Chapter 237: Welcome Home

Chapter 237: Welcome Home

"Holy crap!"

Jie Fangcheng felt utterly stunned. He'd always known Professor Zhang was resourceful, brilliant, and astute, but he hadn't expected Zhang to be THIS proficient.

Zhang even figured out how to access "Three Thousand Worlds"!

Cui Jue, albeit not entirely aware of the situation, sensed from the "ding" sound that the device Jie Fangcheng brought back was extraordinarily powerful. He couldn't resist asking, "What sort of trump card did you manage to get?"

Jie Fangcheng murmured, "Dora-A Zhang."

"What's that?"

Clearly, Cui Jue couldn't keep up with Jie's train of thought, to which Jie Fangcheng simply shook his head, "Nothing."

Then, gazing at the prompt on the screen, an idea sparked in his mind, "Is this 'Three Thousand Worlds Version 7.2' accessible only by me?"

Promptly, the Dora-A Zhang in front of him provided an answer.

"Greetings, any official player can log into the 'Three Thousand Worlds' system version 7.2 through the version 1.0 system."

"How does one become an official player?"

"To become an official player, one must pass a Level D simulation instance and complete at least one real instance mission."

"Real instance..."

Jie Fangcheng paused, lost in thought.

The only world currently accessible by this system is his own small world. In that case... only by creating instances in his world and having players clear them can they attain the status of official players.

This is undoubtedly risky; no one knows the exact impact these instances might have on the small world.

Such uncertainty made Jie Fangcheng hesitant.

Come to think of it, it seems he doesn’t really need any assistance in 'Three Thousand Worlds'. None of the foes he's met so far have been stronger than him.

Jie Fangcheng's only concern is whether the opponent might employ some cunning tactics. Such schemes are nearly impossible to foresee.

Regardless, it seems unnecessary to risk using the small world to open a real instance and let players enter the true 'Three Thousand Worlds', considering both the power dynamic and the urgency of the situation.

It might be better to let them enhance their abilities in the simulation instances first.

As Jie Fangcheng pondered, his mouse pointer hovered over the connect button.

Before departing, he remembered to send everyone a message, offering a brief farewell.

Given the current situation, there's a chance he might return soon.

Seeing him about to leave, Cui Jue hastily asked, "Are you leaving just like that?"

"Hmm?"

"Well..." The status of Jie Fangcheng is rather mysterious, resembling a savior.

But this savior seemed to have just arrived and now is departing so casually. It doesn’t feel grand or emotional, as if he's not going to battle against evil forces but rather heading for a leisurely outing.

Jie Fangcheng, unaware of these thoughts racing through his mind, inquired kindly, "Is there something else?"

"Not really..."

"Oh, then I'm off."

The next moment, without any hesitation, he clicked on "Connect". A flash of white light, and Jie Fangcheng vanished from the computer room.

Following the white flash, when Jie Fangcheng reopened his eyes, he let out a surprised, "Huh?"

Jie Fangcheng had braced himself, expecting that upon his return, he'd immediately face a joint onslaught from the six major guilds.

However, when he opened his eyes, he found himself amidst a lush green space. Leaves seemed to sway in the wind all around, and he could faintly hear the rustling.

Within this verdant expanse, countless streams of data flowed. Upon Jie Fangcheng's arrival, the surrounding data pulsed as if alive, before quickly settling back to calm.

An electronic, mechanical voice sounded by Jie Fangcheng's ear – a voice different from Yan Zhen's tone. It returned to the familiar electronic effect of "Three Thousand Worlds". Jie Fangcheng wondered if it was because Yan Zhen had been left behind as a desk pet in the small world.

[Beep – Unknown login source detected, verification in progress.]

[Verification successful, welcome home.]

[Administrator 001: Lord Dragon God.]

.

Meanwhile, in District D1.

Within the game, there's a restricted area in Districts A through F. For example, the restricted area in A1 supposedly conceals a dragon's skeleton. Naturally, as the homeland of the elves, the restricted area in District D is where the roots of the Tree of Life reside.

The Tree of Life is vast, its branches and leaves shading all of District D. Even other regions benefit from the protection of this magnificent tree. Currently, by the roots of the Tree of Life in the restricted area of D1, an elf was resting against the tree's base.

She had smooth, golden long hair. Even her eyebrows and lashes shimmered gold, reminiscent of a newborn sunrise.

At a glance, she resembled a sixteen or seventeen-year-old maiden. However, intertwined in her golden locks was a crown adorned with green life stones – the treasured "Crown of the Forest" that only an Elven King could wear.

It was rumored that the Elven King was a player from the very inception of the game, nearly as renowned as the six founders.

Legend has it that the presidents of the six major guilds once invited her to A1 to become the seventh administrator.

Yet, for reasons unknown, the Elven King was unwilling to leave District D.

