The viewers in the livestream were in utter chaos. They had never witnessed such an unfathomable event – a two-dimensional drawing transforming into a three-dimensional reality? This was the stuff of movies.
"Are you kidding me? Things from a painting are actually coming to life."
"Is this virtual reality? Like in Yu-Gi-Oh! where battle cards pop out as holograms, but it's not real."
"I think these things aren't real either, but they're just too lifelike."
"Jiang Shen is right there, he can tell if it's real!"
"That makes sense! Jiang Shen, go forth splendidly!"
Jiang Fan stared at the suddenly appearing oasis, lost in thought. From a scientific perspective, it was explainable. Science fiction novels featured weapons called "two-dimensional projectors" that could turn three-dimensional beings into two-dimensional ones. If it was possible to go from three dimensions to two, it might be possible to reverse the process, from two to three.
Meanwhile, Dai Xiaomei, spotting the clear stream, leisurely grazing animals, and bright red fruits hanging from trees in the oasis, was practically drooling and about to rush in.
"Be careful, there might be demons in there." Zhou Niannian grabbed Dai Xiaomei. "Have you ever read Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio? There's a story called 'Painted Wall' where a two-dimensional painting on a wall comes to life."
"A scholar saw a beautiful woman and was immediately captivated, walking into the painting. And then there was no 'then'."
"Why was there no 'then'?" Dai Xiaomei still didn't understand.
"She was eaten alive by a demon!" Zhou Niannian scared Dai Xiaomei.
Being timid, Dai Xiaomei was instantly stunned into silence.
"Whether it's beautiful women or demons, we have to go in and try."
"Our supplies are running low, we need to resupply here."
Jiang Fan pulled Yao over, asking him to sense if there was any danger in the oasis. He had become accustomed to using Yao as a danger detector. Yao sensed for a while and shook his head, indicating he detected nothing.
Jiang Fan closed his eyes in contemplation, then voiced his hypothesis. "I guess the Tyrannosaurus Rex came out of this oasis."
"The mountain of animal bones it ate was also retrieved from the oasis."
"Since the Tyrannosaurus Rex could move freely between two worlds, so can we." Jiang Fan signaled for everyone to cheer up. Were they less capable than a clumsy dragon?
"Right, what about the animal bones the Tyrannosaurus Rex ate?" Zhou Niannian asked Jiang Fan, as this matter was still unresolved.
Jiang Fan gestured towards a spot in the oasis. There, several animals with sneaky faces and earthy yellow fur were peeking out. These animals had long whiskers and sharp claws, looking like oversized mice.
"Wow, they're marmots! So cute!" Dai Xiaomei exclaimed. Startled, the marmots immediately scurried back into the oasis and disappeared in a flash.
"I guess these marmots came out to carry away all the animal skeletons after the dinosaurs left."
"Marmots have a habit of hoarding things."
"The dinosaur footprints were also cleaned up by the marmots," Jiang Fan analyzed methodically. Zhou Niannian breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought it was haunted when the skeletons suddenly disappeared.
"Let's go, let's go. If even marmots can come and go freely, are we inferior to mice?" Zhou Niannian also got excited and pushed Jiang Fan to go in.
Jiang Fan packed his gear, took a deep breath, and stepped into the oasis.
As soon as they entered, Dai Xiaomei let out a shout. "Wow!"
The small oasis presented a perfect ecosystem, with lush green forests and various creatures. However, the trees in the forest weren't very tall, only about one-third the height of ordinary trees. Various insects crawled on the ground, and they were also not very large. Birds occasionally flew overhead. Jiang Fan recognized them as eagles, but the eagles here were only about the size of pigeons.
As Jiang Fan walked in, he saw a blue pig-rabbit run past from the grass in front of him. Even the pig-rabbits were only about half the size of those in the outside world. Ahead was a forest. As soon as they entered, they felt a invigorating oxygen-rich atmosphere. The various plants in the forest emitted a warm fragrance, and birds sang from the treetops.
Jiang Fan led them quickly through the forest. Ahead, they heard the sound of flowing water, suggesting a small river was quietly meandering. The path underfoot was no longer a yellow dirt road but a small path paved with cobblestones.
Zhou Niannian couldn't help but sigh. "My heavens, is such a beautiful place real, or is it a dream? Is it Zhuang Zhou dreaming of butterflies, or butterflies dreaming of Zhuang Zhou? Did I dream of the oasis, or did the oasis dream of me?"
Dai Xiaomei made a new discovery. She vigorously shook a tree, and soon, bright red fruits fell from it. Without even washing them, Dai Xiaomei picked one and popped it into her mouth. It was so sweet! "Wow, if this is Inception, I'd be willing to stay here forever and never wake up." Dai Xiaomei's eyes sparkled.
"Heh heh, maybe you'll stay in this space forever and can't go back!" Jiang Fan deliberately scared Dai Xiaomei. Dai Xiaomei and the others rolled their eyes at Jiang Fan, calling him a straight-arrow who specialized in spoiling the mood.
After walking along the cobblestone path for a while, a clear stream appeared before them.
"Lake monster! There's a lake monster!" Zhou Niannian suddenly tensed up, pointing at several strange animals in the lake. These animals were covered in green scales, had blood-red tongues, and a strange tuft of green hair on their heads.
"What lake monster? That's a Green-Haired Iguana, they make their living by fishing." Jiang Fan recognized them immediately. These animals were docile and posed no threat. As long as you didn't try to steal their fish, they were very peaceful. Seeing Jiang Fan and the others approach, the Green-Haired Iguanas were not afraid. They simply swam to a farther spot from the shore and continued fishing. The Green-Haired Iguanas would climb onto rocks and then leap into the water collectively, sending splashes everywhere. When they reappeared on the water's surface, they had a large, plump salmon in their mouths.
"However, Green-Haired Iguanas only inhabit saltwater. It's amazing that they're here in freshwater too," Jiang Fan mused. The creatures in this secret realm were indeed incredible. The real Green-Haired Iguanas were much larger, over ten meters long, while the ones here were only a little over two meters long, making them less intimidating.
Zhou Niannian didn't find it strange at all. If this peculiar place had dinosaurs, why would it be strange for marine animals to venture into freshwater for food?
"Heh heh, these guys are actually skilled fishermen."
"Can we catch them and domesticate them, so they can fish for us in the future?" Zhou Niannian had a sudden, mischievous idea.