Lin Xiao wasn't surprised by Liu Yunian's concern. He shrugged and replied, "Just have the royal family collect a deposit."
"The royal family doesn't have a strong background, so they wouldn't want to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Let them make it clear to those sects and collect a deposit. It'll also give the royal family a chance to pressure them."
He continued to explain, "After all, if these sects had truly strong backing, the three major sects wouldn't be in such a poor state. The relationship between the sects and their backers was evident when the Sunyang Sect fell into trouble and no one stepped forward to support them. It's clear that this situation isn't unique to Sunyang Sect."
"Think about it. If the other sects had a strong relationship with their backers, they wouldn't have hesitated to take advantage of Sunyang's downfall. They'd have seized the opportunity to strike and eliminate them."
Hearing this, Liu Yunian suddenly understood, "So their relationship with their backers is not that close. If the royal family applies some pressure, they won't dare to cut off their own source of income."
Seeing that Liu Yunian had grasped the idea, Lin Xiao nodded with a smile. "Exactly."
Feeling more confident, Liu Yunian said enthusiastically, "I'll send a letter to the capital tomorrow!"
With that matter settled, Lin Xiao addressed the group, "Everyone, we're about to begin the construction of our floating island. After your daily cultivation, you can all help out by digging up soil or cutting trees. We have a lot to build, and we'll need plenty of materials. I'm also planning to build a large kitchen for Fuzi on the island, and maybe even a dining hall."
He pointed to the crowded dining table in front of them. "We're already running out of room at the table."
Hearing this, the group eagerly put down their bowls and chopsticks, nodding in agreement.
"Lin Xiao's right! I'll start digging right after my cultivation tomorrow!" one said.
"I'll chop wood!" another offered.
"I can help with the transportation!" a third chimed in.
"I know how to build houses! Just tell me what kind of dining hall and kitchen you want, and I can help with the construction!" someone added.
"I'll help too! I can even assist Elder Lin in making furniture!" another shouted.
The group's enthusiasm grew so intense that everyone seemed ready to roll up their sleeves and start working right away.
Lin Xiao quickly intervened, "No need to rush! The floating island is huge. We can't build it all in just one or two days. Take your time, no need to hurry."
Despite his words, early the next morning, before Lin Xiao had even finished his breakfast, he rushed up to the floating island after spending the night mining spirit stones. To his surprise, he found that a large pile of soil, wood, and other materials had already been stacked on the island.
In addition, several rows of trees and plants, with their roots carefully wrapped in soil, had been arranged neatly. A small brick kiln had even been constructed, sealed, and lit for firing.
Clearly, the work had started in the middle of the night.
Seeing this, Lin Xiao felt a mixture of pride and amusement. These brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, elders, and grandparents... they had worked so hard.
Not long after, he ran into Tietou, who was carrying another load of materials up to the island.
"Hey, Lin Xiao! Finished cultivating already?" Tietou greeted him cheerfully as he unloaded the supplies.
Lin Xiao sighed, "I told you there was no rush. Why didn't you help me stop everyone from working through the night?"
Tietou scratched his head and chuckled. "Well, everyone was so excited about building the floating island. We couldn't just sit around doing nothing. This is my last load, though. Everyone else has already gone back to cultivate, and I'll be heading there after this."
Seeing Tietou act like it was no big deal, Lin Xiao asked, "How's your training in artifact forging going?"
Caught off guard, Tietou hesitated. "Uh, it's... it's going alright, I guess?"
Noticing that Tietou seemed to have lost interest in forging, Lin Xiao couldn't help but reflect on the fleeting passions of youth. He patted Tietou's shoulder and spoke with a mock-serious tone, "Tietou, our sect has Elder Yi Gao for alchemy, Elder Liu for talismans, and Yuanjiao for formations. The only thing we're missing is an expert in artifact forging. I've always had high hopes for you."
Tietou was taken aback by Lin Xiao's words. He had thought his role was simply to lead the patrols with Tuantuan, but to his surprise, Lin Xiao had placed such a heavy responsibility on his shoulders...
After his time in the Greenfield Secret Realm, he had slacked off in his artifact forging training. He hadn't expected Lin Xiao to entrust him with such an important role.
"Don't worry, Lin Xiao! I promise, starting today, I'll get back to focusing on artifact forging. I'll make it my top priority, second only to cultivation!"
"That's the spirit," Lin Xiao nodded in satisfaction. "Our sect's future Artifact Hall depends on you. Keep working hard."
With newfound determination, Tietou thumped his chest and said confidently, "Leave it to me, Lin Xiao! I'll take full responsibility for the future of the Artifact Hall!"
After Tietou left to cultivate, Lin Xiao turned his attention to the brick kiln. He took some of the materials scattered around the island, neatly gathering the rest and leaving them untouched.
He then took out two blocks of Chilling Jade. There were still plenty left in the sect's storage, as Lin Xiao had cleared out almost all the Chilling Jade from the ice caves in the frozen plains secret realm.
Although Chilling Jade was a top-tier material for crafting, the sect didn't have an immediate need for it. Leaving it to gather dust in storage wasn't Lin Xiao's style. He preferred to put materials to use rather than hoarding them.
This time, he didn't plan on building a small library like the other buildings below. With more space available on the floating island, he wanted to create a grand, imposing Library Pavilion.
With two blocks of Chilling Jade, the spirit stones he had mined overnight, and the materials everyone had gathered through the night, Lin Xiao was confident he could synthesize an impressive library.
Opening the Building Synthesizer, Lin Xiao quickly fed in various materials, spirit stones, and even a few books to guide the synthesizer's direction.
Perhaps it was because of the large amount of spirit stones he had invested in Lingyun Mountain the day before, but now Lin Xiao found that making another significant investment didn't feel as painful.
He was already starting to envision the magnificent library that would soon rise on the floating island. It would be grand indeed.
He didn't have to wait long.
Soon, the system's notification chimed in his mind:
[Ding! The Library Pavilion has been successfully synthesized. Please select its placement location.]