Chapter 129: Elf Butterfly

Shang Chuan: "I've acquired a significant amount. Most of it has already been sent to Chariot for smelting."

Lan Qingyou: "What about things like bamboo and reeds?"

Shang Chuan: "I've bought some. Do you need them now?"

Lan Qingyou: "Give me a batch first. I don't have anything else to do at the moment."

Shang Chuan: "Alright."

The reason Lan Qingyou had Shang Chuan purchase bamboo and reeds was to make paper.

Conducting research without being able to take notes was an incredibly troublesome ordeal.

Even though she had the Card, it simply was not as convenient as using paper to instantly jot down and review findings during an experiment.

Thus, planning for the future, Lan Qingyou decided to manufacture a batch herself.

Furthermore, just as Vivian had pointed out, even their supply of toilet paper was running low. There was a massive demand for such daily necessities.

This held true for Lan Qingyou and everyone else alike.

Of course.

She had not forgotten about the cold medicine and antidiarrheals they discussed earlier; she merely wanted to take things one step at a time.

After all, she had plenty of time, right?

Crafting paper was exceptionally simple for Lan Qingyou.

All she needed to do was design an Alchemy Array for decomposition and restructuring.

If there was any technical difficulty to speak of, it lay primarily in the shaping process.

Producing ordinary paper would have been easy enough.

However, the two types she required—writing paper and toilet paper—were far from ordinary.

After a few experiments yielded paper so brittle it crumbled at the slightest touch, Lan Qingyou frowned slightly and began brainstorming a solution.

Her approach was correct, and the construction of her Alchemy Array was flawless.

She had actually managed to create a finished product, but it was just too fragile to be of any practical use.

This could only mean that the relevant knowledge she had acquired from Professor Samayel was not entirely applicable in this world.

In that case, she needed to incorporate knowledge native to this realm.

Aha!

Hadn't she just concocted a Shaping Potion and a Softening Potion recently?

Perhaps those two Potions would come in handy right now?

Struck by inspiration, Lan Qingyou immediately set to work brewing the Potions.

She managed to finish the process in just four hours. Although rushing it in four hours caused some degradation to the Potion, an attribute-less mixture like this would not degrade to the point of uselessness anyway.

This was a time-saving method Lan Qingyou had summarized over her long history of brewing Potions.

By introducing the Shaping Potion during the molecular restructuring phase within the Alchemy Array, she obtained durable paper suitable for writing and leafing through.

Conversely, adding the Softening Potion yielded soft yet sturdy toilet paper.

Lan Qingyou tested both batches. Each type turned out exceptionally well, completely devoid of the brittle fragility from her earlier attempts. This left her feeling incredibly satisfied.

Flap-flap-flap—

Just as Lan Qingyou was converting bundles of processed bamboo strips and reeds into paper using the Alchemy Array, Steel Wool flew over at a rapid pace.

"Chirp, chirp!"

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the little creature tug at her clothes with its beak, Lan Qingyou furrowed her brow.

It was acting rather unusually; at the very least, it had never behaved like this before.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!!!"

The little guy fluttered its wings frantically, pulling at Lan Qingyou.

"Do you want me to follow you?"

Lan Qingyou vaguely understood what Steel Wool was trying to do.

"Chirp!"

Steel Wool spread its wings slightly, seemingly confirming her guess.

"Let's go, then."

Lan Qingyou nodded. She tapped into her talent, reducing her weight to zero, and simply allowed Steel Wool to drag her through the air.

However, she soon realized that the creature seemed to be leading her downstairs.

From the third floor to the second, and then from the second down to the first.

Finally, they stopped at the first-floor herb garden, which was bathed in warm sunlight.

"What did you bring me here for, you little..."

Lan Qingyou started to say, feeling somewhat exasperated, but before she could finish her sentence, a butterfly fluttered past right in front of her eyes.

Lan Qingyou focused her gaze and noticed that aside from the outlines of its body and wings, the butterfly was almost entirely transparent. It looked as though it were crafted from pure crystal.

Beneath the sunlight, its translucent wings even emitted faint glimmers of colorful light. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

As it danced through the air, Lan Qingyou spotted even more of these transparent butterflies.

Some were frolicking in the air, while others rested gently upon the medicinal herbs, infusing the entire first floor with a vibrant sense of life.

Elf Butterflies!!?

Lan Qingyou abruptly tilted her head up to look at the crystal nest on the ceiling. She quickly realized that the nest, which had previously been packed with over twenty pupae, was now full of hatched shells, with only one or two remaining intact.

A place like the herb garden hardly required any manual upkeep as long as there was an abundant supply of magic power. Coincidentally, the Spring of Rest—a water source capable of producing water elemental essence on its own—brimmed with immense magical energy, saving her from having to worry about it at all.

Because of this, she had never bothered to come down and check on things.

To her surprise, this trip downstairs had finally allowed her to witness the newly hatched Elf Butterflies!

She had to admit, it was a delightful surprise.

From the initial twenty-plus pupae, a total of twenty Elf Butterflies had emerged. Seeing them weave gracefully between the sunlight, the flowing water, and the medicinal herbs gave Lan Qingyou an indescribable sense of pastoral serenity.

From the initial twenty-plus pupae, a total of twenty Elf Butterflies had emerged. Seeing them weave gracefully between the sunlight, the flowing water, and the medicinal herbs gave Lan Qingyou an indescribable sense of pastoral serenity.

She was completely entranced, utterly captivated by the sight.

When an Elf Butterfly fluttered over to her side, Lan Qingyou extended a hand. The Elf Butterfly courteously accepted the gesture, landing gently right on her fingertip.

Its snow-white body and near-transparent wings made the Elf Butterfly resemble a tiny, ethereal sprite, stirring a deep sense of fondness within her.

Perhaps it was because of their breathtaking beauty that Lan Qingyou suddenly felt the first-floor herb garden was a bit too cramped.

It was nothing major, but she could not help feeling that trapping these adorable little creatures in a fully enclosed space with a roof over their heads was somewhat stifling.

Should she try moving the herb garden outside?

Like clearing out a plot for the herbs outdoors?

Hmm, she could probably ask Jiang Lan about this later, since she was the expert in cultivation.

After all, Jiang Lan was the only person in their group who managed a territory outside her Shelter. Lan Qingyou was certain that asking her would be the right move.

Gently raising her hand to release the Elf Butterfly, Lan Qingyou made her way back to the third floor.

Tower: "@Empress, what do I need to do if I want to set up a field outside the Shelter?"

Empress: "You want to farm?"

Tower: "No, I am growing a herb garden. But it is inside my Shelter, and the area is quite small, so I wanted to see if I could plant them outside."

Empress: "That's easy. Just enclose the area around your Shelter with fences, then draw the same magic patterns used in the Shelter to link them together."

Empress: "However, since it is out in the wilderness, the linked defensive effect won't be as strong as the Shelter itself. It will occasionally get breached by nearby monsters."

Empress: "If you have flying monsters in your area, I personally wouldn't recommend doing this at all."

Tower: "Then how did you ultimately solve that problem on your end?"

Empress: "Greenhouses. I used greenhouses—specifically, glass greenhouses generously sponsored by little bro Chariot."