[Foundational Treasure Scroll Lv.5 → Nine Fortresses Birth Palace Formula Lv.1]
In the Oak Territory, Chen Yu forced a serious expression. Holding an oak branch with some Gel, he silently chanted an incantation while hopping in a circle around a mud puddle. It resembled some sort of primitive sacrificial ritual, the atmosphere solemn and dignified.
"Change!"
He pointed the oak branch down, touching the puddle of mud.
[Turn Mud to Stone]
Then, an astonishing scene unfolded.
The mud, which had been a formless puddle on the ground, rapidly drained of its water, compressed itself, and took shape... finally becoming a dark brown mud brick.
Whether you tried to smash it by throwing it or chop at it, it was no different from hard granite.
This was the Daoist Skill that came with the Nine Fortresses Birth Palace Formula—Turn Mud to Stone.
It had cost him a full twenty Spirit Stones to acquire from the Library Elder.
Of course, his abilities didn't end there.
Chen Yu began mumbling another incantation, then pointed the gel-held oak branch toward the base of the oak tree.
"Grow!"
[Wood Shaping]
In just an instant, a CREAKING and CRACKLING sound came from the base of the oak tree. Its roots burst from the soil, wound their way up around the trunk, and connected with the bark one by one to form a staircase of roots.
Once the staircase was fully formed, Chen Yu put down the oak branch and tried hopping up it, step by step. He passed the bustling Poisonous Sting Bee hive and, in no time, reached the very top of the oak tree.
Basking in the unobstructed sunlight from above and the wide-open view before him, Chen Yu was practically bubbling with emotion. He instantly felt that the forty Spirit Stones he'd spent on the Daoist Skills were well worth it.
"Turn Mud to Stone" and "Wood Shaping" both fell under the "Nine Fortresses Birth Palace Formula Lv.1" and would not be displayed separately on his status panel.
As for the "Foundational Treasure Scroll Lv.5" that had been replaced, it hadn't vanished; its effects had simply been inherited.
Chen Yu stood at the top, gazing out over the entire Oak Territory, and even the vast Swamp Forest beyond.
A bold idea began to form in his mind.
Using trees as a skeleton and stone to build walls, he could transform the Oak Territory into an impregnable fortress. He could even start large-scale construction on the outskirts of the swamp, building maze-like ruins to attract a steady stream of Adventurers and drive away those corrupted creatures.
It would be a massive undertaking.
'Isn't this the kind of grand infrastructure project my senior brothers from Void Profound Heaven are always dreaming of?'
'Too bad I'm the sole contractor on this one.'
'Poor civil-engineer brothers.'
...
「Reed River.」
Fed by snowmelt from the peaks, the river was much fuller than it had been in winter. It RUSHED against the tender green reed shoots sprouting on its banks, carrying the fresh scent of pine from upstream.
The old beaver, "Crunch," soaked in the bone-chilling water, couldn't help but shake his thick, oily, brown-and-tan fur and sneeze.
The icy water washed over his paws, but it couldn't extinguish the fire in his busy soul.
Spring!
This was a beaver's golden season!
And the busiest one, too.
"CRUNCH! CRUNCH!"
He had his eyes on a small poplar tree, gnawing at it with his powerful incisors. Wood chips flew like snowflakes.
His small eyes were focused and bright, and his tail slapped the water's surface rhythmically, kicking up cheerful splashes. 'Almost there... soon I can drag this branch back to my precious dam...'
Just then, a strange vibration traveled clearly from the distance, running through the earth of the riverbank.
It was followed by a dull CLOPPITY-CLOP and the rumbling of wheels rolling over grass, shattering the tranquility of the riverbank.
Crunch lifted his head warily, his wet black nose twitching as he sniffed forcefully. 'The smell of dust! And... the scent of those annoying two-legged creatures!'
On the dirt road leading to the Swamp Forest, an open-topped carriage pulled by two sturdy draft horses was kicking up a trail of dust as it sped toward them.
'It's those weird-looking human Adventurers again!'
Crunch flicked his tail in displeasure, sending a few drops of water flying. His mood instantly soured.
Ever since the spring thaw, this road leading deep into the forest had become busy.
These creatures, dressed in metal shells and carrying strange sticks and glowing stones, would come in groups of three or five. They invaded the banks of the Reed River in an endless stream before plunging headfirst into the treacherous Swamp Forest.
Sometimes the humans would stop, staring curiously at him and his beloved dam, while making gibberish sounds he couldn't understand at all.
Even worse, one or two of the reckless ones would get curious enough to poke at it with their hands, or even try to move the branches he had so carefully assembled!
Every time he thought about it, Crunch's incisors would start to itch with anger. He wished he could rush over and take a bite out of those meddlesome fingers!
His precious dam! That was a home he had built with his own teeth and sweat, one log and one lump of mud at a time!
It was a fortress to fend off predators and raise his young!
