Chapter Thirteen: The Glass Flower

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At 4:10 p.m. Barnard Time.
The darkness caused by the oak tree began to slowly dissipate.
As light returned, everyone still felt as if they were dreaming.
Bathed in sunlight, Anderson felt as though he had returned from hell to the realm of the living.
“Is it over?”
“It should be,” Mallory replied with a complicated expression.
“This incident has far exceeded our authority. The most crucial thing now is to report immediately and wait for instructions from above.”
“Indeed, who can say if it will be a blessing or a curse,” someone muttered, rising shakily with concern etched on their face.
“I don’t think we need to worry too much. Compared to the corruption of the Violet Moon, the spectacle created by the mysterious tree was clearly sacred and holy,” Fanny Campbell turned calmly to address the others.
“If it had been Violet Moon pollution, the darkness just conjured by the mysterious tree would have been enough to drive us completely mad.”
“So, as a member of the Order, I will report the situation here truthfully to my mentor, Lady Rosalia.”
“Furthermore, I ask you all to refrain from speaking lightly of our Holy Tree.”
Fanny Campbell had her own considerations. The oak’s recent display had undoubtedly given it high potential for deification.
And the Druid Order, as a minor religious group long fallen in the modern world, clearly needed development.
If they possessed the oak in the rainforest, it would be easy to harness public opinion and elevate the Order’s social standing.
It could also attract a large number of new adherents.
For these reasons, Fanny was thrilled the moment she regained her senses.
Of course, to maintain her personal image, she tried to remain calm and preserve the sanctity of the oak.
“I understand your desire to protect the oak as a member of the Druid Order, Ms. Campbell, but until we have a conclusion, I’ll reserve judgment.”
“Also, I think everyone should quickly check their condition with the instruments and contact their respective departments.”
Reed, though shaken by the oak’s earlier spectacle, maintained the clear stance of a non-believer.
Fanny Campbell appeared thoughtful, then nodded.
“You’re right. Everyone, do a check first and wait for instructions. After all, this is not a matter we can decide.”
As Fanny finished speaking, the others nodded at once.
Compared to the shock they had just experienced, now that they were clear-headed, everyone was deeply concerned about their own health.
Violet Moon corruption was no trivial matter; none dared take it lightly.
With that, everyone quickly hurried back to the camp.

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The camp was only a few hundred meters away; with quick steps, they soon retrieved devices resembling thermometers and scanned their faces.
“Contamination level, 0.07.”
“Contamination level, 0.23.”
“Contamination level, 0.12.”
“...”
After everyone finished checking, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Compared to the contamination threshold of 10, these minor traces were just residual radiation left from exposure to the Violet Moon.
Simon, seeing the outsiders relax, made a rough assessment in his mind.
Yet his worries deepened.
The spectacle created by the oak might trigger a chain reaction far beyond what his people could handle.
The more miraculous the Holy Tree became, the more likely those ruthless politicians would be a dire threat to his people.
War had never been scarce in this world, and faced with the alliance of roughly twelve Western nations, his people were but a force easily crushed.
For a moment, Simon even considered extreme measures to silence witnesses.
But recalling the oak’s overwhelming display, it was impossible that the satellites orbiting above hadn’t noticed.
Simon clenched his fists tightly, then slowly let go.
For his people, the inherited Holy Tree was more precious than life itself.
If it ever came to that, they would not simply wait for doom.
“A fight to the death? I pray it never comes to that.”
Simon sighed inwardly, placing all hope in the Holy Tree.
Given the oak’s recent display, it was nothing short of divine descent.
So, Simon hoped the Holy Tree might show mercy for their devotion and resolve this looming crisis.
And perhaps, as if in response to Simon’s thoughts—
Suddenly, Simon felt the ground begin to tremble.
At the same time, countless birds frightened by the recent darkness shrieked and soared from the treetops into the sky.
“What now?”
“My god, my heart can’t take much more.”
In an instant, everyone’s nerves, just relaxed, were taut again.
All eyes turned in terror toward the direction of the oak.
The tremor was not strong, but it persisted.

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In the sky, birds flew toward the outer edges of the rainforest.
And in their sight, the oak, which had just settled down, began to rise in height.
Its growth was so rapid that everyone was rendered speechless.
Thunderous rumbling echoed as the oak soared past its former height.
One hundred twenty meters.
One hundred eighty meters.
Two hundred thirty meters.
...
Like a skyscraper piercing the heavens, the oak finally stopped at about three hundred meters.
The whole process took less than a minute.
Everyone witnessed its trunk thicken and its leaves enlarge.
A strong wind had risen in the forest, though no one knew when it began.
Clothes were plastered tightly to skin, and their eyes were forced nearly shut by the gusts.
“Is any of this truly real?”
Anderson was beginning to question his own existence.
Though this sudden surge lacked the special effects of the previous darkness, it was no less awe-inspiring.
The oak’s presence now fundamentally overturned Anderson’s understanding of reality.
From learning about the existence of anti-cancer drugs to witnessing the emergence of the darkness and now the oak’s astonishing transformation, all of this had happened in just half a day.
And in this brief time, Anderson felt unable to distinguish dream from reality.
He wanted to tell himself it was only a dream.
But the roaring wind in his ears and the gigantic oak standing before his eyes—all insisted that what was happening was real.
At thirty-six years old, Anderson could no longer describe his feelings.
Yet just as he struggled to control his complicated and tense emotions, a mysterious fragrance wafted into his nostrils.
Blinking, Anderson realized that, at some unknown moment, the towering oak—like a skyscraper—had begun to bloom, one after another, with dazzling, crystal-like flowers, as radiant and transparent as gems.