CH 101

⌈Weekend chapters: 10⌋ to be posted tomorrow or Sunday…

In such dungeons, it seems that time loses its meaning. Being within these dungeons, one’s grasp of the scale of time becomes unbalanced. Moreover, each time and space has its own rules of time. So when everyone gradually dyed this grain of sand into a verdant green, it didn’t actually feel that long.

Witnessing with their own eyes, those frail little saplings turned into sturdy shelters from the wind and rain. Witnessing the orange sky transformed into a lush green hue. Witnessing the birth of the first grasshopper. Witnessing the arrival of the first rain…

It was not known how many people cried tears of joy in that heavy rain. So many witnessed it with their own eyes, and they developed a different feeling for this planet, for this dungeon. It was an indescribable sense of awe, love, reliance, and comfort.

Those tender saplings they nurtured by hand seemed to have turned into children and grew vigorously in their hands, maturing into adulthood. The changes were subtle and imperceptible, like silent nurturing, yet they also seemed to happen suddenly.

One day, someone suddenly asked in confusion and amazement, “Brother, have you noticed that the sky has turned green?”

Another person responded with a touch of emotion, “You should say, have you noticed that it’s a whole canopy of green above our heads!”

The first person paused for a moment and said, “…indeed.”

After some time had passed, another person inquired, “Brother, have you noticed that the thick black fog that used to appear at night has decreased?”

Another nodded, “I’ve had that feeling too. Maybe it’s been absorbed by photosynthesis, or maybe it couldn’t stand the abundance of green and left.” Strangely, everyone began to feel that having a canopy of green overhead wasn’t such a bad thing.

Where did all that black resentment go? In fact, the speculations of the people were not entirely wrong. The widespread planting of spirit trees and their thriving vitality gradually gained the upper hand, and they began to purify the lingering resentments.

The main cause of what’s known as “resentment miasma” is the fact that the original living beings of this world, due to the world’s collapse and the absence of reincarnation, had nowhere to go in death. Their accumulated grievances eventually formed the resentment miasma.

These vengeful spirits have no rationality; they don’t think, only relentlessly drain the life force of living beings. When living beings die, they transform into vengeful spirits, creating a vicious cycle.

But where do the new spirit trees come from? Life cannot simply appear out of thin air. Naturally, it’s the reentry of these vengeful spirits into the cycle, transforming into spirit trees, blades of grass, small flowers, or even a grasshopper.

As reincarnation begins anew, the resentment miasma naturally diminishes. This is also one of the ways to clear this dungeon.

What sets this dungeon apart from previous ones is the vast expanse of time—nine thousand years. All civilizations have disappeared entirely, and understanding the root cause of the apocalypse is not much simpler than solving the apocalypse itself.

If it were Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu, that would be fine, as they have a connection to this world and can slowly uncover the truth from nine thousand years ago. But for most people, planting trees is a faster way to clear this dungeon.

Not all the strategists on Sand Star were concentrated near the city ruins, but as the green spread, this place naturally became the center of Sand Star. It eventually became the Miracle City of Sand Star and was named “Miracle.” As for Sand Star, it slowly transformed into Jade Star in the mouths of the people, a brilliant presence born in the universe.

The people on Jade Star didn’t know that the seeds they planted and the saplings they nurtured weren’t just growing on Jade Star itself. They were also flourishing in this vast, gray universe. They brought new life to Jade Star and to this expansive continent of stars. Their efforts would be repaid seven years later, whether for good or ill, whether ugly or beautiful. As long as you had once sown life in this desolate cosmos, this would be your ultimate refuge. At that time, they would understand what it meant to confront and collide with other worlds, willingly face the dangers of the apocalypse once again, and provide a place of tranquility for them.

In this gray expanse of time, that emerald-like planet radiated vibrant life, like a drop of falling water creating ripples in a deep pool. After nine thousand years of silence, life was finally stirring once again.

While everyone was busy on Sand Star, Shu Shuishui and the others were actively searching for the truth behind the apocalypse. They expanded their planting efforts, not limited to Sand Star alone. In this universe, there were many life-bearing planets, and as long as Da Bai and Jiaolong could find them, Shu Shuishui would initiate the process of greening these planets.

