside, Su Ming's rage meter was instantly full, and two high-level spells were unleashed in his hands at an astonishing speed. Runes intertwined to form complex patterns of light that seeped in through the hole in the window.

Zijin picked up the bone staff, flicked her wrist, and performed a beautiful staff flourish to unseal it. The bone staff instantly returned to its original size, and the runes on the staff lit up one by one, emitting a ghostly light.

Then let's beat them up first!

The girl's lips curved slightly as she leaned forward into the moonlight streaming through the window, her long, light brown hair trailing behind her in a straight, flowing line.

****

That night, several people in the First Construction Regiment's camp suddenly fell ill. Symptoms included severe headaches, persistent vomiting, and general weakness.

After diagnosing the Jielusi, Gerus didn't seem surprised. "It's altitude sickness. It's not serious; it should improve in a few days."

The fact that a few people fell ill did not significantly affect the overall progress, Su Ming nodded.

But Younier also experienced altitude sickness, and her symptoms were the most severe. The little girl who was busy all day was now lying in bed, pale and almost unconscious.

"Younier grew up on Brown Gold Island and has never been above sea level," Hansite said, somewhat annoyed. "We're not at a very high altitude right now; I overlooked that."

Jielusi had Su Ming build a room with excellent sealing properties, and then used alchemy combined with magic to generate oxygen and increase the oxygen concentration in the room.

Younier's symptoms quickly subsided, and she was finally able to open her eyes and speak.

Su Ming immediately contacted the medical experts in the Dodder Group. The doctor recommended using acetazolamide to improve Younier's condition. He quickly completed the drug retrieval and handed the medication over to Jielusi for administration.

****

The next morning, as the sun slowly rose, the temperature in the camp quickly climbed thanks to the carefully placed sunlight reflectors around the camp. Some of the necromancers who had exchanged for warm clothing the day before were now beginning to regret their decision.

One of today's main tasks is to construct the roof structure for the construction site. This requires not only ensuring that heat is effectively retained at night, but also taking into account that sunlight cannot be blocked during the day.

In this regard, Newman demonstrated exceptional expertise. He designed a complex multi-layered roof system, incorporating numerous skylight structures that channel sunlight from multiple directions into the site through a meticulously designed network of reflective and conductive pipes, achieving the dual functions of insulation and light collection.

In particular, most necromancers possessed exceptional modeling skills. This complex roof structure was quickly completed through their collaborative efforts.

Preparations for raw materials also began. A group of mages and bear-men were assigned to excavate the rock face and quarry stones. Some of the stones were magically crushed into 20-30mm gravel, while others were further processed into sand-like particles.

There is no source of natural sand near this high-altitude mountain range, so this method is the only way to prepare the coarse and fine aggregates needed for concrete.

Someone dug up a clump of plant roots. Qiluo's figure appeared out of nowhere, sniffed it, and then walked away with a look of disgust.

"Mr. Su, the unloading of the train is complete!" Younier came over to report, handing over the checked list. Although her face was still a little pale, she was in much better spirits.

The list was clearly itemized. Almost all the goods were unloaded from the Youth Civilization. Some supplies that were not needed for the time being were also loaded into the freight car, sealed, and disconnected from the traction connection.

The trains have now been reconfigured to be lightly equipped.

"Aren't you going to rest for a bit?" Su Ming asked with some concern. The little girl had fallen ill suddenly last night, but recovered quickly. Jielusi had made her a portable oxygen generator, connected to a mask via a flexible tube, so she could wear it and inhale oxygen at any time until she was fully adapted to the environment.

"If I feel unwell, I'll go back to the oxygen room to rest immediately!" Younier said.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Su Ming cautioned.

"Oh, right. We only have twenty tons of fuel left," the clerk reminded him.

"Understood."

****

In the afternoon, the heavy physical labor was mostly over. Most of the bear-man captives were put on a train and taken to a forest more than 30 kilometers away to produce charcoal.

Not only does the train need fuel to transport supplies, but the subsequent tunnel construction will also require a large amount of electricity, making energy indispensable.

On this cold plateau, the vegetation is relatively sparse and the forest stock level is low. Based on the amount needed, Su Ming could calculate that at least two thousand acres of forest would need to be logged on this trip. He could only lament the enormous consumption of resources by modern engineering projects.

Su Ming specifically instructed Hansite to keep the logging intensity below 50% to minimize damage to the forest.

At the tunnel excavation site, the starting shaft had been completed. The engineering team delivered the first batch of concrete, mixed with sand and cement, and poured it into the bottom of the shaft to build the foundation. With the aid of magic, the cement quickly completed its initial setting process.

With the rise in temperature and subsequent magical effects, the concrete will reach its final set within two hours and achieve 80% of its strength within three days.

The workload is considerable, but there are even more mages. Almost all necromancers are proficient in one or more other elements, and they choose suitable positions based on their expertise, taking turns to rest when their Magic Power is depleted.

This collaborative model enabled the various tasks to progress rapidly.

No wonder Dafulin captured this group of mages and secretly kept them under her command as an engineering team. No wonder the Divine Might Prison controls thousands of undead prisoners, performing miscellaneous logistical tasks.

As a production unit, the Mage is truly powerful!

At the same time, Su Ming also completed the construction of the power cable system. Thick cables were erected in the construction area to provide a stable power supply for the various equipment to be installed soon.

A modern-style engineering base is gradually taking shape on this alien land.

****

At two o'clock in the morning, Rupert, the instructor of the construction team, hurriedly found Su Ming and reported an emergency: a deserter, student number 14, had appeared in the camp.

"Who reported it?" Su Ming asked as he led Rupert toward a building.

"It's his roommates," Rupert said anxiously. "We need to organize a manhunt immediately! This area is all snow; Cadet 14 has to walk at least thirty kilometers to reach the forest. We have to—"

Su Ming pushed open the door to a small room, where a person was bound hand and foot. It was student number 14, with a strip of cloth stuffed in his mouth.

Rupert's unfinished words caught in his throat.

"Interrogate him and find out why he ran away," Su Ming instructed him.

Are you kidding me? Don't you even look at the equipment deployed around the camp? If they manage to escape, the entire backup team on Earth responsible for the monitoring system will probably be punished!