Chapter 1029: Trade and Requests

Chapter 1029: Transactions and Requests

At the entrance of the administrator’s office in the Alliance Building, Lü Bei gently knocked on the door. Upon receiving permission, he pushed it open and stepped inside.

“Sir.”

Chu Guang set down the tablet in his hand, looked at Lü Bei standing at the door with an expression suggesting he had something to report, and said with a smile.

“Did you find the pen I lost?”

Lü Bei shook his head, a troubled look on his face.

“Not yet…”

Chu Guang chuckled.

“If it can’t be found, then let it be. Maybe I left it in the shelter and forgot. It’s just a pen—no need to make a big fuss. Don’t let it delay other matters.”

Though Xiao Qi had said it concerned his safety and shouldn’t be taken lightly, no matter how serious the talk, it was still only a fountain pen that had gone missing.

And frankly, he didn’t think anyone could threaten his safety.

He wasn’t boasting.

From a purely individual combat perspective, there was probably no creature stronger than him left on this planet.

So much so that Heya had even exaggeratedly remarked—there was something in his DNA that couldn’t be explained by existing technology, a phenomenon that had actually been emerging for a long time.

Even the Alliance’s Institute of Biology said so, so he felt there was really no need to worry about such things.

Besides, he had plenty of things to deal with every day; there was no point in spending so much effort on a single pen.

But Lü Bei clearly didn’t see it that way.

As always, he dared not be the least bit careless and spoke with unwavering loyalty.

“How could anything concerning you be trivial, especially when it happened in your office… Moreover, during our recent investigations, we discovered something strange.”

Chu Guang: “What strange thing?”

Lü Bei continued in a grave tone.

“It’s not just you. Other office workers have also reported losing things lately. Some small items in the offices—especially those not often used—have been inexplicably disappearing.”

“That’s odd?” Chu Guang raised an eyebrow, a surprised expression on his face. “When did this start? Has no one mentioned it?”

“Actually, similar incidents have been occurring for a few days now, but since the lost items were all trivial little things, those who lost them didn’t take it seriously, and didn’t even report the losses,” Lü Bei said with a helpless look, then continued, “It wasn’t until our people approached them that they all admitted similar things had happened.”

Chu Guang frowned and pondered for a long moment, then lightly tapped his finger on the desk before speaking.

“This might not be a small matter… Have you compiled a list of the categories of lost items?”

Lü Bei immediately replied.

“Mainly office supplies—mostly pens, and some pen caps.”

“And the scope?” Chu Guang pressed on. “Just this floor? Or the entire Alliance Building? What about the other buildings nearby? Have similar incidents occurred in nearby residents’ homes, or is it only targeting government offices?”

Lü Bei paused, then said hastily.

“So far, the problem has only been found in the Alliance Building. To avoid unnecessary rumors and speculation, we strictly limited the scope of our investigation… Of course, if you think it’s necessary, we can expand the investigation immediately.”

Chu Guang thought for a moment and said.

“Try not to involve residential areas under the name of the Praetorian Guard. How about this—I’ll call the head of the Security Bureau later and have them cooperate with you. Under the pretext of a public security survey, appropriately expand the investigation scope to see if similar situations have occurred in residents’ homes.”

This was getting suspicious.

At first, he thought he had simply misplaced the pen, but it turned out that several offices in the Alliance Building had been experiencing similar problems for a while.

Thankfully, only office supplies had gone missing, not important documents.

But precisely because of that, no one had paid any attention to the matter until the same thing happened in his office.

Chu Guang felt this was not so simple.

The first priority now was to determine the range of this “anomaly”—perhaps they could find a pattern.

He hoped he was just overthinking.

Lü Bei nodded, noted down the administrator’s instructions, and then continued.

“There’s another matter—military intelligence from the south. According to a report from the Praetorian Guard detachment stationed in Friesport, an emergency has occurred in the outskirts of Friesport. A gigantic mutant suddenly appeared in the forest only 100 kilometers from the Friesport urban area—”

Chu Guang picked up the black tea on the table and took a sip before speaking.

“It’s called a Dragon Lizard, right?”

Lü Bei was taken aback.

“I… I’m not sure of its name. You already know?”

Chu Guang said succinctly.

“I knew the moment it happened. They said an epic-level giant beast appeared near Friesport. I’ve already ordered the Jungle Corps to go on high alert. If an emergency occurs, they will act directly.”

This matter had already caused an uproar on the forums, with people saying Godzilla had descended upon the wasteland.

