Interstellar Greening Master

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Thank you to Crystal for the ko-fi~

As a few hundred-year-old young rodent, Shu Shuishui had actually spent most of his life on his own, until he met Shu Bao later on. It was only then that Shu Shuishui had a rodent companion to journey the world with. During that time, perhaps about a hundred years had passed. Later, Shu Bao left Earth in search of his brother, and Shu Shuishui once again became a solitary rodent.

Sitting on the windowsill, Shu Shuishui gazed at the sun gradually sinking below the horizon and let out a gentle sigh. He hadn’t realized it before, but now that they were separated, Shu Shuishui found himself missing Gu Langu quite intensely.

Compared to the reluctance and sadness when Shu Bao left before, it seemed that even more complex emotions had merged within Shu Shuishui—urgent longing, lingering worries, and hopeful anticipation of a reunion.

Lifting his little paw, Shu Shuishui touched his chest, lost in thought.

The golden sunset filled every crevice of the city, casting its light through the spacious window onto the little bundle, casting long shadows on the corridor wall behind. This tiny bundle seemed to carry heavy thoughts.

The contemplative dormouse didn’t move any further. Although the elevator stopping at the 33rd floor had been somewhat baffling, Shu Shuishui trusted his small ears. He was certain he hadn’t heard anyone nearby.

No humans, no cats—Shu Shuishui couldn’t imagine any other lurking dangers. Curled into a small ball of fur, he nestled on the windowsill, easily overlooked if not paying attention.

After the sun had completely disappeared, the golden veil that shrouded the city began to dissipate as well, and the temperature gradually dropped. Shu Shuishui remained nestled on the windowsill, not wanting to move. After some time passed, the city outside began to light up. Shu Shuishui’s little ears twitched, sensing a change.

Pressing his furry cheek against the glass, Shu Shuishui saw the streetlights illuminate. Some of the tall buildings also lit up.

But under the glow of the lights, the city remained unchanged—lifeless, devoid of any moving figures. The vehicles were on the ground and the deceased people remained still. Thinking about the elevator that operated in this same building, Shu Shuishui no longer found it strange. Perhaps, in this strange city, everything was normal, no matter what happened.

Feeling slightly disappointed, Shu Shuishui withdrew his head, instantly reverting to a small, helpless bundle.

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Eventually, the fluffy bundle listlessly retrieved his rarely-used nest from his spiritual storage. After some consideration, he returned the nest and took out a small tent instead. At least this tent had once been pitched within the shelter of Gu Langu, carrying its familiar scent.

The little dormouse planted all four paws on the ground, stretched his body in a long yawn, and then got busy. He securely set up the small tent on the tidy windowsill. Because there was no wind inside the building, Shu Shuishui didn’t worry about the tent blowing away, skipping the step of fastening it down.

As Shu Shuishui was in the midst of his actions, due to an extremely faint sound, the corridor’s motion-sensor light suddenly turned on. However, it didn’t stay illuminated for long before extinguishing again, unlike the streetlights outside, which remained continuously lit.

The small tent was quickly set up, and Shu Shuishui took out his bedding roll, arranging the small pillow and blanket one by one.

With everything in place, Shu Shuishui crawled into the tent and turned around, poking his little head outside, still persistently gazing at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Gu Langu passing by at any moment.

However, it’s a pity that Shu Shuishui didn’t see a single living person passing by until he fell asleep.

Due to his mental rest, Shu Shuishui experienced double the recovery of his mental energy. When he opened his eyes and put his little head outside, his first reaction was to look toward the window.

The outside light still came from streetlights and stars; the sun hadn’t shown any sign of rising. The streets were eerily quiet, devoid of any movement, not even the slightest sway of a tree branch.

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With nothing much to do, Shu Shuishui took out hazelnuts from his spiritual storage and began to count. After counting thirteen times, Shu Shuishui finally sat up with a grumbling sound. That’s when he remembered Wu Lan’s phone. He took out the phone, placed it on the windowsill, and obediently sat next to it, patiently awaiting any sign of activity from the phone.

The little dormouse alternated between glancing at the phone and looking out the window, his head constantly turning. Each time he turned his head, there was anticipation in his eyes, growing stronger with each moment. There was no hint of discouragement or disappointment in Shu Shuishui’s thoughts. Clearly, in his mind, since both he and Gu Langu were in the same dungeon, they were bound to meet.

