【If you can open the Mental Domain within this body and locate the mental landscape carried by the mental entity hidden inside it, the one containing the Overlord’s memories, you may be able to accelerate the fusion between the two halves of your body…】
Qi Heng had not expected much, so he was surprised that a method actually existed.
After thinking about it briefly, he understood why.
Mental power was, in essence, consciousness interfering with reality. Changes to the mental entity could influence the physical body.
Before Qi Heng could ask how he should proceed, A0 continued:
【However, I do not recommend that you use this method.】
Qi Heng raised an eyebrow and silently waited for A0’s explanation.
【Overlord, you possess relatively little knowledge about mental power, so you may not understand the situation clearly.】
That was true.
If some detail from the game’s setting had not directly affected the Overlord, Qi Heng generally had not paid much attention to it.
【Mental-power ranks extend from the lowest, F, to SSS. There are nine ranks in total.】
【Using your present mental-power quantity as an example, your one hundred and thirty mental threads place you at E rank. To open the Mental Domain, one must normally reach C rank, equivalent to ten thousand mental threads.】
If mental power were divided into its finest components, one would discover that it consisted of extremely thin mental threads.
Every additional thread created through meditation increased both one’s mental power and the strength of one’s mental entity.
[According to what you’ve said, I shouldn’t be capable of using this method.]
Was this another exception related to the Overlord?
【Correct. Under ordinary circumstances, the minimum mental-power strength required to open the Mental Domain is C rank.】
【However, you do not fall under ordinary circumstances.】
【Your mental power is merely restricted by the fusion process and cannot presently display its full strength. The fundamental nature of both your mental entity and mental power has already reached and transformed at a much higher level.】
【Therefore, forcibly opening the Mental Domain is not impossible for you.】
【Once the Mental Domain opens, the influence of your mental entity will cause your mental power to increase sharply, which will then promote further physical fusion.】
【However, because you would be forcing it open, certain side effects would inevitably occur…】
Qi Heng listened silently as A0 tried to dissuade him.
The possibility of side effects was within his expectations.
There was no such thing as a free meal.
A0’s meaning was clear.
It did not want him to choose this method.
When forced to choose between the Zerg and the Overlord, A0 chose him.
Qi Heng did not think it was a serious problem.
The side effects would not kill him. He would merely need to endure some pain.
That seemed like an extremely worthwhile exchange.
Furthermore, he possessed no other option unless he abandoned the Zerg scheduled to be transported away.
Qi Heng knew perfectly well that he could not do that.
[What do I need to do?]
His question cut off A0’s earnest attempts at persuasion.
Inside the game, both mental and stellar power could be increased automatically with a single command.
Male Zerg were naturally born with at least C-rank mental power and therefore possessed Mental Domains from birth.
The Overlord was naturally the same.
Qi Heng truly did not know how to locate a Mental Domain, much less open one.
【Overlord, first you must create a faint connection between your mental entity and its other half, the Overlord’s mental entity.】
【Then you must follow that connection to the Mental Domain where the Overlord’s mental entity is located and open it.】
【Regrettably, I cannot assist you in this matter.】
A0 sounded discouraged.
Qi Heng had not expected A0 to be able to help with everything.
[Compile all available information concerning Mental Domains for me.]
He needed to study how he might locate the Overlord’s mental entity.
The other half of his own mental entity…
Where should he begin?
The most direct connections between himself and the “Overlord” seemed to be the dreams that disturbed him every night and the emotions that revealed themselves only when he became intensely agitated.
Qi Heng began forming an idea.
The first light of dawn appeared.
Clouds and mist resembling pale smoke drifted through the sky, and sunlight passed through them before falling upon the ground.
When 058 awakened, he discovered that he was no longer wearing his helmet.
He stared at the ceiling and instinctively touched his neck.
The thin cut had already healed, leaving only dried blood behind.
It had not been a dream.
058 sat upright, his expression transforming into wild delight.
He slapped his own face several times.
Only after a long while did he suppress his excitement and calm himself.
He picked up the optical computer beside his bed and opened the surveillance system connected to the interior and exterior of the house, hoping to discover some trace of the mysterious black figure from the previous night.
Naturally, he found nothing unusual.
Every surveillance recording appeared normal, without any indication that the footage had been invaded or modified.
Had dried blood not remained over the healed wound on his neck, 058 might have wondered whether the entire incident had been a dream.
While he was lost in thought, the optical computer suddenly produced a notification chime.
“Time to work.”
058 climbed out of bed, took the work badge beside him, and fastened it to his clothing.
Every One-Horn looked identical.
One-Horns familiar with one another would not mistake each other, but their numbers made it easier for the Ikar Civilization to manage them.
058 left the house, his thoughts remaining fixed on the mysterious lord who had appeared the previous night.
