“This is impressive,” Aksai said, running his fingers over some of the tools.
“Everything looks perfect. Thank you, Yelia.”
Yelia nodded, her expression one of quiet pride.
“I’m glad you’re pleased, my lord. The previous owner of this dimension ensured that everything was prepared for your use. It’s all here to support your endeavors.”
Aksai wanted to know who the previous owner of the artifact was and what he was like. If his guess wasn’t wrong, the previous owner of the artifact was also someone named Everwood.
As for what his purpose was in passing on this painting to his descendants without letting them know anything about it? He didn’t know.
However, he knew it wasn’t the right time to ask Yelia this question. He was too excited about what this beautiful and charming spirit could do for him to care about the past.
As Aksai admired the new alchemy lab and talisman creation lab, Yelia began to explain their benefits.
“My lord, as long as I am presiding over the processes inside the Everwood farm, your success rates in creating alchemy products and talismans will increase by up to 10% overall.”
Aksai’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s a significant improvement.”
“It is,” Yelia continued. “Additionally, I can adjust the environments inside the labs using the Array Formations to better suit specific production experiments. This can further enhance the 10% success increment.
Of course, some special conditions need to be met in such cases. For example, we will need a few rare cultivation resources and feed them into the formation for a boost greater than 10%. These resources certainly wouldn’t be easy to obtain or cheap.
However, as long as you produce plenty of talismans and alchemy products, I’m sure the products would eventually outweigh the investments. It all depends upon how much you are willing to invest in creating a certain product and what your needs are at the time.”
“Un… unbelievable. Why was I using the Everwood farm so passively all this time?”
Aksai couldn’t hide his excitement. This was a huge bonus for him.
He had always struggled to balance multiple aspects of the cultivation path, which had left his success rates in talisman production and alchemy subpar, despite using the neural link fabric to overcome many challenges.
“With dedicated labs like this, I can finally overcome the disadvantage of practicing multiple cultivation aspects,” he mused. However, a worry crept into his mind.
“But what about my comprehension level? I don’t want to become too reliant on these labs and miss out on truly grasping the concepts of the various Cultivation Arts.”
Aksai was still greedy about comprehending various cultivation aspects his own way. He didn’t want to damage his cultivation path in the long run for short term gains.
Yelia smiled reassuringly.
“I anticipated this concern, my lord. I can integrate the Brain Bonsai Formation you possess into the labs. This formation can be activated whenever you’re working here.
It will enhance your comprehension levels multifold, allowing you to grasp concepts faster and more deeply without spending too much time on repetitive production processes.”
Even though Yelia had woken up just recently, she was subconsciously aware of what Aksai had been doing inside the Everwood farm ever since his ownership had been established. She knew many of his secrets without him explicitly telling her about it.
Aksai’s face lit up with relief and excitement. “That’s… that’s perfect!”
The Brain Bonsai Technique that Aksai had comprehended from the Bloodfiend Arts was very useful. However, it could not be used for direct offense or defense related needs.
Aksai had used this formation on various occasions in the past. However, he didn’t think that the same formation could be integrated like this as well. It was indeed very creative and productive.
As Aksai and Yelia stood outside, he looked at her with curiosity. “What else can you do with your powers, Yelia?”
The Spirit farmer had decided to keep on asking Yelia this question until she had no positive feedback. He simply wanted to know everything there’s to know about the biggest cheat he had in his arsenal. Who could blame him for his curiosity?
She smiled, a twinkle in her eye. “Follow me, my lord.”
‘Hehehe. My Spirit stones and Aether crystals were well-spent. She is a gift that keeps on giving. If I knew about her existence beforehand, I might have awakened her a long time ago,’ Aksai rubbed his hands together in excitement as he thought.
Aksai didn’t mind Aksai’s enthusiasm. In fact, she seemed to have liked it.
She led Aksai to an open space adjacent to the Talisman Creation Lab. She raised her hands, and with a wave, began casting her Spirit spells. The ground trembled slightly as stone and earth shifted and rose.
