Wasteland Development Diary

The Mud Tree people's tradition is to live in trees, entering the Dead Sea only for exploration and treasure hunting.

In that world, the Dead Sea submerged all the land, so there was no concept of land.

After getting to know A'qi and Ye Qing, Niger witnessed the intensity and charm of the planting technology here. He gradually changed his inherent habits and frequently appeared in the company's agricultural department's farmland, asking agricultural machinery operators and farmers for various experiences and techniques.

He quickly established a friendship with Zheng Tao, the Minister of Agriculture.

Everyone became familiar and friendly with this giant who liked to walk and squat in the fields, observing various crops.

Officially integrated into the local community, Niger also put on a wide tracksuit and trousers, and customized oversized shoes. Only the tuft of pointed hair on his head still stubbornly stood up, looking like a professional basketball player.

He found Zhou Yi and said, "Chairman, the soil here is very barren. However, after fertilizer modification, the farmland managed by the agricultural machinery is obviously very strong."

Niger grabbed a handful of soil, chewed it twice in his mouth, and then spat it out.

"This one here is not very good, dry and astringent, and there is no qualified mud either."

"The soil quality in the Dead Sea is better, but the plants here are too weak, short and thin, and underdeveloped, which is very different from our side."

According to him, most of the Pan Trees of the Mud Tree civilization are at least the height of Emerald City. The grass grafted and parasitic on the towering trees is at least as tall as one person, and the Dead Sea fruit is also much larger than here... It is a gigantic primitive forest world.

In terms of innate conditions, the Dead Sea in the Mud Tree civilization world has a large amount of light amber ore (i.e., mud), allowing these towering trees to soar into the clouds and support the Mud Tree people's three-dimensional living space.

"Chairman, with fertilizer and planting technology, Pan Trees can become towering trees."

He said with confidence: "In the beginning, our ancestors also first settled on Pan Trees that could produce Dead Sea fruit, because this fruit could make them stronger."

"Later, towering trees were born from these Pan Trees."

"Although it is not yet clear how to do it, our current experience is consistent with that of our ancestors."

"It was because of eating a large amount of mutated Dead Sea fruit that I became a Mud Department explorer. Only Mud Tree people with strong enough physiques dare to enter the Dead Sea, without fear of being attacked by monsters or melted by the Dead Sea."

In addition to improving their qualities by eating, the Mud Tree people determine their professions according to their personalities.

The brave ones can become explorers and warriors, and those with patience and intelligence will be cultivated as naturalists and logistics managers.

He said: "Explorers are basically similar to me, and there is very little difference between us. Converted into the evaluation here, it is A-level?"

Although the physique is A-level strength, Niger's abilities are all on the [Exploration Vine]—most of the Mud Tree people's skills depend on symbiotic plants to be brought into play.

He pointed his thumb at the vine that raised its neck on his shoulder: "This guy has three abilities, you can call them 'Blind Spot', 'Identification' and 'Feeding'."

"'Blind Spot' allows the area it covers to be unable to be watched and observed, which is usually effective for most life forms."

"'Identification' is to identify various substances or life around it. For example, Ye Qing, the Exploration Vine helped me confirm that the other party is also a kind of symbiotic plant. Most importantly, it can sense danger and warn me."

"'Feeding' is very simple. It is an ability that can absorb energy from the Dead Sea, so that explorers who act alone in the Dead Sea for a long time can rely on it to help supplement their food."

"These abilities also have strengths and weaknesses on different Exploration Vines, mainly depending on the results of cultivation and strengthening. I am relatively ordinary in this regard."

It is indeed an explorer's skill set, without a single dedicated combat skill.

The direction of the Mud Tree people's body enhancement is basically to improve vitality, simple and focused, and other aspects rely on symbiotic plants or plant tools.

Without their physique, they would not be able to withstand symbiotic plants at all.

