Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 141 Two Primal Bodies Back to Back

ASH's mechanical body turned toward the enormous primordial form.

Her voice echoed in the empty space.

"The initial outbreak of the ecosystem in Hisakawa may have been due to the research on the two drugs stimulating its awakening, or it may simply be because the original entity itself was in Hisakawa City. These variables are intertwined, and we still cannot draw a definitive conclusion."

She paused, her gaze seemingly piercing through the enormous and bizarre primordial body.

“But the only thing that’s certain is this,” Ash said firmly.

"The explosion of the ecosystem was inevitable."

As she spoke, complex analytical diagrams were rapidly projected onto the open ground beside her. These were some of the alarming conclusions that ASH and his team had drawn after in-depth research on the Primordial Body.

“I also mentioned those memories I showed you,” ASH said, pointing to the scrolling data.

"The primary body existed on Earth before the Permian period."

The Permian period was the end of the Paleozoic era, about 2.5 to 3 million years ago.

In that era, reptiles still dominated the earth, and the ancestors of mammals were just beginning to emerge.

ASH continued, "This all means that in the hundreds of millions of years before the emergence of human civilization, the mana ecosystem may have experienced more than one 'harvest'."

Her virtual images simulate the ecological cycle of a planet.

Civilization is born, develops, reaches its peak... and then inexplicably declines and disappears.

The Mana ecosystem acts like a "scavenger" or "harvester," appearing periodically to devour the life essence of mature civilizations nurtured on the planet.

"Hundreds of millions of years ago, there may have been intelligent races on Earth that were similar to, or even surpassed, human civilization. They may have created brilliant achievements, developed incredible technologies, or had unique ways of survival."

ASH's voice sounded somewhat sentimental.

"But the passage of time is enough to erase most of the evidence that ever existed; plate tectonics, weathering and erosion... are enough to return all traces of civilization to dust."

Bai Jingyu muttered subconsciously, "Unless the words are carved into stone..."

“Yes,” Ash confirmed his suspicions.

"The emergence of the Mana ecosystem may be due to technological breakthroughs that could threaten them, or it may be because they need various 'potentials' in the life essence to expand themselves."

There must have been creatures with awakened potential in ancient times. The Devouring Beasts that emerged from the ground in the early days also had the appearance of ancient creatures.

After devouring humans, the Devouring Beasts' bodies began to evolve in much the same way as humans.

The most distinctive feature is their limbs, which are all shaped like human hands.

"To this day, based on our research on the life essence and the discovery of the life iteration system, all kinds of abilities that one possesses after awakening potential are recorded in the life essence."

For example, if source material A is placed into a newly created body B, the potential awakened by body B will still be A, and no other potential different from the previous one will appear.

"However, this alternative resurrection can only be achieved by relying on Yang Chen's talisman."

She turned off the projector and her gaze returned to Bai Jingyu's face.

Upon hearing this, Bai Jingyu subconsciously turned around and glanced at Yang Chen.

Yang Chen simply stood beside Bai Yuekui and smiled faintly.

Bai Jingyu withdrew his gaze and continued, "Then my... the original Mana body from that world is still dormant in the sea. What should we do?"

Before ASH or Bai Yuekui could answer, Bai Yuetian, who had been listening intently, immediately leaned over.

He slapped his dad on the shoulder and said casually, "Hey Dad, you don't need to worry about that! Let it sleep soundly in the sea, the deeper the better!"

He paused, his eyes darting around: "Once we're fully prepared here and the time is right, we'll 'invite' Him over from over there."

Bai Yuetian found the idea increasingly brilliant as he talked about it, and even started gesturing wildly.

"When the time comes, send your primordial form here to B7 to keep this one company. The two big guys lying side by side will be so lively! Maybe they can even exchange ideas and have a heart-to-heart talk."

These outrageous remarks silenced everyone present.

After some discussion about the initial stage and subsequent steps.

Bai Jingyu checked the time and was surprised to find that they had been at the ecological base for a whole afternoon.

"It's been so long..." he murmured to himself, a trace of worry flashing across his brow.

