Chapter 314: The 7th Floor

Chapter 314

The 7th Floor

The fierce and brutal battle finally came to an end. Aman collapsed onto the ground, unable to bear the pressure any longer. Fortunately, Ellie’s Black Fairy managed to reduce the number of enemies by 10 at a time, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the workload. Ellie was also exhausted. Her Black Fairy had dissipated after all the attacks were over, and she sat there, diligently restoring her power, without even engaging in any casual conversation.

Owen ordered his men to recuperate. He himself, despite having killed over 600 enemies, walked around with ease, while about 100 of his men felt like they were on the verge of death.

Thankfully, everyone had unlimited resources to use, allowing them to quickly restore their magic power, physical strength, and more. Additionally, since Ellie knew how to concoct relaxation and concentration potions, they benefitted from these as well. Otherwise, the intense battle might have driven them insane.

As everyone was resting, a sudden shower of rainbow-colored light particles descended upon them. Many people exclaimed in surprise as they advanced by 1 level. Among them was Aman, who had worked so hard. He nearly jumped for joy, as he finally became a level 4 magic user.

Different people received various rewards. Even those who had been unconscious since the beginning received minor rewards, such as low-level poison resistance skills or other perks. Some received training manuals suited to their magic power, which, although low-level for high-level species, was a wonderful first step.

Ellie, however, sat frowning. Instead of receiving a boost to her magic level or some other assistance, she received another "Rainbow Egg." The details were...

"Exclusive Rainbow Egg for Ellie

Use it on a beast to force it into a contract through ancient rune. They will never betray their master and will evolve by 1 stage through ancient methods."

Initially, Ellie thought to use it on her little Nocturnal Rabbit. Its previous evolution had pleased her greatly. However, she found she couldn’t use it on the same creature again. Perhaps the restriction was that it couldn’t be used on the same beast twice. Since the details mentioned "forcing" a contract to ensure loyalty, Ellie decided to keep it for a future opportunity...

“What did you get? More magic power? Or an enhancement for your bonded plants?”

Aman asked after reveling in his own reward. Typically, such questions weren’t asked, but Aman felt Ellie deserved significant rewards, hence his curiosity.

Ellie checked her bonded plants and found they had received minor benefits, such as increased intelligence. They would now have better cognitive processes and might eventually become like the level 7 beast they had encountered earlier. Of course, it would take a long time to reach that level, and she wasn’t in a hurry to push them.

Surprisingly, the 3 plants that hadn’t participated in the battle showed the most significant improvement:

- Spirit Camouflage Apple, Level 2: Attributes – a fruit tree with its own spirit, capable of understanding various concepts. It can bear Spirit Camouflage Apples fruits, which stimulate the consumer’s spirit in combat. -

- Spirit Night Java Apple, Level 2: Attributes – a fruit tree with its own spirit, capable of understanding various concepts. It can bear Spirit Night Java Apples fruits, which stimulate the consumer’s spirit in learning. -

- Spirit Thousand-Handed Orchid, Level 2: Attributes – a fruit tree with its own spirit, capable of understanding various concepts. It can bear Spirit Thousand-Hand Orchids fruits, which stimulate the consumer’s spirit in training. -

The significant changes in levels and attributes left Ellie feeling quite overwhelmed. When she checked her secret dimension while everyone was resting, she found that the increased intelligence of the plants had them planning their next potions after completing all the tasks she had assigned.

Normally, they would just wait for orders, tending to the plants as instructed. Now, they could think for themselves about what herbs to plant to concoct what potions. The chaos in the planting plots gave Ellie quite a headache.

Of course, they didn’t interfere with the plots Ellie had set up. Instead, they expanded their own cultivation areas elsewhere to make more potions. Although Ellie wanted to ask them to stop working so hard, seeing how much they enjoyed their tasks, she quietly left the dimension.

After all, this was a reward, so how could it be a bad thing? Moreover, the fruits they could now produce had excellent properties. If she ever felt bored with reading, she could just eat a Spirit Night Java Apple. Or if someone was afraid of fighting, giving them a Spirit Camouflage Apple would stimulate their fighting spirit.

Well...thinking positively, this was actually quite beneficial.

Ellie thought about how to explain this to Aman and decided to reveal her power level and the increased levels of her bonded plants. Aman didn’t seem to mind. After all, leveling up was a very good reward.

“That’s good news. Increasing our power levels will help us handle enemies better. Soon, we’ll have to move up to the 7th floor. If we don’t want this challenge to be in vain, we must conquer the city on the 7th floor.”

Despite Aman’s earnest words, when they finally reached the 7th floor, everyone was stunned...

“Greetings, new race who have conquered the challenge. We are the officials of the Tower of Eternity. First of all, congratulations on overcoming all the obstacles. But from here on, you will enter the true tower. The trials on floors 1-6 were just preliminary tests.”

“For those races that have overcome their own limitations to reach this point, we will provide full services and knowledge. So, let’s begin with the first task.”

