Chapter 135
As for the rare blue quality, finding a piece of it was purely a stroke of luck. Currently, the territory had accumulated only three blue source energy crystals, all tucked away in Ye Bai's backpack.
Once the mining operation was upgraded to an intermediate level, the probability of extracting crude source energy crystals would drop below 10%, with most being of fine quality. The chances of encountering rare qualities would significantly increase.
After completing all of this, Ye Bai strolled leisurely around the territory.
The roads throughout the territory had been replaced with wide, smooth stone paths, and walking on them made Ye Bai feel light on her feet.
At the center of the residential area stood a tall building—the newly constructed theater of Bai Ye Town. At this time, the performance had yet to start, but the sounds of orchestral music and actors practicing their singing drifted from within. Not far away, the bakery filled the air with the aroma of butter mixed with flour and charcoal.
In the industrial zone, production was in full swing. The smelting furnaces and blacksmith shops belched thick smoke, the sound of sawing echoed from the lumber mill, while the furniture factory was busy with the clatter of tools. The woodcarving and stone-carving workshops produced a symphony of clinks and clatters.
In the agricultural area, the crops in the fields were lush and green, and the high-grade medicinal herbs in the herb garden released fragrant aromas. Nearby, the upscale ranch echoed with the calls of wildebeests and the bleating of black-gold sheep. A little further away, in a regular ranch, cows and turkeys imported from trade caravans were raised, and the butter in the bakery was sourced from here.
A cart pulled by two trained wildebeests passed by Ye Bai, transporting goods, and the entire town was enveloped in a vibrant and peaceful atmosphere.
Back in her own time, when playing construction-type games, every time Ye Bai completed a major building project, she would watch the little people in her territory work and live at normal speed, filling the warehouses with various resources. This brought her immense satisfaction and joy.
Watching her envisioned territory being constructed step by step, coming to life, and seeing the residents thrive within it was precisely why construction enthusiasts loved such games.
When designing the construction elements for Wan Jie, Ye Bai followed this same principle—of course, in the documentation for the investors, she emphasized how these elements could greatly increase player engagement.
Now, however, she found herself under pressure from her identity as Bai Ye, relentlessly pushing forward without taking a moment to stand in the players' shoes and enjoy the pure joy of gaming.
After completing her tour of the territory, Ye Bai felt a sense of clarity wash over her, a subtle yet positive change that restored her energy from a previously tense and fatigued state.
Returning to the mayor's office, Ye Bai headed to the finance department. Upon opening the financial page, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The expenditure page remained unchanged since she left, but the income page began to reveal the territory's earnings.
"Looks like we're in the green!"
Ye Bai had been away for ten days, and the territory's income exceeded her expectations, now totaling 3 gold coins, 21 silver coins, and 31 copper coins.
The taxes were still about the same, just over 17 silver coins, but the bulk of the income came from trade. Whether selling to players or other territories, the Nightwalker Cloaks and Swiftfoot Boots were selling like hotcakes. After deducting the cost of raw materials, there was nearly two gold coins in profit.
The remaining gold coin in profit came from the residents' spending on the theater, furniture, taverns, and more. Perhaps due to Ye Bai's high wages and low taxes, the residents of Bai Ye Town had increased their spending levels. With their needs met, production efficiency improved, creating a positive cycle.
At this rate, Ye Bai wouldn't even need to wait for the next month; the territory's income could cover the wage expenses.
Seeing this, Ye Bai decided not to dig into her own pockets to supplement the budget. The expenses for opening trade routes to Laen City and purchasing materials had cost 12 gold coins and 40 copper coins. Now, she had 11 gold coins, 76 silver coins, and 55 copper coins left—tight compared to her peak, but still sufficient.
With the territory entering a stable development phase, Ye Bai planned to embark on an exploration of the Divine Realm.
The currency in the Divine Realm was not interchangeable with that of Wan Jie, so she wouldn't need gold coins for this trip.
