Chapter 93

Chapter 93

"Something's coming out!"

Players swarmed over, crowding the cave entrance. Within the dark, cavernous opening, glistening white lights flickered intermittently, growing faster and faster. All the players instinctively held their breath, their curious gazes firmly fixed on the entrance.

The light drew closer; something was emerging.

Brilliant golden eyes and a familiar black, white, and yellow striped fluffy belly came into view. The player who had secured the best viewing spot stared in shock.

How could it be Her Majesty the Queen Bee?

"Holy crap, why is Her Majesty everywhere?" [Brother Pidan] yelled at the top of his lungs, voicing everyone's thoughts and drawing Her Majesty's scrutinizing gaze.

Under the fluorescent light, his face appeared as pale as snow, and her coldly gleaming golden eyes looked down imperiously. [Brother Pidan] instantly felt a little nervous: "What I meant was, Her Majesty is so capable, her territory spans the entire map. Without Her Majesty, how would we survive..."

As he wailed, he squinted, secretly observing.

Grandpa Tree, with a propeller on his head, suddenly popped out from behind Her Majesty the Queen Bee.

"Why is Grandpa Tree with Her Majesty?"

"Are all the NPCs just lackeys under our Queen Bee?"

"Great, just great. At least I get to be a rich second-generation in the game."

"The game's biggest boss is actually right beside us."

Grandpa Tree had also leveled up his defense stats quite a bit these past few days. Having abandoned the players who kept him amused, he had recently been staying in the cave playing with the little ones. Now, seeing the players, he felt a bit nostalgic. His round, plump body nimbly slipped out from beside Shen Yi and enthusiastically dove into the crowd of players, causing a commotion.

The players crowded around the cave entrance, packed tightly with no room to spare. Shen Yi frowned. His image in front of the players had always been that of a lofty expert, so the moment he saw players gathering, he instinctively adopted his Queen Bee royal demeanor: "What are you all doing here? Disperse, disperse. Go do whatever you should be doing."

As Shen Yi flew out, the group behind him moved forward, and the players finally saw the glowing orbs following their Queen Bee.

[Random Player A]: "What are those?"

[Little Brother Yi]: "They look like new spirit beasts. Haven’t seen them before."

The Moon Dew Elves had never seen so many unfamiliar creatures. The moment they emerged from the cave, they scattered and hid behind Shen Yi, their dark eyes curiously examining the players outside. These creatures looked quite similar to Shen Yi and Number Two, so they weren’t too afraid.

Shen Yi released his psychic energy forcefully, creating an opening in the circle of players. Number Two and the others flew to the front to clear the way for their companions behind.

Having played "eagle catches chicks" too many times, the Moon Dew Elves automatically formed a line, stretching out from the cave like a long, glowing white ribbon of light in the dark night.

The players, pushed aside by an invisible force, couldn’t contain their excitement and began discussing.

"Moon Dew Elves? Are these spiritual beings?" In the game, creatures with "elf" in their name are usually spiritual beings.

"Are they a new type of aphid? Looks like Her Majesty is herding them."

"These Moon Dew Elves are yellow names." Yellow names indicate friendly faction NPCs.

"Why did Her Majesty come out of the cave? And with so many elves? Where’s that python?"

"The python hasn’t come out for days. Could Her Majesty have taken it out?"

"Again? Shouldn’t this kind of storyline be left for players to complete?"

"I get it now! Last time, when we started the raid, the Python Beast suddenly turned white. It must’ve been because Her Majesty tamed it." It all makes sense now. Everything falls into place.

Although the Moon Dew Elves had no wings, by shaking the two leaf-bud-like "long ears" on their heads, they could float gently. Shen Yi led them to the brightest spot near the Sunstone.

They relied on Sunstones to draw energy, and contact with Sunstones might help them adapt to the outside environment. Just as Shen Yi was thinking this, he suddenly noticed the glow on the little white orbs gradually dimming, visibly wilting.

