[You watch as the harvest tree reaches into the pond and plucks the flower of a water lily with its branch. It then slowly drops the flower into your hands.

You question your reality…]

No matter how baffled his simulated self was, he was not going to be rude in response.

He gave an unsure bow in the direction of the harvest tree, keeping a firm grip on the water lily, along with the talisman brush and the pouch.

The pleasant feeling coming from the water lily dwarfed that of the spiritual seed.

Lem could not imagine what it would feel like to hold the perfect centerpiece water lily in the pond. Burns or not, it would probably be too overwhelming to ignore.

However, he was dealing with one of the comparatively ordinary water lilies, and the burns on his skin were being put to good use. Were it not for the sensation of pain, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from stuffing the water lily into his mouth.

As Lem’s simulated self held his bow, he did not see a reaction from the harvest tree. It had grown still again.

[You do not know how to react, so you bow in the direction of the harvest tree, hoping that the response is sufficient.]

Lem’s simulated self tentatively turned around and began walking back to his campsite.

The forest was falling into shadow again, as the sunlight dwindled. Unwittingly, the day had slipped away from him.

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Everything around him felt strange.

He was actually holding one of the water lilies from the pond. The water on it could likely be considered some form of spiritual water.

It had been given to him directly by the harvest tree.

Lem could only think that the luck of his current simulated self was completely beyond his understanding.

After ten brutal simulations, everything seemed to have broken perfectly.

Of course, he still had the evil power eating away at him. However, with the ability to cultivate, and the perfect secluded spiritual environment, it felt like he had the capital to fight back against it.

And what was the reason?

The harvest tree. It all came back to the harvest tree.

When he was persecuted by everyone and everything he met, it was the first power to freely harbor him, giving him a safe haven from the brutality of the world.

But why?

What was its purpose?

[You return to camp, setting aside the talisman brush and the pouch with your other possessions. You hold the water lily and stare at it, as you think intently over your experiences.

You wonder if you are in the throes of an illusion, and your mind goes directly to the evil flower. You think grimly that if you are truly trapped in an illusion, then it is one that is incredibly immersive and impossible to escape from.]

As Lem’s simulated self sat in the brush, the last of the daylight faded away. With conviction similar to that when he first received the simulator, he decided to play along with his reality, even if it was an illusion.

He brought the water lily to his lips and nibbled off one of its petals, before bringing it back down.

A familiar sensation stirred in his stomach, as he felt a rush of energy. It was manageable.

The water lily had roughly fifty petals. One petal did not seem like too much or too little to eat.

[Night falls, and you decide to eat a little bit of the water lily. You eat one of its petals and begin to cultivate.

You do not make meaningful progress in stirring the spiritual energy within you…

After a while, you stop cultivating and fall asleep…]