Chapter 1016: Story Carved on Stone Slabs

Chapter 1016: The Story Carved on the Stone Tablet

Three more days passed after that.

By the time Tun Nan, the chieftain of Domar City, had dwindled from a single breath to barely half a breath, Ye Shi finally left the temple, ending his long seclusion.

As for why he had stayed three extra days, there was no particular reason.

It was mainly to transplant the discoveries he had made on the murals, along with the murals themselves, onto the forum.

This task was simple to describe but rather taxing to carry out.

So much so that Ye Shi felt his memory and concentration in the real world had noticeably improved, and he even briefly suspected that some kind of special ability had awakened in reality.

But alas, it was not to be.

Perhaps because the real Earth was in an "age of declining spiritual energy," or perhaps because it lacked the ruins of a precursor civilization, the telepathic ability did not manifest in his physical body in the real world.

Still, while updating his posts, Ye Shi couldn't help but wonder whether something similar might actually exist in reality.

For instance, fortune-telling, feng shui, divination, or even tarot cards—these folk-cultural "fate studies"—could they be a primitive manifestation of psychic energy?

Just like the Domarians, who prayed to the "Yinsov Tree" to peer into the future through the void.

Although they did not correctly understand the essence of the Yinsov Tree, because generation after generation, past and future, they devoutly repeated the same act, they inadvertently established a resonance with their future descendants around that ineffable existence—the Yinsov Tree—and thus glimpsed their own future.

From the outcome alone, though they had always sought advice for themselves, it was no different from seeking the counsel of the Yinsov Tree.

That existence, both present and elusive, served merely as a "ladder." Standing on that ladder, they ultimately saw a part of the future, even if what they saw was abstract.

And those prophecies of the future did indeed come true.

Ye Shi did not know how to summarize these findings with scientific theory. Perhaps the Alliance should send professional social science researchers to reside permanently in orbit around Gaia and observe the activities of civilizations on the surface.

Perhaps this was just his own opinion.

But he kept thinking that this might be more useful than directly colonizing the planet.

The universe is vast.

They didn't have to fixate on this one star, Proxima Centauri; there were broader worlds waiting for them to explore.

For example, other remnants left by the precursor civilization in this universe, or other newborn civilizations that, like humanity, had just stepped out of their cradle.

In any case, after the incidents involving the Orion and the Gemini, Ye Shi still had no doubt that he remained a staunch materialist.

But his understanding was no longer as absolute as it had been when he was a child.

After all, he had seen it with his own eyes.

The real world was not simply black and white…

Having updated all his findings on the forum, Ye Shi finally emerged from the temple.

When he stepped outside, he found countless forest dwellers prostrate on the ground, worshipping in his direction.

These were not just the natives of Domar City.

There were also inhabitants from other tribes in the forest.

Their expressions were solemn, their demeanor devout, as they lay prostrate at the roots of the sacred tree, bathed in golden light.

Only then did Ye Shi notice that the dancing fireflies had adorned the sacred tree with a shimmering gold.

A group of bare-chested temple guards approached.

They carried a stretcher woven from vines, covered with broad leaves and dry grass, upon which lay a robust body.

That body had once belonged to a king of infinite power and authority.

He had been the strongest in this forest, with both ferocious beasts and the most warlike tribes bowing at his feet.

But now, he had reached the end of his life, like a piece of rotting wood, no longer able to walk on his own feet.

Ye Shi looked at him with pity, feeling unexpectedly no hatred in his heart, nor any schadenfreude or relief at vengeance achieved.

One cannot expect a monkey in a tree to understand human propriety and shame; he had simply done what he was bound to do.

And his end had long been written in the prophecy, as if everything had been prearranged.

"I confess to you… I beg you to forgive my sins and the sins of my people." Tun Nan gazed at him with repentant eyes, trying to raise a hand that could no longer lift.

Ye Shi reached out and took his hand, speaking in a tone of kindness he had never used before.

"I forgive you."

Those words seemed to absolve him of all his sins.

A glimmer of gratitude rose in Tun Nan's eyes, and he finally swallowed the last breath in his throat, closing his weary eyes.

It would have been easy to save him.

No need for advanced technology—just a shot of penicillin would have sufficed.

But Ye Shi did not do so, nor did the man on the stretcher beg him to intervene.

