Mathematics Olympiad itself is not important, what is important is the sign it represents—in the initial dream exploration, he has determined that the books he has never seen are all blank, whether it is a small stall or a library, most books only have a cover. He even guessed that these covers all came from a corner of his memory. If he had never seen them before, maybe they wouldn't even exist.
But the Mathematics Olympiad textbook on Zerro's desk overturned his conclusion.
Why didn't he notice the difference at first? Was there an omission in the first two or three months of exploration, or did this change happen later?
If it's the latter, then it's worth pondering.
If Mathematics Olympiad can come into being out of nothing and gradually recover, what about other books, or everything he has never seen?
Obtaining strange powers, eliminating Fallen Evils, liberating the power of nature... What is the connection between these things? Could it be the cause of the world's changes? These are all questions that Roland urgently wants to find answers to.
“Your Majesty?”
Nightingale's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
Roland lowered his head and realized that his hands were unknowingly pressed on the back of her feet, and he was unconsciously stroking back and forth—through the thin socks, he could clearly feel her smooth skin and slender toes.
“Although I changed into new ones, the boat couldn't wash my body,” Nightingale said a little embarrassedly, “I'm afraid it's still a little dirty... Or, should I go wash first?”
Roland felt extremely embarrassed. He was clearly thinking about some very important issues, so why would he subconsciously do this?
And, what does "go wash first" mean? I didn't mean to do this on purpose!
Just as he didn't know how to explain, the office door was suddenly knocked, easing the atmosphere. After Nightingale disappeared into the mist, he cleared his throat and said, "Come in."
Agatha walked into the office. She gave a simple salute and said, "The samples from the Great Snow Mountain have all been transferred to the Third Border City. Would you like to take a look?"
Roland pretended to think for a while, and nodded after his mind calmed down, "Of course, let's go now."
"Yes," Agatha responded. When she reached the door, she turned around again, "Do you feel unwell?"
"Why do you ask?" He was slightly taken aback.
"Your voice is a little strange, which is a sign of catching a cold," Agatha said seriously, "Although the Evil Moon has passed, the melting snow is the coldest time, and diseases are very easy to invade the body. You are not a witch, so you should always remember to protect your body, even if not for yourself, but also for the sake of all mankind, do you understand? Before we leave, I'll ask Lily to examine you first."
……
Fortunately, this examination didn't take too long. Roland drank a bottle of Lily's specially made "Disease Repellent Water" in amusement, and under the heavy protection of the guards and witches, entered the depths of the Impassable Mountain Range.
The Taqila survivors who came to greet him made him breathe a sigh of relief.
Apart from Pasha and Erwa, the others were all very familiar "dream regulars"—"Number Seventy-Six" Phyllis, "Demon Insect Nest" Falti, "Lightless Veil" Tonen, and "Shadow Walker" Ling. Although, except for Phyllis, the others also appeared as male Divine Punishment Army soldiers, they had all enjoyed the dream world, and their eyes were much more peaceful.
"I heard you want to raise those insects of unknown origin in our hall, and you also plan to try to tame them?" Erwa said first, "Mortal King, I have to admit that you are simply audacious, no less than those crazy Seekers' Society researchers, but this kindness is also likely to destroy you—you know, that is a species left by the Deep Sea enemies!"
"That's why I want you to watch over it. The captured reptiles are not aggressive, nor will they burrow through mountains. A secret room is enough to control them," Roland shrugged. "And according to Agatha's observation, these insects have no self-awareness and only eat and reproduce according to their instincts. It cannot be ruled out that the many-eyed monster that escaped can regain control of them, but if even it can approach Neverwinter City, we're probably done for anyway."
"Isn't Agatha a member of the Seekers' Society?" Erwa shook her tentacles dismissively. Since she was also a high-level Ascender before her transformation, she didn't have as much respect for the Ice Witch as Phyllis did.
Agatha, who was innocently affected, just curled her lips, obviously too lazy to argue with her.
"Speaking of which, Celine is also a member of the Seekers' Society. She'll definitely argue with you again when she hears this," Pasha pulled her behind her and apologized to Roland, "Erwa is just worried that these alien insects may pose a threat to Neverwinter City. She doesn't mean anything else."
"It's okay," Roland waved his hand, "Let's go take a look at them first."
He knew in his heart that Erwa's statement was not without reason, but what Agatha and Lightning mentioned in the report was really significant. If all the insects were destroyed because of a little risk, it would be a bit like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Placing them in the depths of the mountains was an insurance measure in itself.
"Yes, please follow me," Pasha nodded.
……
Passing through the wide hall and the narrow passage, the group entered another open area—it was about the size of four or five castles, and the several luminous magic stones embedded in the wall could barely outline its outline. The ground under their feet was like it had been plowed, covered with loose soil, and the sound of trickling water could be heard from the other end.
"This is the cultivation room that Flan has newly opened up," Pasha introduced, "There is only one exit, and the underground water flow comes from the seepage of the rock wall, so safety can be guaranteed. But... do you really plan to raise mushrooms and alien insects in it?"
"Because those huge mushrooms are exactly the food of the insects," Agatha explained, "If they can grow normally here, we only need to spend very little effort to get a large number of alien insects."
If they can't be transplanted, Lily will have to cultivate them artificially. Roland thought with regret, it's a pity that the mushrooms in the Snow Mountain ruins are poisonous and cannot be eaten by humans. Otherwise, with the huge size of the underground mushrooms, they could completely become a high-protein food to replace meat.
"What do you need so many insects for?" Phyllis asked curiously, "If it's just to study them, a small number of captive ones should be enough, right?"
"They may be of great use to the development of Neverwinter City," Roland gestured to Agatha, "If the report is correct."
The latter nodded, found a strange reptile lying on a mushroom, dragged it to the ground, and then summoned two ice cones to nail it to the joints on its head and waist.
The insect struggled desperately for a moment, and quickly stiffened.