Simon bid farewell to Ming Zi and rushed to the hut in Crossroads.
Nati and Paya were studying the seal on the house; they were trapped inside and couldn't get out.
Simon quickly removed the seal. Nati and Paya looked at the cylindrical-headed fellow with some hesitation.
"It's me!"
The familiar pheromones.
"Little fellow... did my memory get messed up from sleeping? How did you end up looking like this?" Nati touched his four-holed mask, looking a bit silly.
Paya, however, quickly warmed up. "Oh, little forgotten fellow, we must have slept for a long time, this was truly a good dream! Come in quickly, and tell us all the great things you've done!"
After a long separation, Simon fully expected to have many things to say, but as he stepped into the familiar home, all the grand pronouncements swirling in his throat turned into smoke, dispersing into his chest and exhaling as a gentle breeze.
They sat by the bed, but only spoke of travel anecdotes and fragments of dreams.
When Simon said that The Radiance's crisis was over, Nati and Paya were calm, as they inherently lacked subjective experience of the Infection. But when Simon revealed that their child had been born healthy, Nati and Paya excitedly jumped up.
"Where is he? Is he doing well now?"
"I left him with a family in a town on the surface. We'll go pick him up together in a bit, and also thank the friend who healed him."
Simon brought Nati and Paya to Dirtmouth to reunite them with their child.
Nati and Paya circled the little grub, while Simon sat on a bench, listening to Ming Zi play the accordion.
In the Maintenance Grub's small family, Simon was at the very edge.
It wasn't that he was ostracized; it was that he stood at the highest point, shielding them from wind and rain.
Paya held the little grub tightly. Nati turned to see Simon, walked over, and said, "Little fellow, I am absolutely not trying to distance myself from you..."
Simon quietly listened to his explanation, the eye holes on his cylindrical head dark, showing no emotion.
Nati spoke, a little sad, "Oh, you can't be called a little fellow anymore. You're already so big," he gestured, "and so outstanding. I'm very happy. Although you've always been very opinionated, I think it's really good. Paya is right, whatever you want to do, we should support you. You're not a larva that needs shelter, but our lighthouse."
Simon patted Nati's arm, "I know, I know everything. You and Paya are my family forever... But you must forgive me, I have to leave. I have a new journey to embark on, destined not to enjoy joyful times."
Paya, holding the little grub's hand, walked over, "We will always wait for you, right here in Dirtmouth. We will settle down here," she looked at Nati, "Go, go forward without worry."
Ming Zi, who had been eavesdropping, sighed, "Oh! This beautiful and peaceful world always has an undertone of sorrow that cannot be concealed, just like my music, my friend. If you just remember that parting is the beginning of reunion, then every journey will be a path home!"
Simon nodded, then turned and walked towards Crystal Peak.
...
The world of crystal, where the air was filled with agitation.
Simon didn't take the elevator, but entered the interior of the Peak from Crossroads.
Stepping into the mine shaft filled with wooden supports, a clear singing voice drifted over. Simon's heart lightened, and he proceeded through the winding mine tunnels, getting closer and closer to the source of the singing.
In a small tunnel off the main mine shaft.
A soft, sweet singing voice was interspersed with the clinking sounds of a pickaxe, like a concert without an audience.
"Oh oh oh, burying the Knight and the broken Nail together,
Burying... the priest... what was the crown thing again?
Uh, hahaha, well, I'll just hum a melody then."
It was a little miner excavating crystals.
She was round, wearing a miner's helmet with a lightfly lamp on it, holding a pickaxe. Each swing took a lot of effort, she would turn sideways, lift the pickaxe, strike down repeatedly, very rhythmically and solidly.
Simon walked up behind her. She turned her head, "Hello there, my name is Myla, nice to meet you." She looked Simon over, "Oh, I saw a grub very much like you before, but I haven't seen him for a while. Are you looking for him? Are you his family? Well, I wouldn't know..."
The grub Myla mentioned, who looked like Simon, was the Little Knight.
"I'm not looking for him."
"Oh! So you're here to dig for crystals too? Are you? Stay! As long as you put in some effort, you can find a lot of treasure in these rocks!" She smiled very purely, "The crystals here are... are very valuable."
"You've already dug up quite a few crystals, why don't you take a break?" Simon pointed to the crystal clusters at Myla's feet.
"But I think there's something even more valuable deeper down! I can smell it! Hahaha!"
Simon shrugged, "Alright, I have to go, goodbye." With that, he turned and walked into the tunnel.
Myla's farewell came from behind him.
"Welcome back next time! Maybe by then I'll have dug out that valuable thing!"
She continued to sing, accompanied by the sound of her pickaxe, this time without forgetting the lyrics.
"Oh oh, burying the Knight and her Nail deep,
Burying this lady, so lovely and pale!
Burying the tattered priest,
And burying the beggar with a shining crown!"
...
Entering the heart of the Peak.
Simon carefully felt the pervasive, terrifying aura.
The great being hidden deep within the crystals, its breath so profound, intimately connected to the earth. Those who fully perceive this mysterious will feel new life growing within them, like spring shoots sprouting, and crystals will grow from their blood vessels.
There are many kinds of creatures active here.
The most numerous are the Crystal Crawlers. These crawling insects are found everywhere in the mine tunnels—on the ground, walls, conveyor belts. They constantly devour tiny crystal dust, and when they sense danger approaching, crystalline spikes will emerge from their bodies to fend off attacks.
Mature Crystal Crawlers are Brightback Bugs, massive in size, docile in nature, with thick carapaces. Only a small area on their front face is a weak point. These bugs are forced into labor, transporting carts and machinery.
Also crawling insects, the Crystal Hunters are quite terrifying. Their entire bodies are encased in crystals that absorb light from lanterns and torches. Once enough light is accumulated, it transforms into lasers that shoot from their backs, easily scorching the bodies of other grubs.
Other creatures include Crystal Hunters, Husk Miners, and Crystallized Husks. They are all very aggressive and strong.
Crystal Hunters can shoot crystal spikes that, upon hitting an obstacle, shatter into large clusters of sharp crystals, which are very annoying in certain terrains.
Husk Miners are reanimated bodies, far from friendly compared to Myla. Their inner violence drives them to swing their pickaxes and attack unfamiliar grubs.
Crystallized Husks can unleash lasers from their arms, which are incredibly fast and wide-ranging, making them unbelievably powerful.
The most advanced Crystallized Husk is the Crystal Guardian, but unfortunately, like the Hive Knight, it should have already been smashed to death by the Little Knight.
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