Survival in the Ruins: I can make everything evolve infinitely

Chapter 16: House Design Blueprint

Mu Liang and Mino found the Rock-Armor Turtle near the hills, where a field of jagged rock spikes had appeared.

“Awuu~~” The Rock-Armor Turtle let out a pitiful cry upon seeing its master.

“Are you hungry?”

Mu Liang was stunned for a moment, and upon sensing the turtle’s mental response, he felt a headache coming on.

“Little Xuanwu is hungry?” Mino asked with her small mouth slightly agape.

The girl stared blankly at the massive figure of the Rock-Armor Turtle. How much food would it take to fill that thing up?

Ding! Feeding your tamed beast daily with 1 Evolution Point can resolve its hunger.

Mu Liang muttered internally with some frustration, System, couldn’t you have told me that earlier?

Feeding a creature of this size enough to be full would put his own stomach in danger.

The system remained silent: “…”

“Bring your head over here, and I’ll give you some energy to eat.” Mu Liang gestured for the Rock-Armor Turtle to approach.

“Energy?” Mino’s blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Awuu~~” The turtle roared softly and pushed its enormous head toward him.

“System, evolve the Rock-Armor Turtle and fill its stomach while you’re at it,” Mu Liang ordered, placing his palm on the turtle’s head.

Ding! Level 2 Rock-Armor Turtle evolving to Level 3. Deducting 100 Evolution Points.

Ding! Level 3 Rock-Armor Turtle evolution complete.

Ding! Talent evolution: Rock Burst Spike unlocked.

Ding! Synchronizing the tamer’s abilities with Level 3 ‘Rock Burst Spike.’

Mu Liang’s body underwent another enhancement, and the Rock-Armor Turtle’s abilities advanced.

“System, display attributes,” he requested, curious to see how much his lifespan had increased.

Tamer: Mu Liang.

Stamina: 22. Speed: 21.

Strength: 21. Spirit: 32.

Lifespan: 24 years / 420 years.

Taming Points: 10 (refreshes daily, accumulatable).

Evolution Points: 219.

Abilities:

• Rock Burst Spike (Level 3)
• Mimicry Stealth (Level 3)
• (Average human base stats: 1.)

Tamed Beasts:

• Rock-Armor Turtle:Talent: Rock Burst Spike (Level 3).
• Tri-Colored Lizard:Talent: Mimicry Stealth (Level 3).

“Not sure what the base stats are for enhanced beings, but I wonder how I compare.”

Mu Liang closed the attribute panel with a satisfied smile. Over four centuries of lifespan—unimaginable in the past.

“Mu Liang, look at Little Xuanwu!” Mino tugged at his sleeve, stammering.

Snapping back to reality, Mu Liang looked up and froze.

The Rock-Armor Turtle had grown even larger. If it had been the size of a ten-square-meter room before, now it was as big as a hundred-square-meter house.

“Awuu~~”

The turtle let out a thunderous roar, stomped its foot, and…

Bang! A one-meter-long rock spike burst out of the ground, shooting forward explosively and slamming into a cliff a hundred meters away.

Boom!!!

The cliff shattered as if struck by a cannonball.

Mino’s rabbit ears shot straight up, her blue eyes frozen in shock as she stared at the turtle’s display of power.

Mu Liang raised an eyebrow with a pleased smile. “Finally, some long-range attack capability.”

“Little Xuanwu is so… so powerful and so cool!” Mino finally snapped out of her daze, excitement spilling out of her. Her limited vocabulary struggled to keep up with her emotions.

“Little Xuanwu, take us up,” Mu Liang instructed mentally.

Now standing over six meters tall, the turtle’s rocky, spike-covered legs made climbing impossible.

“Awuu~~”@@novelbin@@

The Rock-Armor Turtle lowered itself, and a staircase of stone rose from the ground to its back.

Mu Liang took Mino by the hand, and the two walked up the staircase to the turtle’s broad back once more.

“It’s so spacious!” Mino exclaimed, twirling in delight as she marveled at the now tenfold-expanded surface of the turtle’s shell.

Watching the girl dart around like a butterfly, Mu Liang asked curiously, “Mino, what kind of house would you like to build?”

“Me?” Mino stopped, blinking in confusion.

“Yes, what kind of house do you like?” he clarified.

“Hmm… I’ll have to think about that.”

Mino crouched down with a troubled expression, her rabbit ears drooping and tangling together.

“So even her ears reflect her emotions,” Mu Liang observed with interest. He felt an urge to give them a playful tug.

After a long pause, Mino timidly suggested, “How about a wooden hut?”

“Think bigger. A wooden hut’s too simple,” Mu Liang replied with a chuckle.

“I can’t think of anything else,” she admitted, pouting.

“Then come take a look at what I drew.”

Mu Liang pulled a piece of cloth from his pocket and spread it out on the turtle’s back.

Mino leaned in, studying the black diagrams on the fabric. The more she looked, the more she liked it.

Her blue eyes lit up as she turned to Mu Liang, exclaiming, “Can we really build a house like this?”

“Of course,” he replied with a confident smile.

The blueprint was something Mu Liang had sketched out the night before—a simple house with two bedrooms, a living room, a bathroom, and a small yard.

“This house looks amazing, but how do we build it? Won’t we need a lot of stone?”

Mino’s excitement dimmed as her rabbit ears drooped again.

“Don’t forget where we’re standing,” Mu Liang said with a grin, stomping lightly on the turtle’s shell and mentally signaling the Rock-Armor Turtle. Bring up some rectangular stones.

“Awuu~~”

The turtle rumbled in acknowledgment, manipulating the rocks from the surrounding hills to rise and gather on its back.

One by one, rectangular stones of varying sizes piled up on the turtle’s shell.

“Little Xuanwu is amazing!” Mino’s blue eyes sparkled with awe.

“Next, we’ll arrange the stones according to the blueprint,” Mu Liang said, rolling up his sleeves and using charcoal to mark guidelines on the shell.

The turtle couldn’t comprehend blueprints, so building a house was still a bit beyond its capabilities—at least for now. Perhaps someday, when its intelligence grew further.

“Leave it to me!” Mino declared with determination.

“Good thing Little Xuanwu can control rocks. Otherwise, this would’ve been tricky,” Mu Liang mused as he sent a mental note of praise to the turtle.

Technically, the rocky spikes on the turtle’s shell could also be used to build the house, but that would compromise its defensive capabilities—a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Instead, using external stones and merging them with the turtle’s abilities eliminated the need for cement, ensuring the structure stayed stable on its back.

For a creature like the Rock-Armor Turtle, this added weight was insignificant.