He had actually learned about the situation right away and instructed the local garrison to prepare for battle.

But to be honest, he didn’t really take that thing seriously.

Although many thrill-seeking players on the forums vividly described it, hyping it up as some invincible existence, in his view, no matter how strong, it was just a slightly larger beast. Against absolute firepower superiority, it would be helpless.

What was truly noteworthy was that, according to the players who had witnessed it, a gigantic tree grew beside that lizard, suspected to be the same kind as those in the Domar tribes of the Gaia planet.

This phenomenon immediately caught the attention of the Alliance’s Institute of Biology. Currently, research on this “anomaly” was being led by Ms. Chen Yutong, who was in charge of the Hive research project in Baiyue Province.

Including that enormous, bizarre lizard.

Setting down his teacup, Chu Guang said.

“You don’t need to worry about the Friesport situation, Praetorian Guard. Focus on completing your current tasks first.”

Lü Bei stood at attention and saluted.

“Yes, sir!”

…

On the official website of *Wasteland OL*, the forums were buzzing with heated discussion, all sparked by a single post and a close-up photo.

Handsome to the Point of Frame Drops: “Big news! Brothers! A world-class boss has spawned near Friesport! Come check it out!”

Tail: “!!?”

Quit Smoking: “Holy crap?! For real?”

Professor Thunderbolt: “Don’t ask if it’s real or fake—the guy’s already posted a photo.”

I’m Proud, Who Dares to Match Me: “Heh, you call that a world-class boss? Back when I was a special forces soldier in Southeast Asia, I saw at least ten bigger than that, and I even killed one with my own hands! It was chasing me, and I just zigzagged between a few trees, then did a spinning leap onto its back. The rest goes without saying, right? Those in the know know what to do. (Sweating Soybean)”

Elf King Wealth: “I’m not an insider, but I think it wasn’t full. (Rogue)”

Irena: “Dragon Lizard: This appetizer is quite unique. (Rogue)”

Rotary Shampoo Machine: “Too many cringe points, don’t even know where to start. (Sweat)”

Talan Raider: “So Baiyue Province had such an awesome monster hidden all along? Why didn’t anyone find it before? (Dazed)”

"The Mole Fleeing the Canyon: 'No one used to venture deep into the forest before, but this time, the monsters inside came out on their own.'"

"Just Want to Be a Dog Quietly: 'I can bear witness, this thing is way too fierce. Individual combat power stands absolutely no chance. Just skip straight to strategic weapons. T.T'"

"Junichiro Xiaochuan: 'Why do I feel like it's just a skill issue? (Side-eye smirk)'"

"Just Want to Be a Dog Quietly: 'Screw off! You think you're so good, you try it!'"

"Just Want to Say Screw the Dog Quietly: 'Exactly!'"

"Tengteng: 'Excuse me, but are your names a couple's set? (Blushing)'"

"Yaya: 'Uh, I think they might just be close friends. By the way, why on earth are you blushing?!'"

"Qingdeng Gujiu: 'Damn, I'm really worried this thing will just sit down and obliterate French Fries Port. (Awkward)'"

"Big-Eyed Debtor: 'How about we start a poll to see if we should wipe this monster out first? (Facetious)'"

"Ye Shi: 'Hold on a second, brothers, I think I just picked up a quest. Don't move just yet.'"

"Site Youth and Brick: 'I've posted the poll.'"

"Murderous Dagger: 'I've raised my hand.'"

"The Mole Fleeing the Canyon: 'Unanimous vote!!! (Voice cracking)'"

"Midnight Chicken Slayer: 'Brothers, we've got work to do!'"

"Xiao Xiao Xiao Bookworm: 'Ow, ow, ow!!!'"

"Ye Shi: '??? Holy crap, are you guys seriously that dog?!'"

...

"Those absolute bastards."

Inside the coastal hotel at French Fries Port, Ye Shi, who had just logged back in, cursed under his breath. He flipped out of bed, changed his clothes, and hurriedly headed out the door.

Although he knew his good brothers were joking, there were simply too many players around here. If he wasn't careful, a couple of idiots might actually get the idea to burn down that sacred tree just to see if it dropped loot.

The task the Administrator had assigned him was to attempt using psychic power to establish a mental connection with the sacred tree in the forest, inquire about its intentions, and explore the possibility of cooperation.

He had to speak with that sacred tree before anyone went and made a mess of things.

Watching Ye Shi rush frantically out of the elevator, Professor Sun Zewen, who was standing in the hotel lobby, looked at him and asked,

"What's wrong with you? What's the great hurry?"

