World and the System

"Can't you see?"

Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at the Tian Kong outside.

"It was an enormous tree stretching across the sky, and all the Dominator were firmly bound there by a vine extending from it... Oh, right, at the very beginning, you could still move and access the book, right?"

"... That's right, what's wrong?"

It took the Master a while to grasp the meaning of Bai Zhi's words, Fuzi frowned slightly.

"My condition only gradually deteriorated to this point in the later stages. In the beginning, I could still move freely; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to obtain such detailed and Precision information. However, later on, due to the Curse..."

"I understand."

Bai Zhi snapped his fingers, interrupting the other person.

"Those things, so they really did arrive in this world later. Does that mean... this world has been altered a second time?"

"Could you please stop jumping around like that?"

The Fuzi's words carried a hint of displeasure at having been interrupted earlier.

"What exactly did you understand?"

"It's exhausting talking to people like you. Aren't there any smart people among you?"

Slightly speechless, Bai Zhi glanced at the other person, rested one hand on the window frame, and began to explain.

"To put it this way, if you were able to move before, you must have observed those Dominator up close, which means you couldn't possibly have missed anything about the vines. But since you didn't notice anything from beginning to end, it means those vines appeared later... most likely around the same time as those Blood Colored Fish Hook."

Bai Zhi looked up at the enormous phantom in the Tian Kong.

"Based on this, I can also make another assumption: that tree is invisible to beings in your world; only people from other worlds can see it. The decisive evidence for this is that Xiao Hai, whose Previous Self was Player from another world, could see those vines, while you cannot."

"So what do all these things mean?"

The Fuzi raised his head and looked at him.

Have you ever heard this line of poetry?

Still looking up at the Tian Kong, Bai Zhi casually replied.

"Viewed from the side, it's a range of peaks; viewed from the front, it's a single peak. The view varies depending on distance, height, and perspective. We cannot see the true face of Mount Lu because we are in the mountain ourselves. Have you ever wondered why we can see that tree, while you, beings born into this world, cannot?"

"That tree... represents this world?"

The Fuzi suddenly froze, and after a moment of astonishment, her voice suddenly began to tremble.

"If that's the case, does it mean there's still hope for our world? After all..."

"I'm sorry, but based on the information I currently have, your world is likely completely finished."

Turning his head, Bai Zhi glanced at the other person with a hint of pity.

"That tree may indeed be a product of your world, like the World Tree, but it's definitely not a protective measure that spontaneously appeared in your world. After all, [deliciousness] and [Nutrient Deficiency] have absolutely nothing to do with saving the world."

"What does that tree represent?"

In the shortest possible time, the Fuzi forced himself to calm down.

"[Gestation]."

Bai Zhi turned around and leaned back against the windowsill.

"Have you ever planted Fruit Tree? That tree is probably like this. Its purpose is to drain all the value of existence in this world, to absorb everything that exists in the world, so that the final, most Perfect fruit will be born on that tree."

"... Wasn't it supposed to be Anomaly Processing Facility?"

After a long silence, the Fuzi finally spoke in a hoarse voice, asking a question.

If it's called a "Anomaly Processing Facility," then this world might still have a last hope. After all, after the experiment ended, an abandoned world with no further use should have been discarded and fallen into the [World Tomb].

However, if it is a "devouring tree that devours all of the world," then there is truly no hope left for this world, because it means that everything in this world will be completely devoured, and even the possibility of falling into the [World Tomb] will not exist.

Compared to the former, the latter undoubtedly appears to be more desperate.

... Although Bai Zhi thought the two were actually quite similar.

"Take it easy. As the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining."

Compared to the Fuzi, who appeared visibly dejected, Bai Zhi seemed completely unconcerned.

"If the success rate of saving you from this world was only 1% before, it has now skyrocketed to 50%. This world is beyond saving, so what difference does it make whether we leave a trace or not?"

"... What is the method?"

"It's very simple. We just need to further accelerate the process of that tree in the Tian Kong devouring everything. This is much simpler than my previous plan."

Bai Zhi snapped his fingers.

"That tree exists outside the barrier. Based on what you said earlier about the current state of this world, I have reason to believe that this is all that's left of your world... After all, Noah's Ark appeared here and you destroyed it."

"..."

The Fuzi remained silent for a moment.

"Then when that tree completely devours this world, the Curse on you will also disappear. And then..."

"I am also a member of this world, so I am also part of the nutrients that are devoured. What use is it if the Curse on my body disappears?"

The Fuzi shook his head.

"The ending will always be the same."

"So we're going to take a gamble, a 50/50 chance of winning or losing."

Bai Zhi took out a coin from somewhere and flicked it into the air.

"Let's see whether you're swallowed up first, or whether that so-called barrier around the city disappears first. After all these years, you're still considered Player, aren't you? Although you've lost contact with the system, once the barrier is removed, you should be able to re-establish contact with the system immediately and then escape this world using the belated Mandatory Quest..."

Reaching out to catch the falling coin, Bai Zhi pressed it onto the back of his hand.

"Guess whether it's a flower or a word?"

"The system... Flower."

"Sorry, it's upright."

Bai Zhi removed his hand and showed her the coin he had been holding between his fingers.

"The existence of the system remains a mystery; we currently have no access to that level. However, it is opposed to the Anomaly, and that alone is enough."