Another three days passed after that.
Just as Tunnan, the chieftain of Doma City, went from clinging to his last breath to hanging by a mere thread of life, Ye Shi finally stepped out of the shrine, bringing his prolonged seclusion to an end.
As for why he had lingered for three extra days, there was no particularly profound reason.
It was primarily to transcribe his discoveries from the murals, as well as the murals themselves, and upload them onto the forum.
This task sounded simple enough, but executing it was quite mentally exhausting.
So much so that Ye Shi felt his memory and focus in reality had sharpened significantly. For a time, he even wondered if he had awakened some supernatural ability in the real world as well.
Alas, that was not the case.
Perhaps because real-world Earth was stuck in an "Age of Dharma Decline," or perhaps because it lacked the relics of a Precursor civilization, the telepathic ability never manifested in his physical body back home.
Yet to be honest, while updating the thread, Ye Shi couldn't help but wonder if something similar truly existed in reality.
For instance, could folk practices of "numerology" and divination—such as fortune-telling, feng shui, astrology, or even tarot cards—actually be rudimentary manifestations of psionics?
Just like the Doma people praying to the Tree of Ein Sof and gazing into the future through the void.
Although they had never truly understood the nature of the Tree of Ein Sof, generation after generation—past and future alike—had piously repeated the exact same rituals. In doing so, they had inadvertently forged a resonance with their future descendants around the indescribable existence of the Tree of Ein Sof, thereby catching glimpses of their own destiny.
Judging solely by the outcome, although they had only ever been seeking their own counsel, it was functionally indistinguishable from seeking the counsel of the Tree of Ein Sof itself.
That real yet elusive entity merely served as a ladder. Standing atop that ladder, they had ultimately seen a portion of the future, abstract though that future might be.
And those prophecies regarding what lay ahead had ultimately come to pass.
Ye Shi had no idea how to summarize these findings through scientific theories. Perhaps the Alliance ought to dispatch specialized social science researchers to reside permanently in Gaia's orbit and observe the civilizational activities on the surface.
Perhaps that was merely his personal opinion.
Still, he couldn't help pondering whether doing so might prove far more worthwhile than simply colonizing the planet outright.
The universe was vast.
There was no need for them to fixate on Alpha Centauri alone. An even wider cosmos awaited their exploration.
There were other ruins left by the Precursor civilization scattered across the stars, and other nascent civilizations that, like humanity, had only just taken their first steps from the cradle.
In short, even after everything that had unfolded on the Orion and the Gemini, Ye Shi remained unshakeably convinced that he was still a staunch materialist.
His perspective, however, was no longer as absolute as that of a naive child.
After all, he had witnessed it with his own eyes.
The real world was never simply black and white...
Having uploaded all his findings to the forum, Ye Shi finally emerged from the shrine.
The moment he walked outside, he discovered countless Forest People prostrating on the ground, bowing in reverence toward him.
Among them were not just the natives of Doma City,
but also dwellers from other tribes across the forest.
Solemn and devout, they lay prostrate beneath the roots of the sacred tree, bathed in a sea of golden light.
Only then did Ye Shi notice that the dancing fireflies had adorned the sacred tree in a dazzling coat of gold.
A squad of bare-chested shrine guards approached.
They carried a stretcher woven of vines, blanketed with broad leaves and dried grass, upon which lay a burly physique.
That body had once belonged to a king wielding boundless might and authority.
He was once the mightiest warrior in this forest. Both ferocious beasts and the most battle-hardened tribes had fallen beneath his feet.
Yet now, he had reached the end of his life, like a piece of rotting wood, unable even to walk upon his own two feet.
Ye Shi looked down at him with pity, surprisingly devoid of hatred, schadenfreude, or the vindictive satisfaction of vengeance fulfilled.
One could not expect monkeys in the trees to comprehend propriety, righteousness, and shame like humans. The chieftain had merely done what he was destined to do.
And his ending had long since been etched into prophecy, as if everything had been agreed upon from the start.
"I confess to you... and beg you to forgive the sins of myself and my people." Tunnan gazed at him with eyes full of repentance, trying to lift a hand that would no longer obey.
Ye Shi reached out and took his hand, speaking in a gentle tone he had never used before.
"I forgive you."
Those words seemed to absolve all his sins.
A glint of gratitude surfaced in Tunnan's eyes. Drawing his final breath, he peacefully closed his weary eyelids.
Saving him would have been effortless.
It wouldn't have required advanced technology—a single shot of penicillin would have sufficed.
Yet Ye Shi made no move to do so, nor did the man on the stretcher beg for his aid.
Watching their fallen chieftain pass, the shrine guards bearing the stretcher dropped to one knee, murmuring eulogies under their breath to see off his departing soul.
