Two hundred years of history can't be explained in a few words, especially since the survivors on this planet have not only forgotten the language of the United Human, but have even lost the written script.

However, to Night Ten's surprise, even though these Forest People are almost "illiterate," they have still managed to record their culture and history using their own methods.

It is a series of cracks carved at the base of the Sacred Tree, the sharply defined patterns crawling over every inch of the "Temple" walls.

Like a mural.

Initially, Night Ten thought those patterns were naturally formed designs, until he witnessed with his own eyes the sharply defined lines slowly grow with his arrival.

It seemed to be happening simultaneously, making it hard to distinguish which came first.

Just like the phenomenon he encountered in the HyperSpace Passage...

"The Sacred Tree is the Tree of Yenshof, the Mother of all things. Its roots spread throughout the forest, the entire world, even forming our world… and at this moment, the Sacred Tree above us is merely the part exposed to the outside, or a young shoot sprouting from the soil."

Dora recounted about the Sacred Tree with a gentle voice.

Night Ten was surprised to find that, with continuous communication with her, her proficiency in the United Human language was increasing at an astonishing rate, even more impressive than that of the old man named Saquai.

If "Spiritual Energy" exists with a division of levels, that old man is probably around Level 10, while she must be at least Level 30.

Of course, it's also possible that young people learn things faster.

"I think I understand… if comparing it to a higher-dimensional being, what we see as the Sacred Tree is merely one of its projections in the three-dimensional world, while other parts exist in dimensions we cannot see, is that the meaning?"

Dora was momentarily puzzled, initially seeming not to understand, but soon she reacted, smiling and gently nodded.

"That's the initial explanation."

Night Ten asked in confusion.

"Initial explanation?"

Dora gently nodded and spoke with a serene voice.

"Dimension is a very ancient term for us. A long time ago, you or your people taught us to understand the existence of the Tree of Yenshof, how to communicate with it, how to nurture it, and then become its branches."

Night Ten roughly understood her meaning.

In other words, after the Twin Missile Cruiser or colonists who survived the three-year War discovered the existence of the "Tree of Yenshof," mastered the ability to communicate with it, and explained it using the physical theories of United Human, they then passed this digested knowledge to their successors.

But the puzzling part is, why didn't they continue to use the Gaia name, but separately invented a proprietary term to distinguish from the original name?

Were they trying to indicate Gaia has already died?

Or that it evolved into another existence.

Or maybe the initial perception of Gaia by United Human inherently had a bias, and they repaired the original theories.

Seeing the Ancestors remain silent, Dora turned her gaze towards the wall composed of tree roots in front of her.

The Fireflies floating around her seemed to be pulled by an unknown force, slowly flying forward.

They gathered in the air, like a finger resting on a book page, frozen at the first line when the article began.

"In long-enduring times, we found a new way of life, later we walked towards the forest, abandoning everything to start anew. From the day of the Second Judgment onwards, we used the growth patterns at the base of the Sacred Tree to record the teachings of the Sacred Tree and past events."

Second Judgment Day?

Night Ten furrowed his brow slightly and asked in confusion.

"Wouldn't such abstract patterns lead to information recording biases?"

"No," Dora shook her head and continued with a gentle tone, "Symbols are just forms, we can establish connections with the past through invisible ties."

Upon hearing this, Night Ten was completely astonished.

Damn.

He managed to establish contact with the Orion Missile Cruiser's crew, who were also in the HyperSpace Passage, under extremely coincidental circumstances.

Yet these people are born with this ability?

But that's not right.

If they could establish a connection with the past, transplant the research technologies of the future to the past, and then reverse apply them in the future, wouldn't that be like using your right foot to step on your left foot to reach the sky?

However, the situation he saw clearly wasn't like that.

At least according to the description by the Doma Tribe, these Forest People's technological capabilities are far inferior to the "Valley People" next door.

Seemingly noticing the confusion on Night Ten's face, Dora continued speaking in a gentle voice.

"The information that can be transmitted is limited, it must be about things that are equally believed, equally confusing, and equally contemplating. Thus, when this connection is established between different times and spaces, the information we obtain from the past is more concrete, while the enlightenment received from the future tends towards abstraction."

As the exchange progressed, her understanding of the language seemed to increase, even able to articulate concepts that Night Ten himself wasn't entirely able to comprehend.

After listening to her exposition, Night Ten sincerely praised.

