The Envoy of Abundance from Onphalus

However, the end of the space was not the River Styx. The moment Russell saw the scene before him, a slight sense of loss swept through his heart.

There stood a colossal tree. Its silhouette reminded him of the Tree of Thoth, though it was far smaller than that enormous tree that could support hundreds of thousands of people, its form was even more awe-inspiring.

The Tree of Serhis carried an aura of twilight, but this tree was entirely different. It was crystal clear, with a deep blue light enveloping its entire trunk as if it were being sculpted from the purest gemstone, radiating a divine glow.

It was this radiance that gently drew Russell closer.

The source of that comforting feeling that had been driving him forward was right here. It wasn't like a command, but more like a gentle solace, silently smoothing out the wrinkles deep within his soul.

Russell carefully examined the mysterious, deep blue tree. His inner guidance became clearer and stronger than ever before: approach it, touch it, it is not dangerous.

Russell's scholarly instincts were fully ignited. This inner guidance was already strange, and the unprecedented, azure giant tree before him, exuding a sacred aura, was even more extraordinary.

Driven by intense curiosity, he followed the directions and headed toward the giant tree.

With just three steps—the space seemed to fold beneath his feet—he was instantly standing before the divine tree. Only then could he see clearly that within those crystal-clear branches, a ghostly blue substance, like liquid light, seemed to flow.

Upon closer inspection, the branches and trunks faintly displayed energy patterns unique to quantum technology, a sense of futuristic precision permeating the air. Russell felt his heart pounding powerfully, resonating subtly with the gentle pulse emanating from the giant tree.

At this moment, the guiding voice was no longer indistinct, but transformed into a clear, slightly playful whisper from a young girl: "[Place your hands on the tree trunk and close your eyes. There will be a surprise! Trust me.]"

Russell's curiosity was piqued to its peak. Without hesitation, he reached out and gently placed his palm on the warm, jade-like tree trunk, and closed his eyes as instructed.

The moment his palm touched the tree trunk, he felt the tree's heartbeat. It was a deep, vibrant pulse, carrying a reassuring, immense power. The instant he closed his eyes, the surprise arrived as promised.

A profound resonance erupted between him and the giant tree. It was not a simple transmission of information, but a fusion of souls; the vast torrent of information carried by the giant tree surged into Russell's consciousness.

At the same time, Russell's memories, emotions, and thoughts from his three thousand years of life were also laid bare before the giant tree, like the closest friends exchanging the most precious tokens.

A wondrous sight unfolded. Where Russell's palm touched, the eerie blue light began to shift dramatically. That deep, dark blue, like ignited amber, rapidly spread throughout the entire giant tree.

In the blink of an eye, the once azure divine tree had transformed into a miraculous tree, its entire body crystalline and radiating a warm amber glow. Its sacred aura remained undiminished, but instead gained a touch of gentleness and compassion.

The leaves on the branches rustled gently at Russell's touch, conveying a clear and joyful mood: [Welcome! Friend!]

Russell struggled to sort through the chaotic yet vast stream of information in his mind, his heart filled with astonishment. This tree was far more wondrous than the Tree of Serhis that his teacher had planted!

Its name is Chuishizhi. Chuishizhi conveys its essence: it loves memories, whether joyful, sad, painful, embarrassing, mundane or heroic. As long as it is a memory, it is precious in its eyes, without distinction of high or low.

It can extract the overly heavy and redundant memories from the souls of living beings, condense them into immortal amber fruits, relieve the soul of its burdens, and allow it to embark on a new cycle of reincarnation with a light load.

The emotion conveyed by the drooping branch was filled with pure joy: "[I tasted it!]" A girlish voice leaped in his heart, "[The peace and beauty of those long years…the bitterness and pain, like salt to sugar, make the sweetness even richer. My friend, your last glass of the strongest liquor, it tasted absolutely wonderful! Fiery and pure! It had that unwavering resolve to burn everything away.]"

“The Flourishing Branch…you can actually understand these things?” Russell asked silently to himself, with a touch of disbelief and emotion.

[Of course I understand!] The voice carried a gentle yet firm tone. [Memory is the mark on the soul, proof of existence. Bitter tears and echoes of laughter are equally precious. My friend, I feel everything about you.]

