Chapter 34: Boundless Land
Thus, after three days of voyage, the ship smoothly arrived at the Boundless Land.
This was not only Bai Ye’s hometown but also the place where Dr. O’Kali had dedicated most of her life. Due to it being an ancient battlefield in the past, the soil was filled with large amounts of heavy metals and various polluting elements, making it a barren land for thousands of years.
But…
After receiving the shelter of the Tree Abyss, the entire land began to regain its vitality.
Countless trees sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain, but compared to trees in the usual sense, their forms were somewhat peculiar—the leaves of the trees were not green but purple, red, black, and various dark colors.
Moreover, many of the trees were entangled with something resembling spider silk. According to Bai Ye, this thing was called “Tree-born Body’s Linking Consciousness.”
Because a single plant would not generate any consciousness, nor would it respond significantly to external stimuli—this is a characteristic of plants and a feature that makes them inferior to animals.
But…
What if the thoughts of different plants were linked?
Then, the forest would be equivalent to a system that could grow autonomously and even adapt to new environments.
It’s like human neurons. A single neuron has very little use, but they are interconnected and cooperate to form a whole, becoming the existence that is the human being.
…
…
“So, so amazing! Over there in the distance, there are so many trees.”
“Yeah, I didn’t expect that either… It’s only been a few months, and it’s almost unrecognizable.”
Lonis took a deep breath and, along with Su Ling, marveled at the changes in the Boundless Land.
After being taken care of by Elus, Lonis had somewhat come to terms with things. Although her illness was terrible and she might die.
But isn’t that how ordinary people are?
One could be hit by a car and die just going out to buy groceries. There are so many traffic accidents happening in the world every day, so why shouldn’t one go out?
Therefore, there’s no need to worry about those baseless things.
After all, no matter what happens, she still has Elus by her side, and so many companions. Everyone will definitely think of a way to take care of her… At worst, she could transfer her consciousness into a machine again like Jessica. There are always more solutions than problems!
…
“Sister Lonis, Sister Su Ling, the ship is about to land. Are we going to visit the Research Station?”
“Yes, we’ll have Bai Ye lead the way.”
…
Because the Tree Abyss was reactivated in the world, the Boundless Land, which had not received much attention previously, had now become a focus for various countries around the world.
A lot of funding was injected into it, not only rebuilding the Boundless Research Station but also attracting many travelers and researchers.
As there was not enough residential area, many people lived near the forest. Tents of various sizes appeared one after another, and from a distance, it looked quite lively and bustling.
…
Of course, Lonis and the others did not need to settle in the wilderness.
Led by Bai Ye, they arrived at the Research Station and were warmly welcomed by the researchers.
…
“Brave Lonis, Your Highness Elus, welcome to this place… As you can see, without the help of several individuals in the past, this place would not have the prosperity it has today.”
“Ah, Dr. O’Kali, you flatter us. We were just lending a hand. Besides, you all helped a lot on the Moon! Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the advantage when fighting Castor!”
“This is all necessary to protect our world. Because as researchers, we have always had a dream?”
“Eh?”
“That is to thoroughly investigate the evolution and past of the Boundless Soil, and prevent other places in the world from becoming as desolate as the Boundless Land was in the past… However, after the appearance of the Tree Abyss, our mission has gained another aspect: to research ways to restore the Boundless Land to normalcy, making it like other places in the world.”
Dr. O’Kali spoke very seriously, and upon hearing this, Lonis felt great admiration for her.
She herself could never stay in one place for ten years continuously to conduct research… It is precisely because there are so many people in this world who silently contribute that human civilization can progress, and we now have enough strength to look back at that battle from thousands of years ago.
So…
“Dr. O’Kali, we’ve come not only to witness the past and future of the Boundless Land, but also to help!”
“Yes, is there anything we can do?”
Her companions also chimed in.
“In that case, there is one matter that is quite tricky.”
Dr. O’Kali’s expression darkened.
“Tricky? Have you encountered an enemy?”
“No, well… Bai Ye has already told you, right? The current way the forest is evolving is very similar to colonization. We call them, advanced plants of new evolution.”
“Ah, so it’s about different plants dividing labor, right?”
“Yes, but it’s more than that. For ease of management, the fruits of the forest have nurtured many life forms to assist in maintenance and supervision—Sprites.”
“Sprites?!”
“Yes, this is also a characteristic of the Tree Abyss. More accurately, Bai Ye’s arrival has provided a direction for the evolution of the trees. However, most of the Sprites are either over-reactive or mischievous and have no idea what they are supposed to do. They have also clashed with some travelers.”
“!”
“We have also tried to teach them, but… we are all academics. We can teach knowledge, but we are powerless to cultivate their personalities. We also dare not hand this matter over to outsiders, so…”
“Ah, I understand. We’ll do it then.”
…
…
That’s how it happened.
Since it wasn’t a very difficult matter, after discussing with everyone, Lonis, Elus, and Bai Ye would jointly educate the Sprites.
Of course, Su Ling also wanted to join in such an interesting matter!
But before she could even speak, the pink-haired girl was hugged and dragged away by her older sister.
“Wow, Sister is bullying me! What are you doing, Sister?!”
“Su Ling, it’s definitely not possible this time. Sprites are inherently mischievous, and you must not influence them.”
“Wuwu…”
“Then, I’ll go help elsewhere with my sister. Good luck, everyone!”
…
…
Meanwhile, Dr. O’Kali used food to lure all the Sprites into a classroom.
Although Lonis had heard similar legends before, this was the first time she had seen real Sprites.
There were about a dozen of them, each about ten to twenty centimeters long. Roughly viewed, they looked like lifelike little figurines.
However, a few of them appeared rather impolite. One of them, colored red, before Lonis could even greet it, said angrily:
“Oh, are you humans? Don’t come near our forest, you parasites of nature!”
