Chapter 848: Elite Shelters
"Ahh... You’re right! I wonder if it has any special effects." Evan muttered. They had seen Shane before in the Waiting Zone, so they weren’t clueless about how he looked.
Soon, the group started appraising the Statue.
[ The Floating Shane: A small shrine erected by the loyal people supporting Shane, commemorating his leadership, strength, and contributions to the survival of humanity in this apocalyptic world.
[ The residents of Floating Fortress obtained Morale Boost, Defender’s Aura, Survivor’s Blessing. ]
[ Morale Boost: The inhabitants of the Floating Fortress feel a deep sense of pride and security. Shelter members gain a 15% increase in productivity and a 50% boost in Willpower Resistance against mental attacks and fear-based effects. ]
[ Defender’s Aura: The statue exudes a protective presence. Any hostile entity that approaches within a 500-meter radius of Floating Fortress will suffer a slight decrease in Strength and Agility. ]
[ Survivor’s Blessing: As long as the statue remains in the fortress, it will provide a Blessing. Whenever the Fortress is under siege, all defenders gain a temporary 50% boost to their overall combat effectiveness. ]
"Now.. That’s impressive."
None of them bothered to check this before since they were too amazed by the other things they’ve seen, like the elves, the standing-by Mech Frames, and others.
"Right... It’s just incredible. Even the training dummies they have were special. They won’t break easily."
Iona’s group, meanwhile, was fascinated by the fountain.
She bent down, touched the water lightly, then inhaled for a moment as if she wanted to know if it had any scent.
To her surprise, she felt something just now.
"Mhmm... This is..."
Iona cupped her hands and let the clear liquid run between her fingers. Her brows furrowed as she inhaled deeply again.
"This isn’t ordinary water. Not even purified... it’s something else."
One of her companions crouched beside her, peering into the depths of the fountain.
Then, his eyes widened. As a crafter, he had an appraisal ability that was a lot better than many of them.
"There... at the bottom. Do you see that glow?"
The group leaned in closer. Beneath the rippling surface, they noticed tiny shards of crystal at the very bottom.
Eva squinted her eyes as she also felt something on it.
She had studied countless mystical items, enhanced weapons, and system artifacts, but this was different.
"That’s not a trick of the light... those are real crystals. They’re... leaking energy into the water."
Evan, who prided himself on being hard to impress, exhaled slowly. He had just finished appraising the item!
"Mana Crystals...? Don’t tell me this is actually... mana water."
The word itself felt foreign on their tongues.
Mana wasn’t something they had truly encountered in this world before. Spirit Energy? Yes. Skills? Yes. But mana? That was the stuff of fantasy stories.
Yet the proof shimmered right before them.
"This explains the purity... and why the air here feels... richer..." Iona whispered. She touched her chest as if her very body had reacted to it. "No wonder the elves are here. If mana exists in this world... then Shane has tapped into something far beyond the rest of us."
No one spoke for a long moment...
They couldn’t help but feel impressed.
Finally, Evan straightened and brushed his hands against his coat as though to shake off the creeping awe.
"Well, that settles it. This place isn’t just a fortress. It’s a different world altogether. Best not to talk about this part outside. People would lose their minds."
"Wait... I think Shane wanted us to talk about it. Maybe like some sort of free advertisement..."
"True... We will be restricted if we’re not allowed to enter here anyway. He knew that we would discover this."
"Then, should we share this information with others?"
"Mhm... Let’s do that later. Maybe after the event. Or maybe I’ll ask the elf later if one of them passed by."
The others nodded firmly. Some secrets were best kept hidden and they weren’t sure if this Mana Crystal and Mana Water here were part of it.
Still, the thrill of discovery burned in their eyes as they opened the regional chat. They couldn’t help themselves. They at least had to let people know they were here.
[ Evan: My group and I arrived safely. The Floating Fortress isn’t just a fortress. It’s like stepping into another world. Rooms, food, and security here are beyond anything outside. Worth every core spent. ]
[ Eva: We’re also here now. Good luck to all of you who are very brave to face the Red Night head-on. The training areas here alone are on another level. Even guest zones feel better than most Survivor Shelters I’ve ever seen. ]
[ Iona: Our group had also arrived, and I think more of us lucky Survivors who got selected were about to come. Fresh food, fresh herbs, hot bread. The fortress doesn’t serve rations. It serves meals. That should tell you enough. I wonder about the situation of other Clan Shelters that had decided to copy Shane’s business. ]
[ Evan: Right, I wonder if the Lord Alliance or the Survivor Pact had incredible perks as well. This place is guarded by freakin Androids! ]
The chat exploded immediately.
[ Leo: Liar. Don’t exaggerate. ]
[ Mira: Androids? Stop making things up! ]
[ Kellen: I also applied. You people are lucky to be there... ]
[ Jun: So unfair. We scrape by while some of you sit in luxury. ]
[ Sera: No, Evan’s right. I saw it myself when we visited the Eclipse Domain before. We saw machines walking around, with glowing eyes and metal armor. They were not called Androids, they were Warden Units. ]
[ Ren: Hah. Androids, Golems, Bishops... what’s next? Dragons in your backyard? ]
[ Hal: Careful. I’m in the Lord Alliance shelter. We do have Golems. I’ve seen them patrol the outer walls, stone giants with runes carved into their bodies. ]
[ Jax: ...No way. Are they made of stone? Diamond? Crystal or something? ]
[ Hal: Mixed. Anyway, believe what you want. When one of those monsters tried raiding us, the Golems here could crush them like insects. I only paid 400 Zombie Cores to get here. ]
[ Mira: What the hell... so all the elite shelters are like this? ]