"Even so, it's quite impressive."

Validated by the ancestors, Dora's face lit up with a joyful smile, and she continued in a cheerful voice.

"These are all patterns we've discovered since you left... As you can see, we haven't stopped our exploration."

Night Ten nodded and continued to ask.

"Is this a special ability of the Doma Tribe? Or... everyone?"

"All tribes in the forest are like this," Dora said softly, "Although we have not yet found a way to awaken this ability in everyone, as long as we live under the Sacred Tree, members with similar abilities will continuously emerge from our tribe, ranging from fifteen or sixteen to as many as forty or fifty, and I am one of them."

Night Ten suddenly realized that his initial impression of them was inaccurate.

He originally thought that the emergence of those special abilities hindered their understanding of the universe around them, but now it seems the reality is quite the opposite—

Their vision was not obstructed by an invisible hand; instead, by standing on the shoulders of giants, they saw further and even tapped into parts of the universe not yet fully understood by themselves or even the United Human Prosperity Epoch.

Communicating with plants to accelerate their growth, reconnecting with lost technologies from the past, and even establishing links with parallel worlds to gain insights from the future... These guys might be even more impressive than he imagined!

It's just that their starting point was significantly lower.

Indeed, this "convenient ability" hindered their discovery of natural sciences.

However, once they build a relatively mature scientific research system through years of natural observation, this enhanced perception might instead become a catalyst for accelerating breakthroughs in their science and technology, making those serendipitous "flashes of inspiration" happen more frequently.

Not only in the scientific field.

Politics, economics, culture, military, industry... and all other fields, this ability has the potential to become a catalyst.

This talent is simply awesome!

The more Night Ten thought about it, the more shocked he became, even entertaining the notion of "this kid must not be left unattended," but suddenly he came to his senses.

Speaking of stepping outside the settings and framework of the game itself, aren't "players" precisely such beings?

As a matter of fact, the existence of players indeed propelled the alliance's scientific, political, economic, cultural, military, and other fields to flourish, and in a dramatic way!

Under their influence, the alliance achieved in just a few short years what other survivor forces might take decades to accomplish.

Night Ten was completely shocked upon realizing this.

Good heavens.

The amazing one is actually me?!

Dora looked puzzled at the ancestor who suddenly fell silent, blinking her expressive eyes curiously.

This guy is always like this.

He would suddenly fall silent while speaking or stand there alone, seemingly lost in conversation with someone.

However, she didn't wait too long before the ancestor standing in front of the "mural" in the temple seemed to come back to his senses, looking at her sincerely and saying.

"Thank you... This information is very important to us."

"We've always remembered your teachings and have never neglected our communication with the Sacred Tree." Dora nodded slightly with respect, a joyful smile on her face.

In the time that followed, Night Ten asked many more questions.

Especially about the origins of the various tribes in the forest, the enmity between the forest tribes and the valley tribes—the so-called "sinners," and what exactly "from the sky" referred to.

For all these detailed inquiries, the temple maiden named Dora patiently answered them one by one.

According to her, the people living on this land are the fortunate children who survived thanks to the grace of the Tree of Yenshof.

Before this, known as the "Old Epoch," this planet once belonged to the "Ancestors" from the sky.

Back then, people had various skin colors, different beliefs, spoke almost the same languages of the Old Epoch, and lived in a paradise unimaginable now...

Until the coming of the first "Day of Judgment," countless blazing suns descended from the sky, turning the prosperous surface world into ashes, completely destroying everything of the Old Epoch, with only a few young survivors left on the land.

Just when the world fell into despair, the branches of the Tree of Yenshof emerged from the soil, extending the first tender sprout toward the gray sky.

No one knows where He came from, or perhaps He had always been there, living beneath people's feet.

He had merely slept for too long, forgetting the concept of time, until recently, when He was awakened.

Faced with a world gradually dying, He mercifully performed miracles, bestowing His followers with green skin, allowing them to bask in the sunlight for sustenance during those years without food.

Moreover.

Under the miraculous effects of His actions, the dead world gradually began to rejuvenate, transforming the vast barren land into a forest within just two short decades.

A new Epoch was thus ushered in.

People who survived the Day of Judgment, for some reasons, forgot all about the past, including the language and history of the Old Epoch.

Even the memory of the Day of Judgment and the "Ancestors" was recounted by the Tree of Yenshof.

Of course, these events took place later.

