NOVEL NEXT Chapter 102: Home
A circular lake, a circular dome, as if the Earth had been cleaved in two.
In the middle of the vast lake, stood a towering tree that resembled a canopy, reaching to the heavens.
The diameter of the tree's main trunk was so broad that twenty Skodas could line up side by side. The large branches connected to the trunk were thick and strong, capable of supporting several cars as well.
The smaller branches that forked from the large ones were fine enough to allow one car to pass, and after further branching, they finally became narrow enough for a person to embrace.
The intertwining branches and overlapping leaves surged and bulged, nearly covering half of the circular lake.
Numerous plants also grew on the trunk, with long vines densely hanging down into the lake, making it look, at first glance, not like a single giant tree, but rather like an eco-park or a small forest.
Li Changzhou, Li Qianxia, and Yang Qinglan stood at the top of the main trunk, surrounded by countless branches like a bird's nest but with an area large enough to cover a large villa.
This bird's nest-like place was likewise filled with flowers and wild grass.
The moonlight and starlight passed through the shade of the trees and fell on the nest. The wind, coming from nowhere, made it seem momentarily like a field or meadow.
"… Bro, is this your world?" Li Qianxia gazed in awe at everything before her.
"It's our world." Li Changzhou was content and joyful.
The emotions that had been suppressed in his heart since the start of the Value Game, no, since their parents had left, were now swept away.
He felt as though all the repression had been lifted, leaving him completely exhilarated.
The dandelion seeds drifting in the wind finally landed and took root.
"From now on, this is our home!" he declared, unable to contain his excitement.
"Our home…" Li Qianxia savored the word.
Gradually, she felt a warmth spreading throughout her body; the reality seeped into her heart like a warm south breeze, or like a warm spring, filling her heart with true, complete, supreme joy.
She couldn't help but cheer, raising her arms and shouting loudly.
She transformed into a Snowy Owl, darting among the treetops, circling around each thick branch, her wings caressing each leaf.
As she moved through the "forest," her mind became more and more peaceful, and her joy became more and more evident.
Bursting forth from the "sea of trees," she soared, diving down above the lake.
Large fish, reflecting the starlit sky, leapt out of the water as if chased by her, jumping in succession.
On the trunk of the giant tree, Li Changzhou and Yang Qinglan watched Li Qianxia's exhilarated figure, exchanged a glance, and smiled at each other.
If they could fly, they would certainly join her.
Yang Qinglan bent down, palm stroking the "grass," and couldn't help saying, "Changzhou, look."
Li Changzhou also crouched down.
By the faint moonlight, they saw that there was no soil on the trunk—these grasses and flowers were actually growing directly out of the tree.
"Maybe there's no need for soil, no need for fertilization to grow vegetables and fruits," Yang Qinglan said, a hint of excitement in her voice.
"This is where we'll live!" Li Changzhou laughed, "Those forked branches will be the fields, you see that thick one, all for growing potatoes; that one for eggplants, tomatoes, cucumbers; that one for corn; that one for chili peppers, garlic, onions, ginger; right, and we'll reserve the trunk for growing fruit."
Yang Qinglan looked at his spirited profile, listening to his plans, and felt a surge of affection.
She couldn't resist teasing him, "Are you also planning to raise pigs?"
"I'll start reading about 'Postnatal Care for Sows' when I get back to school!" Li Changzhou shifted his gaze back to her.
The two looked at each other, laughing again.
They walked along the trunk as if strolling through a garden, or as if navigating a maze.
The leaves above were thick, but they judiciously left openings for the starlight.
"I'll catch some fireflies to bring in," Li Changzhou said, breaking a blade of foxtail grass in his hands.
"Make sure you choose carefully, don't bring any players in," Yang Qinglan laughed.
Li Qianxia landed beside them and suddenly jumped onto Li Changzhou's back, wrapping her arms around his neck and shouting into his ear:
"Bro!"
Li Changzhou dropped the foxtail grass, carrying his sister on his back and laughing heartily.
Li Qianxia also laughed joyfully on his back.
Not until they had wandered down every branch of the entire giant tree did their emotions begin to settle.
"I want to move in immediately!" Li Qianxia said excitedly.
They sat on a branch hanging over the lake, one of the slenderest in the giant tree, about eleven or twelve centimeters thick.
Below their feet were the star-dotted waters of the lake, wrapped in the warmth of the Invisibility Lantern like the coziest blanket.
"The house isn't built yet," Yang Qinglan teased.
"I don't care!" Li Qianxia insisted like a child, determined to live in the bare structure.
"We did buy a batch of steel for building the base, it'll come in handy now," Li Changzhou said.
"I think a wooden house would be nice," Yang Qinglan said, swaying her slender legs, her voice soft and melodious, like a dancing nightingale.
"Exactly!" Li Qianxia agreed, "Bro, do you even have any taste? Using steel on a giant tree, you might as well just get a shipping container to live in."
"Sure," Li Changzhou laughed.
"Qing Lan, push him down!"
Yang Qinglan's eyes turned blue.
"No, no, no! I was wrong, my warrior ladies!" Li Changzhou quickly surrendered.
The three of them talked for a long while about the layout and construction of their home.
"By the way, we still have over three thousand points left," Li Changzhou took out a white identity card, "Qing Lan, you take them."
They had planned from the beginning, after purchasing the "Honey Pot World," if there were any points left, they would be for Yang Qinglan to buy attributes.