Counting the Spoils, a Treasure for Living a Second Life! (Continued)
War Ancient Tree Seed (Gold) * 17
Treant Guardian Seed (Purple) * 134
"Great! 15 Growth Water Droplet. Now I can really accelerate the growth of both the 'Golden Ancient Tree' and the 'Blood Demon Vine'."
Next, the system will calculate and distribute the rewards.
They are:
Rain and Dew Essence *2
Random Epic Gem (Orange) *1
Brilliant Leader Rank Soul *1.
The most valuable items here are the two drops of essence and the Epic gem; their combined value is astonishing.
Finally, there are several treasures obtained in the hidden level on the sixth floor.
They are:
Ancient Building - Lotus Pond (Legend) *1
15 Thousand-Year Lotus Seed (Orange)
White Jade Lotus Seeds (Gold) * 1000
Unknown Lotus Lantern *1
Looking at the dazzling array of spoils, Shen Xing felt incredibly satisfied.
After all, the items in his backpack were of astonishing value.
Especially those last few treasures obtained from the hidden levels—although I haven't checked their attributes yet, I know without a doubt they must be extraordinary!
"There are so many good things here, let's look at them one by one and then digest them."
Shen Xing first summoned a group of workers and instructed them to plant these 150-plus Ancient Tree Seed together with other ancient trees.
Next, they arrived at the center of the territory, next to the forty-meter-tall Golden Ancient Tree, preparing to accelerate its growth.
At this moment, three crystal-clear water droplets, with a hint of green inside, rolled in his palm, as if one could feel the immense vitality contained within them.
According to the notes above, regardless of whether the Growth Water Droplet is 50 years old or 100 years old, a maximum of 3 water droplets can be used on the same plant.
"In other words, I can only accelerate the Golden Ancient Tree's lifespan by a maximum of three hundred years."
"What a pity... otherwise, these water droplets in my hand alone could have accelerated it by over a thousand years, allowing me to max out the 'Golden Child' talent."
"But it's still very good; it can significantly increase the attributes and aptitude of all troop types in the entire territory."
With that thought, he flipped his right hand, and three drops of water slid down the thick tree trunk and into the soil.
At first, the ancient tree remained as quiet as ever.
Just seconds later, the familiar vibration struck again.
"Boom... boom boom..."
The earth trembled slightly, and the soil within dozens of meters of the ancient tree began to rise continuously, as if countless giant pythons were moving underground.
Immediately afterwards, the thick trunk began to grow taller at a visible rate, and the branches grew wildly towards the sky like a tidal wave.
Moreover, the branches, which were originally grayish-white, quickly turned golden yellow at this moment.
The lush foliage, which originally had only golden edges, has completely Metamorphosis into a pure, brilliant gold.
[Ding! You have accelerated the growth time of the 'Golden Ancient Tree' by 300 years, and the 'Golden Child' blessing level has been increased to Lv4!]
[Golden Child Lv4: All attributes of all members in the territory +20%, aptitude +16]
When the tremors subsided, a Golden Ancient Tree, hundreds of meters tall and with a trunk as thick as a tower, stood prominently in the center of the territory.
The dense golden leaves resembled a giant golden umbrella, painting the entire territory's sky with a warm golden halo.
From a distance, the dazzling golden light contrasted sharply with the thick fog billowing high in the sky.
Like a lighthouse standing in the darkness, sacred and full of hope.
"It's so beautiful..."
Shen Xing looked up at the giant tree he had nurtured with his own hands, his eyes reflecting the golden light.
In the distance, all the people felt a warm power flowing through their bodies.
I feel like I've become stronger and my thinking is clearer.
They knew this must be divine power bestowed by their lord, and they all knelt down and kowtowed towards the center of the territory.
In the distance, an old knight with a weathered face stood on the city wall, a look of emotion in his eyes. "The Golden Ancient Tree... a legendary divine tree that exists only in legends, sought by countless people throughout their lives without ever finding it."
"I never expected to witness its splendor firsthand in this territory."
Even West, a merchant who was staying in the territory for a while, was alarmed and ran out of his room, staring in awe at the towering Golden Tree.
"Gods above, that's Golden Tree! How... how is this possible?"
"How could anyone plant Golden Tree on their own land?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Shen Xing ignored the reactions of his subjects and stood there for a moment to admire the scene.
Although this ancient tree has already begun to show its extraordinary nature, it may attract the covetousness and attention of certain forces.
But now he also has the ability to protect this legacy.
