The crowd’s silence was palpable. Nuan Dong could naturally sense the reason behind it, but he appeared entirely indifferent, with a lingering smile in his eyes. “Indeed, from the clues we’ve discovered so far, the intruders share certain similarities with the Phantom Clan. I can’t find evidence to refute that, but I can assure you that the Phantom Clan would never invade another race due to mental issues. As for the reason, I can’t answer.”
The few individuals sitting around the campfire turned their gaze to Nuan Dong. His expression showed no discomfort, and there was no trace of deception. Ye Qian, with sharp eyes, stared at Nuan Dong for a moment before speaking expressionlessly, “What is your purpose here? With the Phantom Clan’s mental power, you should be unmatched in this world. Do you really need help from others?”
Nuan Dong met Ye Qian’s intense gaze without evasion. “No, there might be entities with higher mental abilities in this world. Almost all gamers have experienced such a long exploration without substantial findings because mental power hinders their progress. Even I can’t perceive the location of this mental power. However, I can predict that if this continues, I won’t find answers. So, I need help. I just don’t know if the Winter’s End team needs a Phantom Clan companion.”
Ye Qian didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he reached out and lifted Shu Xun sitting next to the campfire by his neck. Shu Xun instantly transformed from a spherical shape into a droplet form. Ye Qian effortlessly placed Shu Xun on his knee and then looked at Nuan Dong, speaking coldly, “Although the intruders are not Phantom Clan, they seem to be related. The Phantom Clan has already noticed something; otherwise, the normally xenophobic Phantom Clan wouldn’t willingly make contact with other races. Being able to do so indicates that the Phantom Clan has at least some suspicions and speculations about the intruders.”
Silence spread, lasting for a few seconds. Afterward, Nuan Dong smiled lightly, resembling a tender shoot breaking through the soil at the end of winter—warm, fresh, filled with hope and vitality. This smile not only left the audience stunned but also surprised Shu Xun and the others. They had seen a similar warm and sunny smile on Qu Yan’s face before. Qu Yan and the current Nuan Dong were different individuals, but their smiles perfectly merged at this moment.
Warm Winter’s smile gradually faded but didn’t disappear, lingering like a gentle spring breeze. “You felt it, didn’t you? It’s not that the Phantom Clan is fixated on the intruders, but I find the coincidences too uncanny. Seeing someone with an extremely high resemblance, this feeling might be surprising for you, but for me, it’s chilling. A high mental power often has an intuition about certain persistent things. I believe I will find useful clues in the ‘Deep Blue Sea,’ and that’s precisely why I’m participating in it.”
Shu Xun looked at Nuan Dong and, with a leisurely tone, pinched his own beard before speaking, “Your hair is really long.”
Expecting some exciting remark from Shu Xun, everyone was instantly disappointed. Nuan Dong also showed a clear moment of bewilderment, followed by hearty laughter. “You indeed noticed. My hair, much like your beard, requires nourishment from one’s own mental power for growth. And if I guess correctly, you should have that intuition I mentioned. It’s also my intuition.”
Shu Xun naturally understood what Nuan Dong meant by intuition. When a person’s mental power or consciousness reaches the extreme standard of this world, they will have a certain sensitivity to the world. Cultivators call it enlightenment to the Dao or the favor from the Dao. Although this world is not a cultivation world, it has a concept of universal consciousness, and the principles are likely similar. People who reach the same standard tend to have some feelings between them as if there’s a similar aura from powerful individuals.
Shu Xun nodded generously, ready to speak, but then Ye Qian’s icy voice came from above, “The Phantom Clan is extremely xenophobic and doesn’t marry outside their race.”
Everyone: ??? How did the topic suddenly change, and isn’t it a bit off?
Shu Xun: “…”
Nuan Dong smiled ambiguously. “There are exceptions to everything, like love at first sight.”
Everyone: !!! What does that mean? Thinking of Ye Qian suddenly picking up Shu Xun and placing him on his lap, everyone fell silent. Is this Phantom Clan interested in Shu Xun? And is Ye Qian so sensitive? Could it be that Ye Qian’s mental power is so high that he can sense the thoughts of the Phantom Clan? The puzzled crowd was still unaware that, at certain moments, a person’s sensitivity could surpass scientific explanations.
Shu Xun, sitting on Ye Qian’s lap, turned his small head back to look at Ye Qian. Then, he shifted his small buttocks, getting closer to Ye Qian, before speaking with a slightly domineering tone, “The person behind me is mine! Even if it’s you, I won’t let go!”