"Cremate him."
Ye Shi said only this to the leading shrine guard, offering no further words.
The priest named Saqui became the new chieftain.
It was said that on his deathbed, Tunnan had abdicated the mantle of leadership to him.
Interestingly enough, after the collapse of their Senate, the Qiu People had gained a leader who guided them out of barbarism.
Meanwhile, following their disastrous defeat in the eastern mountains and Tunnan's demise, the forest tribes had instead picked up the senatorial system abandoned by the Qiu People, unexpectedly giving rise to the embryonic stirrings of a classical republic never before seen in the woods!
War had not brought them sheer destruction; it had also bestowed upon them things they had never possessed.
Perhaps that was precisely the "interesting" part It had spoken of...
These events transpiring outside the shrine had been conveyed to Ye Shi through telepathy by Dora during his seclusion.
He had never truly severed all contact with the outside world.
After all, Jiang Xuezhou was still waiting for him in geosynchronous orbit; he had to send word of his safety one way or another.
Watching the resting Tunnan being carried away, Saqui hobbled forward with trembling steps. He knelt respectfully before Ye Shi and spoke in a solemn voice.
"Supreme Progenitor, I implore you to grant your children revelation..."
He lowered himself utterly,
like a child who had erred standing before a stern father.
Ye Shi looked into his eyes, his voice gentle and warm.
"Carve your history into the roots, into stone tablets, into the soil, into every place your eyes can see... Let everything that has unfolded upon this land be passed down forever."
"You do not need our advice. You need to face your own hearts."
A look of wistful loss crossed Saqui's face, though he seemed to have grasped something as well.
He bowed his head with reverence and heartfelt gratitude. Then, supported by the shrine guards, he stood up and walked toward his kin.
The era of Tunnan had come to an end.
A brand-new era had raised its curtains.
Watching Saqui walk before the assembled little green people to deliver an impassioned speech, the corners of Ye Shi's mouth curled into a gratified smile.
Just as he prepared to leave, a silvery-white drone suddenly drifted to his side and bumped hard against his shoulder.
"What on earth have you been doing! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" An anxious voice floated from the drone's speaker. Clearly, Jiang Xuezhou had been beside herself with worry.
"Didn't I already let you know I was safe?" Ye Shi rubbed his shoulder and retorted with a smirk. "And don't pretend you didn't think to yourself, 'It'll do this guy some good to suffer a little.'"
"Ugh—"
That remark evidently left Jiang Xuezhou choking on her words. She truly had thought that.
A bunch of natives could pin him down, but putting his life in actual peril was entirely out of the question.
After all, every component on his body had been fitted by her own hands. She knew his capabilities better than anyone.
"...You feel like a completely different person somehow," the drone wobbled slightly as a faint mumble drifted from its speaker.
Ye Shi couldn't help smiling faintly.
"Do I? Maybe so... You probably won't believe me, but I've awakened psionics."
"For real?" The drone's camera swiveled to focus on him, the voice filled with skeptical astonishment.
"For real," Ye Shi said with utter earnestness. "If you don't believe me, I'll show you a trick or two when I get back."
"Showing me is fine... but don't you dare try anything funny," Jiang Xuezhou's voice suddenly turned shy and coy.
Ye Shi wore a helpless expression.
Try anything funny...
What could he possibly try?
Utterly absurd.
"Let's talk about something serious. I have an idea."
Hearing the word 'serious' come out of his mouth always felt a bit strange.
Still, Jiang Xuezhou asked curiously,
"...What kind of idea?"
Ye Shi paused for a moment before sharing his thoughts.
"I found some intriguing things in the Doma shrine. Various clues suggest that long before our civilization was born, back when our mother planet was still a dead rock... an ancient civilization far more advanced than ours existed in this universe. For now, I'll call them the 'Precursor' civilization."
"I'll write up a detailed report for you once I'm back on the starship... When all this turmoil settles down, I want to go searching for the ruins of that Precursor civilization."
"It could be an exceedingly long journey. I don't know when it will end... perhaps it never will. We might keep walking down this path forever, all the way to the ends of the universe."
"Would you... be willing to come with me?"
Those ruins ought to be far more fascinating than the ones on the wasteland, and their value would surely dwarf anything found back home.
He felt the esteemed Administrator would support his idea—perhaps even sponsor a starship for him.
The more he learned of Its existence, the less Ye Shi could suppress his curiosity toward It, and toward this game.
Was this truly just a game?
He recalled the rumor that had circulated across the internet for so long.
Wasteland OL was not merely a game, but a gift bestowed upon humanity by an advanced civilization.
