novelraw Chapter 6 Sunshine Grass
Chapter 6 Sunshine Grass
Fortunately, there were no further "interludes" or "expenses" along the way. There was only silent running, suppressed panting, and the ever-present, sweet-smelling mist in the forest.
The fluctuations of the teleportation array could already be faintly felt not far ahead; those faint spatial ripples became the only beacon in the eyes of the payers.
"Alright, the teleportation array is just ahead. From now on, you're on your own!"
Madman gestured casually with his arm towards the faint light flickering in the mist, making a perfunctory "please" gesture. His face wore an undisguised smile, as if he wanted to send someone away.
They've used this tactic far too many times. They release people at a safe distance from the teleportation array, euphemistically calling it "granting freedom."
The real reason is that they fear these "lambs" who have been exploited to the extreme will launch a collective counterattack at the last moment when they see hope within reach.
Loosen the chains to distract them, making them focus only on running towards the nearby exit, so they won't bother to look back and settle scores.
The payers stood frozen in place, looking at each other, then gazing with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty at the faint light in the mist.
Is it true? Could this be another trap? In the few seconds they hesitated, Crazy Old Man had already clicked his tongue impatiently, turned around and disappeared into the dense forest path beside him without looking back.
He had to hurry and find his way back to one of the nearby caves he already knew well, a place that could block out the sunlight, before the "safe time limit" of the hallucinogenic sunlight expired.
Only a thin mist remained, along with faint fluctuations from the teleportation array and a group of bewildered yet wary tower climbers.
Lin Chi didn't leave immediately. He watched the direction where Crazy Master had disappeared until that repulsive figure was completely out of sight, then he let out a long, almost imperceptible sigh. His shoulders, which had been ramrod straight, relaxed slightly, revealing the deep weariness buried within.
"Are you alright? You don't need to take what Crazy said too seriously. That's just his personality. He's used to being arrogant and domineering. Everyone in the camp treats him as the second-in-command."
Uncle Ming, who had been silently following beside Lin Chi, spoke up to offer words of comfort.
"That's just how the survival rules of the Divine Tower are. There's no way around it. Level and strength are the rules, and resources are the trading capital for increasing combat power."
"Thank you, Uncle Ming. Be careful yourself from now on. I don't know where those beasts broke through the level limit from, but I'm afraid that man's invisible pressure is about to break down their defenses!"
Lin Chi turned around and replied, looking slightly tired.
"That man? You mean your father? Well, what can you do? He's deeply troubled by the Soul-Devouring Dark Mark. Sometimes, just being able to act normally is the limit of his willpower. You don't need to hold a grudge against him too much."
Lin Chi looked at Uncle Ming, who had been following him, and spoke, his voice softer than usual.
"Uncle Ming, you should go back first today. I can go find the location of the teleportation array for tomorrow by myself. I want to be alone."
He spoke calmly, as if recounting a trivial matter. But only he knew the bitterness that welled up inside him as the tension he had been holding all the way eased slightly when no one was watching.
Each time, he watched as the "rules" his father had set were wantonly distorted and trampled upon by this group of people, with almost identical acts of greed unfolding. All he could do was utter a weak and feeble rebuke when that long-blurred bottom line was completely crossed.
This recurring sense of powerlessness, like the damp mist in the forest, silently seeped into his still-immature heart.
When did it begin? The twelve-year-old boy's memory was still somewhat hazy. He only remembered that his father's once calm and wise eyes had completely lost their focus one day.
The man who once upheld order in the entire camp and commanded respect has become a terrifyingly powerful but unpredictable "madman" who could suddenly turn violent and harm people at any moment.
The father's only remaining, invisible deterrent was the only sword hanging over the heads of everyone in the camp.
It was precisely because of this sword that could fall at any moment that guys like Madman were reluctant to maintain a last shred of hypocritical "respect" for him, the "young master," on the surface.
But the breakdown of rules has long since gone from an undercurrent to an open and blatant act.
Looting under various pretexts during the day is just the norm when leading teams. Even worse, some of them commit even more despicable and cruel acts during so-called "escort" or "search" operations.
Those unbearable images and sounds prematurely and violently entered Lin Chi's world, bringing indescribable shock and chill.
He never told anyone these things. Even when faced with his mother's worried gaze, he would only purse his lips and shake his head. He suppressed all the churning anger, confusion, and profound sense of powerlessness deep within his heart.
The happy childhood that a child should have had has long been crushed by reality. In its place is a burning, almost instinctive desire—a desire for power.
He longed to establish an unquestionable order through power; he longed to have enough power to protect those he wanted to protect and to stop all the injustices happening before his eyes.
He tried the most conventional route—experience bottles. But those liquids that allowed other climbers to clearly feel the energy infusion and even see the glow of level increases had no effect on him.
He never displayed any semblance of rank. Each attempt, each silence, only brought deeper confusion, but... no despair.
If the conventional path is blocked, then take the unconventional one!
His gaze involuntarily drifted to the sunniest and most concentrated spots deep within the woods.
There grows a special plant called "Sunlight Grass," which greedily absorbs the hallucinogenic and dangerous light of the forty-fourth floor. Its leaves contain strange and violent energy, which ordinary climbers avoid like the plague.
A bold, almost insane idea quietly took root in his mind and gradually became clearer.
He has no rank.
But perhaps he could rely on "external things".
That external object is—the Sunshine Grass!
Sunflowers have existed in Lin Chi's world as naturally as breathing since he can remember. This is a unique product of the forty-fourth floor, one that he both loves and fears.
During the day, their slender blades eagerly devour the sweet yet dangerous hallucinogenic sunlight, while a soft yet resilient golden halo gradually accumulates deep within their core.
At night, they become a rare, gentle source of light in this land of death, quietly releasing their accumulated glow.
Early climbers who fell into this level managed to avoid the invisible and terrifying creatures in the night, whose mere sound could take lives, by hiding in patches of sunlit grass.
It is not a gift that can be taken away at will. Some have tried to uproot it, attempting to take away this "moving light."
However, at the moment the grass stem leaves the soil, all the light contained within it will burst forth violently like a dying star, shooting out brief but intense rays.
Those struck by this ray will be briefly and immediately plunged into a chaotic and bizarre hallucination, similar to that of daylight. Though not fatal, it is enough to cause them to lose their minds.
The Sunshine Grass, however, exhausted all its life and radiance in an instant, withered and carbonized rapidly, and finally turned into a wisp of ashes, which were scattered by the breeze of the eternal night, as if it had never existed.
People gradually figured out its nature: it can only remain "alive" if it is picked under continuous exposure to hallucinogenic sunlight and ensured that it never leaves the shroud of this specific light.
Once it enters an area without hallucinogenic sunlight—even if it is simulated or replaced by the most intense flames—it will quickly dim and lose its unique spiritual radiance that can soothe or even dispel the darkness of the night.
Its basic principles and ingenious methods of utilization are the result of Lin Chi's mother's years of research.
After countless observations and dangerous experiments, she discovered that this special type of tree, when its wood was processed into a closed frame with only one opening, could actually support sun-dried grass picked during the day.
Carefully place the grass leaves inside, and then use the thick leaves of the same tree to make a light-blocking curtain, which is hung at the opening.
In this way, at night, by lifting a corner of the leaf, the sunflower inside the frame can continuously release a stable and soft halo of light, forming a movable safe area.
This invention was reverently called the Soul-Suppressing Lamp by people struggling to survive.