Post-Apocalyptic Survival Modpack

Chapter 45: Graduating Quickly

In the blink of an eye, another two months have passed.

Irregular snowflakes touched my fingertips, bringing a coolness from the air.

It's winter.

“In the past, many people would freeze to death at this time of year.”

People, dressed in warm clothes, sighed with emotion.

After two months of learning and reorganization, the territory was now fully on track.

Crops grow out of season in the farmland, and the pasture fences are full of animals that look rather dull and not very smart. These animals, like the plants in the ground, develop extremely quickly.

The people called these plants and animals "new species created by the wise ones" to distinguish them from the previous ones.

The mine resumed production and is producing minerals continuously.

People are working less, their work environment is as good as home, and there are fewer people mining than before.

But output increased at least tenfold.

A miner finished his work for the day, wrapped in his clothes, and walked out of the well-organized tunnels in the mountains, stepping onto the smooth stone path back to his home.

The lanterns along the roadside emitted a warm yellow light; they needed no fuel and never went out.

Clang... Clang...

A massive, three-meter-tall iron golem passed by, its heavy footsteps bringing a sense of reassurance.

The iron golem was also the lord's creation. It would offer flowers to the kind-hearted and iron fists to the malicious. People considered it an honor to have a little red flower in their home.

The campfire crackled in the fireplace inside the house.

In cold weather, this is a standard feature in every household.

It can be used for both heating and cooking, such as roasting meat, or you can put a pot on it to fry bread and eggs.

"Take only what you need, as much as you require."

A week ago, as the territory gradually stabilized and people adapted to their new lives, the lord's order was issued by the administrative steward, Ryder.

In the past, there would have been a frenzy of buying, but after a period of learning and transition, people have long since become accustomed to it.

Whether it's food or daily necessities like clothing, no one would rob things that are as common as soil.

Imagine, who would go to the trouble of digging up a pile of dirt and filling their house with no space left?
However, after the abundance of material goods, a new problem has emerged—money has become useless.

Since you lack nothing and can obtain everything you need through your own labor, you don't need to spend money.

Currency is gradually being kept at home by most people as a collectible or souvenir, since it is rarely used.

Peaceful and happy days have arrived.

Many people initially cherish this immensely, enjoying every day, but as time goes by, this heavenly existence becomes mundane and unremarkable.

But it was ultimately too boring.

"Should I do something?"

Some gazed at the abode of the Sage Lord and began to ponder.

Some book lovers have become librarians by accumulating knowledge, either managing books in the library or helping Mr. Ian organize materials.

Some people who enjoy fishing spend their days squatting by the pond, fishing to increase their inventory of various items. They heard that someone had even caught a treasure with magical powers and was so eager to offer it to the lord that the lord told him he could keep it for himself.

There are also those who enjoy tinkering with leather to make clothes, those who like blacksmithing, those who are interested in painting, those who enjoy weaving, and those who like woodworking...

These people, whether they had skills before or had just learned new ones, were highly respected and well-known in their neighborhoods.

Thinking about these things, the person has an impulse, an impulse to make themselves more valuable and to be able to do more.

All contributions are transparent, and the workers can clearly feel that everything they do is making the overall living environment better, benefiting both themselves and others.

When survival is no longer an urgent need, and safety permeates every corner of our lives, people living in communities have higher needs.

By this time, with the advancement of knowledge and life, many people's attitudes toward the lord, that born sage, had also changed.

They realized where everything they had come from and why it was stable.

Blind worship has transformed into tangible experience, making the feeling more real, peaceful, and profound.

...

The territory is prosperous and has undergone tremendous changes.

Clean, bright, tidy, orderly, peaceful...

No one could have imagined that just a few months ago, this place was a filthy mess filled with stench, constant wailing, and rampant fraud and violence.

What seemed ordinary to people at the time, something they had to endure every day, now seems like a hellhole to people today, and they never want to go back to that time.

