Interstellar Greening Master

Advertisement

Even though they were together in the replica, Shu Shuishui inexplicably felt as though they had reunited after millions of years of separation. This might have been an effect brought about by the chaotic distortion of time and space within the replica.

People bustled to and fro in the central square, and more and more curious gazes gathered. Shu Shuishui and their companions didn’t feel comfortable staying any longer, so they set off to leave.

After a year, this dungeon designed by Li Meng was finally cleared. The higher the difficulty of a dungeon, the better the rewards. Many people were already speculating about the rewards, their eyes intently fixed on those who had been expelled from the dungeon. Among them, there must be those who had successfully cleared it.

However, this time the situation is quite special. The number of individuals being ejected from the instance is surprisingly high, almost equal to the number of participants entering. In other words, the mortality rate for this instance is almost zero. This data doesn’t match the fact that no one cleared the instance for a whole year.

Some people have already approached, shamelessly inquiring about the news. Some are waiting for friends or family, while others approach with relieved smiles. Whether they are successful or not, the best gift is leaving alive.

Just like how some, including Shu Shuishui and his group, silently left the central square, there are those who stay to sell their acquired items, and there are even people selling information about the dungeon’s clearance. Wherever there are people, there are transactions.

“It’s not convenient to talk here. Come to my login space,” Nan Ge said in a low voice as they walked.

Everyone nodded and then accepted Nan Ge’s invitation. In an instant, their figures vanished from the bustling and wide streets. Those around them seemed used to this sight, except for a few who discreetly followed behind Nan Ge and the others, revealing a sense of regret.

“Those few have logged out of the space. I didn’t notice anything unusual.”

“The log-out location is in the north section of Crossroad Street. From clearing the instance to logging out of the game, no one has taken out any items. We can’t determine if they received any rewards.”

“Yes, I will continue to monitor.”

“…”

Advertisement

Several reports like this came in. In a short period, some people recognized Gu Langu, after all, he was once a prominent figure, and the simulator didn’t have any face-editing features. Gu Langu also didn’t bother to hide. It wasn’t surprising that some recognized him, but the attention couldn’t be avoided, especially given the remarkably low death rate of this dungeon.

The internal space of the simulator operated with its own system and influences. The strength of Zone B wasn’t significant on Cang Zhan Star, let alone in a simulation space composed of ten desolate stars. Gu Langu and the others were entering the simulation space for the first time, wanting a share of the pie, which would naturally impact the existing powers.

The major forces keeping an eye on Gu Langu hadn’t gained more clues and could only give up for now, continuing to monitor the situation. However, the simulator was already a scarce resource and couldn’t be squandered like this. It was a difficult situation. Especially since their dispatched clearance personnel hadn’t obtained any clearance materials, they began to suspect if Gu Langu was the actual successful clearer.

In addition to this, there was another group of people keeping an eye on Gu Langu. They were assassins sent by various extraterrestrial powers. They hadn’t found an opportunity in the real world, but unexpectedly encountered Gu Langu in the simulation space.

The highly watched group including Gu Langu were currently sitting on the rooftop of a seaside villa, sipping tea.

The pure white villa exuded a sense of luxury, especially with the massive swimming pool beside it. The pool was built in the space extending from the third floor, using some kind of modified glass material that had exceptional transparency. From a distance, the pool appeared to be suspended in mid-air.

Curious as he was, Shu Shuishui had little interest in playing around at the moment. Instead, he obediently sat at the tea table. Liu Du had already rushed to pour a cup of tea for Shu Shuishui, and then attentively placed the cup in front of Shu Shuishui. “Thank you for nurturing me, Shui Shui.”

Beside them, Liu Po’s face turned dark.

Advertisement

Unexpectedly, the bun that was shaped like a tightly-knit bundle was too small and was directly blocked by the cup that Liu Du offered in gratitude. The little dormouse shifted his bottom, revealing his head again, and suddenly turned to look at Gu Langu. “Gu Gu, do you want to drink water? Are you used to using a cup? Do you want a baby bottle?”

Originally, the atmosphere had felt quite serious, but now the people were exchanging perplexed looks and directing them toward Gu Langu, speculating on what the former war god might have experienced in the dungeon and why he was using a baby bottle. But after considering their own pitiful situations, it seemed like they were in similar boats.

