…
Click, click…
The light and shadows across the sandbox shifted endlessly.
As humanity developed, their alterations to the natural world grew increasingly apparent. Before long, even without using the "zoom" function of his vision, Lin Tuo could clearly see buildings spread across the land.
On the operation log, every so often—every few dozen minutes—new lines of text appeared.
"Pioneer Knights? The Sano Empire? Churches? Wizards?"
Reading these words, Lin Tuo's expression grew somewhat peculiar.
"It feels like… the entire style has changed. Hm… of course, geography, time, population shifts, and the cycles of civilization must be the reason."
Though slightly surprised, Lin Tuo had, in truth, expected something like this.
After so many years, isolated populations would likely even have changed languages. Words like "Sano" were probably phonetic evolutions within the sandbox.
Convenient enough for him to understand—though compared to before, there was clearly a stronger sense of exotic strangeness.
"Pioneer Knights and Wizards—these must both be evolvers, or perhaps the descendants of evolvers. Still, I can't rule out cultivators either. In short, they are groups who wield extraordinary powers."
"As for the Church… I don't know what they worship, but likely it's the so-called god I once played at being. And the wars of religion—surely caused by doctrinal differences… or by struggles over interest and power."
As for this so-called "Age of Knowledge," from the sound of it, it must be their attempts to codify and summarize extraordinary abilities and cultivation methods. Lin Tuo looked forward to seeing what they would discover.
As his mind drifted, civilization advanced, and ether concentrations also rose—finally reaching "Low Grade." A green upward arrow followed, a healthy sign that pleased him deeply.
Time passed quietly as he watched the sandbox world evolve. When Lin Tuo finally lifted his head again, he was startled to find the window outside pitch dark.
"I watched for this long?"
Startled, he gave a wry smile. It was already night—he had completely missed dinnertime.
Oddly enough, he didn't feel hungry at all.
"Oh, right—Huaxi…"
Lin Tuo quickly stood, pushed the door open, and was bathed in bright moonlight.
Above, from this angle, the courtyard framed a perfect full moon. Lishan was far from the city, untouched by light pollution, so stars and moonlight always shone brilliantly.
The training grounds were still and quiet, save for the faint chirping of insects.
The outdoor lamps remained unlit, cloaking the entire building in a sheer veil of blue.
He glanced around but saw no sign of Huaxi. Then, turning his head, he noticed a small dark figure squatting at the doorstep.
There, under the eaves by his feet.
Her head was buried between her knees, arms hugging herself, motionless. Listening closely, he caught the sound of soft snores.
"Asleep?" Lin Tuo froze, then let out a helpless smile.
He reached out and poked her head, calling softly. Slowly, groggily, Huaxi raised her head, eyes dazed. She blinked blankly for a few seconds before suddenly leaping up in a panic.
"Teacher! I—I—"
"Why are you sleeping here?" Lin Tuo asked.
"I… wanted to ask when we'd eat dinner… but you never came out, so I thought I'd wait…" Huaxi's voice weakened as she explained.
So she was hungry…
"Next time, knock if you need something. Don't just wait like a fool." Lin Tuo chuckled helplessly. "Go wash your hands and face. We'll head out to eat."
"Mhm." She nodded, turned to leave—then turned back, hesitated, and said, "Teacher, maybe you should write me a recipe."
"What brought that on?" Lin Tuo frowned in puzzlement.
"I was thinking… always eating out is such a waste of money. Maybe we could buy some ingredients, and I could cook. I can learn."
Huaxi's voice was serious. Over the past few days, though she hadn't mastered much, she was clearly beginning to understand how this world operated.
She even knew how to save money.
Lin Tuo felt a flicker of emotion, but he hardened his expression:
"Martial study demands focus. Don't waste energy on such trivialities, understand? And if you miss mealtimes and get hungry, look in the fridge for food yourself. Remember?"
"Yes…"
Once he sent the girl back to her room, Lin Tuo's stern face softened into a smile.
Still, after some thought, he decided: even if he didn't plan to let Huaxi cook, buying some kitchenware was probably wise. Eating at restaurants every day would get tiresome.
Besides, with his continued body-refinement, his appetite seemed to grow larger by the day.