"What’s going on?" Shen Yi stepped forward and picked up the Moon Dew Elf that seemed to be in the worst condition. As it opened its mouth to call for its mama, he covered its mouth. "Don’t call out. Save your energy for now."

His psychic energy swept over the Moon Dew Elf, and Shen Yi realized that the vitality within it was slowly draining away.

Perhaps they needed an adaptation period after leaving the mother tree. Shen Yi placed the Moon Dew Elf on the Sunstone. The Moon Dew Elf, glowing with the same soft white light, almost blended into the Sunstone.

Shen Yi’s slender, pale fingers tapped the Sunstone. "Can’t you absorb the energy from here?"

In the cave, when the Moon Dew Elves needed to replenish energy, they would directly connect to the Deer Antler Tree’s branches to draw energy. Shen Yi belatedly realized that they had never been able to absorb energy on their own.

One by one, the Moon Dew Elves collapsed onto the Sunstones. Number Two and the others were as anxious as ants on a hot pan: "Boss, should we take them back quickly?"

Thinking of the Deer Antler Tree’s attitude, Shen Yi intuitively felt that even if he took the Moon Dew Elves back, it probably wouldn’t continue to supply them with energy.

He tried to guide the Moon Dew Elves to absorb energy from the Sunstones, but he couldn’t even perceive this special energy himself, let alone guide them.

Suddenly, he thought of something and took out the staff the Deer Antler Tree had given him. As he focused his intent, a spherical white light gathered at the forked bud at the tip of the staff. Just as he was about to point the staff at the Moon Dew Elves, he suddenly heard the Deer Antler Tree’s voice.

"If you do this, they will forever lose the chance to evolve."

Watching the little orbs collapse on the ground, their bodies wrinkling up as if dehydrated, Number Six couldn’t help but say, "What’s so bad about staying in the cave? Don’t the Small Stone People stay underground all the time too?"

Number Six’s words resonated with the other little ones: "Yeah, yeah. Many spirit beasts live underground. Why does the Deer Antler Tree always want them to come out?"

Shen Yi frowned deeply, watching the Moon Dew Elves’ condition worsen. He murmured in a low voice, "The Small Stone People choose to live underground. If they encounter danger or don’t like it, they can move away anytime."

But the Deer Antler Tree was firmly anchored here by the Sunstone Mine. It didn't necessarily want its children to leave the cave; it wanted them to break free from their dependence on Sunstones.

Perhaps because, at birth, in that pitch-dark abandoned nest, after all the Sunstones’ energy was completely depleted, it could only despairingly feel the energy within its body slowly drain away, waiting minute by minute for death to come—that experience was too deeply ingrained.

Even after it awakened its sentience, it couldn’t shake off that despair, which was why it yearned so deeply for freedom.

From birth to awakening, it could only take root under the Sunstone Mine, relying on Sunstones to draw energy and sustain life. The next hundreds or thousands of years would continue like this.

But the children it created, combining the traits of Moon Dew Grass and Sunstones, might be able to draw energy from sunlight like Sunstones, forever freeing themselves from dependence on Sunstones and gaining true freedom.

But perhaps the gamble had failed.

Before every near-perfect species is born, there will be countless failures and deaths. These 68 first-generation Moon Dew Elves might just be the Deer Antler Tree’s experimental attempts in search of the right answer.

Shen Yi looked down at the little ones who, just ten minutes ago, had been happily blowing blessing rings at him. He still couldn’t bear to watch them die like this.

"Let’s take them back first."

Separated by an invisible barrier, the players watched anxiously as their dear Queen Bee and the Moon Dew Elves, blending into the Sunstone Mine, scratched their heads in frustration, wishing they could drill a hole through the barrier to get a closer look.

[A Yan]: "Those Moon Dew Elves look so similar in color to the Sunstones. Do you think they might be Sunstones that gained consciousness?"

[Yue Feng]: "What’s wrong with them? They don’t look to be in good condition."

[SlyFox]: "The elders look like they’re about to cry from worry. It breaks my heart."

