The Record of Unusual Creatures

Panda Novel

Top platform, Twilight Capital.

The pale yellow shroud, as always, glowed with a turbid and mysterious light, covering the city. Outside the Twilight Shroud, Midgard’s sky was still dark and cloudy. Under the dark sky, visibility was still poor, but the strange patterns formed by the thick clouds were still visible.

The high-ranking members of the Steam Assembly, the caregivers of the Iron Throne, the small team of Hao Ren, and some other highly respected people in the city had gathered on the platform. They all looked at the dark sky, and the desolate land in the distant, but not all of them had the same minds. Not far behind them was the big elevator platform where a fight broke out not long ago. Though the smoke of the battle had dissipated, a very unpleasant smell was still lingering around. It smelt of burned gunpowder and oil. Lily looked a little listless, hanging around Hao Ren with her ears drooped and her tail sweeping on his arm. “Mr. Landlord, I’m hungry. Have you done yet?”

Hao Ren handed Lily a pack of snacks while he continued to gaze up into the rolling shadows in the distant horizon. These shadows looked like mountains, but actually, they were not. The faint red glow and the silhouette of the terrain were the only visible backdrop in the wilderness. The shape of the ‘mountains’ had not changed, but Hao Ren knew that a powerful force was lurking in there.

It was the runic body of Yggdrasil, the First Born.

He looked up at the city again. Through the thin light curtain of the Twilight Shroud, he saw a vague white light dancing in the clouds. It was the second soul of Yggdrasil—Whitey. Though Whitey sounded a bit weird, Hao Ren was not going to change it. Now, this soul was looking at Midgard through a unique third-party perspective, ready for the next action. After thousands of years of constant debilitation, Yggdrasil’s control over its body was obtuse. Without the assistance of a second soul, it would be difficult for him to find any of its limbs that stretched thousands of kilometers in length.

Hao Ren had no idea how the principle worked. He just felt that the First Born was a fantastic creature in every aspect.

Wendell and Hao Ren stood together on the edge of the platform, waiting for the particular moment. The old Lightseeker had recovered from the initial excitement, joy, and uneasiness. He only felt calm anticipation. While it was still dark, he curiously asked, “What will it look like when dawn arrives?”

Nangong Wuyue smiled. “Haven’t you seen the video?”

Wendell thought for a moment. He shook his head with a smile. “I couldn’t imagine how it looks when light shines on the land. I hope it will not be too glaring.”

At this time, a slightly strange female voice came from behind Hao Ren. “Is the dawn coming as you say?”

Hao Ren turned to look. Standing behind him was the leader of the Steam Assembly, Lavinia. The somber woman had put on very formal wear, slightly made up, and looked prettier than before. She was gazing out into the distance, but seemingly not focusing outside the Twilight Shroud.

Hao Ren did not like this leader of the Steam Assembly. He knew that the Steam Assembly was a respectable institution and its members standing here were proprietarians who followed the ancient sage, but perhaps because of the previous unpleasant experience, he was not impressed with the stereotypical and overly-cautious attitudes of the Steam Assembly. Nevertheless, he still nodded politely. “Of course. Do you think the ancient sage will lie to you?” he said.

“I know you don’t like the Steam Assembly, you foreigner,” said Lavinia with a faint smile. “Many people don’t like us, including ourselves. But I hope you can understand that governing this city is very difficult. We could only choose the most rational way.”

Hao Ren nodded gently. “I understand.”

“I was the one issued the order to disband the Lightseeker expedition team,” Lavinia said. “It turned out that this order was not that smart.”

“But it was not wrong,” Vivian was heard saying as she suddenly came up from nowhere. “You sound like trying to defend the Steam Assembly.”

Lavinia was silent for a moment before nodding slightly. “Maybe, but more importantly, I hope that you can understand no one wants to see the lights under this shroud to go out. But some people chose to be brave, using the remaining fuel to ignite new fires or look for new fuels in the darkness. Some people opted to be cautious and reluctant to give up the last bit of firewood in the brazier. When the dawn arrives, the Steam Assembly probably will come to an end. I know you guys are having a good relationship with the ancient sage, so I only have one expectation: don’t blame those who refuse to let go the seed of fire, they were just careful.”

“Who told you that the Steam Assembly would be dissolved?” Hao Ren’s eyebrows arched. His words finally startled Lavinia.

“You mean…”

The assembly leader spoke. But she choked her word; something happened outside the Twilight Shroud had everyone hold their breath.

A vibration that grew in intensity hit the earth as if a thousand beasts were running across the land and gradually spreading throughout all corners of Midgard. At the end of the horizon, the silhouette of the black mountains began to move. They drifted, undulated, shook, and eventually shook off the earth and rock that buried them for the last thousands of years. As the rock layer on the mountains fell off, roots of the World Tree, covered in white runes, emerged.

These great roots had broken free from the earth. Their awakening had brought up smaller vines from the ground. These tentacles of the First Born were shimmering with mysterious ancient runes as they moved slowly on the desolate land. It felt creepy as all of this was happening against the backdrop of a turbid, long night.

The dawn of Twilight Capital began with the horrible dancing of tens of thousands of tentacles.

Looking at the scene, Vivian could not help but sigh. “If not for I already know Blackie is a good boy, I would have thought that this horror movie.”

There was a commotion on the steel platform. The sights on the far side of the earth were even more incredible than the most bizarre dreams for those who lived a tedious and stressful life in the city. The huge vines that shook the ground as they stretched out into the sky were even more bizarre. Though Whitey had directed the tentacles to keep away from the foundation of Twilight Capital, the vibration from a distance still made the city folks break out in cold sweat. Even the calm leader of the Steam Assembly could not help herself. “Oh, my ancestors!” she exclaimed.

The tissues of the First Born completely recovered their functions when the tentacles had awakened to a certain extent. Then Yggdrasil took a deep breath.

The mysterious runes on the tentacles had turned even several times brighter now as the waves of tentacles stirred the magic energy in the atmosphere, creating a colorful pattern of light in the air before being quickly absorbed by the runes on the tentacles. This absorption process became faster and more evident for dozens of minutes before evolving into a massive vortex in the sky.

As if the cloudy sky was punctured, there was as a dozen holes appeared in the air. The powerful magic energy had formed into a storm, which was then devoured by the roots of the World Tree. As the energy system on the upper part of the otherworldly dimension began to restore, the long-lost skylight started to pierce through the clouds and sprinkle a little on the earth.

Along with the purification of the atmosphere, more amazing changes gradually spread to every corner of the earth.

“Look over there!”

Nangong Wuyue, who coiled herself up all this while, looked into the distance. When she first saw the scene on the wilderness outside the city, she could not help herself.

In the barren wilderness, vegetation began to multiply.

For the guardians of all sentient beings, rebuilding the ecosystem was the inborn mission of the First Born. For super lifeforms like Yggdrasil, this ability was in its DNA. The magic radiation had killed all lives but had not taken away the nutrients in the soil. Yggdrasil’s deep breath had not only cleared the magical energy in the atmosphere but also accumulated and transformed the nutrients into the forms whose lives needed to thrive.

When nutrient accumulation reached a certain level, the First Born split some of its tentacles. Lifeblood began to flow out, and the land turned into lush green wherever it reached.

From this point alone, it was clear that Yggdrasil was a lot more potent than the ‘mass-produced’ First Borns like Zorm.

Somehow, Hao Ren felt like the scene looked more like a carnival of tentacles.

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