Arya had made her fortune through potions, and since Potionology fell under Alchemy, it promised the greatest improvement for her skills. That settled it. As for the others… she would deal with them later.
Arya looked at the book, Basic Potionology, took a deep breath, and hesitated for a moment before moving her finger toward the screen. Finally, gritting her teeth, she pressed down.
"Hoo—"
Arya exhaled, feeling the stale air in her chest leave her body as she watched the leather-bound book appear on the small screen. It was a good choice; now, she didn't have to agonize over deciding again.
Setting aside her worries, Arya picked up the book, flipped through it briefly, and closed it. She had made the right decision—this item was practical and would be extremely helpful for her Alchemy. She would study it thoroughly later.
Next, she approached the desk, intending to check the requirements for upgrading to Level 3. That's when she noticed the text floating above the Level 2 Tree Hole Shelter:
[Note: Once named, it cannot be changed. Please consider carefully.]
Consider carefully? Did she really need to think about that? Arya immediately typed in two characters: High Tower. Yes, even though it only had two floors, it deserved a tall building's name. Perhaps this obsession reflected her fascination with height—or maybe it was a psychological imprint from the past three grueling days.
After completing the naming process, she checked the requirements for the Level 3 upgrade:
[Tree Hole Shelter (Level 3) Upgrade Requirements: Wood × 25,000, Stone × 1,000, Vines × 5,000, E-grade monster crystal core × 100]
Her jaw dropped. The requirements had increased tenfold! At this rate, would Level 4 require 250,000 units of wood? Clearly, the Tree Hole Shelter's expansion consumed an enormous amount of materials. Where all this wood disappeared to was a mystery.
Never mind that—Arya decided to check the Alchemy Workshop first.
The Workshop was partitioned off with wooden boards. The small room measured about ten square meters. Inside, a sturdy wooden table occupied the center, with several wooden platforms likely meant for placing items. Beside it was a circular window, identical to the one outside, with an iron step beneath it. Other than that, the room was empty.
[Apprentice-Grade Alchemy Array Base (E)]
[Function: Use magic to engrave your exclusive Alchemy Array and place your crucible on it.]
[Description: Apprentices are peculiar; they often elevate Alchemy Arrays beyond what is expected. An iron base is sufficient because if it gets damaged, no one will mourn it.]
Ah, so that was why it was made of iron. It served as a base for engraving her Alchemy Array. Judging by the description, novice apprentices weren't held in high regard—but engraving one's Alchemy Array was no simple task.
Newly introduced Alchemists who had just started studying Symbolism and Cartography often had a lot to say about this. After inspecting the Workshop, Arya moved to the adjacent bathroom.
The bathroom was a combined toilet and bath unit. It had a squat toilet, a washbasin, a showerhead, and even a mirror.
A squat toilet?
Arya grimaced. Did she really look built for squatting? Never mind—it was better than nothing.
Sighing, she turned to go upstairs. The previously windowless room now featured a large semicircular floor-to-ceiling glass sliding door. Outside was an even larger semicircular terrace. Arya gently pushed the door open and floated out, discovering a vine-woven A-frame awning covering one-third of the terrace. Now she had a place to dry herbs and another to relax and read. She briefly wondered whether it was sturdy—but climbing vines appeared firmly rooted to the tree trunk, so she needn't worry.
Floating further, she noticed the Alchemy Workshop window diagonally below. Next to it was a square wooden box—the bathroom's water tank. Opening it, she found it empty; it seemed she would need to fill it herself.
Further out, light shone from the Shelter entrance window. Arya went outside and moved all her bedding next to the fireplace. She then brought books and the Magic Lantern upstairs.
She had originally planned to refine medicine that night, but she lacked sufficient test tubes, and her previous potions hadn't sold out. More importantly, she had acquired many new books; it would be a disservice not to study them. And, of course, the most vital reason: now that she had a proper bathroom, she could enjoy a good shower.
Although the water was cold, Arya felt remarkably refreshed after bathing. Once finished, she lay on the bed, quietly absorbing knowledge from her books, paying no attention to the world outside.
Meanwhile, those waiting at their desks, demanding answers, stared intently. Half an hour passed without a single reply.
"Break it up. She's busy; she can't respond to all your messages," one muttered.
"Exactly! She acts all high and mighty, sucking our blood. I despise people like that," another said.
"Do you really think that saying this will influence everyone's opinion of Arya?" someone scoffed.
"If you can resist buying Magic Potions, I'll admit you're amazing," another quipped.
"Heh heh. These people aren't acting like naïve university students, are they?"
"Hey, Eile Ell, what's wrong with university students? I'm one too, but that doesn't make me stupid," someone argued.
"If I had to guess, they probably took some handouts and then rushed out to bite people," said another.
"Let the bullets fly. In my experience as an undercover agent, the mastermind is trying to manipulate public opinion to pressure Arya," one added.
"Ivan, you're an undercover agent!?"
"What else?"
"Good, good! I didn't expect you to hold out until Karim jumped in. I will avenge our fallen comrades," another declared.
The discussion drifted, as often happens online when a new topic appears. Soon, no one cared about Arya's upgraded Shelter; their attention turned to their own upgrades. Only by raising the level of their Shelter could they hope to survive beyond the novice period.
Some calculated that seven days was the maximum time for ordinary people to successfully upgrade their Shelter to Level 2. Even without the Magic Wheel Axe, seven days barely sufficed to gather thousands of units of basic materials—assuming they worked from sunrise to sunset without rest. Monster crystals had to be accounted for separately.
Arya, however, remained entirely absorbed in her studies, indifferent to the chatter outside. She was determined to master Potionology and Alchemy, no matter how long it took. The Tower Witch's journey was just beginning.