Chapter 34: The Gardener's Ring

The sea of tricolor roses at the heart of the London collapse zone steamed with pale golden light under the morning sun. Kane knelt on the warm earth, his fingertips buried deep within the soil, vibrant with life. He could feel the steady, powerful pulse of the ground beneath him, like a giant recovering from a long illness, stretching its limbs. The suffocating hunger and chaos that had once emanated from the planet’s core—the corruption of "Entropy Blight"—had been thoroughly purged by the might of the Seven-Star Array, leaving behind a silence that felt almost sacred.

Yet, this silence was not deathly. The Global Rose Network resembled a living entity that had just survived a great war, only to emerge stronger; its root systems, in Kane’s perception, were extending into the deeper crust and across vast new territories with unprecedented vitality. Every pulse carried a massive volume of information: the migration of fish in the deep ocean, the minute changes in photosynthesis within the leaves of the Amazon rainforest, the trajectory of meltwater from Himalayan glaciers, and even the slow, surging flow of magma deep within the mantle. The rhythmic life of the planet had never been presented to his consciousness so clearly, or with such harmony.

"Gardener candidate..." Kane whispered, the tricolor mark on his forehead flickering in sync with his thoughts. This status brought not only power but a heavy responsibility—a duty to think, perceive, and protect on a planetary scale.

"Kane!" Lena’s voice rang out directly in his consciousness via the Rose Network, carrying a trace of imperceptible fatigue but far more excitement. "The Bermuda Pyramid is stable! Energy output efficiency has increased by three hundred percent! It is... it is showing me the 'blueprint' of the entire Atlantic! The currents, the mineral veins on the seabed, even the outlines of sunken continents!"

"The Sahara node is stable!" Hassan’s voice followed immediately, filled with strength and awe. "The residual energy of the Ancestor’s Mirror has completely merged with the earth! I can feel the desert 'breathing,' the ancient grains of sand singing! The souls of the ancestors have never felt so close!"

"The New York node..." Ada’s voice was weak but exceptionally firm. "The core of the silver-red slime corruption has been purged! Though remnants remain, they have been completely suppressed and converted by the Rose Network. I am attempting to channel this energy to repair the eroded ecological foundation... It feels... like making amends for past mistakes."

"The Cairo node is stable!" Marcus’s voice carried the exhilaration of a technician. "The blue-gold energy field has been completely tamed! It is no longer a dangerous seal, but a stable energy source beneath the city! Erica and I are designing a plan to use it to neutralize radiation in the meltdown zones!"

"The Antarctic node is operating normally." A cold, emotionless voice with a strange, rhythmic cadence joined the communication—the automated response of the relic of the first root system’s climate control station. "Surface environmental parameters are being optimized. Ice sheet stability has increased by 0.7%. The ozone layer hole repair process has accelerated."

The voices of the team intertwined in Kane’s mind like a symphony of planetary revival. Each was adapting to their identity as "Gardener candidates" in their own way, wielding their newfound power and authority. Earth, the cradle that had just broken free from the clutches of a cosmic parasite, was being reborn at an unprecedented speed.

Hours later, the group gathered once more at the Greenwich Observatory via the Rose Network’s short-range teleportation. Under the original tricolor rose, which had since grown to the size of a towering tree, the atmosphere was both relaxed and solemn. The relief of surviving the catastrophe was tempered by the vast information and responsibilities brought by their new roles.

Marcus was the busiest of them all. A dozen holographic screens floated before him, scrolling with dazzling data streams—global geological activity maps, atmospheric composition curves, energy flow distribution of the Rose Network, and even ancient climate models transmitted from the Antarctic ruins.

"Incredible, simply incredible!" He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose, pointing excitedly at one of the screens. "After the Entropy Blight was cleared, it wasn't just the disaster that vanished! It’s as if the Earth’s entire energy field has been 'rebooted' and 'upgraded'! The intensity of the geomagnetic field is steadily recovering! The minute fluctuations in the core's rotation have been smoothed out! Even the frequency of extreme weather globally is plummeting! Is this... is this the 'environmental optimization' authority of a Gardener candidate?"

"It’s not just optimization," Erica added, carefully scanning a rose leaf with her instruments. "It’s 'balance.' I can feel the energy flow of the entire biosphere becoming extraordinarily harmonious. Plant growth is accelerating, animal stress responses are lowering... It’s as if the whole planet has entered a... prime state?" She could not find a more fitting term.

Ada sat to the side, closing her eyes to feel the subtle energy currents flowing through the air. "The Harmony Field... it doesn't just act on the physical environment; it also influences the consciousness layer. I can feel the emotions of the London citizens; panic is receding, and a kind of... quiet hope is budding. Though they may not know what has happened." She opened her eyes and looked at Kane. "The power of the Gardener works silently, nourishing all things."

