Ashes Of Deep Sea Chapter 650

Chapter 650: Chapter 647: The Sapling Chapter 650: Chapter 647: The Sapling The familiar room, the familiar furniture, the familiar living room, the familiar single apartment.

Everything remained as it was when he left, as if encased in an amber shell outside the flow of time, immune to change no matter how much time had passed.

Zhou Ming entered the small living room of the single apartment, standing in this room where he had lived for many years, and he let out a soft sigh of relief.

It had been a long time since he had returned to this place–sometimes, he even felt as if he had forgotten this single apartment, forgotten that this single apartment represented that “other world.”

But in the end, the self-deceptive “forgetfulness” was meaningless.

He smiled and shook his head, then walked straight toward the desk–unlike before, he didn't check the tightly shut window because the sundries on the windowsill and the deliberately scattered flour had already been cleaned up during his last visit. In this last little house deep in the mist, he no longer expected any visitors.

A faint green glow of fire on the desk was slowly fading, and within the dying flames, he saw the newest “collection” taking shape.

Zhou Ming walked over, sat down on the chair, and placed his hands on the tabletop, looking calmly and tenderly at the vibrant-looking… “sapling.”

It floated above the desk, with a crown diameter roughly the length of an adult's forearm, lush and leafy, with its trunk connected to a large clump of soil, its roots deeply embedded in it, and a few roots extending from under the soil into the air.

It just floated there, about ten centimeters above the desk, maintaining its suspension in a… miraculous manner, displaying a style utterly distinct from the other “collections.”

Zhou Ming looked up at the large shelf not far away–all the other collections quietly remained in their respective compartments, steadily resting on the shelves.

At this moment, the “sapling” floating above the desk was the only collection that exhibited obvious supernatural traits.

…Was it because its essence came from “Dreamscape,” so even as a collection here, it still retained some characteristics unique to the creations of dreams?

Zhou Ming's thoughts wandered half-heartedly as he reached out and gently toyed with the crown of the Silantis–the “World Tree” that resembled a “floating bonsai” swayed slightly as he pushed it before lazily returning to its original position.

Besides that, the sapling did not exhibit any other active traits–it neither spoke nor responded to Zhou Ming's touch in any other way.

“Now, you've really become a sapling again…” After quietly observing the tiny “World Tree” for a long time, Zhou Ming finally spoke softly, “I don't know if you can hear me… In fact, I'm not even clear about the principles behind how you become a 'collection' here after being burned by the Spiritual Fire, but…”

He paused, glancing towards the nearby shelf, his gaze sweeping over the models of Homeloss, the oak ship, and the two City-State replicas.

“Anyway, from now on, this will be your new home,” he said in a soft voice.

The models wouldn't answer his questions, which made him feel as if he were muttering to the air, a scene that would probably be embarrassing if a visitor were present–but fortunately, it had been a long time since any “outsiders” had been here.

He reached out, carefully picked up the chunk of soil rooted by Silantis, and carried it towards the shelf in the corner–he was very careful, fearful of scattering the seemingly fragile “clod” of earth because once it crumbled, it might not be so easy to gather back together, and some of the soil might become “loss” if it fell into the cracks of the floor.

In this small house, “soil” was a precious resource.

But to his surprise, the seemingly loose soil was quite “solid,” as if some invisible force was maintaining its form, with not a single speck falling as he carried it across.

He placed Silantis in an empty space on the shelf, right next to the model of Homeloss.

The “sapling” still maintained its floating state within the compartment, like a tranquil bonsai.

Zhou Ming stood in front of his new “collection” for a while, but this time his mood was not like before, as a tide of complex thoughts ebbed and flowed in his mind, and after a long time, he sighed in resignation.

At least, he could tell the goat-head upon his return that its “sapling” was indeed still here.

“You probably don't need watering, do you…” Zhou Ming suddenly thought of something and couldn't help muttering to himself, “In theory, you shouldn't… I hope you won't grow any bigger, I don't have that much space here…”

Of course, the “World Tree” in the compartment did not respond to his soliloquy; Silantis merely quietly floated there, turning gently.