Only Liu Du showed an expression of understanding, leaving the others utterly baffled.

Gu Langu lowered his head to look at Shu Shuishui. He seemed to be seriously contemplating for a moment and then replied solemnly, “No need, I’m already a big cat. Using a cup is fine.”

The crowd that had just reassured themselves nearly fell over. Was this person still immersed in the dungeon? And why was he a cat?

Shu Shuishui nodded in contentment and let out a fatherly sigh. “Gu Gu has grown up! That’s great!”

Nan Ge cleared his throat to interrupt the conversation between Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu. If they continued like this, the bit of seriousness left in the atmosphere would be completely shattered. “Let’s talk about the rewards each of us received first.”

The little dormouse tilted its head curiously, inquiring with surprise, “Did everyone get rewards?”

Liu Po nodded. “Yes, whether you cleared the instance or not, as long as you survived until the end of the instance, you receive rewards. However, the rewards vary based on your contribution to the clearance. Some are distributed by the Galactic Alliance, while others are obtained directly by clearers within the dungeon and must adhere to the regulations set by the Galactic Alliance for desolate stars. The rewards from the Galactic Alliance mostly consist of basic survival supplies, or occasionally, some equipment from extraterrestrial civilizations, like weapons or armor, or even valuable information. The rewards obtained directly from the dungeon are few and far between, and there’s very little available for research. At least Zone B hasn’t obtained any so far…”

Liu Po’s words hadn’t even finished when they saw the obedient little dormouse sitting at the tea table spread open his tiny paw. On it were two rings, one large and one small, both appearing to be a pair of men’s rings. The little dormouse used the tip of another paw to flick one of the rings. “Is this considered a direct acquisition from the dungeon? It seems to be a replica. I can study it.”

Advertisement

Liu Po’s expression froze. This sudden turn of events caught him off guard. But what was this inexplicable excitement? This was his first time encountering resources from a dungeon.

Liu Po extended his hand and asked with some excitement, “Can I take a look?”

Shu Shuishui was quite generous and placed the pair of rings in Liu Po’s palm. “Of course you can.”

Liu Po took the rings and examined them closely from all angles, but his growing confusion was increasingly evident on his face. Everyone looked at Liu Po with anticipation, waiting for an explanation. However, after a while, Liu Po still seemed unsure of how to proceed.

Liu Du beside him was getting impatient. He snatched the rings and began to study them himself, but after a thorough inspection, he seemed on the verge of biting them in frustration, finding nothing unusual. “Strange, these rings really are just rings, aren’t they? Why can’t I figure out what they’re for?”

Liu Du spoke as he tried to put one of the rings on, but with both rings, none fit perfectly; they were either too big or too small.

Xie Feng, who had been coveting the rings for a while, was on the brink of taking out a device to test the rings. However, after a simple observation, he realized they were just ordinary rings, albeit made from rare metals. Yet, they weren’t valuable in the current barren star environment.

“Are the dungeon resources this useless? Could it be because Shui Shui isn’t a successful participant?” Yu Jin felt that rare rewards shouldn’t be so mundane. He speculated that it might be due to Shu Shuishui’s sheer bad luck, receiving an ultimately useless completion reward.

The rings completed a full circle, returning to Shu Shuishui’s hand. Holding the ring, Shu Shuishui lifted it to eye level, closing one eye and peering through the other, examining it closely. Hearing Yu Jin’s suspicion, Shu Shuishui shook his little head vigorously. “No, that’s not it. I am indeed a successful participant, even though I was caught off guard during my completion. Gu Gu wasn’t with me, and there was no sense of ceremony at all.”

Everyone: !!! Shui Shui is the successful participant! Wait, isn’t the focus of the little mouse’s words a bit off?

Yu Jin was so shocked that he almost spit out his tea. “Shui Shui completed it! My goodness! I’m still in a daze. Can someone please explain to me why it was completed unexpectedly? What are the completion conditions?”