Lena’s crystalline left hand was now more like a flowing work of art, with tricolor light slowly rotating within it. "The underwater pyramid has become a super-node for the network. The information it transmits isn't just data; it's more like... experience? An ancient database on how to maintain an oceanic planet." She paused, her eyes sharpening. "At the same time, it has become a powerful early warning system. The passive scanning range of the pyramid... has extended beyond the Kuiper Belt."

This statement caused the relaxed atmosphere to freeze instantly.

"The Seventh Iteration?" Hassan asked in a deep voice, his hand resting instinctively on the obsidian-inlaid position on his chest, even though the mark had already merged into his body.

"No direct trace of the Seventh Iteration fleet has been detected yet," Lena shook her head. "However, the pyramid captured some... faint, abnormal space-time ripples. Very distant, in the direction of the Orion Arm. The characteristics are similar to the Harvester technology we encountered near the Vega Dyson Ring, but... older? Or perhaps more covert?"

"They won't give up," Ada’s voice was cold. "The failure of the Entropy Blight will only make them more frantic. Furthermore, Earth has activated the Seven-Star Array and cleared the Blight, which itself has announced the existence of Gardener candidates to the universe. We are no longer prey hiding in the dark forest, but... a target worthy of priority eradication."

"What about the Gardener’s Ring?" Kane suddenly spoke, asking the crucial question. In the Primordial Garden, the Harmonizer’s small key had mentioned that after becoming a Gardener candidate, they would receive guidance from the "Gardener’s Ring." It was a place where Gardeners communicated, learned, and perhaps even obtained sanctuary.

Everyone looked at each other. Since obtaining their authority, other than an enhanced perception of Earth itself, they had not received any clear information or invitations from the "Ring."

"Perhaps it requires a certain 'ritual'?" Hassan speculated. "Or a specific location?"

"Maybe we need to actively 'call out'?" Marcus suggested. "Like a radio, broadcasting our signal?"

Just then, one of the holographic screens in front of Marcus suddenly flickered violently! The previously stable curve representing the Antarctic node’s energy output suddenly spiked with a series of extremely complex, high-frequency pulses!

"What’s happening?!" Marcus was startled, his fingers flying across the controls. "The Antarctic ruins' automated report says everything is normal! This pulse... it’s not coming from Antarctica! It’s... it’s coming from the Rose Network itself?! No, wait!" His face changed drastically. "It’s... it’s attempting to use the Antarctic node’s energy output as a 'carrier' to send a signal outward?! The target is... unknown!"

Everyone’s nerves tightened instantly. Could it be residual Entropy Blight? Or a backdoor attack from the Seventh Iteration?

Lena’s crystalline left hand immediately transformed into an analyzer, capturing the pulse signal. "The signal structure is extremely complex... it contains multiple layers of encryption... the core information seems to be wrapped in... a repeating, heartbeat-like baseline frequency?"

"A baseline frequency..." Kane closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into the global Rose Network. He filtered out the planet’s own pulse, focusing on the abnormal signal source. It did not originate from a specific node; rather, it moved like a ghost throughout the entire network, resonating, and finally using the Antarctic node—the one with the most massive energy—as a directional amplifier to broadcast.

He captured the "heartbeat" Lena spoke of. A steady, deep pulse carrying an indescribable, ancient rhythm. This pulse... he felt a trace of familiarity. Where had he felt it before?

The Primordial Garden! The pulse of light from the heart of that massive primordial rose!

"It’s not an attack!" Kane snapped his eyes open, a glint of disbelief flashing in them. "It’s a beacon! It’s the beacon of the 'Gardener’s Ring'! It is automatically transmitting our 'coordinates' and 'status'!"

"Automatically transmitting? To whom?" Erica asked nervously.

"To the 'Ring' itself." Kane’s tone held a trace of realization. "We don't need to call out. When we successfully defended our 'garden' (clearing the Entropy Blight) and passed the preliminary trial (activating the Seven-Star Array), our 'existence' and 'qualifications' reached the standard to be recorded and marked by the 'Ring.' This beacon is our 'proof of identity' and 'location information'; it is automatically received and archived by the system of the 'Gardener’s Ring.'"

As if to confirm his words, the complex pulse signal on Marcus’s screen suddenly stopped after broadcasting for about a minute. Immediately after, the Antarctic node’s energy output curve returned to normal. But on the screen, a new, tiny, almost imperceptible icon appeared—a simple symbol consisting of three nested rings, emitting a faint light originating from the same source as the tricolor roses.

"Is... is this the response from the 'Ring'?" Marcus pointed at the icon. "It... it left a mark in our network?"

"It’s an interface." Kane sensed the mark. "An extremely primitive, one-way interface, likely currently used only for status confirmation. The 'Ring' now knows we are here, and that we are preliminarily qualified. It is 'observing'."

