48 Spatial World Improvements

Phasing into the spatial world, Zanir saw that overall, it was much livelier. He remembered back when it was just a small area, that could be crossed in a few minutes. Now, there were multiple sections, each having their own area and occupants.

The areas that he started with, like the crop farm and ranch, were still there. He saw the workers taking care of things, the jobs in those areas were easy. The crops planted themselves, only needing to be maintained, before harvesting automatically. While the animals were friendly to the workers, not putting up any fuss when it came to caring for them.

Having bought an extra acre of land last time, he thought he was set. Now, he would need enough food, to feed over a hundred people. There would also be a need, to have some on hand, for both trading and cooking. Buying another acre, he noticed that it only cost a hundred points this time, only two thirds the price.

Shooting out from him, the condensed dimensional energy landed on the ground next to the farm. The workers had tried to mix some spatial dirt, around the edges of the farm, hoping it might expand the area.

Although it didn't count as official farmland, it reduced the energy needed, to produce more farmland. He'd have to tell senior Lee about this discovery, the old man would know how to best make use, of such information.

Once the energy touched the ground, it started expanding the existing farmland, moving the surrounding areas to make room. Visually, it looked like someone was sliding in another tectonic plate, pushing the others aside.

Being stabilized, there was no sensation of movement, even though, he could the ground he was standing on, sliding around. It was strange to see it happening, without feeling any kind of pressure or movement.

Moving on from the farmland, he'd let the dazed workers handle it. They were amazed to see the area nearly double in size, there was now plenty of room since they needed a surplus of goods. Greeting the workers, they praised him, as he moved on to the ranch.

Naturally, he passed through the buffer area between the two zones. It had grown larger, while the system had randomly planted various crops. Simulating a wild environment, any positive mutations in them could be captured and added in. The already hardy crops would be steadily improved.

Wild animals would run around him, as he passed by, moving into the ranch itself. Now, several of the empty fields had filled up with animals. With some of them, kept back for breeding, they actually were coming out even stronger and quicker.

Without hesitation, he spent two hundred points to expand the fields and animal capacity. The ranch now had room for one hundred of each animal. He would need livestock to feed his people, while still having enough to trade for.

Proceeding onward, he visited the brewery. Several small homes had been built around it, as well as a deck area, so people could have seating. Stopping by for a bit, he had a drink with some of the patrons, helping them reform the rickety homes, into much better-looking designs.

His gruit was almost done, for the next drink, he'd consult senior Lee, to see if the old fellow had any advice. Maybe he'd try to make some rice wine, either way, there was plenty of room for more drinks.

The adjacent restaurant had several people seated inside, who were enjoying the food. Stopping by for a quick snack, he talked with the customers, to see what kind of foods they wanted. He'd try to get them if he was able to when he saw them.

Stepping up to the grill, he decided to whip a quick dish, while he was here. Nothing fancy, just a simple beef and cabbage stir-fry, he added carrots, garlic, and a little bacon to kick it up a notch. Everyone clapped and cheered, as another delicious selection appeared on the menu, having been unlocked.

Central to the spatial world was the water pagoda. Having condensed another layer, it put out much more water, flowing into a larger basin. People could come by and scoop out a bucket when it was needed. Animals could drink from the nearby pond, that formed from the gently overflowing water.

Quenching his thirst, he moved over to the campsite and iron mine. Major reconstruction was going on at the moment, people and goblins were working together, using primitive wooden cranes to move large construction beams.

Seeing that they were renovating the space, he gave them a hand, quickly helping them build a large apartment building. Sturdy supports, allowed them to construct a massive five-story building, which could house hundreds comfortably.

Even senior Lee was impressed, citing the efficient use of space and compact design. All of the residents were overjoyed, there were plenty of rooms available. They could even have their own keys to lock the door. Seeing the locks, senior Lee asked if he could have a model kit, along with the key.

He was fascinated by the tumblers, how such a small piece of metal could secure a door, barring entry. People had traditionally just barred the door with a section of wood. Now everyone could feel safer, even if there was no crime here, it was nice to have privacy sometimes.

Over at the mine, a few of the minerals had been added, filling some of the previously empty branches. For the miners, it was an effortless job, since the materials appeared in the same area, every day. All they had to do was mine them up, which was the easiest part.

