Chapter 246: Perceiving the Earth's Ecological System
Ignore Zola's futile rage for now—after all, you couldn't see whether he was angry or not.
Oaks began to focus his mind and adapt to the new realm, new abilities, and new perspectives brought to him by the Mind Stone.
He couldn't rely on the Mind Stone forever, as it would trap him in an irretrievable dependence on infinite power.
Even someone as powerful as the Ancient One would use the Time Stone to explore the past and future.
She made a determined decision to tap into the power of the Dark Dimension, but it's hard to say whether the Infinity Stones had any influence on that.
One's own power had to be under oneself's control.
The Infinity Stones can be used by people but never truly "controlled" by them; they don't belong to anyone.
To lose the Infinity Stones would mean reverting to one's original state...
Oaks didn't want to find himself in such an awkward situation someday.
Enhancing his own strength with the power of the Mind Stone was what Oaks needed to do.
The Earth's ecological system indeed has a consciousness.
"The consciousness of Gaia," with the power of the Mind Stone, Oaks finally gained a precise perception of its existence.
But Gaia's consciousness is not the ancient deity Gaia; it is the "pan-consciousness" of the planet's biosphere, rather than a true sentient being.
The commonly referred to "ecosystem" refers to the unified whole formed by the interaction and mutual restraint between organisms and the environment within a certain space in the natural world.
Within this unified whole, organisms and the environment interact and mutually constrain each other, maintaining a relatively stable dynamic equilibrium over a certain period of time.
The scope of an ecosystem can be large or small. The entire solar system can be considered an ecosystem on a larger scale.
On a smaller scale, even the Nature Guardian itself is an ecosystem.
The Amazon rainforest is a tropical rainforest ecosystem, and the cities and farmlands where humans live also form an artificial ecosystem.
The biosphere, on the other hand, is the largest ecosystem on Earth.
It refers to all areas on Earth where life is present and life activities are felt, encompassing the organic entities of the Earth's surface, including microorganisms, as well as the environment from the bottom up. It is a unique layer of the planet Earth.
It does not only refer to the living organisms on Earth but is an organic whole composed of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, soil sphere, and biosphere.
Its scope generally includes the bottom of the atmosphere, the surface of the lithosphere, and the vast majority of the hydrosphere, approximately ten thousand meters vertically above and below sea level.
This is where Oaks draws his power—the most powerful area of the Nature energy.
Within the biosphere, the characteristics of Nature Energy are filled with vitality—
This is also the fundamental reason why healing spells can be greatly amplified.
Therefore, in general, when referring to the Earth's ecological system, it is referring to the Earth's biosphere.
This is also the main body of the "consciousness of Gaia." Its main function, or instinct, and purpose are to maintain the dynamic equilibrium of the Earth's ecological system and ensure its safe internal evolution.
For an ecosystem to continue to develop, there must be a continuous input of energy.
Cosmic energy, mainly solar radiation, is the energy input for the Earth's ecological system.
With the powerful support of the Mind Stone, Oaks can finally perceive the process of energy exchange between the Earth's ecological system and the cosmic space in such a direct manner.
"What a magnificent view..."
From Oaks's perceptual "perspective," the powerful energy, primarily sunlight, passes through the Earth's atmosphere, undergoing layers of filtration and entering the Earth's ecological system.
These energies are transmitted step by step within the ecosystem, providing the driving force for various life activities, with excess energy dissipating into space as heat.
"The balance between the universe and nature... what I had previously realized was merely a drop in the ocean."
Oaks immersed himself wholeheartedly in this wonderful insight. With the unlimited energy of the Mind Stone, he, in the guise of a Druid, allowed his consciousness to freely swim in this planetary-scale grand flow of energy.
Sunlight, the radiation of the sun, is scorching, grand, and the most significant external energy source for the Earth.
Moonlight, while essentially the reflection of sunlight, contains a higher proportion of cosmic energy other than sunlight compared to pure sunlight.
It even includes the radiation energy from the moon itself.
Therefore, from Oaks's perspective of energy, moonlight is not simply equivalent to "secondhand sunlight."
Its energy nature is completely different from sunlight.
It is the second most significant external energy received by the Earth's ecological system, only second to sunlight.
Lastly, there is starlight.
Spanning across thousands of light-years, although starlight is essentially the light of stars, in fact, it contains more cosmic energy compared to moonlight. The stellar energy it carries is also different from that of the sun.
Therefore, its nature is more complex.
Stars are the source of energy in the universe, and sunlight from the sun in the solar system also becomes "starlight" beyond the solar system!
Sunlight—powerful stellar-level energy within a planetary star system.
Moonlight—relatively gentle energy processed by satellite celestial bodies from stellar energy.
Starlight—energy from other stars and cosmic space!
The combined energy of the three is the ubiquitous cosmic energy in the universe.
This is also the "Astral Energy" that Oaks cultivates!
Within the ecological system, energy flow and material flow go hand in hand.
Solar radiation is first captured by photosynthesis in plants and then passed through the food chain in the form of chemical energy.
Therefore, with the help of the Mind Stone's power, Oaks's consciousness is able to glimpse into this wondrous mystery that no one else can perceive.
No, it's not just glimpsing.
When Oaks realizes that the Mind Stone can help him achieve more, he makes a decisive decision.
With his own spiritual will, under the escort of the Mind Stone's infinite power, he personally integrates into the ecological system!
"Hum—"
The Mind Stone suspended in front of Oaks radiated a brilliant light, and the infinite energy was projected into countless rays of sunlight shining on the earth under Oaks' will!
Sunlight undergoes photosynthesis by various plant units—from algae to towering trees—acting as producers, synthesizing organic matter from inorganic substances.
The organic matter synthesized by plants is consumed by primary consumers—herbivores that feed directly on plants—becoming part of their bodies.
Primary consumers are then preyed upon by secondary consumers—carnivores that feed on herbivores—forming part of their bodies.
Secondary consumers are preyed upon by tertiary consumers—large carnivores that hunt small carnivores—forming part of their bodies.
And all levels of consumers can be consumed by omnivores, represented by humans, becoming part of the latter.
Decomposers, mainly microorganisms, break down the organic matter left behind by plants and animals after their deaths into inorganic substances, returning what originated from the environment back to the environment.
This constitutes the complete material and energy flow within the entire Earth's ecological system.
Under the infinite power of the Mind Stone, Oaks's spiritual essence experiences countless cycles of this nature.
Until his consciousness directly "approaches" the "Gaia consciousness"!
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