As the night passed, the stars in the sky gradually dimmed, and the various shadows cast by the streetlights also faded, even the light falling on the ground grew weaker.

The instant the first ray of sunlight projected onto the glass of the building across, Shu Shuishui stood up. He put away his phone, skillfully packed up the tent, rolled up the bedding roll, and performed these actions methodically, as if he had embarked on countless solitary journeys before.

He took out a miniature dental hygiene set, poured some water from his spiritual storage, and used the nearby flower pot to rinse. The plants in the pot had long withered, so Shu Shuishui didn’t have to worry about the toothpaste affecting them.

After finishing his morning routine, Shu Shuishui took out two lychees. The plump and juicy lychees satisfied his hunger. He patted his little belly. Even though he knew these sensations weren’t real, he felt a genuine sense of satisfaction and fullness.

Once his belongings were packed up, Shu Shuishui set out once again. Since he was already on the 33rd floor, he thought he might as well visit the top floor to get a good view of the city. Although this building wasn’t the tallest, the visibility was quite good. There weren’t many obstructions around, which was why Shu Shuishui had chosen to stay here temporarily yesterday.

He hopped over to the elevator and pressed the button with practiced ease, waiting silently for the elevator to arrive.

As the elevator ascended floor by floor, Shu Shuishui tapped the ground with his small paws. Fortunately, the thick, soft carpet dampened any sound.

From the rhythmic tapping, it was clear that the orderly dormouse inside wasn’t as calm as it might have seemed. The little dormouse’s heart was still filled with anxiety.

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With a chime, the elevator opened. Shu Shuishui entered and pressed the button for the 36th floor before the doors closed again. After a brief pause, the elevator continued to ascend.

Watching the red digits jumping upward, Shu Shuishui suddenly froze. Something seemed off.

While pondering this, the 36th floor arrived, and the elevator doors opened. Shu Shuishui cautiously poked his head outside but didn’t notice anything unusual. He raised his paw and stepped into the 36th floor. The layout of the 36th floor was slightly different from the 33rd floor; there seemed to be fewer rooms, but they appeared more upscale.

Several framed paintings adorned the walls, depicting various oil paintings. Shu Shuishui didn’t understand how to appreciate them and proceeded with cautious steps.

Suddenly, Shu Shuishui’s steps came to a halt, and he looked back at the elevator on the 36th floor. It seemed that the elevator had been on the 36th floor yesterday as well. However, when he had pressed the elevator button on the 33rd floor just now, the elevator had clearly come up from the first floor!

So, last night, when he wasn’t aware, the elevator had descended from the 36th floor to the 1st floor!

Shu Shuishui still had confidence in his alertness. While it was said that hibernating dormice wouldn’t wake up even if they were eaten during their winter slumber, Shu Shuishui had no intention of sleeping and never waking up at this moment.

When did this happen? And who could it be? Was it the same person who went from the 33rd to the 36th floor yesterday? But at that time, when the elevator opened, Shu Shuishui was absolutely sure he didn’t see anyone!

Up to now, this building had only housed him, the dormouse. Shu Shuishui sniffed his little nose, but he didn’t detect the scent of any unfamiliar creature on the 36th floor. Pressing down his raised fur with his paw, he decided to temporarily stop thinking about it. Dwelling on it would only increase his sense of fear. Shu Shuishui tried to shake off the unsettling idea that there might be an invisible cat in the building.

Shu Shuishui briefly explored the room on the 36th floor but didn’t find anything noteworthy. This was a hotel, and the layout of each room was nearly identical. Shu Shuishui didn’t fixate on this, as he vaguely sensed that the spatial rules within this instance weren’t logical. Maps and such were probably of little use here.

The footsteps of the little dormouse seemed somewhat hurried. In Shu Shuishui’s subconscious, there might be an invisible and enormous cat lurking behind him at any moment. Thick pads pressed against the carpet without making a sound, sharp teeth gleamed like silver, and there was the occasional lick of a red tongue.

Thinking this, Shu Shuishui curled into a ball, but without a mirror, he wasn’t aware that he had actually turned into a spherical shape. He continued to walk with feigned composure, not daring to look back.

His small steps made a tapping sound on the carpet. He held his head high and chest out, trying to appear less timid. Finally, he stretched his neck upwards so much that it started to ache.

Finally, he spotted the stairs leading to the rooftop. Shu Shuishui practically jogged up the stairs, step by step, until he reached the top and opened the door.

