Chapter 29: A World Gone Mad

“As expected, things aren’t going as well as before.”

As night slowly fell, all of Ji Yu’s meditation throughout the day had only managed to grant the oak tree an additional 0.39 points of life force. Of course, this was largely because Ji Yu had used his resonance-guiding trait to awaken thirteen oak trees simultaneously. Among these, three were the ones with large glowing orbs manifesting in his sea of consciousness, while the remaining ten were the small oaks around him—those that had guarded his oak avatar for many years.

The process didn’t consume much; over seven hours during the day, just 0.08 points of life force that would have otherwise gone to his oak avatar had been consumed. Without the benefit of photosynthesis at night, things proceeded even more slowly. At this realization, Ji Yu could only sigh.

The rate of meditation had slowed by at least half, and he knew exactly why. He’d discovered that much of the fruits of his meditation were now being drawn up by the jewel flower at the oak’s crown. The jewel flower, through its stamens, inexplicably converted these gains into a so-called floral fragrance, which then drifted out across the rainforest’s skies.

This, too, was a result of the oak avatar’s regional radiation trait. It was easy to imagine that, after prolonged exposure to Ji Yu’s floral scent, everything and everyone nearby would begin to grow wildly. The effects were not yet visible after a single day, but over time the influence of this regional radiation would surely become apparent.

Ji Yu had no time to dwell on these matters, for upon regaining consciousness he could not forget the incident with Old Madam Li in his apartment the previous night. So, after a brief moment of clarity, Ji Yu took advantage of what little time remained and resumed his meditation at once.

——————

Time flowed past as quietly as water, without a ripple.

In the blink of an eye, a week had gone by.

Over this week, Ji Yu’s oak tree showed little change.

[Oak Status] (expand)
[Good]
[Life Level: 2]
[Life Force: 36.78 (max 100)]
[Tree Height: 291 meters (max 500)]
[Tree Age: 392 years (max 30,000)]
[Trait 1: Size Doubling (Medium)]
[Trait 2: Ritual Enhancement (Medium)]
[Trait 3: Powerful Absorption (Medium)]
[Trait 4: Vigorous Vitality (Medium)]
[Trait 5: Resonance Guidance (Low)]
[Trait 6: Sturdy Tenacity (Low)]
[Trait 7: Regional Radiation (Low)]
[Trait 8: Solid-State Activation (Low)]

Aside from an increase of 1.36 in life force and five meters in height, there was little progress. The slow growth was due to the rainforest having entered its rainy season. Of the past seven days, four had been rainy—there was hardly any sunshine, barely even a clear day.

Everywhere in the rainforest, except for the high ground where Ji Yu’s oak stood, had been flooded. In some spots, the water was more than a meter deep. Mist blanketed the rainforest canopy, while below, the forest had become a vast sea.

As for what the villagers ate? All their food was delivered by clansmen from the periphery, paddling small boats into the village. The tribe itself retained the appearance of a primitive settlement, but in truth, it could not survive on hunting and gathering alone—not anymore.

With the rainforest in the grip of the rainy season, Ji Yu’s hope of raising his oak to level three in the short term was dashed. Now, his only hope lay with his second avatar.

Still, he found some consolation in the week’s events. Perhaps because his own life force had reached the intermediate level, Ji Yu’s physique had grown so strong that he was nearly stepping beyond the bounds of humanity.

[Player Status]
[Good]
[Life Level: 1]
[Constitution: 0.82 (average 0.5)]
[Height: 1.82 meters (average 1.67)]
[Age: 26 years (average lifespan 77)]
[Trait 1: Vigorous Vitality (Medium)]
[Trait 2: Natural Affinity (Medium)]

Over the week, his constitution had increased by a full 0.24. Ji Yu had tested himself at the gym; with little effort, a single punch registered nearly 800 kilograms of force—far surpassing the publicly acknowledged records of world champion boxers. When Ji Yu casually delivered this 800-kilogram blow, the gym’s trainer thought the equipment was broken. After all, Ji Yu, despite his height, looked slender and scholarly, not the least bit brawny.

Now, Ji Yu stood at a full 1.82 meters tall—all in just a single week.

This thoroughly alarmed Ma Hongyu, his partner in opening the pet shop. At one point, Ma Hongyu suspected Ji Yu had developed gigantism. After searching online, he realized gigantism only occurred before puberty, never after. That discovery nearly made him jump out of his skin.

Having read plenty of novels, and knowing Ji Yu’s astonishing talent with animals, Ma Hongyu even started to believe Ji Yu was one of those protagonists out of a story—constantly pestering him about whether he’d awakened some supernatural power. All in all, he drove Ji Yu nearly mad.

Even though Ji Yu denied everything, Ma Hongyu just kept saying, “I get it, I get it,” with the most infuriatingly smug expression.

Still, for all his eccentricities, Ma Hongyu was earnest about opening the pet shop. The renovations were now being rushed, and in half a month at most, the shop would open its doors for business.

At this time, however, Ji Yu’s attention was not on the pet shop, but entirely absorbed by the news swirling online about the oak tree.

Just yesterday, Vannie Campbell and her group from West York had officially begun their media campaign—promoting none other than Ji Yu’s oak avatar.

Now, every media outlet in the world was vying to report on the mysterious tree in the rainforest and the Druid Order. Elsewhere, three other ancient oaks—already protected as national treasures—also became headline news.

These three oaks did not disappoint. Data from conservation organizations showed they had each grown nearly twenty meters in just one week—a spectacle so astonishing that it set off a frenzy of media coverage.

At this moment, the global news cycle was utterly dominated by stories about oaks, mysterious trees, and related wonders. Many people woke up feeling as if the world itself had turned magical. Linking the Purple Moon, and the miraculous footage of the mysterious tree deep in the rainforest, everyone was in a state of collective excitement.

Flights from the Lyon Federation to America and Bana were booked solid, barely able to keep up with demand.

For his part, Ji Yu, at the center of it all, felt a hint of worry. After all, no government had yet made an official statement about the mysterious tree, and there was no telling what direction things would ultimately take.