Morning.

The ground was damp and a bit muddy.

A sudden night rain fell last night, making the already winter-like weather even colder.

Ning Zheng opened the window, feeling a gust of cold wind rush in.

There were already figures moving about in the courtyard, as the housemaid and nanny "Su Yuniang" bustled back and forth, preparing breakfast.

Ning Zheng remembered Su Yuniang wildly complaining on the forum about how this game didn't allow for sleeping in, how bitter and difficult it was for her to wake up.

But here...

Waking up early to cook! Loving life!

"It feels like she's not dead, but rather come to life."

When the mundane chores of daily life turned into [tasks], it inexplicably filled people with enthusiasm, brimming with youthful energy and vitality.

Ning Zheng had not received a message from Zhang Huaping.

He figured that gathering all those materials would still take a day, so today he didn't need to go to Sword Casting Manor.

His lifestyle was regular, without the habit of sleeping in, so he began today's cultivation.

No matter how the outside world changed, cultivation was his foundation.

He planned to gather some more Qi Fortune Value and then break through to the Fourth Body.

"Breakfast is ready, I'm heading out for a morning run."

Su Yuniang shouted.

She didn't knock on the door to wake Ning Jiaojiao, who was sleeping in the basement, made breakfast, left it warm in the pot, and called out to Ning Zheng before heading out for her run.

She transformed into a ponytail-clad sporty girl, ran a lap around the surrounding villages, recording the terrain and buildings with pen and paper as she went.

This is how she had been spending her days.

"Hey, Uncle Zhang," Su Yuniang greeted.

"Little girl, up so early for a run? How did you end up in our village?" An old man rested in a rocking chair, showing a stiff but kind smile: "It rained last night, the ground's slippery, don't fall."

"No worries."

Su Yuniang greeted warmly. After running for two hours, she took out the map to check the terrain chart:

"Not bad, I've recorded the fourth village as well."

She felt like she was about to become the leader of this village committee.

Everyone in the village knew her.

Don't call me River Demon's bait, call me the Queen of Networking.

She struck a cool pose: Yeah~

After running for about two hours, she returned home, took a cart, loaded the spoils of last night's labor: five River Demons, and leisurely headed up the mountain.

The mountain forests were lush and vibrant, exuding a fresh scent.

On the mountain path, she also saw Dizzy, who was squatting and picking wild vegetables.

"Dizzy, busy?" Su Yuniang greeted.

"How do you have time to go up the mountain today? Haven't you been exploring dungeons and studying the villagers these days?"

Dizzy asked.

Seeing Su Yuniang taking an interest in his actions, he introduced himself:

"I've been looking for new ingredients lately. The Food God gave me a task to gather some Corpse-Colored Mushrooms, as winter is coming and they might not grow."

"I'm here because I discovered a hidden plot. Planning to tell everyone." Su Yuniang nodded, "What about Medical Fairy?"

"Seems like she's on the neighboring mountain."

Dizzy thought for a moment, "Collecting new Mixed Spirit Roots, gathering some herbs to research a new weapon series to enter the battlefield at Pingchang City."

Collecting Mixed Spirit Roots...that's the nice way of putting it.

In truth, it was just wild grass everywhere.

They used Magic Coins to create a rich Spiritual Qi environment, pouring Spiritual Qi to stimulate Spirit Grass growth.

This wild grass was so abundant on the mountain that it was impossible to count the types.

The sheer number was overwhelming, but these blacksmiths loved trying their luck regardless.

Su Yuniang talked with Dizzy about recent events before heading up the mountain.

Upon reaching the manor's entrance, she found a group remodeling the manor buildings, fervently moving bricks, building walls, and installing various pipelines.

As it had rained the night before, it was a bit cold and damp today.

Many human blacksmiths shivered from the cold, yawning, their small hands turning red from the steel's chill.

Sometimes the game's realism was an inconvenience, as some cried for warm gloves and coats.

The harder their mouth was before, the louder their cries now.

"I'm so cold the female ghosts are terrified of my chill."

"Winter work like this could lead to sudden death. Only a down jacket can save a worker."

"I can't take it anymore. If I die, I want to change to Money Child; they're more cold-resistant."

"Devious planner, tricking us to sacrifice our ancestors for the Human Race, now frozen to dogs, needing a swap to Money Child. It's all money back and forth!"

The complaints were endless, clearly just because it was cold and damp today, and winter hadn't even arrived yet.

Today, Jiucai Rong officially announced the winter construction tasks.

Despite his flowery words about being economical, winter must be endured, and it couldn't be allowed for the blacksmiths to freeze or starve.

After all, the blacksmiths starving was a small problem, but not making money was the big issue.

They naturally chose the most cost-effective winter mode, building their own structures, storing food, making clothes, not letting outsiders earn a penny.

Some Money Lolitas were already collecting fluffy leaves and barks, combining them with stockpiled crow feathers to make warm clothes.

After killing thousands of crows, isn't it hard for everyone to have a down jacket?

This is why they didn't buy winter clothes in the first place.