Nuan Dong’s lightly smiling face was instantly petrified.
Ye Qian, with an expressionless face, slightly curved his lips. However, the smile was fleeting, quickly returning to his poker-faced state.
The crowd: “…”
Shu Xun, possessing god-like logical thinking, surprisingly displayed such emotional intelligence. For a moment, everyone found it hard to accept.
The topic of love at first sight was thus killed by Shu Xun, and the group tacitly shifted to a different subject. Nuan Dong also explained some of his discoveries and speculations. All creatures on the continent were heading toward the center, which was the high point of the continent. The giant insects were the fastest-moving species, and also the race with the highest death toll witnessed on their journey. Almost every creature, upon discovering giant insects, would launch attacks without hesitation, even if the insects posed no threat. There was fierce competition among insect races, and upon finding highly evolved insects, all surrounding insects would unite to attack relentlessly. When Nuan Dong mentioned this, he pointed to Lie Yang, speculating that the insects in this world probably considered Lie Yang and Gray as highly evolved insects, explaining why they relentlessly pursued them.
“But strangely, after observing for a long time, I found that there is no phenomenon of insects devouring their own kind. In this fiercely competitive environment where food means survival, I tracked more than one species of insects and discovered that many insects actually starved to death without feeding for a long time. Even if they were about to starve to death the next second, they wouldn’t feed on the corpses of other insects. This phenomenon even exists within a biological chain, as if something is disrupting the judgment of the insects, preventing them from normal feeding. Moreover, according to my speculation, the bodies of evolved giant insects can trigger rapid evolution in their own kind.”
“Starved to death?!” Indeed, they had seen too many insect corpses along the way, but this mode of death was not within Shu Xun and others’ expectations. If Nuan Dong hadn’t mentioned it, they probably wouldn’t have had the chance to discover it. After all, the senses of insects are quite keen, and perhaps, apart from the Phantom Clan, who can exist in a non-physical state, no player can track insects without being attacked.
“Yes, it’s quite miraculous, isn’t it? Xuanqiu and Spirit tides, as evolved races, would play different roles when facing attacks in this world. However, an ordinary insect has become the dominant force in this world. These phenomena all indicate that insects play a special role, as you previously guessed. The invaders control the insects, but some force restrains their perfect evolution. This force is likely the higher-level mental power I mentioned earlier. Since this mental power is neither the invaders nor the native inhabitants of this world, it is highly likely to be the planetary consciousness. The planetary consciousness prevents the perfect evolution of insects, guides their self-inflicted violence, and instinctively repels outsiders. It can also guide players on a path of exploration with no rewards. However, there is a special case, and that’s you, Shu Xun. Discovering Xuanqiu City, accepting Green Grass’s gifts, gaining recognition from Spirit tides and Xuanqiu—all of these indicate that there must be something about you that makes the world consciousness drawn to you.” Nuan Dong looked at Shu Xun sitting neatly on Ye Qian’s lap, with genuine curiosity in his eyes.
Shu Xun pinched his small beard, also pondering what could be special about himself. A sudden gleam flashed in his dark eyes. If not due to his own constitution, then it must be the initial system glitch during the unexpected teleportation, leading to his crossing into another dimension. However, even with that, Shu Xun didn’t do much more.
Shu Xun pondered tirelessly, but in the end, he didn’t find an answer. Others were naturally also baffled, but at least they knew that with Shu Xun around, their situation wouldn’t be too bad. As for Nuan Dong’s mention of planetary consciousness, the group couldn’t entirely agree. Although the theory of cosmic consciousness has gained widespread acceptance in the present era, people obviously don’t believe that planets possess consciousness. The so-called planetary consciousness might just be the sum of all consciousness in this world’s life forms, and it’s highly unlikely to govern the creatures on the planet.
Regardless of their individual perspectives, the group tacitly accepted Nuan Dong’s inclusion. They discussed until late at night before dispersing to their sleeping bags, preparing to rest.
Shu Xun, holding his small sleeping bag, stood for a moment. He noticed that Ye Qian and Nuan Dong’s sleeping bags were unexpectedly adjacent. The little plush ball then walked, with a “pat-pat” sound, to the space between them. He tossed his small sleeping bag onto the ground, skillfully laid it out, and after adjusting the position by tugging the upper end, he perfectly covered Ye Qian’s face before opening the sleeping bag and slipping inside.
Nuan Dong: “…”
