"Farming...?"
Kaping murmured the word, which was both familiar and unfamiliar. He had indeed heard this word from his grandfather and father when he was young, and he also knew that crops could grow in the ground before the outbreak of the Demonic Tide.
However, after the outbreak of the Demonic Tide, the entire food chain became extremely chaotic. Crops that were previously Planting in the ground and waiting to be harvested may have turned around and used humans as their food reserves.
Since then, people have lost their enthusiasm for farming. After all, after being taught to plant trees by the Tree Worship Church, they were able to survive on water alone, and the craft gradually became a vague memory.
Ed nodded:
"I know you may not need food, but I've tried, and the Symbiotic Tree can barely keep you from starving. I really hope that each of you can eat your fill and live a few more days."
"Go back and tell those villagers that their lord is not a great benefactor. Whether it's houses or protection, he will take a little reward after the Aberration in their bodies are cured. But you will be better off than before."
"So..."
Ed looked at Kaping, his tone becoming much more formal:
"If someone just wants to live a life where they don't have to do anything, just bask in the sun and drink water, and then die around forty years old from various Aberration complications—a life where they can see the end from the beginning... then you can come and go as you please here."
Kaping was overjoyed to have received Ed's promise. Although the bishop and lord had always been very kind, Kaping never dared to overstep any boundaries.
Because he was the only one who knew Ed's true identity.
The moment he saw the boy, he knew that the boy was no ordinary person.
Now it seems that this is indeed the case. From a wanted criminal of the Tree Worship Church to a bishop with dozens of Elite Warrior, being able to defeat powerful monsters and reorganize these villagers, all of this is enough to prove how outstanding this young man's abilities are.
As for the person who stands against Ed... it's been a while since I've seen that tax collector who likes to whip people, Kaping guesses that the man is probably long gone.
Moreover, those Elite Warrior have been shouting slogans loudly these past two days, clearly showing that they won't give up until they take White Wax Town.
Although Kaping was not very knowledgeable, he certainly knew of the existence of White Wax Town. He had some doubts about it, but when he heard Ed's promise today about treating the Aberration, his usually aged heart was filled with excitement.
Perhaps it's time to have a proper talk with the villagers about the current situation.
In the real world, in a luxury hospital ward.
"Heart rate has changed."
The young man, who had been staring intently at the instrument, suddenly spoke. At the same time, he caught a glimpse of Li Yinhua's right hand trembling on the bed, and then he woke up completely.
"Record: Blood lancet stimulation was effective; subject logs out of game."
Now that the professor is awake, the experiment naturally needs to be paused.
As usual, the young man helped Professor Li remove his helmet and asked him:
Did you log out because you felt some external stimulus?
The professor didn't answer, but instead glanced at the clock in the ward:
What project is being carried out at this time?
"Blood lancet."
The young man answered.
The professor nodded and said:
"It was certainly exciting, but it wasn't quite what I, or what you all imagined... I'll dictate it now, and you can start taking notes."
It was not yet 9 p. m. when the other two men in black quickly entered the ward.
The middle-aged man sat in the corner and began to skillfully take notes, while the professor on the bed organized his thoughts and then began to describe how the thrill manifested in the game.
Since the entire experience only lasted about ten minutes, there wasn't much to record.
The middle-aged man put down his black pen and frowned slightly.
"Professor, do you mean that you actually didn't have any physical discomfort, and that the game forcibly 'kicked' you out?"
The professor nodded:
"That's exactly what I meant. And the game didn't elicit a strong reaction to sound-based stimuli; it still gave me the freedom to choose. But with pain-related stimuli, the game became completely unplayable."
The middle-aged man unconsciously stroked his chin.
"In that case, this game is actually quite considerate..."
The professor nodded:
"Actually, there's another big problem that you might not have noticed."
"What?"
The men in black immediately became interested.
The professor took the gaming helmet from the bedside table:
"I looked at this helmet during the day; it's the version without a microphone."
"In other words, how does the game know that I received auditory stimulation, and how does it know that my body felt pain?"
An eerie silence fell over the ward.
Indeed, no company in the world today can completely sever the connection between the body and the brain.
As for " World of Disorder ", once the game starts running, the player's brainwaves are as calm as if they were dead.
However, upon receiving external stimuli, they are able to immediately emerge from that near-death state, as if they were in a superposition of life and death during the game...
In this state, the game can perceive external stimuli more flexibly than the player, as if... it has taken over the player's senses.
The young man in black thought carefully for a moment and then looked at his superior:
"Captain, I suggest we cancel tomorrow's network test."
The middle-aged man looked over, and the young man said with burning eyes:
"I believe that a stable network connection is necessary for deep immersion. If we rashly disconnect or limit the network for testing, even if the professor has made the necessary preparations, we still cannot guarantee that he will wake up after the network is disconnected and reconnected, which is extremely dangerous."
The middle-aged man with the notebook open in front of him thought for a moment and said:
"That makes a lot of sense. I'll report back immediately. As for now..."
He looked at Professor Li:
"Would you like to continue your test?"
The professor nodded:
"Of course! The plants in this game today are acting like they're insane; they're extremely valuable for research."
[Player authentication successful. Reconnect now?]
[yes]
[Connecting you...]
A dazzling white light flashed, and the player [ Evergreen Tree ] opened their eyes.
What came into his view were rows of neatly arranged, gleaming silver armor, and he was momentarily confused about his situation.
The next moment, [ Evergreen Tree ] realized that its head seemed to be drooping, and it felt like its head was congested with blood, making it dizzy.
He moved his hands and feet, making a sound. [ Dawn Ah ] and [ Backstabbing Expert ] immediately reacted and helped him down from the horse.
The silver-armored knight also pulled on the reins to prevent his warhorse from moving around. Seeing that the commoner had regained his senses, he seemed to feel a little relieved.