Like this newly grown ancient tree, his territory is thriving and will one day flourish, becoming the most dazzling beacon in this Land of Mist.
"Let's go to the next place."
Shen Xing clapped his hands, preparing to leave.
At that moment, Leina suddenly said, "Wait a moment, my lord."
"What's wrong?" he asked, turning his head.
The red-haired monk didn't speak, but looked up. "I sensed a peculiar aura in the canopy of this ancient tree."
"The special smell..." Shen Xing asked in confusion, "What is it?"
Leina hesitated for a moment, seemingly choosing her words carefully. "I'm not quite sure how to describe it, it's like... a faint life is quietly gestating deep within the tree canopy."
"That life carried a trace of pure, yang flame."
She paused, then added, "Of course, it's also possible that I'm misperceiving."
Shen Xing's heart stirred, and he looked up at the dazzling golden canopy above him.
However, all that can be seen are layers upon layers of golden leaves, radiating a hazy glow, making it impossible to see what lies within.
It was as if an invisible barrier was blocking his investigation, and even his mental energy could not penetrate it.
After a moment of silence, he shook his head and said, "Let's go. Whatever it may be, it will be revealed one day."
"Yes."
Leina nodded gently, then pushed him toward the outer city.
After taking only a few steps, he couldn't help but turn back, his gaze lingering on the golden canopy of trees, a look of doubt in his eyes.
A moment later, they arrived at the foot of the city wall in the outer city area.
Looking up, the six-meter-high gray-white city wall is simple and imposing, bringing a strong sense of security.
Below, there is a patch of red soil that has been deliberately loosened.
This is where the [Blood Demon Vine Seed] were buried.
"According to the information recorded on this seed, every year it grows, it will sprout a large number of magical vines, covering a 10-meter section of the city wall."
"My current outer wall is 1500 meters long, meaning it only takes one 100-year water droplet and one 50-year water droplet to completely cover the entire wall."
"But..."
He paused, then continued, "A seed can only use 3 Growth Water Droplet, and I will definitely continue to expand my territory and build larger walls in the future."
"Therefore, a 1500-meter-long magic vine barrier is definitely not enough, so let's just use three hundred-year-old water droplets and get it done in one go."
Thinking of this, Shen Xing took out three drops of vibrant green Growth Water Droplet and dripped them onto the red soil.
After a moment of silence, the entire soil began to surge violently, the mud rising upwards as if boiling.
Immediately afterwards, a large number of blood-red vines burst forth from the ground, like countless blood-red tentacles breaking through the soil.
These vines climbed and spread along the city wall, constantly extending and branching out into more smaller vines.
Countless vines intertwined, forming an impenetrable root barrier that tightly wrapped around every inch of the wall, covered with sharp barbs.
In the blink of an eye, it completely covered the 1,500-meter-long city wall.
However, because Shen Xing accelerated its growth by a full 300 years, the magic vines are still growing rapidly, and there aren't even enough walls for them to attach to.
However, this magical vine seemed to be quite intelligent; after sensing the situation outside, it retracted the excess part into the ground.
A system notification flashed before my eyes.
[Ding! You have accelerated the growth of the 'Blood Demon Vine Seed' for 300 years, activating the vine's properties: 'Self-Repair', 'Thorn Barbs', 'Blood Thorn Blood Absorption'...]
At this moment, the magic vine finally stopped growing.
Shen Xing sat in his wheelchair, admiring the city wall completely covered by blood-red vines.
From a distance, the wall looked like it was being coiled by a giant blood-red python, ferocious and eerie.
But I must say, it actually feels quite safe inside.
"That's good, it's like putting a protective cover on the city walls."
Shen Xing chuckled, "With this thorny barrier in place, even if we remove the arrow towers and archers, it's more than enough to deal with ordinary first and second-tier monsters."
He clapped his hands, then continued examining the other spoils.
Next, the system will calculate the level rewards.
He first took out a drop of yellow liquid, which looked like concentrated honey, and could smell a pure aroma in it.
[Rain and Dew Essence]
[Quality: Unknown]
[Item Description: Deep within the Lotus Pond, the Rain and Dew Essence condensed on the only ancient white jade lotus, containing boundless vitality.]
[Item Effect: Can be used by troops to increase their star rating by 1 star and add 2-5 points of aptitude (aptitude increase effect takes effect once)]
Alternatively, it can be taken via biological means to permanently increase constitution by 50-100 points and add 5-10 years to lifespan (depending on individual constitution).