Chapter 420: The Revelation of Runes and the Wanlian Main Network Tree
With a dull rumble echoing from beneath the ground, the earth trembled.
A violent explosion rang out, instantly destroying the underground Earth Energy root network.
Facilities that required continuous Earth Energy supply nearby slowly came to a halt at that moment.
Under the Wanlian Main Network Tree was a massive underground permanent project that provided energy to it, a place for Earth Energy conversion.
This was a huge self-operating Earth Energy stable supply station, requiring only regular maintenance once a year. Over the years, it had become the dedicated Earth Energy supply facility for this Wanlian Main Network Tree, and the converted Earth Energy was barely enough for the main tree to operate normally.
With technological advancements and continuous iterations in Earth Energy conversion techniques, the output of this Earth Energy supply facility was now more than sufficient to meet the operational needs of the Wanlian Main Network Tree. The surplus was used for the educational endeavors of Lanas University and the public facilities surrounding it.
Thus, as the explosion sounded, the previously illuminated road was plunged into darkness at that moment. Even though there were not many people on the thoroughfare at the time, it still resulted in frequent accidents in the pitch-black night.
The damage to the Earth Energy supply network also caused massive anomalies in the Plant Network access, and this incident greatly impacted the Wanlian Main Network Tree.
With the main tree affected, the other Wanlian Main Network Trees in the world that were cultivated based on it were also affected. Though not to the extent of completely destroying the Plant Network in this world, issues such as stuttering and missing data quickly arose.
Naturally, the most panicked were the Plant Network maintainers battling on the front lines within the Wanlian Main Network Tree.
They hurriedly checked their equipment, clearly realizing that this disturbance was beyond their ability to remedy.
During this time, they only needed to confirm that the Wanlian Main Network Tree would not suffer irreversible damage due to insufficient Earth Energy supply while also beginning to activate emergency contingency plans.
At the same time, they prayed for no further complications and for the repair team to quickly resolve the issue; otherwise, they would have no capacity to do anything.
After all, they were maintainers of the Wanlian Main Network Tree, not Earth Energy conversion repair personnel. Moreover, they had never learned what to do in case the Wanlian Main Network Tree was attacked; who would dare to do such a thing?
Even the Excavators were hesitant. Although they had gained some bravery in the past few days, it was still only child’s play; they didn’t need to step in.
The temporary repair team here also couldn’t delve into the depths to conduct large-scale repairs on the Earth Energy root system; they were merely an emergency team for small-scale root breaks, not a jack of all trades.
One could say that this incident instantly exposed the hidden dangers in their complacent lives, leaving no room for recovery.
At this moment, they could only listen to the alarm outside, anxiously waiting.
Meanwhile, news of the attack on the Wanlian Main Network Tree quickly reached the important high-level officials of various countries in this small world. Regardless of what they were doing at the moment, whether in meetings, sleeping, or something else, this matter needed to be taken seriously.
After all, that was the source of the evolution of their entire civilization’s Plant Network, naturally not something they could ignore.
“d*mn it, is my function here unimportant enough to be abandoned? Can someone help write my report…?”
At this moment, a middle-aged woman in the uniform of a Wanlian Main Network Tree maintainer began to complain, but her hands moved swiftly despite her words.
The screen displaying concise information on the Wanlian Main Network Tree structure emerged, with Earth Energy coalescing on it.
Suddenly, a figure appeared here as if materializing out of thin air.
Along with this figure’s emergence, the special identification system’s voice sounded.
“Strange individual detected, beginning facial recognition…”
“Who?” As the voice suddenly rang out, the woman turned abruptly. Since there was no one else there aside from her, she was surprised to see a smiling young girl staring back at her. Before she could react, two spells rapidly subdued her.
“Silence, Bind.”
At this moment, I casually cast two spells, and a mirror shielding spell swiftly covered my surroundings. If it weren’t for the absence of any invisibility spells, this wouldn’t be a hassle.
However, the use of mirror concealment was just barely enough to cope with the system recognition here.
Once the mirror spell was lifted, my form completely transformed, becoming that of the woman now collapsed on the ground.
“Facial recognition successful, Ms. Hanhui…”
At this moment, the real Ms. Hanhui had been bound and lay helpless on the ground, her mouth open but unable to make a sound due to the silence spell.
