I'll report this to the government and send all the main characters to jail.

Chapter 286 Taking stock of the spoils, new clues

The journey back to the lunar base was silent.

Everyone was still immersed in the tragic self-sacrifice of Oghuz and the ups and downs of this expedition.

Only when the fleet safely docked at the secret shipyard on the far side of the moon did Chen Zhou breathe a long sigh of relief, feeling as if he had lived two lives.

"Advisor, we...are back."

"Hmm." Su Chen nodded. His pale complexion had improved somewhat, but he still needed time to recover from his mental exhaustion.

He didn't attend any celebrations or receive any hero's cheers.

He immediately went to the core secret room of the base.

This is the most heavily defended place in the entire civilization of Earth.

In the center of the secret room, three things floated silently.

The first item was the irregular crystal made of solidified light that had just been acquired—the third fragment of the Genesis Ark.

The second item was a sphere of light that flickered with a faint flame of the soul.

That is the soul of Oghuz.

When he sacrificed his flagship, Su Chen, through a soul contract, saved his collapsing soul at the last moment.

It's such a pity that a celestial-level henchman, one who had completely surrendered and proven his loyalty, died like this.

Although his physical body is gone, leaving only his soul, and his strength is greatly reduced, his knowledge, experience, and calculation ability remain.

Whether he becomes a personal grandfather or a new body for him, he will be of great value.

This can be considered Su Chen's final act of loyalty to him... a small reward.

The third thing is a huge, invisible data set.

This was an incredibly precious gift that the collective consciousness bestowed upon him at the end of the transaction.

A vast knowledge base about the nature, cultivation, and application of "spiritual power".

This knowledge base contains countless different civilizations' understanding and application of spiritual power.

Some people construct an "inner universe" through meditation.

There are those who gather "collective will" through faith.

Some have used technology to transform mental power into "information weapons".

……

It encompasses everything and is profound and extensive.

This was priceless to Su Chen.

His own "Divine Kingdom of Will" is powerful, but it relies more on his innate talent.

And with the assistance of the "prophet," many of the ways to use it are still very crude.

This knowledge base, like a comprehensive "martial arts manual," illuminated his path forward.

This allows him to systematically and efficiently develop and utilize his mental strength.

Once he fully masters this knowledge base, his ability to utilize his mental power will definitely reach a new level.

Next time I use the "Spear of Will," it won't be drained like it was this time.

"This expedition, though perilous, yielded unprecedentedly great results."

Su Chen looked at the three spoils in front of him and made some plans in his mind.

In terms of hard power, the fleet tested the performance of new weapons and shields through actual combat.

Although the mothership was lost, valuable combat data was collected, pointing the way for the next stage of upgrades and replacements.

In terms of soft power, Oghuz's complete allegiance and this spiritual knowledge base have greatly enhanced the foundation of Earth's civilization.

Not to mention, the most crucial piece is that third fragment of the Ark map.

Just as Su Chen was preparing to delve deeper into the mental power knowledge base, he suddenly discovered a piece of information that had been deliberately left behind by the collective consciousness and was extremely well hidden in a corner of the knowledge base.

This information does not belong to any one civilization, but is a deduction about the essence of the "Ark of Creation" derived by the collective consciousness itself through sorting out the relics and information of countless civilizations.

It is not a creation.

It's more like a 'projection' left by a higher-dimensional being in our dimension.

The fragments we see are not its true form, but rather its 'form' manifested in the three-dimensional universe due to incompatibility of its rules.

Each fragment, in itself, contains the 'rules' that distort and rewrite reality.

[Collecting them might not be for the purpose of 'using' it.]

Rather, it is through these "projections" that we can "understand" and "peek" into the essence of that higher-dimensional existence.

That might be the only path to truly transcend this 'garden'...

Su Chen's heart skipped a beat as he read the text.

A projection of higher-dimensional existence?

Is it for understanding, not for use?

This conclusion completely overturned his previous understanding of the Creation Ark.

He always thought that the Creation Ark was like a magical artifact.

Or a super battleship; once all the pieces are assembled, it can be activated, granting immense power.

But now it seems that's not the case at all.

Its essence may be closer to a "key".

A "key" that can unlock access to higher dimensions and understand higher-level rules.

If that's the case, then the significance of collecting all the Arks becomes completely different.

It's no longer about getting a weapon to fight the "Gardener".

Instead, it's about enabling yourself to become a "gardener," or even surpass the role of a "gardener"!

Su Chen's breathing became somewhat rapid.

He felt as if he had touched upon the most fundamental secret of the universe.

Avoiding "pruning" and defeating "pests" are just processes.

The real goal is "ascending to a higher dimension" and "transcending"!

He looked at the three spoils of war, his eyes becoming incredibly deep.

He knew which way to go from here.

Consolidate what you've gained, improve your skills, and then...

Su Chen's gaze fell on the third fragment of the Genesis Ark, which was quietly floating in the air.

it's time.

It's time to see what kind of future the combination of the three fragments will point to.

He took a deep breath, reached out, and took out the two fragments of the map he had obtained earlier from his storage space.

Three irregularly shaped crystals, emitting a soft glow, slowly approached each other in the sealed chamber...