Building My Empire in the Frozen Apocalypse (Riley Carter) novel Chapter 72

Chapter 72 The First Electric Light

Chapter 72 The First Electric Light

“Click.”

Riley flipped the switch down.

A surge of electricity instantly coursed through the lines.

“Zzzzt-”

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The workshop’s built–in overhead light flickered a couple of times–as if hesitant, unaccustomed to this long–forgotten energy.

But then.

Light.

A bright, steady glow flooded the space, chasing every last shadow from the corners of the workshop. In a world illuminated only by the guttering dance of torch flames and campfires, this constant, unwavering electric light felt almost blinding. And yet, it was utterly mesmerizing.

“Whoa!”

Neeko crept closer, curiosity getting the better of her. She stretched out a tentative finger and gave the glowing glass tube a careful poke. She snatched her hand back, then let out a soft, delighted laugh. The light sparkled in her wide eyes, complete fascination written across her face.

“Riley, this is goooood!”

Leaning back against the wall, Riley watched the scene and finally released a long, slow breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. A faint cloud of condensation hung in the cold air. This… this felt good.

She walked over to her workbench and plugged in the electric grinder, its cord already waiting.

With another flip of a switch, the motor roared to life with a potent, vigorous hum, the grinding wheel becoming a blur of furious

motion.

Her workshop was now well and truly alive.

“Current device power consumption: 15 units. Grinder: 10. Overhead light (constant): 5.”

Looks like a single wind turbine wasn’t going to grant her unlimited power just yet, but the basics–real, honest–to–goodness electricity–were now covered.

At that exact moment, a transparent notification seared itself across the vision of every single person on the server.

“SERVER ANNOUNCEMENT!

“Congratulations to player SpicyBurger for successfully activating the power grid and illuminating the first electric light!

“Achievement Unlocked: Revival of Civilization I Rekindling Industry’s Flame in the Deep Freeze.

“As the first player on this server to enter the Electrical Era, you are awarded.

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Chapter 72 The First Electric Light

“1. Frost Token +200

“2. Standard Home Appliance Bundle x5

“3. Rare (Blueprint) Selection Pack x1

4. Camp System Update: ‘Power Grid Management‘ unlocked
5. High–Capacity Battery Bank

‘6. Internal Combustion Engine Schematic

7. First–to–Unlock Bonus: Electrical devices will now have a chance to spawn in wilderness loot containers.”

Across the server, every player froze mid–action.

The… Electrical Era?”

I’m over here stressing if I’ve chopped enough firewood to last the night, and someone’s got the damn lights on?”

SpicyBurger… Of course it’s her again.”

This has gotta be cheating. Seriously, where’s the report function? I’m reporting this!”

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Meanwhile, in a private chat channel among a certain group…

You’re absolutely sure the one who wiped your team in the dungeon was SpicyBurger?”

If it wasn’t her, it was PineappleBeer. We had a full squad, guild elites, and they still took us all out. It has to be someone from the op of the leaderboards. Boss, they also took the map fragment. Word is they scored the special item from that goblin merchant’s juction too. We need to move on this.”

What kind of half–baked intel is that? You guys really dropped the ball, huh? I handed you the dungeon guide, had you go in with wo coordinated teams. How do you get wiped by a handful of girls?”

Two of them had insane combat ratings, boss. Like, next–level strong. And they had some sidekick that just wouldn’t stop healing

hem.”

Probably stumbled into some hidden specialization. Whatever. Leave it for now. Now that someone’s kicked off the Electrical Era, he whole server’s progress is about to speed up. Just focus on scavenging the materials I listed. I don’t care what her rank is. None of them is walking away later.”

‘Got it, boss.”

“Oh, and one more thing. Rumor is, before she finished you off, that woman decided to do a little… creative engraving on your scalp with her axe. That true?”

“Huh? Boss, no way. I just, uh, came down with a real bad chill after respawning. Must’ve been delirium. Nobody wrote anything on

me.”

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Chapter 72 The First Electric Light

The first night with power, Riley slept more deeply than she had in ages.

She hadn’t built an electric heater yet, but the sofa’s “Deep Relaxation” effect was nothing short of miraculous.

After washing up, she even splashed her face with warm water–a luxury that felt almost decadent in the apocalypse.

“Time to turn in.”

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Riley gave her pillow a pat. Neeko understood. She knew that even though the big sofa was comfortable, Riley slept better holding something.

In a scft pulse of white light, Neeko’s form shimmered and shrank, resolving back into a small, fluffy white cat.

“Meow.”

With a quiet hop, she landed on the bed and curled up right beside Riley’s pillow–a soft, warm, and purring presence.

Riley sighed contentedly, nuzzled her face into the pillow, and drifted into a profound, dreamless sleep.

The next morning, Riley was awakened by a soft, steady scratching sound.

She opened her eyes. The little white cat was perched on the windowsill, peering out through the frost–fern patterns etched on the glass, her tail tip tapping rhythmically against the wooden frame.

“Morning.”

Riley stretched, feeling genuinely refreshed. Those few hours of deep, quality sleep had completely erased the residual fatigue from the previous day’s dungeon crawl.

She got dressed, and her first stop, as always, was her precious experimental planter box.

Crouching down, she looked closely.

There, against the dark, rich damp soil, several tiny, vibrant green sprouts had pushed their way through.

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