This realization left everyone with complex emotions. On one hand, they seemed to have gained recognition from a higher existence; on the other, being silently observed by a completely unknown, massive "organization" that might span countless galaxies was a feeling that was both marvelous and unsettling.

"A one-way interface..." Lena mused. "Does that mean we currently cannot actively contact the 'Ring,' nor access its information?"

"For now, yes." Kane nodded. "The 'Ring' has its own rhythm and rules. Perhaps it requires more 'gardening achievements,' or perhaps the passage of time, to gain deeper communication authority."

In the days that followed, Earth entered an unprecedented "Golden Age." Nourished by the tricolor Harmony Field and the Gardener candidate authority, human civilization recovered and surpassed its past at a staggering speed.

Environmental Miracle: Polluted air and water were rapidly purified by the rose root systems; deserts turned into oases, ice sheets stopped receding and even partially expanded, and biodiversity experienced an explosive recovery. Extreme weather became a historical term.

Energy Revolution: A clean, near-infinite energy system was rapidly established based on the Rose Network nodes and the first root system relics (such as the Cairo blue-gold energy and the Sahara ley line nodes). The era of fossil fuels was declared at an end.

Technological Leap: The team led by Marcus and Erica, combining the fragmented knowledge transmitted by the Rose Network and the partially opened data from the Antarctic ruins, achieved disruptive breakthroughs in materials science, bioengineering, and quantum computing. Lena’s deep link with the underwater pyramid opened the door to ocean engineering and planetary environmental terraforming technology.

Social Transformation: Global panic and division were rapidly healed by the Harmony Field. Although nations still existed, the prototype of a "Planetary Council," centered on the core mission of protecting Earth and exploring the path of the Gardener, began to form. Ada, with her understanding of advanced civilizations and vigilance against the Seventh Iteration, became an important strategic advisor. Hassan became the bridge between ancient wisdom and modern civilization, and his tribe was revered as the "Guardians of the Earth."

Kane immersed himself in a deeper exploration of the Gardener’s authority. He walked between the key nodes of the global network, learning how to guide planetary energy more precisely, how to interpret the ancient planetary memories transmitted by the rose roots, and how to use the mark for microscopic matter reorganization (which even allowed him to repair some minor damage to Lena’s crystalline left hand). He realized ever more clearly that Gardeners were not omnipotent gods, but rather the most skilled gardeners and ecological engineers in the universe; the core of their power lay in "understanding," "balance," and "guidance," rather than crude "creation" or "destruction."

However, beneath the calm surface, undercurrents had never stopped surging.

Lena’s early warning system continued to capture abnormal signals from deep space. The frequency of those space-time ripples was increasing, their range was broadening, and... they were getting closer. They hovered like ghosts on the outskirts of the solar system, carefully probing the boundaries of the Rose Network, as if evaluating something.

Late one night, in the newly established "Planetary Coordination Center" beneath the Greenwich Observatory (hosted by Marcus), a piercing alarm suddenly shattered the silence!

"High-energy jump signal detected! Location—outskirts of the Oort Cloud! Number... three! No, five! Still increasing!" The technician on duty’s voice cracked.

On the holographic star map, at the edge of the pale blue sphere representing the solar system, several scarlet light spots suddenly appeared like blood drops falling into clear water!

Marcus, Erica, Lena, Hassan, and Ada were instantly transmitted to the control center by the network. Kane’s figure appeared in front of the main screen almost simultaneously.

"They’re finally here." Lena’s crystalline left hand instantly entered combat mode, the tricolor light becoming sharp as a blade.

"Can you identify them? Seventh Iteration?" Erica asked quickly.

"Signal characteristics... partially match the Harvester fleet, but..." Lena stared intently at the analyzed data. "Mixed with something else... more... primitive? More chaotic?"

"Not the main fleet." Ada’s expression was grave, the mark on her forehead flickering with vigilant light. "They are 'Hyena Packs'! Plunderer units composed of interstellar mercenaries and exiled criminals hired by the Seventh Iteration Council! They are usually used for dirty work, probing dangerous areas, or... conducting genocidal scorched-earth operations! How could they find us here? And so quickly?"

"It’s the beacon." Kane’s voice was cold. He understood instantly. While the "Gardener’s Ring" beacon announced Earth’s candidacy, it also acted like a bonfire in the dark forest, exposing their location! The Seventh Iteration could not directly track the "Ring" itself, but tracking a novice "garden" that had just lit its beacon was not difficult for these hyenas roaming the shadows of the universe! They were predators attracted by the "qualifications"!

"They are accelerating! Target confirmed—Earth!" The technician’s voice carried desperation. "Estimated time of contact... 12 hours!"

"12 hours?!" Hassan roared. "That’s enough time for them to tear us apart ten times over!"

