Chapter 271: The Zodiac Dimension?
Looking at such a vast array of animals, Silas felt a wave of exhaustion. Testing them one by one was going to be an incredibly time-consuming process.
"I wonder if the Shadow Ninjas can stay in the system space," Silas mused. He casually summoned a ninja and brought him into the void.
The moment they arrived, the Shadow Ninja was instantly crushed into a cloud of black mist. It drifted aimlessly through the gray space for a moment before spiraling back into Silas's shadow.
"They can't survive here..." Silas rubbed his chin. He hadn't expected the Shadow Legions to be incompatible with this dimension.
Next, Silas began releasing the animals captured by the legions into the space, one by one. The results were grim. The creatures died almost instantly upon exposure to the environment. Even the blue whale, the largest of the lot, only lasted slightly longer before its massive heart stopped.
Just as Silas was about to call off the experiment, a miracle happened: a single rat remained alive, scurrying across the hard ground.
"Could it be...?" A theory began to form. He immediately went back and brought a bull into the space.
Like most of the other animals, the bull initially panicked, charging blindly through the mist. But as time passed, it slowed down. It didn't die.
"I see." Silas was now fairly certain about what could survive in this realm.
Since this was the place where the system unlocked clues for the Twelve Talismans, the only creatures capable of surviving here were the animals of the Zodiac.
As for why he could survive? Silas attributed that to the system's protection while unlocking clues, and now that the system was "dormant," his survival was likely due to the Talisman powers already merged into his body. He felt a surge of relief; without the Talismans, this place would have been his tomb.
"I need to verify this." To confirm his hypothesis, he rounded up the rest of the Zodiac animals. Sure enough, they all lived. Every non-Zodiac animal he introduced died within seconds.
"So, this isn't exactly the System Space... it's the Zodiac Dimension?" Regardless of the name, Silas now had a much deeper understanding of the territory.
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. He had them all—except for a Dragon, which was a bit hard to come by on Earth.
"Time to test the flora." Silas needed to see if plants could sustain life here. To get quick results, he brought in fully grown specimens: weeds, cabbages, and even a few large trees.
He pulled up a chair and sat down, watching for any changes. Meanwhile, the animals were starting to get rowdy. With predators and prey trapped together, tension was high. To facilitate his observation, Silas used a Dungeon Scroll to wall them into an area roughly the size of a football field.
The tiger was the first to snap. It lunged at the ox, sinking its teeth into the thick neck. The snake bit the rat, which squealed and ran in circles, startling the rabbit. The monkey, being clever, leaped onto the horse's back, sending the horse into a frantic gallop. The rooster flapped its wings in a blind panic, the dog barked incessantly, and the pig just squealed along with the chaos.
"Everyone, QUIET!" Silas pulled out a magic paper. "Silence Scroll!"
Zap!
A green light swept over the animals. They froze instantly, like a movie being paused. They couldn't move a muscle, though their minds were still active.
With the noise gone, Silas looked at the cabbage. Under the strange light of this dimension, the leaves were becoming vibrant and glossy. Nearby, a tree began to grow at a visible rate, reaching twenty meters in height within minutes, its roots twisting deep into the ground.
"So plants work too." Silas retracted the scrolls, letting the twelve animals resume their business.
The moment the restraint was lifted, chaos returned—but with a new sanctuary. The monkey shrieked and scrambled up the newly grown tree, looking down at the predators below.
"You're the smart one," Silas said, pulling an apple from his pocket. "Hey! Catch!"
He tossed the apple high. The monkey caught it deftly and began to munch away.
Silas eventually exited the dimension. Since Zodiac animals and plants could thrive there, he decided he would build a self-sustaining food chain just for fun. He'd plant seeds to grow grass for the sheep and oxen. The omnivores like the pig, monkey, and rooster could eat the vegetables. He'd bring in more variety—hyenas for the dogs, vipers for the snakes, and the tiger could have its pick of the lot. It would be a lot of work to bring in soil and water, but it was a fascinating project.
The Shadow Kingdom
"Little Black, where did that monkey come from?" Silas asked. He felt that particular monkey was unusually sharp.
"I snatched it from a circus," Little Black explained.
"That explains it." Silas figured the training made it stand out.
"Also, Master, it is morning outside. You didn't sleep at all last night," Little Black reminded him.
"What? It's morning already?" Silas hadn't noticed the time passing.
"Yes. Would you like to go back to sleep?" Little Black had already prepared a shadow-bed.
Silas laughed and shook his head. "Thanks, Little Black, but I'm not sleeping in the Shadow Kingdom if I can help it."
He stepped out of the shadows and back into his bedroom. The bright morning sun was already streaming through the window. He wasn't tired at all; in fact, he felt incredibly energized. His mind was racing with plans for his new "Zodiac Ecosystem."
Knock, knock!
"Good morning, Silas!" Peter yelled as he pushed the door open.
"Whoa, you're up early," Peter said, surprised to see Silas already standing by the window.
"You're the one who's early, waking me up like this," Silas grumbled, glancing at the clock. It was only 7:30 AM.
"Things are different now. School starts soon, and I'm going to make sure you're adjusted to the early-morning student life." Peter had reclaimed his role as Silas's personal alarm clock.
"Give me a break, Peter. Even for school, we don't need to be up this early."
Peter walked over, his playful grin fading into a serious expression. "Silas... I need to tell you something. Venom isn't dead."
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