Chapter 255: Breeding

Winterwood City·Jiantong Residence

Chang Ye Yue held up her black umbrella and stood outside the main gate of Jiantong Residence.

San Yue Qi followed beside her, already changed into a casual outfit that didn't look too out of place in this world, her pink hair tied into a neat ponytail.

Sakura Matou was wrapped in a loose coat by Chang Ye Yue, her small hands clutching tightly to Chang Ye Yue's skirt hem, her violet eyes lowered, looking at the ground.

She had already discarded the thin underskirt, wearing a relatively fitting old garment found in the residence, but her expression remained somewhat blank, and her reactions to the outside world were sluggish.

"There's nothing here worth lingering over any longer."

Chang Ye Yue gave the gloomy old mansion one last glance, her crimson eyes showing no emotion, "Insect Lair, decay, and that old monster that was dealt with... staying too long only drags on unnecessary misfortune."

They had already conducted a quick search of the residence, taking away a few potentially useful items, and also ensured that Jiantong Yan Ye was placed in a relatively comfortable room, applying a deeper sleep suggestion.

"Where are we going next, sister?"

San Yue Qi asked, her voice carrying a hint of anticipation, "Find an inn? Or, as the setting says, find a 'Magic Workshop'? By the way, does this world really have Magic? Can I learn it?"

Chang Ye Yue gave her a helpless glance, "Inn. You need to adapt to the role of a 'Servant' while assimilating the common knowledge granted by the Heroic Spirit Hall. Magic…"

She paused, "Your power system is fundamentally different from this world's Magic; forced learning may not be beneficial. As for the workshop, there's no need for it right now."

She said, turning first, and walked toward the brighter street outside the residence.

San Yue Qi hurried to follow, and Sakura Matou also silently took small steps, keeping close behind.

The three figures gradually receded, disappearing around the corner.

They did not know, nor had they investigated further.

In the deepest part of this already deserted gloomy mansion, at the far end of the underground secret cavern—rarely even stepped into by Jiantong Zangyan, perhaps already forgotten, sealed by multiple barriers and Insect Technique—...

There existed an absolutely sealed space.

There was no light here, only endless rustling sounds, as if billions of lives were whispering simultaneously.

In the center of the space lay a massive shadow that defied description.

Its form constantly shifted, sometimes resembling a tangled mass of roots, other times a pulsating giant egg.

It possessed no clear consciousness, only the most primal impulse—'Breeding'.

Multiply. Spread. Cover.

Transform its own existence into more existence.

Turn the finite 'one' into infinite 'many'.

This is the sole law etched into its very foundation, the meaning of its birth, and the inevitability of its end.

It differs fundamentally from this world's Insect Technique.

Jiantong family's Engraved Insect is merely a feeble imitation of an insignificant strand of its billions of manifestations, arguably a degenerated, crude copy.

It is a residual embodiment of a higher‑rank, one of the universe's fundamental laws—Fate—specifically the 'Breeding' Fate...

A tiny 'seed'.

At some unknown time, it drifted here, inadvertently trapped by this world's Suppression Force within this cramped space, falling into an almost eternal slumber.

Jiantong ancestors perhaps accidentally discovered its existence, mistaking it for a powerful 'source of insects', attempting to harness it, but could only grasp its surface aura, giving rise to the so‑called Insect Technique, and building the family's foundation upon it.

For centuries it has remained here, quietly 'sleeping', and merely by the faint unconscious aura it emits, it has warped this land, nourished the Jiantong bloodline, and sowed the root of the family's eventual insect backlash.

Until recently, Chang Ye Yue erased Jiantong Zangyan's presence, and the barriers and Insect Technique that had been woven throughout the residence, based on the old insect's will, began to collapse.

When Chang Ye Yue performed a summons here, that abnormal fluctuation, like a stone tossed into stagnant water, sent a barely perceptible ripple across the Barrier of this sealed space.

At this moment, deep within the absolute darkness and silence, the massive shadow seemed... to writhe.

As if a sleeping giant beast, in a dreamless slumber, was briefly disturbed by a distant, familiar yet strange noise.

Then, it returned to dead silence.

Only the endless rustling whispers continue to echo faintly in this unknown sealed chamber.

Waiting, perhaps never to arrive...

The day of awakening.

Perspective shift.

The sky was lead‑gray, low‑hanging black clouds seemed within reach, pressing down so heavily it stole one's breath.

The sea bore a somber hue, its white‑foamed waves repeatedly crashing against black reefs and gray‑white sand.

Sakura stood on this oppressive beach, treading the cold, damp sand grains.

She wore simple, movement‑friendly attire, her pink long hair tousled by the salty sea breeze, and her azure eyes fixed intently ahead.

About twenty meters away, a crude wheelchair faced away from her, its back toward the gloomy sea.

Sitting in the wheelchair was a figure, visible only by a head of soft, shoulder‑length pale‑gold hair and a hand on the armrest with distinct knuckles and slightly pallid skin.

It was A Ge Lai Ya.

Sakura inhaled deeply, the icy, salty air filling her lungs, causing a slight shiver, yet her gaze grew ever more resolute.

She reached out, grasping the katana hilt at her left waist, which emitted icy blossoms and a gleaming sheath.

Slowly, accompanied by a faint metallic scrape, Sakura drew the katana.

Past World Paradise·Central Hall

Not long ago, the 'improvised awkward dance performance' involving Ailixiya, Kevin, and Ke Xia had just concluded.

The air still seemed to retain a lingering, inescapable awkward aftertaste.

On a long sofa at one side of the hall, Xi Lian, Da Ti Bao, and Ke Xia sat together.

Under Xi Lian's pink short hair, her face still bore a faint lingering flush; Da Ti Bao clutched a pillow brought from the Letu lounge, burying half her face inside, revealing a pair of curious yet slightly drowsy eyes.

Ke Xia's expression remained normal, though she occasionally, uncontrollably, gave a slight shoulder shake—the side effect of Sai Fei Er still persisted.

On the opposite sofa, Ailixiya remained full of energy, as if she hadn't been the one leading the earlier hopping, playfully fiddling with the now‑defunct pink star‑shaped sunglasses in her hand.

Wei Er Wei sat on a high stool, with several semi‑transparent engineering panels hovering before her, her eyebrows dancing as she recorded something.

At that moment, in the mid‑air at the center of the hall, a gentle light screen automatically unfolded, and the system's Calm voice sounded:

【Notice: Except for Ailixiya and Kevin, the fate‑adaptation simulations for the other Yingjie have been completed. The Golden Descendant rescue assistance protocol 'Persuasion' agreement can now be activated.】

"Eh~"

Ailixiya was the first to speak, her tone carrying just the right mix of regret and playfulness, "What a pity, Kevin and I aren't ready yet~ Looks like we'll have to be spectators for this commotion, huh?"

Xi Lian's eyes lit up as she looked at the light screen: "Can we start already?"

As a Golden Descendant, her longing to rescue her companions is especially sincere.

Da Ti Bao lifted her head from the pillow and blinked.

Na Ke Xia also stopped the slight tremor of her shoulders and looked at the light screen.

Wei Er Wei snapped her fingers, the engineering panel before her retracted, and she rubbed her hands excitedly: "Fate simulation completed? Good, good! Finally we reach the implementation test phase! Tell me, what should we do? Do you need me to build some big contraption to smash those ConfinementSpace open?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a new line of text appeared on the light screen: