Hallownest gradually regained its vitality, and the bugs lived peacefully in their respective territories, with years passing calmly and harmoniously.
Simon arrived at the Resting Grounds.
The Seer was no longer there; in her dwelling, a small bug was crawling around.
Simon stepped forward and picked up the bug; the pheromones of its own kind quickly soothed the little creature.
It was a male bug.
Simon silently surveyed his surroundings. It was still filled with lingering dreams, and the light was dim and faint. He remembered the first time he saw the Seer; her peaceful demeanor was reassuring, and her contagiously kind voice still echoed softly in his ears.
The Radiance was dead, so her kin would also follow.
The guilty moths could finally rest with their sins.
The little bug in his arms was a bit hungry and squirmed. Simon placed him on the ground and went out to hunt alone.
In the underground kingdom, small crawlers were always the most numerous. These pathetic, unintelligent creatures swept the ground repeatedly with their sieve-like mouthparts, licking up sparse organic matter to replenish their energy. They were always moving, because to stop would mean to starve to death.
It was said that during the White King's reign, all bugs were equal, and there was no mutual predation. However, bugs like the small crawlers, which had no intelligence whatsoever, were probably still considered food.
Simon killed a few crawlers, peeled their shells, and took out the insect meat.
While feeding, he felt a little emotional.
He chewed the insect meat into a paste, then held it in his hand, letting the Little Maintenance Grub lick it.
Nati had raised Simon in the same way back then.
His parents were still in slumber, but the day of their hatching was probably approaching soon.
The little bug soon fell asleep. Simon pulled down the thick red velvet curtain by the wall, rolled it into a small nest, and placed the little bug inside.
Then he fell into a state of idleness. The Seer would not be resurrected, and the Dream Nail was nowhere to be found.
Simon spaced out for a while, then suddenly remembered the Seer's last meaningful words when he last saw her: "There is a resting place for souls nearby. When you feel lost, you can go and see. Although you, without the Dream Nail, cannot communicate with them, the peaceful aura will still give you strength to move forward."
Just then, the Soul Sanctum was nearby. Simon entered it. On both sides of the path were iron-carved railings with sun patterns, a symbol of The Radiance. This was a sacred place for the moth tribe.
The air was filled with soul wisps. After crossing a blue river, he arrived at a multi-layered cemetery, where platforms were dug into the cave walls, and small graves were placed on each platform.
A tranquil river flowed silently around the cemetery. Following the sound of the water deeper into the swamp, he gradually left the grave area, only to see many Waterfalls at the end, pouring their rustling water into a small lake below. These numerous Waterfalls all flowed from rock walls carved with double-holed masks. Abundant water vapor condensed on the cold stones, gathering into tears in the eye holes of the masks, falling down the faces.
The sound of rushing water always reminded Simon of the scene of washing clothes by the river, which was his former homeland. Now, thinking back, he couldn't distinguish whether it was real or an illusion.
Memories too distant become illusions. Perhaps it truly was this way.
Among these Waterfalls, one was particularly different. It didn't flow from a crevice but from a narrow opening. Simon followed the water into the opening, waded through a long, narrow waterway, and entered a hidden space.
The place was filled with moth statues.
They varied in height and distance, but their forms were all the same.
There was chest-high water on the ground. Simon flew up to the cave ceiling to overlook the entire grotto.
In the center of the statue group was a small platform, and on the platform was another half-body moth statue. In front of the statue lay a fantastical sword hilt.
It was the Dream Nail.
Simon picked up the Dream Nail, and a powerful force surged from it, pulling him into the Dream World.
...
Dazed and disoriented.
Simon's Dream World was a gloomy, dark land.
A giant pit was sunken in the center of the earth, like a well of the abyss.
Simon's collective consciousness was at the bottom of the abyss, a Black Egg.
Sub-consciousnesses emerged from the Black Egg's smooth surface, fought, and climbed up the stairs. The corpses of the defeated fell, and the victors devoured memories.
This abyss was bottomless; the sub-consciousnesses could never escape. All they could do was climb higher, devour each other, and make themselves more complete.
Now, a mesmerizing, colorful white light fell from the sky, shining directly on the Black Egg.
The essence stored in the Dream Nail overflowed, swallowed and absorbed by the collective consciousness. A large number of sub-consciousnesses emerged from the Black Egg, carrying Nails, and began to charge upwards.
After a long time, the light beam dimmed.
By this time, the number of sub-consciousnesses was nearly ten thousand.
The Black Egg grew black roots, implanting them into the marrow of the abyss, spreading upwards, reaching out of the earth. The roots intertwined, forming a towering tree.
The Root of the Void.
Its smooth, leafless branches twisted chaotically, extending wantonly in all directions, like a crown, like fireworks.
And at the top of the most exalted branch, a pure white fruit hung.
Like a newborn sun.
...
Simon sat up, patting his cylindrical head, feeling a bit dizzy.
Ever since being tainted by the Void, the sub-consciousnesses would involuntarily devour each other. This was not a bad thing, nor would it generate distorted resentment. Instead, it could better sort out the fragmented memories in lingering dreams and improve the quality of consciousness. Therefore, Simon canceled the Dream Gladiator Arena and, mimicking the abyss, created the Dark Colosseum.
Two things greatly surprised him: one was that the flower had merged into his dream, transforming into the fruit on the Root of the Void; the other was that the Dream Nail would release all its Dream Essence and fall into slumber again.
Simon gently stroked the Dream Nail in his hand, this beautiful sword hilt.
How did the Little Knight use it?
Simon stared at the disc on the Dream Nail's hilt, feeling a faint tremor within. He raised the hilt, and dream runes flickered. A beautiful beam of flame shot out from the disc, forming a glowing blade.
The blade retracted.
Simon sighed. The Dream Nail was a divine artifact capable of peering into hearts, but this was both a blessing and a curse. If one became accustomed to using the Dream Nail to steal dream-words, it might lead to irreparable mistakes.
For example, the soul singer in the Pleasure House of the City of Tears, or the Queen of the Hive.
The simplest example was these lingering dreams in the Soul Sanctum; swinging the Dream Nail at them would kill them.
Though he only wanted to know their thoughts, it resulted in their deaths.
He gained nothing but a few points of Dream Essence.
All that remained was guilt and sorrow.
After cautioning himself not to misuse the Dream Nail, Simon suddenly remembered that in the game, there was a hidden location called the Seeker's Shrine in his current area. One only needed to strike a certain statue with the Dream Nail, but with so many statues around now, he couldn't distinguish which one it was.
He was not in a hurry to go to that mysterious shrine. In his opinion, he would have plenty of time later to unearth the secrets of Hallownest little by little.
Now, perhaps he should go to the cemetery to see those glorious souls and hear their stories. And then, Simon thought, he would go to the Howling Cliffs to initiate the Fire Ritual.
He slowly returned to the cemetery. With the Dream Nail, he could now see the souls on each of the graves.
These souls maintained their appearance from life, only they were somewhat ethereal and shimmered with a dreamlike glow.
After conversing with them, among nearly a hundred souls, one in particular left a deep impression on Simon.
It was a bug named the One Hundred Nail Warrior. Although he claimed to have a hundred Nails, he only had three on him.
His tone was friendly and confident, "Though I only have three Nails, each is sharper than the last. I only need to draw one to defeat you... Aren't my Nails the most wonderful things in this world?"
Simon thought to himself, he too had once carried three Nails. Back then, he was the Fool King.
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