Chapter 423: Journey and Gains
With just a thought, a journey that could be embarked on at any moment began.
For this trip, I did not use a flying broomstick to travel, nor did I use teleportation, but instead opted for a special mode of transportation from this world.
Although this is not a world I’m familiar with, the development of transportation shares some similarities with what I know. After all, their functions are quite similar, and the designs cannot be overly extravagant, because these designs need to consider an important factor: funding.
Almost all technological creations in this world are powered by earth energy, including the earth-energy engine in the vehicle I was riding.
From what I understand of this world’s history, they initially discovered earth vein energy, this extraordinary energy, but they took the wrong direction and could not harness it in the early stages. Later, they invented the technique to convert earth vein energy into earth energy, and only then did they begin large-scale development of earth vein energy.
After understanding the characteristics of earth energy, I lost a lot of interest in it, as the birth of earth energy means they lowered the barrier for utilizing earth vein energy through certain techniques. After all, this world is technologically oriented; if they had veered slightly toward magic, utilizing earth vein energy wouldn’t have been so difficult.
However, many developments in technology have already taken shape by now, and the continued use of earth energy won’t change easily, as a civilization cannot drastically alter due to the theories of a few individuals; that would be a disaster for everyone.
Initially, as earth energy was fully utilized, the prototype of the plant network soon emerged, and the speed at which the concept of the plant network was born was so astonishing that I suspected the conversion technique of earth energy might have some connection to the Tear of the Wild Growth.
But one thing I will not deny is that those historical geniuses who created these techniques from nothing were indeed extraordinary talents.
Although the emergence of earth energy propelled the birth and development of the plant network, the utilization of earth energy is far from over. However, the development of technological creations compared to the plant network gives an illusion of a time gap.
I cannot blame them; if it weren’t for the Excavators in this world, technological advancements might have progressed even faster.
After all, you cannot expect a group of people who work in gaming to release inspiration within the games, create art, push social development, lead a renaissance, and spread scientific techniques.
They only transfer their frustrations from work into the game, and when the game becomes a job, it loses its inherent joy. The Excavators also become very dangerous, needing to vent their emotions everywhere.
But none of this has much to do with me. I was sitting in the vehicle, feeling the bumpy road and the fleeting scenery outside the window.
I realized that I had been in this world for quite a while, but had not made a genuine effort to understand it. This world is not just filled with violence and darkness; there are also novelty and beauty.
Even with the presence of Excavators, ordinary people still live resiliently. Perhaps it is my two lifetimes spent in a peaceful society that made everything seem so natural.
However, the deeper the bottom layer, the more unexpected beauty can be created, as those who cannot adapt to such an environment will perish in it.
Our first stop requires leaving the country, not just because Lanas Island is small, but because this country only has one main Wanlian Main Network Tree.
Even local resident Qiu Ruxin would be confused when it comes to what sights are worth visiting here. She may know of some bustling commercial areas, but this does not meet my expectations.
Lanas Island is a peninsula located in a corner of the continent, surrounded by countries with very singular influences. It is not a contested area, nor is it a place rich in earth vein energy, resulting in a very “peaceful” geographical environment. At least setting aside the Excavators, this country has not experienced the baptism of war in a long time. So our first stop is not to set sail but to start the journey from the inland.
During this journey, I began to attempt to learn other languages of this world. Of course, learning is not the goal; I study the common languages here merely to understand the connections between different languages.
Language is a tool for communication, and different languages have their own characteristics as well as commonalities. I am trying to summarize a way to quickly learn languages, and also borrow this method to quickly adapt and practice the effects of the spell “Knowledge Tree.”
This is also preparation for my possible adventures in other worlds. After all, I have not even completed my first year at the Witch Academy, and I am already engaging in “friendly” exchanges between worlds, right?
Therefore, this can be seen as a precautionary measure.
In fact, learning multiple languages is more about summarizing learning methods. Language has its unique learning methods, and other types of knowledge also require corresponding learning methods. This can be seen as learning from analogies and accumulating my own cognition.