Pushing open the rooftop door, sunlight flooded in. Shu Shuishui quietly let out a sigh of relief, then swiftly slipped through the crack in the door.

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The space and the view suddenly expanded. Shu Shuishui hurriedly took a few steps outside, then turned around forcefully.

Behind him was emptiness, not the giant cat he had imagined. The raised fur on Shu Shuishui’s body slowly settled down, returning to its original size.

Approaching the edge of the rooftop, Shu Shuishui looked around. The quiet rooftop was windless, and the distant city seemed endless, with no visible end. The space appeared to stretch indefinitely, without any boundaries.

Shu Shuishui scratched his chin and looked for the place where he had found Wu Lan’s body yesterday. He could faintly recognize some familiar buildings and signs, indicating that the internal spatial layout of the city hadn’t changed.

After pondering for a while, Shu Shuishui decided to give it a try and leave the city to search for other cities. In such a bustling metropolis, there must be well-connected highways. Even without a map, he could follow the roads to find his way out.

Having roughly outlined the main roads of the city in his mind, Shu Shuishui turned around and prepared to descend the stairs.

Coming down from the rooftop and returning to the elevator on the 36th floor, he opened the elevator and pressed the button for the 1st floor.

In the instant the elevator doors closed, Shu Shuishui suddenly realized something. But as the elevator started moving, the silver mirror-like walls of the elevator suddenly rippled, just like during the previous spatial shift.

Shu Shuishui was startled and didn’t have much time to think. He quickly steadied himself.

The distortion of the scene in front of him became more severe, and eventually, everything blurred before his eyes. The world changed its appearance, but Shu Shuishui didn’t have time to observe it closely because his body was rapidly plummeting.

His four small paws hurriedly swiped around him. His instinctive movements lasted only a moment, and Shu Shuishui quickly reacted. He took out a parachute from his spiritual storage, strapped it on his back, and rapidly deployed it. His body jerked as the descent finally came to a halt.

The cool wind brushed past him, causing the parachute to drift off course.

Shu Shuishui felt the fur on his face blown back by the wind. He turned his little head to look around. He was suspended in mid-air, with a city below him, but it looked unfamiliar. Clearly, it wasn’t the same city as before.

Even at this altitude, Shu Shuishui could see vehicles and pedestrians moving through the city, along with various kinds of music floating up to his ears.

His dormouse ears twitched just as a gust of wind swept by. While Shu Shuishui tried to control the parachute, he couldn’t resist the force of the wind. The parachute carried the little dormouse toward an apartment complex.

About ten stories up, Shu Shuishui got caught on a flower on a balcony. The flower somewhat resembled a rose, but its stem had many thorns. Shu Shuishui’s sensitive parts were pricked, frightening him into staying still.

Hanging on the flower for a moment, Shu Shuishui didn’t hear any other movements. The owner of the room wasn’t in the living room. Peering through the French windows, he saw a spacious and tidy living room with a natural wood tone, even the curtains rolled up on the windows were made of woven grass, giving it a touch of natural atmosphere.

Shu Shuishui carefully extricated himself from the situation and then navigated past many sharp thorns to climb back onto the flower stem. He meticulously examined how the parachute was entangled with the plant and carefully untangled it step by step.

Just as Shu Shuishui was about to slowly rescue his parachute, footsteps echoed, and a person wearing an apron and a chef’s hat hurriedly entered the living room, holding a bowl and an egg beater.

The person seemed to be looking for something, casually glancing at the balcony, and then froze in place.

He saw a furry little ball frantically tugging on a piece of cloth. Perhaps sensing that he had been discovered, in a moment of distraction, the little paw got caught on a thorn.

The little ball quickly let go of its paw, raising it to its face as it huffed and puffed, trying to comfort itself. “Huff, it doesn’t hurt anymore, Shui Shui isn’t hurt.”

The room’s owner stood still, then after a while, he pinched himself. “A mouse? Talking?”

Shu Shuishui: “…” After a brief thought, since he was already exposed, it would be better to greet him. After all, he had landed here. “Hello there, I’m really sorry for the intrusion, but a gust of wind blew me here. Please forgive me for the disturbance.”

After speaking, Shu Shuishui stood in the flowerpot and gave a little bow to the person.

