Rhett furrowed his brows. He knew of Manu's unique nature as a spiritual being, but how had he detected something unusual from that pattern? Could there be some kind of strange resonance between similar beings?
He began observing silently and noticed that Manu resembled a giant spider, with numerous threads extending from his body, displaying an exquisite level of control as he gradually reconstructed the pattern of the fish tail.
Rhett's emotions calmed. This was happening within the simulation space. Even if they created some kind of monster, what could it do?
However.
As time passed, and the fish tail became more complete, countless fine threads gathered in the void, emitting a mysterious rhythm.
A strange energy spread like ripples, leaving Rhett utterly astonished.
"This... how is this possible! This is the Homeland!"
In the midst of his shock, Rhett's spirit sank into the simulation space.
A wave of energy rushed toward him, washing over his face, and for a moment, Rhett felt as though his very soul was being frozen.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed that both Mingge and Manu were standing frozen, as if turned into statues of ice.
Shocked.
He was completely shocked.
He never imagined that such a massive change could occur in his own domain, his absolute territory.
Just then, a mermaid-like figure slowly took shape in the air, and Rhett felt his soul tremble slightly, though it was only a faint sensation.
An ancient and distant voice, genderless and devoid of emotion, spread out:
"My loyal believer, I have sensed your devotion. Offer up everything you have and devote yourself to the Master of Creation and Flesh, and you shall bask in boundless glory…"
The voice was completely devoid of emotion, yet it carried an undeniable allure, subtly compelling one to obey.
Rhett's expression turned cold. "Dare to spout such nonsense in my domain? Die!"
As his thought concluded, a myriad of multicolored beams shot forth from the twisted space, striking the mermaid's phantom.
Within a heartbeat, the mermaid figure shattered, leaving only a faint scream echoing in the void.
Seeing this, Rhett let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the Homeland was powerful enough to obliterate even such terrifying entities. No matter how fearsome they were, they couldn't escape being wiped out within the Homeland.
As the mermaid phantom disintegrated, Manu and Mingge regained their senses, looking confused. After Rhett explained what had just happened, they began to understand.
Manu then turned his gaze to the spot in the void where the mermaid had formed, and there, a blue crystal floated. Manu gasped in astonishment:
"There's something left behind… incredible! A spiritual construct left behind something tangible. No, this is even more terrifying than just that!"
Rhett narrowed his eyes and looked at the fingernail-sized blue crystal. He exclaimed in surprise, "Hmm? A source aura? This is an item of pure origin?"
Hearing this, both Manu and Mingge were visibly shocked and darted toward the blue crystal in streaks of light.
Since they were not the masters of the Homeland, they rarely had the chance to see items of origin in the simulation space. Even for Rhett, this was the first time he had encountered an object of origin that could remain in the simulation space for such a long time.
The blue crystal before them was unlike the ones generated in the simulation world.
This was a physical entity, one that could directly nourish and provide without needing to be further refined using fate points.
At most, a small amount of fate points would be required for purification.
Rhett pondered for a moment.
"Manu, since you were the one who created that mermaid phantom, tell me about your experience."
The blue crystal wasn't Rhett's primary concern. He was more interested in the origin of the mysterious mermaid phantom and how it had been summoned.
Manu looked puzzled. "I… I can't really explain it. I was just copying the pattern on the shell, and I never imagined it would cause such an uproar."
Rhett glanced at Manu thoughtfully. After a moment of contemplation, he decided to try extending his own mental energy to replicate the intricate pattern.
However, his mental energy was different from Manu's. Although Rhett managed to extend numerous thin threads, there seemed to be a qualitative difference. He could mimic the form but not the essence.
Unable to proceed, Rhett reluctantly gave up, though a sense of dissatisfaction gnawed at him. "Manu, try again. Let's see if you can summon that entity once more."
"Hmm... alright."
To be honest, Manu was just as curious. As a scientist, how could he stop exploring simply because of fear?
Immediately, he began his second attempt.
In the void, the pattern started forming again, from simple lines to the complex network of red threads that made up the fish tail.
At a glance, it was clear that this was different from what Rhett had tried earlier. Looking at it sent chills down one's spine, like witnessing an ancient and evil ritual.