Ye Shi did not answer, only asking hurriedly,

"Where is Dora?"

"Oh, Dora? She should be in the garden behind the hotel, together with Ms. Han Mingyue." Professor Sun Zewen sized him up with a peculiar expression before continuing, "Didn't Professor Han say she was going to look for you? You didn't see her?"

Ye Shi's expression turned a bit awkward.

He had been offline just now, and his in-game avatar had been sleeping like a dead log, so naturally it was impossible for him to hear any knocking.

"The garden, right? Thanks."

"You're welcome." Professor Sun Zewen nodded, then seemed to remember something and added, "Ah, right, regarding psychic power... if you have any new discoveries on your end, remember to let me know."

"Will do!"

Tossing back a reply, Ye Shi hurriedly made his way to the garden behind the hotel.

Yet when he arrived at the garden, he was startled by the sight before him.

Thick vines had crawled up the arched glass curtain wall, blooming with brilliantly colored flowers.

The landscape here did not look like Earth; rather, it resembled Gaia from five light-years away!

Standing at the entrance of the garden, his eyes wide, he stared for a good while before snapping out of his shock.

It was at this moment that he spotted Ms. Chen Yutong and Lao Bai, who were also standing near the garden entrance.

"Is this... the landscape of Alpha Centauri!"

Ye Shi looked at Ms. Chen.

Her face was filled with excitement, and her look of utter disbelief was even more exaggerated than his own.

Lao Bai scratched the back of his head, looking at the magnificently bizarre plant in the garden and remarked,

"I don't know much about this, but will this really not cause trouble like an invasive species?"

"That's not an issue in the Baiyue Province," Chen Yutong shook her head and said. "New species are born here every day, and they have already formed a new dynamic balance with one another."

Ye Shi gave a soft cough and said,

"Actually, I feel like this isn't an issue anywhere on the entire wasteland... including the River Valley Province. The monsters there are already bad enough that this won't make a difference."

Seeing Ye Shi standing at the entrance, Lao Bai smiled and said,

"Finally back online? Ms. Han seemed to be looking for you."

Ye Shi: "I'm looking for her too, and Dora... where are they?"

"Right ahead." Lao Bai pointed toward the center of the garden. "Do me a favor and pass a message to that guest from Alpha Centauri. Ask her to try her best to keep these plants confined within this hotel garden... don't let them spread outside."

The hotel owner actually quite liked this kind of scenery; after all, it might very well become a major selling point.

However, if it spread outside, that would be a completely different story.

Altering the urban appearance of French Fries Port required deliberation and approval from the representative council.

"Got it."

Ye Shi acknowledged the request and walked forward with large strides. Passing through a path dense with vegetation, he quickly arrived right at the center of the garden.

Ms. Han and Dora were both there.

The latter was sitting cross-legged on a stone table entwined with vines, seemingly still in communion with the hivemind in the forest.

Seeing Ye Shi walking through the path, Han Mingyue teased,

"You sure sleep like the dead. My finger got sore from pressing the doorbell."

"I was exhausted yesterday, so I took a nap at noon," Ye Shi said sheepishly.

"No way, you're this young and already lacking stamina?" Ms. Han joked.

Ye Shi: "..."

"Ye Shi!" Dora, who was sitting cross-legged on the stone table, opened her eyes and said with pleasant surprise, "You're here!"

Ye Shi pointed at their surroundings.

"Did you do this?"

Dora shook her head shyly and said timidly,

"It did it... It said it wanted me to see it for myself, to see if the landscape of Alpha Centauri looks like this."

The "it" she referred to was presumably the hivemind.

Seeing Ye Shi asking about the situation here, Han Mingyue uncrossed her arms and explained,

"Don't worry, we've already asked the owner of this hotel for his opinion. He's very interested in our experiment and even agreed to lend us this garden for a week. His only requirement is that it doesn't affect the hotel's operations or the rest of the guests."

Night Ten nodded and said.

“As long as he has no objections, but it’s best not to let it spread to the streets outside.”

“Mm!” Before Han Mingyue could speak, Dora nodded eagerly and said, as if showing off, “It promised me that these plants will only be planted in this garden… they won’t spread outside.”

Han Mingyue crossed her arms again, glanced around the surrounding scenery, and said in surprise.

“By the way, how is this done? Through some special component in the air?”

Dora shook her head, a puzzled expression on her face.

“I don’t know how it does it either. My psychic power can’t turn purple flowers red, but it can… According to it, these plants are very obedient to it, and it can decide how they grow.”