"The planetary defense system isn't even one percent complete!" Marcus looked at the model of the massive orbital defense platform that existed only on blueprints, his face full of despair.

"What about the defensive capabilities of the Rose Network?" Erica looked at Kane and Lena.

"The network is primarily used for planetary ecological maintenance and internal defense; its interception capability against high-speed deep-space targets is limited!" Lena assessed rapidly. "And we don't know their specific weapon configurations! If they are equipped with space-time tearing weapons, these heavy plunderer ships..."

Despair shrouded them once more. The peace and hope they had just acquired were about to be torn apart by claws descending from the sky!

"No." Kane’s voice was exceptionally calm. The tricolor mark on his forehead had never been so bright, forming a faint, tangible halo around him. His gaze pierced through the ceiling of the control center, as if seeing the deep starry sky and the approaching scarlet light spots.

"They are not here to cause trouble." A cold curve even touched the corner of Kane’s mouth. "They are 'messengers'."

"Messengers?" The others were stunned.

"Messengers sent by the Seventh Iteration Council." Kane repeated. His quantum vision pierced through the vast distance, capturing the chaotic, greedy, yet unwilling atmosphere of those aboard the plunderer ships, as they were forced to carry out orders. "They bring the Council’s 'greetings' and 'ultimatum.' At the same time, this is the first practical test of the caliber of our 'Gardener candidacy'."

He turned to Lena: "Activate the Bermuda Pyramid’s maximum power scan! Lock onto those ships; I want their core engine frequencies, shield resonance points, and... the location of the command ship!"

"Marcus, Erica! I need you to go to the Cairo node immediately! Use the blue-gold energy core to create a powerful energy interference field covering a specific frequency band! I will send the blueprints to you via the network!"

"Hassan! Sahara node! Guide the ley line energy to form a space turbulence zone at the pre-set coordinates in low Earth orbit! No need for attack, just create chaos!"

"Ada! New York node! Use the entropy technology principles you’ve mastered to attempt reverse-engineering their shield structure! Find the weakest theoretical point!"

The series of orders was clear and swift, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness. The former "Time Cleaner" now displayed the sharpness of a "Gardener Guardian."

"What about you?" Lena asked while executing the orders.

Kane’s gaze returned to the global star map, locking onto those few scarlet dots: "I am going to 'welcome' their commander. By the way..." A flicker of tricolor electricity flashed in his eyes, "I’ll send a return gift to the Council."

He did not need a ship. In the astonished eyes of the crowd, Kane’s figure began to blur, tricolor light wrapping around him like pigment dissolving in water. The next moment, he vanished directly from the control center.

When he reappeared, Kane was in the cold, dead silence of outer space. Below him was the blue Earth, in the distance was the sun radiating light and heat, and ahead, five interstellar plunderer ships with hideous, stitched-together designs were spewing thick plasma exhaust, tearing through the cold dust of the Oort Cloud as they lunged fiercely toward Earth! Among them, the largest ship, covered in spikes and skull paint, was clearly the command ship—the "Blood Claw."

Kane’s tiny figure floated in the path of the "Blood Claw," like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

The plunderer fleet clearly discovered this uninvited guest as well. The cannons of several escort ships instantly lit up with charging red light, and several high-energy particle beams, like the scythes of death, were fired without warning, instantly submerging the space where Kane was!

Inside the Earth control center, the image returned by the micro-sensors Kane carried was instantly covered by blinding white light!

"Kane!" Lena cried out in alarm.

However, the white light dissipated. Kane’s figure was still floating in the same place. He hadn't even changed his posture. Those high-energy particle beams, capable of tearing a cruiser apart, hit the thin layer of tricolor halo wrapping his body and vanished without a trace, like stones sinking into the sea, stirring up only ripples.

"Wh... what?!" An incredulous roar came over the plunderer fleet’s public channel (intercepted and translated by the Rose Network).

Kane ignored them. He raised his right hand, his fingertips pointing at the massive hull of the "Blood Claw," and tapped lightly.

There was no earth-shattering explosion. But the "Blood Claw’s" composite armor, meters thick, had a perfectly smooth, circular hole about ten meters in diameter appear at the spot Kane pointed to! It was as if a piece had been scooped out by an invisible, atom-precise spoon! The hole pierced directly through the outer armor and several bulkhead layers, exposing the sparking electrical lines and internal structure!

Precise, elegant, and carrying a bone-chillingly destructive power! This was the ultimate application of Gardener authority in microscopic matter reorganization—not destruction, but "removal"!

Alarms blared inside the "Blood Claw," and chaos erupted!

"Now," Kane’s consciousness ripples ignored the obstruction of the vacuum, pouring directly into the minds of all members of the plunderer fleet like a cold torrent, carrying the absolute pressure of the Gardener’s mark, "can we talk now? You 'hyenas' of the Seventh Iteration Council?"