Chapter 38 The Seed of the World A few days later, at that moment, at Xia's residence...

A few days later, at Na Ke Xia's residence.

"The teacher hasn't come out for a long time."

You, Bai'e, and Feng Jin stood anxiously in front of the door, glancing at the tightly locked door several times, but they still couldn't hear any movement from inside.

Feng Jin apologized, "I'm so sorry to have called everyone here in their busy schedules... Although the teacher's condition... may not require much food, it still worries the doctor that she has been confined for several days at a time."

Little Ika's beady eyes blinked, and she leaned forward, rubbing her chubby little face against her sleeve, making comforting purring sounds.

Feng Jin gave it a forced smile.

Bai'er and I originally planned to visit the cave where the pottery jar was found today. It's not far from Ohma, but the Black Tide is rampant and extremely dangerous, so we've been making preparations these past few days.

Just as they were about to set off, they encountered Feng Jin anxiously pacing around in the dimly lit courtyard. After some questioning, they learned that Xia had locked herself in her room for several days and wouldn't answer the door no matter who knocked.

You recall the message he sent you when he was in seclusion. He probably saw the [pleasure] related information in the previous Differential Universe report and then kept asking you a lot of questions about extraterrestrial knowledge, including several star gods and related forces in the universe.

"I already have some guesses," he said, "but they need to be verified. Titans and Astral Gods, these different energy systems, seem to share the same mathematical framework."

"[...Can you speak like a human being?]" you politely reply.

[Tsk, I'll contact you again if anything comes up.] He said speechlessly.

I never imagined this research would take so long.

Feng Jin glanced at the bundles in your hands. "Lord Bai'e and Hui Bao must have a mission to complete, right? You can go ahead first. Leave this to me. I'll let everyone know as soon as the teacher comes out."

Bai E and you exchanged a glance.

“Thank you for your trouble,” he comforted her. “Everything in the city is under Lady Aglaia’s control. If anything happens, she will definitely take action, so there’s no need to worry too much. You’ve done more than enough.”

Feng Jin pursed her lips and hummed in agreement.

You said, "Then we'll be going now. The Kuroshio Current hasn't receded yet, so we..."

"Clang!"

The door suddenly opened.

The loud noise startled the three of you, and you all looked ahead—

The green-haired man stood there, seemingly in a frenzy. His hair was a mess, clearly unkempt, and his collar was askew. Compared to Bai E and Wan Di, he was remarkably thin, his body barely concealing what was behind him… uh, what was that? An alchemical instrument? I've never seen anything like it before…

When Xia suddenly appeared after a long absence, she was in the same posture, and for a moment you might think you were seeing a vampire.

His exposed eye was bloodshot, yet it shone eerily.

"...I'll go with you."

Ignoring the astonished expressions on everyone's faces, a determined glint appeared in his eyes. Even though his voice was slightly hoarse from not speaking for a long time, he still emphasized:

"Go find the Kuroshio."

*

Xia was too excited at that moment.

Throughout the journey, he showed no signs of weakness due to his previous injuries. On the contrary, he moved with incredible speed, charging at the monster with each shot, his pale face flushed with excitement.

The relatively weak academics are running ahead, while you and Bai E, the two with the most physical strength, are chasing behind.

You suddenly feel that the scene is very strange.

Bai E is alright; you can maintain a moderate distance from him. But you're in trouble. It feels like a long-distance training run, or rather, a cross-country obstacle course. You're so tired you're begging for mercy.

"Teacher... I can't take it anymore, please let me go back to my homework, I promise I won't slack off anymore..."

"Partner! Partner, are you alright?! Why are you talking in your sleep?! Quick, water! Drink some water—hang in there!"

The instrument Xia was carrying on his back was complex and sophisticated. Bai E admitted that he had never seen it before. It was probably something he had recently tinkered with, and he didn't know what it was used for.

The instrument doesn't look very refined; in fact, its appearance is slightly rough. Several gears are exposed without any coloring, just a mix of bronze and gold. It's clear that the instrument is made exactly like the raw materials.

The instrument has a long interface, while the body is transparent. You look closely and there's nothing inside, so you don't know what it does.

Night fell.

The wise man who climbs the mountain remains silent, carrying only a heavy baggage, and ascends step by step to the height of truth.

Everything flashed before his eyes. Even with only one eye left, he could see through the sky. The specific night sky, mountains, and caves were separated into countless abstract "seeds" in his eyes.

He looked at them. Like he was looking at the structure of a seed.

...

Amidst your wails and Bai'er's encouragement and comfort, you finally arrived near the cave.

The incessant roars of monsters filled the air; we were already close to the center of the Black Tide.

The sticky, scarlet tide of blood, like countless hands reaching out from hell, blocked your path, determined to drag the creatures of the earth into the underworld.

The baseball bat in your hand crackles with electricity. You step forward and swat away an enemy, then see Xia kneeling on one knee beside the Black Tide, pointing the alchemy instrument interface she'd carried all the way at the surging eroded blocks.

