The system is four years ahead of schedule, but Weird is still a cub.

On the other side of the dense fog.

Shen Ge had been sailing in this foggy world for more than three days in his modified speedboat.

The detection equipment had long since malfunctioned, and all the strange eyes could see was a patch of green representing "high concentration of pure life energy".

As they ventured deeper into the dense fog, it gradually turned dark green, and some "green lands" appeared, formed by seaweed and other plants intertwined together.

He tried to land on one of the floating islands, whose "ground" was extremely soft, made up of countless plant roots and humus.

The island was covered with all sorts of strange, glowing plants, but no animals were found, not even a single insect.

The whole world was so quiet it was maddening.

As Shen Ge delved deeper, he gradually discovered a strange pattern.

The huge floating islands he passed, each several kilometers in diameter, had different shapes at their edges, but their central "core" parts all showed a striking similarity, as if they had been "bitten" by something and had a "dent".

It seems that some much larger entity has used these floating islands as its "nursery," and will come to harvest the best parts after they mature.

On the fourth day, when the modified speedboat rounded a huge "water curtain" made of hanging, glowing seaweed, the scattered floating islands in front of him were no longer there.

Instead, it is a truly boundless "root continent" formed by countless giant roots as thick as mountains intertwined together.

At the very center of that "Root Continent," a massive "main root," so enormous it could no longer be described as a "root," radiating a soft emerald green light, rose from the ground like a colossal tower reaching the heavens, soaring straight into the clouds before finally disappearing at the top of the thick fog.

"This is... the [Root of the World]?"

Above that "main root," deeper into the thick fog, there was a huge, blurry "shadow" that blended into the entire sky.

That thing was "alive," a slumbering demon king!

Shen Ge realized that the [Root of the World] was not the true "master" of this sea area.

It might even be just like those floating islands, simply the biggest and fattest "vegetable" on this farm.

The true "ruler" hidden above the thick fog in the sky comes to enjoy a meal of the essence of the root of the world every now and then.

This reminded Shen Ge of the "giant whale" hidden in the clouds, and he immediately abandoned the idea of ​​directly approaching the main root.

Without knowing the nature of that mysterious king in the sky, any rash action would only invite unnecessary trouble.

Shen Ge piloted the modified speedboat into a shadow beneath the "Root Continent," continuing his arduous search for clues.

He soon made a discovery.

It was a creature dressed in a "clothes" woven from unknown white bones and golden leaf veins, but its true form resembled a tree-man.

In addition to pure life energy, a faint strange energy also flows through its body.

Within the crisscrossing vines, one can see a strange, transplanted heart, resembling that of a "freak," thumping rhythmically.

[Outsiders...]

The tree monster spotted Shen Ge and stood up from the vines.

To Shen Ge's surprise, it not only possessed intelligence but could also speak a language he could understand, which was quite strange.

"...State your purpose. Otherwise, this forest will become your graveyard."

"I need something," Shen Ge said bluntly.

“A segment of the ‘living nerve root’ from the ‘Root of the World’ will save my city.”

Shen Ge's bluntness clearly startled the tree monster. A strange look flashed in its amber eyes, as if it had seen a madman running to someone's doorstep and saying he was going to tear down the roof beams.

[...What makes you think your "mother" would grant you this absurd request?]

"I might be able to help you get rid of that big problem above your heads that's 'stealing' your family's food." Shen Ge looked up at the shadow in the sky.

The tree-like creature seemed to sense something. It tried to extend a tender sprout towards Shen Ge, wrapping it around his arm. Sure enough, it sensed the eerie, uncanny power belonging to the progenitor. Extreme shock and fear immediately appeared in its amber eyes.

It could clearly feel that the "mysterious tumor heart" within its body, on which it depended for survival, was now being affected by the ancestor's strange and eerie power, and was beating more actively.

The primordial mystery originated from the primordial power of the earth, while these plants depend on the earth's life force for survival; the two complement each other.

To them, the progenitor was “god”.

[...the supreme being.]

After a brief moment of distraction, the tree monster bowed slightly to Shen Ge respectfully.

The plant-like fusion monster guards behind it all suppressed their hostility.

Please forgive our wariness. I am the "Guardian" of the "Root of the World." What guidance do you offer for this place?

Its mental state was filled with awe, but it had not completely abandoned its vigilance.

“I said I need a segment of the ‘living nerve root’ from the ‘Root of the World’,” Shen Ge repeated his request.

We regret to inform you that we are unable to grant your request.

Each nerve root of the "mother" maintains the balance of the entire root system; any removal will cause unpredictable trauma...

More importantly... The tree monster's "gaze" unconsciously drifted towards the shadow above.

We cannot withstand the wrath of the "Reapers."

It refused.

Shen Ge showed no surprise at the result.

"you are lying."

"The supreme being, I..." "The real reason you rejected me is not because you are afraid of the 'Reaper'." Shen Ge's eerie eyes seemed to pierce through the other's body made of bark and moss, staring directly at the "pathological" heart inside it.

"It's because you yourselves are about to die."

Shen Ge ignored the tree monster's shock and continued, "Your 'symbiotic' relationship with the [Root of the World] was flawed from the start. You forcibly implanted the bizarre heart of a high-level plant that was genetically incompatible with yours into your body. This fusion did grant you immense power and a long lifespan. But the price was..."

Shen Ge's gaze fell on the "caretaker's" trembling hand, which was holding a scepter. The hand appeared to be made of tough vines, but in Shen Ge's vision, the cells inside were fibrosing and dying at an irreversible rate.