Zhou Ming shook his head, walked over to the sofa in the small living room, and sat down, resting for a while before idly picking up a book from the small round table next to him and flipping through a couple of pages without purpose.

It was meaningless; he had read that book who knows how many times, and its content was dry and uninteresting, no longer offering the pleasure of reading.

But he was accustomed to doing some such “meaningless” things when he returned to this single apartment–either sit down and read a few pages, write a couple of lines in his diary, or tidy up the clutter and clean a room that was already almost spotless.

For Zhou Ming, these things were like an anchor of humanity, allowing him to feel that he was still human, still living within “order” and “civilization.”

A moment later, Zhou Ming put down the book in his hand, preparing to stand up and return to the Homeloss.

But just as he was lifting his head, his movement halted–maintaining a half-risen posture, his gaze fixed tightly on the desk not far away.

Silantis was quietly floating a few centimeters above the desk, as if it had always been there and never moved.

Zhou Ming blinked, and for a moment even doubted his memory, then frowned, walked over to the desk, observed the floating Silantis from different angles, and looked up at the empty slot on the shelf.

After a moment of hesitation, he picked up Silantis and placed her seriously back on the shelf.

He stared at that slot for several seconds, confirmed everything, then slowly backed away, turned, took a few steps, then suddenly whipped his head back around.

Silantis was still obediently in the shelf slot.

With furrowed brows, Zhou Ming exhaled, stepped towards the apartment door–yet just as he was about to reach the main door, he stopped abruptly and turned around without warning.

Silantis was quietly floating above his desk, as if it had never moved from the spot.

Zhou Ming: “…”
He walked over with a stern face, his eyes not blinking as he stared at the little “sapling” floating in mid-air.

“Are you doing this on purpose? Can you move freely?”

Of course, Silantis offered no response; she was like a real tree, quiet and still when in her place.

Zhou Ming observed the “World Tree” for a while, lifted her with his hand, placed her on the shelf slot, then turned around and stood facing her for a while. After about fifteen seconds, he turned back around–Silantis was floating over the nearby desk.

The corner of Zhou Ming's mouth twitched involuntarily, he walked over in a few steps, raised a finger pointing at the desk: “This, is my desk, my workspace, and if any new 'collectibles' come, they will appear on this desk.”

Then he lifted his other hand, pointing towards the large shelf in the corner: “Over there, that's your place, the second slot below is yours. You should be in your slot, not taking over my desk!”

Silantis did not respond, just quietly floating in the air, slowly rotating in circles.

Zhou Ming's eye twitched slightly, without hesitation, he lifted the “sapling” back onto the shelf again.

Then he watched for a long time, then turned his back, his gaze fixed on his desk.

This time, Silantis did not appear on the desk.

But behind Zhou Ming came a “thump thump thump” of bumping noises.

He turned his head to see that Silantis had somehow appeared in another slot–that was the storage slot for the model of the White Oak.

Silantis was using the large clods of soil on her roots to bump against the White Oak's hull, making a 'thump thump' sound, and the latter was nearly knocked to the ground by her.

“Stop!” Zhou Ming immediately placed his hand on Silantis's canopy, “You can't hit your 'roommate'!”

Under his hand, Silantis trembled, then quickly shifted to the side, and Zhou Ming only saw a blur before his eyes, then looked in the direction of her last movement–
The little “World Tree” was quietly floating above his desk.

Zhou Ming: “…”
A moment later, Duncan opened the door to the captain's room, stepping in front of the navigation desk with a trace of weariness.

The goat's head at the edge of the table immediately cranked its neck with a creaking sound, laying its gaze upon the captain.

“Duncan Ebnomal.” Before the goat's head could speak, Duncan gestured with his hand preemptively.

“Ah, Captain! You're back, I thought you would've come straightaway, I didn't expect…” The goat's head instantly came to life–apparently because the mythological form had dissipated, the familiar chattering feeling was back in this ever-talking wood carving, but quickly, it noticed a subtle expression on Duncan's face, “Um, you seem very tired?”

Duncan gestured again with his hand, and this time he also issued a sigh.

After several seconds, he finally lifted his head, looked into the goat's head eyes: “Your little sapling has taken over my desk.”

Chapter end

Report