How could it be a plaything for these passersby?
However, today's carriage seemed to be in an exceptional hurry. With its wheels rumbling and dust billowing, it showed no sign of slowing down.
It swept past the banks of the Reed River like a gust of wind, heading straight for the forest entrance.
Crunch's frayed nerves relaxed a little.
'Fine, you know what's good for you!'
He grumbled, a mix of relief and lingering annoyance, and lowered his head again, baring his trademark buckteeth.
"CRUNCH! CRUNCH!"
...
The carriage wheels hit a pothole in the dirt road, and the frame jolted violently, nearly throwing the young woman who was sitting at the back, engrossed in a book, right off.
"Whoa!"
She cried out in alarm, scrambling to grab the side of the carriage.
The young woman had long, fluffy, soft chestnut-brown hair and fair cheeks that still held a touch of baby fat—typical features of the Aineir People.
Just like her washed-out apprentice mage robes and the plain, unadorned Oak Staff leaning beside her, she gave off an air of being quiet and well-behaved.
"Captain Kelvin, could... could you slow down a little?" the young woman asked, picking up her fallen book with a pained expression.
"Slow down? My dear Ira, time is money! And money is life!"
The man sitting in the driver's seat, holding the reins, turned back and flashed an enthusiastic grin.
His name was Kelvin, and he was the captain of this hastily assembled team of Adventurers.
In his early thirties, he had fair skin, short, slightly curly blond hair, a high-bridged nose, and deep-set eyes. The corners of his mouth were habitually turned up in a smile that spoke of a slick, persuasive cleverness.
These were the typical features of the Visaji People—a race known for their shrewdness, mobility, and talent for business, whose footprints covered the continent, yet who rarely had a permanent home.
He wore the common attire of a Ranger from Iron Boot Town: a half-worn set of brown leather armor with a slender scimitar hanging at his waist, its scabbard gaudy and ostentatiously decorated.
"Just think, Ira, we're heading into the Swamp Forest to make our fortune!"
"The place is crawling with valuable Swamp Demons and moon-glow moss. If we're late, some other lucky devil will have scraped the place clean! I'm just thinking of the team."
"Captain, I, Bloom, was a blacksmith in Iron Boot Town for ten years. I've mined in the mountains and dug in the earth, but how come I've never heard of the forest being this rich? I still find it a bit hard to believe."
A booming, resonant voice spoke up from beside Ira. The speaker was a Dwarf.
He had a thick, messy, reddish-brown beard that looked like a blazing fire, and a pair of small, sharp brown eyes.
He wore a heavy suit of chainmail covered by a heavily worn leather apron, and a hefty-looking double-bladed War Axe rested casually against his leg.
Bloom Stonefist—he was a blacksmith and Ira's neighbor back in Iron Boot Town.
"Brother Bloom, this came from 'the Miracle' Yano himself."
Kelvin wasn't the least bit affected by the Dwarf's skepticism. Instead, he raised his voice.
"You must have heard of that legendary figure, right? The distant cousin of my third uncle's neighbor listened to him, and with the treasures from the Swamp Forest, he paid off all his gam—er, all his investment debts overnight! Even married a beautiful wife!"
He gestured animatedly, his story growing more and more vivid.
"The place is overflowing with Magic Plants! Rumor has it some Adventurers even stumbled upon ruins that appeared out of nowhere and plundered a ton of treasure from inside."
Ira's eyes lit up slightly as she listened; she had a natural curiosity for unknown Magic Plants. But then her brow furrowed slightly.
"But Captain Kelvin, the books say the Swamp Forest is most dangerous after the spring thaw. The miasma starts to spread, and the slumbering monsters awaken..."
"Dangerous? Ha!"
Kelvin waved his hand grandly, nearly smacking one of the horses pulling the carriage.
"We have the experienced Brother Bloom to forge our path! What monster could his 'Mountain-Splitter' not cleave in two? Plus, we have the limitless potential of Miss Ira's Magic! And me, Kelvin..."
"The best guide and negotiator of the Visaji! What danger can't be handled? This team of ours... it's so perfect it's like a gift from the gods! Fortune is right around the corner!"
Kelvin swore this with absolute conviction, his smile dazzlingly bright. But his eyes darted quickly toward the rapidly approaching entrance to the Swamp Forest, and he quietly swallowed.
'In reality, he was nowhere near as confident and calm as he appeared. If it weren't for his damned debts whipping at his back, leaving him no other choice, he never would have come here.'
'Seasoned Adventurers all knew his situation; who would dare team up with him to enter the Swamp Forest? Only these two fools were gullible enough to believe his story so easily.'
'Even though they were both greenhorns, he had no other choice. He had to see this carefully woven adventure through to the end.'
He flicked the reins sharply.
"Giddy-up! Folks, fortune awaits!"
The carriage kicked up a final cloud of dust and plunged into the Swamp Forest without a moment's hesitation.