I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

"By the way, what evidence is there that these roots are the roots of the World Tree?" Cheng Fei followed.

The baby-faced girl tilted her head, her subtle expression like that of someone caring for someone with intellectual disabilities, saying, "Of course, it's because we look exactly alike."

Cheng Fei thought for a moment, "But there's only one World Tree?"

"Of course," Vino said, her voice sounding weary.

The boy raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look at Shen Xi.

The aloof young woman touched her chin, lost in thought.

The three continued onward, and after some effort, they arrived at a mine located deep underground in a natural cave. The miners were digging up large quantities of sand and gravel, which were then transported elsewhere to be sifted for the raw Light Magic Crystal ore.

Vino introduced the two to the mine owner, and Cheng Fei negotiated with him. They agreed on a price that was relatively high compared to the market price, and ordered twenty barrels of Light Magic Crystal Powder, enough to travel from Rift Valley to the World Tree and back to Spring Town.

The process went relatively smoothly. The three of them paid the deposit and returned the way they came. At the intersection in the lower city, Wei Nuo said goodbye to Cheng Fei and Shen Xi.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back to the association now." There was a subtle sense of relief on the baby's face, probably because the two of them had asked too many strange questions on the way.

"I need a suitable venue to... study ancient artifacts," Shen Xi said expressionlessly and bluntly.

"How big is the venue?" Vino's expression tightened.

“The relic is about this big, so the site needs to be very large, and it’s very heavy. It would be best if we could stop the ship and unload it directly.” Shen Xi spread her arms and took a few steps to the side, trying to show the size of the tailless scorpion.

During this process, Cheng Fei watched her movements with great interest, and was then glared at fiercely.

“Stop the ship and unload the cargo…” Vino thought for a moment, then her expression suddenly turned serious. “We can use the association’s dock, but we must pay the rental fee.”

"Money is no problem," Cheng Fei nodded.

"That's good. Just bring the boat over if you need it. The location is..." Seemingly because the two of them paid so readily and didn't get something for free, Vino smiled slightly.

"Then I'll go back and prepare now. Goodbye." The baby-faced girl bowed slightly, keeping her hands folded in front of her as she turned and left.

"She really looks like a maid," Cheng Fei said, hands in his pockets, smacking his lips.

"If you like it, you can just say so," Shen Xi sneered.

"Not at all. If I had to say who I like to be a maid, it would only be you, Teacher Shen. Could you wear a maid outfit for me just once? The kind with white stockings, please?" The boy said earnestly.

"Stop your filthy, vulgar daydreams." The girl glared at him with disgust.

"Wearing a maid outfit is filthy and vulgar? Teacher Shen, I think you're the filthy and vulgar one."

"That's enough of turning the tables. Cheng Feiyu knows perfectly well what's going on in his head." The girl gritted her teeth and kicked him.

"Sigh, let's not talk about this anymore, let's go back." Cheng Fei put his arm around her.

"Don't touch me!"

"Not even a touch?"

"no!"

"That's really strict."

The two moved toward the dock. Cheng Fei put his hands behind his head and said, "Teacher Shen, don't you think it's amazing that the World Tree grows in other places, but its roots can appear here?"

"The answer is obvious. The so-called World Tree and the roots here do not belong to the same entity." Shen Xi raised her chin, her tone certain.

"That's a valid point, but the premise is that the local World Tree only grows roots and not trees. Is that reasonable?" The boy shrugged.

The girl paused for a second, then said, "That doesn't make sense."

"What's wrong, Teacher Shen? I thought you would come up with a new explanation right away." Cheng Fei was surprised.

"Shut up, I haven't thought of a reasonable explanation either. Another possibility is that all the continents were once connected, and the tree roots were left over from that time." The girl's pure blue eyes gazed into the infinite distance.

Cheng Fei rubbed his chin, his eyes lighting up. "Teacher Shen, you really are a genius. This matches the situation of the Fallen Land. It started as a supercontinent, then gradually became a scattered continent, and now the scattered continents are gradually disintegrating. It seems that the roots of the World Tree have a strong vitality and have not completely died even after being separated from the main trunk for at least several thousand years."

As the boy spoke, he simply used his sword to cut off a section of tree root as thick as a baby's arm from nearby. The dark red tree root, as hard as stone, was no different from tofu in front of the special blade of the transdimensional separator.

Cheng Fei examined the cross-section of the tree root and found that the moist, bluish-white texture reflected a rainbow-like luster, like butterfly wings or soap bubbles. "It's quite pretty."

Shen Xi took the tree root and examined it, frowning. "This is structural color..."

"What is structural color?" the boy asked nonchalantly.

"Colors are produced by the interaction of microscopic physical structures and light. Doesn't Cheng Feiyu even know this basic common sense?" The girl made no attempt to hide her disdain.

