mesbooks Chapter 42 [Building a System, Laying a Long-Term Strategy]
Chapter 42 [Building a System, Laying a Long-Term Strategy]
The war drums of the southern wilderness have not yet ceased, but the winds of the eastern forests have already brought new news.
The summons issued by Thea herself caused a huge stir in the circle of wandering spellcasters.
More elves and half-elves with spellcasting talents followed the magical fluctuations, passed through the dense forest, and arrived at the newly reborn Ruins of Tears.
The vast majority of them were stopped by the dome that shrouded the temple, and were defeated by the unpredictable mystery, leaving with awe and resentment.
But there are always some true geniuses, like Valen who possess absolute confidence and powerful magical control, or like Lila who have extraordinary insight and logical reasoning abilities, who successfully solve the puzzle and gain the qualification to enter the temple.
Thea's Arcane Council has recruited more than thirty members in just a few weeks.
They are the absolute elite among spellcasters on this continent.
Today, the original library on the highest level of the temple has been transformed into a spacious central hall.
Thea gathered the newly recruited core members here, including Valen and Lila, whom she valued most in some ways.
The two did not disappoint her. With their talent and execution ability far exceeding that of the other members, they were promoted by Thea to be her deputies.
Warren, with his intuition about energy workings and strong drive, is responsible for advancing and executing all research projects.
Lila, with her keen observation and meticulous logic, was responsible for the allocation of resources and logistical planning for the entire temple.
One focuses on external affairs, and the other on internal affairs, forming a perfect complement.
Thea stood in the center of the hall, ignoring the mixed feelings of admiration, curiosity, and ambition that the crowd below cast upon her.
There were no ornate murals or decorations behind her.
Instead, it was a massive wall, ten meters high, made from a single piece of flawless crystal.
At this moment, the crystal emits a soft light, and countless words flow like a galaxy within it.
"Starting today, this will replace all paper notices."
"I named it the 'Wall of Contribution'."
Thea lightly touched the air in front of her.
The text on the crystal wall rearranged, revealing several lines of Elvish common script.
[Research Project: Analyzing the Ancient Elven Star Chart, Time Limit: 15 days, Completion Reward: 80 Contribution Points. Project Leader: Speaker Thea. Requirements: Three members proficient in ancient runic literature are needed for assistance.]
[Technical Bounty: Improve the purification array in the second-floor water storage pool of the temple, increasing its filtration efficiency by 20%. Time limit: 5 days. Reward: 35 contribution points.]
[Resource Collection: Submit one kilogram of "Moonlight Moss," with no time limit. Each kilogram will be rewarded with 5 contribution points.]
[Internal Position: Third-floor library administrator, responsible for organizing and maintaining ancient books, six standard hours of work per day, daily contribution points: 10.]
……
The tasks were listed one by one, covering all aspects such as research, technology, resources, and logistics.
"This is the only rule for your survival in the Temple in the future."
Thea turned around, her gaze sweeping over the crowd who had fallen silent in shock.
"Here, seniority, lineage, and past glory are irrelevant. Only one thing determines your status and future—contribution points."
She tapped her finger again, and the image on the crystal wall changed.
A list of exchanges appeared before everyone.
[Second-level reading access to the Temple Library (7 days): 20 contribution points.]
[Standard quality moonstone (10 grams): 15 contribution points.]
[A spot to audit a "Low-Level Energy Shaping" open class: 50 contribution points.]
[Speaker Thea personally guides you (one standard hour): 300 contribution points.]
Inside the hall, breathing became heavy.
Knowledge and power—things that were once elusive and could only be obtained through chance and inheritance—are now being put on a price tag.
Becoming quantifiable, tradable, and measurable—this is the contribution point system that Thea deduced based on her expertise from her previous life.
"This... Speaker, do you mean that if I have enough contribution points, I can even exchange them for your personal guidance?"
"As long as you can afford it," Thea replied simply and directly.
"Incredible..."
Unlike Valen, who was obsessed with power, Lila was able to analyze things calmly. "It's a perfect closed-loop system. We create value for the Temple by completing tasks, and the Temple, in turn, gives us the capital to create even greater value based on our value... Knowledge itself, it's a perfect cycle."
"A very insightful summary, Lila." Thea glanced at her in surprise.
This modern management concept, originating from another world and called "KPI assessment," is a game-changer in this nascent and systematic alien world.
It shattered the pride and aspirations deep within these highly intelligent elites.
"Now, you are free to choose your tasks. All task applications and settlements will be handled by my magic behind this 'Wall of Contribution,' which will be your fairest judge."
The voice just fell.
A mage known for his speed was the first to rush to the crystal wall, quickly tapping his finger to accept the rewarding task of improving the purification array.
