Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 22 22: World Map
After testing the tool, Wang Ji instructed the two to conduct some other feature tests.

For example, when it comes to farming, the land plowed with the hoe synthesized by Wang Ji is the same as the land he plowed himself, and crops can grow rapidly on it.

There are also boxes, which can be used.

From Ryder and his companion's perspective, the box contained only miniature versions of the items.

Ian scratched his head, feeling that this thing was very powerful, a spell he had never seen before.

On the other hand, Ryder thought much more and exclaimed in surprise:
"Advanced storage technology, or perhaps more accurately, powerful creation magic?"

"Or perhaps a permanent reality distortion spell?"

"That's outrageous."

"This is truly unprecedented, and it seems there's still so much untapped potential..."

Ryder looked at Wang Ji with a complicated expression and said, "The only one who can compare with your talent is probably the Imperial Temple Archmage Osvid."

"It is said that the gentleman is very open-minded, and it was he who guided the open atmosphere of Imperial University."

"I originally planned to contact him through my teacher, but unfortunately, some people can't stand to see the world get better."

Ryder scratched his head and said, "I still don't understand what those people's motives were. I just can't figure it out..."

"Uh, maybe it's because they're afraid of having too much food?" Ian said casually.

"How can it be!"

Ryder immediately retorted.

That's hard to say.

Wang Ji muttered to himself, though he didn't say it aloud, a surge of anger was still simmering within him.

He went there with good intentions, but was forced to flee by a group of unknown and unfamiliar parasites.

It's impossible not to be angry.

Wang Ji now wants to go back and blow up that Baggett family, to rid this young empire of its pests.

However, he also understood that it was unlikely to achieve this under the current circumstances. The power of a high-level magic user was visible to the naked eye, and with his current abilities, there was nothing he could do if he went back.

Moreover, the enemy clearly has the power to mobilize the entire empire's resources, so it seems that it's not just this one family that has a problem, but rather the entire empire as a whole.

The high-level combat power of just the Baggett family alone was enough to force several people to burrow underground and escape across dimensions. If more powerful beings from the empire were to join the effort, they probably wouldn't even have time to escape.

Even if dozens of Wither Spirits were placed in that manor, they would probably only allow that so-called high-level magician to cast a few more spells, posing no real threat.

Unless a Wither Storm is unleashed.

Wang Ji sighed softly, suppressing these thoughts for the time being.

The empire is still too tough, and Wang Ji knows he can't beat them for the time being.

Instead of going looking for trouble with this behemoth now, it would be more practical to develop it first.

The anger that arose never subsided; it simply remained dormant in my heart.

At this moment, Wang Ji had already made a plan: after a short period of development and rest, he would let these people know what a true nightmare was.

If I run away when I have no resources, and I run away when I have resources, then what's the point of developing?
From this moment on, this empire began to truly attract Wang Ji's attention.

"So what do we do now? Continue to rely on the people from Imperial University, or risk trying to contact the Archmage?"

Beside him, Ian asked a question and then shared his own opinion:

"I feel that they are not very reliable. Always relying on others is too passive."

After saying this, Ian looked at Wang Ji.

Wang Ji snapped out of his thoughts, shook his head, and said, "Don't look at me. I've never left the village in my entire life, and I know absolutely nothing about the empire."

"I'm still just a child."

Ian was speechless for a moment, but upon reflection, he felt there was some truth to it.

Wang Ji added, "Besides, I really don't like palace intrigue. Rather than spending my time scheming and fighting for power, I'd rather go underground and mine."

"Palace intrigue? You mean the struggles within the palace? That's a fitting description."

Ian acknowledged, "I'm not good at these things either. I haven't been to the city in years."

"The people in the city are too complicated, and the roads are too winding. The village is more suitable for me."

“Wang Ji, if I hadn’t found you, I think I would have spent the rest of my life in that small village—living alone, and if I was lucky, I would have lived to old age.”

"That's unfortunate now."

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant..."

The two chatted idly, without coming up with any good ideas, and then looked at the person with the highest level of education present.

Ryder took a deep breath, then felt a sharp pain in his tooth.

I feel a bit feverish.

"What a mess!"

He was grumbling, his emotions tinged with a sense of self-abandonment.

Wang Ji stood up, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't be discouraged. At least I'm here. We will never lack any resources for survival. We can develop anywhere."

"develop?"

Ryder looked at Wang Ji and asked a question.

"Yeah, I'm not kidding. Even if I'm empty-handed and don't bring anything, I can build a castle on the spot in a few days. But it probably won't be too big, since I still need to collect materials."

At this point, Wang Ji paused.

"Oh, that reminds me."

"We can put the matter in the capital on hold for now. Actually, I've been looking for a place to build a home, or rather, a base for long-term development, but I really don't know where would be suitable."

"Wandering like this, hiding from pursuers, isn't a solution, is it?"

"Moreover, I need a fixed place to continue developing, or rather, to continue becoming stronger."

The main problem is that my backpack has been full for a long time, and if I don't find a place to build a home soon, my development will stagnate.

In addition, there was a lot of crop seeds in the box, and it was quite disheartening to just look at them without being able to plant them.

For farming!

In order to continue to develop!
Wang Ji was highly motivated.

Originally, the plan was to demonstrate some ability so that they could rely on the resources of the imperial government to develop rapidly and settle down in the capital. But instead, they didn't get the imperial support and were almost killed.

Then I guess I'll just have to rely on myself.

If you want to get rich, start by chopping down trees.

If you want to develop, build a home first.

