Chapter 131 - 130: Dark Erosion Cave

Chapter 131: Chapter 130: Dark Erosion Cave

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[A unified architectural style and Attribute have been detected in an area of the city. Would you like to designate this as a special zone?]

The cold voice of the system notification echoed in Gu Su’s ears. He froze for a moment, a flash of surprise on his face.

When planning the layout of the basement, he had only been thinking about centralizing the buildings to create a resource loop. He never imagined it would trigger a mechanism like this.

But after a brief moment of surprise, Gu Su immediately understood. ’This is undoubtedly a good thing. It will standardize the area’s function and most likely grant some extra buffs.’ Without a hint of hesitation, he said decisively, "Designate."

[Please name this zone.]

Gu Su lowered his gaze, pondering for a moment before saying with conviction, "Dark Erosion Cave."

As soon as he spoke, a pale Blue system panel materialized before his eyes, clearly listing all the information about the Dark Erosion Cave.

[Dark Erosion Cave (Growth speed of poisonous flora and fauna +20%, mutation chance +5%):

1. Mushroom Cave (Level 1): Area 250 sq. meters. Daily output: 2,500 units of Mushrooms (Food), 750 units of Poison Mushrooms (Poison). Weekly output: 416 units of Special Mushrooms (alchemy materials). Current Status: Intact

2. Poisonous Insect Cave (Level 1): Area 250 sq. meters. Daily output: 2,500 units of Venom (Poison, alchemy materials), 750 units of Five Poisonous Worms (Food). Weekly output: 416 units of Special Poisonous Insects (Gu Refining materials). Current Status: Intact

3. Five Poison Chicken Coop (Level 1): Area 250 sq. meters. Daily output: 2,500 units of Pure Yang Chicken Blood (Food), 750 units of Chicken Meat (Food). Weekly output: 416 units of Pure Yang Cock’s Comb Blood (alchemy materials). Current Status: Intact

4. Toxicity Study Room (Level 0): A research room for Corpse Witches and other toxic Undead to conduct Toxicity Studies. Current Status: Under Construction

5. Poison Laboratory (Level 0): A place for Corpse Witches and other toxic Undead to conduct poison experiments. Current Status: Under Construction

6. Library (Level 0): A place to record the research findings of Corpse Witches and other toxic Undead. Current Status: Under Construction]

[Note: This zone consumes 250 Yin Qi per day.]

Staring at the information on the panel, the joy on Gu Su’s face gradually faded, and his brows furrowed slightly.

’The first thing I realized was that my Yin Qi supply is probably stretched a little thin.’

The Yin Fire Heap produced a steady 1,250 Yin Qi per day, but the Dark Erosion Cave alone would consume 250 of that—a full one-fifth of the total.

Add to that the Yin Qi required for the Graveyard Demon’s movement, the Watchtower’s consumption of one point per hour, and the cost of promoting Undead Soldiers. All these expenses stacked up, making his budget far tighter than he had anticipated.

But on second thought, Gu Su’s brow relaxed.

’I can see clearly now that my initial thinking was completely right. Centralizing the Mushroom Cave, Poisonous Insect Cave, and Five Poison Chicken Coop has indeed formed a complete resource loop. I no longer have to worry about wasting materials or having production bottlenecks.’

And among all this, what caught Gu Su’s attention the most was the daily output listed on the panel.

The Mushroom Cave’s daily output of 2,500 units of food was an enormous fortune for Gu Su at this stage. More importantly, it meant he finally had his own mainstay product.

If he sold this output on the trading market, even at a price of just 1 Gold Coin per unit of mushroom, he could still earn a stable income of 2,500 Gold Coins every day.

Not to mention the equally scarce food items like Pure Yang Chicken Blood and chicken meat, as well as the alchemy and Gu Refining materials like Poison Mushrooms, Five Poisonous Worms, Special Mushrooms, and Special Poisonous Insects. Every single one of these could fetch a good price on the market.

Most importantly, by normal standards, one unit of food is enough to feed one person for a day, as long as they aren’t picky.

In other words, the Mushroom Cave alone could support a population of 2,500.

This meant that Gu Su wouldn’t have to worry about food for a long time, allowing him to focus all his efforts on expanding the Graveyard Demon and his army.

At this thought, Gu Su could no longer contain his excitement. Forgetting all about the Yin Qi consumption, he turned and rushed out of the tent.

’I have to go to the basement—no, it’s the Dark Erosion Cave now—and see what those newly constructed buildings actually look like.’

As he descended the worn, mottled staircase, a mixed stench of rot, dampness, and faint toxicity assaulted him, making Gu Su wrinkle his nose.

The basement walls were covered in cracks, with dark green poison stains congealed on their surface. Some spots were still seeping water, the droplets falling onto the rubble below with a soft TAP... TAP... that echoed through the empty space, accentuating its desolation and decay.

Gu Su was a bit speechless. He had clearly cleaned this place before, yet it had reverted to this state in an instant.

’It seems the entire area itself has transformed.’

The moment he stepped into the Dark Erosion Cave, Gu Su was completely captivated by the sight. This was no longer the empty, cluttered basement from before; it had become an exclusive zone filled with an eerie and dangerous atmosphere.

The ceiling was entangled with dense, fluorescent green vines. The faint green light they emitted barely illuminated the Dark Erosion Cave, flickering dimly and casting the cracks and poison stains on the walls in an even more menacing light.

The Research Room, Laboratory, and Library that the Corpse Witches had built themselves were now located near the entrance of the stairs. It was obvious that while everything had been moved over, the Corpse Witches’ research had not yet been recognized by the Graveyard Demon, so this area was still considered under construction, not yet complete.

Standing at the entrance and looking in, he saw old wooden shelves stacked high along the walls. The shelves, covered in dust and tiny specks of mold, were clearly salvaged from junk. On each level sat bulging burlap sacks filled with plump mushroom spores, their edges dusted with a dark green powder that hinted at danger.

The center of the basement was divided into neat, nine-square-meter plots. In the middle of each plot stood a wooden crate as tall as two men.

The planks of the crates were crudely joined, their surfaces covered with scratches and insect-eaten marks. Dark red stains clung to the edges, making them look like a cross between crude chicken coops and dilapidated little huts.

These were the incubation boxes for the Five Poison Chicken Coop.

In the gaps between the mushroom shelves and the chicken coops were clusters of beehive-like nests. Woven from dried vines and tattered cloth, their surfaces were riddled with tiny holes through which one could faintly see countless figures squirming inside.

Centipedes, scorpions, spiders, poisonous hornets, and all sorts of other venomous insects scurried freely through the nests, creating a faint RUSTLING sound. Occasionally, a few of them would crawl to the edge of a nest.

However, whether it was the roosters or these poisonous insects, they all kept to their own designated areas.

They didn’t wander into other territories.

When Gu Su came down, a few Corpse Witches hurried over to greet him.

"Lord, we need hands. People who can work."