Nan Ge tapped the table to attract everyone’s attention. “Let me go first. It seems our experiences within the dungeons might be different. The dungeon I entered was quite normal, so normal that it was hard to even know where to start. It was an unfamiliar bustling city. I spent two days there and couldn’t leave the city. There must have been some kind of restriction, but the trickiest part was that I didn’t notice anything unusual and had no idea what the instance wanted me to do…”

Shu Shuishui perked up his little ears, earnestly listening to Nan Ge’s account of his dungeon experience. He then realized that Nan Ge’s dungeon wasn’t from any of his own experiences, and based on his rough estimation, it must have been the time before Li Meng and Wu Lan met.

Because he couldn’t find the focus, Nan Ge had to find a job first to avoid starving to death and managed to settle down in the city. From then on, Nan Ge worked while searching for companions and clues, and surprisingly, five years passed by like this.

If it weren’t for Nan Ge’s stable temperament, such a long time might have driven him crazy. But Nan Ge wasn’t an impatient person and held the role of the base’s sage. His clear mind told him that five years couldn’t have truly passed, as that would have prompted others in the base to notice something amiss and intervene. It couldn’t have been this peaceful. Therefore, the most likely scenario was that real-world time was brief, and no one had detected any anomalies yet.

Advertisement

However, everything he experienced was too real – every day, every minute, every second existed in truth. Nan Ge quickly caught onto the focal point of this instance: the passage of time.

Realizing that time was flowing strangely, Nan Ge focused on investigating, but life was just too tranquil, so calm that it made people lazy, apathetic, and even tempted to forget they came from a barren star. In order to find irregularities, Nan Ge began collecting news about temporal anomalies in daily life and would investigate whenever he found something, but the results were far from ideal.

“And then?” Yu Jin urged curiously.

Nan Ge sighed helplessly. “There is no ‘and then.’ I lived out my life like that and eventually reached old age.”

Everyone: …

Shu Shuishui: …

What kind of dungeon is this?

Shu Shuishui scratched his head with a paw and tentatively asked, “In Xiao Ge Ge’s dungeon life, have you ever heard of Li Meng or Wu Lan?”

Nan Ge tried to remember carefully. “Where I work, there’s a bookstore named ‘Dream Study’ two streets away.”

Shu Shuishui slapped his tiny paw. “The Bookstore that Takes You Out of Dreams.”

Nan Ge paused for a moment, then shook his head. “I was intrigued by the bookstore’s name and visited it continuously for a year, but nothing strange happened.”

“Did you meet the bookstore owner?”

“I met them once. A good-looking young person who’s supposedly an internet celebrity. Other than that, there was nothing particularly special.”

Shu Shuishui fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. “Xiao Ge Ge, you missed out on something big. That owner is one of the centers of this dungeon.”

Nan Ge pondered Shu Shuishui’s words, realizing that the dungeon’s anomaly lay in the passage of time, and the owner of the bookstore was one of the central figures. Could it be that the bookstore owner was related to the abnormal time flow in the dungeon?

“Is it that Wu Lan?” Cheng Que, who hadn’t spoken all this while, inquired.

Shu Shuishui nodded.

Cheng Que pushed his glasses up. “If that’s the case, then in my dungeon, I’ve heard of Wu Lan. A successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, single aristocrat, advocate of not marrying – often appearing in news media and various magazines.”

Shu Shuishui’s little ears twitched. “A philanthropist?”

“Yes, someone devoted to welfare homes and stray cats.”

“Stray cats? What about stray mice?” Shu Shuishui asked with curiosity.

Cheng Que was taken aback, as if he had heard about stray mice for the first time. “I haven’t heard of that.”

Shu Shuishui pondered for a moment. “Xiao Chengcheng, what’s your dungeon like?”

Cheng Que subconsciously touched his earlobe. “This way of addressing…”

“What’s wrong? If you don’t like it, I can call you ‘Little Sparrow,’ which sounds fluffy.”

Cheng Que quietly swallowed the words at the edge of his mouth and quickly changed his tone. “I like it. My dungeon is rather peculiar. Everyone’s lives are regressing. Initially, it wasn’t evident, but after staying in the instance for three years, I noticed that no one was aging. Everyone’s appearance grew younger and younger, including myself. This continued for another ten years. When I had regressed into a teenager, I was accidentally hit by a dead bird on the roadside. That triggered a shift in time and space. I remained in that time and space until the dungeon ended.”