Theresa couldn't reach him all day, she must be getting a little worried.

Bai Yuekui keenly noticed this subtle change in his father's emotions.

She gazed at his face for a moment, nodded understandingly, and said, "Yes, it's getting late. You should go back now; Mom and we must be worried."

Bai Jingyu looked at his daughter: "Okay."

He nodded, suppressing his thoughts: "Then I'll go back first. If you need anything, come anytime."

"Don't worry, Dad, why would we stand on ceremony with you?" Bai Yuetian waved his hand with a grin.

"Go back quickly, go back quickly, don't keep your mom waiting and nagging you. We still need to come and supervise your shopping tomorrow."

After saying that, Bai Yuetian winked at Bai Jingyu.

Bai Jingyu felt a warmth in his heart and smiled at his son.

At this moment, Yang Chen stepped forward and said, "Father-in-law, I'll take you back."

Bai Jingyu looked at this mysterious and powerful son-in-law and nodded.

He had already learned quite a bit about Yang Chen's incredible abilities.

Yang Chen reached out and gently placed his hand on Bai Jingyu's shoulder. The next moment, the two of them completely disappeared.

Silence returned to B7 level.

...

Jiuchuan City, a corner of the Bai family villa.

"Let's leave it here," Bai Jingyu said to Yang Chen, having steadied himself.

"Okay." Yang Chen released his hand and nodded slightly.

Goodbye, father-in-law.

"Goodbye." Bai Jingyu looked at Yang Chen, paused, and added, "Take good care of Yue Kui."

Yang Chen smiled and said, "I will."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished silently once again, as if he had never been there at all.

Bai Jingyu stood alone in the shadows of the corner, took a deep breath of the familiar air of Jiuchuan City, and straightened his slightly wrinkled clothes.

He composed himself before pushing open the villa door.

"Jingyu? Is that you back?" Theresa's voice came from the living room.

"Yes, I'm back," Bai Jingyu replied, stepping into the warm light.

Bai Jingyu walked over to Theresa and sat down on the soft sofa, rubbing his temples with a slightly tired expression.

Theresa put down her book and looked at him with concern: "Why can't I reach you all day? You didn't reply to my messages, and when I asked Ash, she only vaguely said that you had a very important meeting and couldn't be disturbed."

Bai Jingyu nodded and leaned back into the sofa: "Yeah, this afternoon's meeting... was indeed quite important. The signal was blocked the whole time, so I didn't receive your message."

The first visit to one's future children's home is indeed quite important.

Seeing the weariness that was hard to hide between his brows, Teresa assumed it was due to the high intensity of his work, so she didn't ask any more questions and just gently patted the back of his hand.

"By the way, did we have any guests this morning? I saw a few used cups on the table."

Bai Jingyu gave a vague answer: "Ah, yes, a few guests came this morning."

Just then, Xiaoyuetian, who had heard the commotion, came down from the second floor.

He ran up to Bai Jingyu, looked up at him, and asked, "Dad, where's my robot model? The one you gave me for my birthday last time. I've always kept it on the table, but I can't find it."

Bai Jingyu was taken aback upon hearing this, and subconsciously repeated, "...Model?"

He instantly recalled that Bai Yuetian seemed to have taken a model with her when she left earlier that day.
Bai Jingyu remained calm, even with just the right amount of suspicion: "It's been sitting on the table the whole time? Did you put it somewhere else after you finished playing with it? Or did you take it to school to show off to your classmates?"

"No!" Xiaoyuetian shook her head firmly, her little brows furrowing.

“I saw it this morning! It was in the usual spot! Did Mom put it away when she was cleaning?” he said, looking at Theresa expectantly.

Theresa shook her head: "I haven't touched anything on your desk lately."

She looked at Bai Jingyu with some confusion.

"Jingyu, did you see it when you went in to tidy up his room last time?"

Bai Jingyu shook his head: "No."

Then he said to Xiaoyuetian, "How about I buy you an exact copy another day?"

"No, I want the one from before." Xiaoyuetian refused outright.

