CH 5

TL: Moonlit

The development of the Canghai Galaxy relies on its unique conditions, abundant life planets, habitable planets, and rich resources. Its development has reached the point of exploring other galaxies.

Of course, these understandings were gained by Shu Shuishui after reading several books on galactic civilizations. Interplanetary communication is somewhat similar to the past interactions between countries on Earth. Overseeing the Canghai Galaxy is the Galactic Alliance, whose members are elected through a vote by all residents.

Most planets in the galaxy implement autonomous systems, some following a royal lineage, others based on citizen elections, and some without leaders at all, where everyone is equal. There is a great variety of systems and structures.

Shu Shuishui, the study prodigy mouse, found himself overwhelmed by this vast knowledge of galactic civilizations. The galaxy has evolved for millions or even billions of years, and even as a study prodigy, Shu Shuishui cannot quickly digest such vast concepts. Therefore, he temporarily gave up on understanding these grand definitions and started contemplating more practical matters, such as his future livelihood.

Shu Shuishui took off his glasses and used a lens cloth to clean the lenses while pondering his future plans. As he did, his little paws instinctively began to walk, leaving a trail of footprints on the dusty ground.

Firstly, he needed to solve the issues of food and water sources. While his spiritual storage stored cultivation resources and various seeds he had collected during his travels, there wasn’t much stored food.

The water source could be temporarily addressed by using his spiritual power to produce water on a small scale since Shu Shuishui, being a mouse, didn’t consume much water. However, the issue of food was pressing as seeds are consumed with each use. The only sustainable solution was to plant them as soon as possible.

Once the basic food problem was solved, he would need to find a suitable place to live. Shu Shuishui didn’t want to fall asleep one day only to be suddenly enveloped by an electromagnetic storm.

Next on the list was transportation. Shu Shuishui didn’t think he would be able to drive, and relying on his two little paws alone would take a very long time to traverse the desert.

The current city was clearly unsuitable for survival, and most importantly, it wasn’t conducive to sleep. In Shu Shuishui’s concept, even if he couldn’t sleep on a beach chair, wear sunglasses, bask in the sun, and enjoy the sea breeze, he still needed a warm and comfortable place that provided shelter from wind and rain.

Leaving aside the electromagnetic storms, even a sandstorm would be enough to send Shu Shuishui scurrying away with his nest. The spiritual stones in his spiritual storage were also consumables, and unless he could find substitutes, the protective array would also deplete the stones.

After careful consideration, the thrifty and resourceful mouse decided to stay in the Imperial City for a few days. Once the first harvest of grains was ready, he would load up on food, pack a small parcel, and embark on a desert trek. During the journey, he could consult a map to determine the direction of migration, although the map might not be of much use anymore, considering that the coastal city had turned into a sea of sand.

Ready to take action, Shu Shuishui was always conscious of time. Every second saved meant an extra second he could sleep during hibernation.

Shu Shuishui began searching for a suitable place to grow crops. However, he soon encountered a new problem: everything outside was covered in yellow sand, which was unsuitable for planting. With his paw touching his furry chin, he circled the area a couple of times before his eyes lit up. “Flower pots.”

Shu Shuishui remembered that in the corner of the second-floor staircase, there was a large withered bonsai. There must be soil inside it. While one pot might not be enough, the entire library would undoubtedly have more than one bonsai. Besides the library, Shu Shuishui could also search other buildings since he remembered that many humans enjoyed gardening.

The sleepy little mouse stretched out his paws and patted his head, giving himself a big encouragement. “Ah Shui is the smartest mouse.”

After saying that, the little mouse scurried towards the corner of the stairs, where the bonsai was located. Soon, Shu Shuishui stood in front of a massive bonsai, which was truly huge for him. Although the plants inside had withered, they were still as tall as adults, and the flowerpot was incredibly enormous. Shu Shuishui looked at his two paws and contemplated whether it was feasible to lift the flowerpot and move it upstairs.

In the end, Shu Shuishui pinched his chubby biceps and decided to give up the dangerous move of lifting the flowerpot. He returned upstairs and took out a pile of daily necessities from his spiritual storage, clearing a space to put the flowerpot inside the spiritual space. Then, he planned to move it upstairs.

Before transferring the flowerpot, Shu Shuishui strolled around the third floor like an inspecting leader. Finally, near a sunny floor-to-ceiling window, he marked out an area and decided to cultivate it there. Considering that plants couldn’t grow on the floor, Shu Shuishui planned to make good use of the flowerpot and take advantage of the good weather to find more pots outside.

Back at the corner of the stairs, Shu Shuishui looked at the tall withered plants, and took out his mini axe, which appeared small but was quite sharp since it was also a spiritual tool. With a few swings of the axe, the dead plants fell down like trees, accompanied by the sound of breaking fibers. The fallen “huge” plants formed an angle between the flowerpot and the ground.

Dust scattered and flew on the staircase floor. Shu Shuishui sneezed a couple of times and had to take out a mask from his mouth. The mask was bought for him by Shu Bao, claiming it was the same style as the ones worn by celebrities. It was a small black mask with elasticity, suitable for preventing haze and making one’s face appear smaller.

