Forest

Lu Heng arrived at the Astrology Room and went straight to the altar.

He carried the two chests onto the altar and placed them on either side. The left chest contained the Insect Queen, and the right chest contained the Gift of Frost Forest.

He glanced up at the faint light descending from above and silently prayed, "May this last ray of light protect us from trouble."

Then he reached out and pressed down on the box on the left.

Insect Queen Treasure Chest, open.

The lid of the box popped open by itself, and three things floated out.

The first item felt almost weightless when it touched his hand. It was an extremely thin membrane, nearly transparent when spread out in the palm of his hand, with fine lines pressed into it only visible when held up to the light. The moment it touched him, Lu Heng's mind went blank.

[Secret Technique: Insect Control Technique (Exclusive Secret Manual)]

[Only one type of insect can be bound to you for life; once selected, it cannot be changed.]

[Can control corresponding Insect Swarm; can autonomously consume massive amounts of resources to drive iterative evolution of the insects.]

Lu Heng's hand froze in mid-air.

He stared at the words "Only one type can be bound for life" for a long time, so long that the membrane in his palm began to feel slightly warm.

It was only during this time that he had seen what the Insect Swarm looked like. The tunnels were paved with three layers of insects, and you would sink if you stepped on them; the egg sacs hung on the walls, and they would break at the slightest touch, and the creatures that crawled out didn't even have eyes, they just kept pushing forward; when the worker insects died, the ones behind them would simply step over the corpses, without stopping, without retreating, and without going around them. It wasn't a battle, it was the sheer number of insects crushing everything in their path.

This thing now tells him that he can be the one giving orders.

You only get one chance in your life. If you choose wrong, it's for life.

His finger hovered above the membrane for a moment, but ultimately did not fall.

"... We can't rush it."

He tucked it into the innermost layer of his pocket. He needed to go back and review the records to understand the habits of each type of insect before making any further plans.

The second item is a sword.

The sword is long and narrow, with a dark gold body and black patterns, and the blade has a cold, bluish light. It feels heavy in the hand, but the center of gravity is very well balanced.

[Insect Armor Sword (Silver Tier)]

[Material: Insect Queen's chelicerae + Forged from Special Ore]

[Features: Extremely high hardness, super armor-piercing effect]

Lu Heng shook hands and waved.

The sword's edge sliced through the air with a short, sharp cracking sound.

"Truly sharp," Lu Heng exclaimed. "But I'm a knife wielder, so it seems I'll have to practice swordsmanship again."

The third item was about the size of a palm, irregularly shaped, as if peeled off from a larger shell. Its surface was covered with honeycomb-like holes, each hole filled with a very faint layer of dark gold. It felt neither cold nor warm to the touch, like it was alive.

[Insect Nest (Special Item)]

[After use, the insects bound by the Insect Control Technique will form a separate room within the Shelter.]

[This room will automatically generate a unique Insect Nest environment to meet the survival needs of the required insect species.]

[Note: This effect requires prior knowledge of Insect Control Technique.]

Lu Heng flipped it over and read it twice.

He understood the significance of this thing. Insect Control Technique was just a shell—it could command the Insect Swarm and evolve Insect Swarm, but where would the Insect Swarm live? It couldn't just be left to roam freely in Shelter. Insects are like that; once they leave the nest, they scatter, and if the nest is in disarray, the will of the master nest will also be in disarray.

This tool is essentially a temple built for the "master's will." It's a separate room, tailored to specific needs, and generates itself. It doesn't need to dig, adjust the temperature, or calculate the humidity, and there's no need to worry about insects eating away at the Planting Room one day.

He placed the Insect Nest and the Insect Control Technique on the same layer, close to his chest. The two were a set, inseparable from each other, and neither of them could be moved at the moment.

Turning towards the Gift of Frost Forest, open.

Lu Heng reached out and pressed down on the box on the right.

The dark green box lid popped open; there was no light, no wind, it simply lay flat on the altar, transforming into a book.

The book cover felt like it was pulsating very slowly to the touch.

[Complete Illustrated Bestiary Plants and Organisms in Frost Forest]

Lu Heng turned to the first page, then the second, the tenth, and the fiftieth.

His hands moved slower and slower as he flipped through the pages.

This book is full.