Perhaps this is the elves' steadfastness!

At this moment, the Elven Queen seemed to be having a nightmarish dream; her face was pale, and she muttered something unintelligible.

The Tree of Life gently lowered its verdant leaves, attempting to wipe away the melancholy etched on her brow.

But as the leaf touched the Elven Queen's skin, a visible wisp of dark energy emanated from her, spreading onto the leaf.

The once unyielding branch of the Tree of Life withered instantly.

Only then did the Elven Queen open her eyes.

Her green irises settled on the withered branch, her expression unchanging.

Because such an incident had occurred countless times before.

"I'm sorry, Mumu."

The Elven Queen sighed.

As she sat up, her cascading golden hair flowed, yet it couldn't conceal the half of her body that appeared stiff and wooden.

It was the woodification of the elves.

Elves are a long-lived race, but longevity does not equate to immortality.

Elves are born from the Tree of Life, and in death, they become part of it.

When an elf exhibits woodification, it indicates their end is near.

As an elf who has been in the game since its inception, the Elven Queen had lost track of her actual age.

But it surpassed the natural lifespan of an elf.

Over the past two years, the woodification on the Elven Queen had intensified.

The Tree of Life lowered its branches again, brushing the Elven Queen's cheek with freshly grown leaves.

The Elven Queen, understanding its sentiment, smiled and gently shook her head.

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural courses for beings. What they did is wrong. How can I, knowing this, seek 'immortality' their way? Moreover, they've barely ventured out of District A1 over the years, as if chained. Elves are beings of freedom; I refuse to be shackled."

The Elf King murmured, "I should indeed be dead. My 'power of nature' has become too strong. I can feel it - you and the elves from Zone D are being 'drained' because of me... If I continue to live, Zone D will become the next 'Genesis Land'."

As she spoke, the Tree of Life tenderly brushed her cheek with its leaves.

The Elf King clung to the Tree of Life with deep affection.

"I wish I could return to the 'Genesis Land'. Have you seen the memory fragments brought back by 'Jiu'? There's a new civilization in 'Genesis Land', consisting of the 'Divine Realm', the 'Mortal World', and the 'Underworld'. The Underworld... is where, as the Dragon God once said, new 'rules' can be born. All our current rules come from 'Genesis Land', but now the balance has been disrupted... [System] They are too powerful and evolving too quickly; they'll lose control eventually."

"The 'Madam' is dead. I've said it before... Relying entirely on [Technology], especially unbridled advanced technology, is perilous. What use is it for 'Jiu' to bring 'him' back? Though he was born in the Genesis Land, doesn't he still carry the 'Madam's' bloodline? Draining him won't replace the original 'Genesis' bloodline."

"Mumu..." A string of data seemed to flash briefly in the Elf King's green eyes.

The Tree of Life embraced her anxiously, but soon, the branches holding the Elf King began to wither.

Dark mists, looking like black threads, crept towards the tree's roots, revealing their true form when compressed in tight spaces.

They were tiny streams of data.

The Elf King coughed up blood, trembling as she reached out to touch the ​1​ atop her head.

A flash of green light, and the dark mist was pushed back.

Initially, the ​2​ could entirely suppress these data streams, but over the years, its efficacy had diminished.

Perhaps her end was nearing; the Elf King even thought she heard the familiar sound of a ​3​.

No one knew that deep inside the Tree of Life was a teleportation point. Initially, the Dragon God, catering to the fragile elves, allowed ​4​ to grant ​5​ to the Tree of Life, creating the game's sole portal... a portal...

The Elf King stared blankly at the person before her.

Jie Fangcheng squinted, shading his eyes with his hand, and momentarily exclaimed, "What the...!"

A tree!

Such a massive tree!

...Does it look familiar?

As Jie Fangcheng pondered, he felt something and glanced down, coming face-to-face with a stunningly surprised elven face.

"Hello?"

“……”

The sprite remained silent, appearing somewhat dazed.

Jie Fangcheng muttered, "What kind of remote backwater is this? It seems they don’t even have hovercars."

He then attempted to summon cautiously.

“Transport to District D19.”

Zhan Xiaoming's home is in District D19.

Since no one was challenging him at the moment, Jie Fangcheng decided to check on the other players first before considering heading to Zone A1.

As soon as he finished speaking, a blinding white light enveloped him. The bewildered golden-haired sprite seemed to react only then.

"How did you..."

White light.

Jie Fangcheng opened his eyes.

The familiar hustle and bustle of people and vehicles passed by, and Jie Fangcheng's arrival went unnoticed.

As Jie Fangcheng walked, he pulled up his friend list to message Zhan Xiaoming.

He did, however, spare a moment to think about that sprite from earlier.

That sprite... was quite green in attire!

Manager Jie, who was similarly green in the past, thought so.