Initially, when he first received it, Shu Shuishui thought Shu Bao had bought him a hammock. He even tried it out and found it quite comfortable.

Shu Shuishui ran to find Shu Bao and said he would give it a good review because the hammock was very comfortable.

Shu Bao’s expression was speechless, and he told him that many things in the world had nothing to do with sleeping on a bed.

Looking at Shu Bao’s profound expression, Shu Shuishui pondered seriously. Then, he explored other functions of the mask, such as using it as a blanket, folding it as a pillow, folding it up as a sleeping bag, or propping it up as a tent.

Shu Bao finally gave in and explicitly told him that it wasn’t meant for sleeping but to be worn on the ears as a mask.

Shu Shuishui touched his soft little ears with his chubby paws, contemplating the feasibility of wearing it there.

In the end, Shu Bao modified the mask into a tie-style one because Shu Shuishui’s soft little ears couldn’t hold the mask. Looking at the carefully trimmed and improved mask by Shu Bao, Shu Shuishui thought it was a pity for a good hammock, and it didn’t make his face appear smaller at all. Shu Shuishui never felt that his face was too round, but of course, he didn’t dare to say these words out loud.

As the reminiscence ended, Shu Shuishui skillfully fastened the straps behind his head and then agilely climbed down along the stem of the plant. The sound of chopping trees echoed continuously as he chopped away. The plant had long been dead and devoid of any moisture, which made it much easier for Shu Shuishui to move. She didn’t even need to completely cut it off; a few chops and a few jumps on top of it were enough to break the plant.

Half an hour later, the “huge” plant had turned into neatly stacked pieces of firewood. Shu Shuishui gathered the chopped firewood together, organized it, and piled them up neatly.

Shu Shuishui is such a mouse with a sense of ritual and a bit of OCD.

After dealing with the plants on the flowerpot, the space it occupied instantly became much smaller. Shu Shuishui put the huge flowerpot into his spiritual mansion, then climbed back up the stairs and returned to the chosen spot near the floor-to-ceiling window. He took out the flowerpot, which almost covered an entire floor tile.

Jumping onto the flowerpot, Shu Shuishui extended his claws and stepped on the dried soil inside. The soil was as hard as solid cement, but that didn’t deter Shu Shuishui.

With his sharp little claws, he easily broke the surface of the soil. Shu Shuishui dove into the soil, rejuvenating the compacted earth.

Before long, he dug out the roots of the plants, and the soil in the entire flowerpot lost its moisture. Fortunately, the soil quality was still good, and Shu Shuishui nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the soil on his paws.

He took out a few small spirit stones from his mouth and arranged a basic condensation formation. Soon, the loosened soil in the flowerpot started to moisten visibly at a rapid pace. Shimmering dewdrops began to appear, gradually saturating the soil, penetrating it little by little, and the color of the soil deepened gradually.

Shu Shuishui also took out a bowl from his spiritual mansion and placed it in the flower pot. He intended to fetch himself some drinking water while he was at it.

It would take some time for the entire flowerpot to be fully moistened, so Shu Shuishui turned his attention to transporting the firewood. After all, if he could avoid using spiritual power, he would. He neatly stacked the firewood against the wall and continued exploring several more floors, treating all the potted plants he found in the same way.

The flower pots in the library were all enormous. Shu Shuishui harvested six of them, and fortunately, they were all of the same size, which made the mouse with OCD feel very satisfied.

The six huge flowerpots were neatly arranged by the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window, the previously hazy sky unknowingly cleared up, allowing the sunlight to pour in. The sunlight shone on the gradually moistening soil, creating a scene that was not particularly remarkable but seemed to signify a quiet change in this desolate world. Even the sunlight appeared to have gained a touch of tenderness.

Taking advantage of the effect of the condensation formation, Shu Shuishui decided to go out and collect some smaller flower pots that would be convenient to carry. He would store them in his spiritual space. If the desert was too vast and his food supply ran out, he would have to pause to cultivate and harvest some before continuing his journey. Shu Shuishui, who had once traveled the world, clearly had abundant experience in traveling.

He crawled out through the broken window and slid down the loose sand, reaching the ground floor. Shu Shuishui shook his fur, shaking off the sand that stuck to him, and looked up at the scorching sun. He took out a lotus leaf hat from his mouth and put it on before heading towards a nearby building.

The sky had cleared up a lot, devoid of the hazy fog. However, the temperature suddenly soared, especially in the lifeless desert where not even a breeze could be felt.

A small shadow, wearing a lotus leaf hat, cast a shadow on the yellow sand, which constantly moved along as he walked. With light footsteps, Shu Shuishui left shallow footprints on the ground.

There’s no doubt that the lotus leaf hat was also purchased online by Shu Bao, the expert in online shopping. It was said to be the same model worn by a frog in some leisure game. Shu Shuishui studied the hat for a while and felt that it wasn’t big enough to be used as a bed, so he obediently wore it on his head.

Author’s note:

Old Xuan: “Shuishui, come and chop down a tree.”

Shuishui obediently got up. (＾-＾) “Okay~”

After an hour, Old Xuan harvested a box of matches.