Han Mingyue stroked her chin and said thoughtfully.

“Controlling evolution… sounds pretty impressive, but I wonder if it works on humans.”

She didn’t know much about biological technology, only that it was quite difficult.

Even the Alliance’s biological research institute has too many things it doesn’t understand.

Night Ten thought for a moment and said.

“Theoretically, it should be possible—isn’t that how the Gaians were born? But I think it’s better not to try; it feels like it would cause a lot of ethical issues.”

For example, children being born different from their parents or something…

Even if they knew they weren’t cuckolded, he thought most people wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Furthermore, although the Alliance’s mainstream media praised the compatriots of Nanmen II as beautiful, probably no one would want their child to have green skin.

Even if they could photosynthesize.

People’s concepts change slowly with technological progress; expecting instant results could easily give birth to freaks like mutants.

At that moment, Dora spoke up as if remembering something.

“Ah, right, it wants to meet you.”

Night Ten’s heart stirred, and he immediately said.

“Where? Here?”

“At the sacred tree in that forest,” Dora continued, looking at him with sincere eyes, “It heard that you also possess psychic power. It wants to see you and communicate face to face.”

“Uh, you mean, next to that big lizard?” Night Ten’s expression was troubled.

Dora nodded and said seriously.

“It says that is its child. As long as you don’t harm or provoke it, it won’t attack you.”

After a pause, she added.

“If you’re afraid, I can accompany you… Do you want to go see it?”

That face was full of anticipation.

It was clear she really wanted to make this meeting happen.

After thinking for a moment, Night Ten said.

“I’d better go alone; it’s safer that way.”

Dora was slightly disappointed, but still nodded.

“Alright… but you can rest assured, it said it definitely won’t harm you.”

She seemed to see through his concerns.

Night Ten smiled and said.

“I trust it, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed to meet it.”

…

In the evening, a transport plane flew over the forest in the outskirts of Fries Port and dropped a parachute.

The lizard lying prostrate beside the sacred tree raised its cockscomb-like head, stared at the parachute for a while, and wanted to reach out a claw to touch it, but soon, as if hearing some command, it retracted its extended forepaw and, with a grunt, lay down again beside the sacred tree.

From the moment he approached the forest edge, Night Ten tensed every nerve in his body.

Only when the lizard calmed down did he breathe a sigh of relief and relax his tense mood.

His feet touched the ground, and he skillfully packed away the parachute.

The vegetation in the vicinity had been cleared, leaving only a towering sacred tree standing in the center of the clearing.

Clearing those trees seemed to be its command, and the purpose was probably to concentrate the soil’s fertility near its own root system.

According to the situation on Gaia, once it fully develops, forming a massive canopy, the area under the canopy and the area outside it will create a new forest kingdom.

Gazing at the intertwined trunks, Night Ten greeted cautiously.

“Hello… uh, can you hear my voice?”

His psychic power had only just awakened; he wasn’t skilled in using it, making it hard to communicate completely silently.

The atmosphere was quiet for a while, leaving only the gentle breeze and the rustling of leaves.

Just as Night Ten wondered if his psychic power had failed or if his posture was wrong, the ethereal voice finally drifted into his ears.

“Hello… Is this your language? I guess it means greeting. We rarely greet like this.”

“That’s right, it expresses a greeting,” Night Ten’s eyes lit up with surprise. He tried to step forward two paces, looked up at the newborn canopy, and continued, “How should I address you?”

The slow voice continued to drift from the ethereal realm, directly into his mind.

“I have no name, and for a long time I haven’t needed one… You are the first to use it. You may address me in whatever way you like.”

Whether it was an illusion or not, Night Ten felt a hint of anticipation in that voice.

He hesitated for a moment and said in an uncertain tone.

“The Tree of Life… What do you think of that name?”

Although the name sounded a bit cliché, he couldn’t think of another one at the moment.

However, even though it was a name he came up with on the spot, the enormous sacred tree seemed quite satisfied, its uneven canopy swaying back and forth.

“The Tree of Life… sounds good. I thought you might call me slime mold or something.”

Night Ten said truthfully.

“I did think about that.”

“But I’m not that kind of thing at all,” the Tree of Life’s voice carried a hint of disdain, as if smacking its lips and being picky, “Slime mold… that thing is too superficial. I should be some higher existence above that.”

When it said this, it paused for a moment, gazing at Night Ten standing before it, and spoke.

“Thank you, young human. You brought my kin from a star five light-years away. I believe and am certain that is my kin. Through her narration, I have finally realized what my original form is…”

Night Ten asked blankly.