Standing up straight again, Shu Shuishui carefully observed the person. Suddenly, his little ears twitched, and he almost jumped in joy from the flowerpot. “XOXO! XOXO!” The person had marked this expression in his phone album, it was highly likely to be Mr. Hamster! Due to the stark difference in appearance, Shu Shuishui hadn’t recognized him immediately.

The owner of the room finally snapped out of his daze during the XOXO. He squinted his eyes. “Where did this mouse come from? And it’s acting all flirtatious!”

Shu Shuishui: “…” He felt that ever since he entered the game, his integrity had been constantly questioned. “I’m a proper mouse! Please don’t doubt my integrity, Mr. Hamster.”

“Mr. Hamster?” The person puzzled for a moment, then suddenly realized. “I see, no brown mice around here. You’re a hamster, but it’s really strange for a hamster to talk!”

“I’m not a hamster.” Shu Shuishui thought that the person in front of him had quite an unusual thought process.

“No need to deny it. Your color has already given away the fact that you’re not a mouse.” The person wearing the chef’s hat maintained an expression of certainty.

Shu Shuishui: “…”

For a moment, both the human and the dormouse stared at each other, then they simultaneously raised their hands (paws) to scratch their heads. Their movements were unexpectedly synchronized, and both sides were stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter together, dispelling the tense atmosphere.

“Hello, little hamster, I’m Li Meng.” The person took a couple of steps closer and found that Shu Shuishui wasn’t showing any signs of refusal or fear. He approached, opened the French window, and stepped onto the balcony.

Shu Shuishui wasn’t fixated on explaining that he wasn’t a hamster. After all, even if he wasn’t a hamster, it would be hard to explain being a dormouse. Moreover, he also noticed that Mr. Hamster in front of him didn’t seem to recognize Wu Lan. Perhaps this time, not only the space but also time had changed. At this moment in time, Mr. Hamster and the big cat hadn’t met yet. “My name is Shu Shuishui, you can call me Shui Shui.”

“Hello, Shui Shui.” Li Meng displayed extremely high enthusiasm, accepting the unscientific fact of a talking mouse visiting in a short span of time.

“Xiao Meng Meng, do you know Wu Lan?” Shu Shuishui asked tentatively.

Li Meng was taken aback by the nickname Xiao Meng Meng, stumbled a bit in his steps, and then responded, “I don’t know, Xiao Shui Shui.”

Shu Shuishui: “Can I stay here temporarily? Xiao Meng Meng.”

“No problem, Xiao Shui Shui.”

After the peculiar exchange of nicknames, Shu Shuishui eventually stayed in this apartment. The apartment had an area of over 150 square meters, which was quite spacious for a person and a dormouse to live in. As they spent more time together, they both found that their habits surprisingly aligned well.

For instance, neither of them was a chef, yet both had chef hats and aprons because they believed that cooking needed a sense of ceremony to taste good.

Additionally, both of them had a fondness for nuts, especially hazelnuts.

In their daily routines, their sleeping patterns were also quite similar. They both had incredibly high sleep quality, reaching a level of falling asleep within seconds. If it weren’t for the fact that one was a person and the other was a mouse, they might have mistaken each other for long-lost siblings.

The unexpected harmony in their interaction, between a person and a dormouse, somewhat diluted the anxiety in Shu Shuishui’s heart. While Shu Shuishui deeply missed Gu Langu, he also understood that the current situation couldn’t be rushed. He had already speculated about some of the changing patterns of this dungeon, but he hadn’t yet found a solution.

At present, it can be reasonably assumed that this dungeon consists of numerous distinct spaces. When certain conditions are triggered, these spaces undergo transformations. Each space corresponds to a different time, carrying various stories, yet they remain interconnected, much like the relationship between the big cat and Mr. Hamster.

Though the current Mr. Hamster did not actually own any hamsters, only providing a temporary shelter for a dormouse. If it wasn’t for the fact that the piece of fur Shu Shuishui had found was clearly a shade lighter than his own color, Shu Shuishui might have had reason to suspect that the name “Mr. Hamster” originated from himself.

Shu Shuishui could only wait for the encounter and mutual understanding, even love, between Mr. Hamster and the big cat. This wait was somewhat lengthy, as Shu Shuishui stayed in the apartment for half a month with little progress. However, the incident involving the elevator from earlier had finally been unraveled by Shu Shuishui.

That building was the key trigger for spatial transformations. It was a point of temporal and spatial disorder, where two different time periods intersected. Shu Shuishui’s intuition had been accurate all along. From beginning to end, that building had only contained Shu Shuishui, and there were no invisible cats, nor any other individuals.

