Creator of Infinite Realms

"Run!""Run where? We're no larger than a single strand of his hair!"

Countless fleeing insect apes collapsed, their tiny legs failing beneath them. In the chaos, amid cries of terror and desperation, a young insect ape, barely larger than a grain of rice, stood trembling but resolute. Lifting his head defiantly toward the towering figure blotting out the sky, he shouted, voice quivering yet unbroken: "Why don't you save us? You're so powerful, yet you watch us die!"

Xu Zhi halted, looking down with curiosity at the brave little creature. Such courage from such insignificance—it stirred something within him. Without a word, he slowly lowered his hand, gently scooping the tiny creature into his palm.

To the young insect ape named Gilgamesh, that massive palm stretched like an endless plain, vast beyond comprehension. He stood dumbfounded, gazing upward into the enormous eyes—blazing like twin suns—peering down from the heavens.

"Gilgamesh," Xu Zhi spoke softly, his voice resonating like thunder yet filled with surprising warmth, "Do you desire to change the fate of your kind?"

"You… you can speak?!" Gilgamesh cried, shaken by awe and disbelief. "How can you—a giant so colossal, wise, and perfect—exist? And how can you speak our language?"

Xu Zhi answered gently, his voice reverberating like the rumbling of distant thunder, yet clear and reassuring. "Wisdom bridges all forms. Since you can speak, you have wisdom. And since you have wisdom, you can shape your fate. But tell me: Why should I rescue you merely because you possess wisdom? In the eyes of creation, every creature is equal."

Gilgamesh's small frame shook with the weight of these words. Gathering courage, he called out again, "If you possess such power, why don't you save us? You took us in your hand; surely you could save us from annihilation!"

Xu Zhi gazed into the tiny creature's eyes with quiet solemnity. Then, with deliberate care, he carried Gilgamesh back to the sandbox, crossing forests, mountains, and rivers in only a few strides. His voice resonated across the entire miniature land:

"Look at this world, Gilgamesh—every species must face its own trials. Why should I intervene to protect you alone? To live, one must forge one's own civilization. This is the true path of wisdom."

"Civilization…?" Gilgamesh murmured, confused yet curious. "What is civilization?"

Xu Zhi gently knelt by the edge of the lush valley. He drew forth the miniature Welcoming Pine he had carefully prepared—a tiny yet towering tree that appeared, to the insect ape, unimaginably vast. It stretched toward the heavens, shrouded in a mist that concealed its peak, mysterious and awe-inspiring.

"This tree," Xu Zhi explained, "is the Tree of Wisdom. If you wish to change your destiny, you must climb to its peak. There, you will discover the true meaning of civilization."

Gilgamesh trembled with newfound courage and curiosity. "And what lies at the top?"

From his pocket, Xu Zhi withdrew a tiny, brilliantly crafted silver sword, a meticulously fashioned miniature torch, and a small vessel filled with a potent red liquid. He gently placed these three sacred objects atop the mighty tree, each sparkling mysteriously in the dimming light.

"These are the Three Treasures of Civilization," he pronounced gravely. "First is the Sword of Protection—a tool that gives wisdom the power to defend itself against wild beasts. Second, the Torch, whose flame dispels darkness and grants the warmth of civilization. And third, the Vessel of Power—the blood that can grant strength and change destiny."

Xu Zhi's voice softened. "Gilgamesh, civilization is the power by which creatures of wisdom conquer nature and fate itself. If you wish to save your tribe, climb this Sacred Tree and claim these three treasures. That will be your test—a test of courage, intelligence, and determination."

Gilgamesh stood speechless in Xu Zhi's enormous palm. Then, with newfound resolve burning fiercely in his tiny heart, he nodded fiercely. "I understand. Civilization… is the strength of wisdom. I will climb your Sacred Tree."

Xu Zhi gently set Gilgamesh down at the base of the towering tree, carefully stepped back, and spoke to the hive: "Accelerate cellular division—one hundredfold."

To Gilgamesh and his tribe, the next moments became a lifetime. Days passed swiftly, and yet in Xu Zhi's eyes, mere seconds ticked by. He watched from afar through his telescope as the tiny figures of Gilgamesh and his companions struggled upward, falling repeatedly but never surrendering. They fell, rose, climbed again, relentless and unyielding.

Finally, the group reached the summit, claiming the three treasures. Raising the tiny sword, Gilgamesh proudly lifted his head. Even from this distance, Xu Zhi felt the weight of his proud proclamation through the hive's interpretation:

"Behold the Great Giant, a heavenly being clad in radiant white! Towering ten thousand feet high, he walks with such majesty that mountains and rivers tremble at his step! From today onward, we, too, beings of wisdom, shall harness the strength of civilization and rise as mighty as the gods themselves!"

This triumphant moment of bravery would echo throughout eternity. Eons later, when archaeologists unearthed the faded tablets of an ancient civilization, the ancient Sumerian "Genesis" texts, their oldest surviving records, recounted this moment with reverence:

"Thus appeared the Great Giant, clad in robes of radiant white, who crushed mountains beneath his feet. Bestowing upon our ancestor Gilgamesh the Three Sacred Treasures—the Sword of Wisdom, the Torch of Life, and the Vessel of Power—he taught us the secret of civilization. And thus began the age of our greatness."

Xu Zhi gently lowered his telescope, a bittersweet smile on his lips. A civilization had taken root. An era had been born from his idle experiment—driven by compassion, amusement, and perhaps loneliness. Yet beneath his pride lurked unease: these creatures, despite their astonishing resilience, faced an uncertain future.

As he turned away from the sandbox, he knew his task had only just begun.

Quietly, beneath the endless, tranquil sky, Xu Zhi whispered to himself with a knowing sigh, "Gilgamesh, may you forge your own path well."