Chapter 105: The Graveyard Demon’s Change

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: The Graveyard Demon’s Change

Besides the perimeter wall that had transformed into a two-story building, the interior of the Graveyard Demon had undergone many other visible changes, each one revealing a bizarre new orderliness that came with the upgrade.

Gu Su’s gaze swept over the scene, taking in each change one by one. A clearer understanding of the upgraded Graveyard Demon gradually formed in his mind.

The first thing to catch his eye was the Main Cemetery Area. Compared to before the upgrade, the most obvious change was the addition of several orderly, empty grave plots. The plots were uniform in size with neatly trimmed edges, staggered among the original gravepiles so as not to seem out of place. It was clear the Graveyard Demon had intentionally set these aside.

After all, the graves were the key to the Graveyard Demon. Graves produced Undead, which in turn provided a population. Only with a population could the Graveyard Demon truly be called a base.

The gradual increase in the number of graves was definitely a good thing for Gu Su.

Next, Gu Su’s gaze fell upon the Deceitful Tree. The changes to this bizarre plant, which had been with the Graveyard Demon from the beginning, were even more astonishing.

Ignoring the other details and looking only at its height, the Deceitful Tree now stood nearly twenty meters tall. Its sturdy trunk would take three or four people to encircle, and its branches were lush with foliage.

Its wide canopy, like a giant, open green umbrella, densely covered half the cemetery, blanketing the gravepiles and paths below in a fluorescent green glow that emanated a thick, bizarre aura.

In contrast, the Withered Wood Forest, which had once been closely linked to the Deceitful Tree, now looked positively tiny in front of the towering tree. With its low-hanging branches and sparse leaves, it looked no different from a common roadside bush.

The changes to the Yin Fire Heap were also quite obvious. The iron pot that had once rested on it was gone without a trace. The heap itself still burned with an eerie green flame, its flickering light emitting a constant stream of Yin Qi that nourished the entire Graveyard Demon.

The area around the heap had become an open space piled with all sorts of materials. Stone, Wood, Metal fragments, and some scattered, bizarre materials were neatly sorted and stacked. It had clearly become a temporary resource storage area.

But of all the changes, the one that surprised Gu Su the most was his own, once-dilapidated tent.

The tent had now completely shed its dilapidated image. It was noticeably larger, and the original, tattered canvas, once full of cracks and tears, had been fully patched with thick Beast Skins and pieces of Red Balloon.

The patches were stitched together neatly, not only plugging the holes but also adding a certain post-apocalyptic, rugged charm. Around the tent, several thick, white bone stakes had been driven deep into the ground, anchoring it so firmly that there was no need to worry about it being blown over, even by strong winds.

What surprised Gu Su even more was that the huge movie screen Bone Ash had salvaged from the abandoned mall had been cleverly fashioned into a canopy, firmly protecting the top of the tent.

The edges of the screen were tied securely to the tent’s frame with vines, leaving it taut and sturdy.

Now, even in rain or high winds, water couldn’t leak in, and drafts couldn’t get through. Gu Su finally had a safe, dry place to rest.

Furthermore, the changes to the main gate were too significant to ignore.

Before, the gate had just been two salvaged car doors crudely fastened together. It was flimsy and insecure, barely serving to deter outside enemies.

Now that the wall had been upgraded into a two-story building, the gate had changed along with it, becoming a drawbridge-style gate. Its overall design matched the adjoining structure, assembled from sheet metal and wooden planks, giving it a heavy, post-apocalyptic industrial feel.

The only thing that set it apart from the building was the giant lion’s head suspended from the gate’s crossbeam by a thick iron chain. The head was lifelike, its fangs bared and its expression vicious. A faint, bizarre energy still fluctuated around it.

This lion head belonged to a Level 2 Core Creature that Gu Su had killed during his last supply run to the abandoned mall.

After killing it, Gu Su had considered using the lion as material for his Walking Dead. He never expected it would turn out to be a key component for the Graveyard Demon’s upgrade, so it had been saved.

He hadn’t expected the Graveyard Demon to automatically hang the lion’s head on the gate during the upgrade. ’Could this be how it was meant to be used?’

Besides these major, obvious changes, there were also several minor adjustments. Though not as eye-catching, they made the Graveyard Demon feel more complete.

For example, the number of giant Red Balloons—transformed from the corpses of clowns and previously hanging at the four corners of the Graveyard Demon—had started to increase.

A new pair of these giant, five-meter-diameter Red Balloons had also been added to the midpoint of the wall. Like the others, their bases were secured with vines, creating a sense of symmetry with the corner balloons.

Looking at all these changes, Gu Su understood. ’The Graveyard Demon has its own ideas. I just need to work with it.’

’Players who fight their own Talent never get very far.’

Having reached a conclusion, Gu Su wasted no more time. He turned and headed for his tent to check on the current state of his Graveyard Demon.

As he gently pushed open the tent flap, a faint scent of Yin Qi mingled with the smell of Beast Skins wafted over him. Gu Su paused instinctively.