Cheng Que’s narration was calm, just like his demeanor – without any fluctuations. However, one could imagine the lengthy waiting and the maddening calmness he endured.

“A dead bird?” Shu Shuishui suddenly recalled the carcass of the dead bird that he accidentally knocked off a tree while climbing up in a hurry after being startled by a phone ringtone.

Cheng Que was very perceptive. “That bird was the only dead creature I saw in the first time and space. Without the time and space shift, it’s hard to imagine that all life’s timelines could reverse and lead to the starting point of life.”

Subsequently, one by one, everyone recounted their experiences within the instance. They discovered that each person experienced a different timeline. In other words, each person was individually transported to a distinct time and space. Some triggered time and space shifts multiple times, but they couldn’t grasp the key and didn’t understand the conditions for completing the instance.

However, a common factor among these instances was that everyone had, to some extent, come into contact with or learned about Li Meng or Wu Lan.

Even Yu Jin lived in the same apartment that Li Meng once resided in. They shared the same building and went up and down the stairs, yet the oblivious Yu Jin never detected any anomalies. He was engrossed in searching for clues all over the world, completely unaware of what was transpiring just upstairs.

Of course, the timelines where each individual was placed were parallel, or in other words, each person’s dungeon was parallel to the others. There was a certain interference between these parallel dungeons, but they couldn’t perceive each other.

As for Liu Du, his story is quite remarkable. He’s the one whose dead bird Shu Shuishui accidentally knocked off the tree, which then hit Cheng Que in a parallel timeline. Liu Du’s experience within the dungeon was rather bewildering. He went through numerous cycles, each of which would lead him to a rapid demise. It was as if he had a certain mission to fulfill. By the time he encountered Shu Shuishui, Liu Du had died three times already. Each time he died, he would shift to a different timeline.

After listening to Liu Du’s tearful recollection, everyone fell into silence, unable to determine whose experience, theirs or Liu Du’s, was more miserable.

Shu Shuishui had roughly figured it out. After the guides were transported, each person’s timeline became independent. However, Liu Du was an exception. He didn’t need to trigger an anomaly; he would be transported upon death. He was also the only one who could be sent to various independent spaces and communicate with teammates, a privilege bestowed by the instance to the guides.

Unfortunately, the bird proved to be quite a hindrance. It took three deaths for Liu Du to finally discover a teammate, and that teammate turned out to be Shu Shuishui.

In each independent space of the guides, they would live on with a reasonable identity. However, whether they could find the anomalies, and whether they could connect with the two central figures of the instance, all depended on luck.

The focus of everyone’s attention now shifted to Gu Langu’s direction, each wearing an expression of anticipation. After all, through their discussions, they had come to realize that everyone’s experiences were incredibly diverse, as if they had lived through various different lives.

Gu Langu’s gaze flickered twice, and then he spoke, “Nothing special, I turned into a cat raised by Wu Lan, then I met Shui Shui and got taken care of by him. We would go for walks together, watch movies, do dishes, and even take baths together…”

Everyone’s expressions went silent, unable to see through the dazzling and inferior display of bragging.

Cheng Que pushed his glasses frame and remained silent. Being familiar with Gu Langu, he quickly sensed that Gu Langu was lying! Moreover, it didn’t make sense. Liu Du’s situation could be understood as a setup for the guides to communicate. But how did Gu Langu manage to break the limitations of parallel spaces and encounter Shu Shuishui? According to previous analyses, even with space-time shifts, the transformation would only happen within one’s independent space and not into someone else’s timeline.

Gu Langu had successfully completed the instance! Or rather, he had almost completed it! Cheng Que was almost certain of this. However, what had Gu Langu exchanged to be sent into Shu Shuishui’s timeline and meet him? After all, based on previous analysis, even if there were space-time shifts, they would stay within their own independent spaces and not cross into someone else’s.

Cheng Que truly deserved his reputation for being the person who understood Gu Langu the most. Even Nan Ge only displayed slight puzzlement and didn’t suspect Gu Langu. The others hadn’t sensed anything out of the ordinary at all.