“What is it?”

“It is life itself, or in your language, nature… I am nature.”

It seemed to let out a hearty laugh, but only Night Ten standing here could hear it.

After a long pause, it continued.

"Thanks to your help, I have finally understood my purpose. I will likely sleep for a time, and during that time I will redefine my form of life. I will no longer be what I was before... that strain growing on the tree roots. I will be all things, the origin of every living creature in this forest."

Ye Shi stared at it in astonishment, gazing at it for a long while.

Good heavens.

Had this mutant slime mold become sentient?!

He tried to grasp what it had said—roughly meaning that its consciousness would no longer be confined to the frail, withering husk of the original Nago strain, but would merge completely with this land.

Like the indestructible Tree of Yinsuo.

"And this tree..." Ye Shi swallowed and asked.

"Is a projection I have left in the world you can see, one of my countless branches," the Tree of Life said in a very soft voice. "We will likely accompany each other for a long time. Of course... if you reject me, I will remain silent as before, and you can pretend I do not exist."

Ye Shi immediately replied.

"Of course we won't reject you... In fact, I have brought the goodwill of our leader. He hopes we can coexist peacefully."

"Haha... that would be best. Please send him my regards," the Tree of Life said with a laugh. "I rather like you all too. Though a bit noisy, you are also quite interesting... and those things, they taste really good."

Was it talking about those fertilizers?

Ye Shi smiled and said.

"If you like them, I can have some sent over... Ah, but please don't do it like before; that would give us quite a headache."

The Tree of Life chuckled kindly and said.

"Don't worry, unless you have a need for it, I won't do such things on my own. But it wouldn't be right to take your things for nothing. Is there anything I can do that might help you?"

Ye Shi was about to say that things could stay as they were, but when he saw that huge lizard, a thought suddenly struck him, and he said.

"Can you keep dangerous mutants away from the vicinity of the Baiyue Strait?"

The Tree of Life asked curiously.

"Away... how far? There must be a boundary."

Ye Shi wanted to pull out a map to illustrate, but then thought it might not understand, so he said.

"From where you are, all the way to the seashore!"

From here to the sea was probably over a hundred kilometers, encompassing several settlements along the Baiyue Strait.

This area would be enough as a zone for the Alliance's residents to move about.

As for the vast forest beyond, it would be left for the players to fight monsters, hunt, and gather.

Relatively speaking, this was a fair compromise.

The Tree of Life nodded and said.

"That is easy. I just need to keep my child here. Other beasts will naturally avoid it when they smell its scent. If any herds migrate toward your settlements, I will have it drive them away for you. Of course, if you venture deep into the forest yourselves and encounter danger, that is not my concern—it is part of natural selection."

"I understand. All we ask is a relatively peaceful place to live. In the future, our settlements will also be concentrated along the coastlines on both sides of the strait, and we will not push deeper into the forest."

Looking at the enormous lizard, Ye Shi hesitated for a moment before saying.

"But are you sure this creature won't harm people? I have a feeling... it doesn't seem like a herbivore."

"Haha, it is not entirely herbivorous, indeed. It mainly eats ants about the size of its toes. But don't worry, I have instructed it not to harm you. As long as you do not provoke it, it is mostly very docile... I can assure you of that."

Docile...

Watching the great beast lying at the roots of the sacred tree, snoring, Ye Shi found it hard to imagine it being docile.

After all, just over an hour ago, it had rampaged once and knocked over a whole patch of forest with a single swipe of its tail.

Still, since the Tree of Life had given its word, Ye Shi decided to trust it for now.

"I will relay your words to the others."

"Thank you," the Tree of Life said, gently swaying its crown. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, it added, "Oh, and one more thing."

Ye Shi looked at it and asked.

"What is it?"

"I heard from your friend that you plan to go to other stars later, is that right?"

The Tree of Life's voice carried a hint of anticipation, as if hoping for an affirmative answer.

Ye Shi nodded and looked at it with curiosity.

"We do have that intention... Is there a problem?"

The voice that came from the unseen realm was filled with joyful laughter.

It sounded as happy as a child.

"That's wonderful... Please take my seed with you on your journey. I want it to see other planets for me."

As if afraid he might refuse, the Tree of Life hastily added.

"It won't take up much of your time, and it will be beneficial to you as well. I will have it stay on your ship, providing you with oxygen. When you find a place where you can breathe, or where there is water, just throw a part of it down.

Whether it survives or not will be up to it."