I, the leader of the esoteric sect, am doing great things in the infinite world!

Li Lin grumbled and complained under his breath, full of resentment.

However, there's a saying that the more politically incorrect a joke is, the more it evokes the urge to break taboos, and the sense of transgression after crossing the line is so pleasurable that it's almost like raising a flag.

Professor Heinrich frowned deeply. He didn't quite understand Li Lin's story, especially the names of the people involved, but he was still quite interested in the development of the story.

In just over a thousand words, it encompasses the buying and selling of time during the dawn, the coveting of the crowned offspring of the Void Source God by the Mansu, the long-standing struggle of the double-horned axe and silk thread against the crowned offspring, and most importantly, the pilgrimage and the "Second Dawn" ceremony.

Si Chen, one of the Four Sons of the Sun, is in charge of the path and gateway to death in Mansu, namely the Gate of Pure White. On the frost-covered path outside the Gate of Pure White, all that remains are the silent dead, wandering there because of their deaths.

The liquidators have entered into some kind of secret pact with the celestial being, allowing them to use the Book of Ashes and the Silence spell to trade years in the waking world.

In the traditional beliefs of the Ming Dynasty, Xin Dan was often referred to as "Yama, the King of Hell," who held the power to determine lifespan. This power also had a very localized name—"the Book of Life and Death."

As for the Crowned Progeny, this Void Source Master of Time appears extremely sinister. His desire lies in infection and transformation. In the many seasons of the waking world and the wandering world, there is always a period when large-scale diseases and plagues are likely to occur, and the source of power for this season comes from the Crowned Progeny.

He intended to enter Mansus, even breaching the woodland at one point, plunging four thousand eight hundred stars into a dark night, until He was blocked at the Gate of Pure White by the Twin-Horned Axe and the Silken, ultimately unable to advance an inch. To this day, the Crowned Son still watches Mansus, while the Twin-Horned Axe and the Silken remain wary of the Crowned Son's ambitions.

The so-called "pilgrimage" is supposedly a ritual of dubious authenticity initiated by the Night Watchman, Pupil Door. Legend has it that at the end of all history, he will convene a pilgrimage of seven people, the leader of whom is Sichen, the Wanderer.

Countless souls will pave the way for them, and the seven pilgrims will devour the Four Sons of the Sun—ultimately, the Supreme Lord of the Sun, shattered in the forging arena, will rise again from the blood, illuminating every corner once more without end. This is the "Second Dawn" prophesied by the Sisterhood of the Knot and the Cult of the Invincible Sun God.

Various historical developments, myths and legends, and ambiguous prophecies, whether true or false, combine to form this absurd story.

Although I don't understand the story yet, I can feel its absurdity and unconventional atmosphere just by listening to it.

Professor Heinrich suddenly felt uneasy: Would the straw maker abandon his believer because of the person in front of him?

"Don't worry, Professor Heinrich."

Forget-Me-Not reached into her pocket and pulled out a silver-gray pocket watch. After checking the time, she snapped the lid shut, then smiled and pushed up her glasses.

"The Grassmaker is not a particularly powerful or prominent named one—at least when we talk about the named one of the Striped King, the first thing that comes to mind is always the two-colored moth named Heterodactylus; when we think of Silky, we always think of that mature old cat."

Heterodactylus is the first named moth in the forest, and its appearance is extremely similar to that of a moth, like a giant moth with two colors.

The Old Man Cat is even more significant, having played a crucial role in the awakening of the Silky Maiden. Considering that the history at that time had been tangled into a mess by many diviners, it is no longer clear what exactly it did. However, it is known that among the named figures of the Silky Maiden, the Old Man Cat always ranks first.

As for renowned figures like the Crucible King, who are famous throughout the Mansu, needless to say.

The reputation of the straw maker was clearly not as great as that of the aforementioned ones.

As if to express its attitude, almost the instant after the forget-me-not finished its verbal rant, a fresh scent appeared in the botanical garden. The lush greenery, so dense it seemed to drip, filled the surrounding space, and if you touched it, it would even burst open.

The dense darkness trembled and receded like a skin, revealing a grassy green, while a series of loud drumbeats sounded like a heartbeat, and a string of joyful laughter entered the thoughts of everyone present.

In that instant, a tangled, knotted "plant" appeared before Li Lin's eyes. It had no boundaries and was constantly undergoing subtle changes, with each change accompanied by cheerful laughter.

Amidst the interplay of new and dark green, exaggerated smiling faces appear and disappear, wriggling, twitching, and trembling like caterpillars climbing fruit trees.

That is the true form of the grass maker, ivy with many other names such as "gardener", "florist" and "grass grower". Its roots are between the inside and outside of the dream, penetrating into the foundation of the dream, using absurdity and hypocrisy as its resources.

[Impact: Vibrant greenery]

[The third-tier "grass" phase has an impact.]

Only in the most unique places where grass grows can such power emerge.

[A third-order influence. One "grass" phase influence requires one moth phase, one cup phase, and one heart phase influence.]

Power and danger intertwine and become one!

[The current impact does not exist in the waking world!]

So this joke was so powerful that the grass maker was so happy that he descended to earth to take a look at Master Li.

Professor Heinrich, who was standing nearby, immediately noticed that Li Lin was staring directly at the straw man. He was both furious and jealous of Li Lin's good luck, and amazed by Li Lin's special ability to stare directly at the straw man without going crazy.

Whether or not they are true believers, the Named Ones and the Divine Beasts cannot be looked at directly, because they are actually the entities of truth and principles. Believers who follow these powerful principles will only disintegrate into pure power essence the moment they look at them directly, and offer it to the Divine Beasts and the Named Ones.