"I know, I just want to hear Teacher Shen speak." The boy said with a serious expression.

“Boring trash.” The girl kicked him and continued to observe the tree roots. “The generation of structural color requires a highly ordered microstructure, which wood fibers shouldn’t have.”

“I don’t think this is wood fiber at all. It’s so hard. If you don’t believe me, take it back and burn it.” Cheng Fei spread his hands. “The only thing I can be sure of is that these tree roots are not only not rotten, but they are actually alive and well.”

Shen Xi stroked her chin and muttered to herself, "Normal plant roots only serve to anchor the plant, absorb water and minerals, and store nutrients. Without leaves, there's no energy source for photosynthesis. How do these tree roots even survive...?"

"It's obvious that either the energy stored inside is enormous, or there's another energy source," Cheng Fei shrugged.

The girl fell silent again, then opened her mouth, "Another energy source...could it be light magic particles?"

628. Two people who corroborate the inference

"Teacher Shen, do you mean that the World Tree absorbs light magic particles from the atmosphere as nutrients, which in turn causes the floating continent of this world to collapse?" Cheng Fei clicked his tongue. "Isn't that too much of a conspiracy theory? Let's just suspect that it was caused by excessive mining by humans."

"Yongquan Town doesn't even have any mines, yet it's collapsing too?" Shen Xi looked at him like he was an idiot.

"I just think that if we use this as an excuse to launch an environmental protection movement around the world, we might be able to make a lot of money." The boy rubbed his chin.

"Could it be that aquatic mammals and the legendary dragons are closely related?" the girl asked, puzzled.

"What do you mean?" The boy was stunned.

"They all have a pointless and foolish obsession with treasure."

"Teacher Shen, if I were an evil dragon, I would definitely carry you, the princess, back to my lair immediately and then do this and that."

"It's enough that you can bring up any topic and then turn it into a form of psychological abuse against me." The girl glared at him.

"Unable to physically assault you, I had no choice but to resort to this tactic. I sincerely apologize if you feel it wasn't enough." The boy bowed his head.

"Shut up, you're disgusting!" The girl shuddered and kicked him hard.

“Okay, let’s get back to the main topic, Teacher Shen. There was something very interesting that Weinuo said earlier, I don’t know if you noticed it.” Cheng Fei said in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" Shen Xi glanced at him.

"The people here mine Light Magic Crystals and bury the waste they dig out in the excavated mine shafts. Decades later, when they go back to mine, they can sift out new Light Magic Crystals from them."

"Cheng Feiyu's pathetic attention actually yielded some valuable information this time."

"Not at all. The reason I talked to her was to find valuable information."

"I hope so," Shen Xi said with a cold, ambiguous laugh.

"Teacher Shen, if you keep doing this, I'm really going to make you wear a maid outfit." The boy stared at the girl and suddenly made up his mind.

"Cheng Fei, how dare you!" The girl instantly covered her chest with both hands in a defensive stance.

"What's there to be afraid of? Once we're together, I'll make you fulfill the duties of a girlfriend."

"Trash, let's not even talk about which world your girlfriend has an obligation to wear a maid outfit. If you can't do it now, then shut up." The girl glared at him fiercely.

Cheng Fei shook his head. "Never mind, let's get to the point. In other words, Light Magic Crystals can grow out of thin air, which is exactly what we talked about before about the process of Light Magic Particles in the atmosphere condensing into crystals."

"It's rare that Cheng Feiyu can remember such a long time ago's discussion. Could it be that inhaling the light magic particles in the atmosphere can really improve intelligence?" Shen Xi put down her hand and looked him up and down with a look of surprise.

“Teacher Shen, I think it’s quite rare that you can tell this joke again.”

"I'm not joking, I'm serious." The girl said earnestly.

"That's enough. I think you have a good sense of humor." Cheng Fei clicked his tongue and changed the subject. "But it seems that the Light Magic Crystal can only grow underground. It doesn't grow on roadsides or rooftops, and it certainly doesn't grow inside the human body. Otherwise, it would definitely cause gout."

Shen Xi looked troubled, probably imagining the scene where light magic crystals condense inside the joints of a person, causing pain. "This process definitely requires specific environmental conditions."

"If we study it carefully, we might be able to find a way to efficiently cultivate light magic crystals and make a lot of money, but unfortunately we don't have the time for that." Cheng Fei shook his head and sighed.

"Making a fortune is the first thing that comes to mind, not benefiting humanity. Cheng Feiyu is indeed Cheng Feiyu." Shen Xi laughed, making no attempt to hide her disdain.

"Sigh, let's not talk about that. There's another thing worth noting: the people here don't use scaffolding to prevent mine collapses when they mine. They've dug through many fault lines without any problems. So, our initial theory that the natural light magic crystal has anti-gravity properties is pretty much correct. We're really amazing." The boy became smug.

