With a wave of his hand, Logan stored the duplicated barrels and the original barrels separately in his space.
Since duplicates couldn't be duplicated again, he would always use the duplicates first and then, when they were used up, use the duplication function again.
It seemed that the current number of duplication uses might not be enough.
The current interface of the treasure basin was:
[Cornucopia]
[Storage Space: 96*96*96]
[Required Wealth Points for Upgrade: 32,000]
[Function: Item Duplication * 20]
[Required Wealth Points for Upgrade: 58,500]
When the apocalypse came, he would need to find some gold, silver, and jewels to upgrade the treasure basin.
After taking a nap, the next morning, during his usual morning exercise, Logan received a call from David Lin.
David Lin brought news about the geotechnical survey results of two locations.
As Logan had suspected, the cliff's rock had begun to show signs of weathering. While it could be habitable for decades in the current climate, how long it would hold out under extreme cold was uncertain.
However, the mountain at the old temple site was full of granite and very stable.
So, Logan decisively chose the old temple site.
He asked David Lin to negotiate the price, and Logan booked a flight to South City for the next morning online.
He needed to inspect the site personally.
Then, he could design a detailed plan for the shelter based on the terrain.
The warehouse needed someone to guard it. Logan had ordered many things online that needed to be signed for, and there were still some items from the mall that hadn't been delivered and needed to be unloaded and stored.
After thinking it over, Logan hired someone completely unrelated to the moving crew to watch over the warehouse.
He also reminded the moving crew to keep an eye on the quantity of goods.
After making all the arrangements, Logan set off for the flight to South City.
South City truly lived up to its reputation as the hottest city in Xia Country.
Even though it was only March, girls in cool, short-sleeved shirts and shorts flaunted their youthful bodies everywhere.
As soon as Logan got off the plane, he took off his jacket, revealing a loose short-sleeved shirt underneath.
The muscles on his arms and chest were faintly outlined but not overly pronounced.
To the outside observer, he just looked like someone with a well-proportioned body.
Only Logan knew how drastically his body had changed after weeks of rigorous training since his rebirth.
Logan was very strict with himself, increasing his training load every day compared to the previous day.
Now, his strength was on par with those who had trained in the gym for years.
But he wasn't training just for fitness—he was training for battle!
He wanted every inch of his muscles and bones to be able to exert maximum strength at a moment's notice.
This required keeping his muscles flexible while increasing strength without becoming too bulky and compromising agility.
With just over two months left, time was short. Logan had to make the most of each day to grow stronger.
The brutality of the apocalypse couldn't be countered by having enough supplies alone. On the contrary, having ample supplies but lacking the strength to defend them would be more tragic than having nothing at all!
David Lin had arrived early at the airport exit, waiting for Logan to disembark.
Spotting Logan in the crowd, David Lin quickly waved the sign he was holding.
Logan saw David Lin immediately. After meeting up, the two left the airport and got into a car.
Because they were looking for a suitable homestead, David Lin had rented a car for convenience.
In the car, David Lin initiated a conversation to build rapport with Logan:
"Boss, you must be tired from the journey. Shall I first take you to a place to rest?"
"No need. Just tell me about the old temple site."
David Lin straightened up and said, "I spoke with the owner of that land. It's on a mountain, in a remote location, so the asking price isn't high—just $500,000. I've already negotiated it down to 480,000."
This price was even cheaper than Logan had expected.
In fact, housing prices in South City weren't particularly high; even in the city center, it was just over $20,000 per square meter.
It couldn't compare with Harbor City.
This old temple site was in the mountains, so naturally, it was cheaper.
"I saw in your report that the area is over 300 square meters?" Logan asked.
"That's right. In fact, the land around the homestead is several hundred square meters, which, while it can't be built on, would be excellent for a garden or vegetable patch."
Logan nodded.
The vehicle drove for nearly an hour before arriving at the foot of the mountain where the old temple site was located.
As David Lin had mentioned, there was a village at the foot of the mountain.
The village consisted of low houses, with the tallest being no more than five storeys.
The village was surrounded by mountains, with only one gap in the circle of peaks.
This was a very advantageous location, capable of blocking a lot of wind and snow.
Seeing the vehicle enter the village, many villagers came out of their homes to watch.
The village was small, with only about a hundred households scattered around.
This also satisfied Logan.
Fewer people meant fewer complications.
David Lin had made several trips here over the past few days, so his face was already familiar to the villagers.
But Logan was a new face, and many older women stood together, pointing at the two men.
Because of the distance, Logan couldn't hear what they were saying.
"Boss, those are the villagers. I've checked, and there are a total of 96 households in this village, with a population of no more than 400."
Logan nodded to show he understood.
"We'll reach the site after driving up this road for about ten minutes," David Lin said, pointing to a narrow concrete road that could only accommodate one vehicle.
The mountain wasn't tall, rising only a few meters above the ground, so they arrived quickly.
The top of the mountain wasn't as uneven as expected. Instead, it was very flat.
It covered an area of about 700 square meters.
The old temple had collapsed, leaving behind only some wood, bricks, and half-crumbled walls.
This wasn't a problem; rebuilding would be convenient.
Logan looked around with satisfaction.
"Not bad. When can we complete the paperwork?"
"The owner of this homestead is out of town. It took me a lot of effort to get his contact information. After negotiating the price yesterday, he said he would return as quickly as possible to complete the formalities. When I contacted him this morning, he was already on the train and is expected to arrive this afternoon."
"Good. Then let's head back down the mountain."
Building a shelter was a massive project with tight deadlines and heavy tasks. To complete it within just over two months, Logan needed to arrange for sufficient manpower.
The more hands, the better.
Logan already had a preliminary idea of the shelter in his mind and was planning how many people he would need.
The two returned to the foot of the mountain.
Since the land transfer paperwork needed to be completed in the city, David Lin arranged to meet the owner directly at the relevant department in the afternoon, so they didn't linger in the village.
The land transfer process went smoothly.
The original owner, a middle-aged Taoist, didn't have the celestial aura one might expect; he was rather round. After signing the transfer contract, he hesitated but ultimately said nothing, quickly leaving after receiving the money.
This gave Logan a slight sense of foreboding.
"David, did you find out why that temple was abandoned?"