She looked in shock at the nearly identical replica of herself before her, disbelief all over her face, which soon turned to fear.
I didn’t care about her thoughts; I took off her uniform and put it on. Though it was a bit large, it was manageable.
“Thank you, I’ll borrow your identity for a bit.” I smiled at her while using her appearance, then began checking for any of her belongings, such as permissions.
However, at this moment, Ms. Hanhui was filled with despair. She didn’t know who this person was or how they had entered, but it was certain that she was not a maintainer within the Wanlian Main Network Tree.
Now inheriting this lady’s identity, I approached the operation screen. Even though I was unfamiliar with it, I managed to grasp the basics after a brief trial.
After using and observing for a while, I found that the equipment here was far superior to the “computer” I had assembled back then, for it was inherently part of the Wanlian Main Network Tree.
The entire Wanlian Main Network Tree was essentially a hollow large tree house with a complex internal structure. It had grown to this shape, not without human intervention.
It was evident this woman had been operating something, but I couldn’t be bothered to delve into it.
Now… I had entered the interior of the Wanlian Main Network Tree. The moment I arrived, I felt a vast stream of information flowing through this great tree. Such an immense information processing capability was beyond my expectations; perhaps the Wanlian Main Network Tree possessed such a capability inherently, but witnessing it firsthand was indeed terrifying.
After my astonishment, I summoned a rune once again. When it coalesced in my hand, I felt a strong sense of “congruity” with this place, as if it no longer required my earlier redundant efforts to turn it into a spell.
Immediately, an enlightening revelation guided me on what I needed to do next. I approached a nearby “wall.” Though called a wall, everything here was actually part of the Wanlian Main Network Tree. I maintained the connection with the rune and integrated it into the Wanlian Main Network Tree.
In an instant, this rune extended countless connections from the place it integrated into, just like before.
At this moment, it was no longer merely a tree formed of connections, but a complex stemming from this Wanlian Main Network Tree!
And I no longer hesitated, channeling magic power to convert it into elemental energy for supply. Although I knew the rune was no longer a spell, I could feel its thirst for extraordinary energy. The remaining Earth Energy supply of the Wanlian Main Network Tree was being drained, and I estimated I was its sole energy source. It seemed I was tasked with becoming its power source.
…
Meanwhile, the Plant Network maintainers still inside the Wanlian Main Network Tree had no idea what was happening, as the main tree had completely slipped from their control.
They watched in awe as golden veins appeared beneath their feet, beside them, and above their heads. All the artificially intervened internal structures seemed to react severely against this intrusion. If these maintainers looked at the Wanlian Main Network Tree from the outside, they would find that this long-stabled tree was actually stretching!
The protective facilities grafted onto it were also being dismantled at this moment; the branches of the extending Wanlian Main Network Tree broke through the top like young sprouts breaking through their seed coats. How could it be restricted by the creations grafted onto it?
All of this unfolded so rapidly that many people could hardly react. The internal structure of the Wanlian Main Network Tree began to “heal,” rendering any human-made creations or structures meaningless under “natural growth.”
At this moment, the Wanlian Main Network Tree adhered solely to its instincts to repair its internal errors, resembling a living being. The golden veins visibly emerged on its surface, their twisting forms appearing like the most natural runes…
Those maintainers were either “rejected” from the Wanlian Main Network Tree or permanently remained within its trunk, becoming insignificant nutrients.
This anomaly directly stunned those emergency personnel outside, as no one understood why the Wanlian Main Network Tree underwent such intense changes.
These bizarre golden veins extended along the root system of the Wanlian Main Network Tree, spreading across the entire surface of the world at a rapid pace.
In that moment, the areas affected by this vein experienced severe lag in the Plant Network, rendering it completely inaccessible.
This trend gradually spread from the night hemisphere to the day hemisphere, and on the other side where it was daytime, the countries were in the peak usage of the Plant Network. However, they soon discovered that the Plant Network, which had long been integrated into their habits, suddenly became inaccessible.
All of this… was stirred up by that one rune. It was as if a small stone had been thrown into a lake named the Plant Network, sending ripples rapidly expanding across the world.
This world had not developed anything like satellites; the global coverage of the Plant Network allowed them to do many things using it. Now, the Plant Network’s paralysis instantly deprived them of their ability to communicate online.
