I Run Away with the Earth to Save the World [Unlimited Flow] - Chapter 85

Chapter 85: Jing Qizhen: “I meant just plucking a bit of its fur to test!”

Jing Qizhen’s stern expression seemed to intimidate Caroline, who momentarily hesitated and stammered, “Ma-maybe?”

“Stop with the ‘maybe’!”

Jing Qizhen frowned slightly. “You’ve even browsed through David’s banquet menus out of boredom. Don’t tell me you’ve never looked at the books in his study?”

They were currently in David’s study with the summer sun spilling through the windows.

Following Jing Qizhen’s gaze, Caroline’s eyes landed on the bookshelf and she began to calm down slightly.

Scanning the books, Caroline recalled, “The one you asked about is ‘The World’s Famous Fairy Tales Collection’?”

Jing Qizhen nodded. “It could be that title or another, but it’s most likely a fairy tale anthology.”

Jing Qizhen’s words had made things clear enough that even the slowest thinker could connect it to the fairy tales they had encountered in the erosion area.

Caroline exclaimed, “There was a book like that! I saw it in David’s study. A fairy tale collection with a pale gold cover. The cover illustration was a rabbit in formal attire, a March Hare!”

Her sudden outburst startled everyone around her.

Jing Qizhen said calmly, “Caroline, relax…”

Caroline, ignoring him, continued excitedly, “I remember now! The ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ mostly contained short stories but the cover featured the March Hare from ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’! That’s unusual because ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ is a longer story and usually wouldn’t be mixed in with short tales. Even in more comprehensive anthologies, it would typically have a separate, extended section. I even mentioned the beautiful cover design to David at the time and he casually remarked, ‘Maybe it’s another circus rabbit from a fairy tale.’”

Without prompting, Caroline meticulously recounted the scene in vivid detail. Her memory, as always, proved extraordinary, a talent she often used to unearth people’s hidden and not-so-hidden interpersonal connections.

Caroline continued, “I remember it clearly. The rabbit on the cover was definitely the March Hare and even the little waistcoat it was wearing matched perfectly! Yes, I’m sure of it!”

After finishing her account, Caroline looked puzzled. “Why are you suddenly asking about the ‘Fairy Tale Collection’?”

Joyce, who had just followed Jing Qizhen into the room, had recently been scolded by his cousin, Wilcox. He’d spent his spare moments poring over the stack of A4-printed documents Jing Qizhen’s group had brought.

Hearing Caroline’s question, Joyce’s mind immediately lit up with insight from those documents. “The creation of an erosion area often involves a real-world object resonating with two parallel earths that overlap. The content of the erosion area is usually closely tied to its erosion core!”

Wilcox ruffled his younger cousin’s hair approvingly. “My dear little cousin, you’ve finally caught on to the key point.”

Angelina, who had also read through the documents, suddenly realized what was happening. She turned to Jing Qizhen with wide eyes and exclaimed, “You think that ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ is the erosion core for this area?!”

Caroline: “!!”

The others widened their eyes in shock.

However, after letting go of her mouth in astonishment, Caroline added, “But that doesn’t make sense! David’s villa burned to the ground and that ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ was in the study. It must have been reduced to ashes! Unless… someone took it out?”

Caroline’s gaze swept over the group, lingering on each face.

McCain, who was scrutinized most closely, shrugged and said in a low voice, “Given what was going on back then, who would have the time or presence of mind to pick up a fairy tale book?”

Professor Jones remained silent but his expression clearly indicated agreement with McCain.

Joyce interjected, “According to the documents, if the erosion core is destroyed, the erosion area would collapse. But based on what we’re seeing now—”

The erosion area still existed, suggesting that the situation wasn’t as simple as they had initially imagined.

Jing Qizhen had no interest in participating in the argument among the foreigners. He waited until their rather unfriendly ‘discussion’ subsided before sweeping his gaze over them. After a moment of pause, he finally said, “If this were earlier, that ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ might indeed have been the erosion core.”

His statement left everyone confused.

Even Lu Lingxi, who had silently descended from the roof after listening to their conversation through his earpiece, approached curiously.

Jing Qizhen vividly recalled how the Earth had once grumbled and explained to him how erosion areas could expand and grow increasingly complex.