"Is it because my cells are more active, demanding more energy?"
"Hm. Maybe sometime I should pull a few of those tasty mutated beasts from the sandbox… improve the menu."
So he mused idly.
The night passed without further incident.
…
…
By the next morning, after breakfast, Lin Tuo returned to the sandbox. He found that inside Sandbox No. 2, another thousand years of history had flown by.
As society grew more complex, the speed of time inside had begun to slow.
The vast lands now boasted mountains, basins, canyons, bays, and snowy peaks.
Its simulated climate had also become more diverse than that of Sandbox No. 1.
Checking the operation log, he saw that much had changed overnight. Dynasties had shifted again. The Eastern and Western Sano Empires had fought through the night, arranged marriages, buried kings, and witnessed the fall of old noble houses while new ones rose.
Gradually, the northern continent settled into a new political order.
The empire fractured, and a powerful new Kingdom of Dreil arose, controlling nearly two-thirds of the southern half of the northern continent. The rest was carved up among smaller states.
In short: one great power, many lesser ones.
As for the southern continent, it was far more chaotic. In the archipelago between north and south, a number of large commercial city-states had emerged.
Inhale…
In his study, Lin Tuo gazed at the thin wisps of ether drifting above the continents and finally attempted to draw them in. Carefully—he did not dare take too much.
He left a significant portion for the "knights," the "wizards," and perhaps the church clergy to absorb.
Even so, he gained nearly 300 points.
"As expected—the wider the world, the greater the yield…"
Lin Tuo sighed in satisfaction. By his estimation, the civilizations of the north and south were roughly equivalent to the medieval period—perhaps not even quite that advanced.
Compared to the pitiful 30 points he once managed in the Qi Kingdom, this was an enormous improvement.
And that was without draining it all—otherwise, the harvest would be even greater.
As his once-empty ether pouch swelled again, Lin Tuo's mood soared.
"Still, I mustn't grow careless. I need to keep watching. But at a medieval level, they shouldn't be anywhere near capable of destroying their world."
…
Civilization in the sandbox flourished. Throughout the morning, Lin Tuo occasionally called up the virtual panel to check in.
Sometimes ether concentrations dipped—caused by droughts, floods, or outbreaks of disease. Each disaster led to brief declines.
Wars, however, were rare now. Even when they occurred, they were small and local, involving too few people for the log to bother recording.
Taking breaks, Lin Tuo also glanced at real-world news.
Exploration of the Oasis continued. Teams of archaeologists had arrived. The second wave of explorers even discovered the ruins of a buried town underground.
Though much had decayed, the foundations, bricks, and outlines of buildings remained distinct.
He heard that elemental analysis of local ores was underway, though no results had yet been published.
In short, the Oasis remained the world's greatest focus of attention.
Meanwhile, fleets had sailed to the mysterious Black Box of the Pacific.
But given its remote location—lacking habitation or research facilities—serious study was difficult. Observation remained the main effort.
At noon, he didn't go out. Instead, he carried a small table into the courtyard. He bought boxed lunches, and the two of them ate together in the breeze.
It was peaceful, even pleasant.
Yet halfway through the meal, Huaxi grew unsettled. Lin Tuo suddenly fixed her with an intense stare, silent, eyes grave.
Nervously, she wiped at her mouth. No rice grains.
"T… Teacher?" she stammered, finally unable to bear the silence.
"Hm?" Lin Tuo blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. Pulling his gaze back from the virtual panel, he forced a faint smile.
"I was just thinking about something, lost in thought."
"Oh." Relieved, Huaxi nodded.
Then she watched as Lin Tuo set down his chopsticks. "I'm done. I'll rest inside for a bit. You finish, then clean up the table."
Seeing her nod obediently, he quickly returned to the study.
Closing the door, he stood before the sandbox, now set to run at 1:1 time with reality. His expression grew sharper than ever.
The sandbox appeared perfectly normal. It was spring, lush and vibrant.
Yet, in the corner of the virtual panel, the ether concentration indicator bore a scarlet downward arrow.
Ether was falling—rapidly.
No natural disasters. No wars. No plagues.
So…
"What in the world is happening?"
"Who… touched my ether?"
End of Chapter.