Gradually, a group of diplomats emerged on Sand Star, dedicated to the extraterrestrial greening work, with transportation handled by Da Bai and Jiaolong. Almost all the life-bearing planets, when initially introduced to the concept of greening and tree planting, seemed to harbor a sense of familiarity mixed with unspoken grievances. However, after the greening process, their reactions shifted uniformly towards the sentiment of how wonderful it was to plant trees and why they hadn’t done it sooner.

Thus, the universe, centered around the Jade Star, witnessed the rapid spread of life.

As for the planet where the Li Dream Study was located, both Da Bai and Jiaolong refused the greening efforts of others, unanimously stating that they could handle the greening themselves.

This planet was named Dream Star, as for Da Bai and Jiaolong, the Li Dream Study was like their home. Therefore, the planet where the Li Dream Study was situated was naturally named Dream Star. As for its previous name, there was no need to delve into it; the cycle of life moves forward, not dwelling on the past.

In the exploration of the root cause of the apocalypse, the group made some progress.

After Meng Mo Li and Lan Gu disappeared one after the other, the universe fell into total chaos. Countless people were tracking their footsteps, hoping to discover a way out of this apocalypse.

In a few surviving records and documents, Shu Shuishui came across speculations about Meng Mo Li’s identity. Since Meng Mo Li was known for his love of sleep and even had the title of Sleep God, most of the speculations were related to sleep.

Amidst the multitude of chaotic speculations, one theory stood out: the idea that Meng Mo Li might possess ancient texts on dreaming, dream control, and dream entry. This person even presented numerous pieces of evidence to support the plausibility of their theory. Dreams were one of the very few things not bound by the constraints of time and space. If a dreamer became powerful enough, breaking through the boundaries of time and even creating an entire world was within the realm of possibility.

Nine thousand years ago, countless people went crazy over this speculation, exploring the true identity of Meng Mo Li in hopes of finding methods for dream creation and dream entry. But as they continued their pursuit, a somewhat difficult-to-accept result emerged before them.

Meng Mo Li’s origins were untraceable. Even the most advanced investigative techniques couldn’t trace Meng Mo Li’s roots. He seemed to have appeared out of thin air on the entire continent. This coincided perfectly with the earlier speculations that Meng Mo Li might not be a native but had arrived suddenly through a method of dream entry. This discovery excited many, and they began searching for anything related to Meng Mo Li.

Unfortunately, the legendary Li Dream Study, reportedly founded by Meng Mo Li, was isolated by Lan Gu. No one could access that domain, and thus, they couldn’t uncover more secrets about Meng Mo Li. Moreover, after that point, it seemed like they had hit a critical juncture, as if some barrier in the unknown was preventing them from further exploring anything related to Meng Mo Li.

This left the people of that time unable to accept it. They couldn’t understand why things had turned out this way, why they were so close to the truth yet unable to progress, trapped in a dead end.

The investigation into Meng Mo Li’s identity came to a halt, and people shifted their focus to Lan Gu. However, after extensive inquiries, they horrifyingly discovered that Lan Gu had likely transcended existence long, long ago, meaning that Lan Gu had possessed the ability to shatter the void even before the apocalypse, yet had chosen not to leave. Furthermore, Lan Gu’s origins were just as enigmatic as Meng Mo Li’s. Unlike Meng Mo Li’s sudden appearance, it seemed that Lan Gu had existed since the very birth of the world.

These two individuals, both defying logic, brought the investigation to a standstill, and the apocalypse could not be averted.

The paths once walked by these people were now being explored by Shu Shuishui and his team. However, compared to the past, Shu Shuishui had an additional place of interest, the Li Dream Study, which seemed to conceal many secrets.

When the investigation reached the mystery of Meng Mo Li’s identity, Shu Shuishui had a rather crazy idea. If Meng Mo Li truly possessed the ability to create dreams, control dreams, and enter dreams, how did the people of this world determine their own existence as real and not part of a dream?

Perhaps this speculation had crossed someone’s mind nine thousand years ago, but nobody dared to delve into it further. If one were not truly real, but merely a creation in someone else’s dream, what meaning did everything hold?