Slowly, an open hall began to take shape. Multiple pillars, each about 10 meters in height, rose from the ground, forming a grandiose boundary for the hall. The structure stretched about 50 meters in length and 30 meters in diameter.
Aksai watched in awe as Yelia’s magic continued to weave through the air, creating a glass-like ceiling above the hall. The ceiling shimmered as it transformed from opaque to light translucent, and then to completely transparent, demonstrating its versatility.
The hall was elevated from the ground, giving it a distinct and commanding presence. The pillars, embedded with various forms of elemental gems, sparkled in the light, casting prismatic reflections around the space. The floor was made of a special, liquified stone surface that appeared both solid and malleable.
Yelia turned to Aksai, inviting him to step into the newly made hall. He entered, still unsure of its purpose.
“What is this hall for?” Aksai asked, looking around.
“This,” Yelia began, her voice echoing slightly in the vast space, “is an Array Formation Lab. It is designed to help you create and experiment with various Array Formations.”
She pointed to the malleable stone floor. “This floor is made from a special type of stone that allows you to inscribe and modify Array Formations easily. It will adapt to your needs, making the process much more efficient.”
Aksai knelt down, running his fingers over the surface. It felt solid yet yielded slightly to his touch, like a fluid stone.
“The pillars,” Yelia continued, “are studded with elemental gems. These will amplify the effects of your formations, allowing you to work with different elements seamlessly. You can experiment with combinations and observe their interactions in real-time.”
Aksai looked up at the shimmering ceiling. “And the ceiling?”
Yelia smiled. “The ceiling can be adjusted to control the light within the hall. Whether you need full transparency for natural light, or complete opacity for focusing on specific tasks, it can be changed as per your requirements.
After all, there are some formations that make use of the sunlight or moonlight in their functionalities. Although Everwood farm is an isolated space, it is not a big deal for us to mimic several types of environments inside it.”
She walked to the center of the hall, gesturing for Aksai to follow. “Studying and experimenting with Array Formations here will significantly enhance your understanding and control. The malleable stones will let you perfect your designs without the need for constant reworking, saving you both time and effort.”
Out of habit, Aksai asked Yelia, “hehe. What else can you do?”
Yelia glanced around the Everwood farm, taking note of the perpetual twilight zone that enveloped the area. She noticed that Aksai had unlocked the two distinct regions of the Everwood farm after becoming a Foundation Building Expert.
With a knowing smile, she turned to him and asked, “Would you like to change the weather of the Everwood farm to better suit the needs of some of the cultivation resources?”
Aksai was taken aback by the suggestion. “You can do that?” he asked, eyes wide with surprise.
Yelia nodded. “Yes, my lord. Follow me.”
She led Aksai to the junction of the two regions within the Everwood farm. Once there, she raised both hands, her fingers weaving intricate patterns in the air.
To her left, where the 1st region lay, the twilight sky began to shift. The soft glow of twilight faded, replaced by the deep, velvety blackness of night. Starlight twinkled above, casting a gentle, serene light over the landscape.
To her right, where the 2nd region was situated, the sky brightened. The twilight glow intensified, transforming into the harsh, brilliant light of a scorching afternoon. The sun blazed down, illuminating every corner of the area with its intense rays.
Aksai watched in awe as the two regions within the Everwood farm took on completely different statuses, as if they belonged to two distinct and isolated time zones. He marveled at the stark contrast between the pitch-black night with its tranquil starlight and the blinding daylight of the scorching afternoon.
Yelia turned to Aksai, her expression calm and composed.
“Now, my lord, you don’t need to rely on external formations and artifacts to mimic environments for your cultivation resources. With me acting as the natal spirit for the Everwood farm, I can adjust the weather cycle of the regions myself.
This will enable you to achieve more desired results for the various Spirit plants and other resources you are cultivating inside the farm.”
Aksai’s mind raced with possibilities. “This is incredible, Yelia. You’ve just made the Everwood farm even more versatile and effective for cultivation.”