Shen Yi extended psychic tendrils, lifting all the Moon Dew Elves, and hurriedly flew toward the cave. Along the way, players excitedly greeted him, trying to catch his attention.

A familiar voice caught Shen Yi’s ear: "Your Majesty the Queen Bee, what’s wrong with them? Are they dehydrated?"

[Ting Yu] pushed through the crowd and flew forward, fingertips gathering a mist of water as she tentatively asked, "Should we try giving them some water?"

Shen Yi glanced over the shriveled Moon Dew Elves, his eyes lighting up with a thought. Indeed, these little ones looked just like dehydrated succulents.

He beckoned [Ting Yu] over. "Give it a try—just a little, like the water mist you just made."

[Ting Yu] never thought her impulsive shout would actually catch the Emperor’s attention, let alone be taken seriously. Wringing her excited, trembling hands, she focused intently and, following the Emperor’s instructions, condensed a mist of water and enveloped one of the Moon Dew Grasses.

The shriveled Moon Dew Grass, moistened by the water mist, plumped up right before their eyes, like a dry sponge soaking in water.

Shen Yi: "!"

He'd been overthinking it earlier—it hadn’t occurred to him that the surface environment was much drier than the cave, and the Moon Dew Elves might indeed be dehydrated.

Though this Moon Dew Elf’s round belly had regained its plump, moist appearance, its two long ears still drooped weakly. It called out "mama, mama" to [Ting Yu], then suddenly flashed with a fluorescent light and launched itself into [Ting Yu]’s arms.

Under Shen Yi’s astonished gaze, the Moon Dew Elf melted like flowing water and seeped into [Ting Yu]’s body.

"Ah—" [Ting Yu] started flailing around in panic on the spot. "Your Majesty, save me—"

To the watching players, it looked like the little one had called [Ting Yu] "mama" and then zoomed into her body, so their eyes automatically went to [Ting Yu]’s stomach.

[Brother Pidan]: "Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap—is Sister Rain gonna be a mom??"

[Wandering Bee]: "What kind of new gameplay is this? I could be a dad-mom too."

The players’ logic was simple: if their Emperor was overseeing this, it couldn’t be a bad thing. Considering the game devs' style, they definitely shouldn’t miss out.

Just then, a soft glow began to emanate from [Ting Yu]’s body, continuously gathering and forming strange, mysterious luminous patterns on her skin.

A flicker of surprise crossed Shen Yi’s eyes. He condensed a thread of psychic energy and aimed it at the back of [Ting Yu]’s hand, using only half his strength.

As it touched her hand, a faint membrane of light shimmered over her body, blocking the psychic energy.

The surrounding Sunstone seemed stirred by the energy within [Ting Yu], visible strands of fluorescence flowing from the bright stones toward her, continuously merging into her body.

Shen Yi watched this scene with mixed feelings. Could this be considered half a success for the Deer Antler Tree’s plan? Though the Moon Dew Elves hadn’t achieved complete freedom, they had gone from being bound to the Sunstone mine to being bound to players—at least players could move.

The players also found the luminous patterns familiar.

[Jiangnan]: "Holy crap, isn’t this the same luminous pattern defense from the giant python?"

[Barbara]: "Does Sister Rain have an invincible shield now?"

……

The players’ eager eyes turned toward the Emperor.

The protective shield that fragile mages dreamed of was right before their eyes—hesitating for even a second would be a loss.

There were at least two thousand players present, but only a few dozen Moon Dew Elves floated behind the Emperor, held up by psychic energy. Too many wolves, too little meat—there weren’t enough to go around.

[Wandering Bee]: "Ahhh, Your Majesty, please give me a chance to be a mom!"

[Wild Master]: "Your Majesty, I’m Water Element too—choose me, I can hydrate the babies."

[PeeSniper]: "Your Majesty, pick me—I’ve got plenty of water."

If not for Shen Yi’s psychic barrier protecting his surroundings, the players would probably have rushed forward to snatch the "children."

