The morning of the fortieth day.
He sat cross-legged, keeping his consciousness at the center of the Fruit's inner ring as he examined every structural node of the tree-shaped pattern on the warm golden Crystal.
At the point of light in the center of the crown, he sensed a change that had never appeared before.
Over the past several hours, the point of light had stopped merely flickering passively and begun actively emitting a steady, continuous radiance.
That radiance was neither a pulse nor a signal. It was more like the sustained illumination of a lamp once it had been lit.
He focused his consciousness on that radiance and traced its path.
It spread outward from the center of the crown on the Crystal's surface, following the Fruit's patterns in all directions. Upon reaching the top of the trunk, it was automatically broken down, absorbed, and integrated.
After it was integrated, the patterns at the top of the trunk brightened noticeably, as though the continuous infusion of energy had formed a new structure there.
He observed it through inner sight for a while, confirmed that the radiance followed a stable, continuous path, then withdrew from inner sight and opened his eyes.
He rose, pushed open the door, and went outside. When he sat on the stump, Zero Seven brought over a cup of tea and set it on the stump's cut surface.
He lifted the cup and took a sip, sensing the Crystal inside the Fruit that was continuously emitting light, and the complete tree-shaped pattern on its surface.
He sat on the stump for a while, finished his tea, set the cup back on the cut surface, then rose and returned to the Core Residence hall. When he sat at the console, Zero One's projection lit up beside him.