Amidst the continuous hammering, the equipment roared to life, attracting many monsters who bared their fangs and roared as they charged toward Xia's retreating figure.

clang!

Bai E flew over, his heavy sword clashing against the monster's sharp, long armor, his azure eyes reflecting the hellish scene before him.

Thump!

You swung the bat, twisting your wrist, and the bat spun nimbly in your hand, deflecting another attack. The monster was knocked back by your force, its body slamming heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"At that moment, Teacher Xia... Teacher! Watch out...!"

However, even if you and Bai'er are both skilled fighters, you cannot withstand the beast tide from all sides by the two of you alone.

Several forgotten monsters seized the opportunity and squeezed through the gaps in your clothes, opening their blood-red maws and completely shrouding Xia's body in shadow.

At that moment, Xia Mei didn't even flinch, as if she couldn't see the danger in front of her. She simply pointed the instrument in her hand at the surging wave of monsters in front of her.

The roar of the machines seemed to grow even louder, almost rivaling the overwhelming sounds of battle.

Bai Er tried to get there, but something was faster and more—

Green energy, symbolizing "correctness," surged from the machine's transparent body.

"..."

At that moment, Xia's lips curled up slightly.

"……Ha ha."

A laugh escaped his throat.

"Hahaha!" He couldn't help but burst into wild laughter. "Hahahaha!!! I knew it! I knew it!!!"

As another cloud of smoke dissipated, you squinted and looked in the direction of that summer, only to see the fallen monster with a bullet hole in its forehead, right between its eyebrows, as precise as surgery.

At that moment, Xia was still holding the gun.

He opened his mouth, and amidst the cacophony of roars, he declared with unwavering certainty:

"—This is an experiment."

He said.

"An experiment of [destruction]".

*

A few days ago, besides asking you about the Star God and destiny, Xia also asked you for several energy samples.

You didn't understand, but holding onto the idea that your teacher was definitely smarter than you, you obediently switched through the forms of destiny you currently possessed, and then, following the instructions, poured your power into different containers one by one.

Logically speaking, the energy of the Fate Walker might not necessarily reveal anything, but he just happened to find the right person. Your power was born under the gaze of the Star God himself. It can be said that apart from the Commander, no one has a deeper connection with the Star God than you.

...Besides, there's also that idiot who's always jumping around in front of you.

The power symbolizing [destruction] is deathly gray, the power symbolizing [preservation] is gentle gold, the power symbolizing [harmony] is the all-encompassing starry sky... and finally [memory], a color like ice and snow, white mixed with blue, reminding you of Fu Li's glimpse not long ago. His true form also seems to be carved from ice, which coincides with the six phases of ice on March 7th.

“Your friend, I mean, Ruan Mei, is supposedly a genius in the field of life sciences?” Na Ke Xia asked. “She talks about life experiments… It sounds like she’s trying to tell you something, but something is preventing her from saying the specific terms.”

He lowered his eyes in thought, "And that Star God of [Joy], who keeps saying he hates [Destruction]... Why [Destruction] in particular? Why keep emphasizing [Destruction]?"

"...Star Gods, these near-godlike beings in the universe, are similar to Titans in some ways."

At that moment, Xia seemed to have absolutely no awe for this terrifying extraterrestrial being. Well, that's true, otherwise he wouldn't be him.

“Coincidentally, I’m currently conducting an experiment on Titans and the Golden Sons, and I have some general results,” he said. “However, I can’t tell you the specifics yet. If the feedback from that experiment is true, then this experiment can directly use the previous results as arguments, linking them together, and the conclusions drawn can also be used to prove the earlier truth.”

...So today, the scholar who has been persistently pursuing the truth has finally obtained the answer he wanted.

He channeled the power of [destruction] into his alchemical apparatus, set out to find the Black Tide, and pointed the apparatus's interface at the monster horde most heavily infected by the Black Tide, absorbing their energy—

The energy of the Black Tide, and the [destructive] power you left behind, have merged.

No, not exactly the same—your power is purer. In comparison, the Black Tide is much less complete, almost like a bootleg or a simulation.

But there is no doubt that they share the same energy characteristics.

At that moment, Xia recalled the days and nights she had spent locking herself in her room, burying herself in assembling alchemical equipment.

That fateful night, his finger was accidentally cut by the sharp, untreated metal of the instrument.

Golden blood flowed down.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

It is infused with the power of [destruction] within the open bottle opening.

-----------------------

Author's Note: The title of this chapter and the idea that Xia views all things as "seeds" might seem a bit abrupt (scratching head), so let me explain.

Teacher Xia's inspiration—the ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras—was based on the "seed theory," a crucial tenet of which is the idea that all things are composed of different seeds. In the beginning of the world, these seeds were intertwined, a chaotic mass. Later, a vortex, through its rotation, flung all the seeds away, preventing them from sticking together and thus forming different things.

It sounds strange, but the principle is actually very similar to the theories of microscopic particles and the formation of galaxies in the universe. It was really amazing for that era.