As the lowest-ranking One-Horn in District 49, 058’s duties involved counting the various collected resources, packing and sealing them into boxes, and loading them onto container trucks.
He was also responsible for retrieving supplies on Starfall Day.
Every assignment involved physical labor.
Only the lowest-ranking One-Horns performed such work.
When there was nothing else to do, higher-ranking One-Horns ordered him around and sent him on various errands, such as delivering objects or messages to other districts.
Tianyun Star’s chaotic magnetic field prevented the use of wireless networks and satellite communications.
Apart from secretly buried transmission lines, long-distance communication relied on the most traditional method:
Someone had to physically carry the message.
Technological devices such as 058’s optical computer and virtual helmet could connect to networks outside Tianyun Star.
On this planet, however, they could only operate offline or use primitive wired connections.
A concealed rear entrance had been built behind the structure where Zerg wings were processed and female-Zerg children were selected.
058 leaned against the wall outside the door and waited.
A single day had not been enough to process every female-Zerg child in District 49 who had reached one month of age.
Based on previous experience, completing the selection required at least three days.
“058, this box is ready.”
Hearing the voice, 058 opened the door and entered.
He bent down, lifted out one box filled with Zerg wings and another containing the selected children, and placed them in the open area outside.
Then he carried new, empty boxes into the building.
One box after another…
This continued until the entire process ended and the final shipment could be transported.
Throughout the day, 058 repeatedly speculated about that mysterious lord’s identity.
If the man was a Tianjia Zerg, he could not possibly ignore what was happening.
If he was instead an enemy of the Ikar Civilization, he would likewise never allow Ikar’s upcoming transaction to proceed peacefully.
The fact that the mysterious man had kept 058 alive meant that he must have some use for him.
How could 058 demonstrate his value and make the man regard him more highly?
He considered that question continuously.
Their conversation the previous night suggested that although the lord possessed a poor temper, 058’s safety would be guaranteed as long as he did not offend him.
The man had ordered him to behave normally and avoid attracting attention.
Clearly, he did not want anyone to notice 058.
But merely maintaining his routine would make him practically useless.
058 did not know much about the other districts.
However, after spending so many years in District 49, he could discover certain local matters with only a little effort.
Remembering the mysterious man’s interest in Tianyun Star’s situation, 058 made a decision.
He needed to act proactively and gather more intelligence.
Only then could he reduce his new lord’s burdens in the future.
Elsewhere, Qi Heng was concentrating entirely on capturing the faint connection between himself and the Overlord.
He had no idea that the tool he had only just recruited was so ambitious that, despite receiving no assignment, he had already found work for himself.
Time passed.
The sun set and the moon rose, followed by another sunrise.
At the dead-egg pit, on the fourth underground level, a faint smile rested at the corner of Qi Heng’s mouth as he looked at the completed tunnel and Hui Ge lying prostrate before the plump Zerg.
They had finally succeeded.
The Primordial Zerg’s innate instincts prevented them from mistaking the Commander.
Hui Ge’s behavior before the plump Zerg was exactly what Qi Heng had expected.
Under Qi Heng’s orders, the Mining Worker Zerg were now transporting the Obsidian Crystal excavated during the tunneling process and placing it before the Commander.
Obsidian Crystal could not compare with energy crystals.
However, the plump Zerg was fortunate to have anything to eat in its current condition. It was not spoiled enough to reject the ore.
Clutching a large piece of Obsidian Crystal between its claws, the plump Zerg ate so enthusiastically that it had no time to speak to Qi Heng.
It did not even cling to his side as it usually did.
Qi Heng knew it had been hungry for too long.
He therefore showed no stinginess and waved a hand, ordering the mining workers to bring over every piece of Obsidian Crystal excavated while constructing the tunnel.
The tunnel had not been excavated according to the mining workers’ small bodies.
Judging by its height and width, they seemed to have used Qi Heng’s dimensions as their standard.
That saved considerable trouble.
At least he would not need to widen it again.
As excavation continued, however, the tunnel would inevitably become even broader.
In the future, Qi Heng could use this route to travel directly to the mining area, making it much easier to absorb Obsidian Crystal.
After considering the matter, he said, “Male Father needs you to gestate several groups of larvae.”
“Use the energy from the Obsidian Crystal you consume.”
“One thousand Mining Worker Zerg larvae, one thousand Glow Zerg larvae, and ten Blue-Tailed Butterflies.”
“In addition, produce two hundred Basic Worker Zerg and assign them exclusively to transport Obsidian Crystal for you.”
Basic Worker Zerg were foundational Primordial units.
They were like bricks, moved wherever labor was required.
‘I understand, Male Father. No problem, Male Father.’
The plump Zerg continued chewing ore, still immersed in the happiness of eating without restraint.