Ryder and Ian stood atop the castle, gazing out over the entire territory, remaining silent for a long time.

As the lights became clearer, Ryder said:

“Wang Ji is right.” “People of the old era can never imagine the situation of the new era, nor can they imagine what the future will be like.”

"Now I believe that there will be an era in which everyone will be liberated."

“Ian, some of your actions are unnecessary.”

"Blind worship and fantasy are not a long-term solution. What people need more is faith and strength in their hearts, which are more powerful and stable than the former."

"Ok."

Ian sighed, acknowledging what he had said.

However, despite this, some things still cannot be suppressed.

If a person's faith is genuine, then it cannot be said that he is blind; he simply has a goal and an anchor.

Ian walked to the wall and looked down at the bright street below, his feelings a mix of emotions.

“A city-state ruled by wise men…what a wonderful place.”

"But even so, there are still some restless guys who need some special intensive education and training."

The two discussed it.

This place is no longer called Rift Valley Mine, and the area next door is no longer called Big Mine Pit.

The Rift Mine was renamed Rift City, and the Great Pit was renamed Deep Pit Town.

A smooth stone road has been laid between the two places, making passage unimpeded.

"Snowing."

Ryder reached out, feeling the coldness of his fingertips, and said:

"It's time to organize some new work, the ice harvesting site Wang Ji mentioned, and that other matter."

“Select some reliable people and expand the intelligence network outwards. We can’t just sit here and wait.”

...

The territory continues to expand.

Ryder and Ian were so busy they were in pain, while Wang Ji was also clutching his lower back, feeling a bit of phantom pain.

He hasn't had a moment's rest in the past two months.

After unlocking the Mystic Age, Wang Ji immediately created a magic manual and a magic lens, and began to observe everything in this world, running around and collecting element points.

Then I sat at the table, constantly unlocking various research notes and playing element-matching games.

Knowledge flows into the brain in waves, captivating the mind.

This also includes some taboo knowledge that is marked as risky.

This knowledge caused him to become mentally distorted, and he occasionally exhibited abnormal behavior.

Milder symptoms include a sudden darkening of vision, a bout of dizziness, or a sudden feeling of extreme hunger that is impossible to fill.

More serious cases can actually harm the body.

If your vision suddenly becomes unusually bright, and you happen to be in a bright place, you will be engulfed in flames. Conversely, if you are in a dark place, you may have a chance to recover your life.

When your field of vision suddenly narrows, be careful. At this time, everything in your field of vision will be damaged, and life will gradually wither away.

To put it simply, it's about who gets the most damage.

These are all distortions caused by 'taboo knowledge'.

Just as described in the magic manual, they are dangerous.

However, what Wang Ji found slightly strange was that even when his distortion value was maxed out, the abnormalities on his body only affected himself.

Based on experience, when the distortion value is high enough, it will attract the attention of some beings, who will send their minions across space to harass them.

Things like evil spiders or evil tentacles.

But these evil creatures seemed to have vanished, never appearing at all.

Wang Ji couldn't figure it out either, but it was a good thing after all; sometimes these things can be quite annoying when they suddenly appear.

However, other distortions are not good either, and it's best to remove them if possible.

Not long after the mysterious era was unlocked, Wang Ji had already mastered all the knowledge recorded in the magic manual, achieving a complete understanding of the notes.

The time in between was mainly spent on other things, such as using crucibles to mass-produce elemental fragments, collecting materials to create a mysterious alchemy tower, building an enchanting altar, and stuffing a bunch of oil candles under the enchanting altar to increase magic affinity and improve the stability of the altar's operation.

In addition, he went to the Hell map to collect a lot of spawned aura nodes to provide energy for his staff.

During the process, I also managed to capture two Taotie nodes.

These gluttonous nodes endlessly devour everything around them to grow stronger.

Wang Ji usually treats this thing as a garbage dump, throwing in things he doesn't need and letting it slowly grow.

(End of this chapter)