The phenomenon was rare and they currently lacked detailed data. Tang Song’s prepared documents only briefly mentioned it, without providing a thorough explanation.

After taking a deep breath, Jing Qizhen began to share his hypothesis, based on the Earth’s earlier insights and the scene they had just witnessed where the Knight of Heart burnt like a real-life paper figure.

He explained, “Erosion areas expand slowly. Let’s assume that the ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ was the erosion core. In the initial days, the fairy tales you encountered would likely have been limited to the stories contained within that anthology. However, as time passed and you failed to locate or destroy the book, the overlap between the two parallel earths deepened. As a result, the erosion area’s anomalies evolved further.”

Angelina shuddered, her fear palpable, but she forced herself to ask, “Evolved how?”

Jing Qizhen continued, “This is just my theory but it’s possible that the ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ is no longer merely the erosion core. Its connection to the erosion area may have deepened to the point where it has become an integral part of the area itself.”

Manman’s expression flashed with understanding, though she looked increasingly puzzled. “Little Jing, when you say it’s become part of the area, what do you mean?”

Jing Qizhen glanced at Caroline, who had just described the ‘Fairy Tale Collection’s’ cover in detail, then explained, “The March Hare on the cover, wearing its identical little waistcoat, and the Knight of Heart, still bearing the scent of freshly printed ink. If we dig deeper, it’s possible that the ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ formed an entire fairy tale kingdom connected through the rabbit hole.”

Caroline gasped, covering her mouth in shock. “Oh my god!”

Lu Lingxi and Gu Leshan, who had interacted closely with the March Hare, also appeared stunned. Jing Qizhen, for his part, had even sprinkled cumin powder on the March Hare in an attempt to extract information from it.

Lu Lingxi recalled carefully, “The March Hare didn’t smell like printed ink.”

Jing Qizhen nodded. “That’s because it’s the cover character of the ‘Fairy Tale Collection’. If that book truly exists within this erosion area and has fully evolved into a complete fairy tale kingdom, then the March Hare, as its cover figure, would have been one of the first fairy tale creatures to manifest.”

Turning back to Caroline, Jing Qizhen asked, “Do you remember the table of contents from David’s ‘Fairy Tale Collection’?”

Caroline shook her head apologetically. “I only glanced at the cover… I didn’t really read the contents.”

Jing Qizhen smiled wryly and sighed lightly before continuing, “The rest of my theory is pure speculation without sufficient evidence.”

He added, “I still stand by my earlier point. If you’d found and destroyed that ‘Fairy Tale Collection’ at the very beginning, this erosion area might already have collapsed.”

Unfortunately, the foreigners had initially fallen into a snowstorm villa scenario, filled with infighting. It was a small miracle that they hadn’t turned to outright violence, considering their personal grievances and complicated relationships.

Jing Qizhen pressed his temples with a headache. “But now, this erosion area has lasted over a week. Its area is continually expanding and new anomalies could occur at any time. The original erosion core may no longer simply be the core.”

Manman added, “But things aren’t entirely terrible yet. So far, the number of fairy tale creatures we’ve encountered is still quite limited.”

Jing Qizhen nodded. “Yes, for now, the rate of expansion isn’t particularly fast. However, all erosion areas tend to expand outward radially from a center point and the larger the area gets, the more terrifying the expansion rate becomes.”

In Jing Qizhen’s mind, the Earth chimed in agreement, “That’s correct.”

Jing Qizhen continued, “As for the Knight of Heart, it likely appeared in the middle or later chapters of the ‘Fairy Tale Collection’. The lingering scent of ink and paper on it suggests that the book hasn’t yet fully merged with the erosion area. Given more time, that scent may fade, just as it did with the March Hare.”

Manman speculated, “I wonder if the fairy tale creatures’ tendency to ignite easily will persist.”

Jing Qizhen shrugged. “That’s easy to test when the March Hare comes back—”

The foreigners immediately looked at him with wide-eyed alarm.

Jing Qizhen frowned. “What’s with those looks? I meant just plucking a bit of its fur to test. Not lighting it on fire!”

Rabbit fur and paper burn differently, so distinguishing between them should be simple.

The foreigners: “…”

Who would look at your expression earlier and not think you’re planning to set the March Hare on fire?!