However, this time, the void remained eerily calm.
The strange fluctuations from earlier did not reappear.
But in a dark place, beyond countless realms.
A black-scaled mermaid, wrapped in chains that extended for thousands of miles, slowly awakened from her slumber, her cold gaze piercing the void.
"I can feel it… a grand ritual has failed…"
"Who dares to toy with me? Once I break free from these chains, I will exact the price for this deception against the Master of Creation and Flesh!"
Of course, Rhett had no way of knowing the secrets behind the fragments of the divine artifact.
After finding no further clues, he approached the blue crystal. As his soul made contact with it, he could feel the source energy within, profound and mysterious.
It contained no terrifying power; rather, it instinctively felt like something valuable, something beneficial.
With a single thought, Rhett decided to purify it and use it to nourish the material world.
But then something unexpected happened.
As he gave the command to the Homeland, a light screen appeared before his eyes, showing something he had never seen before.
[Detected source item suitable for nourishing the Homeland. Would you like to proceed?]
Unlike the usual notifications, this one made Rhett blink in surprise. Then his pupils contracted sharply!
He had just realized that the target of this nourishment was not the material world, but… the Homeland itself?!
The Homeland!
A surge of shock ran through him.
Rhett's spiritual body trembled slightly. His mind raced, and in that moment, everything clicked.
No wonder… that terrifying entity had been able to invade the Homeland directly. Its true form must not be far from the level of the Homeland itself!
Thus, it made sense that such an item would also benefit the Homeland...
With that realization, Rhett's joy over acquiring the treasure lessened somewhat.
After all, this was the first time he had personally witnessed the existence of beings that could approach the power of his Homeland. He couldn't help but feel a growing sense of crisis.
This was unlike the Netherworld, the Beast God World, or the Love God's World. Even though those worlds were powerful, and their strongest beings could probably crush Rhett with a flick of a finger, in Rhett's eyes, they were still on the same plane of existence as him. There was always a sense that, "You may be strong now, but one day, you'll be under my foot."
But the mermaid that had just invaded his Homeland didn't give him that same feeling.
Even though he had anticipated this outcome, experiencing it in reality still left him feeling slightly deflated.
After sighing inwardly for a moment, Rhett quickly gathered his thoughts. No point in worrying over something so abstract. He focused back on the light screen before him, finally making his choice.
"Yes!"
Inwardly, he was eager to see the result.
The prospect of directly nourishing the Homeland, of strengthening it, was something Rhett had never dared imagine before.
Now that it was happening, how could he not be excited?
As the command was given, the blue crystal began to spin rapidly, gaining speed with each passing moment.
This time, unlike usual, it didn't emit a beam of light to break down the energy. Instead, a rainbow-colored, twisted light filled the air, accompanied by an overwhelming aura that made Rhett tremble uncontrollably.
This aura shook Rhett to his core, as though his very heart had been frozen by a mountain pressing down on him.
It was like an ant staring up at a giant, fully aware of its own insignificance.
This aura was far more powerful than that of the mermaid from earlier. The difference between them was like the gap between a mountain giant and a dwarf.
Because of this, Rhett's mouth slowly opened wide enough to fit an egg.
"Since when did the Homeland harbor such a terrifying presence? Why have I never noticed it before…"
His lips moved soundlessly as he muttered to himself, staring upward. The rainbow-colored, twisted light slowly gathered into a vague, wheel-shaped form.
The aura emanating from it was thousands of times stronger than that of the mermaid. It felt ancient, transcendent, and timeless, as though it held the secrets of the universe itself.
With just a glance, Rhett, Manu, and Mingge all fell into a trance, their minds momentarily frozen.
Their spirits seemed to pause in time.
The blue crystal, now bathed in the light from the wheel, began to disintegrate, turning into wisps of blue smoke.
Faintly, a shrill and fearful voice echoed, only to vanish moments later.
Rhett nearly thought he had misheard. Could there have been some remnant consciousness trapped in that blue crystal?
But this mystery was impossible to solve now. In an instant, the rainbow wheel absorbed all of the blue crystal's energy.
