The air base had grown quieter over the past three days. Almost all of Elric's women had descended to the shelter below, their days now consumed by the endless work of management, construction, and recruitment. The new settlement was taking shape, brick by brick, and their presence was essential to maintaining order among the growing population.
Only Elizabeth remained behind.
While the others negotiated, organized, and commanded, she had retreated into her natural habitat—the laboratory. Surrounded by gleaming instruments, glowing data screens, and endless rows of bottles and containers filled with compounds both familiar and experimental, Elizabeth found herself in her element. The solitude didn't bother her. In fact, she thrived in it. Science had always been her truest companion.
But there was another reason she didn't mind staying behind.
Elric came to see her. Every single day. Multiple times, in fact.
Of all the women in his growing collection, Elizabeth had become the one he visited most frequently during these three days.
Elizabeth understood the practical reality behind his attention. She wasn't naïve enough to romanticize it, though a small part of her—the part she tried to silence—felt something warm each time he appeared at the laboratory doors.
There were two clear reasons for Elric's repeated visits.
First, Elizabeth possessed an exceptionally high monthly reward limit within the system's framework. The numbers didn't lie. If he didn't utilize that limit, the potential would simply go to waste, evaporating at the end of each cycle. Efficiency demanded he make full use of her unique value.
Second, and perhaps more importantly, was the air base itself.
While weapons, supplies, and even superhuman soldiers were valuable assets, the base transcended all of them. It wasn't just a facility or a fortress. It was his home. His foundation. The literal bedrock upon which his growing empire would be built.
And if he wanted to push that foundation higher, to unlock new capabilities and expand his domain, Elizabeth was the optimal source. Her contributions translated directly into base upgrade points—the currency of advancement in this strange new world.
As Elric rose from the lab bed where Elizabeth lay catching her breath, that familiar mechanical voice echoed through his consciousness.
Ding!
Congratulations to the host for obtaining materials: Base Upgrade Points ×200.
A faint smile crossed Elric's lips. He opened the system panel with a thought, the translucent interface materializing before his eyes where only he could see it. After three days of careful accumulation, the total had reached a satisfying number.
Base Upgrade Points: 500
According to the progression rules embedded in the system's architecture, that was enough. Enough to push forward. Enough to claim new territory, new capabilities, new power.
He could upgrade two full levels.
"Upgrade," Elric said aloud, his voice calm but decisive.
Air Base Upgrade Sequence
Ding!
Congratulations to the host. Air Base upgraded to Level 7.
The moment the confirmation came through, Elric felt it—a deep vibration that started at the core of the floating island and rippled outward. The entire structure trembled, not with instability, but with transformation.
Upgrade Effects:
The total area of the air base island has doubled.
All buildings and facilities (Sky Lake, vegetation zones, residential areas) have expanded proportionally.
Residential capacity upgraded to:- 3 Deluxe Rooms- 50 Upper Rooms- 30 Basic Rooms
Functional Building Expansion:- Two existing functional rooms may be upgraded- Two new functional rooms unlocked
New Rooms Available:✔ Game Room✔ Gym
Elric considered his options for only a moment. The choice was obvious.
"Upgrade the laboratory and the love room."
The response was immediate and dramatic.
BOOM—
The entire air base shuddered with raw power. Elizabeth gasped as the laboratory around her began to shift, expand, and evolve. The island itself stretched outward in all directions, its edges pushing into the sky as if claiming more of the heavens for Elric's domain.
What had once been only a fraction of the Ginkgo Society's footprint now matched the entire community below. From the ground, the base must have looked like a massive floating continent, looming above the neighborhood with undeniable dominance.
Oppressive. Majestic. Unmistakably powerful.
Yet despite its enormous scale and the shadow it cast, the base remained translucent, infused with soft ethereal light that prevented the area below from plunging into darkness. It was a mercy, perhaps, or simply an aesthetic choice built into the system's design.
Down in the Ginkgo Society community, people stopped whatever they were doing and stared upward in shock and awe.
"My god... is this Mr. Elric's doing?"
"With methods like this, he's no different from a god."
"Just like Natasha said... Mr. Elric is the savior of this era."
Whispers spread through the streets like wildfire. What began as fear quickly transformed into something more useful—faith. In this apocalyptic world where everything familiar had crumbled, people desperately needed something to believe in.
Elric was becoming that something.
Laboratory – Level 7
Inside the base, Elizabeth didn't care about the island's expansion or the community's reaction. Her entire focus was locked on the laboratory.
The moment the upgrade completed, her breath caught in her throat.
A wave of blue energy swept through the room like liquid light. The laboratory expanded several times over in an instant, its walls pushing outward to accommodate row after row of new equipment.
Elizabeth's eyes went wide as instruments materialized from nothing—sleek, advanced machines that looked like they belonged in a science fiction film. Quantum analyzers. Genetic sequencers that worked at speeds she'd only dreamed of. Synthesis chambers with precision she couldn't even calculate.
Her hands trembled as she approached the nearest device, her scientific mind racing to process what she was seeing.
"These instruments..." Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "They don't even exist in most safe zones."
She slowly turned her head, staring at Elric with an expression that mixed disbelief, excitement, and something approaching reverence.
"You did this?"
The question wasn't an accusation. It was wonder.
Elric smiled faintly, pleased by her reaction.
Elizabeth nodded slowly, her mind already spinning with possibilities. With equipment like this, she could accelerate her research by years. Decades, perhaps. The potential was staggering.
The Residential Building
After finishing his business in the laboratory, Elric left Elizabeth to explore her new playground. He made his way toward the residential building, his mind shifting to the next matter requiring his attention.
Inside were Mia, Kely, and the other two girls who had been brought to the base days ago.
For the past two days, they had been confined within the residential area. Not in cells or cages—Elric wasn't needlessly cruel—but they had quickly discovered that without his explicit permission, escape was impossible. The base itself seemed to respond to his will, doors remaining locked, pathways shifting subtly to prevent unauthorized departure.
They had no powers. No leverage. No realistic options.
Under continuous persuasion and psychological pressure from Grace and the others, cracks had finally begun to form in their resistance. The combination of comfort, safety, food, and the gentle but persistent arguments about survival and pragmatism had worn down their defenses.
At last, the breakthrough had come.
Kely had agreed.
She had agreed to be taken in. To accept her role. To join the system that would bind her to Elric and grant her purpose in this transformed world.
As Elric approached the residential building, his expression remained calm and controlled. But inside, satisfaction hummed through him.
The next phase was about to begin.
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