Plain thatched huts 10,000 Luster Shards,
Refined log cabin: 30,000 to 1 million Luster Shards.
Luxury manor: 3 million to 5 million Luster Shards.
Small Hermit’s Sanctum: 14 million to 30 million Luster Shards.
Medium Hermit’s Sanctum: 50 million to 100 million Luster Shards.
Premium Hermit’s Sanctum: 1 billion Luster Shards.
2
Compound Small Hermit’s Sanctum: Over one billion Luster Shards. The page for this option was grayed out. so it wasn’t unlocked yet.
Linda scrolled through the listings and went for the lowest–priced Small Hermit’s Sanctum, shelling out 14 million Luster Shards.
Even within the same tier, prices varied, not because of the time acceleration, which was identical, but because of differences in space and how upscale the place looked.
Linda didn’t care about having a big or fancy place. She was only after the time acceleration.
The Small Hermit’s Sanctum had time flowing at five times the normal speed.
Linda figured that the highest–tier Compound Small Hermit’s Sanctum could probably boost time flow to eight or even ten times faster.
However, since that option wasn’t available to her, she couldn’t say for sure.
She assumed it was a matter of not having the right permissions.
But for now, fivefold acceleration was more than enough for her.
But the deeper one went, the more one had to burn through Luster Shards.
The thatched huts at the beginning were like those low–cost starter packs in online games, enticing newbies
with a cheap entry fee. The moment one got hooked on the perks, the price skyrocketed.
Suddenly, one was staring at price tags in the millions, even tens of millions of Luster Shards.
But for Linda, it was all worth it.
Five days inside the sanctum, just one day in the real world.
Spend a month inside, and it was like getting five months‘ worth of training.
Plus, the lockout timer had changed; from a few days before, now it only reset after a whole month outside.
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Chapter 79
If Linda could set aside a month, she’d get five months of uninterrupted cultivation inside.
“Totally worth it,‘ she thought.
Linda didn’t hesitate for a second. She hit “Confirm” without a second thought.
55 vouchers
The log cabin in front of her transformed into a Small Hermit’s Sanctum, a simple courtyard layout, nothing fancy at all.
But what made Linda happy was that this time, they didn’t skimp on the amenities.
There were two meditation rooms in the side wings, an Artificer’s Forge, an Alchemy Chamber, and a small courtyard in the center, all topped by a small, shimmering ward array overhead.
Of course, there weren’t any tools or equipment provided.
It was just space.
The rules spelled it out: whatever one wanted, just spend their Luster Shards.
Here, as long as one was willing to shell out enough Luster Shards, it would deliver, no questions asked.
But as for the house itself, Linda was more than satisfied.
She brought Emmett, Dermot, and Dream–Weaver Elder inside. As soon as Dream–Weaver Elder stepped into the space, his face went from surprise to pure shock.
He blurted out, “Is this the Null Space?”
“How can there be a Null Space like this? The rules here aren’t like those outside. They’re set by someone else.
“Who owns this place?”
He rattled off three questions in a row.
Linda replied, “I don’t know.”
Dream–Weaver Elder was utterly shocked. Even as a remnant of memory, none of the inherited memories could fathom this at all.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was some massive, mysterious scheme hidden behind the Mystic Exchange.
After all, this was a Null Space completely independent of Atrufset.
A world of its own, one that could keep even the immortals from prying in.
Dream–Weaver Elder was desperate to explore the Mystic Exchange, but he quickly realized he couldn’t even begin to investigate it.
The moment he tried to probe deeper into this world, an overwhelming, sinister force pressed down on him.
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Chapter 79
It was as if something was warning him or ready to erase him from existence at any moment.
Dream–Weaver Elder was instantly gripped by a chilling fear.
The dread of death, and of vanishing completely, flooded his mind.
Only when Linda spoke did that suffocating force finally fade away.
55 vouchers
“Don’t bother,” Linda said. “Right now, the Mystic Exchange only has the homestead and trading systems unlocked. Everything else is off–limits.”
Once she stepped outside the Hermit’s Sanctum, it was nothing but desert as far as she could see.
Endless sands stretched on forever. No matter how far she walked, there was no edge, no neighbors, nothing. In the domain of her Hermit’s Sanctum, she was utterly alone.
Plus, access was bound to her Disciple Token signature.
It didn’t matter which token she used.
As long as her soul was verified, Linda could get in.
However, if she went with her Disciple Token, the First Unity Coven’s special Seance Circle and locator arrays made it a breeze for others to pinpoint her location and uncover her identity.
That was exactly why Linda had Rafael set up a few alt accounts for her.
But no matter which account she used, it always brought her to Linda’s Hermit’s Sanctum.
Otherwise, if she had to upgrade a new Hermit’s Sanctum for every account, she couldn’t bear to spend that many Luster Shards.
Dream–Weaver Elder sat on the stone steps of the courtyard, looking utterly lost in thought, while Emmett, the little rock, just rolled around aimlessly, completely carefree,
Then Emmett stretched out his stubby arms and legs, waddled over to Linda, and put his hands on his hips. “Master, the time flow here is awesome, but the energy isn’t nearly as rich as what you get in Dream–Weaver Lake.”
“Yep,” Linda said, not missing a beat.
“That’s why I’m planning to tap into Dream–Weaver Lake to fix up my Gilded Cores.”
Emmett asked, “How are you gonna do that?”
Linda replied, “Just open up the Amethyst Band here and let me in. That way, I’ll get five times the time flow, right?”
Emmett, Dermot, and Dream–Weaver Elder all stared at her in awe. “Wow, that’s so smart.”
Linda smirked, “Honestly, I think I get why you flunked your ascension.”
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Chapter 80
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
