The sky of Blue Star had been gloomy and the wind carried a heavy, oppressive feeling during this period.
Fang You drew in a wisp of breeze, then released it. The wind slipped from his grasp and drifted towards the overcast sky. High above this somber sky, unseen by ordinary people, lay a vast, boundless expanse of gray mist. To merely gaze upon it was enough to ignite an irrepressible sense of melancholy.
"This is a surging, unstoppable trend," he murmured.
Beneath this grand trend were unseen streams of gray mist, or rather, paths, flowing even to the awakened.
The erosion from the world of the spectral was like an endless sea of filth, relentlessly battering Blue Star, this great vessel.
Though the ship was large, it was but a droplet compared to the entire spectral world. Its hull was already riddled with holes, and water was seeping in constantly.
Fang You saw the water seeping in and traced its flow.
In some places, puddles had already formed. In others, the water had not yet reached; as long as dams were built, the rear could be secured.
These dams were the base cities, centered around the Lighthouse of Dawn.
Only by establishing them in appropriate locations could they effectively block the torrent. Once enough dams were built and formed a closed-loop system, Blue Star, this ship, could be saved from further sinking.
"The Dawn Plan is not just for Donghuang; base cities need to be established in all major regions of the Blue Star world."
"However, the number of lighthouses is limited, and what they can protect against the spectral invasion is merely small areas."
"Therefore..."
The entire plan, the entire Blue Star defense system, was composed of a core and secondary components.
In the core regions, more base cities would be built to serve as hubs. In the secondary parts, a single major region might only have one or two base cities, acting as branch nodes.
He ascended, reaching the high skies of Blue Star, where the flow of the gray mist gradually became clear to his eyes.
Euroland had previously suffered the Red Moon disaster, making it a region with severe water leakage and unsuitable as a core area. Of the remaining regions, only the White Eagle Federation and Donghuang Country met the conditions of invasion severity and geographical location.
Logically, Donghuang's stable order, strong infrastructure, and cooperative spirit were advantageous.
Emotionally, the torch of hope belonged to the whole world, but he, Fang You, was from Donghuang.
From any perspective, placing the core of the defense system in Donghuang was the most suitable choice.
"As the central hub, Donghuang needs to construct at least five Dawn base cities... the more the better, to make the defense system more robust. However..."
He held in his hand the main material, three pieces of the legendary treasure 'Stone of Eternal Radiance', and only three.
It was far from enough.
He could only build one at a time.
"The current direction is also gradually becoming clear. A base city is needed in the central region of Donghuang Country, and Shui Ze City is the most suitable location."
"For the north, Huangdu is within the selection range, so Huangdu will be chosen."
"South, east, west... these are still unclear for now. Let's start with these two."
He conveyed the general idea to Xiao Huan.
Xiao Huan, the best secretary, drafted and refined it. After reviewing it and finding it satisfactory, he forwarded it to all departments and the Investigation Bureau.
Construction, personnel, resources, and other matters were to be handled by the Investigation Bureau.
He trusted that the Investigation Bureau would manage it well.
He had more pressing matters to attend to.
"The Dawn Plan, establishing base cities, is only the first step. Whether we can withstand the subsequent wave impacts is also crucial."
"Moreover, when the 'Tide of Gray Mist' truly arrives, the number of spectral beings will increase tenfold or even a hundredfold. The waves appearing then will be incomparable to what we see now."
These required preparation.
For this, the 'Huo' (Spark) organization had prepared Crystal Cannon and cultivated numerous second and third-tier awakened beings, but it was still insufficient.
With this thought, Fang You took a step and, amidst slight ripples, returned to the organization's secret realm.
The light here was much brighter. The sky was no longer gloomy, with white clouds drifting by and golden sunlight streaming down. Returning here greatly improved his mood.
He stood on the secret realm sea, which rippled slightly, and gazed at the aerial fortress that had descended to only dozens of meters above the sea.
From its fourth layer, which contained a large area of land for establishing cultivation and farming zones, a bridge had been built, wide enough for two cars to drive abreast, connecting the base fortress to the secret realm's shore.
— The secret realm shore, besides the sea, constituted about one-third of the entire secret realm's landmass. Its area was much larger than the fourth-layer park zone and was continuously expanding with the integration of the Secret Realm Stones.
In the past, this land was barren.
Fang You had entrusted Miss Liu Shang to plant some grass, trees, and flowers on the shore in her spare time to beautify the environment.
Later, he discovered that this area of the secret realm shore could also be developed into 'cultivation zones,' though it required more spectral crystals.
Similarly, aquaculture zones could be established in the nearby secret realm sea.
Currently, this coastal land was divided into plots of special soil, Tier Two soil, on which were planted... well...