Watching the departed chieftain, the temple guard carrying the stretcher knelt on one knee, murmuring a eulogy to bid farewell to the departing soul.

"Use cremation."

Ye Shi said only this to the leading temple guard, then fell silent.

The priest named Saqu became the new chieftain.

It was said that Tun Nan, on his deathbed, had abdicated the chieftainship to him.

Interestingly, after the Qiu people's defeat in the Senate, they had gained a leader who led them out of barbarism.

And the forest tribes, after the disastrous defeat in the Eastern Mountains and the death of Tun Nan, instead picked up the Senate system that the Qiu people had discarded, giving rise to a sprout of classical republicanism never before seen in the forest!

War had not brought them only destruction; it had also brought them things they had never possessed.

Perhaps that was the "interesting" part He had spoken of…

These events outside the temple were told to Ye Shi by Dora through telepathy during his seclusion.

He had not completely cut off all contact with the outside world.

After all, Jiang Xuezhou was still waiting for him in synchronous orbit, so he had to have someone send word of his safety.

Watching Tun Nan, who had closed his eyes in peace, being carried away, Saqu stepped forward with trembling steps, knelt respectfully before Ye Shi, and spoke in a solemn voice.

"Supreme Ancestor, I beseech you, grant your child a revelation…"

He lowered his posture greatly.

Like a child who had erred before a stern father.

Ye Shi looked into his eyes and spoke in a tone of gentleness he had never used before.

"Carve your history into the tree roots, into the stone tablets, into the earth, into every place you can see… Let the events that happened on this land be passed down forever."

"You do not need our advice; you need to face your own hearts."

Saqu's face bore a look of loss, as if he had understood something.

He bowed his head respectfully, offered his heartfelt thanks, and then, supported by the temple guards, rose and walked before his people.

The era of Tun Nan had ended.

A brand-new era had thus begun.

Watching Saqui stand before all the little green men, delivering a passionate speech, Ye Shi's lips curled into a faint, gratified smile.

Just as he was about to leave, a silver-white drone suddenly drifted to his side and gave his shoulder a hard bump.

"What the hell are you doing! Do you have any idea how worried I was?" An anxious voice came from beneath the drone; it was clear Jiang Xuezhou was truly frightened.

"Didn't I already tell you I was safe?" Ye Shi rubbed his shoulder and grumbled, "And don't pretend you never thought, 'Let him suffer a bit—it'll do him good.'"

"Mm—"

That remark clearly left Jiang Xuezhou speechless, because she had indeed thought exactly that.

A bunch of natives could trap him, but there was no way they could put his life in any real danger.

After all, every part on that guy was installed by her own hands—she knew his capabilities all too well.

"...I feel like you've become a different person." The drone wobbled its speaker, letting out a quiet murmur.

Ye Shi couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Have I? Maybe so... You might not believe it, but I've awakened psionic power."

"Really?" The drone's camera focused on him, its voice tinged with skeptical surprise.

"Really," Ye Shi said with utter seriousness. "If you don't believe me, I'll show you when I get back."

"Showing me is fine... but don't do anything reckless, okay?" Jiang Xuezhou's voice suddenly turned shy.

Ye Shi made a helpless expression.

Reckless, huh...

What could he even do recklessly?

Utter nonsense.

"Let's talk business. I have an idea."

Hearing the word "business" from this guy always felt a bit off.

Still, Jiang Xuezhou asked with curiosity,

"...What idea?"

Ye Shi paused for a moment, then voiced his thoughts.

"I found something interesting in the Domar temple. All clues point to the existence of a civilization far more advanced than ours—one that existed before our own civilization was born, when our homeworld was still a dead planet. I'm calling it the 'Precursor' civilization for now."

"I'll write a detailed report once I'm back on the starship for you to see... I think after all this turmoil ends, I want to go search for the ruins of that Precursor civilization."

"This journey might be long. I can't say when it will end... maybe it will never end. We might keep going down this road forever, until the edge of the universe."

"Would you... be willing to come with me?"

Those ruins were probably far more interesting than the ones on the wasteland, and their value was likely incomparably greater.

He figured the esteemed Administrator would support his idea, maybe even sponsor him a spaceship.

The more he understood about "It," the more Ye Shi couldn't suppress his curiosity about It and about this game.

Was this really just a game?

He thought of the rumor that had been circulating online for a long time.