In the end, within the Li Dream Study, Shu Shuishui found Meng Mo Li’s self-interpretation. It was an inconspicuous compendium of all things, as the name suggested, documenting the creatures of the world. One page had a slightly different paper texture as if someone had added a page later, and the handwriting on that page was distinctly Meng Mo Li’s.

The contents were extremely concise, with just a few sentences: “Dreamweaver, where the heart desires, dreams come true. From the smallest flower, insect, and bird to the grandest of all things, if the heart so wishes, they can all be brought to life in a dream. Although this ability is extraordinary, it is incredibly hard to control and easy to lose one’s mind, becoming obsessed with the dream and unable to distinguish reality from fiction. Many Dreamweavers possess the power to create and save worlds. Use it wisely to establish a world.”

This should be Meng Mo Li’s true identity—a Dreamweaver from an unknown dimension. Possessing the power to make dreams come true, capable of creating everything through their own dreams.

Meng Mo Li likely foresaw the impending disaster through his dreams and chose to seek a solution in other dimensions. After Lan Gu learned of this, he left a protective scale to maintain the world and followed Meng Mo Li.

As for the cause of the apocalypse, the group couldn’t provide a definitive answer. Perhaps even Meng Mo Li and Lan Gu couldn’t explain it.

Their search for the reason was fruitless, but fortunately, the greening efforts were successful. Numerous spirit trees grew, becoming self-sustaining and contributing greenery to their surroundings.

Gradually, after Jade Star, one lush planet after another began to shine. The universe gradually dispelled its gloom, radiating the brilliance it should have had.

When the life force of the universe finally overwhelmed the resentment miasma and could sustain its own spiritual energy, the dungeon was completed.

Everyone who was actively planting trees seemed a bit slow to react. This was probably the most unique and comfortable dungeon they had ever experienced. Planting trees was the key to clearing it, and was there a simpler way to complete a dungeon?

What’s more, it was pleasantly surprising that the rewards for clearing the dungeon were directly linked to the contribution points, which in this case, equated to tree planting.

In the central square of the simulation space, this collective dungeon that had been silent for over three months finally showed signs of activity. The teleportation array’s light began to flash rhythmically, indicating that there were about to be clearers teleporting out.

The people around spontaneously moved aside, their attention all focused on the area, ready to catch a glimpse of the state of the clearers of this collective dungeon.

The light flashed, and one person after another was teleported out. It seemed like they were caught off guard by the sudden teleportation; most of them were frozen in the same position as they were in the previous moment.

Some were holding buckets of water, some had shovels in their hands, some were in the middle of watering plants, and others had sunhats on their heads. In short, the scene was momentarily quite awkward, and the air seemed to hold its breath in surprise for a few seconds.

What the clearers could bring out was not only what they had on their person when they entered the dungeon but also the rewards from the dungeon. So, this collective dungeon had set a record for the most rewards brought out, but what they brought out left much to be desired.

The onlookers around were a bit dumbfounded, feeling that this had subverted their previous understanding of collective dungeon clears. There were too many clearers, the rewards brought out were too many, and the clearers’ states were abnormal. Even though they were dressed plainly, their complexions were ruddy. Several of them were even crying on the spot, shouting that they wanted to go back and plant crops! These behaviors were quite bizarre, and for a moment, the central square was bustling with activity.

Shu Shuishui and his team blended into the crowd of people who had just teleported out. Compared to the others who were reacting strongly and dressed strangely, they looked relatively normal.

Taking advantage of the chaos where everyone was wondering who they were, where they were, and where their trees were, Shu Shuishui and his team silently mingled with the crowd and left the central square.

Thanks to the heartbroken cries of those who cried and shouted that this couldn’t be real, that they must be dreaming, and that they still had trees to plant, there were far fewer people paying attention to Shu Shuishui and the others.

In the logout area, the group of people logged out one by one and then gathered in Nan Ge’s logout space. The warm and comfortable modern residence, soft sofas, and large French windows, with a view of the azure sky outside, made them feel somewhat uncomfortable. It seemed that they had spent too much time on Sphere Star; they were starting to find the lush green sky quite pleasing to the eye.