Seemingly inspired by Wang Ji's words, Ryder continued to ponder, remaining silent for a while.

Ian gave the answer first: "Unclaimed vacant land is easy to find. There may be fewer around the capital, but there are many unmanaged places a little further away."

"Do you have any requirements regarding the location of your 'home'?" "Well..."

Wang Ji thought for a moment and said, "Ideally, the terrain should be relatively open and flat, with mountains, trees, water and minerals. If it is really impossible to meet all of these conditions, then having minerals will be fine. After all, the environment can be changed, but minerals cannot be created out of thin air."

At least not yet.

As for digging into the mantle layer to mine, that's asking too much of people.

"Isn't the place you're talking about the capital city?"

Ian looked somewhat helpless.

If such a good place really existed, would the empire just leave it unused?

"I do know a place that is rich in natural resources and has complex terrain. It shouldn't be easy to be discovered if you want to establish a base there."

Ryder suddenly spoke up, saying, "As far as I know, the Imperial Central Government doesn't have particularly strong control over that region, and much of the information about it is outdated and can't be updated frequently."

"Where?"

"Northern Mountains".

...

A few days later, in an underground space outside a small town, Wang Ji and Ian fished around a pond while waiting quietly.

The torch burned quietly, emitting a warm yellow light.

A moment later, the sound of a trapdoor opening could be heard overhead.

Wang Ji turned his head and saw a person wearing a robe and with a wide hood covering his face slowly climbing down carrying a large bag.

"Got it."

Ryder took off his hood, put down his large bag, and first pulled out a very high-quality and large map.

"What about other things?"

"They're all here."

Wang Ji nodded and began rummaging through the large bag to examine the items inside.

Besides the large map, the bag contained many other miscellaneous items, such as books, plants, and crop seeds, all of which were purchased on Wang Ji's behalf.

However, the most expensive item is the world map.

This is a rare find.

"I bought this from a retired scholar from Beijing who lived in the town at a high price."

Ryder recalled, "I negotiated with him for a long time and raised the price several times before he finally agreed to sell it to me."

“In the past, I would never have thought of buying such a luxury item.”

But now...

Ryder looked at Wang Ji, unsure of what to say.

This guy definitely possesses a miracle spell like the Midas touch—he can casually produce a whole bunch of those huge, extremely pure gold bricks.

You can’t spend it all, you can’t spend it all.

Even the oldest and most stubborn scholar would be dizzy if hit on the head with a gold brick.

All that talk about spending years of painstaking effort to create something you can't bear to sell is just an excuse. Here you go.

"That's good. Having these things will save us a lot of trouble."

After taking stock of the pile of things in the bag, Wang Ji nodded in satisfaction.

Surprisingly, there were even sugarcane stalks inside, the kind that can be planted directly in the ground. This means we can be self-sufficient in paper and sugar from now on, even though these two things aren't expensive to begin with.

Thanks to the advanced development of alchemy, the empire's sugar-making technology was very advanced, as was paper, which was mass-produced very early on, since research certainly couldn't do without it.

This can be considered one of the few instances where those who studied alchemy incidentally benefited ordinary people.

Wang Ji thought for a moment, then picked up the map.

This map is indeed large and detailed. Wang Ji had to place it on the ground to fully unfold it, and he had to walk around in circles to see it.

It's clear that the scholar selling the map put a lot of effort into its creation. In an era where geographical information is not widely available, it's understandable that it's a bit pricey.

"This is the place I was talking about."

Ryder took two steps, squatted down, stretched out his arm, pointed to a mountain range north of the capital, and said:

"This mountain range is rich in mineral resources and stretches for hundreds of kilometers from west to east, making it extremely vast."

"Behind the mountains lies a vast snowfield."

"Isn't it strange? These mountains are like man-made dividing lines, separating the snowfields."

Wang Ji nodded, feeling that he had learned something new.

"I have heard some things about it."

At this moment, Ian recalled, "I heard that the northern mountains are a land blessed by the Earth God, while the snowfields further north are called the 'Cursed Land,' where people are said to be disrespectful to the gods."

"Oh?"

Ryder said with interest, "This is somewhat similar to things I've heard before."

“I’ve occasionally learned about this place before, but only in other ways.”

"It is said that a mysterious force remains in the northern snowfields, which is why the climate is cold all year round. There are records that a large amount of mineral resources are buried under the deep snow and ice in the northern snowfields. However, due to the lack of mining technology and the obstruction of the mountains, these good things can only exist there temporarily."

"Currently, the Empire is only mining minerals in the mountains and has not gone deeper. There is little mention of the situation inside the snowfields, only that some people live there."

"Is that so?"

Wang Ji felt that his knowledge had increased.

But God?

Does such a thing really exist in this world?
I've never heard of it before.

Even if there were any, probably none of them would be alive.
Forget it, never mind.

Shaking his head, Wang Ji focused his attention on the spot Ryder was pointing to.

The northern mountains... sound like a remote area, and they're actually not close at all, about a two-month journey, only a little closer than Wang Ji's hometown.

If you're going to take the Hell Passage, clearing the path the first time might be a bit troublesome, and each subsequent trip would probably take about seven or eight days each way.

However, considering the reactions of people other than oneself entering Hell, the versatility of the Hell passage probably needs further consideration.

"Then we've decided to go there."

When Wang Ji made the decision, Ian and Ryder had no other opinions and expressed their agreement.

Finally, I can build a house.

Just as Wang Ji was sighing and preparing to put the map away in his backpack, a notification appeared in the lower left corner.

[A world map has been added.]

(End of this chapter)