pjbooks Chapter 106 [The Price of Evolution]
Chapter 106 [The Price of Evolution]
The cost of evolution
After several hours of silence, the official forum of Ashem Online was ignited by a post personally published by "Lightning Blade".
The post analyzing the truth has received tens of thousands of replies.
"Brothers, times have changed."
This closing remark from the poster has now become the mantra of all the second batch of players.
The world channel is no longer a place of complaints and lamentations, but has become a large-scale pilgrimage site.
"Does anyone know where those four immortals went? Could you please tell me their coordinates?"
"Any teams need a helper? I can do anything, even picking up trash!"
Lightning Blade watched that few dozen seconds of combat footage over and over again, no less than a hundred times, etching every detail into his mind.
He disbanded the existing combat squad and issued new instructions in the Peak Chapter's guild channel.
"Everyone, cease all ineffective exploration; from now on, our primary task is singular—intelligence."
"Gather every piece of information about those four big shots: their movement routes, their skill sets, and their interactions with NPCs. Even a random stone they toss aside—collect it and analyze it!"
On the other side, Zhang Wei, the president of "Tianxia Guild" and a college student, also gathered all the core members.
His attitude, however, was more composed.
"We're not on the same path as them," Zhang Wei told the guild members. "They're born protagonists, the chosen ones of the version. We can't imitate them, and there's no need for us to."
"Then what are we supposed to do? Are we really just going to spend our whole lives farming and mining, serving as their logistics support?" a guild member asked unwillingly.
"No," Zhang Wei shook his head.
"They conquered the world with strength, we build the world with wisdom; they are weapons, we are civilization; no matter how strong those four big shots are, they all came from the most basic stage; their trade with dwarves and their search for power in ancient ruins shows that there are patterns to follow in this world."
"Our mission is to analyze these patterns; to build a vast database, to create the most complete world map, to translate the languages of all races, and to record the story of every NPC."
"They are responsible for raising the ceiling of the version, while we are responsible for solidifying the foundation of the version."
"When they need a stable rear, we are their only indispensable ally."
"At that time, our value will not be lower than theirs."
The emergence of the same goal has allowed the entire player community to find their direction.
……
Inside the study, Xu Ye leaned back in a comfortable ergonomic chair, watching all of this.
The Heavenly Dao, combined with the primordial spores, creates an internal brain projection. The [Order Weaver] system faithfully transforms players' actions into a movie for them to watch.
The fervor of the forums, the adoration of the players, the establishment of the two major guilds, the imitation of the combat-oriented faction, and the in-depth study of the farming faction...
The four-person team defeated the Obsidian Behemoth, and the resulting nutrients were of high quality, but it was ultimately just a boss battle.
The desire to explore and survive that was aroused in these hundreds of players was hundreds or even thousands of times greater than that of the former.
"This is what I wanted." Xu Ye took a sip of warm black tea, and his previous fatigue vanished.
This is the correct way to use the term "Fourth Calamity": they are the catalyst for civilization and the perpetual motion machine of the story.
He felt the primordial spores bound to his soul cheering and rejoicing.
With a thought, Xu Ye issued an instruction to the [Heavenly Dao] system.
"Visualize the growth state of the primordial spores."
He had previously integrated the Nine Realms system, and the [Heavenly Dao] system was now able to interact more deeply with the Primordial Spores.
The next second, my consciousness seemed to be pulled away and I entered a vast and boundless starry sky.
Before him, a magnificent picture composed of billions of points of light and threads slowly unfolded.
That was a skill tree that defied description.
The tree's roots are its own fragile soul, while extending upwards are countless brilliant galaxies representing different directions of evolution.
Gene editing, law intervention, matter recombination, energy forms, dimensional travel...
From each main trunk, countless tiny branches branch out, each corresponding to a more specific ability.
At this moment, only a few thin branches at the very bottom of the giant tree were lit up, the brightest of which was the [Law Projection] he had just obtained.
The remaining 99.9% of the area is a dull gray.
"So this is just the beginning," Xu Ye sighed.
The massive amount of story nourishment he had just harvested, when poured into this magnificent tree, only caused a few branches near the bottom to glow slightly.
It's like pouring a cup of water into a parched desert.
A drop in the ocean.
Just as Xu was about to examine it more closely, a sharp pain came from the deepest part of his soul.
"Ugh!" Xu Ye's consciousness was ejected from the star map. He clutched his chest, slumped into a chair, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat.
That feeling was so familiar.
It was the feeling when he had late-stage stomach cancer, and the cancer cells had spread and eroded all his internal organs.
No, it's even more terrifying than that.
This time, it's the soul.
Despite the excruciating pain, Xu Ye used his internal vision ability, which was bound to the spores.
The viewpoint shifted again.
He saw his own soul.
It was a 3D virtual human projection that originally radiated a warm glow, resilient and pure.
But at the edge of that radiant area, several undeniable gray patches appeared.
Like gangrene on a healthy body.
Furthermore, they are expanding inwards at an extremely slow pace.
They are devouring his soul.
[Alert! Highest priority alert!]
On Xu Ye's retina, a visual warning panel appeared, indicating the interaction between the Heavenly Dao System and the Primordial Spores.
[Irreversible damage has been detected to the host's soul essence.]
[Analysis of the cause: The 'primordial spore' has been unable to obtain sufficient nutrients for the next stage of evolution for a long time and has automatically entered a 'dormant stagnation period'.]
[The core logic of the stagnation period is activated: following the survival instinct, it absorbs the host's soul energy in reverse to maintain core stability.]
Reverse absorption?
Xu had always believed that he and the primordial spores had a symbiotic relationship; he provided nutrients, and the spores gave him strength and life.
Now, through analysis, Heaven is telling him that this symbiosis was never equal from the beginning.
The echoes returned, recalling the strangeness that occurred at the end of the world in the pool. It turned out that the spores had warned Xu Ye back then.
When he can no longer provide enough nourishment, this divine being that is one with him will devour him without mercy.
[The host's soul integrity has fallen below the safe threshold.]
Based on the current rate of decay, the estimated time for the soul to completely decay is: 127 days, 08 hours, 32 minutes, and 11 seconds...
127 days.
Cold, hard numbers.
A death sentence even more cruel than the "maximum three months" given by the doctor.
He once thought he had escaped the shadow of death forever.
Xu also raised his head and looked at the warm autumn sunlight outside the window.
In the end, they were simply moved from one cage to another, a more glamorous and crueler one.
"Hehe..." he laughed.
The study was quiet.
The countdown seconds ticked away on Xu Ye's retina, striking his fragile nerves.
A dozen minutes later, Xu slowly stood up.
Since it's about survival, then act like you're trying to survive.
If we're going to extract value, then let's squeeze every last bit of value out of this world, down to the marrow.
It needs a raging fire, a storm, a cataclysmic change that could set the whole world ablaze, to provide him with enough fuel.
Xu walked to the desk and opened the thick book, "The Genesis Diary".
The previous page of his diary was still about his proud plan to introduce players and build a "natural disaster" system.
He picked up his pen and turned to a brand new page.
At the top of that page, he wrote three words.
The Era of Natural Disasters.