"Chairman, I want to drive Blackthorn to explore the Dead Sea near here. The explorer's specialty is in this area. All I know about planting trees is the identification and selection of mud and soil."

"I always feel that there are some invisible secret lives under the Dead Sea here. The Exploration Vine has also found life reactions, but they disappeared quickly, I don't know if it's an illusion. If we can find them, maybe we can find something."

Zhou Yi didn't stop him, just told him: "Pay attention to safety, and get out as soon as possible if you encounter danger."

"Please rest assured, Chairman, I am also a professional explorer."

"There's one more thing."

Zhou Yi picked up a mud board from the wooden shelf next to him: "Is this board your childhood practice painting?"

Among the three mud boards he obtained from Blackthorn, two were Niger's family portrait and self-portrait. Only this picture of chickens pecking at rice has a sense of inexplicable absurdity, and is completely different from the other two boards in style and temperament.

It was also because of this picture of chickens pecking at rice that Zhou Yi's mentality broke down when he came to get the treasure.

"No, this is a depiction painted by my great-great-grandfather."

Niger said seriously: "There is a legend circulating in the Mud Tree civilization that the world is actually a special fruit, and the appearance of the Dead Sea is a sign of maturity."

"Then the Doomsday Beast appears in pursuit of the Circulating Current and eats this world."

He pointed to the rice grains on it: "This is the world."

Then he pointed to the chickens: "Doomsday Beast."

I didn't expect it to be like this.

It seems that the saying of the end of the world exists in different civilizations, and everyone is worried about destruction.

Zhou Yi suddenly understood: "This is a description of this story."

"No, this is a depiction."

Niger insisted: "My great-great-grandfather witnessed a world being eaten by the Doomsday Beast with his own eyes."

"Witnessed with his own eyes? Then your great-great-grandfather was... traveling in space?"

"No."

Niger said: "My great-great-grandfather's name was Niz, and he was a very outstanding explorer. His symbiotic plant mutated a very special ability that allowed him to see some scenes and moments in other worlds through space bubbles. Let's call it 'Cross-border Peeping'."

"In the past, many people who crossed space bubbles would ask my grandfather to identify and observe them to confirm whether there was any danger on the other side."

"He saw a world being eaten by the Doomsday Beast in a space bubble. That space bubble seemed to be outside the world, a very magical place."

"When the Mud Tree people were still living on Pan Trees, there was a saying of Doomsday Beast. In the legend, the Doomsday Beast has a huge, thick neck, and a mouth that can capture the world, and its body is huge. These are completely consistent with what my great-great-grandfather witnessed."

Zhou Yi couldn't help but become serious.

This sounds like important information.

"Are there any other rumors about the Doomsday Beast?"

"Yes."

"In fact, the legend of the Doomsday Beast was not originally conceived by ourselves, but appeared on the mud boards in the Dead Sea."

Niger said: "Before the Mud Tree people, there were other people in our world. They left very few traces, only some erected mud boards and large holes in the Dead Sea. They used to live in the holes in the world."

Zhou Yi became interested: "Tell me about it."

"Chairman, I'm not sleepy when it comes to this."

The Mud Tree people also said with great interest: "Explorers all know about them. We call this group of people Cavemen because they live deep underground under the Dead Sea."

"Many explorers have entered the caves, wanting to find their traces, such as the tools they left behind, but they have not found any complete tools. The era of their existence is too long, causing many traces to have disappeared."

"Fortunately, the mud boards have been preserved, many of which are underground under the roots of trees. Our ancestors also got inspiration from the mud boards and began to use mud and soil."

Niger showed a look of reminiscence: "Cavemen can be regarded as the ancestors of the Mud Tree people, and we are their successors. Unfortunately, our successors are insects..."

Zhou Yi handed him a can of beer.

The Mud Tree people like this very much, taking it and chugging it down, drinking with a contented expression: "The food and drinks here are really great, a completely different type from our side."

"Continue," Zhou Yi gestured.