Theresa then said, "Look again carefully, maybe you forgot where you put it." "I've searched my whole room, it's really not there," Xiaoyuetian said with certainty. "A thief must have broken into the house and stolen my model."

Theresa was both amused and exasperated. She reached out and pinched Xiaoyuetian's cheek: "Who would be so bored as to steal one of your models?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jingyu sat silently to the side.

“Someone definitely stole it, otherwise it would be impossible to not find it.” Xiaoyuetian said with a fierce expression, “If I catch that thief, I’ll definitely kick him to death.”

Theresa gently pinched Xiaoyuetian's nose: "Stop kicking all the time. Come on, Mom will go with you to look for it."

Watching the mother and son go upstairs, Bai Jingyu noticed the bathroom door opening.

Xiao Yuekui came out with her hair still wet.

Bai Jingyu quickly asked, "Xiao Kui? Why didn't you dry your hair?"

"We'll do it later. Where's Mom?"

Bai Jingyu stood up and walked towards Xiao Yuekui: "Mom went to find toys for your brother. You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair. Come on, Dad will help you."

"Oh," Xiao Yuekui responded, letting Bai Jingyu lead her.

Upon entering the bathroom, Bai Jingyu saw the clothes carelessly tossed on the floor and sighed.

"Xiao Kui, how many times have I told you not to throw things away carelessly? You have to put them properly in the laundry basket."

"Oh."

The following day, the morning sunlight streamed through the glass curtain wall of the high-rise building in Jiuchuan City, illuminating the top-floor office of Bai Jingyu Technology Company.

Bai Jingyu sat behind his desk, with a holographic screen in front of him displaying a list of demands from Longgu Village compiled by ASH.

The list is long and the categories are diverse.

From precision instruments to children's picture books, it has everything.

“ASH,” he said, his voice steady.

“I’ve seen the list. You can just use all the funds and resources available under my name to procure these supplies.”

“Understood, Bai Jingyu.” ASH’s image appeared beside him.

“Some general-purpose materials can be distributed and integrated through the normal procurement process of your multiple subsidiaries. It is expected that the first batch of basic materials can be collected and distributed within 72 hours.”

“Very good.” Bai Jingyu nodded, having no doubt about ASH’s abilities.

"If you have any questions about funding, or need special channels, please let me know at any time."

“We have sufficient cash flow, Bai Jingyu,” ASH responded.

"However, given the large-scale and continuous procurement, it is recommended to establish several shell companies to support the long-term supply of Longgu Village."

“Okay, you are in charge of planning and executing this.” Bai Jingyu authorized the task without hesitation.

"Prepare the necessary procedures and documents for me to sign."

“Okay.” ASH’s image flickered slightly.

Having finished dealing with this most important matter, Bai Jingyu leaned back in his chair, gazing out the window at the bustling cityscape of Jiuchuan.

The streets are bustling with traffic, a scene of peace and prosperity, but no one knows what the near future will hold.

Just then, his personal communicator on his desk rang, and the screen displayed Theresa's name.

Bai Jingyu smiled slightly, pressed the answer button, and Teresa's gentle voice immediately came through.

"Jingyu, have you arrived at the company? You didn't forget to eat breakfast, did you?"

"I ate it, don't worry." Bai Jingyu replied gently, his gaze unconsciously glancing again at the now-closed list.

"That's good." Theresa paused, her tone a mix of amusement and helplessness.

"Let me tell you something. This morning, when I took Xiaotian to school, he kept talking about his precious robot model. His little mouth was so pouty it could hang an oil bottle. He insisted that it must have been stolen by a thief yesterday, and he even analyzed it in great detail, saying something like, 'The thief was after my limited edition.'"

Upon hearing this, Bai Jingyu couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head.

What a blunder... The "thief" who stole the model was none other than his other son.

He cleared his throat and said to Theresa on the other end of the communicator, "This child is really persistent. Have you searched the whole house? Are you sure you can't find it?"

“That’s right, he turned his room upside down, even crawled under the bed to check, but he didn’t find him. I also helped look for him in the living room and other places, but I didn’t see him either.” Theresa’s tone was also very puzzled.

