Footprints of the Flowers of Inheritance
The Flower of Inheritance of the Tree of Symbiosis fall into every corner of the Root Network Sea of Stars, like scattering a handful of "seeds that will sprout." Between the edges of the Crystal Root Network, buds break through sharp cracks, blooming into "sharp petals with soft light," giving the cold crystals a "gentle sharpness." In the flow of the Cloud-Mist Root Network, flowers transform into "soft stamens that can stand firm," giving the formless mist "the stability of rooting." Most surprisingly, in the "Blank Belt" at the edge of the Sea of Stars Root Network, a single Flower of Inheritance, after falling to the ground, gives rise to "a patch of never-before-seen root clusters"—roots that belong neither to any known root network nor to any known root network, yet bear the imprint of all root networks, like a group of "children born knowing symbiosis."
"It's a ' Newborn Root Network '!" On Luoyu's sketchbook, the outlines of new roots "grow on their own" on the paper. The lines are sometimes sharp like crystals, sometimes soft like clouds, sometimes slow like tree rings, and sometimes spiraling, eventually converging into a "tiny star" in the center of the page. She walks through the Sea of Stars following the trajectory of the roots and discovers that these new roots are weaving new veins at an "amazing speed." At the nodes of the veins, the "marks of Symbiosis Pearl" automatically emerge—as if they are born with the memory of "how to get along with others."
The transparent tree of the seed, its branches extending towards the Newborn Root Network, is now covered with "glowing invitations." The invitations, written in the language of all the root networks, read, "Please come to the Tree of Symbiosis for a feast; we want to hear what it feels like to be 'naturally symbiotic.'" When a seedling, "topped with a star-shaped flower bud," representing the new roots, arrives at the Tree of Symbiosis along the branches, the tree's rings suddenly glow faintly, flowing like "water" into the seedling's veins, carrying the symbiotic stories of all the root networks.
"It turns out that being 'born' is because it stands on the shoulders of countless stories." The star-shaped buds of the seedling trembled gently, exuding "dew mixed with the essence of all root networks." The dew fell to the ground and immediately grew into "strings of Symbiosis Pearl." The imprints within the beads were no longer "the encounter of two root networks," but "the dance of multiple root networks": the edges of crystals rested on the soft cushion of clouds and mist, the slow annual rings wrapped around spiral coils, and the chaotic mist enveloped everything, gently swaying in the pulse of the Origin Root Network.
Qingxian composed the "first exclusive melody" for the Newborn Root Network. The melody begins with the "monotone of the Origin Root Network", followed by the "harmony" of the Two Realms Root Network, then "polyphony" of varying speeds, sharpness, and softness, and finally, in the "variation" of the Chaos Root Network, all the notes suddenly merge into "pure warmth" - like a "condensed history of symbiosis". The new roots sway gently with the melody, and star-shaped buds bloom at the same time, with "miniature images of the Wheel of Symbiosis" imprinted on the petals, perfectly coinciding with the rhythm of the melody as they rotate.
"Music is the best form of inheritance." Qingxian looked at the wheel pattern on the petals and remembered when she first learned to play the piano, her teacher said, "Every note carries the breath of those who came before." At this moment, she finally understood that inheritance is not about carving stories on stone, but about allowing those who come after to naturally receive the tenderness of those who came before through "resonance."
In Yanche's symbiotic archive, a new "energy sample of the Newborn Root Network" has been added. Sample analysis shows that the energy frequency of these roots is "both stable and flexible"—stable enough to resonate with any root network, and flexible enough to adjust itself according to the other's rhythm. "This is the ' Symbiosis Gene '," he wrote a note next to the sample, "Not something you're born with, but something you're born with the desire to 'learn'."
On the top shelf of the filing cabinet, he deliberately left a blank compartment, next to which was a handwritten Root Language: "For the root network of the future, and also for the symbiosis we have yet to learn."
At the center of the Root Network Sea of Stars, the light band of the Primordial Thought Galaxy begins to "weave a star map." Each coordinate on the map corresponds to a position of a Root Network, and the coordinates are connected by "luminous lines" marked with "symbiotic modes": some lines represent "the mutual support of crystals and clouds," some represent "the dance of speed and spirals," and some represent "the embrace of Newborn Root Network with all existing Root Networks." At the very edge of the star map, there is an "ever-expanding blank space," within which "new coordinates" occasionally light up—those are "unknown Root Networks approaching."