Ending the Wasteland Era was merely the overt main storyline, while deep within the underlying code lay a covert thread beneath the surface—
The exploration of the fundamental nature of the world.
Or rather, the search for clues regarding the Creator.
In the depths of his mind, Ye Shi had a premonition: not only did a Creator exist in the world of Wasteland OL, but something similar existed in the real world as well.
Whether "Ye Shi" or "Ye Wei," they were all merely characters within some movie or novel.
Just as he looked down upon Tunnan, an unseen gaze—or countless pairs of unseen eyes—was likewise peering through an omnipresent window upon reality, looking down at him and the echoes "It" had left behind in this universe.
The communication channel fell silent for a long while before an emotional, almost choked response came through.
"I'd love to..."
"I'm willing to accompany you to the ends of the universe!"
She didn't actually know what the "Precursors" were, and she was thoroughly confused about Ye Shi's strange encounters in the shrine. All she knew was that, much like that Dora girl, he seemed to have conversed with some indescribable entity through those bizarre runes carved on the wall.
That was indeed fascinating research material. With luck, it might advance her career from Rank C to Rank B, putting her on equal footing with her former mentor!
Yet to her, none of that mattered anymore...
What he had just spoken was the most romantic and heartfelt confession she had ever heard in her life.
Listening to the reply over the channel, a sunny smile spread across Ye Shi's face.
He had originally planned to apologize to her, but it seemed her grievances had already melted away...
It wasn't just him.
She had matured as well.
Glancing at the Forest People, who had returned to their own historical trajectory, Ye Shi prepared to depart.
Just then, Dora, who had been waiting outside the shrine entrance, suddenly dropped to her knees before him and pleaded,
"Honored Progenitor... please take me to the heavens."
She sensed that he was about to leave.
And once he was gone, it would be for countless centuries.
Living upon the earth, they might never meet these Progenitors ever again.
Looking at that devout face, Ye Shi somehow found himself thinking of the fool "It" had mentioned.
That fool was probably Dr. Qiu Shiye; who else could it possibly be?
He had yearned for It to take him to the heavens, only to discover that the world above was entirely different from what he had imagined.
Ye Shi pondered for a moment, then looked down at her.
"The heavens are merely another earth. It is not the paradise of your imagination... If you make the exploration of the spiritual realm your life's pursuit, you should listen more to Its voice, rather than ours."
Strictly speaking, these Forest People were the children of the "Precursors," not of human civilization.
At least in spirit.
Without external interference, they would likely tread a path similar to that of the Precursor civilization, ascending to the world of the Creator.
The Qiu People, on the other hand, were the true children of the People's Federation. They would likely follow a path akin to that of the Federation, treating an Ideal City-style Great Harmony as their spiritual paradise, while dedicating their lives to exploring the material universe.
Two civilizations sharing the same planet would give birth to different nations and organizations.
And the sparks struck from the friction and collisions between these primitive realms would provide the Alliance with boundless works of art and invaluable sociological insight.
The Alliance might even draw certain revelations from it to enhance or refine their interactions with other extraterrestrial civilizations.
Of course, all of that belonged to the distant future.
Despite Ye Shi's words, Dora refused to give up, her bright eyes fixed upon him.
"I want to see it for myself... Please, take me with you. I will do anything."
Meeting those devout eyes, Ye Shi fell silent for a long time before his resolve finally softened.
"Seeing as you've helped me so much, I can take you up to the sky to look around. But remember: this means you will never be able to return. You will bid an eternal farewell to your homeland and your family... Are you certain this is what you want?"
Dora nodded with utmost solemnity.
"What I truly wish to know... is the truth. The Precursors, the Tree of Ein Sof, the poem carved in the ruins, the murals upon the walls, and the clouds in the sky... I want to know what they all mean."
"The chieftain of the Qiu People said he saw his answer, and that he would continue onward through the labyrinth. I, too, have seen my answer, but it lies buried in the clouds above... I want to go there and see it. Please take me with you."
In the future her abilities could glimpse, she and her people still wandered through this forest. As for the distant future beyond that, it exceeded the limits of her foresight.
She was unwilling to spend the rest of her days tormenting herself with confusion and waiting.
She wanted the truth she yearned for.
She was even willing to pay for it with her life.
Looking at that earnest face, Ye Shi finally acknowledged her determination and ceased his dissuasion.
Come to think of it, having a psionic translator aboard his ship wasn't a bad idea at all.
Although he had awakened psionics as well, he was, after all, the captain—
Well, fine, Xuezhou was the designated captain of the Orion; he was the second-in-command executive officer.
Not that it made much difference anyway.
"Rise."
"From this moment on, you are a crew member of the Orion as well."
Chapter 1016