Chapter 403

Takumi did what he said.

Now that Sucrose was familiar with the place, Takumi had nothing else to do for the time being. The next step was to level the area completely and prepare it for development.

Takumi and Keqing got to work. Keqing handled the directing, while Takumi executed the tasks.

Using the power of the Geo Archon, Takumi flattened the rocky terrain, permanently altering the landscape. The natural scenery of Cuijue Slope remained, but Takumi removed the monster infestations in the area. Most of the remaining creatures were just Hilichurls and slimes, with the latter having been captured.

Treasure Hoarders had also been cleared out, leaving behind a few relic sites. However, nothing valuable remained, as those ruins had been looted long ago.

After smoothing out the necessary areas, Takumi also installed drainage systems. He had already laid out underground pipes, ensuring the place would be ready for future development. Perhaps a city could be built here one day, so preparing in advance was a wise move.

Once the ground was prepared, Takumi moved on to the bridge construction. This bridge connected Cuijue Slope to Guiliyuan's teleportation waypoint, mirroring the teleport anchors from the game. Eventually, a proper road would be built to connect everything seamlessly.

Looking at the completed bridge, Takumi was pleased.

"Send some workers to build the road," he instructed. "Survey the terrain yourselves. I won't interfere with the rest. Just make sure it connects smoothly to the main road outside."

After finishing the bridge, Takumi turned to Keqing. She nodded and handed him her notebook.

"I already mapped it out."

Takumi took a look and was surprised. She had planned the road construction in advance.

Though a straight path would have been the shortest, some areas made direct construction difficult. Keqing's plan included slight detours where necessary, making the road more practical.

"This works," Takumi said. "Let's head back to Sucrose. I need to give her some final instructions."

With that, Takumi and Keqing made their way back to Sucrose, who was already planting seeds.

Takumi explained, "Sucrose, workers will arrive soon. You'll instruct them on how to plant the medicinal herbs. Later, we'll establish a pharmaceutical factory here. For now, your priority is cultivating more herbs and refining herbal medicine. Keep researching other useful plants as well."

"If you need additional space, let Keqing know. She'll arrange for new facilities. Ideally, Cuijue Slope will become a large medicinal hub. Also, if you ever require assistance, just inform me, and I'll send people to help."

Hearing this, Sucrose's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Got it! I'll do my best!"

A massive medicinal base? That sounded great!

She also thought about reserving a section for her own plant experiments—maybe a "Sucrose's Secret Garden."

Takumi ensured that all necessary preparations were in place. The future health and safety of Liyue depended on these medicines, so he took the task seriously.

After wrapping up his instructions, Takumi left with Keqing.

Shortly after, the workers Keqing had arranged arrived.

Most of them were retired Qianyan Army soldiers. Keqing had secured stable jobs for them with good salaries, making the work attractive despite the remote location. Their main task was farming medicinal herbs—an easy job compared to their previous duties.

The site manager was a reserve secretary from Haiyue Pavilion. Keqing entrusted her with overseeing operations and coordinating with Sucrose.

Upon arrival, she introduced herself to Sucrose and familiarized herself with the work. Since the seeds were still being prepared, Sucrose had the workers clear the surrounding area while they waited.

Everything was progressing smoothly.

Meanwhile, back in Guiliyuan, Takumi remained busy.

He turned to Keqing and said, "Send over some farming equipment. Keep an eye on things for now. Even if we're not growing herbs, we could cultivate vegetables—Liyue Harbor is facing a shortage."

"Let's make use of every resource."

Keqing nodded. "Understood. I'll handle it."

Takumi trusted her completely. Keqing and Ganyu were incredibly reliable when it came to administration and logistics.

Returning to the General Affairs Department, Takumi found himself with some free time. He accessed the network's backend and began working on mapping updates.

He also designated the first building in Huang as the headquarters for the upcoming Internet company. That could be handled later, but for now, updating the map was the priority.

Inazuma still hadn't been fully integrated into the network.

Checking the current signal coverage, Takumi raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting… someone's extending the network into Sumeru?"

He quickly investigated and found something odd.

While the signal hadn't yet reached deep into Sumeru, Takumi detected a special signal emanating from its borders.

"The Akasha System?"

Takumi's eyes gleamed with interest.

If this network covered all of Sumeru, it meant there was potential for hacking.

The Akasha System stored vast amounts of knowledge.

The more he thought about it, the more intrigued he became.

For Takumi, knowledge was power.