"Exactly!"
Han Han suddenly understood. "The people on Thousand Leaf Planet can't detect the Micro World when they can't even get their hands on a Space Ring."
He had to admit he'd overlooked that.
"Looks like I just need to find Pansy, and everything can be resolved."
There was no other way.
From the many simulations, Pansy had never once considered escaping Thousand Leaf Planet with him.
Just like this time: even if she hadn't killed him in the Micro World ahead of time, she would definitely have ordered the Iron Vine Grass to strangle him after they escaped.
There was no other reason.
He had to blame himself for learning Pansy's secret.
[Rating: D-60]
[You were only one step away from escaping, but you were still too inexperienced at hiding and scheming, and too quick to trust others, which led to your untimely demise]
[Choose two of the following options]
[One: Planetary Rank, First Tier]
[Two: Slightly improved cultivation talent]
[Three: 10 milliliters of Locke Divine Water]
[Four: HD-073 Detector (an instrument used to detect strong life force)]
[Five: One Iron Vine Grass seedling]
"A detector?"
Han Han's gaze fell on the fourth option. "A lot of detectors can block signals. I wonder how well this one can do it."
Detectors came in different grades.
Higher-grade ones could often spot enemies sooner, and when blocking signals, they wouldn't be noticed by the other side.
"Worth a try," Han Han thought.
He could run simulations to test whether the detector could block signals. If it could, he could get a lot done ahead of time.
"Three and four."
The next moment, the two items appeared in System Space.
After that brief simulation, Han Han didn't hesitate. He strode toward the place where the Locke Divine Water had dripped.
The Three Illusion Tree couldn't grow abnormally, or his plan would be delayed by another six months, and Pansy would rapidly advance to Apprentice Rank, Eighth Tier.
Of course,
he couldn't recover this drop either. System Space could only store it once.
The soil stained by a single drop of Locke Divine Water didn't cover much ground. Han Han dug it up with ease. "If I spread it out over a large area, it'll only help the Three Illusion Trees grow a little better. It definitely won't be enough to trigger an investigation."
He divided the fist-sized clump of soil into more than a hundred portions, placing each one a thousand meters from the next.
"Done."
Han Han glanced at the Three Illusion Tree forest, then hurried toward the Tree House.
Han Han didn't waste the next three days either. Pansy had probably just reached Apprentice Rank, Fifth Tier by then, or at most Apprentice Rank, Sixth Tier.
Aside from gathering Three Illusion Leaves, he spent the rest of his time sensing the auras of the others.
There was no other way.
He didn't know what Pansy looked like. His only way to find her was to search for someone who had consumed Locke Divine Water and was too weak to control her aura well.
Unfortunately,
his search came up empty over those three days.
Still, he knew Pansy wasn't far away. If he searched deliberately, it would take at most a year to find her.
Meanwhile,
deep in Three Illusion Tree Valley, a figure darted swiftly among the branches and leaves. Soon, he stopped atop a tall tree and carefully examined his surroundings. Only after making sure all was clear did he relax.
That figure was Pansy.
"I should be about to break through to Apprentice Rank, Fifth Tier. This pace isn't too fast or too slow. Afterward, I can keep to about one breakthrough every year."
Pansy focused on the Silver Token. "What is this thing? Just taking less than half a drop has increased my cultivation speed dozens of times."
That was indeed the boost she got when she cultivated after taking it.
But on Thousand Leaf Planet, not cultivating wasn't allowed. She could only learn to control herself and keep to an average pace, as long as her rank kept rising.
She sat cross-legged, and cosmic energy slowly flowed into her body.
At the other end of Three Illusion Tree Valley, by a stroke of coincidence, the two of them were at the other two corners of a triangular area.
"This will do."
Han Han stopped. Like Pansy, he made sure there wasn't a single person from Thousand Leaf Planet nearby. He even spent half an hour gathering Three Illusion Leaves before searching the area again to ensure he hadn't missed anyone.
Taking out the HD-073 detector was without a doubt the riskiest thing he had done.
But if it worked, the payoff would be enormous!
"Whoosh!"
With a thought, the detector appeared in a patch of grass a hundred meters away. He then headed in that direction, making sure his simulated self would spot it, and started the simulation.
[Life simulation begins]
[Age 22. You are gathering Three Illusion Leaves deep in Three Illusion Tree Valley when you keenly notice what looks like a metal instrument in the grass not far ahead]
[You instinctively assume it is a detector placed there by the Central High Tower]
[Just as you are about to leave, you remember seeing detectors on the outskirts, and the one in the grass is completely different. In the end, you decide to go over and take a look]
"That scared me."
Han Han had thought he'd just walk away, wasting a simulation and taking on the risk of exposure for nothing.
[You discover that it is an inactive detector. The number HD-073 is marked on its base, and you guess that is its model]
[You originally have no intention of activating it, because you know detectors can detect one another. You have too many secrets, and exposing even one would get you killed]
[Unfortunately]
[Since this is your first time handling a detector, you want to inject Origin Force into it and take a look. But the moment you touch it, the detector activates, and a translucent screen appears before you.]
[You panic]
"That's way too cautious."
Han Han's tense heart eased again. He hadn't expected watching a simulation to be such a roller coaster. The detector had to wait for an accident before activating.
[You hurriedly turn it off, but you know that once it has been activated, it will inevitably leave traces. If anyone detects them, you are doomed]
[You are lucky]
[The HD-073 detector is not low-grade. It can block most conventional detectors, so you have nothing to worry about within Three Illusion Tree Valley. But you failed to set it up in advance, and the moment it suddenly activated, the instrument detected your disappearance. The Central High Tower will notice when it performs data maintenance]
[No one comes looking for you for a long time, so you decide this thing must be a treasure]
[You activate the detector again, but this time you have already set it not to block your presence]
[Invisible signals sweep through Three Illusion Tree Valley. One green dot after another appears on the screen, each representing a slave within the valley]
[After studying it, you become familiar with the detector's functions. With it, you can block the fluctuations caused when Iron Vine Grass breaks through to Planetary Rank]
[The next day, you retrieve the detector you hid along the way and head to where the Iron Vine Grass is. The closer it is, the better the blocking effect, so you have to make sure nothing can go wrong]
[Your Iron Vine Grass breaks through to Planetary Rank, First Tier]
[Age 23. The Central High Tower performs its annual data maintenance. The moment you disappear is detected, but you know nothing about it and continue gathering Three Illusion Leaves in Three Illusion Tree Valley]
[The guards find you]
[For reasons unknown to you, you are taken to the Central High Tower. They interrogate you there, and when they get nothing out of you, they decide to search Three Illusion Tree Valley, especially the places where you stayed for a long time afterward]
[The slaves' movements are no secret to them. They simply have no need to check under normal circumstances]
[The Iron Vine Grass is discovered. After all, having the detector has made you somewhat overconfident, and you keep going there for a long time, as if you are telling them there is something wrong with the place]
[They attempt to brainwash you to force more information out of you]
[You are successfully brainwashed]
[This simulation ends]
Before you continue