It couldn't be helped.
Items given by the world consciousness were stored within the magic desk.
If she wanted to see what it actually was, she had to wait until she got back, and she had to return within twenty-four hours.
The memory of the warning she received months ago—when she nearly lost her novice weapon because she didn't take it out in time—was still vivid in her mind.
Thus, after waking up the next day, Lan Qingyou took one last stroll through this paradise. After collecting the massive crystal clusters and ensuring nothing was left behind, she hurriedly began the journey back with the two little ones.
Only this time, she didn't take her original route.
Instead, she followed the main passage.
Even when she passed the pit she had blasted earlier, she didn't stop.
If for no other reason, she wanted to see what the original entrance to this place looked like.
Though she was in a hurry, she still had over ten hours left, which was more than enough time to get back.
She encountered quite a few monsters and even monster packs along the way, but the current Lan Qingyou was no longer who she used to be. She didn't spare a second thought for these pipsqueaks.
She simply flew right over them.
However, when Lan Qingyou finally emerged from the passage, she felt a wave of frustration wash over her.
It wasn't because it was still dark, nor was it because the outside was still a world of howling winds and freezing snow.
That was to be expected; the mountains were always like that. But below her—or rather, directly beneath the passage—was a recessed alcove that served as a natural windbreak.
That spot was exactly where Lan Qingyou had stayed when she was first teleported here.
Back then, if she had just flown upward and looked a bit more carefully, she would have found the man-made stone steps leading up and entered the passage with ease.
“Fine, I admit it. Sometimes people are only motivated because they're bored.”
Acting as if she hadn't seen anything, Lan Qingyou pursed her lips and opened the throttle to full power, flying southward.
As she flew, she also began to descend.
While descending, she calculated her altitude.
Ultimately, when she returned to her familiar height of two hundred meters, she realized she had previously been at an altitude of 6,800 meters.
Even she hadn't expected to be teleported to such a high place.
No wonder the wind and snow there were so fierce.
As for why she hadn't experienced altitude sickness, Lan Qingyou didn't care in the slightest.
After all, she was now the 'clan leader,' and with such high mana, she shouldn't act like some country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
With Lan Qingyou flying straight ahead at full speed without any distractions, she arrived back at her loyal shelter around one in the afternoon.
However, the moment Lan Qingyou stepped through the door, she was startled by the chaotic scene before her.
Wait.
Was it because the shelter was empty that it looked like a typhoon had...
Uh...
Oh no!
Lan Qingyou suddenly clutched her head with both hands.
Despite all her calculations, the excitement of the cave exploration had made her forget one crucial thing.
The shelter's magic shield required manual renewal!
Three days wasn't particularly long, but it wasn't a duration a Level 5 shelter could survive on a single charge...
“Sigh...”
Lan Qingyou let out a long sigh, then flew up to the third floor to check.
Fortunately, the tree hollow shelter wouldn't be blown over by the wind. Though things were a bit messy, it was still habitable after a bit of tidying up.
Of course, that was assuming the shield core hadn't been destroyed.
Luckily, because she hadn't died, the magic desk was still functional.
That was perhaps her only consolation.
“Sigh...”
Sighing again, Lan Qingyou first went to the top floor to check the core. Finding no issues, she replenished its energy and finally relaxed enough to start cleaning up the mess.
Well, in reality, there wasn't much to clean.
Lan Qingyou had taken almost everything of value with her when she left.
Even the books she had left behind hadn't suffered much damage; they were just covered in a bit of ice and snow.
The Spring of Repose in the water tank was also fine.
It was mostly the glass windows and doors that had suffered.
Aside from the herb field on the first floor being a bit messy, the herbs were fine, and even the elf butterflies had retreated into the Crystal Nest to 'hibernate.'
“A bit of wind and frost, that's all.”
Lan Qingyou muttered nonchalantly while she tidied up.
But she hadn't quite figured out how to actually be nonchalant about the repairs.
The shelter relied entirely on upgrades; she couldn't exactly order replacement glass doors and windows. Even if she could, she didn't know how to install them.
By the time she finished cleaning, it was almost noon.
After relighting the fire, Lan Qingyou thought about it and decided to place an order with Shang Chuan for a large sheet of glass.
Of course, this glass wasn't for repairing the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor, but for blocking the small window on the fifth floor.
Since the window was small, couldn't she just cover it with a layer of glass from the outside to let the light in?
I'm such a little genius.
As for the fifth floor...
With the door closed and the window blocked, wouldn't it be a warm little room?
It's not like she hadn't lived there before.
As for the lower floors, she would just leave them for now. She could wait until she figured out how to repair them or until she upgraded to Level 6.
After moving the magic desk to the fifth floor, Lan Qingyou officially set up her office there.
Opening the package from the world consciousness, Lan Qingyou saw an ancient-looking slab of green jade with uneven edges. Numerous Kalim text characters were inscribed upon it.
Lan Qingyou looked closer; thirteen concise maxims were carved onto the surface.
As she read them, they felt strangely familiar.
Statements like 【Alchemy is omnipotent】 and 【Remember equivalent exchange; those who do not follow it shall meet destruction】...
Weren't these all the words of Master Albert?
Wait, Master Albert, did you plagiarize this?
Well, maybe not plagiarism. After all, the Emerald Tablet was the holy relic of alchemists. It was only natural for alchemists to hold the things recorded on it as their creed.
Besides the quotes that appeared frequently in Albert's journal, there were others: 【Truth does not deceive; lies cannot become truth】, 【All things are one; follow the laws to reach the end】, and 【The sun is the father, the moon is the mother, born of the wind, nourished by the earth】.
Though the cryptic nature of the text gave Lan Qingyou a bit of a headache, she felt that these maxims were all deeply related to alchemy.
She then activated her Analytic Magic Eye to identify the Emerald Tablet.
【Emerald Tablet (World-class)】
【Effect: Alchemy Level +1, Potion-making Level +1, Herbalism Level +1, Spirit +50, Alchemy Success Rate +80%】
【Description: This is the treasure of the entire alchemy world, something all alchemists strive to obtain. Your efforts have earned the recognition of the Will of Kalim; now, it is yours. Perhaps you can gain some enlightenment from within.】
Incredible.
With this item, her alchemy level had soared straight to S-grade.
Rate on N.U.