"...The circulation of the strange energy within your body has long been severely blocked. You need to spend at least half of your time each day using your willpower to forcibly suppress the heart's reverse erosion of your body. Each suppression accelerates the decay of your own cells."

"You were once...human too, am I right?"

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, the tree monster nodded.

"Supreme Being, you are right."

Shen Ge continued, stating his deduction: "According to my calculations, your 'biological tissue activity' has fallen below the critical point. Without any intervention, you have at most a few more years to live."

Who...who are you?

The tree monster was very surprised that Shen Ge knew so much about him. It was already surprising that he could tell that he had once been human, and he could even tell his lifespan!
"It doesn't matter who I am."

Shen Ge calmly offered his first bargaining chip, saying indifferently, "The important thing is that I can heal you. And...them."

His gaze swept over the guardians around him, who were also experiencing varying degrees of "rejection" due to the fusion with the tumorous heart.

"The technology I possess allows me to design a completely new 'Stable Cycle System for Evil Energy' for you. It can filter the rampant evil energy from the 'evil tumor heart' within your bodies."

"I can't guarantee a complete cure. But at least I can extend your lifespan from a few years to several decades and free you from most of the pain caused by the evil energy."

Decades!
This number is incredibly tempting for someone who is already on the verge of death, not to mention that it can also free them from most of the pain caused by the corruption of the evil energy!
"of course."

Shen Ge then changed the subject, throwing out his second bargaining chip: "It's meaningless to merely cure your 'symptoms.' Because the real 'root cause' of your illness lies in your 'mother.'"

【…What do you mean by that?】

"It's unhealthy."

Shen Ge shook his head and pointed to the towering "main root": "The reason it attracts that 'harvester' is because its body contains a kind of strange energy that it cannot absorb or eliminate on its own. Just like how humans attract mosquitoes because of high blood sugar levels."

"All you've been doing is fertilizing it to make it grow bigger and produce more diseased fruit to feed that robber, but you've never thought about 'curing' it."

"Now, let's talk about this deal again."

“You give me a healthy ‘nerve root,’ and I will send my best scientists and my engineering team to live here.”

"First, we will help you establish a complete 'life support' system to solve the 'rejection reaction' that all your people are facing."

"Secondly, and most importantly, we will work together to research how to 'purify' the evil energy within your 'mother's' body."

"Think about it, if one day the offerings you give to that 'harvester' become tasteless, would an orchard that can no longer produce sweet fruit still be worth that 'harvester's' lingering for?"

When that time comes, they'll be the ones getting slaughtered!
Do you really have a way to "purify" the evil energy within your mother's body?

"I'm not 100% sure."

Shen Ge answered frankly that he didn't like making promises he couldn't keep: "But I can be sure that my technology system and the power I possess are the only ones that could possibly analyze and neutralize that kind of strange energy."

“Instead of sitting here enduring the pain, calculating how long you and your people can live, and when the next ‘harvest day’ will be, why not take a gamble?”

"The stake is a 'nerve root' that is crucial to me, but to you it's just turning a few years of life into two or three years."

"And what you may win back is the healing of the entire community."

The "caretaker" fell into a long silence upon hearing this. Its face, made of bark and moss, showed no expression, but one could sense its struggle.

Why should I believe you?

[Once I hand over the nerve roots of "Mother" to you, allowing you to heal your city... what if you leave, or... turn around and use the core of "Mother" to blackmail us?]

"First, my city is still outside, where all my compatriots and supplies are located. I can't go anywhere until the 'rust disease' is completely resolved."

"Secondly, to show my sincerity and to accelerate our cooperation... my best 'chief scientist' and my 'engineering team' will remain here throughout the entire cooperation. They are my 'hostages' that I'm holding here with you."

Very good, Shen Ge sold out Hephaestus and his team with just one sentence.

【……good. 】

【make a deal. 】

Over the next few hours, Shen Ge and the "caregiver" finalized all the details of their collaboration.

Shen Ge went out and brought in the "hostage" in exchange for the Guardian carrying the "nerve roots" and leaving with him to return to the "Iron Heart" to treat the rust disease.

Then, the "Iron Heart" will send a "Joint Scientific Expedition" led by Hephaestus himself, consisting of twenty of the top scientists and engineers, and dozens of elite guards equipped with "Raider-II" armor, to officially settle in the "Root Continent".

They will establish a temporary "scientific research base" here.

On one hand, they will conduct comprehensive physical examinations on the "caretaker" and its people, and tailor-make "psychic energy stabilization cycle" life support devices for them.

On the other hand, they will conduct a comprehensive and in-depth study of the [Root of the World] itself in order to find a way to deal with the corrosive and bizarre energy.

The collaboration officially began. After obtaining the "nerve roots," Hephaestus personally took charge of the project over the next two weeks, leading the team to replace the energy core of the "Iron Heart" under the calculations of "Hermes."

"My lord, we have succeeded!" On this day, Hephaestus completed the final nerve bundle connection, announcing that the "Iron Heart" had finally severed the diseased Heart of God and completed the heart replacement.

From this point on, the entire "Iron Heart" will be connected by nerve roots, becoming a true sea giant.

“Very good. The Root Continent Research Station should be almost finished. Now, lead your team and come with me into the dense fog zone to meet the ‘Reaper’ hiding in the shadows.”

According to Shen Ge's plan, once Hephaestus has figured out a solution to the corrosive and bizarre energy of the [Root of the World], it will be time to reap the rewards from the "Reapers"! (End of Chapter)