"Are you looking for a city to start the real battle for your race? If so, please follow me to choose the type of city you want. Of course, everything comes at a cost. Since this is your first time here, you will receive a 50% discount. However, future purchases will be at full price, and believe me, you will regret it if you don’t go all out from the start."

"The starting cost to purchase a city is 100,000 tols. This will get you an empty, barren land in a remote area. If you prefer a better location, the price will increase significantly. Should you want a city with natural water sources, mountains, or other specific features, just let the designers know. They will quote the price and create an initial design for you."

"Oh, you probably don’t have any of our currency yet, right? However, everything you brought with you can be exchanged for money. You can sell your items to the tower’s service center or trade with other races interested in seeing what you have to offer."

"In the initial stage, there is a rule preventing other races from invading you for 1 year, so you don’t suffer losses before starting your true journey in the Tower of Eternity. Typically, if there aren’t severe issues, people don’t bother seizing cities because the cost is too high. Instead...it’s better to buy a new city. Here, we communicate in a civilized manner..."

"So, before we start designing, can we take a look at your assets? This will help us determine what kind of area you can afford."

The tower’s staff, in human form and dressed formally, welcomed them. Though they had no facial features, everyone sensed their smiles. It was somewhat strange, but looking around, the staff varied in appearance. They were led to a hall filled with many different beings walking around, all curiously observing the Setter family. Strangely, everyone spoke the same language, or there was something in here that enabled mutual understanding.

"Is that a new race? We haven’t seen a new race in over 10 years since the last one arrived."

"Indeed, these new ones look so weak and fragile. They remind me of a race...what was it called? Oh, the Elves, right?"

"Yeah, I thought so too, but their power doesn’t seem the same. Maybe they’re not elves."

"Probably not. The elves went extinct a long time ago after they made the...”

"Shush!! Don’t talk about that. We don’t want to end up destroyed like them."

"Ah...right, let’s focus on these newcomers. I think they might choose a city far away and then struggle to gather money to buy a city with proper food supply."

"Exactly, that’s how it is with newbies. They save money without realizing that the first time is the best special deal they’ll get."

"How about we check what they have for sale? If it’s useful, we can buy it for a higher price than the central service."

"Haha, good idea. They probably don’t know that after passing the trials and reaching the 7th floor, their entire race will be forced up here in 10 years. They won’t be able to return to their original place."

"No one tells them that. Everyone does this, right? We have to drain their resources at lower prices than usual. At least, we’ll be in comfort for the next 10 years."

Ellie’s delicate eyebrows furrowed in surprise. Although she hadn’t yet used spores to root into these high-level beings, she could hear all the information through spores rooted in the ground and air.

Initially, Ellie just wanted to figure out what was happening, but she unexpectedly discovered the secret that after passing the trials, in 10 years, the entire human race would be unable to stay in their original kingdom...

Ellie tried to recall if the plot of the new novel included this detail, but the story ended before reaching the 10-year mark. Therefore, she had no idea what would happen to the human race afterward.

It wasn’t just Ellie who got this information; it seemed Owen heard it too. It was no wonder he became more serious. This challenge turned out to be more troublesome than anticipated. Initially, he thought it was just a typical challenge, not one that would elevate his entire race to such a level.

"Alright, then, what should we begin with. You can sell all the resources you brought along: weapons, equipment, clothing, food, or potions...Anything, really. We even buy “slaves”," the staff member said with a smile. Though their faces were featureless, everyone could sense the eerie smile.

"Then, how much for this potion?" Owen started, wanting to understand the value of money here. He first presented a "Level 1 Restorative Potion," which could be easily concocted.

"Oh, this potion provides minor restoration. Its price is 1 tol."

"And what about this one?"

"Oh, this is a bit better. Its price is 10 tols. Oh...If it’s higher level, it could go up to 100 tols. So, what do you think?...Are you satisfied with these prices?" Upon hearing the prices, Ellie couldn’t help but twitch her eyebrows. A level 1 potion was worth only 1 tol. So, they would need to sell 100,000 bottles to afford the starting city?

And what about level 2 potions being only 10 tols and level 3 potions being 100 tols? These prices were ridiculously low!!

Owen didn’t show any intention of selling just yet. He then took out a level 1 magical weapon. The staff member smiled upon seeing it.

"This weapon can deal with wild beasts. Its price is 10 tols. If it’s a level 2 weapon, it would be 100 tols. So, what do you think?...Is this sufficient for selling?" Owen continued to inquire about other items and eventually gathered quite a bit of information. However, everyone felt that selling these items to build a city was extremely challenging.

"Is this all you have? What about other items, like...rewards from the trials? Do you have any spiritual weapons? Or spiritual beasts, golden eggs, rainbow eggs, or anything else?"

Hearing this, everyone’s eyebrows twitched violently. It seemed that these staff members were not service providers but rather people trying to buy valuable items cheaply!!