---o---
Dahlia's expression faltered for an instant before quickly returning to normal. If Fu Zhu's eyes weren't so sharp, he likely would have missed the subtle change.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, you jest. I grew up in Penacony and have been raised by The Family my entire life. Naturally, I want to contribute to The Family. How could I possibly run off to become a Cremator?"
"Is that so? What a pity."
With a look of disappointment, Fu Zhu took out a bucket of milk and drank it down right in front of Dahlia. At that same moment, Dahlia could feel the wisp of flame she had just injected into Fu Zhu's body suddenly vanish. The expression on her face turned ugly.
Fu Zhu put away the empty bucket and shook his head at Dahlia with a hint of regret.
"With the means you just displayed, it's a shame you're not a Cremator."
With that, Fu Zhu stopped paying her any mind and walked straight ahead on his own.
Dahlia stood frozen in place, her expression laced with hesitation.
She wasn't sure what Fu Zhu meant by his words. His action of destroying the flame she had left in his body was a clear sign that he had discovered her intentions. But why didn't he act? Why would he leave a hidden threat like her around?
However, Dahlia's hesitation lasted only a moment. She immediately quickened her pace and hurried to catch up with Fu Zhu.
Fu Zhu glanced sideways at Dahlia, who was now walking beside him. He didn't say anything, simply continuing to forge his own path forward.
His main priority right now was to solve the True Stingbug problem. Whatever Dahlia's objective was, judging from her recent actions, her target was him. So, he would just let her make her move. In the end, her actions would only determine her own fate; they couldn't change anything else.
Before long, the two of them followed a floating stairway to a suspended high platform. Atop the platform stood two humanoid stone statues, and the path ahead split into two, though both routes eventually led to the same destination.
Aside from that, Fu Zhu also saw another person on the platform. The name on his minimap was familiar.
[Gopher Wood (Remnant)]
Fu Zhu was initially surprised to see Gopher Wood's name, but when he saw the word "Remnant" after it, he understood. This was likely a fragment of the original body, left behind through some special means, much like the relationship between Lygus and Zandar.
The remnant must have heard their footsteps from behind. When he turned and saw Fu Zhu, a trace of surprise flashed across his face.
"It's you? I didn't expect you to come back."
Fu Zhu had no intention of wasting words on a dead man. He got straight to the point.
"Gopher Wood, tell me, what did you initially use to breed the True Stingbugs? We can't let them continue to multiply. If you don't talk, then I'll have to use a more efficient method."
Gopher Wood was about to say something, but he paused when he heard the second half of Fu Zhu's sentence.
"Since you have another, better method, why go through the trouble of asking me?"
Fu Zhu shrugged helplessly.
"Because that method has a slightly… significant side effect."
He was planning to just blow this entire area into a void, then build a World Eater machine to sweep back and forth across the void, ensuring no bugs slipped through the cracks.
Hearing Fu Zhu's explanation, Gopher Wood fell silent for a long moment. He then turned and walked toward one of the stairways, not forgetting to call out to the two of them over his shoulder, "Follow me."
Fu Zhu immediately followed, while Dahlia, standing to the side, frowned.
She felt like she couldn't quite figure Fu Zhu out. According to the information she had, Gopher Wood had been his enemy. Even if this was just a body made entirely of Memoria, it still retained some of the original's memories.
Wasn't Fu Zhu worried that he was secretly plotting something?
Although she herself was approaching Fu Zhu with ulterior motives, she had no desire to get caught up in someone else's scheme.
After some thought, Dahlia chose to follow.
After all, the 'thrill' she sought this time was one she would never forget for the rest of her life!
Gopher Wood led the two of them up a flight of stairs and into a building that resembled a church. Just as Fu Zhu and Dahlia entered and began to look around, Gopher Wood had already made his way to a high platform within the church, standing with his back to them.
Fu Zhu retracted his gaze from their surroundings and looked up at Gopher Wood, asking with a frown, "This church is the 'thing' you first used to breed the True Stingbugs?"
"Of course not."
Gopher Wood chuckled and turned around, shaking his head. He then began to explain everything.
"These so-called True Stingbugs are fundamentally similar to this body of mine; they are all constructed from Memoria. And the 'thing' that catalyzed this Memoria is something you are all too familiar with—a Stellaron created by [Harmony]!"
"A Stellaron was actually created by [Harmony]?" Fu Zhu felt a little surprised.
Before this, everyone had speculated that Stellarons were likely a product of [Destruction], but no one expected [Harmony] to be involved.
Gopher Wood, on the platform, continued.
"Perhaps you don't know much about True Stingbugs. While their reproductive speed is astonishing, they have one fatal flaw: they cannot be separated from the swarm's queen for too long. Once a swarm loses its queen, an individual within the swarm will attempt to give birth to a new one. But this is very difficult. So, if you want to completely eliminate a swarm in a certain area, you just need to kill the queen."
Fu Zhu looked at Gopher Wood, who was suddenly laying all his cards on the table, and felt a bit confused.
"Why so cooperative all of a sudden? I'm not used to you not plotting something behind my back. Don't tell me you've been possessed?"
Gopher Wood just smiled and shook his head.
"Because it's meaningless now. Although I am just a remnant, due to a past incident, I have completely merged with the entire Dreamscape. After I was defeated by you, I witnessed everything that happened in Penacony. My plan has completely failed, so there's no point in hiding anything from you."
"I should have vanished long ago, but the End Poem has allowed me to barely cling to existence until now. So, in the end, I want to satisfy my last bit of curiosity. I'm just as curious as you are… why have these True Stingbugs become like this?"
Just as Gopher Wood finished speaking, the phone in Fu Zhu's pocket rang. Without hesitation, he answered it. Ruan Mei's voice came from the other end.
"Mr. Fu Zhu, I've arrived in Penacony. With Miss Robin's help, I've conducted some research on the True Stingbugs here. I've discovered that because of the End Poem, the Memoria that constitutes them has undergone a change."
"It's as if a person's DNA has been rewritten. They are the same. Right now, because of the End Poem, they are all attempting to evolve in the same direction. They are all trying to evolve a new 'Queen' to sustain this brand-new colony."
As her voice fell, the roof of the church shattered with a deafening crash. A massive, crimson, insect-winged 'Ender Dragon' broke in!
Fu Zhu stared at the mutated 'Ender Dragon' before him and spoke to Ruan Mei on the other end of the phone.
"I think I know what their final evolutionary goal is now."
---o---