“A continuous supply of ore will be delivered from now on. There’s no need to rush.”
Qi Heng felt somewhat helpless looking at the plump Zerg eating like a starving ghost reincarnated.
The Obsidian Crystal reserves inside this vein were enormous.
As long as they produced enough mining workers to excavate farther underground, the quantity of ore obtained would increase dramatically over time.
For the foreseeable future, both the system’s energy and the plump Zerg’s food would come from this place.
The fourth underground level was no longer submerged in the darkness of two days earlier.
Under the Glow Zerg’s care, the Dreamglow Fungal Mats had grown rapidly.
The fungal mats could attach themselves to any material.
In only two days, they had spread from the passage into the fourth level’s main chamber.
Because they remained in their juvenile stage, the mats’ pale-white luminescence was not especially strong.
Nevertheless, it was sufficient to illuminate the dark chamber and provide some light.
Beyond their ability to attach themselves to different surfaces, the Dreamglow Fungal Mats could also curl their central bodies inward, uproot themselves, and migrate.
The more Glow Zerg cared for them, the faster they grew.
Unlike ordinary plants, they could continuously spread outward as long as they received enough energy.
From several meters to one hundred meters, then from a few kilometers to hundreds or even thousands of kilometers…
Unless someone deliberately restricted their growth, reaching such scales was merely a matter of time.
The ten seeds planted previously had grown into ten central fungal-mat organisms.
Qi Heng thought that he had planted them too closely together at the time.
This was an excellent opportunity to redistribute them.
He placed three inside the passage excavated by the Devourer, two inside the tunnel excavated by the mining workers, and the remaining five on the ceiling of the fourth underground level.
Qi Heng left behind the several hundred Starstones he had brought as energy for the Glow Zerg’s growth.
He then exchanged for ten additional seeds through the system and entered the tunnel leading toward the mining area.
Once the fruit produced by a fungal mat split open, it would reveal seeds.
However, a fungal mat required one full year to grow from its juvenile stage to adulthood.
Qi Heng could not wait that long.
Accompanying him were the Blue-Tailed Butterfly that had completed its assignment and one hundred Glow Zerg following at a moderate distance behind him.
Every ten kilometers, Qi Heng left behind one seed and ten Glow Zerg to care for it.
Every species he ordered the plump Zerg to produce served a purpose.
The mining workers excavated ore.
The Basic Worker Zerg transported it.
The Glow Zerg cared for the Dreamglow Fungal Mats, providing light in the present and food in the future.
The Blue-Tailed Butterflies would establish a foundational biological communications network.
Ten Blue-Tailed Butterflies were more than sufficient to transmit information across a range of one hundred kilometers.
They could link directly with the Commander and use it as a relay to pass messages.
Even in its juvenile stage, the Commander’s mental power, though greatly reduced, remained far beyond that of an ordinary person.
Under the nine-rank mental-power system established by interstellar civilizations, the plump Zerg’s current mental power exceeded C+ and approached B rank.
C rank equaled ten thousand mental threads.
B rank equaled fifty thousand.
Were the plump Zerg not restricted by its physical condition, connecting with ten Blue-Tailed Butterflies across one hundred kilometers would present no difficulty.
Even one hundred times as many would not place meaningful pressure upon it.
The tunnel’s interior had been excavated broadly enough for Qi Heng to travel through it rapidly.
Along the way, he saw many mining workers clinging to the rock walls and diligently extracting ore.
Qi Heng had come this time to absorb the Obsidian Crystal excavated earlier, so he had not asked Hui Ge to accompany him.
Hui Ge’s assignment was to remain beside the plump Zerg.
Once the new mining workers were born, it would lead them farther into an unoccupied region of the mineral vein.
Excavation in the first mining tunnel would cease completely, while all effort shifted to opening a second one.
Qi Heng’s reasoning was simple.
The first tunnel lay beneath the mining area managed by the One-Horns and remained too close to the passages excavated by ordinary female Zerg.
The longer the mining workers continued there, the greater the risk of discovery.
Now that Qi Heng controlled two thousand tool Zerg, the best approach was to excavate in the opposite direction, toward an uninhabited region away from the established mine.
That way, he would no longer need to worry that a female Zerg might accidentally break through a wall, discover a cavern riddled with holes by the mining workers, and report it to the One-Horns.
The abandoned Tunnel No. 1 still contained the Obsidian Crystal left behind by the mining workers two days earlier.
Because of Qi Heng’s order, no new ore had been excavated there during the last two days.
Qi Heng stepped forward and absorbed all the accumulated Obsidian Crystal.
【Obsidian Crystal absorbed: forty-two metric tons.】
【Converted energy: 4,200 points.】
【Remaining system energy: 5,910 points.】
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