The tent’s interior was now a full six square meters in size, much more spacious than before. He would no longer have to curl up to rest.

A complete lion pelt was spread across the floor. Its fur was thick and soft, but the head was missing. Clearly, aside from the head hanging at the gate, the rest of the Level 2 Core Creature’s body had been put to good use by the Graveyard Demon. Nothing was wasted.

In the far back of the tent stood a simple but sturdy single bed. Its frame was assembled from thick Beast Bones, and it was covered with a thick layer of fine, soft down. It was the very same material he had collected from the Harpies’ nest; sleeping on it would be incredibly comfortable.

Beside the bed, a cardboard box filled with old books served as a nightstand. The box’s surface was scuffed but otherwise intact, and one could clearly see the faint, bizarre energy fluctuating around it.

This box was one of the three items that had refreshed in the Yin Soul Shop today.

[Abandoned Carton of Books (White): A cardboard box for storing useless books. Due to the influence of certain forces, it has the ability to attract the bizarre.

If books are placed inside and someone sleeps near the box for over 2 hours, bizarre entities or Undead will come to read them. The amount read will be credited to the sleeper’s own "reading total." (Price: 8 Gold Coins).

The ability seemed unremarkable, but it was incredibly practical. It put unused books to work and allowed him to accumulate "reading" via the efforts of bizarre entities and the Undead. It was a pretty good item.

But that wasn’t why Gu Su had come to the tent.

He immediately opened the Graveyard Demon’s status panel to check its Attributes.

[Name: Desolate Graveyard (White Quality)]

[Level: 1]

[Traits: Graveyard Demon (White)]

[Resources: Gold Coins 1,382, Yin Qi 2,137, Wood 1,342, Stone 1,005, Metal 950, Gemstone 2, Crystal 2, Mercury 3, Sulfur 0]

[Main Buildings:

1. Deceitful Tree (Level 1): The core of the graveyard’s defense. Provides air purification, waste disposal, management of bizarre entities, sealing and suppression of the bizarre, and atmosphere enhancement. Current Status: Intact

2. Tent (Level 1): The graveyard’s architectural core and residence. Current Status: Intact

3. Yin Fire Heap (Level 1): Gathers Yin Qi, collecting 1,250 points per day. Current Status: Intact

4. Corroding Mycelium (Level 1): Expands the graveyard’s area by absorbing items, bizarre entities, props, or buildings with Death, Yin Qi, or Undead attributes. Current Status: Intact

Defensive Buildings:

1. Two-Story Wall (Level 1): A reinforced defensive facility that can block low-level enemy invasions. Current Status: Intact

2. Turret/Defense Tower/Arrow Tower (Level 1, 6 emplacements): Defensive turrets or towers can be constructed. Require installation of Artillery or other related weapons. Six total. Current Status: Uninstalled

3. Main Gate (Level 1): A gate influenced by a special power that automatically analyzes the identities of arrivals and prevents infiltration by outsiders. Current Status: Intact

Mobile Buildings:

1. Earth-Binding Vein (Level 1): Allows the graveyard to move. Movement speed is three kilometers per hour (consumes 30 Yin Qi per hour while moving). Current Status: Intact

2. Control Room (Level 0): The room for controlling the graveyard’s movement. Current Status: Unbuilt

3. Map Room (Level 0): A room for recording the graveyard’s position during movement. Current Status: Unbuilt

4. Watchtower (Level 0): Used to observe the surroundings, determine the direction of movement, and command the graveyard’s travel. Current Status: Unbuilt

Annex Buildings:

1. Withered Wood Forest (Level 1): Produces Wood (1 unit/hour), affects the attributes of Empty Tombs within the forest. Current Status: Intact

2. Yin Soul Shop (Level 1): Purchase items from the shop for 2-10 Gold Coins each (daily limit of 3 items, mostly with Yin Qi or Death Qi attributes). Current Status: Intact

3. Combat Outpost (Level 1): Converts ordinary Undead into corresponding Undead Warriors by consuming Yin Qi, Gold Coins, Metal, and other materials. Current Status: Intact

Population Buildings:

1. Empty Tomb (1 Level 3, 1 Level 2, 1 Level 1)

2. Large Gravepile (2 Level 2, 2 Level 1)

3. Large Tombstone (1 Level 1)]

[Explanation: The Graveyard Demon has completed its upgrade. A White Quality Graveyard Demon can be upgraded to a maximum of Level 5]

[Graveyard Demon Upgrade Requirements: Area of 7,140 square meters (866/7,140, excluding annex buildings such as basements); Main Buildings upgraded to Level 2 (0/4); Mobile Buildings upgraded to Level 2 (0/4); 4 other Level 2 buildings (0/4); 10 Level 1 buildings (4/10); three Level 2 Core Creature corpses (Complete)

10,000 Gold Coins, 10,000 Yin Qi, 3,000 Wood, 3,000 Stone, 3,000 Metal (Can be supplemented with five annex items or special materials)]