Chapter 295 - 60: Changes in the Town

After repairing the dilapidated blacksmith shop and relighting the forge, the players who teamed up to complete the quest received the promised Spiritual Elixir from Hans.

Before long, news that the siblings Hans and Gleis had quests spread, and other players began to approach the pair, trying to accept quests and complete various jobs for them.

These jobs included, but were not limited to, repairing roads, practicing medicine, aiding disaster victims, and dredging rivers.

There were about ten thousand players in this village. Most of them had slowly built up their Attributes with Reincarnation Points. Aside from not having hands, the labor they could provide was no different from that of a human.

When you added their Professional Skills into the mix, they became even more formidable.

In just one day, the village was completely transformed.

The Witch, who had slept for three days and three nights, crawled out of bed. She was just about to enjoy the sight of the dilapidated village as a refreshing appetizer when she discovered the countryside before her had changed.

The tattered roofs had been patched up, collapsed houses had been cleared away and rebuilt, and a group of players were traveling back and forth to the Dungeon, capturing large, silk-spinning spiders.

Besides the large spiders, many other creatures were taken from the Dungeon. Players with the Biologist Profession identified them, figured out their behaviors, and then sorted them for processing.

And thanks to the well-developed forums, tens of millions of players could communicate online, compiling information on the habits of the first floor’s creatures and then specifically capturing them for their own use.

Take the large spiders from the first floor, for example. Although they looked a bit scary, their jumping distance was less than half a meter and they were afraid of water. As long as you surrounded one with a half-meter-wide pool of water, it couldn’t get out.

Then, by exploiting the creature’s instinct to attack others, you could have someone stand a short distance away, and the spider would endlessly spit out silk.

This silk was soft yet tough. It dissolved easily in milk, combining with it to form a viscous substance that could be used as glue.

If this viscous substance was mixed with stones and dirt, it could become a high-quality cement for building houses or paving the ground.

Previously, Duan Fei’s release of the Witch’s notes had already made all the players realize the importance of unity. Now, these various new discoveries gave them a way to work together.

A staff member from Eight Desolates began recording. He published the village’s transformation, letting players know that besides raiding the Dungeon, there were many other things to do in this instance.

After all, the entire instance was set to last for several real-world days, which translated to one month of in-game time.

Not every player enjoyed exploring the Dungeon, and town-building gave them a new way to play, leading them to spontaneously start constructing a town and treating it as their own home.

Some players started feeding the NPCs, gathering all sorts of information from them, and providing it for free to those dedicated to exploring the Dungeon.

In turn, the Dungeon-exploring players could get more intel on the Dungeon and share it with the "life skill" players, giving them more points of interest.

A perfect cycle was thus created.

In just three in-game days, the player ecosystem had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

Going it alone was no longer viable. This was now the era of collective power.

Discovering the town had changed so drastically, the Witch didn’t even bother putting on her underwear and came stumbling down from the second floor.

Grabbing Duan Fei, who was still by the crucible concocting a Spiritual Elixir, she asked nervously, "What happened? Why does the village look like this now?"

"We united," Duan Fei said smugly.

"What do you pathetic Slimes know besides how to merge together! Tell me the truth, did you defect to the Demon King and have him come invade this place?"

"You call construction an ’invasion’? You wouldn’t be saying that if you hadn’t been bathing in the light of the ’beacon of liberty’ for a few decades."

"Stop joking around, be serious! Where did the original filthy, dilapidated town go? I’m not used to a place this new! I feel like I’m going to melt!"

Looking at the Witch, who was so nervous she was speaking incoherently, Duan Fei realized her Spirit wasn’t in a good state.

After having Cuihua prepare some side dishes, Duan Fei dripped an Antidote Potion into one and then brought the thick soup and a small loaf of bread to the Witch.

The corn in the thick corn soup and the wheat in the bread both came from Monsters in the Dungeon. Some Monsters constantly had various agricultural products on their bodies. If you captured them and trapped them with some contraptions, they would endlessly generate produce, which could be harvested regularly.

As long as these Monsters didn’t die, their innate traits would create a perpetual motion machine-like effect, allowing players and the local NPCs to continuously obtain all sorts of items.

Sipping the fresh, sweet soup and eating the delicious bread, the just-awakened Witch felt herself being filled from the inside out, and a wave of happiness washed over her.

After finishing her meal, she looked at Duan Fei and asked quizzically, "So, what exactly did you do?"

"It’s a bit complicated to explain. I published your notes."

"What! I was planning to sell those notes for money later, how could you..."

"It’s about getting paid, right? Don’t worry, I was prepared."

Pulling aside a nearby curtain, Duan Fei revealed what was behind it.

Five shelves were completely filled with Sleep Elixirs.

This precious Spiritual Elixir was now stacked like drinks in a vending machine. The Witch could drink one and pour one out without a second thought.

As the Witch stared, dumbfounded, Duan Fei said, "If you think that’s not enough, please look to your left."

The Witch stiffly turned her head and said in confusion, "I don’t see anything?"

"That red house outside. It used to be a collapsed building. I had people rebuild it into a warehouse. Inside are the Beauty Elixirs I made based on your notes. Taking one can greatly improve your skin."

"GASP..."

"And now, look to your right."

"Don’t tell me you guys also built that blue house into a warehouse!"

"That’s right. Inside are Weight Loss Elixirs. With those, you can eat as much as you want without a care. And now, look up..."

"Alright, stop. Don’t make me look."

The Witch covered her nose as blood trickled out from between her fingers. "This happiness is too sudden, I can’t take it. The matter of you publishing my notes is in the past. At this point, I wouldn’t even mind if you published my body measurements. In fact, you should hurry up and do it, otherwise my conscience won’t be clear."

"No need. I’ll publish them if I get the chance later. I have another request for now."

"Ask! Ask me anything!"

"I need you to vouch for us Slimes. Testify that we Slimes are harmless creatures, just like how you people prove that rabbits and sharks are harmless."

The Witch finally understood Duan Fei’s purpose in seeking her out, and her expression slowly grew serious.

A moment later, she said earnestly, "I understand. I’ll vouch for you. But I have to warn you, this guarantee isn’t actually very effective. If someone wants to target you, like those greedy Lords, they can just choose to ignore it at any time."

"Even with you having reached the tenth floor?"

"Mmm."

Duan Fei smiled and nodded. "That’s fine. Or rather, we’re actually looking forward to that happening."

The Witch: ?