*Wasteland OL* wasn't merely a game; it was a gift from an advanced civilization to humanity.

Ending the Wasteland Era was only the surface main quest. Beneath the deep code lay a hidden thread—

The exploration of the nature of the world.

Or rather, the search for clues about the Creator.

Ye Shi had a vague premonition: not only did the world of *Wasteland OL* have a Creator, but the real world also had something similar.

Whether "Ye Shi" or "Ye Wei," they were both characters in some movie or novel.

Just as he looked down upon Tun Nan, invisible eyes were also looking down through the ubiquitous windows of perception at him and the echoes "It" left in this universe.

There was a long silence on the communication channel, followed by an answer filled with excitement, even choked with tears.

"I'm willing..."

"I'm willing to go with you to the edge of the universe!"

She didn't really understand what the "Precursor" was, and she was completely in the dark about Ye Shi's adventures in the temple. All she knew was that, like that Dora, he had somehow managed to converse with some indescribable entity through those bizarre "scribbles" on the walls.

That was indeed a very interesting research subject—maybe it could advance her career from C-grade to B-grade, putting her on par with her former mentor!

But for her, those things no longer mattered...

Those words she had just heard were the most romantic and affectionate confession of her life.

Hearing the reply on the channel, a sunny smile spread across Ye Shi's face.

He had originally planned to apologize to her, but it seemed her anger had already dissipated...

Not just her.

She had matured.

He glanced at the forest people, who had returned to their own historical trajectory, and prepared to leave.

Just then, Dora, who had been waiting at the temple entrance, suddenly knelt before him and spoke in a pleading voice.

"Revered Progenitor... please take me to the sky."

She sensed he was about to leave.

And once he left, it might be centuries before they met again.

Those of them living on the ground might never encounter these progenitors again.

Looking at her devout face, Ye Shi couldn't help but think of the fool "It" had mentioned.

That fool was probably Dr. Qiu Shiye—no one else came to mind.

He had longed for "It" to take him to the sky, only to find that the sky world was nothing like what he had imagined.

Ye Shi thought for a moment and said to her,

"The sky is just another ground; it's not the paradise you imagine... If you seek the exploration of the spiritual world as your lifelong pursuit, you should listen more to Its voice, not to ours."

If anything, these forest people were the children of the "Precursor," not of human civilization.

At least spiritually.

Without external interference, they would likely follow a path similar to the Precursor civilization—ascending to the Creator's world.

As for the Qiu people, they were truly the children of the "Human Union." They would probably follow a path similar to the Human Union—taking the "ideal-city utopia" as their spiritual heaven and devoting their lives to exploring the material world.

Two civilizations on the same planet would give birth to different nations and organizations.

The friction and collisions between these primitive nations and organizations would spark flames that would provide the Alliance with a wealth of art and invaluable sociological experience.

The Alliance might gain some insight from this to enhance or improve its interactions with other extraterrestrial civilizations.

Of course, that was all in the future.

Ye Shi said this, but Dora was still unwilling to give up, fixing her bright eyes on him.

"I want to go see... Please, take me there. I'll do anything."

Looking at those devout eyes, Ye Shi was silent for a long time, but in the end his heart softened.

"Considering how much you've helped me, I can take you up to the sky. But you must remember: this means you can never return here. You will be forever parted from your homeland and your family... Are you sure you want to do this?"

Dora nodded seriously.

"I want to know more... the truth, the Pioneer, the Tree of Insov, the poem carved in the ruins, the murals on the walls, and the clouds in the sky... I want to know what they all mean."

"The leader of the Qiu people said he saw his own answer, and he would continue forward in the maze. I too saw my answer, but it lies buried in the clouds above... I want to go there and see. Please take me."

In the future her ability could glimpse, she and her people still wandered this forest; as for the more distant future, it lay beyond the scope of her power.

She did not want to spend the rest of her life in confusion and waiting.

She wanted to know the truth she yearned for.

Even if it meant paying with her life.

Looking at that earnest face, Ye Shi finally acknowledged her resolve and ceased to dissuade her.

Actually, on second thought, adding a psionic translator to his crew wasn't a bad idea.

Though he too had awakened psionics, he was after all the captain—

Well, Xuezhou was the designated captain of the Orion; he was the second-in-command executive officer.

But there wasn't much difference anyway.

"Get up."

"From now on, you are also a crew member of the Orion."