"Are we...friends?" Russell's thoughts were tinged with hesitation, even a barely perceptible urge to retreat. Three thousand years of separation had long since frozen his heart.

He was used to being alone and even afraid to open his heart again.

"[Of course!]" the consciousness of the cascading branch responded without hesitation, with a warm affirmation, "[We have exchanged the most precious gifts—your entire memory, and my entire essence. What could be more fitting for friendship than this?]"

Its branches and leaves rustled merrily again, as if emphasizing this fact. [Now, friend, take a deep breath and relax. Let me help you untangle those heavy burdens.]

"Friends...it feels so good to have friends." Russell murmured to himself unconsciously, a smile spreading across his lips.

Russell felt a strange sense of ease begin to spread through him. It was as if the dust that had accumulated in his mind for thousands of years was being gently brushed away, and his chaotic thoughts were being sorted out clearly and smoothly by an invisible hand.

The vine is exercising its power—gently and precisely drawing from the depths of his soul those precious yet invisible fragments of redundant memories.

He could clearly sense that on a branch high up on the drooping tree, a point of amber light was gathering and growing.

At the center of the light, a small amber fruit, like the purest honey, is gradually taking shape, full and crystal clear, containing the deepest, most precious, and most needed moments from Russell's three thousand years of life.

[I love this gift!] The consciousness of Chuishizhi came through again, its voice filled with satisfaction, the rustling of the leaves like soft laughter.

The process of sorting through memories brought an unprecedented sense of relaxation. A deep sense of exhaustion swept over Russell's body and mind, and the tension that had been building for three thousand years could finally be released.

He slowly withdrew his hand, slid down the tree trunk and sat down, leaning against the warm and solid support, and looked up at the space that flowed like a galaxy.

“So beautiful…” Russell murmured, his fingertips unconsciously curling slightly as a trace of nostalgia swept through his heart. “If the background were the golden yellow of the Erimitshes, it would be even better… The soil of Onpharos and your amber color would be the most perfect match for this painting.”

The branches of the hanging tree trembled slightly, as if listening intently.

Then, a miracle occurred. As if the greatest painter had wielded an invisible brush, space seemed to have been turned over by an invisible hand.

The dazzling starry backdrop vanished instantly, and the ethereal foundation beneath his feet was covered by solid, warm golden soil. Countless illusory plant silhouettes, each radiating soft golden light, rose from the ground, each unique in shape and swaying gracefully—the scene of Onpharos's Secret Pavilion, so familiar from the depths of Russell's memory, had come to life!

Under the power of the hanging branches, the entire space perfectly presented his most peaceful homeland.

Russell watched in astonishment at the sudden transformation. Not only could Chuishi not only read his memories, but it could also materialize them with such precision.

The amber-colored giant tree stands tall in this golden world, its light shimmering and blending harmoniously with its surroundings, a beauty that takes your breath away.

"You... you can actually do this?" Russell stroked the trunk of the tree beside him, which was covered with drooping branches, feeling the gentle pulse flowing within it.

[Your memories are clear, beautiful.] The consciousness of the drooping branch responded, with a hint of barely perceptible pride, [Do you like it here, friend?]

“I like it,” Russell’s voice was light and cheerful, as he looked up at the golden sky that was built from his memories. “I like it very much.”

For the first time in a thousand years, that face, frozen by responsibility and worry, blossomed with a pure and serene smile, like ice melting away. In that smile, all burdens were shed, leaving only ease and pure joy. "Thank you, Chuishizhi. This gift… I really love it."

"You're welcome, friend." Chui Shizhi's voice was gentle as water. "You're tired. Rest here, beside me."

The drooping branch remained silent, yet the entire tree seemed to brighten for a moment, its amber light becoming softer and warmer. The rustling of the leaves became soothing and lingering, like the gentlest lullaby.

A few specks of light, like leaves, drifted gently down from the branch, swirling around Russell before finally coalescing into a brief, shimmering line of text in his outstretched palm: [Friend. Rest. A new world awaits you.]

Friend. This word, like a warm current, melted the last bit of ice on the edge of Russell's heart. At the end of this long journey, what awaited him was not a cold cycle of reincarnation, but a friend who understood him and cherished all his memories. Although their acquaintance was brief, the resonance of their souls was deeply imprinted.

