Chapter 39: Memories Stirred, Trees Transplanted

"Alright, I understand!"
...
With the beginning of the Star Obsidian quest, those players who didn’t possess the stone each sought out the Memory Stone. Of course, some pretentious players, not knowing themselves, failed to find it and didn’t want to claim it in their own name. "Why should I? I took the quest by my own skill, why do you need to inspect my results?" "Oh? So you’re one of those who refuse to lead the way, aren’t you!"
With that, the leader in black drew a formidable butcher's knife, its blade shimmering with icy light. The butcher's knife gradually transformed into a blade of frost, and the chilling blade was placed at his throat. "Will you lead or not? Oh? I guessed right, your reaction suggests you really don’t know. Cowardly cur, it’s players like you who make the squad a mess. Take him away and lock him up until this is over, then we’ll settle accounts."
Each squad had a designated runner, and one by one, they were secretly confined in the "prison"…
And another thing: among those players holding the stones, two were found to have committed all three offenses—exploitation, deliberate threats, and manipulating quest progression. Han Qianyun didn’t bother to look at their names; she simply expelled them from the squad.
Thus, two positions for squad captains were vacated. The rest who found the Memory Stones were spared by Han Qianyun, while the fate of those locked in the so-called prison remained uncertain…
"If any of you are wrongly accused, you may appeal. The vice captain and I will clear your records. As for those who held the stones, once expunged, you’ll never be promoted beyond captain. Let your arrogance be checked…"
After this incident, the number of players leaving was always fewer than those joining the squad. The stubborn old Han City players spread rumors about Han City mistreating them, stirring up waves of discontent. Those who had been imprisoned joined the battle squad in droves, but when they saw the quest conditions upon release, they were dumbfounded. The quest only required providing photos, not linguistic clues, and those who had diligently typed out hints had long been targeted by the players in black…
As the number of players taking up quests increased, no one dared to steal others’ tasks, and the methods passed down became more numerous. Han Qianyun worried whether the Memory Stone would continue to grow after being harvested, but after two days’ observation, not only did it not decrease, but its total seemed to recover even faster.
This delighted Han Qianyun, who ordered everyone to dig up the smallest tree for cultivation, hoping that if successful, all the large primeval trees could be transplanted and grown.
Later, when the sapling was moved and raised, the yield was less than that of even smaller trees. Han Qianyun grew anxious, and accidentally dropped a drop of merfolk eye fluid from her backpack onto the tree. Instantly, the sapling grew into a towering giant, carrying Han Qianyun up with it. She saw a mass of Memory Stones slowly growing, and, elated, looked around to find herself among the clouds. Below, the ground was hundreds of meters away!
The thunderous commotion alerted all Han City players. A tree had grown taller than the highest building in Han City, and a player stood atop it—no one knew how she got there.
Little Black Dragon Hua Jie, seeing this, thought the feeding sister wanted to test herself by flying up for a meal. With heartfelt effort, it spread its wings and soared upward. Han Qianyun spotted it, expertly landed a foot on its head, gripping both horns. Still airborne, the little black dragon turned to see Han Qianyun on its back. "Weren’t you going to feed me stones?"
Han Qianyun, hearing this, was exasperated. She replied curtly, "If you don’t let me down, you won’t get any food from me again." Once on the ground, Han Qianyun moved all the meat from the grand restaurant for the dragon to eat…
The little black dragon was overjoyed. Han Qianyun arranged all the primeval trees to be transplanted beside it, though she needed more players to watch over them. "I want someone to monitor them daily," she said, glancing at the little black dragon and thinking…
That day, Hua Tian was sent out to capture wild monsters of at least level five—zombies excluded. Hua Tian formed pairs to search for high-level monsters, offering up to ten thousand squad coins, but no one joined him. The current players couldn’t handle high-level monsters; even mid-level ones were fatal. Suddenly, Hua Tian remembered his level six Saber-Toothed Tiger. Upon its appearance, players rushed to sign up, and Hua Tian named the group the Passive Squad (the Suicide Squad).
Later, those who were tricked by Hua Tian demanded one million squad coins per outing, vowing not to participate otherwise. Hua Tian ignored them, using three level seven Saber-Toothed Tigers obtained through his level six tiger and all his sea monsters to hunt flying wild beasts. Ultimately, he exchanged all his sea monsters for seven level seven wild monsters. He gathered a Greenwater Sprite, four living Water Viper Snakes, a Blood Crocodile, and a Winged Fire Snake—ten in total, plus a rainbow-grade pet egg and an unknown Water Viper Snake egg.
…
Previously, while capturing the Greenwater Sprite, Hua Tian inadvertently entered Blood Crocodile territory. A peak level nine Blood Crocodile appeared, nearly devouring all the sea monsters and Hua Tian himself. In the end, only one person, three tigers, and one Greenwater Sprite escaped, while the carnivorous Blood Crocodiles devoured all the lower-level sea monsters. Furious, Hua Tian recruited two main city players, searched the territory, and hid where the crocodile couldn’t reach. When the Blood Crocodile appeared, it swallowed the two players and grinned at Hua Tian. With his passive defense triggered, Hua Tian’s aura soared to peak level nine.