"Besides those deep underground holes, the most preserved are the mud boards."

Niger said: "Early explorers entered the caves, wanting to find the bottom. Guess what they found?"

"Unable to reach the bottom?"

"You can also say that, but not because you can't get in, but because the holes are connected. Powerful explorers risked their lives to go all the way into the hole and would go to the cave entrance on the other side of the world."

The Mud Tree people said mysteriously: "Cavemen opened up the world, like drilling a hole with two ends connected in a fruit. They are such a mysterious race."

Zhou Yi was a little confused: "Are you sure you drilled through the hole, instead of some technology connecting the two ends of the hole?"

"It's just drilling holes."

Niger said with great certainty: "They have mastered a very special 'hole energy', and different holes have different functions."

He took out a sketchbook from his backpack and then drew on it with a charcoal pencil.

Although the painting style is as abstract as ever, the recognition is very high.

On the paper is drawn an oval sphere with holes on it, like Swiss cheese.

These holes are of different sizes, but they are not absolutely connected to each other, like a maze.

"That's roughly it."

Niger pointed to the drawing paper with a charcoal pencil and said: "Some of these holes, people who enter them will be trapped and unable to come out. Many explorers have disappeared inside."

"Some holes are connected to other holes, like a special channel. After entering, you will appear in another hole."

"There are also some holes that are full of water, just ordinary water."

"Most importantly, some of the holes contain solid-like energy blocks."

"Solid energy?" Zhou Yi was surprised.

"Yes, like ice or crystal here. The Dead Sea is solidified into that kind of thing. The energy intensity is too high, and just getting close to it will cause explorers like me to fester and become blank, like being on the verge of death."

"So those things cannot be developed."

Niger showed a somewhat melancholy expression: "If we could master those things, we shouldn't be afraid of insects. Unfortunately, we still haven't done it."

Zhou Yi frowned as he listened: "It sounds like the Cavemen mastered a completely different technology from you. Didn't you say there are mud boards? Tell me about the mud boards."

"Besides those holes, the most preserved are the mud boards."

The Mud Tree people said: "The mud boards record many images. Among those paintings, the more and more complete ones are the scenes of the Doomsday Beast devouring the world. The Cavemen seem to be very vigilant about this."

"Another record is more peculiar."

After hesitating for a moment, Niger said: "According to the images on the mud boards, they are trying to capture and move space bubbles, but this is beyond our understanding, because we don't know how to move space... According to the mud board paintings, it is necessary to use that solidified energy body to do it."

"In short, hole energy is a very strange thing, and we have never found a way to replicate it."

"In addition, the text records on those mud boards are all holes of different sizes. Those holes are very symmetrical and should be their text, but we cannot read and translate them."

"Originally, we were deciphering the holes and mud boards left by the Cavemen, but we were attacked by the insect plague, and we could only stop everything and consider how to escape the destroyed world..."

Zhou Yi's heart moved as he listened.

In the Mud Tree civilization world, there is also the legacy left by the Cavemen. From this description, the civilization level of the Cavemen is still above that of the Mud Tree people, and they are even studying the use of space bubbles, and have observed and understood the Doomsday Beast and the Circulating Current impact.

If we can enter that side, we may be able to find some clues and technologies for using the Dead Sea.

After all, both the Wasteland and the Mud Tree world have the same general environment, the Circulating Current outbreak.

"Do we still have space bubbles here that can return to the Mud Tree civilization world?"

"Yes, there are, but... the success rate is too low, only 10%, and there is a high probability that you will die inside. Because Blackthorn itself is not fully developed and is not a true light core body."

Zhou Yi said: "Then what if we turn it into a true light core body?"

"This..." Niger was stunned: "How to do it?"

"There is a way."

Zhou Yi smiled slightly: "Blackthorn told me this himself."

Speaking of which, fortunately Sun Hao's ability completely repaired Blackthorn's consciousness body.

Otherwise, the huge opportunity contained in it would be lost.