Frostfang Wolf, Giant-Horned Deer, Tusked Boar, Blackrock Bear... page after page, their appearance, habits, weaknesses, habitats, and usable parts are all clearly described. Bronze Tier, Silver Tier, animals, plants, fungi, mineral byproducts, all are laid out chapter after chapter.

He stopped halfway through flipping through the pages.

wrong.

He closed the book, his brow furrowing.

The Silver Tier Insect Queen was already the ceiling of this cataclysmic event; he had to fight tooth and nail to kill her. If the forest harbored a large number of higher-ranking creatures of the same level, how could the Insect Swarm possibly dominate?

The Insect Swarm wins because of its numbers and its tireless nature, not because of its strength. If a dozen or so creatures of this caliber are entrenched in the forest at the same time, the Insect Queen will never be able to step out of her nest.

The logic doesn't hold up.

The second section begins to move at this point.

A dark green leaf, no bigger than a fingernail, floated up from between the pages of the book, its veins shimmering with a faint silver light, hovering before him. Then a passage entered his consciousness directly, without sound or emotion, as if someone had written a fact into his mind.

[Frost Forest is not fully unblocked.]

[Tier 1 Unsealing: Following the initial cataclysm, a small portion of the ecosystem is unsealed.]

[Second-Tier Unsealing (Current): After the Second Disaster ends, half of the system will be restored]

[Third-Tier Unsealing: When the Third Cataclysm arrives, the seal is broken, and the forest reveals its complete and true ecosystem.]

Lu Heng looked at each line one by one.

The Third Cataclysm. He didn't know when that would be.

He only knew one thing: this forest was only half open. The real big thing was yet to come.

The pages continued to turn. This time, two things fell down.

The first thing to land was a stone slab. It was grayish-white, about the size of a palm, with irregular edges. A symbol was carved on its front.

[Frost Forest - Permanent Territory Certificate]

[The holder of the certificate can select any area within the Frost Forest region and bind it as their private territory for life.]

[Rule Guarantee: As long as the Frost Forest exists, the ownership of this territory will never change, cannot be taken away, and cannot be overwritten.]

[Contractual Boundaries: All living beings within the realm are bound by these rules and shall never initiate an invasion or attack on the territory of the token holder. Violators will be ostracized and punished by the Forest Will.]

Lu Heng held the stone shard in his hand for a long time.

This is permanent. As long as this forest exists, that land belongs to him. Moreover, everything living in the forest is bound by a rule that prevents it from voluntarily stepping inside.

"... we need to choose a good location."

He carefully put the stone shard away. Choosing the wrong location would be like nailing himself to one spot. He needed to make a better choice first.

When the last item fell, it was as light as a leaf landing.

It was a seed. The size of a thumb, irregularly shaped, a deep bluish-black, with fine silver lines floating on its surface. Those lines were moving—not reflecting light, but actually flowing slowly. It lay on the altar, and when the surrounding starlight fell near it, a trace of it was absorbed. Very faint, but definitely there.

[Moonlight Tree (Unique and Rare Species)]

[Growth conditions: Dependent on starlight energy, must be planted and cultivated by the certificate holder; cannot be transplanted or planted by a substitute.]

[Characteristics: It can autonomously absorb moonlight and starlight, continuously nurturing leaves with special effects; the effects increase with the tree's age.]

Lu Heng squatted down and looked at it for a long time.

Its mysterious appearance and unique mechanism led him to predict that it was a top-tier long-term resource.

He picked it up and kept it separately.

ending

After opening the treasure chest, dismantle it to obtain 5 Insect Armor and 10 Frostwood [Silver Tier: A special material with a cooling sensation, it has some effects in suppressing ghosts, nourishing the spirit, and warding off evil, and is also a kind of proof].

Lu Heng stood there, mentally reviewing what he had gained that day.

Insect Control Technique – a trump card you can only play once in your life, you need to think it through carefully.

Insect Nest -- a matching nest, to be opened after selecting the insect.

Insect Armor Sword - a weapon to practice with.

A complete Bestiary – a map, and also a warning.

The third phase of reopening—the timeline—is already underway.

Permanent Territory Certificate - Home.

Moonlight Tree Seeds - Long Thread.

This forest is currently only partially reopened. The future remains uncertain, with even stronger ecosystems and greater crises waiting to be unlocked.

Lu Heng turned and walked out of the Astrology Room onto the balcony.