Checking the mini-grove, it had grown out a bit, now looking more like a full grown hideaway in the forest. The sentient vine's had grown and matured, actually moving the trees outward, slowly expanding the area just a tiny bit.

Ensuring everything was in order here, he proceeded on to the mission board, over in senior Lee's tent. In the former bandit leader's retrofitted tent, papers and documents were piled and strewn all about. Filled with charts and graphs, he tried looking at one, only to find it incomprehensible.

Meeting with senior Lee, he was brought over to the quest board. Sheets of paper were tacked up onto the board, filled with details about each area, like the nearby dangers and loot. Picking one up, he saw the system prompt him.

[Mission #1: Complete any task that senior Lee has drafted. No time limit]

[Reward: Unlock system mission function.]

Looking over the papers, he saw several selections but couldn't quite decide. Seeing that he was almost home, he'd ask his parents for advice as well. For now, he asked senior Lee how he could help improve the space.

"According to the research into the exchange rates at the trading post, we need to get some kind of a bank going. If we can pay the citizens and workers, they will have money to spend, whenever we visit a town."

"It wouldn't have to be much since they don't pay anything, for the stores here. This way, they can go out and spend the money, everything they bring back will be scanned by the system. Our variety will increase several times over!"

Reviewing the system options, he saw that a bank could be purchased for about three hundred points. Going off his earlier observation, he tried building an area that looked like a bank. When he finished, the price dropped down to two hundred, confirming his idea.

It took less energy to convert something, as opposed to outright creating it. He let senior Lee know about his idea and earlier observations. Jotting it down, senior Lee went off to write down several notes.

Finalizing the bank, it was recognized by the system, allowing him to set the pay rates for his citizens. For now, he set them at the same rate, they could always be adjusted later. Since they didn't need to carry the gold here, they were issued cards.

Inside the spatial world, gold was ironically useless, since it couldn't be eaten. The only time they would need money, was for shopping in the outside world. Thus each of them would slowly build savings, directly deposited onto their cards.

Bank cards also doubled as identification cards. Featuring a photograph and name, they were a novel concept to them. Senior Lee once again started writing down notes, when he saw the combination cards and heard Zanir talk about a census.

Heading back to senior Lee's tent, he saw the clutter once again, there was no way he could let his advisor use such stone age techniques. Before heading out, he wanted to get him some serious upgrades.

Waving his hand he compressed all of papers and documents, forming them into an electronic signboard. This was a high-resolution model, dialed into the system, it would display the information in a clean looking format.

Next, he was able to mold a small remote for him, so that he would be able to navigate the display. Seeing such a marvel, he was studying the high tech monitor, clicking the buttons. Finding the search bar, he was impressed, this would save him countless hours of digging through paperwork.

Checking his status, he was satisfied with today's overview.

[Name: Zanir Coffey

Age: 18

Dimension Status: World (Level 1.5)

Crops ~20%, Creatures ~15%, Brewing ~90%

Citizens 146 Guards 40

Dimensional Power: 2103

Powers: None

Skills: Warrior: Lv1, Remote Collection Lv1]

Despite spending a few hundred points, he'd come out ahead. More points were being generated daily, due to increase in occupants. Before leaving, he remembered he wanted to check the trading post.

Seeing the exchange rates, it seemed that the system priced things in dimensional power. They were valued according to how much energy they contained. Gold coins were almost worthless to convert, though they could be exchanged.

Trading them for other items, was the way to go. For example, if they got an order for a hundred blankets, he could change out gold coins for them, quite cheaply at that. Trying to convert them directly into energy, would only allow him enough to create a few.

Using the gold coins outside the system would be even better. They had much more value out there, people were used to trading for them. In an emergency, he could purchase animals and crops, for a high exchange rate.

With the trading post, it didn't matter what he collected. It could be turned into anything else, though he would lose a bit during the process, due to energy loss. As long as the products had similar energy levels.

Now that he could trade, he exchanged some gold coins for spatial dirt and water. Although it cost a bit, everyone could spread the soil and water, slowly creating more space. Otherwise, they'd grow too fast, cramping the entire area.

With a multitude of improvements complete, he headed out of the spatial world. It had been a few days since he left, it would be nice to return home again.