Shen Yi glanced at [Ting Yu], who was gradually calming down. "Continue?"

[Ting Yu] finally processed what happened, looking dazedly at her palm, then touching the soft fur where the creature entered before turning excitedly to Shen Yi. "Your Majesty, what… what’s happening to me?"

Shen Yi took the opportunity to ask: "How do you feel now?"

"I feel another energy inside me—warm and very reassuring."

Shen Yi moved the Moon Dew Elves behind him to the front. Without needing instruction, [Ting Yu] understood and released a large mist of water, enveloping the Moon Dew Elves.

She couldn’t help asking further, "Your Majesty, have I bonded with this Moon Dew Elf?"

Shen Yi’s eyes flickered. If the Moon Dew Elves could truly adapt to the external environment and gradually evolve by fusing with players, then having players bond with them could restrain both sides to some extent, preventing harm to the Elves. The benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

"If you can win its affection, you might be able to bond with it." Shen Yi left room in his words—spirit creatures were hard to contract. Since Moon Dew Elves had "Elves" in their name, they might not accept a contract.

After the remaining Moon Dew Elves recovered, they didn’t choose [Ting Yu], who had hydrated them, but instead turned into streams of light and chose their favorite players from the crowd.

Shen Yi had the system run the numbers: the chosen players were all Water Element.

Having inherited some traits from Moon Dew Grass, the Moon Dew Elves preferred moist soil environments. Now, the players were their soil—clearly, Water Element players were more to their liking.

[Moran]: "Whoa, the spring has finally come for us Water Element players!"

[Haidi]: "I was thinking of switching to Wood Element—good thing I didn’t!"

[Brother Pidan]: "Ahhh, do only Water Element players get to have babies? That’s not fair!!"

[Wild Master]: "Every element has its advantages, okay? It’s about time Water Element got some spotlight."

……

After staying inside the players for a while and absorbing enough energy, the Moon Dew Elves left their bodies without hesitation.

The little ones, perky long ears glowing brightly, shone radiantly in the darkness. Full of energy, they squinted contentedly.

"Mama, mama."

After leaving the players’ bodies, they called out happily, releasing rings of light that merged into the players they had fused with.

"Congratulations, player. You have obtained [Moon Dew Elf’s Blessing], Defense +30." !

This caused a huge stir—the [Moon Dew Elf’s Blessing] provided a permanent stat boost to defense, instantly making Moon Dew Elves the most popular spirit beasts in the game.

Lao Er and the others followed Shen Yi back to the underground cave in low spirits. They wanted to fuse with the little ones too—if only they had chosen Water Element, boo hoo.

After discussing with the Deer Antler Tree, Shen Yi opened the underground cave to players. It was marked on the map as [Moon Dew Elf Nest].

Except for approaching the Deer Antler Tree, players could explore the nest and build rapport with the Moon Dew Elves.

In just half a day, players had basically cracked the Moon Dew Elves’ mechanics.

Besides Water Element players, those of other elements could also gain [Moon Dew Elf’s Blessing] by keeping the Elves happy.

Due to the Elves’ unique calls, players often called them "babies," and the [Moon Dew Elf Nest] became known as the "Baby Cave."

After fusing with players, the Moon Dew Elves seemed to have truly found their path to Evolution. A month later, they could directly absorb sunlight energy through fusion with players.

To gain the favor of the little ones, water-attribute players went all out, gathering in the desert at noon to sunbathe as a group. After an hour and a half, they ended up with the [Heatstroke Buff].

If not for the Town Portal Scroll, they might have ended up dried to a crisp in the desert with the Moon Dew Elves. Dying was no big deal for them—they could always respawn—but if a Moon Dew Elf died, it would vanish forever.

In *Bugs World*, wild creatures do not respawn after death.

This minor incident unexpectedly piqued some players' curiosity.

What would happen to a Moon Dew Elf if the player died while in a merged state?

