Familiar room, familiar furniture, familiar small living room, familiar bachelor apartment.

Everything remained as it was when he had left, as if frozen in a shell of time, where nothing would change no matter how much time passed.

Zhou Ming walked into the small living room of the apartment, stood in the room where he had lived for many years, and sighed softly.

He hadn't returned here for a long time—sometimes, he even felt like he had forgotten this apartment, forgotten the "other world" it represented.

But in the end, this self-deceiving "forgetfulness" was meaningless.

He shook his head with a smile, then strode straight toward the desk—he didn't check the closed window as he used to, because the clutter on the windowsill and the flour he had deliberately scattered there had been cleaned up last time. In this last cabin deep in the fog, he no longer expected any guests to visit.

A faint, ghostly green light was slowly receding on the desk, and within the receding flames, he saw a new "collectible" gradually taking shape.

Zhou Ming walked over, sat down in the chair, placed his hands on the desk, and looked calmly and gently at the seemingly vibrant…"sapling."

It floated above the desk, the crown about the length of an adult's forearm, lush and verdant, with a large clod of soil connected to the base of its trunk. Its roots were deeply embedded in the soil, with a few extending from underneath and exposed to the air.

It floated like this, about ten centimeters above the desk, maintaining its levitation in an...inconceivable manner, displaying a style completely different from the other "collectibles."

Zhou Ming looked up at the large shelving unit not far away—the other collectibles on the shelves were quietly staying in their respective compartments, firmly placed on the dividers.

The "sapling" floating above the desk was currently the only "collectible" exhibiting obvious supernatural characteristics.

...Was it because its essence originated from "dreams," that even after becoming a collectible here, it still retained some of the unique characteristics of a dream creation?

Zhou Ming speculated idly, reaching out to gently touch the crown of Cirandis—this "World Tree," like a floating bonsai, drifted in the air as he pushed it slightly, then floated back to its original position.

But other than that, the sapling didn't show any other active traits—it didn't speak, nor did it respond to Zhou Ming's touch in any other way.

"Now, you've really become a sapling again..." After quietly watching the small "World Tree" for a long time, Zhou Ming finally spoke softly, "I don't even know if you can still hear me... In fact, I myself don't understand the principle behind how you guys become 'collectibles' here after being burned by spirit fire, but..."

He paused, glanced at the shelving unit not far away, his gaze sweeping over the Ghost Ship, the White Oak, and the models of the two city-states.

"But no matter what, this will be your new home from now on," he said softly.

The models didn't answer his questions, making him feel like he was muttering to the air. If there were outsiders present, it would probably be a very awkward scene—but fortunately, there hadn't been any "outsiders" here for a long time.

He reached out and carefully held up the clod of soil in which Cirandis was rooted, carrying it toward the shelving unit in the corner—he was very careful, afraid of breaking apart the seemingly flimsy "clod," because once the clod scattered, it might not be so easy to gather it again, and some of the soil that fell into the floor cracks might become "wastage."

In this cabin, "soil" was a valuable resource.

But to his surprise, the seemingly loose soil was very "stable," as if some invisible force was maintaining its shape. Not a single grain of soil fell from it as he carried it all the way over.

He placed Cirandis on the empty space on the shelving unit, right next to the Ghost Ship model.

The "sapling" remained floating in the compartment, like a quiet bonsai.

Zhou Ming stood in front of his new "collectible" and watched for a while, but this time his mood was no longer the same as before. Various complex thoughts surged in his mind, and after a long time, he sighed softly in relief.

At least, he could tell Goathead when he got back that its "sapling" was indeed still here.

"You shouldn't need watering, right..." Zhou Ming suddenly thought of something else, and couldn't help but mutter, "Theoretically, you shouldn't... I hope you don't grow any bigger either, I don't have that much space here..."

The "World Tree" in the compartment naturally didn't respond to his muttering. Cirandis simply floated there quietly, rotating slowly.

Zhou Ming shook his head, turned around, and sat down on the sofa in the small living room. He sat there for a while, then casually picked up a book from the small round table next to him and aimlessly flipped through a couple of pages.

It was pointless. He had read the book countless times, and its contents were dry and tasteless, long unable to bring any joy of reading.