The journey proceeded in an orderly manner, and the research on the Wanlian Main Network Tree did not stop either, as I wondered whether I could discover any related insights.
However, in the end, I found that this was merely a poor imitation of the main Wanlian Main Network Tree, with no innovation whatsoever.
As expected, stepping away from the range of extraordinary items owned by Qiu Ruxin meant I no longer had more insights related to this “Extraordinary Knowledge,” and naturally, no delightful surprises came my way.
Yet I remained undeterred and did not change my plan because I genuinely wanted to relax this time.
In this journey, there’s not much I need to consider; it boils down to a process of play and learning.
Playing is about releasing my body and mind, while learning is about broadening my horizons and accumulating knowledge.
Of course, the accompanying development and refinement of the Knowledge Tree is part of the learning process, but my utilization of “Extraordinary Knowledge” has already deviated from its original purpose; I have not been studying it purely for that, so the progress related to the Knowledge Tree’s derivatives being stuck does not surprise me.
I merely conduct various attempts in a serendipitous manner.
However, I was astonished to discover that even these occasional attempts, the ideas that unintentionally collide, were surprisingly faster than my thoughtful musings.
At this moment, I also had to pay attention to my own state.
Indeed, only when the body and mind are thoroughly relaxed can more be achieved.
Having gone through such experiences, I realized the meaning of the phrase, “I inherently have the ability to accomplish anything, but I have limited myself.”
Perhaps that is who I am, yet I have been coerced by almost imperceptible pressures, delayed by numerous trivial matters, and troubled by my own lack of self-confidence.
But now, I truly understand what it means to think more and make more mistakes, yet do things correctly.
Because actions have no right or wrong, but my mind categorizes them into right or wrong.
It is our instinctive capability to predict what has not yet happened, but it also binds us like shackles.
Perhaps I have already severed the earth vein shackles of the main world, but I have not yet cut my mental shackles.
This was precisely what Sister Bai meant when she said I think too much.
I have proven through two lifetimes that my approach to dealing with things was merely a path to a massive dead end. And now… I use this realization to tell myself to stop.
When all of this is put down, this marks my transformation and will become a turning point in my life.
In the blink of an eye, half a month has passed.
During this relatively long time, I have visited more places than in my two lifetimes combined, yet concerning the overall planning for a global journey, this is still only the beginning.
During this period, I witnessed many magnificent scenes, breathtaking landscapes, and the might of nature. I also encountered countries still embroiled in war, with countless deaths and injuries… along with a presence of Excavators everywhere, igniting conflict.
Or rather, along this journey, I could see those Excavators everywhere. They were more insane than the ones I had previously encountered, acting with even less restraint.
Although I am traveling, I could observe the international situation becoming tense due to the craziness of these Excavators through the plant network I have access to.
The Excavators becoming rampant is not a figment of my imagination; it feels as if they are having a last hurrah, and the reality aligns with my suspicions.
Moreover, those Excavators are not avoiding the internet. Based on my information filtering, those players may be facing an issue… that is “server shutdown.”
This indeed piqued my curiosity. Did they really just give up on this world?
Or do they think this world no longer has the value for continued excavation?
Even the most critical “Extraordinary Knowledge” remains undiscovered by them. Until now, I still do not know what they came to this world for.
Invading the world merely to seize resources; with so many Excavator players, I have yet to discover whether they transported this world’s resources away through some channel.
This world, aside from this “Extraordinary Knowledge,” is essentially worthless; transporting a batch of materials from this world to theirs may even be less than the transport costs.
It surely cannot just be for play, right?
Moreover… I also discovered an issue that I previously overlooked until it happened before me on my journey.
At first, I thought those players controlled a body through fortune, so those with threads of fortune were Excavators. However, reality tells me that this is not entirely the case; a person with a thread of fortune may not be an Excavator but rather a vessel, a container into which those players descend.
Before their consciousness is occupied by Excavators, they are indistinguishable from ordinary people. Once a player logs in, the person is entirely dead. Even if those players “log out,” the individual does not return.