"It's really weird."

Bai Jingyu suppressed a laugh: "Since we can't find it anywhere, it's probably really lost. I'll see if I can find the same model or something similar and buy him another one."

Theresa sighed softly on the other end of the phone: "That's all we can do. I just wanted to let you know that Xiaotian is still upset about this. You go ahead and do your work, I won't bother you anymore."

"Okay, see you tonight."

Even after hanging up the call, the smile on Bai Jingyu's face had not completely faded.

One person would ramble on about losing a model in childhood, while the other actually "stole" his childhood toy as an adult.

This strange cycle of cause and effect left him both amused and exasperated, but his longing and anticipation for his children grew ever clearer.

He recalled what Bai Yuetian had said yesterday, "I'll have to come and supervise your shopping tomorrow," and his gaze involuntarily drifted toward the office door.

“ASH,” he couldn’t help but say.

"Has Yue Kui and the others not arrived yet?"

ASH's image responded gently: "Bai Jingyu, they came by just now, but did not stay and went back immediately."

"You went back again?" Bai Jingyu was slightly taken aback, a small sense of disappointment passing through his heart, before asking with concern.

"Did something happen over there? Why are you in such a hurry?"

ASH explained, "It wasn't an emergency. It's just that Yue Tian found out that 'your younger self' was throwing a tantrum because the model was lost, so she went back to get it."

Upon hearing this, Bai Jingyu shook his head helplessly.

That's what it was for.

It seems he doesn't need to find an exact replica anymore.

After a while, the office door was quietly pushed open a crack, and Bai Yuetian's head peeked in, a thief-like grin on his face.

"Dad!" he said in a low voice.

"How's the procurement of supplies going? Have you encountered any difficulties?"

Bai Jingyu looked at Bai Yuetian behind the door, smiled, stood up and said, "The order has been placed. The first batch of supplies will arrive within three days, and the rest will follow as soon as possible."

He was afraid they might have the slightest worry, and he wished he could get everything done perfectly right away.

At this moment, Bai Yuekui's voice came from behind Bai Yuetian, and she pushed Bai Yuetian inside.

"Hurry up and go in, don't block the way."

Bai Yuetian stumbled two steps after being pushed, still holding a model in her hand, the very one she had taken away yesterday.

Bai Jingyu walked over at this moment, smiled and nodded to Yue Kui and Yang Chen, saying, "Yue Kui, Yang Chen, you've arrived."

Bai Yuekui hummed in agreement and nodded.

Yang Chen also greeted him.

At this moment, Bai Yuetian, who had been pushed in, also steadied himself. He scratched his head and handed the model in his hand forward.

"Hey Dad, this... we're returning it to its rightful owner. We'll send it back to that stingy guy later, so he won't cry and curse us."

Bai Jingyu accepted the model that had been lost and then recovered.

Yang Chen, standing nearby, couldn't help but tease, "Now you know the consequences of 'committing a crime'? How does it feel to be chased and called a thief by your younger self?"

Bai Yuetian immediately retorted, "How could that be called stealing? I was just taking my own things! Who knew he'd be so stingy..."

"Sigh," Bai Yuekui sighed, ignoring the two of them.

He then turned to Bai Jingyu and said, "Dad, we need some more supplies. Can we buy them together?"

Bai Jingyu immediately nodded like a chick: "Okay, okay, what else is missing? I'll have ASH contact them right away."

Bai Yuekui then communicated with Bai Jingyu and obtained all the necessary items for the village.

After checking and filling in the gaps, Bai Jingyu asked tentatively, "Yuekui, do you have anything else to do later?"

Bai Yuekui looked at his father in confusion: "Nothing's wrong, what's the matter?"

"How about... how about we stay in Jiuchuan for the next few days? We can bring the supplies back together once they arrive?"

Bai Yuekui looked at Bai Jingyu's cautious expression.

Although he looks very young, he already matches the Bai Jingyu in her memory who begged her for forgiveness during the video call.

She nodded slightly: "Okay."

(End of this chapter)