The mages, who had been relatively restrained, began to stir.
Small groups of two or three would huddle together, forming makeshift teams with their sights set on highly challenging research projects.
Other lone wolves, on the other hand, began to quickly calculate the return on investment for those resource gathering tasks.
The research atmosphere has evolved from a relaxed one, initially brought together by shared ideals, to a highly efficient one.
The research atmosphere has been established, but new problems have also arisen.
Lila walked into Thea's private research room with a newly compiled list of resource consumption.
"Speaker, at the current pace of research, our stockpile of spellcasting materials can only last for a maximum of half a month."
Lila frowned. "Especially those high-purity energy crystals and rare plants, the consumption rate is three times what we predicted."
"As expected." Thea didn't look up; all her attention was focused on the huge map in front of her.
That map was created by conducting a macroscopic scan of Ashem through a magic network that spans the world, resulting in a map showing the distribution of power.
In the location representing the Southern Wasteland, an ever-expanding red marker stands out prominently.
"Relying solely on the forest's own resources will severely slow down our development," Thea said, sliding her finger across the map. "We need a stable and efficient channel for external resource supply."
She looked up at Lila.
"To this end, I launched the first external resource acquisition plan, codenamed 'Azure Gold'."
Thea took a crystal bottle containing a pale green liquid from the shelf next to her.
"This contains a potent plant growth promoter that the council has improved based on the life-catalyzing properties of the Stardust Breath plant."
She handed the crystal bottle to Lila. "I need you to lead a small group to the edge of the forest. There, there is the territory of a human baron."
Lila took the potion and felt the immense life energy contained within it.
"Does the Speaker mean to use it to exchange for gold coins and grain with that baron?"
"Gold coins and food are just the lowest level of goals." Thea walked to the map, stretched out her finger, and drew a circle on an inconspicuous little mountain range next to human territory.
"The baron is troubled by the barrenness of his land. Go and show him the power of the potion, let him see hope for changing the fate of his territory."
"And then?" Lila asked.
"Then he will be willing to give anything for it. But you must refuse his gold coins and food."
Thea's eyes gleamed with the shrewdness of her former capitalist days.
"Tell him that our Arcane Council can provide technical support in exchange for the exclusive mining rights for the next ten years to the black mountain range within his territory, which the locals consider a 'cursed land'."
"A barren black mountain?" Lila asked, puzzled. "Is its value more important than gold coins?"
"In the Baron's eyes, it's worthless. But within the magical network I can control..." Thea's fingertips tapped lightly on the mark of the black mountains.
[Deep vein scan results: High-purity 'Space Stabilizing Stone' vein detected, with estimated reserves sufficient to support the construction of an ultra-large teleportation array.]
"...That is our true bulwark for the future." Lila understood Thea's intention.
This is no longer a simple exchange of resources.
This is a form of...capital plunder.
Use technology that the other party cannot understand to acquire truly valuable assets whose value they cannot comprehend.
"I understand, Speaker." A mixture of excitement and awe appeared on Lila's face.
Three days later.
At the edge of the forest, in Baron Karen's territory.
The obese, gloomy-faced baron was sighing over his wheat field.
The barren land caused his harvest to decline year after year.
Just then, a group of elves, dressed in blue robes and whose demeanor seemed completely out of place in this land, appeared outside his castle.
The one leading them was Lila.
Without uttering any unnecessary words, she simply walked to a test field under the Baron's skeptical gaze.
She took out a bottle of medicine, gently poured out a drop, and let it fall onto the dry soil.
Under the dumbfounded gaze of the Baron and all his retainers.
On the patch of land where the pesticide was applied, wheat seedlings sprouted at a visible rate.
It heads ears, flowers, and bears fruit.
In just one night, a wheat field large enough to feed a family turned golden and was ready for harvest.
"A miracle! This is a miracle!" The baron trembled with excitement, rushed to Lila, and knelt down. "Your Excellency, what do you need? Gold coins? Food? My treasury is open to you!"
Lila, following the advice of her mentor Thea, smiled gently and shook her head.
"Your Excellency, we do not want your gold coins."
"Let's talk business."
An agreement was presented to the Baron.
In exchange for the plant growth-inducing potion technology exclusively provided by the Arcane Council, they secured the exclusive mining rights for the next ten years to the abandoned mountain range known as "Blackridge Mountain" within the Baron's territory.
From the Baron's perspective, it's about exchanging a barren mountain that brings misfortune for the harvest and future of the entire territory.
In his view, this deal was incredibly profitable.
An agreement has been reached.
On the world map of the Arcane Temple, the first piece to penetrate into the spheres of other races has been steadily placed.
Now, Thea has enough resources and confidence to build real barriers against the inevitable conflicts of the future.