At the outset of the new Epoch, people had not yet realized the existence of the "Tree of Yenshof," and those with newly acquired skin color barely survived, living more like animals.

This is exactly why Dora refers to this initial period as the "Barbaric Era."

People at that time were like beasts, the only difference between them and primitive animals was just that their cries were somewhat unique.

Upon hearing this, a cold sweat had already broken out on Night Ten's back.

It was clear that these folks had completely forgotten about the three-year war and events preceding it, to the extent that they still viewed these "Ancestors" through a lens of reverence.

If they were to find out that the so-called "Judgement Day" was actually the neutron radiance emitted by the United Space Army, one wonders if they would continue to gaze at their Earth companions with such worshipful eyes.

On the other hand, Night Ten was almost certain that these "little green people" were actually transformed Earth people.

The "Tree of Yenshof" likely altered their genes, seemingly granting them photosynthesis or similar capability, which helped them survive through that rough era.

But then again, is photosynthesis really something that humans can achieve?!

On Earth, he had only heard of certain nudibranchs being able to photosynthesize, like some sea slugs... Yet even in sea slugs, this is achieved with the help of algae cells, not entirely by themselves.

However, these little green people also don't rely solely on their own strength to perform photosynthesis; they still need to eat.

Night Ten suddenly felt the urge to borrow a bit of DNA from this young lady in front of him for research.

Not for any other reason.

Purely out of curiosity.

Unaware of the strange thoughts running through the mind of the Ancestor before her, Dora looked at Night Ten and continued to speak.

"In the third decade after that, which is the fiftieth year of the Barbaric Era, we saw the Ancestors again. They appeared suddenly, seventeen in total, dressed in armor like yours, speaking the same language as you."

"They helped us a lot, taught us how to make fire, taught us to hunt, and most importantly... With their help, we realized our uniqueness among all things, ignited... the spark of civilization, and discovered the existence of the Tree of Yenshof."

"Was it they who helped you find the Tree of Yenshof?" Night Ten looked at her in surprise, a bit at a loss over this piece of information.

Could these seventeen people be the crew of the Gemini?

The crew of the Orion were already confirmed to be dead, so these could only be the living humans on the other side.

If he remembered correctly, the crew onboard the Gemini missile cruiser were supposed to be "Extreme Conservatives," yet they actively helped these surface-dwelling survivors in seeking aid from what seems to be "Gaia"?

This is like seeing the Sun rise in the west.

Of course, it could also be that the situation wasn't as absolute as he thought; perhaps not everyone on the Gemini missile cruiser was an Extreme Conservative.

Moreover, by calling the discovery on this planet the "Tree of Yenshof," they might have already acknowledged its difference from Gaia.

Or maybe they just wanted to use the ability of the "Tree of Yenshof" to drag down their fellow humans who had almost regressed to monkeys from the trees.

Interestingly enough, Night Ten hadn't expected those seventeen surviving crew members to drift in space for thirty years before landing.

He and Jiang Xuezhou had always assumed that the "Gemini's fall" and the "Orion event" happened simultaneously, or at least around the same period.

Feeling he was getting closer to the truth of history, Night Ten couldn't help but probe further.

"And then?"

In a soft storytelling manner, Dora continued.

"Then, with the help of the Tree of Yenshof, we understood each other, and with their help, gradually mastered the method of communicating with the Tree of Yenshof as well as all things, perfecting our language."

"It was our first realization of our existence and our place in the world... In your words, we took merely ten years to walk a path that originally would have taken a thousand years, and we thus termed that period as the 'Awakening Era.'

The Awakening Era, indeed.

Night Ten had thought she would use the term "Prosperity Epoch."

Facing the line upon line of angular growth patterns on the wall, a hint of nostalgia washed over Dora's eyes.

Those spiritual eyes seemed to truly return to that era, the "Prosperity Epoch" belonging to the people who lived upon this land.

"Those were truly wonderful times; back then, we all lived together in the Forbidden Forest Valley. And it was during that time the Tree of Yenshof informed us that we originated from a certain star in the sky, where our ancestors resided. Quarrels over certain matters once arose, leading to the arrival of Judgement Day, but the future is bright, and we will reunite someday."

"However, the good times didn't last long... In the second decade of the Awakening Era, our Ancestors experienced a serious disagreement, and this rift ultimately led to the prophecy of Judgement Day reoccurring."