Driven by curiosity, many water-attribute players conducted experiments. To die intentionally while in a merged state, they first had to break the Moon Dew Elf’s protective shield, but the elf would detach from the player before the shield broke.

Over two months, players transformed the "Baby Cave" into a playground. Through merging with players, the Moon Dew Elves’ range of activity was no longer limited to the underground nest.

Compared to the number of players, the Moon Dew Elves were vastly outnumbered. Shen Yi set a maximum capacity of 1,000 players allowed in the "Baby Cave" at once, and it was almost always full, with many players queuing up outside every day.

As a result, various alliances sent their water-attribute players to the "Baby Cave" to befriend the Moon Dew Elves and merge with them, then brought them back to their alliances while in a merged state.

This gave alliance members more opportunities to interact with the Moon Dew Elves and grind their defense stats.

To increase their defense, players had to keep the Moon Dew Elves happy and cheerful. The alliances practically treated the little puffballs like ancestors, catering to their every whim.

After observing the players’ efforts, Shen Yi was relatively satisfied and decided to open an external hiring system for the Moon Dew Elves. Each alliance could hire up to ten Moon Dew Elves to station at their base, but they had to periodically return them to the "Baby Cave" to reunite with the mother tree.

>>

After obtaining a cultivation method, Xi Ye focused more on training, and his level rose rapidly. Within three months, he had reached level 56.

Shen Yi was slightly higher, just a step away from reaching level 60.

This progress was entirely from leeching off the players. As the number of players grew, the advantages of his "Path of the Emperor" leveling system became fully apparent—the more players there were, the stronger he became.

While Xi Ye devoted himself to cultivation, Shen Yi began studying the energy circulation pathways inside Tangyuan. The last time Tangyuan evolved was after absorbing the toxic bubbles of the small mushrooms in the Mist Mushroom Forest.

However, even after becoming familiar with the small mushrooms and consuming large amounts of toxins daily, Tangyuan showed no signs of evolving again.

In reality, spiritual power was the key to Tangyuan’s evolution. Only when its spiritual power reached saturation could it seize the opportunity to evolve. No matter how much toxin it absorbed, without sufficient spiritual power, evolution was impossible.

Using his spiritual sense, Shen Yi clearly observed the flow of spiritual power inside Tangyuan, resembling complex meridians spread throughout its body. He needed to identify the most suitable pathway, and after sacrificing over a dozen Tangyuan clones, he finally had some ideas.

A month later, new fruits sprouted on the barren branches of the Deer Antler Tree. Pea-sized fruits densely covered the branches, and with an ample supply of Sunlight Stones, the tree seemed to flourish completely.

Shen Yi roughly counted—this batch had over a hundred fruits, twice as many as the previous one.

Only then did players realize that the Moon Dew Elves actually grew from the Deer Antler Tree. Amazed, they began venerating the tree, studying its preferred humidity and temperature, and devising ways to supply it with energy, eagerly awaiting the fruits’ maturation.

Shen Yi visited several times during this period, and each time he noticed new changes. This batch of fruits seemed slightly different from the previous one—small round protrusions resembling budding limbs curled beneath the fruits, and long ears tucked atop their heads, though their exact shape was still unclear.

As the fruits ripened, players from various alliances made frequent trips to the "Baby Cave," all hoping to be the first to hire Moon Dew Elves for their alliances.

One night, a crack suddenly appeared in a smooth, hard section of the rocky wall. Rustling sounds emerged from the fissure, and soon a small stone person, almost the same color as the rock, squeezed through. A luminescent white gem was embedded in the center of its forehead.

After entering the cave, it cautiously looked around, then waved behind it. Instantly, more than a dozen other small stone people slipped in.

Not far away, a few scattered players were flying around the Deer Antler Tree, observing the fruits.

"Look, the little feet underneath are becoming more visible. They should be maturing soon."

"I’m so curious about what these new Moon Dew Elves will look like."

...

Amid the players’ anticipation, the dozen small stone people flattened themselves against the rock wall like pancakes and slowly inched toward the Deer Antler Tree.