Chapter 277: Challenges [2] The World Tree represented an opportunity that he couldn’t miss, but reaching it alive would require strategic thinking that balanced ambition with survival. Whilst he was technically ’immortal’ in the way that once he died, he would respawn back on earth. That didn’t change the fact that he didn’t want to die if possible. Furthermore, based on the way that Adrian and Lola were talking, not everyone can simply take the World Tree and use its essence drop. The person must be qualified to gain the essence drop. It was clearly one of the main reasons that Prince Adrian himself did not take the essence drop; it was because he probably couldn’t. "There’s no need to rush through this without proper preparation," Noah concluded while watching the rulers continue their devastating conflict. "The World Tree has waited centuries to be found—it can wait a few more days while I develop a viable approach." A smile formed on Lola’s face as she listened to Noah’s words. He was cool-headed and wasn’t lured by the magnificence of the essence drop. Rather, he thought about his plans carefully and meticulously, and that was a trait she loved about him. As Lola silently admired Noah, he was reviewing his current capabilities and resources. — Host: Noah Carter Age: 28 Shop Level: 2 Daily Revenue: $2,153,000 (or equivalent) Current Assets: $21,159,840 Shop Points: 32,890 Attributes: Strength: 90, Vitality: 140, Intelligence: 90, Agility: 90 Skills: [Level 12:] Swordsmanship [Level 11:] Body Tempering, Wind Manipulation, Mana Control, Aura [Level 3:] Surviving on Ramen, Cooking, Finance, Gaming [Level 2:] Programming, Photographic Memory — His attributes had reached impressive levels through his item consumption. The shop points had accumulated substantially from the recent sales. They were so incredibly high that it made him wonder whether there would be features that would allow for the usage of these points during the next shop evolution. His basic items had reached the highest max level they could. [Auto-IceTea Maker: Level 5 | 8/Hr | Max Stock 192 | 325/1000 EXP] — [Auto-Baker: Level: 5 |16 / Hr | Max Stock: 384 | 1000/1000 EXP] The auto-baker could no longer upgrade to the next level, clearly limited by the shop level. The same went for the iceTea Maker. His tier 1 items, however, were slowly approaching their next level. — [Auto-ProteinBar: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 77/100 EXP] — [Auto-EnergyDrink: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 74/100 EXP] — [Auto-BeefJerky: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 74/100 EXP] — [Auto-RiceCake: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 60/100 EXP] Noah estimated that it would take three to four days before his auto makers finally reached the next level. As for tier 2 items, they were still lagging behind the others. — [Auto-InstantCoffee: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 40/100 EXP] — [Auto-HerbTea: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 40/100 EXP] — [Auto-RoseCandy: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 4/100 EXP] — [Auto-LuxurySmoothie: Level: 1 | 0.5/ Hr | Max Stock: 12 | 4/100 EXP] The instant coffee and herb tea would take five days, and the RoseCandy and LuxurySmoothie would take ten days. Noah wasn’t in a hurry, but increasing the level of these auto-makers would help a lot with his plans. After checking his own status and his auto-maker’s progress. Noah thought of a way to solve the issue he had been struggling with. System, would it count towards the auto-maker’s progress if I sold an item to Lola, then she gave it to me? [No. Don’t play around with the rules, host.] Noah sighed inwardly. He had wanted to sell the items to Lola for a cheap price to get them going, then Lola would return them to him, and he could work on his strength alongside her. He had wanted to level up Lola and himself while also levelling up the automakers. His plan was to use the HerbTea and InstantCoffee to gain the temporary effects that helped both of them gain more enlightenment during their practices, increasing their strength at a faster rate. Noah turned toward Lola, who had been observing him throughout his status review and internal planning process. "Lola... I have an idea on how to tackle this issue, but it really depends on you more than it does on me. Of course, you have the right to reject it and I can think of something el—" Before Noah could finish his cautious proposal, Lola placed her index finger gently against his lips to silence him. "Shh... Don’t say that. You haven’t even heard my answer yet. Don’t jump to conclusions, you love doing that," she said with gentle amusement. "Tell me, what is your plan?" Noah composed himself after the momentary distraction. "I want to strengthen you using the shop’s full daily stock of instant coffee and mystical herbal tea to the point where you can compete with Seraphina and Darian without any disadvantage. Then you would escort me to the World Tree, since our risk would be minimised significantly with your new power." Lola couldn’t contain her laughter at his proposal. "Why are you laughing?" Noah asked with confusion at her reaction. "Noah, you’re telling me that you were going to strengthen me with items worth tens of thousands of golden coins, and you feared I would reject such an offer? You really thought I might refuse?" Noah’s expression grew more serious as he explained his reasoning. "You would be putting yourself at significant risk during the escort mission. I don’t want to ask you to face dangers on my behalf." Lola’s expression shifted to something between fondness and exasperation. "Noah, what do you take me for? I’m not someone who hasn’t experienced the world outside these walls. I’ve fought for my life throughout most of my existence. I’ve always lived with danger, and I don’t fear it. Besides, why would I fear them when you’re offering to strengthen me to their exact level? Coupled with the additional items we possess that they don’t have access to, we would have clear advantages in any confrontation." She stepped closer, her ruby eyes reflecting both determination and something deeper. "You’ve given me so much already. Whether it’s safety, purpose, or..." Lola paused for a second before continuing. "This is simply returning the favour by using my power to help achieve something important to you. You’re not asking me to sacrifice myself foolishly. You’re proposing to enhance my abilities and then rely on my expertise for a dangerous but calculated mission." Noah studied her expression, recognising the sincerity behind her acceptance and the logic of her arguments.