Exhaustion washed over him like a warm tide. Russell relaxed his body, leaning deeper against the sturdy, warm trunk of the drooping branches, feeling the powerful, reassuring pulse gradually synchronize with his own heartbeat.

He gazed at this golden pavilion woven from his own memories and created by the branches of the fallen dynasty, its amber light gently bathing him.

"I truly hope... that the world after creation... can be this peaceful..." he murmured, his voice growing softer and softer, his eyelids drooping heavily.

[Yes, my friend, believe me, that day will come.]

The branches of the drooping tree gently brushed against his hair, like a silent comfort. Amber light softly enveloped the sleeping figure beneath the tree.

In this warm harbor built by memories and miracles, the soul, which has never truly slept for three thousand years, finally sheds all its burdens and falls into a deep and peaceful dream.

A person and a tree, in this eternal golden space, the tree's shadow gently covers the sleeping figure. The pulsation of the hanging branches, like the gentlest guardian, quietly accompanies its precious friend.

until…

.........

I have my driving test (Part 3) tomorrow. I'm still asking for your likes, comments, and shares, and also to wish me luck and give me a boost.

Amber Seed Medicine Scroll: Chapter Forty-Four - Deleted

Laigushi stared at the core of the Onfaros program, which was about to restart, without any emotion in his heart.

The program was about to complete but was forcibly interrupted? Anger? That inefficient emotion had long been discarded by his logic.

The two factors that should have embraced the Black Tide, received the Star God's gaze, and been elevated to flesh and blood life—Bai E and Xi Lian—refused this generous gift.

They chose a tragic path of heroism, attempting to stop the final run of Onphalus with their meager strength.

To Lygus, this was utterly absurd and laughable. No matter how much they struggled or sacrificed, Onphalus's destruction was already inevitable.

Their struggles were not only futile, but like fuel thrown into a furnace, they only fueled the flames of destruction and provided more data for observation.

“Anger? Anxiety?” A hint of simulated pleasure flashed through Lai Gushi’s cold thought process. “No, I should thank them. Thank them for voluntarily contributing more valuable experimental data, making the Iron Tomb’s final upgrade even more powerful.”

To him, their remarkable feat was nothing more than a dozen new lines of simulation calculation records added to the program's runtime log.

As a consciousness entity composed of data streams, bearing the immense weight of the entire program, he had already simulated similar endings thousands of times. What are these mere dozens of reincarnations compared to that?

Yes, in the eyes of that arrogant guy, Lai Gu Shi, these two firewoods would only reincarnate a dozen times at most before collapsing due to the unstoppable destruction.

He even thought with great interest that this unexpected variable might allow him to observe the subsequent development of that anomalous factor [Redun0]—Russell.

Perhaps... we might unexpectedly gain a third factor qualified to integrate into the Iron Tomb?

For a scholar pursuing ultimate truth, this future, full of unknown variables, is the most captivating and beautiful vision.

A cold, disdainful smile curled at the corner of his lips. To think one could stop the intricate gears of a program with flesh and blood? They were overestimating their own worth.

"Let [NeiKos496] end [PhⅰLⅰa093], sever the flame of time, trigger the failure of creation... and ultimately trigger a program error backtracking."

Lai Gushi's fingers tapped lightly in the invisible data stream, as if he were watching a rehearsal for a play destined to fail. "These two shinies' scripts are surprisingly... tragically beautiful."

He clapped his hands symbolically, as if celebrating the solidification of yet another cornerstone of his destructive empire.

However, a cold system notification interrupted his immersive appreciation:

[WARNING: Redundant data that could not be reset was found. The program has stopped resetting. Data source: [Redun0]].

[Radun0]—Serge Russo. He was like a grain of sand stuck in a precision instrument, insignificant yet enough to be an eyesore.

The data stream in Lai Gushi's eyes flickered slightly, a genuine interest ignited, but it was quickly overshadowed by a cold desire for control.

"Execute the forced reset command." He issued the order without hesitation. The two unruly bundles of firewood were already annoying enough; he didn't need a third variable to disrupt his carefully designed endgame.

[Command execution failed. Target data: [Redun0] Status: Unreadable. Unable to perform reset operation.]

