She carefully cupped the clay in her hands, closed her eyes, and issued the command to the system: “Appraise!”
Almost instantly, the cold electronic voice accompanied by a semi-transparent blue interface appeared in her mind.
【Ding! Rare Material Detected: Super Clay.】
【Description: A clay rich in special minerals. When air-dried or fired, its hardness, toughness, and water resistance far exceed ordinary clay bricks, making it an excellent natural construction and modification material. Can be recycled for points: 5 points per jin.】
Five points per jin? Liú Xiǎomǎn’s eyes lit up, her breath quickening.
This recycling value was even more lucrative than the painstakingly harvested ten-year-old Heshouwu!
Looking down at the clay deposit under her feet — at least several hundred jin visible on the surface, with an unknown amount beneath — her heart pounded wildly.
“Perfect! This is a match made in heaven!” The sudden excitement forced an audible whisper from her lips.
She quickly calmed herself and began to strategize.
Her painstaking collection of herbs and scattered plants had already pushed her points over 50.
With this stockpile of super clay as backup, the possibilities were endless!
Eager and motivated, Liú Xiǎomǎn turned her attention to the system’s store.
She was eager to see how this magical system could assist in her construction plans.
Her fingers swiped rapidly across the semi-transparent interface, immediately locking onto the “Knowledge & Technology” category, then the “Construction” subcategory.
A dazzling array of blueprints appeared, from Guide to Building Simple Thatched Huts to Detailed Analysis of Mortise and Tenon Structures, even including incomprehensible Introduction to Floating Array Foundations. Her eyes quickly scanned them, and one in particular, titled Beginner’s Safehouse Renovation Blueprint, held her gaze firmly.
The preview showed a natural cave transformed into a structurally clear, fully functional, fortified stronghold.
Clicking for details, she saw that the blueprint aimed to maximize the natural advantages of the cave, reinforce defenses, and scientifically allocate functional areas for living, storage, defense, and escape.
Redeeming this blueprint required a total of 200 points.
Liú Xiǎomǎn instinctively glanced at her point balance in the top right corner: 50 points. Far short! She frowned, then her eyes fell on the glowing super clay beneath her.
This was a ready-made point mine.
Without hesitation, she crouched down and began carefully digging the super clay with her short sickle.
The clay was dense, making excavation laborious, but she worked with relentless enthusiasm.
【Ding! Recycled 1 jin Super Clay, +5 points.】
【Ding! Recycled 1 jin Super Clay, +5 points.】
…
With the system’s continuous prompts, the point total in the top right soared at a dizzying pace.
63, 73, 83… Each increase felt like adding another brick to her future home.
When her total points finally surpassed 200, reaching 203, Liú Xiǎomǎn paused, panting, forehead beaded with sweat, yet her eyes blazed with an intense fire.
“Redeem Beginner’s Safehouse Renovation Blueprint!” she commanded without hesitation.
A soft white light flashed across the system interface, instantly deducting 200 points.
In the next moment, a glowing, archaic blueprint, composed of countless intricate lines, appeared in her system backpack.
With a near-pilgrimage reverence, she extracted and unfolded the blueprint.
Instantly, a vast flow of information surged into her mind.
The barren, empty cave before her transformed in her imagination into a bright, safe, and warm home.
Against the inner wall on the left, solid partitions made of super clay and rubble divided the space into two bedrooms and a small living area.
The cave’s central area featured a level stone floor, with hidden drainage channels dug below.
The entrance cleverly used the waterfall as a shield, incorporating a hinged suspension bridge and concealed observation points.
Even ventilation had been carefully considered, with detailed notes on using tiny fissures in the ceiling and walls to create a natural circulation system.
Most thrilling of all, the blueprint included a simple trap mechanism at the bottom, allowing preemptive defenses around the entrance.
At that moment, her long-dormant obsession with construction ignited completely.
She could already envision her mother and brother living safely in this impregnable hideaway, free from the harassment of the Liú family and any unknown dangers.
However, when her gaze shifted from the grand blueprint to the densely listed materials at the bottom, her excitement was suddenly doused like a bucket of cold water, her brows knitting tightly.
The materials list read clearly: 【Estimated materials for basic renovation: 500 jin Super Clay, 20 mature hardwood logs, 50 flat stones, 10 jin iron ingots, 5 bolts of coarse linen…】 followed by a long list of nails, ropes, basic tools, and other miscellaneous items.
And this was only the basic renovation!
Not to mention later needs like food, bedding, cookware, and condiments…
Liú Xiǎomǎn roughly calculated in her mind — even spending all her remaining silver wouldn’t cover more than a fraction.
Money. What she lacked most was money!
Points could exchange for technology and special items, but for these bulk materials, buying them in town with silver was the most practical approach.
Hauling them into the mountains herself, ant-style, was completely unrealistic.
The immense pressure mixed with great expectation weighed heavily on her.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Meals are eaten bite by bite; the path is walked step by step.
This new home was the only hope for her, her mother, and her brother in this chaotic world — she had to give her all, with no retreat.
Her gaze returned to the patch of super clay.
Since large-scale construction wasn’t yet possible, she would start with what she could manage.
She opened the system store, using her remaining 3 points to redeem the most basic Craftsman’s Hammer Blueprint and Simple Saw Blueprint, then recycled a few more jin of clay to gather enough points for a small packet of nails.
Touching the blueprint that carried all her hopes, the excitement and passion in her heart gradually transformed into a solid determination.
The process would be difficult, but she had the knowledge from her past life, the magical system, and an unyielding spirit.
At that moment, a new system prompt silently appeared.
【Warning: Significant material shortages detected. Safehouse construction progress is slow. It is recommended to acquire more startup funds as soon as possible to accelerate home construction.】
Liú Xiǎomǎn’s eyes narrowed.
The system was right — her small-scale efforts could no longer meet current demands.
She needed a more thorough and efficient plan, one that solved the money problem and allowed her to transport large quantities of materials into this hidden cave behind the waterfall without detection.
She slowly stepped out of the cave, the cold mist hitting her face, sharpening her senses.
The roar of the waterfall was deafening, urging her onward.
Looking up at the sky fragmented by the treetops, dusk was quietly falling.
A bold idea began to take root and grow wildly in her mind.
Perhaps she could leverage Huichuntang’s platform and Master Qian’s channels to make an even larger venture.