I can see experience bars after being transported to another world.

Lu Yuan's heart leaped into his throat.

The insect of knowledge.

It's really coming.

His first reaction was to take control.

The senses of taboo science instantly converged, ready to overwhelm it before it could react...

But the next second, Lu Yuan froze.

Because that tiny insect, no bigger than a grain of rice, was "watching" him.

It has no eyes.

But Lu Yuan could sense that the little thing's perception was aimed directly at him.

It's not hostility.

Like... curiosity.

It hovered in the air, quietly observing the human in front of it who exuded an aura of knowledge.

Lu Yuan stared at it for a few seconds.

No one moved.

It is waiting.

Lu Yuan was also waiting.

But Lu Yuan knew very well that the needle hole wouldn't stay open forever, and the insect could retract at any time.

The next move will determine everything.

Lu Yuan did not move.

Lu Yuan suppressed the urge to control himself and instead carefully observed the little thing in front of him.

Taboo perception told him something.

This insect wasn't afraid of him.

It's not that I "don't want to run," it's that I "don't think I need to run."

Lu Yuan recalled the remnants of those scenes he had seen in Laurinna's laboratory. The Knowledge Worms are predators in the sea of ​​knowledge, devouring any systematic body of knowledge they encounter.

But this one in front of me showed no reaction whatsoever to my aura of knowledge.

They smelled it, swam over, and squeezed out.

Then... it stopped.

It's watching me.

Lu Yuan suddenly realized something.

You possess the key to the ocean of knowledge.

The ability of a seeker of knowledge is "given" by the ocean of knowledge.

That's a...mark?

Or rather, to the worm of knowledge, those who bear the mark of the sea of ​​knowledge...

Not prey.

Lu Yuan's forbidden knowledge perception gave feedback at this moment.

[Detection Target: Insects of Knowledge (Large/Primary Stage)]

[Status: Under observation... The object has been determined to be a valid relational entity within the Sea of ​​Knowledge...]

Lu Yuan stared at the line of words, a thought flashing through his mind.

Does it consider itself part of the ocean of knowledge?

No, not entirely.

It's more like... having a "credit" in the sea of ​​knowledge.

When I first plunged into the sea of ​​knowledge, the gray and white words said: "You provided entirely new knowledge, adding a drop of solidified words to the sea of ​​knowledge."

That single drop of text is your own share of the company.

The Insect of Knowledge, as a native species of the Sea of ​​Knowledge, is naturally able to recognize this mark.

In its eyes, it is neither an outsider nor prey.

It is a higher level of existence.

Lu Yuan slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

No need to fight anymore.

This is much better than expected.

He tried to retract the aggressive perception of taboo studies and instead adopted a peaceful, tentative approach.

The insect of knowledge did not retreat.

It remained suspended in the air, its translucent body glowing faintly, quiet and still.

Lu Yuan was preparing to further explore methods of taming, and several plans were listed in his mind...

The worm of knowledge suddenly stirred.

They didn't come from Lu Yuan.

Its body trembled violently, the speed of its color shifting increased abruptly, and it flew away in a flash.

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

My gaze followed it.

The insect of knowledge flew to the toolbox in the corner.

Then he kept circling around the toolbox, but since he had no hands or feet, he could only watch helplessly.

Lu Yuan had already guessed what it was looking for.

Lu Yuan opened the toolbox and found the sampling bottle at the bottom.

The sample vial contained a crystal about the size of a thumb. A faint, grayish-green and dark gold glow pulsated and intertwined within it.

Crystallization of consciousness.

Fragments of consciousness from the main core of the mycelium in the pipe network dome.

The worm of knowledge hovered outside the sampling bottle, its body pressed against the glass, its colors shifting wildly.

It was excited.

Extremely excited.

Lu Yuan could detect that emotional fluctuation through his knowledge of taboo subjects. It was like a cat that had been starving for a long time smelling fish.

It wanted to go in.

I want to take a bite.

The worm of knowledge circled the sampling bottle, its dark gold and ghostly blue shimmering alternately, once, twice, three times…

Then it stopped and turned to "look" at Lu Yuan.

Are you asking me?

Lu Yuan walked over, picked up the sampling bottle, and carefully examined the crystals inside.

The crystal is still dormant, with a very low frequency of faint light pulses, but the spiritual echoes and inscriptions sealed inside are clearly visible.

This is important research material for Lu Yuan.

It contains a large amount of compressed knowledge and information. If it can be deciphered, the knowledge of taboo subjects may increase significantly.

You can't feed it.

At least not now.

And more importantly… this thing comes from the consciousness of the mycelium's main core. If a tiny, rice-grain-sized larval knowledge insect were to actually eat it, who knows if it would die from overeating.

"no."

Lu Yuan said something to it.

The worm of knowledge visibly stiffened.

Then it started to twist.

It wasn't a violent struggle, but rather a... coquettish wriggling.

Its translucent body, about the size of a grain of rice, twists and turns, its colors shifting between light and dark, expressing intense discontent.

But it didn't charge straight up.

Lu Yuan said no, so it didn't move.

This made Lu Yuan even more certain of his judgment.

The worm of knowledge indeed considers itself to be a higher level of existence.

The "instruction" applies to it.

"But what it wants to eat isn't my forbidden science, it's this crystal."

Lu Yuan thought about it and decided to give it a try.

He deliberately separated a very faint wisp of forbidden knowledge and sent it to the Worm of Knowledge.