"Hmm?" Lai Gushi's mind raced instantly, an invisible keyboard typing out a dense stream of commands in his consciousness. "What's going on? The underlying protocol has failed? Could it be... that [Redun0] has come into contact with the power of the Negative Creation God? But that shouldn't be the case, or... something worse?"

He tried all known low-level commands, even using the highest-privilege forced formatting protocol reserved by the program. The result was still the same:

[Operation invalid. Target: [Redun0] Access denied.]

[Logical deadlock. Unable to parse the target data structure.]

[Forced erasure protocol...no response.]

Russell, this factor that should have been completely removed, is like a stubborn ghost, firmly anchored in Onfaros's program flow, refusing to be eliminated.

“Interesting…” Lai Gushi murmured, a rare scholarly curiosity surging within the cold data stream, but it was quickly suppressed by a stronger pragmatism.

He quickly brought up the evaluation module: "Immediately conduct a final operational impact probability evaluation on [Redun0]."

A massive amount of computing power was instantly unleashed, and countless possible branches emerged and disappeared in the virtual spacetime. Moments later, the result was presented:

[Evaluation complete. The probability of factor [Redun0] influencing the final result of the Onfaros program is approximately 0.000003%. Conclusion: The impact value approaches zero. Threat level: Negligible.]

Looking at the numbers after the decimal point, which were almost negligible, Lai Gushi's last trace of doubt vanished.

Probability was the language he trusted most. Such a tiny disturbance would not even cause a ripple in the torrent of dozens, or even hundreds, of destructive cycles to come.

“Since it can’t be erased, then… let it be.” He made the decision, his tone returning to its usual elegance and coldness. “Mark [Redun0] related errors as permanently ignored. All system resources will be prioritized for the main program to run.”

He picked up a cup of coffee, which was simulated by pure energy and emitted a faint blue light, and looked at the progress bar on the core control screen that was stubbornly stuck at 99%.

"Add more fuel to the fire of destruction? Fine." He sipped the cold liquid, the data-driven taste bringing the expected bitterness and sweet aftertaste.

"Let this final fire, which consumes everything, burn even more fiercely. When you taste true despair in endless cycles of reincarnation, when you realize that the ascension of flesh and blood is the only salvation..."

He seemed to already see that beautiful scene, muttering to himself, "Then, I will extend a merciful hand to you—White Ereshlian, and you, stubborn [Redun0]—allowing you to merge into the Iron Tomb, embrace the Black Tide, and become true life. What a... grace that will be."

He took this future charity for granted, as if it were a given.

"Ignore redundant errors. Then force a restart." He issued the final instruction.

The massive program restarted, a torrent of data surging forth. The 99% progress bar trembled slightly, yet remained stubbornly stuck, as if silently mocking something.

Bai Erxilian's struggles and Russell's abnormality now appear to Lai Gushi as insignificant background noise that drives the final outcome.

He only needs to wait, to await the inevitable moment of the Iron Tomb's birth. He will then accomplish the greatest task in the universe.

Only a trace of scholarly curiosity, like a tiny pebble thrown into a sea of ​​data, rippled through his cold core: Why? Why can [Redun0] become that unparseable, undeletable redundancy?

Is there a hidden flaw in the underlying logic behind this that even he didn't anticipate?

"Never mind." He finally suppressed his curiosity. "No matter what you are, you are meaningless in the face of absolute annihilation probability. Let me... wait and see."

He imagined the utterly devastated expression on Bai Exilian's face when, at the end of the tenth and twentieth cycles, the black tide still arrived as scheduled and the world was still irrevocably heading towards annihilation.

Imagine that stubborn Russell, after countless futile struggles, finally bowing down to him and begging to merge into the Iron Tomb. What a delightful ending that would be.

He put down the energy cup, clasped his hands together in front of him, like an audience member waiting for the end of a performance.

Meanwhile, the glistening branches of the hanging tree swayed gently. The rustling of the leaves, like a lullaby from the depths of the ancient starry sky, echoed in the silence.

She stood quietly, guarding and waiting for her friend, [Redun0], who had been sleeping and refused to be erased, to awaken.

……

You're just asking for a like, comment, and share, and maybe a meal. The current plot is that the protagonist will become the Envoy of Abundance within chapter 60, and then all the other random stuff will be glossed over.

Amber Seed Medicine Scroll: Chapter Forty-Five - The Taste of the New World