132: Chapter 132: The Infrastructure Maniac Gets an Upgrade, Sky City in Full Swing!
Sun Siyuan represented Medicine King Valley and handed over all their assets, and this matter was soon reported to Jiang Ning.
After hearing Director Zhao Lixin's report, Jiang Ning didn't have any particular expression; she just nodded.
"Fine, it's good that he's figured it out. This way, arranging work in the future will be much easier."
Director Zhao Lixin's mouth twitched when he heard this.
Medicine King Valley had poured their hearts out and offered up all their prized treasures. To Engineer Jiang, it only earned a "much easier"? Her train of thought was truly one of a kind.
"Then… Engineer Jiang, how do you think we should handle these alchemy recipes?" Director Zhao Lixin pointed to the wooden box that had already been sent to the laboratory.
"Have the data team scan them all in and store them in the main database. Then, have Professor Chen and his team find some people who understand plants and pharmacology to thoroughly analyze the medicinal ingredients in these recipes and see what components they have and how effective they are."
"Within three days, I want to know exactly how much spiritual energy these herbs on Earth can convert and how much potential they have. Give me a detailed report."
"You got it!"
"Also," Jiang Ning added, "tell Sun Siyuan that he handled this matter beautifully. Reward him with the position of Deputy Team Leader for the 'Shennong No. 2' factory design team."
"Yes!" Director Zhao Lixin immediately perked up.
He thought to himself, this is what Engineer Jiang truly values. For an "Infrastructure Construction Maniac" like her, the best reward isn't money or status, but… being able to play with bigger and cooler projects.
Just as Director Zhao Lixin turned to go convey the "good news," the system's notification sound rang in Jiang Ning's mind again.
[Ding! The phased main quest "Foundation of the Shennong Project" has been completed!]
[Mission Evaluation: Perfect!]
[Mission Details: The 'Shennong No. 1' demonstration factory has been built, and the rules for mass-producing spiritual energy potions have been established. After a contest with those old alchemists, their outdated thinking has been completely corrected, so there won't be any obstacles when this is rolled out nationwide later.]
[Extra Achievements Unlocked:]
['Ideological Imprint': Successfully carved the concept that "productivity is the ultimate truth" into the minds of those old cultivators.]
['Waste Utilization MAX': Turned the defeated opponents, along with their original trades, into useful assets for our project.]
['Gospel for All': The project is a success, the most essential foundation for universal cultivation is in place, and the common people are overjoyed, providing a lot of wish power.]
[Overall Evaluation: SS Rank!]
[Rewards calculating...]
[Congratulations to the host, you have received merit points: 15,000 points!]
[Congratulations to the host, you have received a special technical blueprint — "Golden Core Stage Infrastructure Construction Plan: Sky City (Primary)"!]
15,000 merit points! Adding in what was left over from before, Jiang Ning glanced at her system panel; the total number of merit points had already exceeded 30,000!
This number made her calm heart unable to help but feel a little excited.
30,000 merit points is enough for her to exchange for quite a few good things in the system mall needed for breaking through to the Golden Core Stage.
Golden Core Stage! That is a massive hurdle on the path of cultivation. If one can successfully form a core, they will live a long life, their divine sense can cover the sky and earth, and they can easily mobilize the power of heaven and earth. Only then can one truly be considered to have transcended being a mortal and touched the edge of immortality.
However, what Jiang Ning cared about more was that special blueprint she had just received: "Sky City (Primary)".
She focused her attention on the system space. A design blueprint, a hundred times more complex than all previous ones, slowly unfolded in her mind like a giant 3D model.
It was a massive city floating in the sky.
Beneath the city was a combination of a super-large anti-gravity array and a Spirit Gathering Array, like a giant spinning top, constantly absorbing energy from the ground and the air, allowing it to float indefinitely and rotate.
As for the main body of the city, it consisted of countless functional modules that could be assembled: places for people to live, farmland, industrial zones, power generation... Each part could manage itself, forming a complete ecosystem that could sustain its own cycle.
On the outside, it was covered by a multi-functional composite shield that could suppress spiritual energy, create illusions, and counter energy attacks; it could even withstand a full-force strike from a Golden Core Stage cultivator.
"This… this is no mere building." Jiang Ning looked at the massive city floating in her mind, her heart filled with astonishment.
This was clearly a flying, combat-capable, and self-sustaining agricultural and power-generating… super war fortress! Or rather, a… "land-based aircraft carrier"!
"So, the end goal of Infrastructure Construction is to build aircraft carriers…" she couldn't help but complain internally.
However, complaining was just complaining; she knew better than anyone that the strategic significance of this thing was terrifying.
If she could really build this "Sky City," it would mean Xia Country would have an extra piece of territory that could move anywhere and that no one could destroy.
Whether it was for future conflicts on Earth or defending against potential trouble from the "Immortal-Mortal Realm," this thing would be the ultimate trump card.
However, she quickly calmed down. Because at the end of the blueprint, there was a long list of "required materials" and "construction conditions" attached.
[Core materials required to build "Sky City (Primary)":]
[1. High-purity Space Crystal x 1 ton (used for the anti-gravity core)]
[2. Sun Essence Gold x 10 tons (used for the main energy array)]
[3. Ten-Thousand-Year Dark Iron x 100 tons (used for the main structure)]
[4...]
[Construction conditions:]
[1. The array core must be presided over by at least one Golden Core Stage cultivator.]
[2. At least one complete "Mid-grade" spiritual vein is needed as an initial energy source.]
[3. At least 100,000 skilled workers who know "Primary Spiritual Engineering" are needed.]
Looking at this pile of ridiculously harsh conditions, Jiang Ning's eyebrows were almost knotted together.
Golden Core Stage, she hadn't reached it yet. Mid-grade spiritual veins, there wasn't a single one on Earth right now; that undersea spiritual vein was just a newly awakened "Low-grade" one. As for that pile of mythical materials she had never even heard of, they were completely out of the question.
"You have to eat one bite at a time, and walk one step at a time." She exhaled and temporarily pushed the distant goal of "Sky City" to the side.
The most important thing right now was to use what she had on hand to first get her cultivation to the Golden Core Stage.
Just as she was about to close the system and go to the laboratory to study those newly acquired ancient alchemy recipes, Director Zhao Lixin's encrypted communication rang again.
This time, his expression was more serious than ever before.
"Engineer Jiang," he walked up to Jiang Ning and handed her a piece of especially urgent news that had just been transmitted from Country M, "something has happened."
"Country M, along with the E-Alliance, Country R, and a dozen other countries, just sent us a joint notification."
"They said that next month, they want to hold a 'Global Spiritual Energy Safety and Development Conference' on the high seas of the Pacific Ocean."
"They… specifically named you and insisted you go, saying they want you to be the Chief Technical Advisor for the Xia Country delegation. It's mandatory."
Jiang Ning took the message and glanced at it. Although the words were polite, between the lines, there was an air of not allowing refusal, a forceful insistence that she must go.
"A Hongmen Banquet," she simply said.