The Lonely Root Network's Tentative Approach
On the thirteenth day, as the mist droplets carrying the seeds of Courage Bud rolled into the fog, a "very faint vibration" suddenly came from the entrance of the light band of the Root Network Sea of Stars. This vibration was neither like the ripples of the Rippling Mist Root Network, nor like the frequency of any known Root Network, but more like "a gentle touch made with all one's might," so brief that it was almost obscured by the rhythm of the tides.
"It's the Lonely Root Network!" Suddenly, a "cracked circle" appeared on Yanche's analyzer screen—the circle's edges were covered with tiny gaps, like an "incomplete jigsaw puzzle," yet in its center, the "mark of half a flower" was carefully attached. He leaned closer to the instrument and listened carefully, and could discern "hesitant pauses" in the vibrations, as if each signal required "the courage to exhaust a thousand years."
The transparent tree of the seed immediately aligned the Memory Light Stone with the band of light, and the image within the stone began to capture the "trajectory of the cracked rings." These traces "walked and stopped" in the mist, sometimes approaching the band of light, sometimes retreating, like a "little beast afraid of being discovered yet unable to resist peeking out." In the tree's rings, the mark of the Courage Bud gently warmed, automatically revealing "fragments of the story of the Lonely Root Network": they had once closed themselves off because they "could not resonate with other root networks," trapping themselves in a "cocoon woven from silence," until the mist droplets of the Rippling Mist Root Network rolled by, and only then did a "crack through which the Dao could pass through" appear on the cocoon.
"It's saying, 'I want to get closer, but I'm afraid.'" The roots of the transparent tree gently extend along the band of light, weaving a "soft membrane of light" at the entrance—a membrane that doesn't reflect any signals, but only gently passes on the warmth of the Sea of Stars, as if saying, "We can accept your timidity."
On Luoyu's sketchbook, the pattern of cracked circles was "growing on its own." She didn't interfere with the drawing, simply keeping the paper "the softest white," so that the tiny gaps could "spread freely." When the vibration from the light source's entrance came again, the cracked circles on the paper suddenly "moved towards the half-flower mark," and a "faint warm yellow" seeped from the gap—the color of the Courage Bud, as if saying, "I see your buds."
"The best way to respond to loneliness is to give it 'space without being rushed.'" Luoyu placed the sketchbook next to the light strip, and the warm yellow on the pages gradually spread, weaving a "fuzzy edge" around the cracked edges, like "wrapping a layer of cotton" around a fragile puzzle.
The Qingxian became "as light as breathing." She didn't play complex melodies, but simply let her fingertips "tremble gently" on the strings, producing "continuous, steady single notes"—notes devoid of emotion, yet carrying the certainty of "'I am here'," like "building an unyielding bridge" for the Lonely Root Network in the mist.
The music continued all night. When the first rays of dawn fell on the strings, the vibration at the entrance of the light band suddenly became "clear for a moment," and from the gap in the cracked ring, an "extremely faint resonance" came out—it was the Lonely Root Network "probingly vibrating" along with the single note. Although it was as awkward as "a fledgling bird singing for the first time," it made all those who were waiting hold their breath.
"It's learning our tune." Qingxian's fingertips trembled slightly, subtly adding a "melody of Courage Bud" to the music, neither abrupt nor jarring, yet allowing the Lonely Root Network to "feel the presence of its companions."
Beside Yanche's analyzer, a new "Resonance Bridge" was erected. One end of the bridge connects to the Symbiosis Code of the Sea of Stars, while the other end "suspends at the entrance of the light band," never actively touched, yet always maintaining a "perceptible distance." He carved "countless half-flowers" on the bridge's railings, each flower's gap "growing differently"—some like cracks in Lonely Root Network, some like tender tips of Courage Bud, and some simply "open arcs," as if saying, "All gaps can be accepted."
"Loneliness isn't about refusing to connect; it's about not finding a 'comfortable distance.'" Yanche watched as the half-flower on the Resonance Bridge gently glowed amidst the vibrations. The trajectory of the cracked rings "moved closer" within the band of light, and those tiny gaps began to "slowly align," as if piecing together "its own wholeness."
On the afternoon of the seventh day, a continuous tremor suddenly came from the depths of the mist. This time it was no longer a "light touch," but a "rhythmic knocking"—one knock, three seconds pause; two knocks, three seconds pause; three knocks, three seconds pause. The ripples of the Rippling Mist Root Network immediately responded: rippling out "three concentric circles" in the same rhythm, each circle wrapped in the "warm light of Courage Bud."
