Chapter 93 Ask Nature

Chapter 93 -92: Ask Nature

Countless hair-thin, seaweed-like roots emerged in a burst of Crazy Growth from the withered stem at the top of the fruit. They multiplied at a speed visible to the naked eye. In the blink of an eye, dense, dark green seaweed covered the ground within a one-meter radius of the workbench, forming a thick algal blanket. A damp scent permeated the entire area.

Seeing this, Han Ning immediately recalled his previous battle with that Fishman Leader. The Leader had also swung its Magic Staff, firing seaweed that resembled a fishing net. He just didn’t know how it managed to control the seaweed and actively shoot it at others.

“It really is like this.” Professor Ye nodded slightly as he looked at the seaweed exhibiting Crazy Growth before him. “My previous speculation was correct! This fruit… it’s very likely not just performing Purification on the wastewater.”

He pointed at the dark green algal blanket. “It’s absorbing and converting external Energy, then modifying the surrounding aquatic environment. Or rather, it’s not Purification, but simply transforming the environment into a comfortable one that it prefers, after which it begins to reproduce.”

“So…” Han Ning said thoughtfully, “it’s like an… environmental modifier?”

“You could say that,” Professor Ye said. “Whether it’s Black Tide Energy or other pollutants, everything within its modification range will be forcibly converted into a comfortable Energy for them. At present, I still don’t know what benefits this modified environment has for us. Even regarding the water they’ve subjected to Purification, it’s temporarily unknown whether it’s harmful to the human body. We still need to continue researching.”

Speaking of this, Professor Ye frowned. “I am not an Awakened, so much of my research is restricted. I can only deduce inaccurate conclusions from the mouths of Awakened, and this information might not even be true.”

“Has he really researched so much in just two days?” Han Ning thought. He increasingly felt that swapping for Professor Ye was a wise choice. He couldn’t help but praise him, “Professor Ye, you are very important. I will figure out a way to make you an Awakened. Even now, your value in my eyes is far greater than that of many Awakened.”

After concluding the exchange with Professor Ye, the long night stretched on, and everyone chatted for a while in the suite.

Xu Yinyin, this little girl, was truly bold. When others saw snow cake’s current ferocious and imposing appearance, they couldn’t hide fast enough. Yet, like a little monkey, she grunted as she climbed onto snow cake’s head, hugging its icy scales and whispering in its ear.

“snow cake, snow cake, this sparkling scale on your head is so pretty!” Xu Yinyin blinked her eyes.

“ROAR-WOO…” A helpless rumble escaped from snow cake’s throat, its yellow slit-pupils filled with a look of absolute despair. Its master had said it couldn’t hurt this little one. It could only stiffen its neck, allowing Xu Yinyin to climb up and down its massive body, tug at the small bone spikes on its back, and touch the serrations on its tail.

Xu Ming’s heart pounded with fear as he watched, and he hastily scolded, “Yinyin, come down quickly.”

Han Ning also gently lectured her, “Yinyin, snow cake is our companion and won’t hurt you. But you have to remember, the monsters outside aren’t as docile as snow cake. They’re very dangerous and will attack the moment they see you approach, understand?”

Startled by the serious tone of her father and Uncle Han, Xu Yinyin obediently slid off snow cake’s back and muttered softly, “I know… Yinyin just thinks snow cake is so cute…”

C-cute?

Hearing this, Han Ning, Professor Ye, Xu Ming, and Yu Na couldn’t help but twitch the corners of their eyes. snow cake’s current posture had absolutely nothing to do with being cute.

After chatting for an hour or two, the night deepened, and the group scattered to rest.

In such an environment, the nights felt exceptionally long and boring. There was no internet and no entertainment facilities. The only ways to pass the time were playing solo, forming a duo, or getting a squad together.

Han Ning lay sprawled out on the reasonably comfortable bed. Closing his eyes, he began to test his newly unlocked Communication with Nature Skill.

Communication with Nature wasn’t a conversation with some autonomous, conscious entity, but rather an inquiry directed at the natural will that formed the foundational rules of this world. The natural will was like a vast ocean, boundless and endless. Whether it responded, and what it responded with, was incredibly elusive.

Han Ning focused his Spirit, mobilizing the Spiritual Power within his body. He raised his right index finger, the tip illuminating with a speck of emerald green light. His fingertip slowly traced through the air, leaving behind a luminous trail similar to the path of a moving firefly.

Gradually, a complexly structured mark took shape beneath his finger. As the final stroke fell, the entire mark flickered like taking a breath, transforming into a soft halo that enveloped Han Ning entirely.

In an instant, Han Ning’s skin, hair, and even his eyelashes seemed to be soaked in the gentle green light. He felt his Spirit as though it were being infinitely elevated and extended. He formed a faint connection with the Earth beneath his feet, the boundless curtain of rain outside the window, and some grand, ancient pulsation of this world.

In this state that felt like an out-of-body experience, Han Ning condensed his Mental Power and sent his first inquiry to the vast, boundless natural will: “How can I help Professor Ye and Xu Ming become Awakened?”

The thought was like a stone tossed into the deep sea. There was no echo. There was only the monotonous sound of the torrential rain washing over the world outside the window.

The natural will was vast and indifferent. His question was far too “human,” akin to asking the ocean how to build a ship.

Han Ning wasn’t discouraged. He immediately adjusted his strategy, attempting to simplify the question.

“How does… an ordinary person… obtain power that transcends the mundane?”

The thought was transmitted once more. It still met with silence.

Han Ning frowned slightly.

“To become stronger?”

This time, he felt the invisible connection seem to ripple slightly, though there was still no clear response.

Han Ning pondered for a moment, and his own journey of growth surfaced in his mind. He set aside the aspect of growing stronger by killing monsters. Instead, he purely visualized going from an ordinary person to someone who could only summon a few fragile vines, which then evolved into dozens of thick, long vines, and finally to releasing a massive sea of trees. This was also intertwined with the process of his body continuously growing stronger. However, the exact mechanics of becoming stronger were glossed over.

Finally, Han Ning directed a question to the natural will: how does one transition from that first scene to the final scene?

The very moment this thought was sent out, the emerald green motes of light enveloping Han Ning trembled violently. His Spirit felt as if it had been gently plucked by an invisible force. A fragmented, blurry snippet of imagery appeared before his eyes.

Scene one: A blurry human figure huddled in a freezing corner, their body trembling violently, their face covered in utter terror. In front of them, something incredibly terrifying seemed to be approaching.

Just at the instant that terror reached its peak, it was as if something inside the figure shattered with a CRACK. A faint wave of newly born power erupted from their body.

The scene shifted. Amidst a devastated ruin, a figure desperately shielded a smaller figure behind them.