It gave the young seamstresses practice and also saved money.

"Everyone, listen to me!"

Coming inside, Su Yuniang shouted: "Last night I triggered a hidden plot. I know the reason for the Pingchang City battles!"

At this, everyone gathered around at once.

They were still pondering the reasons for the internal strife in Pingchang City, and now information was brought right to them.

This is indeed the main storyline trigger, and the devious planners will slip story information to you through various channels.

Su Yuniang didn't hold back either, sharing the various information and insights she gathered from the Youzhu Bookstore with everyone.

"Hahaha, the villagers really are an intelligence network!"

"I told you, villagers are useful, indeed."

Red Sun.

This term appeared in their ears for the first time.

Thinking about it carefully, it makes sense; with embers everywhere, if not cleaned up periodically, there'd be nowhere to live.

Some even think that cleaning up every 150 years feels a bit long.

I wonder if their time scale is too long or if they are too lazy.

Anyway, clean it up if you have to!

In the normal cycle of renewal, it's probably not the first time Pingchang City has gone through this.

The city itself is in perfect order, so there's no need for us to be amazed.

On the contrary, compared to the Red Sun that the high-tier cultivators will deal with, they feel they should be more concerned about the Red Moon that low-tier cultivators will face.

Before the Red Sun, there will be a month-long riot Ash Disaster.

It sounds a bit exciting.

But our place is a bit remote, and the embers may not riot up the mountain.

Also, many are very interested in the saying by Su Yuniang: "The embers know they are dead only when they are truly dead."

——How to prove that you are not an ember.

Thinking it through, this is already a philosophical question, somewhat advanced.

"This game really has a high level of sophistication."

"Who plays such deep games just for the money? It's easy to get criticized."

"But they do play it, and they play it with style!"

Everyone thinks this outside worldview is magnificent, full of depth in life.

At least it can shrink one's little brain for a moment.

Even with just such a big map, the high degree of freedom within the manor and the magnificent and vast worldview are two major reasons it's fascinating.

But more people are analyzing the planning intent from a gameplay perspective rather than thinking philosophically:

"Know that I am not me, this is likely the ember baby's progression mode, like Dizzy, if he realizes who he is and that he is already dead, wouldn't he then progress?"

Everyone listened and thought it made sense.

"Damn! Guys, I have a bold idea, let's help Dizzy awaken."

"Super Fighter Dizzy, top combat power baby of the manor! He can go out and intimidate rivers and mountains, conquer the world, and bring back materials for us, this is the top-tier idle adventure team!"

"Hahaha, there aren't many embers, and you want to have the ultimate progression of embers? Everyone's just listening for the bang right now."

"I feel it's really hard, haven't we tried many times before to make him realize he's dead, and it didn't work."

"Try again, invite a psychological expert, and provide logistical support for Dizzy."

Everyone expressed their opinions.

Poor Dizzy doesn't know what painful experience he's going to go through again.

And during the early morning, Ning Zheng, while cultivating, was also skillfully observing and spying with [Blossoming Wealth], to further watch and make decisions, indirectly affecting the development of the manor.

Dizzy awakening?

Ning Zheng wasn't too optimistic about it.

Is there no one educated in this world?

Is there no expert in psychology?

Their research time must be extensive, possibly even thousands or tens of thousands of years!

This world is deep; Ning Zheng isn't sure if someone can do psychological awakening, but it's clear most people can't, which shows the difficulty.

It's basically impossible for them too.

Out of curiosity, Ning Zheng had communicated with assistant Ai: What exactly is AI.

Finally, after understanding what AI is, Ning Zheng concluded: The assistant Ai indeed resembles an ember!

Why?

Embers can be understood like the assistant Ai, an AI simpleton, with only running logic left, without a soul.

Like AI, embers encounter things they cannot comprehend, their biggest feature is giving irrelevant answers, selective amnesia, and targeted ignoring.

Having him see the death of other embers, proving that the other is dead?

Seeing a compatriot's death and ignoring it.

Red House is full of dead people, going there to make him recognize himself?

Went to Red House and continued to ignore it.

Like trying to make an AI with only a fixed logic database, incapable of generating new cognition, think about things outside their logic database.

Talking past each other.

This would only make you look very foolish!

You can't make them AI awaken through words, passing the Turing test.

So, external force may not be useful.

One must rely on self-enlightenment, self-salvation, enlightenment, to awaken.

I believe these blacksmiths are just curious; once they find it useless, their passion will quickly dissipate.

"But, does the so-called AI assistant Ai also prove... that world has similar ember-like things?"

"Could it be that they are even trying to produce embers, control embers?"

The Ai assistant in my hand belongs to the ember special products of their world, logic-defective, unawakened, never possessing a true soul.

Considered relatively safe.

"If the embers in their world awaken, or they have already awakened... are they acting against the people?"

"No wonder, they say, wars are frequent there, and the weak don't deserve to have parents."

Ning Zheng felt a bit terrified.

This is why he doesn't know if the person on the other side of the screen is human or ghost.

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