“This time’s dungeon lasted for a long time, 102 days. Normally, there wouldn’t be so many people who could endure it. It can only be said that our mental strength was well replenished in Sphere Star. From food to spiritual energy, the energy there is higher than in the Canghai Galaxy, which is why this situation occurred. Let’s follow the usual practice and share our gains and thoughts, then log out and rest properly,” Nan Ge poured tea for everyone and gestured for them to chat casually.

Although it had only been over three months in the real world, on the Sphere Star continent, it truly felt like they had spent three years. If it weren’t for the array that accelerated the growth of the spiritual trees and the abundant spiritual vein resources on the Sphere Star continent, they might have grown old and died inside before planting all the spiritual trees on the Sphere Star.

After spending such a long time together, everyone had become extremely familiar with each other, and there was no need to hide anything. They shared their rewards. Since everyone was a major force in greening the galaxy, their rewards were naturally quite generous. Each person received an award from an extragalactic civilization, which surpassed the technology of the Cang Zhan Star. Shu Shuishui received the indefinitely prolonged simulator originally announced by the system. However, in Shu Shuishui’s hands, where the items had piled up into a mountain, the simulator couldn’t be used to its maximum potential, so he handed it over to Xie Feng for research.

In addition to the system rewards, each person also received one to three rewards from the dungeon. This was the first time they had received rewards from a dungeon, and everyone vaguely understood that whether they could obtain dungeon rewards was likely related to the favorability of the dungeon towards the clearers.

As the dungeon came to an end, most of the clearers fell into a state of contemplation. They just wanted to lounge in the login space, neither logging in nor logging out, simply wanting to be still and reminisce about the wonderful past.

In the villa in Nan Ge’s login space, everyone was no exception. After the discussion had concluded, they all nestled on the couch, chatting casually. At times, you might not even catch what the other person was saying, but everyone was nodding as if they had heard it.

“I think the mushrooms in the Wosong Ridge were the best, and I want to eat them again,” Yu Jin drooled.

“Yeah, the squirrels were so cute,” Liu Du fantasized.

“Indeed, hazelnuts were delicious,” Xie Feng mumbled.

Nan Fang nodded absentmindedly, his gaze unfocused…

This sort of conversation, where words were spoken but not really exchanged, continued for half an hour until Shu Shuishui suddenly spoke up. “We must remember to wear pants when going out from now on.”

Everyone: “…”

Shu Shuishui suddenly remembered, not just pants but underwear too. “Gu Gu, I’ll make you a pair of underwear!”

Everyone: !!! After spending such a long time together, they had already figured out Shu Shuishui’s preferences when it came to making things. For example, if he wanted to protect Gu Langu’s hands, he’d make gloves; if he thought Gu Langu’s eyes were beautiful, he’d make glasses; and if he didn’t want Gu Langu’s feet to get hurt, he’d make shoes. So, this underwear…

Everyone’s eyes turned towards Gu Langu in unison, and their gaze blatantly spelled out two words: ‘You pervert!’

Gu Langu calmly responded to the accusing looks, “Two pairs.”

The gazes of everyone became even more bizarre, and in their eyes, two more words appeared: ‘Even more perverted than expected!’

Shu Shuishui’s eyes formed a crescent shape as he laughed. “Alright, Gu Gu, do you want pure cotton, silk, or lace?”

Gu Langu: “…”

The air fell silent for a few seconds, then erupted in laughter. Shu Shuishui was still Shu Shuishui, and you could never predict when his thoughts would take an unexpected turn in an unknown direction.

Shu Shuishui looked bewildered. “Isn’t that how they are categorized?” He thought he covered all the bases.

Yu Jin laughed so hard that tears almost came out, nodding vigorously in agreement with Shu Shuishui.

The group of laughing friends didn’t get to hear Gu Langu’s response in the end. Gu Langu left Nan Ge’s login space and, incidentally, took Shu Shuishui with him. However, it was easy to guess that even though he was a semi-mechanical being, Gu Langu was still a male, and there wouldn’t be a third category in his response.