Seventy-One: Precautionary Measures — The Seed of the Tree Giant

Upon hearing that it required two people working together to secure this piece of land, Wood frowned and asked, "Is the price for this land really that high? Do you need to join forces to purchase it? Won't this affect the core operations of your companies?"

Li Yun quickly explained, "Although the price is high, it's not enough to threaten our foundations. This was Old Gu's suggestion. Since we're doing this for our master, naturally, the cost should be split equally." Wood nodded in agreement, relieved that they wouldn't have to bankrupt themselves to acquire the land, which might otherwise unravel their influence. In truth, Wood underestimated the two; their wealth far exceeded a billion, with business networks spanning the globe.

Two days later, Li Yun brought good news—they had acquired the land for thirty million. Wood thus became its owner. Yet, now faced with possession, Wood was troubled by the question of how to plan its use. A single villa would be too conspicuous. Apartments? Wood disliked the idea, and too many people risked exposing secrets.

When word spread that a house would be built on the thirty-acre plot, Qiao'er and Mu Siyu, the sisters, grew excited and began offering suggestions. The group, including Li Yun, Gu Yueguan, and Xiu Yuan, gathered and discussed enthusiastically.

"How about building a factory? That wouldn't attract much attention."

"A factory is a good idea, but what business would we run? Besides, it's not far from the city center, and building a factory might be troublesome."

The factory proposal was rejected.

"What about a martial arts school? Wood, your skills are incredible—you could take on many disciples!"

"A martial arts school is possible, but would you handle challenges from other schools?"

That idea was dismissed as well.

Thus, countless proposals were raised and rejected. Finally, Xiu Yuan timidly suggested, "What if we build a Daoist temple?"

The group found it amusing—this Daoist truly loved his trade. Wood's eyes lit up and he slapped his thigh, "That's brilliant! We'll build the Taixu Temple, have Xiu Yuan preside, and hide the extraordinary within the ordinary. No one would suspect the mysteries inside."

"Still, that might not be wise," Mu Siyu interjected. "A Daoist temple of unknown origin occupying such a large area would draw the attention of those with ulterior motives. I have a suggestion: Mr. Li and Mr. Gu could register the land under their names, fence it off, and create a small park. Within, build a few villas and a small Daoist temple, with the rest of the space for recreational facilities like tennis, bowling, and archery."

Wood was perplexed, "Isn't that too chaotic? A mix of sports venues, a temple, villas, and a park—it's a hodgepodge."

Li Yun smiled, "I understand Miss Mu's intention. She wants the greatest possible concealment."

Lacking experience in such matters, Wood followed their consensus. After Li Yun and the others left, Mu Siyu said, "There are several key points we must remember in building this base."

"First: We should construct a small underground base. Wood, all your activities can take place underground, making them less noticeable."

"Second: The base should have protective measures. You know cultivation methods, right? Set up some formations as alarms and defenses."

Wood nodded; building the underground base could be handled by having Invincible One dispatch some engineering robots from the space base. But as for defensive formations, he was clueless—he had only been cultivating for a few days and hadn't learned the intricate formation techniques.

However, this wasn't a major problem. Wood opened the interdimensional trading system and browsed through it. During his days in the fantasy realm, he had copied the friend lists from Zi Gui, Gu Feng, and Baldy into his own trading system.

"Little Bell, I need a defensive measure for a base. Which dimension offers the most suitable items?" Wood looked for a while and wasn't sure whom to ask, so he tried this question.

Little Bell's mechanical synthesized voice replied, "The interdimensional trading system can search for items in dimensional stores, but your request is too vague for the system to fulfill."

"Alright, then search for items in the stores that could provide protection for a small base—preferably related to cultivation or magic, not technological products."

"Searching... The following items meet your requirements: Seed of the Tree Giant, a magical item originally a branch of the World Tree cherished by the Elven race. Planting this branch will create a forest within a month, with each tree possessing surveillance, warning, defense, and attack capabilities. As long as the main trunk remains unharmed, the surrounding trees will not die."