"The star map has no boundaries, just as symbiosis has no end." Luoyu drew the shape of the star map on the leaves of the Tree of Symbiosis. The leaves immediately grew larger, extending "new veins" into the blank spaces, as if saying, "We always reserve space for the unknown." She watched as the veins on the leaves gradually overlapped with the lines of the star map, and suddenly remembered how she had been troubled by "not being able to draw boundaries" in the Realm of Taiji. Now, in the Root Network Sea of Stars, she understood: the true map is not about defining boundaries, but about drawing "all possible paths."
The mist of the Chaos Root Network is now transforming into "ink on the star map," staining each coordinate with "flowing colors." As new coordinates of the unknown root network light up, the mist flows along the connecting lines, weaving a "soft cocoon" around the new coordinates, allowing the newcomer to "slowly adapt" to the rhythm of the Sea of Stars. Meanwhile, the roots of the Newborn Root Network will be the first to reach out along the connecting lines, using their "innate symbiotic" nature to "offer the first greeting" to the unfamiliar root network.
On this day, three new coordinates simultaneously lit up in the blank spaces of the star map. The mist of the Chaos Root Network immediately transformed into three enormous clouds, gently enveloping the coordinates; the seedlings of the Newborn Root Network, pushing carts filled with Symbiosis Pearl, rolled merrily along the connecting lines; the Flower of Inheritance of the Tree of Symbiosis, like carrier pigeons, took flight in flocks, carrying the stories of the Sea of Stars, and landed at the edge of the new coordinates.
The transparent tree shadows of the seeds overlap with the star map, and within the Memory Light Stone on the branches, a new symbiotic story begins to "rehearse": The first cluster is a "burning Flame Root Network," where newly grown roots are using the template of the Cloud-Mist Root Network to transform into a "wet blanket that won't get burned," gently catching the intensity of the flames; the second cluster is a "cold Glacier Root Network," where the edges of the Crystal Root Network are "carving out windows" for them, allowing the light of the Primordial Thought Galaxy to shine in; the third cluster is the most peculiar, a "Phantom Root Network that keeps disappearing and reappearing," where the mist of the Chaos Root Network plays "hide-and-seek" with them, catching their forms the moment they disappear, and gently returning them when they reappear.
"It turns out that the highest level of symbiosis is 'understanding each other through play'." The roots of the seed swayed gently, and in the annual rings of the transparent tree, another ring "marked with flames, glaciers, and phantoms" was added.
The Qingxian notes of the zither resonated simultaneously with the three new coordinates. The melody contained "the fiery leaps of flames," "the long, deep bass of glaciers," and "the fleeting overtones of phantoms," yet within the "inclusive chords" of the Chaos Root Network, it became exceptionally harmonious. The lines on the star map connecting the new coordinates lit up with "rainbow colors," like three "newly paved roads."
Yanche's analyzer was busy beside the new coordinates, but it wasn't recording any data; it was simply letting the instrument's energy "gently envelop" the unfamiliar root network. "Sometimes, respect is more important than analysis." He looked at the existence of the Flame Root Network, and carefully touched the damp blanket offered by the newly grown roots with his fingertips, a "curiosity he had never shown before" flashing in his eyes. "Data will become outdated, but the desire to 'get closer' will always be fresh."
The light of the Root Network Sea of Stars has become "more dazzling" with the addition of new coordinates. The sound of the Wheel of Symbiosis turning now includes "the crackling of flames, the shattering of glaciers, and the soft hum of phantoms"; on the leaves of the Tree of Symbiosis, "burning flowers, frozen stamens, and twinkling stars" have been added; and on the new pages of the Book of Symbiosis, "how flames learn gentleness, how glaciers learn to melt, and how phantoms understand how to stay" is being automatically written.
The Boundless Wind, carrying the ink-scented star map, traverses the new coordinates and blows towards the more distant void. Hidden within the wind are the seeds of the Flower of Inheritance, the imprint of the Symbiosis Pearl, and the "invitation" from all the Root Networks—not "Come join us," but "Come make our story more wonderful because of you."
The transparent tree of the seed has now grown as tall as the Tree of Symbiosis. Its Memory Light Stone is filled with stories of the Root Network Sea of Stars, yet it continues to make room, awaiting the arrival of new coordinates, awaiting the stories of the unknown Root Network, awaiting that word that will never be finished:
We're here, waiting for you.
The star map is still being drawn, the wheel is still turning, and the tree is still growing. All existence, in this boundless Sea of Stars, is continuing to write the eternal poem of "symbiosis" in its own way.