They fought for nearly two hours; the Blood Crocodile was unimpressed by Hua Tian’s sudden strength, but as the battle dragged on, it realized things were off—why wasn’t Hua Tian injured? The crocodile suffered slightly more damage, worrying as things continued. It used its life-saving skill and quickly summoned its father. Hua Tian was instantly suppressed by the newly arrived level ten beast, beaten into retreat, while the level nine crocodile mocked him from the sidelines. Initially, Hua Tian tried to kill the level nine quickly, but even his burst skills barely scratched it, and it couldn’t harm him either. Stuck, he practiced supreme techniques, but now, out of options, he resorted to the strange Devouring Heaven Divine Fist skill. He drew one hand back, and his pose shocked the level ten crocodile. Upon closer inspection, it was horrified—wasn’t this skill lost in ancient times? Recalling a certain woman's terror, it bit its son and fled.
Hua Tian, seeing this, paused. Why did the Flame Emperor flee at this move, and so did they? Sighing, he realized level ten beasts couldn’t be confronted head-on. Shortly after, Hua Tian returned to see a level eight Blood Crocodile basking in the sun. After nearly two hours, he finally wore it down. Returning to the main city, two players blocked his way—they were the ones previously devoured by the Blood Crocodile, now demanding ten gold coins as toll. Seeing Hua Tian with a Blood Crocodile, Greenwater Sprite, and three Saber-Toothed Tigers, they wondered if they had undercharged him.
He placed these five undead wild beasts before Han Qianyun, but she said it wasn’t enough for safety; she needed at least one that could fly.
Remembering those beasts, he wondered why they fled at that skill. Of all level tens that could speak to him, only… He returned to the Muxuan River with Hua Jie (since Sutai had no combat power). Upon reaching the cave, countless Water Viper Snakes emerged to watch him. The snakes weren’t bothered by Hua Tian, but Hua Jie only thought of grilled fish… She caught some fish, had Hua Tian summon the cute sprite to roast them, arguing over who would get them.
The Viper Queen emerged, angry and intent on biting Hua Tian, but upon seeing Hua Jie, she felt an urge to flee. "His strength shouldn’t scare me!" Hua Tian pleaded, and soon the Python Queen appeared, saying, "Has she returned?"
Hua Tian was unsure, thinking she meant the male dragon from the living egg. "Yes! That egg is him."
"Beautiful Snake Sister and Python Queen Sister, may I ask why other level tens flee at my skill…"
He demonstrated his fully mastered charging technique. The Python Queen’s gaze matched those two exactly, and Hua Tian knew she understood.
"I suppose you want to know why? It was once a secret of this continent. If you truly want to know, seek out the woman who gave you this skill. Either find your own answer, or I advise you not to pursue it. In the end, I can only tell you that this skill’s precursor records not only the continent’s prosperity but also the glory of other lands."
Hua Tian, unable to make sense of it, was mercilessly sent away, along with the dying Water Viper Snake eggs and four… eggs—all offspring of the Viper Queen, fiercely protected by her. The Python Queen, without the Viper Queen’s consent, entrusted the dying eggs to him, and the Viper Queen sent four level eight female Water Viper Snakes to watch over him…
Back in Han City, he recalled the flying and aggressive wild beast—the Sandfire Sparrow. Remembering its fireballs, he feared he might not return, and that triggering his defensive skill wouldn’t help him escape. Death seemed inevitable; whether Hero’s Tears could win was uncertain, so he sought a lower-level Winged Fire Snake. Thus, a level eight Blood Crocodile forcibly captured a level seven Winged Fire Snake. He handed these ten level seven and above wild beasts to Han Qianyun, who ruthlessly managed the wildly productive Memory Stone trees. Along the way, he learned four were alive and feared them, but discovered they only cared about the eggs, not attacking players unless maliciously approaching the great tree.
…
With the primeval trees transplanted by Han Qianyun, available locations dwindled, finally becoming a stable, fixed source of squad coins for a small team. Because the squad searched and destroyed so aggressively, disaster erupted in the territory of the Wandering Zombies, driving out all major and minor squad forces (the main squad was Hua Tian’s; later Han City would become a guild, requiring self-sufficiency, and resurrection still returned players to the main city…).
Vice captain Hua Tian, upon learning this, spent a hundred thousand squad coins to recruit a player to die and battle with it…
Eventually, the Wandering Zombie was forced back a step by the seventh slash of the Magic Slash skill. Both sides paused—Hua Tian because he had never killed a player and couldn’t unleash an eighth slash, preparing to charge a punch as the other stopped; the Wandering Zombie because he wasn’t truly a zombie but a human, and had no reason to kill.
After negotiating, they drafted a treaty: the north half for him, the south half for Hua Tian. The Wandering Zombie tore it up, refusing to agree. He explained…
"So, you’re not a real zombie, but want to repay kindness in your own way… If we do this, it will disturb the souls of humans buried in the Star Scar Forest. So, the best is to enter by day and leave by night… Well, if players are harmless, it’s fine, but our long-term greed here may provoke the wrath of human souls. Understood."
"I won’t kill you… players. I have no one I care about elsewhere; I’ve guarded graves for nearly ten million years. If you don’t invade my territory, you can go anywhere else."
"Good! I’ll spread the word. If any players trespass, it’s their fault—teach them a lesson as you see fit."
"Alright!"
Returning to Han City, Hua Tian explained the situation to Han Qianyun, and she understood.
She then published a notice: all squad players must never enter the Wandering Zombie’s territory at night; even during the day, those with malicious intent should stay away. If you die and revive, complaining here is useless.
Many players occupying Memory Stone territory refused to accept this, since their land was nearby. If Han City did nothing, they would act… Soon, one by one, players revived in the main city’s resurrection hall, and none doubted her words. Everyone entered by day without malice, and left by dusk.