Chapter 530
by fanqienovelChapter 530: Miss Themis’s New Skin Is Live
“Hmm… what a pity.”
Trilobite swallowed another roasted little animal corpse, tasting that familiar “crispy and savory” sensation from his past life.
He regretted the rain.
Though the downpour had extinguished the flames, it quickly pooled on the ground, drenching the animal carcasses buried under “vegetation ash” and making them taste worse.
Like waterlogged fried food—no longer crisp or fragrant.
Worse, the rain showed no sign of stopping.
“Pitter-patter—!”
The curtain of rain thickened, pea-sized drops thudding against Trilobite’s head and calcite lenses, muddying his vision and dulling his sense of smell.
This slowed his hunt for “little snacks.”
“I brought this on myself.”
“Vegetation ash rose with hot air currents, merged with cloud droplets, grew heavier, and finally fell as rain.”
“Seems…”
Trilobite considered how useful fire would be for clearing these ancient woods to make space for red tree ferns.
“After all, with the climate version change, clouds almost never break here.”
“Once a fire rages enough, heavy rain will inevitably douse it.”
“So…”
“I can set blazes freely from now on!”
“Perfect!”
A single fire scorched much of the old scalebark tree forest to death.
The survivors were left half-dead.
Crucially, their canopies burned away too.
Space opened up instantly.
“Now the red tree ferns will thrive!”
“Did I just unlock primitive agriculture’s tech path?”
“No ‘slash-and-burn’ yet, but at least I’ve got ‘kindling’!”
Agriculture plans flooded Trilobite’s thoughts—
until reality dashed his hopes.
“Trickle…”
Rushing water filled his ears.
Streams carved by rain swept across the land, mixing vegetation ash into mud and washing animal corpses into swamps.
There, amidst the mire, a murky undercurrent stirred.
He surged like a colossal dragon, carrying vast amounts of "plant ash" and "small animal carcasses," slowly surging toward the ocean.
"Hah…"
"This works out nicely…"
"Turns out after a wildfire, rain washes away most plant ash. The ocean gets the bulk of it."
Trilobite swallowed the "barbecued critters" soaked by floodwaters and splashed into the muddy swamp.
Curiously, he trailed this earthen dragon all the way to the seashore.
"Maybe with my ‘red tree fern tree dam,’ these precious fertilizers won’t just benefit the ocean."
—-
"Whew…"
"Exhausting…"
Miss Themis wiped sweat from her brow with her pale forearms.
Had Trilobite checked her status through the System then, he’d have seen her "Themis · Cambrian" skin had changed entirely.
The once lively swimsuit was replaced by loose denim overalls over a red-and-white flannel shirt. Her sleeves were rolled high, revealing slender arms.
But little else showed.
Beyond the hint of her bust straining the shirt, her figure stayed hidden beneath baggy layers.
Especially under the enormous waterproof workwear covering her jeans.
Trilobite recognized this outfit from his past life—the kind worn by fishpond workers and lotus root harvesters.
Her dainty feet disappeared into heavy rubber boots.
Her twin tails became a single practical ponytail.
A straw hat sat atop her head.
This skin was—Childhood Friend of Agriculture: Harvest Season.
Though less dazzling, the "working girl" vibe held its own charm.
And this "new skin" fit perfectly.
For Miss Themis was truly working now.
When first stationed at the "World’s Edge," she’d resented it deeply.
The Endless Ether constantly hurled furious waves against the "space dam" of Fantasy Trees, shaking the very earth.
Sharp-toothed ether deities would occasionally charge from the Endless Ether.
Initially, Miss Themis felt duped by that "blind scoundrel."
Crouching head-in-hands, she’d mutter "doomed, doomed" while playing dead like a quail.
Yet later…
Events unfolded unexpectedly—even absurdly.
First, the ether deities assaulted the "tree dam."
But all this effort was utterly futile.
Though the “Giant God Fantasy Tree” stood shorter than the “Fantasy Tree of Subspace,” its compact form granted superior stability. Its roots plunged deep into the Primal Mud and Ancient God Fragments.
