Chapter 27: Chapter 27

“Did you chop down trees?”

It turned out the territory rules on the bulletin board had a new line: “5. Those who recklessly destroy the forest are denied entry. Excessive logging will result in double fees. Replanting trees can offset some of the impact. (Note: Small amounts of logging for basic survival needs are exempt.)”

“That’s a bit overbearing.”

“It says basic survival needs are fine. I only chopped three trees for firewood, but now I have to pay 10 copper coins to get in?”

“You needed three trees just to make a fire? And I saw you pulling up saplings too!”

For a while, the new camp entrance was a hubbub of voices and debate.

After watching the commotion, Mu Ying headed back. Just as she reached her treehouse, Liu Luoluo ran over.

“Mu Ying, the treehouses can be expanded now, and you can change how they look! But it’s so expensive!”

“Really? I was just thinking my place was a bit small.” Mu Ying glanced at the wooden sign by her door.

“Treehouse No. 2 (Rented)

Initial area: 20 sqm (Every additional 10 sqm increases daily rent by 5 copper coins)

Appearance adjustment: Price based on extent of changes, starting at 50 copper coins.”

Mu Ying inserted a silver coin. The treehouse began to transform—expanding a bit, the roof rising, until it became a two-story, steep-roofed treehouse with 40 sqm on the first floor and 20 sqm on the second.

She didn’t change the layout much, since she’d designed the original herself and it already suited her tastes. She just split it into two levels, added a few windows, and made some internal partitions, costing 20 Energy.

Of course, if someone else wanted the same changes, it would cost at least 40 copper coins."

"The rent for the enlarged treehouse was also more expensive. Many people coveted this new feature, but very few actually went through with expanding their treehouses.

As the largest team in the Qingshan Camp, Liu Luoluo’s group was already the only one where every member had their own treehouse. Now, expanding and moving in together wouldn’t increase their expenses by much, and it would actually be more convenient.

Even so, their expansion was limited. They didn’t change the house type, and the area wasn’t much larger than Mu Ying’s. They didn’t spend extra money to alter the layout either.

This made Mu Ying’s house stand out even more, but no one dared to have any ideas about it—after all, copper coins could only be earned by killing zombies. Having money meant being strong.

Mu Ying had indeed made quite a bit from her recent zombie-hunting trip, but she was so generous only because the territory belonged to her. Spending silver coins was just for show; she was simply moving resources from one place to another.

Once the treehouse expansion was finished, Mu Ying quickly climbed up, slammed the door shut, and finally relaxed. “At last, the act is over!”

It was uncomfortable having to sneak around and not being able to tell anyone she was the lord of the camp. It made her feel constrained. All of this was because she was still too weak—without absolute strength, exposing herself would be too dangerous.

At the very least, she needed to be able to hold her own even if besieged. Only then could she act a little more freely.

Mu Ying took a deep breath and looked around her new home.

It was a two-story duplex. The staircase to the upstairs bedroom was on the right as you entered.

The original fireplace and stove on the first floor were now separated, occupying the left and right sides of the room. Each of the other two walls had two windows.

The house was much more spacious now, but the things she’d previously piled on the floor looked messy and out of place. Mu Ying tidied them into a corner and imagined what the house would look like once it was furnished, finally feeling a bit more comfortable.

After collecting a few rounds of rent, she planned to buy things to organize the house. For now, she still had to sleep in her cramped sleeping bag.

Maybe it was because so much had happened that day, but as soon as she lay down, she fell asleep.

The next morning, she woke up at the first sound of birdsong. Feeling refreshed, she led her old ox out while everyone else was still asleep and slipped into the area shrouded in white mist—her plantation.

The plantation was just outside the former camp gate, in the area where people had gathered and many trees had been cut down.

There was still a lot of firewood and debris left behind.

Mu Ying chose to reclaim everything, including the stumps and roots, leaving only bare soil behind. She gained 233 units of wood and 2 units of energy.

She used 20 wood and 20 energy to build a treehouse in one corner of the plantation, specifically enclosing three trees for this purpose. This would be used to store seeds and planting tools.

After clearing away the debris in the plantation, the whole plot was much cleaner and more level.

Mu Ying hitched up her old ox and used a plow she’d gotten from a farmer’s house to till the compacted soil, then marked out a small vegetable patch and planted the crop seeds she’d brought.

Potatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants—she planted a bit of everything she liked to eat, but only a few of each.

She didn’t bother with the proper planting seasons for these crops, sowing them all at once. She wasn’t worried about whether they’d survive, thanks to the Spring of Restoration and her Druid abilities.

The crops’ growth cycles weren’t long, so she’d have fresh vegetables to eat before too long.

Besides this patch for her own meals, she buried a peach, pear, and jujube seed each beside the vegetable plot. The plantation area was limited, so the rest of the fruit tree seeds would have to wait for the future.

She planned to use the remaining space to cultivate saplings or other, more valuable plants.

She scattered the tree seeds she’d collected with her Feedback Claw on the way back, planning to care for them until they became saplings, then transplant them into the forest—much more efficient this way.

Planting the seeds was quick, but using Druid Tricks to help them sprout, then watering them with Create Water and monitoring their condition was much more time-consuming.

Druid Tricks and Nature Sense could only target one thing at a time. She worked all morning and only just managed to finish the vegetable patch and the three fruit trees.

After working for most of the day, Mu Ying finally finished up at the plantation. The frequent use of Nature Sense, Druid Tricks, and Create Water had improved her control over these abilities.

Nature Sense was a bit faster now, Druid Tricks could stimulate multiple seeds at once, and even the water balls from Create Water could be shaped into thin films to cover a larger area, with the Spring of Restoration directly infused.

Of course, she also gained valuable professional experience.

Planting from scratch always brought nature’s feedback, and her experience bar shot up—over seventy points in a single day.

[Profession: Druid Lv2 (220/300)]

Seeing that level 3 wasn’t far off, Mu Ying didn’t feel relaxed at all. The worries she’d buried in her heart resurfaced.

“Forget it, I’d better go ask and get a clear answer!”

Mu Ying headed to the Oak General Store.

She didn’t leave the plantation until dusk, when she realized the store would soon close.

“Grandpa Shaum, is it possible for a world to exist without the power of nature?”

What she really wanted to ask was: Are the abilities she now possessed actually real?

Last night, in the block world, she’d been completely unable to connect with the power of nature.

All her current abilities had come after the apocalypse game descended. But even though it was called a game, none of these powers had come easily.

Every skill, every spell, every time she communed with nature required learning and real effort. It all felt so real. She’d never thought of it as fake game data, but last night’s experience had shaken her a bit.

Shaum looked at Mu Ying’s troubled expression and said slowly but firmly, “Girl, there is no real world that doesn’t need nature.”