They could not imagine that such an event would occur one day!
Even if the Wanlian Main Network Tree were completely destroyed, according to their ongoing plans and layouts, the collaborative operation of the Wanlian Main Network Trees around the world would merely cause a short lag in the Plant Network. That was a cost they could still endure. However, they could never have imagined that a disaster affecting the entire world would unfold right before their eyes.
No one could destroy so many Wanlian Main Network Trees right under their noses.
Moreover, to be on the safe side, the quantity of Wanlian Main Network Trees hidden away was far greater than the publicized numbers. Even the world war initiated by the Excavators initially was not enough to use the Wanlian Main Network Trees to threaten them.
At this moment, the high-level officials of various countries recalled not long ago the incident of the main Wanlian Main Network Tree on Lanas Island being attacked. Their reactions were subdued, but they still acted urgently.
Indeed, that main Wanlian Main Network Tree located on Lanas Island was incredibly important. However, with societal developments, Lanas Island gradually became marginalized, drifting from the world’s center, relying on the old legacy of their forebears. If it weren’t for their incomprehensible educational methods, Lanas Island would surely decline from its international importance.
…
At this moment, inside the Wanlian Main Network Tree.
“Right… right! Just like this… so it was like this!” I excitedly suppressed my emotions, but even so, I couldn’t help but speak somewhat incoherently.
Excitement overwhelmed me at that moment.
“Breathe… breathe… calm down. Almost lost control of my emotions. My self-discipline still needs work, but… this is truly incredible…”
After taking a deep breath, I quickly calmed down. It wasn’t my fault for being so excited; what I had just accomplished was indeed terrifying!
And all of this was achieved solely by my own efforts without the Academy Head’s arrangements.
Of course… I must also thank the people of this small world, for their brilliant brains and the accumulation of technology over countless years had saved me enormous steps.
This Wanlian Main Network Tree was their greatest gift to me!
At this moment, unlike those maintainers being expelled, I, as the strong connector of this rune, had completely mastered this Wanlian Main Network Tree!
This rune had shed the ritual I had previously completed for it. Now, with the extensions of the Wanlian Main Network Tree, it formed “natural runes,” creating a vast and self-sufficient spell system aided by these runes.
It was similar to my experience in the Fool Village Secret Realm, except that at that time the Meditation Technique was constructed by the Academy Head, while this time, the Wanlian Main Network Tree was constructed by the people of this world.
But they lacked the most crucial element, which I had now provided.
At this moment, I stood in the central hollow of the Wanlian Main Network Tree. Whenever I pleased, I could control the main tree to transport me to any location within.
However, this held little significance. My role here was merely to supply energy, and with the Earth Energy supply already strained, I had to provide energy.
Furthermore… I was using the “artificial intelligence” within the Wanlian Main Network Tree to understand its functions.
Indeed, it was a supportive artificial intelligence.
An artificial intelligence developed on the basis of the maintenance personnel within the Wanlian Main Network Tree, designed to understand its conditions better. After all, for them to conduct maintenance, the Wanlian Main Network Tree needed to provide error feedback for them to act.
After the Wanlian Main Network Tree severed its ties with human intervention, I intentionally retained this function, while all permissions set within it became irrelevant after my complete control.
Now, the artificial intelligence was no longer merely a “program setting” but had truly become part of the main tree, governing the flood of data and processing capabilities within.
However… is my greatest gain this entire Wanlian Main Network Tree?
I didn’t think so. Perhaps by doing this, I grasped the lifeblood of this world, but I wasn’t interested in the authority over it.
My true harvest… was a spell model that formed a complete connection to 【Extraordinary Knowledge】 based on the Wanlian Main Network Tree, combined with the rune I had coalesced through revelation!
Those “natural runes” formed by the extensions of the Wanlian Main Network Tree were the best interpretation of the rune I commanded.
At this moment, the first phase of the spell derivation was already halfway complete.
The remaining tasks would require me to spend a long time continuously studying and completing it, seeking any further gains.
Perhaps… I should go check the status of the Wanlian Main Network Trees in other places; there would likely be considerable gains there as well, and who knows, it might be the key to fully perfecting this spell!
It might even provide me a chance to touch the fringes of 【Extraordinary Knowledge】!