“That’s right, and obviously even a slight disturbance is enough to damage the crystal’s state, which is why the mined ore doesn’t have anti-gravity.” Shen Xi paused, glancing sideways, “Besides, it’s not us, it’s me. Cheng Feiyu is already patting himself on the back.”

"Professor Shen, weren't these conclusions reached through discussions between you and me? Please don't take all the credit for yourself."

"Heh, I could have deduced it just as well without you. And even if you did help a little, so what? It's pointless to take credit here. No one will reward you. You petty Cheng Feiyu."

"Teacher Shen, I just wanted to express that we are indeed equally smart and a perfect match."

"Shut up, you little scoundrel who stole wisdom from me has the nerve to say you're as smart as me."

"Teacher Shen, I've already said that I didn't steal any of your wisdom."

"Heh, perhaps."

"Also, the feeling of not arguing that they are a good match is also very cute."

"You've gone to great lengths to verbally harass me, that's disgusting!" the girl said, unleashing a furious attack.

……

The two returned to the Miriam, where Miriam remained on duty, idly watching the scenery from the ship's railing.

"Teacher Shen, just to be on the safe side, are you still interested in this?" Cheng Fei asked, holding the piece of World Tree root.

"Not interested. Anyway, there's no instrument to analyze the internal structure." Shen Xi said expressionlessly.

"That's good, senior. Here's a gift for you." Cheng Fei placed the root, about the size of a soda can, in front of Milian.

"Junior! What's this?" Miriam's eyes lit up.

"A section of the World Tree's root; you can keep it if you're interested," Cheng Fei said seriously.

"Thank you, junior. This wood is beautiful. I will treasure it!" Miriam carefully put the item away.

Shen Xi watched this scene with narrowed eyes, revealing a mixture of disgust and annoyance, like someone who wanted to stomp on a rat as a gift to its companion but couldn't find a good reason to do so.

"Teacher Shen, what are you whispering about over there? Let's take a headcount and get ready to set sail." Cheng Fei looked at her.

As previously agreed with Vino, they were to move the Miriam to the Light & Magic Technology Association's shipyard.

"You womanizing trash!" Shen Xi said fiercely before getting into the driver's seat.

As it turned out, while the two were away, Nagasaki Asuna and Rhea went to buy supplies and also looked for Shadow. After waiting for a while, the two girls returned empty-handed.

After boarding the ship, Nagasaki Asuna looked around the dock with a suspicious expression, pondered for a moment, and said, "Um, everyone, I have a feeling that there are strange people watching us."

"Is that so?" Cheng Fei raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, it's very obvious every time they get on and off the ship; they're probably keeping an eye on our ship." Nagasaki Asuna nodded.

"Teacher Shen, it seems that changing locations is quite necessary. Let's go now." Cheng Fei looked to the other side.

Shen Xi silently activated the Light Magic Engine, propelling the airship away from the dock.

On Cheng Fei's advice, just to be on the safe side, the Miriam first circled around the outer edge of the continent before heading to the Light Magic Technology Association's shipyard, which was located on a slightly higher ground on the side of the continent and built using a natural cave. After the ship sailed in, it disappeared without a trace.

629. Yui Nuo is not a maid, Nagasaki Asuna is...

The Miriam slowly docked at the shipyard berth, and the shipyard gate closed with the help of the hinge mechanism. The magic lamps hanging from the cave ceiling illuminated the space with a soft light.

The group stepped off the deck. Leia cautiously surveyed their surroundings, while Nagasaki Asuna tilted her head back and let out a small sigh, "Hidden here, no one should be able to find us?"

"Welcome to the Association's dock." A baby-faced girl wearing a black and white dress with an apron stood on the shore by the ship's side, bowing slightly to the group with her hands folded in front of her.

"Why are there maids? And they're quite cute too?" Nagasaki Asuna blinked and glanced at someone with a subtle look.

"Everyone says I'm not a maid, I'm a light magic craftsman!" Vino raised her voice in a second to emphasize.

"Eh? Excuse me, it's because you're dressed like a maid that I..." Nagasaki Asuna paused for a moment.

"How do I look like a maid? Honestly, have no manners." The baby-faced girl stomped her foot in anger before turning around and walking away in her usual maid-like manner, softening her tone, "Come on, I'll show you around the dock first. You can use the cranes and other tools here as you please, but you'll have to pay for any damage. There are two roads over there, one leads directly to the guild, and the other goes to the lower city. Remember to close the gate properly when you leave..."

As Wei Nuo's incessantly talking figure walked further and further away, Shen Xi followed without expression. Cheng Fei shrugged at the other girls who looked completely bewildered and also followed.