But he had grown accustomed to doing such "meaningless" things when he returned to this apartment—either sitting down to read a few pages, writing two lines in a diary, or tidying up the clutter, cleaning the already almost spotless room.

For Zhou Ming, these things were like opening a small shop in the city-state or being a caretaker in the cemetery. They weren't necessary in themselves, but they were like anchors of humanity, allowing him to feel that he was still a human being, still living in "order" and "civilization."

A moment later, Zhou Ming put down the book in his hand and prepared to get up and return to the Ghost Ship.

But just as he raised his head, his movements stopped—maintaining the posture of just getting up, his gaze was fixed on the desk not far away.

Cirandis was quietly floating a few centimeters above the desk, as if it had been there all along, never having moved.

Zhou Ming blinked, wondering for a moment if his memory was playing tricks on him. Then he frowned, came to the desk, and looked around at Cirandis floating in mid-air, and then looked up at the empty compartment on the shelving unit.

After hesitating slightly, he picked up Cirandis and carefully placed it back on the shelf.

He stared at the compartment for several seconds, confirming it before slowly backing away, then turned around and walked away a few steps, then suddenly turned his head.

Cirandis was still obediently staying in the compartment of the shelving unit.

Zhou Ming frowned, breathed a sigh, and strode toward the apartment door—but just as he was about to reach the door, he suddenly stopped again, turning his head back without warning.

Cirandis was quietly floating above his desk, as if it had never moved.

Zhou Ming: "..."

He walked over with a straight face, his eyes fixed on the "sapling" floating in mid-air.

"Are you doing this on purpose? Can you move freely?"

Cirandis naturally didn't respond. It was like a real tree, quiet when it stayed there.

Zhou Ming stared at the "World Tree" for a while, reached out to pick it up, and placed it in the compartment on the shelving unit. Then he turned his back to it and stood there for a while. After a dozen seconds, he turned around to look—Cirandis was floating above the desk next to him.

The corner of Zhou Ming's mouth twitched involuntarily. He walked to the desk in a few steps, raised his finger, and pointed at the desk: "This is my desk, it's where I work, and if there are new 'collectibles' coming in the future, they will also appear on this desk."

Then he raised his other hand and pointed at the large shelving unit in the corner: "That's your place, the second compartment from the bottom is for you. You should go to your compartment, not occupy my desk here!"

Cirandis didn't respond, just floated quietly in mid-air, rotating slowly in circles.

The corner of Zhou Ming's eye twitched. He raised his hand without hesitation and put the "sapling" back on the shelving unit again.

Then he stared at it for a long time, then turned around, staring intently at his desk.

Cirandis didn't appear on the desk this time.

But Zhou Ming heard a "bang, bang, bang" sound behind him.

He turned his head and saw Cirandis had somehow appeared in another compartment—the storage compartment where the White Oak "model" was placed.

Cirandis was using the large clod of soil on its roots to hit the hull of the White Oak, making a loud banging sound. The latter was almost knocked to the ground by it.

"Stop!" Zhou Ming reached out and pressed down on the crown of Cirandis. "You can't hit your 'roommate'!"

Cirandis trembled under his hand, then quickly swayed to the side. Zhou Ming only felt a blur in front of his eyes, and then looked in the direction of the sapling's last sway—

The small "World Tree" was quietly floating on his desk.

Zhou Ming: "..."

A moment later, Duncan opened the door to the captain's cabin and came to the navigation table with a look of exhaustion.

The goat head on the edge of the table immediately creaked and turned its neck, focusing its gaze on the captain.

"Duncan Abnomar," Duncan said proactively before the goat head could even open its mouth.

"Ah, Captain! You're back. I thought you'd come over right away, but I didn't expect..." The goat head immediately perked up—perhaps because the mythical form had dissipated, the familiar noisiness had returned to this chattering wooden carving, but soon, it noticed the subtle expression on Duncan's face, "Uh, you look tired?"

Duncan waved his hand again, and this time even let out a sigh.

Several seconds passed before he raised his head, looking into the goat head's eyes: "Your sapling has occupied my desk."

(End of chapter)