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Undisguised footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Aurora, Ivan, and Nathan hurried over, their steps uneven.

The expected carnage did not occur, and there were no casualties.

Only one figure with conspicuous white fur was facing away from them, digging at the ground in a very down-to-earth posture. The Raven, which was rampaging and only drank blood from high-level creatures, was being used by its master as a shovel, scattering a pile of ashes all over the place.

"...Boss?"

Ivan called out tentatively.

The figure continued digging without stopping, responding without even looking up:

"You've come at the perfect time! Come help me flip through them!"

"...What are you flipping through?"

Nathan reluctantly squatted down next to the captain.

"Anything will do, anything with attributes, something that glows—bones? Shells? Seeds?"

The captain's reply sounded somewhat dejected.

Even if the rabbit grass and bamboo die completely, they can still leave behind a "seed of life".

If this Lv9 plant had seeds, even if it couldn't work for the Abyss, at least it could be planted somewhere and become a ready-made ATM.

Once the kinetic energy module is repaired, I'll fire a [Flare] every day to grind some experience...

Straighten up freely to cheer on your friends.

"That's a high-tier Lv9 item! We've found it, so we won't lack evolution points anymore!"

Upon hearing these words...

Aurora also picked up the Light Chaser and joined the digging team.

Soon, the ashes in this area were turned upside down.

Ivan, leaning on his axe, proposed a hypothesis:

"Boss, do you remember when those tree leaves killed the beetles, the beetle corpses and leaves dissolved together?"

"Perhaps that's the case now too!"

That's the logic.

Nathan spoke as he flipped through the pages.

"That guy Sean could withstand a solar flare. Even if high temperatures suppress plants, it shouldn't be completely destroyed."

However, judging from his sequence perception...

At least five meters below the surface of this scorched land, there are zero signs of plant life.

"Perhaps... that glass tree had been parasitized for so long that it was completely drained, and then it got hit by the boss... This wasn't a voluntary turning to ash; it was reduced to dust."

never mind......

Renyi also gave up and retrieved the [Raven].

The tree was never seen alive, nor was its seed ever seen after death.

"The game company might have received kickbacks."

He explained calmly.

Although I didn't get any regenerable experience packs or find any useful materials, the screen-clearing skill combo did yield a considerable amount of evolution points.

A rustling sound came from the large pocket of Aurora's skirt.

Xiao Jiu poked its head out, its tentacles gripping the edge of the bag as it flipped over and fell onto the pile of ash with a thud. Its color changed from bright blue to grayish-black. Several tentacles then stretched to three meters long and, mimicking their earlier actions, began digging wildly at the ground...

Ashes covered the four two-legged creatures.

"Don't take me with you when you play in the dirt!"

It also wants to help find it.

—Even though it has no idea what it's looking for.

"Alright." Renyi quickly grabbed one of Xiao Jiu's paws, lifted it up, and carried it on his shoulder.

"If we can't find it, so be it. Let's pack up and get ready to go back to the ship."

Turn around and take a step.

But his foot had just been lifted and was still hanging in mid-air.

The atmosphere suddenly changed.

To be precise... the trajectory of the surrounding airflow has changed.

"call out......"

A gentle breeze suddenly swirled in the middle of the scorched earth before disappearing softly.

"..."

"illusion?"

"No." Nathan's gaze was fixed on the spot where the whirlwind had disappeared. "Something... is about to come out."

Just as everyone held their breath in anticipation, a faint light appeared there.

The light was faint, yet it stubbornly pierced through the thick layer of ash.

Then it spread.

"call out--"

A streak of light swept across the ground, connecting with another lit spot of light.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

More streaks of light lit up, crisscrossing the ground and rapidly outlining a simple yet enormous pattern, resembling some kind of magic circle or the veins of a plant.

The scorched soil became the canvas for this net of light.

"This is...that glass mother tree?"

Aurora asked softly.

Looking around, they realized that the area where they were standing was covered by the branches of that giant tree.

"Probably."

The outline of the net of light beneath our feet grew brighter and larger, almost covering the entire open space.

This time they figured it out...

Those are the roots, the original territory where this crystal mother tree was rooted!

Nathan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he murmured to himself with a mixture of awe and excitement:

"My God... According to the previous pattern, the stronger the impact these glass trees suffered before their death, the more powerful the birds they transformed into... What will that glass tree, which was tormented by the evil growth vines for who knows how long and then took a huge hit from a [solar flare], become...?"

The light grew brighter and brighter.

The four had retreated to the edge of the open space.

The initial spark has now ignited into a prairie fire.

The entire area that had been razed to the ground was enveloped in this warm light. The ashes floated up as if they had lost their weight, swirling and dancing in the air like millions of fireflies returning to their nests.

"Should we... hide further away?"

Ivan had a feeling that something even more outrageous was about to happen.

"It's too late."

What is meant to be will be; what is meant to be will be.

As he spoke, he lifted Xiao Jiu up to his eyes—"Mascot's thigh, I'll be counting on you for a while."

All the suspended ash began to converge towards the center point, slowly taking shape.

That silhouette... looks like a bird.

"grumble--"

A clear, melodious cry broke the silence.

The voice carried no trace of murderous intent; instead, it was like a morning breeze, like sunlight melting glaciers—clean, crisp, and full of joy.

Light is building its body, while ash clings to it like quicksand, transforming into its heavy feathers.

Although it's not yet fully formed...

He could sense that a pair of pure, unblemished eyes, like two amber beads, were gazing at him from afar, transcending the boundaries of matter.

That was... gentleness, gratitude?

This is a sure thing.

The outline of the giant bird, formed from light and ash, became increasingly solid.

When the last bit of ashes found its place, the light dimmed, and an unprecedentedly magnificent bird stood quietly before us.

Its feathers resemble the hull of the [Abyss] ship.

They were all seemingly real yet unreal, with long tail feathers trailing on the ground like shooting stars. Their bodies combined the agility of an eagle with the elegance of a crane. A single feather adorned their heads, and their bright amber eyes stared at them without blinking.

Ivan instinctively gripped the "Thoughts" button, and Nathan placed his hand on the gun as well.

Although this thing didn't exude any murderous aura...

But its size is a bit too big—

They're almost twice the size of the Abyss!

however,

The bird, now reborn, simply brought its beak close to Renyi and let out a soft chirp.

In this sacred and fantastical atmosphere,

"Splat!"

Xiao Jiu suddenly landed, and then her body rapidly expanded, with ten tentacles bristling and blocking Ren Yi's path!