This journey was not just about attempting the tasks of the paper figures but also about Felix's personal quest. Ye Bai intended to search for clues in the Divine Realm.
Of course, after her previous experience, her main goal was still to leverage her historian's traits to grind for experience points in the Divine Realm. Compared to the arduous leveling process, moving through high-level maps was thrilling, and the experience gains were immense—once she had tasted it, she couldn't stop.
Not to mention that leveling up in Wan Jie could also enhance her mental strength in reality.
Ye Bai had learned from Aurora about the leveling situations of other players in Wan Jie. Regardless of their mental strength level in reality, engaging in activities in Wan Jie would yield mental strength boosts, but this enhancement seemed to be uniform in quantity.
Some F-level players had advanced to D-level after their first job change, but D-level players who changed jobs felt they only gained within their tier without reaching a level that would allow them to advance. Only a few who were already at the peak of D-level mental strength managed to break through to C-level.
However, those on the verge of breaking through to higher tiers above D-level did not achieve breakthroughs due to the enhancements gained from their first job change.
Researchers generally believed that for those with strong mental strength in reality, this enhancement was insufficient; they needed to reach higher levels to achieve tier upgrades.
But an enhancement was still an enhancement. The reliability and stability of it were enough to attract all cosmic races.
Ye Bai's situation was unique; her level far exceeded others, so she couldn't tell if her experience was due to her low mental strength in reality or some other special reason. However, gaining strength was always a good thing.
After organizing her backpack, Ye Bai was ready to set off, and by then, night had fallen over Bai Ye Town.
She descended the stairs to the basement beneath the mayor's office. This basement was designed to eventually serve as the lord's treasury after expansion.
However, at this stage, it was empty, save for an oil lamp and the center's [Well of Origins], visible only to players.
The semi-transparent Well of Origins stood quietly, its ethereal glow maintaining an air of mystery.
Ye Bai walked to the edge of the well with practiced ease, and the system prompted her once more:
"Would you like to use the 'Well of Origins'? Current energy value (100/100)?"
It had been nearly a game month since Ye Bai returned from the Divine Realm, and even if the energy recovery was slow, it was naturally full by now.
After scanning her backpack again to confirm she was well-prepared, Ye Bai selected "Confirm."
In the next moment, a familiar light burst forth from the Well of Origins, enveloping Ye Bai completely, and then she was transformed into a cocoon of light and plunged into the well.
Prepared as she was, Ye Bai felt a strong sensation of traversing once more, but this time, compared to the last, she distinctly sensed her resilience had increased. She managed to hold on a bit longer before losing consciousness.
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Chapter 97
Uncertain how much time had passed, Ye Bai regained consciousness from the darkness. She struggled to lift her eyelids and then suddenly opened her eyes wide.
The first thing she saw was the overcast sky of the Divine Realm.
Fortunately, she arrived in the Divine Realm during the day, avoiding the immediate threat of encountering undead creatures upon waking.
Moreover, compared to her last visit, perhaps due to her increased strength, Ye Bai felt the effects of traversing the Divine Realm were significantly lessened this time.
Suddenly, she heard a faint sound in her ears. Propping herself up, she looked over.
There stood a gray-and-white donkey beside her, slyly chewing on something. Ye Bai's sudden movement startled it, causing it to jump.
"...Gulp!"
A half-eaten piece of bread fell from the donkey's mouth.
"Of course, it was you!"
Ye Bai realized that one of the five sets of bread she had in her backpack was missing a piece.
During her time back in Wan Jie, she had wondered if the bread had been lost during the traversal process... Now, it turned out she had overthought it; it was this little rascal's doing!
"Ah, uh~"
Caught red-handed, the donkey let out an awkward yet polite sound.
"I warned it," came a familiar voice from beside her. Ye Bai turned to see the familiar strange figure from the white stone wall she had encountered before.
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