"This sounds perfect! I'll have Li Yun and the others transplant some trees and plant the Tree Giant seed in the center—no one would notice." Wood was delighted. "That's the one!"

"The seller, Agent of Star One in the Fantasy Dimension, requests a meeting," Little Bell replied.

"A meeting? Another interdimensional trip?" Wood wondered.

"No, if you decide to acquire the item, the system will automatically connect you. The agent can negotiate through the trading system."

"Alright!"

"Beep... Connecting to Star One in the Fantasy Dimension. The other party is online and has accepted your communication request."

As Little Bell spoke, a dimension agent appeared in the system, clad in a bronze mask and black robe.

"Hello! I'm a friend of Gu Feng, Wood from the Basic Material Dimension, and I'd like to purchase your Seed of the Tree Giant!" Wood, seeing the agent was from the fantasy world, mentioned Gu Feng.

Indeed, the agent knew Gu Feng and seemed to be on good terms, replying, "Basic Material Dimension? You must be Wood; Gu Feng mentioned you. I am Ockhennatan."

"Ockhennatan?" Wood was momentarily stunned—the name was quite a mouthful. Of course, different races had different names, and perhaps they found 'Wood' unusually short.

The agent, catching Wood's reaction, said calmly, "You may call me Natan. Why do you want the Seed of the Tree Giant?"

Wood explained, "My estate needs protective measures. The Tree Giant offers surveillance, warning, defense, and attack—seems ideal."

Natan asked, "How large is your estate?"

The units were unclear to both parties. Fortunately, the trading systems interfaced and converted the measurements. Natan said, "Ah, thirty acres—I understand. The Seed's protective range covers it."

Wood was elated. "That's great! What do you want in exchange, energy crystals? Reward points?"

Natan shook his head. "I don't need those. I want to trade for some mechanical golems from the Sci-Fi Dimension. Can you get them? By the way, the Seed of the Tree Giant isn't easy to keep alive. It requires Pure Earth and Abyssal Water."

Wood was puzzled. "What are those? Magical items as well? Do I have to buy them elsewhere?"

Natan said, "If you can provide twenty mechanical golems, I'll give you the Seed. If you provide thirty, I'll also supply enough Pure Earth and Abyssal Water."

Wood scratched his head. "What kind of mechanical golems do you need? I'll look for them."

"As you can see, I'm a mage and need absolutely loyal guards. I'm heading to a relic site where magical elements are absent, so mages and warriors can't use their abilities, which is why I thought of mechanical golems from the Sci-Fi Dimension." Natan was forthright; as the sole agent of Star One, he had no competition, nor did he fear Wood leaking information.

"I can probably get you some mechanical golems, but thirty is a lot," Wood frowned.

Apparently, Natan had searched for a long time without finding satisfactory golems. Hearing Wood's offer, he grew anxious. "You really have them? Preferably those with combat capabilities—twenty will suffice."

"Ten combat-capable mechanical golems, plus lending you one above the Archmage level, ensuring your safety at the relic," Wood bargained.

"Above Archmage level?" Natan doubted such powerful golems existed.

"Invincible One!" Wood called. "Help me out and protect this person for a while!"

"Yes, master!" Invincible One was absolutely obedient and linked to Wood's mind, so Wood wasn't worried about non-payment.

The massive Invincible One was transmitted over; under Natan's skeptical gaze, Invincible One displayed its light whip and flashed its array of laser cannons. Seeing its effortless power, Natan was overjoyed. "Haha, Wood, are the other golems this strong?"

Wood smiled wryly. "Brother Natan, that's wishful thinking. Invincible One is a high-tech product from a mysterious dimension; I doubt anyone else has one. The other golems have combat features, but their strength is uncertain. Still, ten of them should be more than enough for your relic expedition."

Wood recalled that every time he saw Zi Gui, there were three robots at his side, and judging by their equipment, they seemed formidable. Getting ten from him should be no problem.

"Deal!" Natan didn't hesitate. "I'm about to set off for the relic. Can we trade immediately?"