Looking at a peculiar plant that resembled a green giant python, with a mouth wide enough to swallow a meter or two, Fang You fell silent.
"This child is quite cute, isn't she?"
Liu Shang's voice came from the side.
Fang You glanced at it again, remained silent for a moment, and nodded slightly.
"However, this child does not meet our requirements," Liu Shang said. "Master, please follow me. There are some other children here who might meet your requirements."
She gracefully walked to the side, her magnificent dress swaying slightly with her steps. She walked through the fields without a speck of dust, not at all like someone who toiled in the soil.
In fact, she wasn't entirely like that.
Liu Shang was a plant researcher.
She possessed not only extensive knowledge that made Fang You feel ashamed but also the unique talent of 'Wood Spirit of Life,' which could improve plant seeds and induce positive 'mutations' in plants.
The 'Peashooter' planted on the Pacific base's dam was Liu Shang's first creation.
It could attack from a distance, and its cost was much lower compared to the explosive fire beads produced by the forging department.
It had drawbacks, such as requiring advance deployment and a growth cycle.
Following Liu Shang, Fang You saw many peculiar plants, including defensive ones like 'Thorn Vines' and 'Berry Bombs.'
More common were regular plants.
Some were obtained from the spectral world or through gacha draws, some improved, some not.
These unique, mysterious plants originally had high demands for their growing environment. However, thanks to the special soil, plants of various appearances grew harmoniously in the same area.
— Of course, specific types of plants were still divided into different soil zones. Now that Huo was no longer as poor as before, they didn't need to cram two or three different types of plants into the same soil.
Seeing these plants growing vigorously, Fang You was satisfied.
However, Liu Shang was not.
"Our department has too few people with matching specializations."
"We can still train and teach those with insufficient basic knowledge, but regarding awakened abilities, there are simply too few suitable for cultivation!"
There were not a few awakened abilities related to wood or plants, but those that could promote plant growth were rare.
Within Liu Shang's cultivation department, there were only six people with similar abilities, and their capabilities varied.
The legendary spectral artifact 'Vessel of Life,' obtained some time ago, had elevated the cultivation department's nurturing capabilities to a new level. However, the Vessel of Life had limited output, so Liu Shang could only use it on high-tier plants.
It was mostly used for nurturing 'Blood Snake Fruit Trees' and 'Nether God Grass,' the main ingredients for two high-grade medicinal agents.
"Normally? Normally, I can only work harder myself."
Saying this, Liu Shang stood before several fields and formed a hand seal.
A cumulonimbus cloud floated in the sky, and large raindrops began to fall. This was the low-level skill 'Rainfall Technique.' The technique itself was ordinary, but it integrated Liu Shang's Wood Spirit of Life talent, possessing the effect of promoting plant growth.
After more than ten repetitions, even though she was at the non-human level, she appeared somewhat fatigued, sweat soaking her clothes.
She turned to look, her gaze seeming pitiable, "Omnipotent Master, please quickly find a solution."
...
"However, Master, I'm not Doraemon."
In the forging and alchemy departments, even apprentices could gradually lend a hand. Only in the cultivation department, Miss Liu Shang was still busy with the most basic tasks, which was indeed difficult for her.
But there was no other way.
Unless he borrowed Liu Shang's 'plant growth' ability, he could only be half a Miss Liu Shang.
But he, Master Fang, also had many things to do.
So, he could only continue to trouble Liu Shang. He believed that there were always more solutions than difficulties.
He took some seeds, compiled a batch of tasks, and distributed them. With Xiao Huan keeping an eye on them, he no longer paid attention and returned to the base.
He glanced at his accumulated Destiny Points.
After a period of absence, they had increased to over ten thousand again.
"The Tide of Gray Mist is imminent, and more servants of evil gods may arrive. There will be great battles. Perhaps I should draw some cards; maybe something useful will appear."
He moved his finger to the high-level card pool costing 1000 points, hesitated for a moment, then moved it to the super card pool costing 10,000 points. This was a card pool he had never drawn from before. A single touch would turn a massive amount of Destiny Points into smoke.
Draw?
Not draw?
Draw!
He pressed down heavily.
There seemed to be no more elaborate special effects, far inferior to the early Destiny draws. He saw ripples forming in the lake of destiny, becoming more violent, and soon, brilliant rays of light erupted from within.
Golden meteors streaked across the sky.
"Ding!"
"Notification: Obtained 'Seed of Skills' (Purple)."
"Notification: Obtained 'Water of Origin' (Gold)."
...
"Notification: Obtained 'Water of Origin' (Gold)."
...
"Notification: Obtained Skill Book 'Wood of Growth' (Blue)."
...
"Notification: Obtained Miracle Blueprint 'Tower of Wood Buds' (Purple)."
...
"Notification: Obtained 'Water of Origin' (Gold)."