This is why rituals exist. Their essence is not merely to invoke the divine power of the celestial deity, but to serve as a filter, preventing believers from being destroyed under the celestial deity's gaze.

"I hope he won't make any unreasonable demands," Professor Heinrich thought to himself.

When the straw maker is in a good mood, he often praises and gives gifts to his apprentices who perform well, and Li Lin undoubtedly meets this condition.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Lin stared wide-eyed, seemingly mesmerized by the spectacle before him. He slowly raised his arm, then, to the astonishment of the crowd, deliberately inserted it into his crotch...

This action is familiar to everyone here.

The forget-me-not inhaled a mouthful of fresh carbon dioxide, choked by its own saliva, and coughed repeatedly.

272. Bad news, I didn't get a spot in the second closed beta test.

Some might question Li Lin's sexual fetish, calling this liking for giant aliens that have nothing to do with humans a quirk.

After all, they are still living in the waking world, and their values ​​are not yet advanced enough.

"My God, this is so weird," the exile exclaimed instinctively.

“Strange? What’s strange about it?!” Professor Heinrich retorted with dissatisfaction. Although he didn’t quite understand Li Lin’s behavior either, as a believer in the Grass Maker, the exile’s exclamation was undoubtedly questioning the Grass Maker’s “beauty.”

"The straw maker is beautiful and wonderful!"

"Rebuilding is above all... How could you argue about something like this?!" Forget-me-not never expected that these troublesome people could quarrel over such trivial matters.

Just as the scene was becoming increasingly absurd, the dumpling lying on Li Lin's head punched Li Lin in the eye socket, and then the tail hanging on Li Lin's head instantly grew longer and became scorching hot, sweeping across the surrounding space.

Two colors, dark red and bright yellow, flashed across the darkness, and blazing flames rose in the void, spreading far and wide, burning away the heavy scent of raw grass.

The powerful third-order influence was reduced to a lower level of influence: the Moth Phase, the Heart Phase, and the Cup Phase. Subsequently, under the will of the Year, it was used as fuel for the burning fire.

In an instant, everyone present came to their senses.

"...Even the blood of the earth cannot maintain its own consciousness?" Forget-me-not's eyes lit up slightly, and he reached out to push up his glasses.

If this is indeed the case, then the title "Foundation of the Forest" in the name of the straw maker may not be false.

The Blood of the Earth is the offspring of the Wheel and the Flint, and the Moth King emerged from the Wheel and devoured it. Its blood gave birth to the Silk, whose status was inherited by the Skin of Thunder.

The power of the Grass Maker, capable of influencing the bloodline of the earth, is far more astonishing than Forget-Me-Not imagined.

“Of course it’s not that serious.” The exile reached up and pressed the feather ornament at his temple. “It’s just… a little illusion.”

At most, it was just the amount of fungus she ate that made her a little excited and overly sensitive.

Heinrich suddenly asked, "Then what's the situation with this Mr. Abraham?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Li Lin's illness was far more serious than that of a straw maker.

On the other side, Li Lin pulled his hand out, and in his palm was a bright green seed.

Upon closer inspection, the seed's surface reveals intricate patterns composed of fresh green and pale yellow hues, displaying different colors with each glance.

[Seeds: Ivy's Approval]

[Sexual characteristics: Cup, Heart, Moth]

A seed with unique patterns still lies dormant. So too do the foundation stones of the woodland.

Although it was a gift from the grass maker, its nature and characteristics belong to the principle of the Celestial Master Huan Shan. In fact, the grass maker has revealed one of his secrets to Li Lin: among the many Celestial Masters of the forest, the one he truly follows is the ancient Celestial Master named Huan Shan.

As Li Lin gazed at the seed that looked very special, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"The maker gave me this seed... the seed..."

"He gave you a ancestral chromosome," Nian whispered in Li Lin's ear.

The words entered Li Lin's uniquely diseased brain, and Li Lin's eyes widened instantly: "Really? That's great news!"

An excited Mr. Li pulled around a few people and said, "Today I plant a seed, and tomorrow a bunch of vine-wielding monster girls will grow..."

Before he could finish speaking, Li Lin's eyes began to glaze over, and he seemed to see a group of little girls with bright green hair calling out "Daddy" to him as they surrounded him.

"Don't fight over them, we have hot dogs too." Li Lin smiled happily.

"Oh, sorry, my wife's acting up again."

Nian Tuanzi said, then swung its tail at Li Lin's forehead, waking Master Li from his illusion.

"I think I just heard some insulting words," Li Lin said thoughtfully.

“You misheard,” Nian said. “It’s normal for a lunatic to mishear, isn’t it?”

“That makes sense.” Li Lin nodded.

Li Lin raised his hand and placed the Nian on the ground, then kicked it.

“Oh.”

As the dragon soared into the air and was about to disappear, it flicked its tail and wrapped it around Li Lin's neck. The two of them fell off the second-floor staircase in the middle of the botanical garden and tumbled all the way into the woods.

“In short, we’ve taken care of your problem.” The exile’s eyelids twitched, and he looked away from the two people playing in the bushes. “So, what’s the reward?”

Professor Heinrich was about to say something when a flash of bright green light seemed to appear before his eyes. His body involuntarily leaned back, but returned to normal after a very brief silence.

“The reward I originally prepared for you was not that painting—” Professor Heinrich said, “but if you want it, it’s not impossible.”

This conversation was somewhat unexpected, as the exiles had originally planned to scout out the University of Rostock.

It's like you and your bunch of silly buddies in the dorm are joking around with Guo Nan, and then suddenly a classmate messages you saying that a few girls call you "Disgusting Guo Nan".

You don't even know their names.

But there was no reason not to drink the welcoming wine that was served, so the exile nodded slightly: "Name your price."