Chapter 33: It’s Decided! Save This World
The Captain was interrogating for intelligence, Yuan Zhu had already arrived beside Meng Xiyue, and gently poked her backpack with his finger.
Noticing the backpack lightly swaying, the pink-haired girl turned her head and immediately showed a friendly smile upon seeing Yuan Zhu: “Brother Yuan, is there something you need from big sister?”
“Cut it out, we’re the same age. Let me ask you, what is [Buddha Cocoon]? You read a lot, don’t lie to me.”
Meng Xi tilted her head upon hearing this, looking him up and down, her glasses reflecting a layer of light. She curiously asked: “You really haven’t heard of it?”
Yuan Zhu thought about it, and indeed had no memory of it, so he nodded seriously: “Nope, so I’m curious. What’s up, is this common sense everyone should know?”
“Not really. There are no temples near your home, you’ve never encountered Buddhist monks from childhood to adulthood, and you don’t go to temples for tourism to worship Buddha and pray?”
“???”
Tourism?! Yuan Zhu was completely stunned. In this man-eating world, turns out tourism is still possible?
“I really haven’t encountered Buddhism from childhood to adulthood. My family seems to believe in [Yellow Heaven]… I guess? Anyway, my faith is tied to physical health, work efficiency, discounts, extra annual leave… adjusting with each year’s .”
Running civilians are all pragmatic. They nearly squeeze every drop of potential from the 11 faith application slots.
Every year-end, newspapers are filled with , with professional faith allocations for women, men, different professions, different hobbies… even more mystical than Earth’s scientific lottery number calculations.
So Yuan Zhu really had no energy to believe in, worship, or pray to Buddha. No other reason—the nearest monk temple is too far, offers little welfare, and they’re all private temples that ordinary people can’t enter.
“Got it, got it.” Meng Xi nodded repeatedly. The faith list she submitted to the school was also related to guaranteed exam passes, improved learning efficiency, study god possession, skin care… For studying, she even gave up the ‘annual leave combination welfare’.
“Then let me explain. Actually, if you lived near a Buddhist Temple, you’d find that big tree branches nearby often grow tree tumors of various sizes. As years pass, these variously sized tree tumors become clearer, transforming into Buddha Head shapes. Not just plants—incense burners, walls, stone pillars, wooden beams soaked in Buddhist incense all grow Buddha Heads of various materials. These Buddha Heads are collectively called [Buddha Cocoon], or [Buddha Head Cocoon].
Hearing this description, a chill ran down Yuan Zhu’s back, goosebumps rising all over: “You mean, the walls of Buddhist Temples grow dense Buddha Head Cocoons?”
Meng Xiyue nodded matter-of-factly: “Yeah, true century-old ancient temples and millennium-famous ones inevitably have their heritage: Thousand Buddha Walls, Ten Thousand Buddha Walls. And on the body surfaces of great Golden Body Buddha Statues, dense natural Buddha Head Cocoons grow. A small Buddha Statue with seven or eight natural Buddha Cocoons is seen as a Buddha treasure blessed with Buddhist Dharma. No expert appraisal needed—it fetches high prices, invited home by tycoons for worship.”
“Hiss…!”
Yuan Zhu inhaled sharply. His predecessor really hadn’t learned about Buddhism, only knowing it’s something only rich people can access. They at the bottom believe in the free Twelve Mandates or other cheap deities, discounted deities.
While Buddhism charges in reverse and doesn’t bless the poor. There’s a saying: “My Buddha does not save the poor!”
Yuan Zhu: “So [Buddha Cocoon] is actually a good thing?”
“It’s tentatively something with auspicious meaning, always found near Buddhist Temples. Stone Buddha Cocoons on rocks, wooden Buddha Cocoons on trees—some animals influenced by Buddhist Dharma also grow Meat Buddha Cocoons. Peeling one off to give as a gift is like giving Mouse sachets during New Year. But one thing: Buddha Cocoons need long-term Buddhist Dharma influence, or they’ll wither, shrinking from Buddha Heads into skin-and-bones Skeleton Buddha Heads. That symbolism isn’t good… so if you don’t believe in Buddha, better not gift Buddha Cocoons—poor maintenance turns it into offending someone.”
Yuan Zhu shook his head—who the hell would gift someone ‘Buddha Head Cocoons’? Giving a string to wear as prayer beads around the neck, wouldn’t that turn into Quicksand River Killer?
“Then what about this young monk? Is he okay too? Auspicious and fortunate?”
Meng Xiyue shook her head: “I don’t know much either. I just visited temples for tourism, didn’t really interact with monks with Magic Power. Heard that true monks have ‘True Buddha Cocoons’ on their bodies—that’s the mark of entering the Buddhist System, also the organ for converting ‘Buddhist Magic Power’? Supposedly called… um… Meat Sarira?”
What the hell is this? Native Buddhism is too cult-like. An animal covered in large and small Buddha Head Flesh Tumors isn’t seen as distorted horror but as an Auspicious Omen, a mount descended by Bodhisattvas or Arhats. So heaven-defying—doesn’t the Bodhisattva find it bumpy?