Lastly, the narrative shifted to the guide, Shu Shuishui. The little dormouse contemplated for a moment, then extended a paw to pat the fur on his chest as if tidying his clothes, and then began speaking earnestly, “I was first transported to the origin of all life, and then to the end of all life. There, I encountered the deceased Wu Lan and collected several items, including a pair of rings. The engagement ring was split into two parts, with one part worn by Wu Lan. Afterward, I was sent to a point just before Wu Lan and Li Meng met…”

The little dormouse briefly recounted its own experiences. Everyone noticed that the timeline and locations Shu Shuishui was transported to were quite intricate, and he was always able to trigger anomalies. It was as if the instance was guiding Shu Shuishui step by step, ensuring no time was wasted on others and directly leading Shu Shuishui to Wu Lan and Li Meng.

This dungeon could be said to have been created for Wu Lan and Li Meng. Perhaps those experienced timelines did exist. While they couldn’t be verified, existence itself was reasonable. There must be a reason for the creation of this dungeon by Li Meng and Wu Lan.

As Shu Shuishui, with a slightly complaining tone, mentioned how all human babies looked the same, the others couldn’t help but smile and feel a sense of tension. When it reached the part about one baby sitting up, as if waiting for someone, everyone guessed the answer.

When the ring was placed on the baby’s hand, the starting point of life and the endpoint finally connected. Even though intersecting lines diverging from each other were deemed incapable of joining, that ring served as the point of connection.

Li Meng and Wu Lan both held onto their obsessions, eagerly awaiting someone to connect the fate they had departed from. The most perfect connection point was the baby Li Meng and the aged Wu Lan. Shu Shuishui couldn’t ascertain whether this instance represented an actual timeline, but Li Meng and Wu Lan were undoubtedly real. In the final moments, when Li Meng and Wu Lan appeared hand in hand and left together, Shu Shuishui could see the robust spiritual energy, or rather, soul power, emanating from them.

Li Meng’s identity within the instance had always been a mystery. His life path differed from everyone else’s. Others went from youth to old age, while Li Meng moved in reverse, from old age to youth. Li Meng had hidden it quite well. At least during the time Shu Shuishui lived together with him, Shu Shuishui hadn’t detected any anomalies with Li Meng.

In retrospect, Li Meng had accepted Shu Shuishui too quickly, and he had concealed his anomaly very well. No one suspected a thing, not even the other guides within the instance.

The only thing that caught Shu Shuishui’s attention was the last sentence Li Meng said. “Do you believe in past lives and present life?” This sentence clearly referred to reincarnation. With countless worlds and dimensions, the so-called “great three thousand” and “small three thousand,” why had he been sent to the Cang Zhan Star alone? Could it be that something was truly guiding these events in the grand scheme of things?

Shu Shuishui’s gaze shifted to the pair of rings. Suddenly, he picked up one of them and then turned to look at Gu Langu’s finger. “Gu Gu, let me put a ring on you.”

Everyone: !!! What’s happening! Weren’t they just seriously discussing the dungeon? How did things suddenly escalate to this point?

Liu Du opened his mouth, then muttered in the end, “The size of that ring is quite strange. After trying it on, not a single one of us found a truly fitting one.” The implication was that it didn’t fit you either.

Gu Langu glanced at Liu Du, then looked at the little mouse holding the ring seriously. He raised his hand, palm hovering just above the table, fingers slightly apart, extending towards Shu Shuishui.

Shu Shuishui’s little ears twitched. Unable to resist, he reached out and touched the perfect palm in front of him before holding the ring up to put it on Gu Langu’s finger.

However, soon enough, the little dormouse paused his action, looked around, and then ran to the decorative area in the center of the tea table. He plucked a small flower from it, dashed back to Gu Langu’s side, and then knelt on one knee, holding the flower up. “Gu Gu, I’ll take good care of you.”

Everyone: “…”

Yu Jin’s jaw nearly dropped. This mouse was way too teasing. “Shui Shui, what are you doing?”

Shu Shuishui didn’t look back. “Putting on the ring, isn’t this how you wear rings? I’ve seen it on TV, they do it like this, right? Is the flower too small, or is there not enough diamonds on the ring?”

Everyone: “…” How do you even respond to this?