Yet the building’s time and space were in disarray. Shu Shuishui only realized this when he was ready to leave, pressing the button for the first floor. From the very beginning, when Shu Shuishui stood on the first floor and pressed the button for the thirty-sixth floor, time and space were thrown into chaos.

In another timeline, the Shu Shuishui on the thirty-third floor pressed the button for the thirty-sixth floor early the next morning. Hence, the elevator had stopped on the thirty-third floor.

But on the following day, when Shu Shuishui pressed the elevator button on the thirty-third floor, it came from the first floor. This was because Shu Shuishui, after observing from the rooftop, had intended to leave and pressed the button for the first floor.

In this muddled timeline, only Shu Shuishui pressed the elevator button, but that elevator became a point of chaos, overlapping different timelines.

Being a pseudo-scientific and true amateur dormouse, it took a throbbing head for Shu Shuishui to make sense of overlapping time. However, understanding it was of no use since the space shifted again.

In this new space, Shu Shuishui hadn’t yet identified the point of chaos, or perhaps he was utterly baffled. At this moment, the little dormouse was sprawled out lazily on the couch, one short arm cushioning his head, with a home theater-like TV in front of it.

Taking a bite of a snack, the little dormouse let out a faint sigh, muttered “Gu Gu”, and continued watching TV. After a while, he took another bite of the snack, sighed again, and muttered “Gu Gu”.

When Shu Shuishui had muttered “Gu Gu” for the 113th time, the apartment door clicked open. Shu Shuishui wasn’t surprised, his body remained still, but his small head turned to see Li Meng coming home from work.

Li Meng had his own job, running a bookstore, and he was also a gourmet blogger. His life was flavorful, especially after Shu Shuishui arrived. Li Meng even recorded videos of the two of them eating together. Of course, Shu Shuishui had assumed the role of a well-behaved pet rodent, causing Li Meng’s popularity to soar once again.

This time was when Li Meng returned home from work each day, and Shu Shuishui had become accustomed to it. Shu Shuishui would wait for Li Meng to enter, change his clothes, and then they would lazily watch TV together.

However, this time, Li Meng was carried in by someone. Shu Shuishui was so startled that he dropped his snack and leaped up from the couch. Even though he wanted to inquire about what had happened, the presence of a stranger forced Shu Shuishui to pretend he was just a hamster.

“In the following month, be mindful not to strain your right foot. I will take care of your three meals a day until you recover…” The stranger’s voice sounded rather pleasant to Shu Shuishui, who twitched his little ears and stared at the speaker with a furrowed brow.

“No need to be so polite, it was my own carelessness…” Li Meng’s ears turned slightly red, his gaze wandering as he noticed Shu Shuishui on the couch. “Oh, Mr. Wu also has a pet, right? I’m also raising one. I believe they’ll get along quite well.”

Tall and imposing, Mr. Wu pushed his glasses up slightly. “You can call me Wu Lan.”

At the entrance, the partially open door was gently nudged wider, revealing a “gigantic” jet-black “giant” cat stepping in with an elegant gait!

Shu Shuishui on the couch froze, recalling what Li Meng had said about getting along well. At that moment, every fiber of his being went into Spartan mode!

Shu Shuishui had never seen a cat this big; it could almost be mistaken for a young leopard. The black cat seemed quite aloof, tilting its chin slightly as it entered, observing its surroundings with an air of condescension. Then, it noticed Shu Shuishui on the couch.

Shu Shuishui: “…”

The giant black silhouette darted forward. Just as Shu Shuishui was about to sprint away, the black cat abruptly stopped, positioned itself under the couch, and let out a meow, its voice both tender and appealing.

Shu Shuishui’s expression was one of cold indifference because he had no idea what expression he should be wearing right now.

The large cat, seeing Shu Shuishui’s lack of response, actually leaped onto the couch and sprawled out, exposing its soft belly, continuing to meow in a fawning manner. It even extended its paw to gently swipe at Shu Shuishui.

Shu Shuishui found himself ensnared by the cat’s paw and placed right in front of the cat’s belly. Instinctively, Shu Shuishui reached out his paw to push away. Unexpectedly, the big cat, due to Shu Shuishui’s touch, let out a contented meow.

Shu Shuishui: “…” This cat was far from being a typical cat!