They can only become a vessel with life activities but no consciousness.
I came to this realization by coincidence.
At that time, I was in a vehicle, and the person in front of me appeared quite ordinary, even excessively so, but I noticed a thread of fortune on him.
Until a certain moment, he seemed to transform into a different person. After a brief adjustment period, he directly embodied the character.
Then… he ended up completely destroying the vehicle I was in. He acted like the worst butcher, slaughtering everyone in the vehicle in the most violent manner. As for his fate, I naturally executed him on the spot.
I don’t know why they chose to k*ll. Perhaps they found pleasure in it or had other reasons.
I only know that at the end of that journey, I flew on a broomstick with Qiu Ruxin to a place with a station and then continued my travels.
Yes, continued. None of this halted my good spirits.
Nothing can obstruct my journey or disrupt my enthusiasm, for when I no longer view them as enemies, I will not let anything they do affect my emotions dramatically.
Thus, their existence became an interlude in my travels, adding fun to my otherwise mundane journey.
“Server shutdown celebration… how boring,” I sighed slightly. They stomp off from this world after their fun, and this style is somewhat similar to mine. However, I have the strength to withdraw, but these guys… not necessarily so.
I feel it is time to give them something to chew on, with the reverse summoning spell manifestation from that earlier Wanlian Main Network Tree.
This phenomenon immediately attracted those Excavators, who hurried to uncover its secrets.
In the end, they found that the so-called secret was the unknown runes I initially provided to the survivors. This instantly convinced many Excavators, as, during the following period, there were instances of success in replicating my summoning ceremony. But so far, not one appeared in unknown territories; all were within this small world.
So using this method to reverse invade that world has become difficult for me; they will not even attempt this rune ceremony in reality.
Perhaps I should use the most direct way to break down the fourth wall for those players, so the Excavators would study this reverse summoning ceremony within their reality.
After pondering briefly, I also formed a rough idea in my mind.
According to my current understanding of that unknown civilization, they seem to possess extraordinary techniques, but likely through the completion of “Extraordinary Knowledge,” while overall presenting as a technological civilization with some understanding of spells, albeit not much.
They would even feel astonished by a fireball spell, from which many insights can be drawn.
Perhaps… I could take the chance to reveal some research concerning spells to them as a trial balloon?
And disguise that as a buried secret of this world. Although this method is not very technical, I don’t need to achieve perfection.
Casting a wide net to catch fish, they may miss numerous chances, but I just need a little fool to fulfill the ritual drawing according to my idea, exposing that world entirely.
As for how to spread this news… that can naturally be done through the plant network. As I control it, guiding public opinion is effortless.
As long as I test their interest in spells and runes, then connecting it with the earlier reverse summoning ceremony I put out, they are sure to try, as curiosity is a commodity they can leverage wonderfully.
Perhaps… I can also go try contacting the Real Protection Association.
That could be worth a shot; after all, there is no loss, right?
…
And right now, I am even more concerned about the arrival of the exploration team from the Witch Academy.
According to the Academy Head, the exploration team should be arriving around this time. Once they get here, they can relay the information back to the Witch Academy. If everything unfolds as anticipated without my unexpected interference, things will likely develop in that manner…
I just wonder if there are any members from other extraordinary academies among this exploration team.
They probably… are not, right?
I smiled and shook my head, casting aside all these baseless speculations, and continued to enjoy the tranquility of my journey.
Along with that, I also began systematically guiding my public opinion, targeting those Excavators.
Moreover… I must quicken my pace. The information I extracted from them indicates that their server shutdown point is nearing.
If I don’t act soon, it will truly be too late. If they escape now, I would be utterly distressed.
If only the mentors and Academy Heads from the Witch Academy would arrive at this moment, then I wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble. I could directly “tell on” those Academy Heads and mentors. I have no doubt about the strength of the extraordinary witches. They should possess sufficient means to completely break through that world.
By then, I would have achieved the feat of overthrowing that loathsome civilization.