At this point, a tinge of sadness washed over Dora's face, and she sighed lightly, continuing.

"Some of the Ancestors left the Forbidden Forest Valley and ventured deeper into the woods, while the remaining Ancestors continued to live with us. Shortly thereafter, a burning palace fell from the sky, destroying the Sacred Tree in the Forbidden Forest Valley—the branch left by the Tree of Yenshof on the surface."

"Our misfortunes began then, as the forest caught fire, flames consumed everything, tens of thousands perished in the blaze, and only a few survived... The ones who had left the Forbidden Forest Valley returned with weapons to reclaim the Sacred Land from us, imprison the remainder, offer sacrifices, and exile us."

"Fortunately, it was only the branch of the Tree of Yenshof that was burned, and its children had long foreseen the dangers ahead through the mists of time. Those of us who left the Forbidden Forest Valley established a new home in the more expansive forest."

"In contrast, the Sacred Land that the Sinners wrested from us became their prison. Without the protection of the Sacred Tree, they found it hard to take a step in the forest; everything in the forest became their enemy. In order to survive, they had to compete with birds and beasts for wild grass seeds, barely subsisting in cold stones..."

Upon hearing this, Night Ten involuntarily swallowed.

"You do not hate us?"

"Why should we hate you?"

Dora looked at Night Eleven with a puzzled gaze, speaking with a gentle voice.

"Without you, we might never realize the difference between ourselves and beasts, nor live today in prosperity and abundance. And the Tree of Yenshof has warned us more than once that we should learn from past memories rather than letting past disasters replay."

Staring blankly at Dora, Night Ten suddenly felt a pang of guilt in his heart, unsure how to face that simple gaze.

Perhaps Jiang Xuezhou was right.

He really messed things up.

There were clearly better choices in front of him, yet he unhesitantly chose the worst one.

Even though, in his view, he was just turning a blind eye deliberately.

In his subconscious, he only wanted to inherit the near-infinite power from the Human Alliance Era, but he unconsciously forgot the comrades who once fought alongside him, entrusting him not only with the "ship key" to the Orion Missile Cruiser but also with the responsibility they once carried.

They entrusted this starship to him because they trusted him.

Fortunately, when he realized this, it was not too late.

There's still a chance to make amends.

"...I might have done something bad." Night Ten took a deep breath, looked at Dora with a serious expression, and said, "Do you have a way to contact the sinners in the valley?"

Dora was stunned, looking at him puzzled.

"Contact the sinners... Why?"

She couldn't understand.

Since the ancestors have chosen them, why seek their enemies?

"I want to talk to them."

Looking at the confused face, Night Ten sincerely said.

"Perhaps, I can help end this 200-year feud and bring the whole incident to a more complete finish—"

There are actually many ways.

Especially with the identity of "ancestors."

At worst, he could coax Jiang Xuezhou, admit fault, and have her cooperate with him in another act of deceit.

Trusting her kindness, she surely wouldn't refuse!

Dora looked at him blankly, her lips moved slightly as if she was about to say something.

But just then, a respectful yet authoritative voice suddenly came from behind the two.

"It's already too late, respected ancestor, there's nothing to discuss with the sinners."

"You want to defy my will?" Night Ten's face fell, shamelessly uttering words even he found juvenile.

However, these exaggerated words seemed to have some effect.

Before "mortals," "gods" indeed have some divine might.

Even if this mortal was not your average mortal.

Standing at the entrance of the temple, Tunnan remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth to continue.

"I dare not defy your will, but for the future of your children... please sleep."

Hehe.

That was easier said than done.

Night Ten sneered, his right hand already on his waist, drawing out a gun.

This guy is refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit.

Admit these guys have something, like that green crystal lance and the uncanny "psychic ability."

But hoping to tackle his "long guns and artillery" with just these tricks is somewhat wishful thinking.

Of course, he didn't plan to do anything to that "Little Ah Guang" nor thought of taking that guy out, but showing a bit of force was necessary.

Brother Guang riding on his neck he acknowledged, but you dare to try too?

However, just as Night Ten thought this, he heard Jiujiu's voice coming through the door.

"Brother, I ate your takeaway!"

"Haha... anyway, you couldn't hear, leaving you a chicken bone."

A weight on his head, Night Ten's expression suddenly changed, a [Connection Abnormal] icon already appearing before his eyes.

"What the—?!"

Disconnected?!

This is not how we play!"

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