Inside the sandbox, on one of the islands.
Lin Tuo's voice boomed like thunder, startling the lazy fish-like creatures sprawled across the shore.
Those close to the water flopped instinctively, rolling and tumbling into the sea before poking their heads out, warily scanning their surroundings.
Others, having been sleeping too comfortably, scrambled upright still dazed, blinking blankly toward the sky.
These strange fish were roughly human-sized. Even with his strengthened physique and sharpened vision, and despite being so close, Lin Tuo could only make out a rough impression.
Their skin was dark blue. Their lower halves ended in long, slender fish tails, but with few scales. They had two "arms" and humanoid heads—bald, nothing like any fish Lin Tuo knew. The sight was bizarre.
Sensing the heat carried in Lin Tuo's breath, the creatures grew restless, chattering and shrieking. But it wasn't language, only wild, beastly cries.
"They don't seem intelligent… a new kind of amphibious race?" Lin Tuo murmured, puzzled.
He straightened, checking the operation log—only to find no record of them.
Yet their appearance didn't look like something born naturally…
Suddenly, he remembered something Huaxi had told him about history.
During the Great Cataclysm, the climate shifted drastically. Many coastal cities were drowned.
Later, hunters claimed to have seen strange, mutated humanoids in the seas—creatures able to live underwater, but with little intelligence, unable to communicate.
Just stories of the wasteland. Even the three great factions dared not risk the deadly oceans.
"Could these creatures… be mutated humans, evolved into a new race?" Lin Tuo thought, his gaze growing complicated.
If true, then the loss of intelligence must have been the price of survival.
And if the sandbox continued to run, perhaps, ages from now, they might evolve intelligence again. They could even become rulers of the oceans.
"Well… I'll move you to the New Continent too," Lin Tuo decided after some thought.
He fetched an abandoned fish tank.
This race would be placed in the tank for transfer.
That way, they could be preserved and given a chance to evolve further, without disrupting his larger plans.
He dipped a finger into the sea, stirring gently. The fish finally panicked completely, diving into the depths in a frantic attempt to escape.
But Lin Tuo calmly submerged the tank into the waters, then flipped it upright, capturing the entire colony—along with a section of the surrounding ocean.
"The fish tank will sit beside the flowerpot."
He wiped off the water with a towel, set it carefully beside the pot, and sprinkled in some breadcrumbs.
Then, without delay, he grabbed a bucket and began siphoning water out of Sandbox No. 1.
More precisely, he was drawing out the floodwaters he himself had poured in. By now, purified, they carried no pollution. As the waterline dropped, land that had been submerged for tens of thousands of years reemerged.
It looked like a mass of sludge.
The ruins of the old civilization lay buried beneath.
"Time acceleration."
The sandbox spun rapidly forward once more. Before his eyes, riverbeds dried, plants sprouted and spread, blanketing the land in green.
It was as though the world had returned to its beginning, freshly born.
"At this rate, by tomorrow the sandbox should be fully restored—landscapes, ecosystems, everything."
Lin Tuo was satisfied.
But in his plan, once this greening was complete, Sandbox No. 1 would be abandoned. He would close its "isolation shield" and construct a new world.
Yes—
The New Continent he sought for the wasteland's survivors would not be Sandbox No. 1.
Tack Continent had only ever been his experiment in understanding the rules of the Evolution Sand Table. Now the experiment had reached its end.
"Three hundred thousand square kilometers is far too small for a civilization… and Ether's ceiling here is too low. It's time for a bigger map."
His gaze sharpened, a quiet anticipation rising within.
The virtual panel unfolded in his vision. He returned to the main page and tapped open the Store.
Originally, there had only been one item available:
Observation Range Expansion – 1000 Ether per 10,000 km².
But not long ago, he had noticed a new entry appear quietly:
Creation Range: 1000 Ether / 1,000,000 km²
A tooltip popped up.
The meaning was simple—by consuming Ether, he could purchase land area in Creation Mode.