Smaller ether deities charging headlong merely sacrificed themselves—crashing harmlessly only to be harvested by arriving “living saints” or the “Chaos Demon God.” No meaningful damage was done.
As for the massive ones…
They couldn’t muster their strength in the shallows of the Ether Sea.
Driven by the Endless Ether’s fury, they surged forward, poised to leap and crush the enemy at the Abyss. Yet they found no foothold to unleash their might.
The Ether Sea that once cradled their colossal forms had withdrawn, now barely supporting their bellies or flanks. The void mocked their clumsiness while savage chaotic ether currents sapped their strength.
In the end, forget shattering the “enemy of the Abyss”—if once-mighty ether deities crawled back alive, they counted it a miracle!
This delighted Themis.
“Ha!”
“So border duty means free seafood and kicking the defeated while they’re down!”
“Turns out I misjudged those troublemakers!”
Themis threw herself into managing this sliver of land bordering the “Endless Ether.” She grew oddly engrossed in her “play” these past days.
“Adjust the currents!”
“Hungry little cups, big sister brings treats!”
Wielding her authority, she stirred the currents in the “Ether Sea behind the dam,” churning energy and nutrients from the void and Fire Domain down to the “ocean floor,” right to the “lips” of the “cup-shaped Ancient Gods.” Cooled by their porous bodies, the currents surged back to the surface, ready to absorb fresh energy from the void and Fire Domain…
Themis happily maintained this cycle.
“Caretaker of the cup-shaped Ancient Gods”—the title pleased her, feeling perfectly fitting.
She even fretted over their well-being.
“Ah, trapped in this tiny patch when they’re so adorable! Unbearable.”
“And utterly dazzling!”
The cup-shaped Ancient Gods weren’t single entities, but colonies of countless minute deities working as one.
This granted them a rare trait: tolerance.
“Little gods” that converted Fire Domain energy or ether currents into sustenance flocked to the “divine bones” within these Ancient Gods, seeking refuge from the merciless chaotic ether currents that might hurl them into the Endless Ether.
Naturally, they paid “rent” in energy.
When Fire Domain rays bathed them or ether currents brushed their tiny forms, these little gods stirred. Their bodies glowed with divine power, radiating heat and multicolored light.
Thus, the “cup-shaped Ancient Gods” transformed from pallid husks into kaleidoscopic wonders—neon beacons shimmering through the Ether Sea, breathtakingly vivid and dreamlike.
This was why Themis adored them, serving tirelessly without complaint.
The sole issue…
They multiplied far too slowly!
They seemed overly dependent on the “Chaos Energy” injected by the Giant God.
The Giant God only gave a surge of energy at the start when raising the Cup-shaped Ancient Gods, and then he left them alone; so, these “Cup-shaped Ancient Gods” began to slack off.
By then, they hadn’t even filled the area of the “Ether Sea behind the dam.”
“No way!”
“In the end, it’s still not enough nutrition.”
“How can I give them enough nutrition?”
“Sigh…”
Themis crossed her arms and pouted, deep in thought and very frustrated.
She looked just like a keeper worried about the feed.
But right then…
“Crash…”
“Hiss…”
Themis suddenly felt a wave of discomfort.
As the “Will of the World” that came down to the whole “Giant God Fantasy Tree and the Ether Sea behind the dam,” she could feel connected to the area she ruled to some extent.
That way, she could spot problems quickly.
The discomfort Themis felt wasn’t like pain.
It was more like finding a clean house dirty or neat clothes stained; it didn’t hurt, but it was very annoying.
“What’s going on?”
She turned her head in anger.
“Ah!”
Sure enough, a mud-colored “pollution dragon,” mixed with black, was dumping all sorts of messy things into the “Ether Sea behind the dam.”
Themis felt sick just seeing it.
It was like something flowing out of a sewer!
No, even worse than a sewer!
She even spotted a curled tail and twisted arms.
“What are these things?”
“No, I’ve got to block them out—it’s too gross!”
But at that moment…
“Whoosh…”
“Hiss…”
The Cup-shaped Ancient Gods wriggled their divine bodies, changing in a strange way.