Return

Mona returned to the nothingness of the darkness.

Since his last failure, he had rarely ventured out into the outer world.

He had immersed himself in experiments creating living beings, and had already reaped considerable gains.

This time, it was in the darkness that he sensed something through some obscure intuition, causing his consciousness to return to this world once more.

He did not use the power of the Drawing Board.

Instead, he directly projected his own shadow onto the world.

And so, he saw that enormous crab on the sea surface.

Mona was quite intrigued by the so-called monster that had suddenly appeared in the ocean.

After using the power of the Dropper to absorb it, he felt that the hermit crab's colors were exceptionally intense.

This time, the Dropper's layering speed had therefore slowed down somewhat.

Thus, while waiting, he temporarily redistributed the divine power within him back into the Drawing Board.

[You have re-infused divine power into the Drawing Board.]

[The Drawing Board has received divine power.]

[It once again displays the world's imagery and information for you.]

"Ten years, huh? It seems I still can't casually withdraw the Drawing Board's power."

Mona looked at the figures on the Drawing Board, sensing something, a hint of emotion flickering in his eyes.

It had been ten years since his last life creation.

He had temporarily withdrawn part of the divine power symbolizing a deity's wisdom and consciousness from the Drawing Board, using it to construct life.

Unexpectedly, this also weakened his sense of synchronization with the world's time.

In his perception, only about a day or two had passed.

Indeed, if too much divine power was concentrated on himself, he would easily become disconnected from the world.

"It seems the wisdom and consciousness required to create life are indeed vast."

Mona shook his head.

He had been too absorbed in the creation of life.

Now, ten years had passed.

The scene within the tribe had also changed greatly.

After the Drawing Board was reactivated, a series of prompts kept popping up.

[Over these ten years, the Torch of Faith has continued to burn unceasingly.]

[The people's faith in you has not diminished.]

[Your believers are building a Wonder for you.]

[Your believers have built ships to explore the ocean.]

[This is the first time the tribe has turned its gaze toward the sea.]

[You have obtained: Light of Technology*20]

Mona began to examine the changes that had occurred within the tribe over these ten years.

Now, within his [Anchor Point], a new building called [Wonder Prototype] had been added.

[Wonder Prototype]: A Wonder building not yet completed, gathering a vast amount of the people's faith. Upon completion, it will unlock [Wonder] for you in [Faith].

Mona shifted his view to that mountain.

He soon saw the building under construction.

Stripped to the waist, men were using wooden carts to haul stone materials up the mountain.

This building was still constructed from ordinary stone.

However, judging by its initial scale, it was larger than any Temple.

"Though not yet finished, it has already become an Anchor Point as strong as a Temple. If completed, it will become the most powerful Anchor Point in this world."

Mona silently sensed something.

When he was within this Wonder, he would feel a pulling force, like being in a Temple, slightly slowing the pace of his ascension to godhood.

The attraction of an [Anchor Point] is related to the strength of faith.

A single person's faith, though unceasing, But its strength over a short period was limited.

Thus, when many individuals' faith converges on a temple or a deity's statue at the same time, those objects become stronger anchor points.

And so on, by the same logic.

Since this Wonder held so much faith power, it meant

that this Wonder greatly attracted devout people.

Or rather, the vast majority of people on the island already harbored a fervent worship for this still-under-construction Wonder.

Mona knew that if construction were completed, this [Wonder] would likely become his strongest anchor point yet.

Then, he could also unlock more advanced technologies on the Tech Tree at this anchor point.

He merely took another glance at the craftsmen, bare-chested and drenched in sweat, chiseling and hammering away with their tools, before turning and leaving.

Mona's gaze shifted to the [Tech Tree].

Now, over these ten years, while no new relics had appeared in the tribe, many inventions had emerged.

Just now, that [Driftwood Boat] on the shore was one of them.

[Name]: Driftwood Boat

[Type]: Invention

[Quality]: White

[Crafting Knowledge]: Construction Art lv1

[Main Material]: White Wood

[Usage Condition]: Oars

[Effect]: Extremely slow, unstable travel on the sea surface.

[Description]: A driftwood boat built by Blair and the craftsmen. With the support of "Navigation Art lv1" and more advanced techniques, it might barely manage effective navigation on the ocean.

Mona looked at this crude dugout canoe and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.

If people thought they could sail such a rough wooden boat across the turbulent sea, that was far too naive.

Even if he used the Light of Technology to have people research the [Related Items] of this [Driftwood Boat], the improved vessel they could produce would likely still struggle to sail on the sea.

People's research could not surpass their existing knowledge and material conditions.

But regardless, this was still a good start.

It meant that people's dream of exploring the sea had begun.

And this was the dream he had always hoped they would pursue.

Bit by bit, the dream of slowly exploring this world.

However.

This wonderfully beautiful dream of exploring the sea had only just begun, only to be mercilessly shattered like a bubble.

"So why did you have to appear at this time?"

Mona turned his gaze to the dropper, to the culprit that had destroyed people's dreams, now dissolved.

Now, the color inside the dropper finally became clear.

[You have obtained: Hermit Crab Soul Essence*1]

[You have obtained: Hermit Crab Life Essence*1]

[You have obtained: Ocean Essence*5]

Mona touched its soul essence alone, gaining some information about this hermit crab, hoping to find some clues.

[Giant Monster lv2] Hermit Crab

[Age]: 104 years

[Traits]: "Longevity lv1" "Parasitism lv1" "Spirituality lv1" "Life Energy lv1"

[Habits]: Ferocious, irritable

[Sequence]: None

[A giant shrimp that can inhabit empty snail shells. Over the passage of time, it gradually absorbs the shell's material as it grows, secreting similar substances to continuously cover its original carapace tissue.]

After continuing to touch the soul and seeing its traits, Mona understood somewhat.

This sea monster, which had lived for over a hundred years, indeed possessed a very powerful soul.

But he still didn't quite get it.

Why did this giant monster, called a hermit crab, happen to appear at this exact moment?

He had also seen, in the tribe's murals, depictions of this enormous hermit crab monster.

But in the hundred-plus years since he had descended into this world, this legendary sea monster had never once appeared.

Yet now, just as people had finally managed to build a ship and were about to set out for the ocean, it chose that exact moment to appear.

As if it were no coincidence.

Rather, it was as if it had been irresistibly drawn by the scent of that very ship.