Just 1000 points of Ether for one million square kilometers!
Over three times the size of Tuck Continent.
Compared to the Observation upgrade—where the same price bought only 10,000 km²—the value was staggering.
He had already stockpiled a large reserve of Ether from absorbing the Chikoku nation. Enough to buy multiple expansions. The idea of switching sandboxes had naturally taken root.
Technically, it wasn't difficult.
The Evolution Sand Table's information confirmed: only one sandbox could run at a time.
Yes—he could open only one sandbox.
Two could not run simultaneously.
So, to switch to a larger map, he would have to shut down Sandbox No. 1.
Once closed, the sand table would automatically reconcile it with the outside environment. The isolation shield would vanish. Tack Continent would shift into Observation Mode.
In that state, Lin Tuo could still view it, even teleport there.
But the ability to accelerate time would be lost.
After careful thought, Lin Tuo resolved to abandon Sandbox No. 1 and build a new Sandbox No. 2.
But before that, he had to consider one crucial detail—the timing of its closure.
If he closed it now, the people waiting outside the Great Wall would suddenly see the desert replaced by a swamp.
If he waited until civilization re-emerged, then removed the Wall, the clash between civilizations would be catastrophic.
With his current strength, he could not perfectly resolve that conflict.
So his plan was to wait until the land had regrown into fertile soil and forests. Then close it.
That way, there would be no conflict of civilizations.
And the desert would be transformed into an oasis of immeasurable value. Timber, farmland—endless wealth.
Yes, there would be side effects—some climate shifts—but acceptable ones.
As for potential bacterial issues between ecosystems, the Evolution Sand Table would handle them during reconciliation.
"My test with Tack Desert is done. Now, leaving behind an oasis—it's enough."
Lin Tuo whispered to himself, reviewing the plan.
He tidied up the sand table, emptied the waste water behind the mountain, and moved on with other tasks.
By the time he shut down the computer and stretched, the western sky was already burning with clouds.
"Mm. Huaxi should be awake by now."
Murmuring, he rose and opened the study door.
Huaxi was awake—though in truth, she had barely slept.
From the moment she entered her room at noon, she had been busy.
Though the room held little furniture, she had meticulously cleaned every corner.
She made the bed, folded the quilt, hung each new piece of clothing in the wardrobe. Arranged toiletries neatly. Soaked a rag in the washbasin, wrung it out, and wiped the windows, swept the floor.
Tedious chores, but she carried them out with utmost care.
As a wasteland hunter who often went hungry, Huaxi had never owned a bedroom.
On rare lucky days, if she earned enough, most went to food or healing her wounds.
In the wild, she slept in caves, trees—wherever she could.
Even back in settlements, the best she could find were ruins that kept out the wind and rain.
A clean home? Only a precious few could ever afford that.
So to her, this room—her very first true bedroom—was priceless. She treated it like a child cherishing brand-new white shoes, unwilling to let them dirty.
Only after scrubbing every corner spotless did she finally lie down on the bed.
Feeling the softness of fresh bedding, the comfort of impossibly fine clothes, she stared at the ceiling in a daze.
It felt unreal. Like a dream.
Especially after touring that "city" earlier in the day.
"So many people, living together… no one on guard, no weapons at hand…"
"Roads so smooth, cars painted in all colors, their frames so low… they'd never survive a single trip in the wasteland."
"Restaurants where you just poke at little boxes and food appears… unbelievable."
Her mind swirled with the kaleidoscope of wonders she had seen.
The thought that she would live here from now on made the corners of her lips curl upward.
"Huaxi? Awake? Come out."
After a long while, a familiar voice called from the courtyard.
"Coming!"
She leapt up, rushed to the door, and burst outside.
There stood Lin Tuo, eyes bright, watching her.
"What is it?" she asked, puzzled.
Lin Tuo's expression grew serious.
"Take me as your teacher."
"?"
(End of Chapter)