At this point, the Captain had finished questioning, summarizing several useful pieces of information from the young Shami’s answers.
This Bubble World’s scale isn’t large, with only one small city called Na Ye Buddhist Kingdom. Its social civilization is in a backward ancient feudal era, even more backward with its religious system. But due to small country and sparse population, it’s instead stuck in some recyclable vicious cycle.
Until a force suspected to be [Yellow Springs] broke the balance.
That’s right, Du Ling Star truly has [Yellow Springs]. It’s a special death dimension different from [Spirit Layers]. Various religious cultures in the Present World all have their exclusive Hell concepts.
These private Hells are manifestations of different faces of [Yellow Springs].
Death is everywhere, and death’s destination is always [Yellow Springs].
Thus, the beings of this Bubble World, upon death, also have their souls dissipate into [Yellow Springs]. So Yellow Springs penetrating the already fragile Small World, reverse-infusing Yellow Springs Death Qi to breed ghosts and Undead, is entirely reasonable.
A Bubble Small World with only one Buddhist Kingdom isn’t directly clashing with eight external universes—not only unscathed, but Du Ling even wove itself a [Spirit Layer] buffer pad in spare time. Being pierced by [Yellow Springs] is perfectly normal.
So the Captain sighed a couple more lines: “Bubble Worlds connected to Space of Gods always encounter various Erosions—everyone get used to it. Just this [Yellow Springs Erosion] brings no buffs to [Happy Home]. We need a resource-rich, environmentally stable prosperous world more. [Yellow Springs] infiltration only accelerates this world’s downfall, transforming toward ‘death form’. But it doesn’t mean this world has no value—after fully exploring and marking it, we can resell the intel and coordinates to teams biased toward death attributes or [Yellow Springs] System.”
Yuan Zhu: “Enlightened!”
Zhou Chu, walking ahead of him, suddenly turned back and glared at him, saying: “We should do our utmost to rescue local residents and try to save the world! If we block [Yellow Springs] Death Qi infiltration, this world’s environment should suit [Mao Mao King] raw material planting, right? The mild and obedient Buddha folk here make good hired workers too. We can provide more advanced farming Technology, grain seeds, for Transaction and Cooperation.”
As a ‘modern person’, Security Bureau Investigators have integrity, cultivation, ideals, and are happy to lend a hand to Bubble World’s backward Natives. This is also practicing their own [Law Clause].
The Captain smiled and nodded: “Worth a try, I support your idea. How about leading this Mission yourself, help the natives as much as possible, save their world. If it fails, we still gain Experience lessons—a nice accumulation Experience.”
Zhou Chu nodded readily: “Sure! I accept this Mission! Everyone, listen to my orders—Ku Cao Young Monk, take us to your previous residence. I want to save people!”
“Thank you, benefactors! Buddha Lord will bless you with long life to a hundred years.” The young monk immediately got excited. Saved! He finally awaited the great saviors. These people look extraordinary, just like the otherworldly strangers the adults chatted about.
Meng Xiyue hurriedly waved her hands: “Stop stop stop, no no no! I don’t want long life to a hundred years. My lifespan is guaranteed over 300 years—don’t curse me.”
“Ah?!” The young Shami looked shocked at the pretty big sister before him. Right, she really is an otherworldly stranger!
“Ah?!” Lu Rang, who thought she was ordinary like him, was stunned. Are Taixi people’s lifespans all this long? I want to immigrate too.
“Ah?! Why can you live so long?!” This was the indignant Yuan Zhu, ‘Game Sprite, tell me loudly—as a [Tiger Demon], how many years can I live?’
“I don’t know! You’re the first batch of White Mouse clients. How long you live will be the reference for others to shout loudly. So, Boss, you gotta strive to live. Set a small goal first—outlive this pink-hair, live to… 301 years?”
Taking over team command, Zhou Chu shouldered her gun, checked it proficiently, confirmed all good: “Everyone, raise guns, stay alert! Young Monk, you lead this sheep and guide us.”
Yuan Zhu and Meng Xiyue were called to her side to clear the path ahead. Old Woman and Bread Girl in the team middle, protected. Black Butcher and Lu Rang at the rear.
Suddenly relied upon, Yuan Zhu who wanted to play safe and steady: “Should Lu Rang and I switch positions? I’m afraid he’ll snipe us all.”
Among the squad’s seven, Zhou Chu only had the best impression of the cleanest-tempered Yuan Zhu, not wanting him to die early in the Mission. So she decisively refused, keeping him by her side for care. (Fellow Security Bureau member, yet that guy surnamed Han targets everywhere. This is big City person’s cultivation!)
“No need, your Perception is sharp, and you’ve been relaxed trekking through deep woods. So stick with me. As for Lu Rang sniping, aren’t you wearing clothes?”
“Ah?”
“[Mao Mao King] is an untrustworthy Anti-Law Demon God, but the Clothes she provides have strong Defense, not fearing bullets.”
Lu Rang loudly pledged at this time: “Everyone relax, I won’t shoot recklessly again!”
Begging for follow-up reading… Raise a Woolen Thread, crawl up, chase daily! Or all get Buddha Head blessings.