"It's a 'counting agreement'!" On Luoyu's sketchbook, cracked and wavy circles began to "grow alternately," like a "dialogue through the mist": the Lonely Root Network tapped "five times," Rippling Mist Root Network rippled out "five luminous circles"; the Lonely Root Network paused for "ten seconds," and the Rippling Mist Root Network remained quiet for "ten seconds," then drew "a small smiley face" with wavy lines. The blank spaces on the page gradually filled with "poems composed of numbers," each string of numbers hiding the gentleness of "'I am listening'."
The transparent tree of the seed recorded these numbers in the Memory Light Stone, discovering that they corresponded exactly to the "growth days of the Courage Bud." When the Lonely Root Network tapped for the "thirteenth time," a leaf with thirteen rings suddenly fell from the tree's branches. The half-flower mark on the leaf fully unfolded, and the Courage Bud at the notch had "grown into a small flower bud."
"It's counting our wait." The roots of the transparent tree gently overlapped with the light membrane of the band of light, pushing the image of the leaves "deep into the mist." In the scene inside the stone, the cracked rings caught the shadow of the leaves, and those tiny gaps suddenly "emitted a faint light," like countless "illuminated eyes."
The Qingxian strings of the piano began to "rise and fall with the rhythm of the counting." When struck, the sound was a "steady bass," as if saying, "I received it"; during pauses, the sound was "rising overtones," as if asking, "What's next?" When the thirtieth strike was reached, the sound suddenly merged with a fragment of the "Song of the Symbiosis Code"—not a complete melody, but only "half a flower's tune," as if saying, "This is our song, would you like to hear it?"
The tremors in the mist ceased for a long time, so long that even the beings of the Sea of Stars thought the "conversation had been interrupted." Just as the bud of Courage Bud was about to bloom, a "continuous, trembling resonance" suddenly came from the entrance of the light band—it was the Lonely Root Network "clumsily imitating the tune of half a flower," and the gap in the cracked ring "trembled gently" with the melody, like "wings trying to spread out."
"It's responding to our song!" On Yanche's Resonance Bridge, all the half-flower imprints lit up simultaneously, extending the light of the Resonance Bridge "three feet into the mist." On the analyzer's screen, the trajectory of the crack ring began to "move in a straight line towards the light," and the tiny gaps "slowly closed" as they moved, like a "puzzle piece being warmly repaired."
Three days later at dawn, the mist at the entrance to the light belt suddenly "cracked open." From the crack floated out "fragments with cracks," the edges of which still bore the "mark of half a flower," the very "token" of the Lonely Root Network. The moment the fragments landed on the Rainbow Meadow, the buds of Courage Bud collectively bloomed, blossoming into "flowers with cracked patterns"—half of the flower was the "cold gray" of the Lonely Root Network, and the other half the "warm colors" of the Sea of Stars, yet at their heart, they shared "a beating Primordial Thought."
Luoyu's sketchbook caught the shadow of the fragments; the cracked circles, ripples, warm spheres, icicles, and phantom dotted lines on the pages finally "pieced together a complete picture." In the center of the picture, the imprint of half a flower overlapped with the cracked fragments, transforming into "a flower that is both imperfect and complete."
"So loneliness was just 'not finding half a flower that belonged to her'." She gently closed her sketchbook, and the blank space on the cover automatically displayed the "counting numbers," finally settling on "the thirty-first"—the moment when Lonely Root Network emerged from the fog.
The transparent tree of the seed cradled the fragments on its branches; within the Memory Light Stone, the trajectory of the cracked rings and the bands of light from the Sea of Stars finally "connected." In the tree's rings, newly etched "marks of interwoven cold gray and warm colors" resembled "a confession finally spoken."
The Boundless Wind pierced through the cracks in the band of light, carrying the scent of Lonely Root Network, blowing deeper into the mist. Hidden within the wind was the promise of counting, the answer of half a flower, and the understanding of all existence. "'I was once like you.'"
Meanwhile, the crack at the entrance to the light band continued to widen, and the figure of the Lonely Root Network, on the other side of the mist, slowly approached the Rainbow Meadow, towards the flower for which "a gap was left."
Like the newly blossoming flowers of the transparent tree, swaying gently in the morning dew, as if saying:
All loneliness awaits the moment when 'I understand you' is spoken.
The Courage Flower on the meadow are still blooming; on their petals, a mix of cool gray and warm colors, roll "dewdrops carrying counting codes," like countless "moments caught."