"Try this."

The worm of knowledge trembled slightly.

Then... they stepped back.

Two steps.

It shrank into mid-air, its overall color becoming somewhat duller.

I dare not eat it.

The scent of taboo is not food to it.

Lu Yuan was stunned.

The little creature, whose face was not visible, still stared longingly at the crystal.

"I'm speechless."

The forbidden skills are not to be consumed, and the amount of knowledge and information contained in other skills is too small for a larva of the knowledge worm to be of any interest.

It seems that besides this crystallized consciousness, I really have nothing else to feed it.

Just as Lu Yuan was awkwardly staring at the timid little bug, his forbidden senses once again detected the unusual movement at the pinhole.

Something is crowding in again.

Lu Yuan turned his head to look.

Another thread, thinner than a hair, was pulled from the eye of the needle, suspended in the air, expanded, and transformed into a second knowledge worm the size of a grain of rice.

Next, the third one.

Two new knowledge insects flew to the side of the first one, and the three translucent insect-like objects, each the size of a grain of rice, huddled together, their colors flashing alternately.

It's like they're saying something.

Lu Yuan couldn't understand it, but his knowledge of taboo subjects allowed him to detect the information exchange between them... extremely faint fragments of knowledge flowed between the three, like some kind of language.

After chattering for a while, the three insects of knowledge turned around at the same time.

They stared together at the crystallized consciousness.

All six intangible "gazes" were fixed on the sampling bottle in Lu Yuan's hand.

Lu Yuan looked at them and remained silent for a few seconds.

I tapped the surface of the sampling bottle lightly with my finger.

The three insects of knowledge trembled simultaneously.

"Want some?"

Colors shifted wildly.

There's no need to ask anymore.

Lu Yuan looked down at the crystals in the sampling bottle, quickly calculating in his mind.

He really needs this crystal; the knowledge and information inside can help him gain experience.

But what if the worm of knowledge could be tamed…

Its value far exceeds that of a single crystal.

Absorb knowledge, refine it, and give back to it.

Once this loop starts running...

In the future, the source of experience will no longer be limited to contact and research. The worm of knowledge can go and eat other things, and then feed back the refined knowledge to itself.

Moreover, it can also be used against enemies.

But there's a prerequisite.

Lu Yuan raised his head and looked at the three knowledge insects suspended in the air.

"contract."

The colors of the three insects paused simultaneously.

"Taming. Obeying my commands."

Lu Yuan's tone was calm, but very serious.

"These are the conditions. You can only eat if you agree to them."

The three insects of knowledge huddled together and began to chatter again.

The colors flashed alternately for several seconds.

Then the first one... the very first one that squeezed out of the eye of the needle... flew out from a small group of three.

It hovered in front of Lu Yuan, its body glowing faintly.

Then, from its translucent body, a very fine and faint ray of light emerged.

It's dark gold, with a sense of fluidity unique to the ocean of knowledge.

The shimmering light floated like an invisible thread, slowly drifting towards Lu Yuan's hand.

Lu Yuan felt it the moment it touched his skin.

A connection.

It's not about taboo subjects.

It's something deeper.

It felt like there was an extremely thin line in my perception, the other end of which was connected to the little thing in front of me.

You can sense its emotions, its hunger, its curiosity... you can feel it all.

Faint, but clear.

[You have gained the trust of the Knowledge Worm, and you have formed a contract with it. Congratulations on achieving a new accomplishment: Angler of the Sea of ​​Knowledge.]

[The Fisherman of the Sea of ​​Knowledge: You have been fishing in the Sea of ​​Knowledge openly and legitimately in your own way, but your existence does not seem to be stopped by 'them'. Your connection with the Sea of ​​Knowledge is deepening: 1/?]

[Taboo Studies - Seeker of Knowledge: +5…30.4/100]

Meanwhile, the connection to the sea of ​​knowledge maintained through the pinhole continued to nourish his intellect.

[Sanity: +1...79/120]

Before Lu Yuan could process the hint, the first Knowledge Insect had already shot out.

It was so fast that Lu Yuan barely saw it.

It crashed directly into the cap of the sampling bottle... of course it couldn't open it.

Lu Yuan reluctantly unscrewed the bottle cap.

The worm of knowledge plunged in, and the moment its body touched the surface of the consciousness crystal, the colors of its entire body exploded.

Dark gold, deep blue, and gray-green.

Its translucent body blended into the crystalline surface, ripples spread out, and then disappeared.

The frequency of the faint light pulsating within the sample vial suddenly increased.

Lu Yuan stared at the crystal for two seconds.

"I hope you don't overeat."

The remaining two Knowledge Insects hovered in the air, clearly hesitant.

They huddled together, their colors flashing alternately for a while.

Then, it was as if he had made some kind of decision.

The second one revealed a sliver of brilliance.

It floated into Lu Yuan's hand.

Connection established.

The third one followed closely behind.

[Knowledge Contract × 3…]

The two insects rushed toward the sampling bottle almost simultaneously.

Its form touched the crystal surface, merged, and disappeared.

The pulsating frequency of the crystallized consciousness accelerated once again.

The interplay of gray-green and dark gold intensified, as if something inside had been stirred up.

Lu Yuan put the sampling bottle back on the table and stared at the slightly pulsating crystal.

Three symbiotic connections hung quietly deep within his senses.

They are still alive.

They were enjoying their meal.