For Yang Tao, renovating the Desert Rose's base was basically a piece of cake.
He took out a shovel from his backpack.
Derry, who was beside him, asked, "Mr. Yang, do you need our help?"
"No, you just need to clear the area."
With that, Yang Tao swung the shovel and struck the ground. The enchanted Nether alloy shovel dug through sand almost instantly. In everyone's eyes, Yang Tao merely waved the shovel in his hand, and the solid gravel on the ground vanished.
Seeing this, everyone quickly retreated to the stairs under Derry's command. The stone house wasn't very large, and in just over twenty seconds, the room's floor was completely cleared.
Yang Tao took out a Building Staff from his backpack, pointed it at the ground, and with a gentle tap, a layer of gray stone brick floor appeared before everyone.
This scene made everyone from Desert Rose involuntarily gape.
But then, things became even more fantastical.
Yang Tao took out some wooden fences from his backpack and placed them in the corner. The wooden fences connected the ground to the ceiling. Then, he took a bucket and poured a bucket of water into the gap within the wooden fences.
Even though there were gaps between the wooden fences large enough for a person to pass through, the clear water inside showed no signs of flowing out.
This time, the Desert Rose members' mouths were not just slightly agape; they had completely formed an 'O' shape.
"This will be your bathroom. I'll dig a well for you later and plant two plots of land."
Yang Tao stroked his chin, thinking about the design.
"I'll also reinforce the outside of this stone house and raise it to three stories, so you can use it as a watchtower…"
Actions spoke louder than words. Yang Tao first moved the sandbags and iron door at the entrance. The sandstorm outside had completely vanished, and the scorching sun once again shone on the endless desert.
Yang Tao waved his Building Staff and tapped lightly. Walls made of obsidian instantly surrounded the original stone house.
The reason he didn't demolish the stone house was because he sensed that this desert ruin seemed to possess a special ability. Even though there was nothing at the entrance, the dry, hot air from the desert simply couldn't enter the house.
He flew up and, using the Building Staff, quickly erected a three-story obsidian watchtower in the desert. This way, if there were any Wanderers nearby, they would definitely be able to see this dark purple building.
He installed a Minecraft iron door.
And installed a Lever on the wall inside the door. Yang Tao didn't believe that Sand Spirits could break through the iron door's defense.
The renovation took only twenty minutes. The original shabby and crude Desert Rose outpost was completely transformed. Not only was its defensive capability increased many times over, but its living standards also began to rise sharply.
Just the few plots of cultivated land Yang Tao opened up were enough for them to eat fresh vegetables in this godforsaken place.
After all this, the Desert Rose members looked at Yang Tao with fervent eyes, as if they had seen a true god descend.
Derry's face was flushed with excitement, and he didn't know how to express his feelings at that moment. He could only continuously express his gratitude to Yang Tao.
Seeing him like this, Yang Tao was afraid he might suddenly get so excited he'd have a cerebral hemorrhage, so he immediately smiled and said, "You're welcome. As I said earlier, since we met, it's fate. We've been here long enough; it's time for us to go."
"Eric, let's go…"
"Okay."
Eric put away his notebook and walked to his side. Derry, seeing this, quickly said, "Please wait, just a moment!"
With that, Derry hurried down the stairs to the basement, then quickly ran back up, took out a piece of paper, and handed it to Yang Tao, saying, "We really don't have anything to express our gratitude."
"This is a map drawn by our Desert Rose. Level 46 is very stable, so the information on it is also relatively accurate."
Yang Tao heard this and did not refuse the other party's kindness. He immediately reached out and took the map the other party handed over.
He opened the map and took a look.
It clearly marked some important locations, such as their outpost, the nearest oasis, and places where they could leave the level.
He handed the map to Eric. Eric also looked at the map, a excited smile appearing on his face. This item was very meaningful to him, and he immediately expressed his gratitude to Derry.
"You don't need to come out. We're leaving…"
With that, Yang Tao directly hoisted Eric onto his shoulder and flew high into the sky, saying to Eric, "Let's go check out the oasis first. If I'm too fast, just pat me twice."
"Okay!"
The scorching air made one not want to speak. Yang Tao identified the direction and began to slowly accelerate, flying towards the oasis marked on the map.
Along the way, the entire world truly seemed to be nothing but yellow sand. Aside from some ruins buried in the yellow sand, there wasn't even a single cactus.
However, very soon, after Yang Tao flew over a high sand dune, the oasis marked on the Desert Rose map appeared in Yang Tao's sight.
In a world full of yellow sand, that patch of green was like an emerald. Yang Tao carried Eric and quickly flew over, landing on the grass of the oasis.
The area of this oasis was not small.
Besides the lush plants around, there was also a pool of water. The environment here was also very magical; as soon as they entered, they could feel the dryness and heat of the desert completely disappear without a trace.
He gently put Eric down. As soon as he was down, Eric took out a bottle of yellow Almond water from his storage bag and poured it into his mouth.
"This desert is really too hot. Just in this short time, I feel a bit parched."
Yang Tao walked to the edge of the pool and smiled, "The Backrooms isn't an amusement park, so how could it be so comfortable? Some levels that look comfortable and simple might just be traps, dead zones where you can enter but not leave."
"Compared to that, this kind of level where the danger is clear is arguably the most friendly."
Eric nodded in agreement and said, "Yang, you're right. The most dangerous things in some levels aren't what's obvious, just like Level 0. The most dangerous things aren't Bacteria or the Duller, but the pervasive mental influence and isolation effect."
He put his hand into the pool. The cool water showed no abnormalities. He looked around and found a shelter built of branches on the opposite side of the pool.
It was very small, much like a temporary resting place hastily built during wilderness survival.
"Eric, let's go take a look."
The shelter had no door. The ground was covered with a thick layer of weeds and fallen leaves. Only a brand new manual was left on the weed-covered sleeping mat.
Yang Tao: "…"
He knew with certainty that this manual was problematic.
'Castros Museum'
In a small oasis in the endless desert, there was a museum promotional manual. Not to mention why this thing would appear in the desert, its brand new appearance alone was enough to prove that this thing was not normal.
Just like the Partygoer's 'Piñata'.
'Is the Backrooms soliciting customers like this now?'
Eric aimed his camera at the booklet and pressed the shutter, asking, "Yang, is this thing a key to other levels?"
Yang Tao could see that this thing was problematic, and Eric was naturally not a fool.
A key? Heh heh, an invitation would be more accurate.
"It should be an invitation to the Castros Museum. If I'm not mistaken, as long as you pick it up, you'll be teleported into this museum."
Museum…
Just hearing the name, it sounded like a good place. A slight curve appeared at the corner of Yang Tao's mouth.
"Eric, you explore here for a bit. I'll wait for you here."