Rhett focused intently, but he could see no visible changes in the wheel.
Was it because my level isn't high enough to perceive it?
Or could it be… the energy from the blue crystal was so insignificant compared to the vastness of the Homeland (including the parts I haven't yet discovered) that the change is negligible?
He leaned toward the second explanation.
After all, what had just happened clearly demonstrated that the so-called "Master of Creation and Flesh"—ugh, what an awful name—was no match for the Homeland!
With this thought, Rhett relaxed slightly. At least for now, he hadn't encountered any existence that could rival or surpass the Homeland.
The only potential exception was the mysterious entity Manu had once mentioned—the pale beam that had destroyed him, seemingly unaffected by the Homeland's influence.
With this in mind, Rhett decided not to dwell on the changes in the Homeland for now. He turned to Manu and asked, "Manu, do you know what just happened? Have you encountered anything like this before?"
Manu, still shaken, took a deep breath and shook his head. "Absolutely not. This power made me feel like a mere shrimp in the ocean, facing a massive deep-sea whale. I was completely helpless... In fact, I've already shared with you everything I know about the Homeland. I've held nothing back."
"Of course, some of my memories are incomplete, so I can't guarantee that I've never encountered something like that wheel before."
He thought for a moment before adding this clarification.
Rhett nodded, not blaming Manu in the least. Instead, his interest was piqued. "So where did that wheel go? It appeared for such a brief moment that I couldn't even get a clear impression of it."
Manu hesitated. "Maybe... you could ask the Homeland?"
"Oh, right. The shock of what just happened nearly made me forget." Rhett smacked his forehead and quickly gave a command to the Homeland:
"What was the mysterious presence that appeared just now? And what new changes have occurred in the Homeland?"
[The wheel is part of the Homeland's foundation and cannot be explained. The Homeland has gained the ability to control both souls and flesh, and can now influence living beings in the simulation world by consuming fate points.]
Reading the message before him, Rhett felt a surge of confusion.
"Why can't it explain something that's part of its foundation?" Rhett frowned, deep in thought. "Shouldn't it be able to understand something that's fundamental to its own existence?"
This obvious contradiction left Rhett feeling uneasy, like something wasn't quite right.
But he wasn't one to get stuck on things for long. The Homeland, as an entity, was clearly beyond his full understanding. Perhaps it wasn't a simple matter of explanation, but rather a question of access...
He quickly calmed down.
If he reversed his thinking… perhaps the Homeland couldn't explain the wheel because it was fundamental to its structure, and Rhett simply lacked the authority to know more about it?
Like a middle manager being unaware of high-level executive decisions.
If this was the case… then everything made sense.
With this new perspective, Rhett's eyes flashed with understanding. So, the light screen I see isn't the most core part of the Homeland. Its rank is high, but it still doesn't compare to that mysterious wheel…
He conveyed the contents of the message to Manu and Mingge in plain terms.
The two exchanged glances, both looking bewildered.
"It can now influence the living beings in the simulation world? This change is no small matter…" Manu muttered after a long pause, his eyes gleaming. As a scientist, countless possibilities and potential applications, especially for alchemy and cultivation, were already flashing through his mind…
"Indeed, considering the shell itself had the strange ability to devour flesh and blood, this new ability must have come from it," Rhett speculated. "But we still don't know the full range of this power, and even the Homeland itself couldn't describe it clearly…"
"If only we could start another simulation… If this could be applied to magical plants, it might help answer many of my questions…" Manu's voice was filled with anticipation, clearly eager for another round of testing.
Suppressing his own rising excitement, Rhett chuckled bitterly.
"You two used up the last of our fate points in your previous simulation. Even though we could run a brief one now, I suspect using the Homeland's 'Creation' ability will require quite a few points. We won't be able to see its effects anytime soon."
"But don't worry. The Green Kingdom is now on the right track. My sons are already generating large amounts of fate points, and within a few years, my grandchildren will be growing up as well..."
Manu bowed slightly. "Thank you, then."
"There's no need for that…"
After chatting for a while longer in the simulation space, Rhett remembered his duties in the outside world and hurriedly left.