A Wood-Spirit Root Builds an Oasis in a Desert Wasteland [Infrastructure]

[Desert Wasteland | Underground Safe House | Stockpiling and Construction | Steampunk | Cultivation]

Mu Lin was a rare mutant wood spiritual-root cultivator, the likes of whom appeared only once in a thousand years.

She had reached the Deity Transformation stage after a hundred years, and was the cultivator on the Continent of Cultivation with the best chance of ascending to immortality.

Before she went into seclusion, everyone in her sect told her not to worry.

They swore they would plant trees across the entire continent before she came out.

So she confidently found a remote forest deep in the mountains and went into seclusion.

She never expected that, after she did, the outside world would turn into a barren desert wasteland.

This world had three suns, radiating terrifying heat.

The ground was covered by endless rolling yellow sand. In the distance, ruins lay shrouded in black mist, giving off an ominous aura.

She was dumbfounded.

...Weren't they supposed to plant trees all over the world?

With no other choice, she started huffing and puffing as she planted trees herself, and set out to find her sect.

At the same time, a mechanical voice rang out:

"Welcome to Desert Encroachment..."

--

Elsewhere, at a human survivor base.

The game Desert Encroachment had arrived 2,206 years ago.

Water, once plentiful, had become incredibly scarce,

while precious resources like oil and diesel were now everywhere.

The technology tree had been reignited with internal combustion engines as its primary power source, and development was booming.

Diesel smoke rose from chimneys, while gears clattered and ground together.

Howl's Moving Castle had become reality, and giant robots ran at full speed through the yellow sand.

People wore leather jackets and rode huge motorcycles, racing between underground and surface routes and coming away caked in dust.

Humanity had built hundreds of millions of fully operational safe houses a kilometer underground.

But the shortage of water had never been solved.

Countless people had even contracted "dry water disease" as a result.

As for plants, they had gone extinct in the third year after the game arrived, becoming something that existed only in legend.

One day, a scavenger team posted a picture in the world chat.

The entire channel fell silent for three seconds, then exploded.

It showed an oasis with a "lake" and a "forest," something that had only appeared in images left behind from ancient Earth.

1. The heroine won't enter the underground city in the early chapters. She'll explore and develop the surface on her own.

2. Cultivation, farming, monster-slaying, and a bit of a steampunk setting, all thrown together. But the main focus is construction and upgrades. _(:tau"∠)_

3. The farming-related information was researched online. If anything is wrong, I'd be very grateful if professionals point it out.

4. The three suns are a little tribute to The Three-Body Problem~

Coming next: The Mysterious Boss Builds a Gourmet Ship in the Oceanic Apocalypse [Loot Boxes]

[Oceanic Apocalypse | Loot Boxes | Shipboard Construction and Farming | Gourmet Ship | Tower Raids]

Yu Shi was the boss of an SSS-rank supernatural instance.

The instance was called The Reincarnation Ghost Ship.

After one restart,

she suddenly realized that the ocean outside seemed different.

Countless glittering golden loot boxes had appeared from nowhere.

And beneath the surface, countless supernatural creatures were swarming, trying to climb aboard her ghost ship.

At the same time, a cold mechanical voice rang out:

"Welcome to the game Ark. In this world, opportunities and danger coexist. Remember:

1. The deep sea is untouchable, and mutations are everywhere.

2. Do your best to claim loot boxes. They are your only means of survival."

Yu Shi's eyes lit up instantly.

No one knew that, as an instance boss, she had three hidden traits.

1. She was hungry and had never once eaten her fill. She could eat anything.

2. She loved decorating her ship with shiny things, like this loot box.

3. She really loved raising humans.

--

In 2244, Ark arrived.

Torrential rain flooded the land, and Blue Star became a vast ocean.

Beneath the surface, unspeakable mutations had already begun.

Parasitic barnacles turned their compound eyes as they controlled puppets and mingled with people.

Octopuses with human faces waved their tentacles and stirred up deadly whirlpools.

Sea serpents with a hundred crowns murmured in human voices, luring passing ships to their doom.

Venomous jellyfish drifted with the waves, spreading a deadly, odorless, colorless toxin...

Hundreds of millions of ships rose from the ocean floor, and loot boxes from unknown origins became a lifeline.

But Ark had its rules:

"Rule One: Open at least one loot box every day.

Rule Two: Hunt one sea monster every three days.

Rule Three: Take part in a tower raid every seven days.

Friendly reminder: The bottom ten in the rankings will become the main course at a sea monster's feast."

With no other choice, humanity had to board ships and struggle to survive.

Yet amid all that despair and death, a small group of people in the game's chat channel kept asking strange questions:

"Anyone have cumin seasoning?"

"Does anyone have chili peppers? Urgently needed!"

"Buying all kinds of ingredients at a high price. Vegetables and fruit preferred!"

"Buying crystals, diamonds, gold, and the like. Price doesn't matter!"

One look at their IDs showed that they were all crew members of a ship called Ghost Ship.

Everyone else: Are they crazy?

Then one day, a picture was accidentally posted in the world chat.

It showed a group of people dining on the deck of a luxury cruise ship. An enormous rectangular table was covered with an astonishing variety of delicious-looking food, each dish a feast for the eyes and the palate!

Everyone else: ??? They're struggling to survive, and someone's having a leisurely party???

Someone couldn't take it anymore and made a post. It instantly got tens of thousands of likes:

"Please, how can I join Ghost Ship?"

P.S.

1. The heroine is a supernatural boss, so don't judge her by human values. Deep down, she's just a foodie who loves delicious food, hahaha.

2. The heroine is at the pinnacle of combat strength, a big shot in a beginner's village. There will be some sea monster battles and tower raids, but the main focus is farming, construction, and food.

3. She'll recruit lots of technical crew members to build Ghost Ship together.

4. Some of the inspiration comes from Pirates of the Caribbean~

Theme: Flowers bloom in the desert, and there is love in this world.