CH 6

TL: Moonlit

In a lifeless and scorching desert, a small green figure moved swiftly, occasionally climbing in and out of buildings. Before leaving, Shu Shuishui specifically cleared a larger space in the spiritual palace to collect more flower pots for convenient carrying.

After searching several buildings, Shu Shuishui harvested several ceramic flower pots with built-in trays, and without exception, the plants in them had withered long ago. In addition to the flower pots, Shu Shuishui also obtained a shallow fish tank, half a bag of plant fertilizer, and a remote-controlled toy car without batteries.

What? Why did Shu Shuishui take the toy car? Naturally, it was because Shu Shuishui didn’t want to rely solely on its two short legs to walk out of the desert. Shu Shuishui believed it could still drive, a toy car. If it could find one or two batteries with power or a generator, that would be even better.

Shu Shuishui checked other devices that required batteries but didn’t find a single battery with power. However, it was discovered that all batteries in this era were the same, universal. This made Shu Shuishui slightly happier.

Considering the possible impact of electromagnetic storms, there should be no batteries with power in the Imperial City. Shu Shuishui could only do its best to find a generator, preferably a hand-cranked one.

After traversing several tall buildings, the chubby little rat gave up the futile search. It also noticed that the resources in this city had likely been scavenged. It didn’t find any edible items along the way, only inconvenient or less practical things left behind.

When the sun reached its highest point, indicating noon had arrived, the scorching sun roasted the earth. Just as Shu Shuishui stepped out of a building, its little feet left the shade and stepped on the sand. After taking two steps, it hurriedly tiptoed back into the shadow of the building.

Shu Shuishui felt it was quite novel. Even in the largest desert on Earth, it had never experienced such high temperatures.

Persistently, it tapped its little feet on the scorching yellow sand, but in less than two seconds, Shu Shuishui retracted its feet and sat down in the shade, blowing on its feet. Only then did it feel a little better.

Shu Shuishui finally confirmed that the sand outside was unsuitable for daytime travel. The surface temperature was at least over sixty degrees, and if it stepped on it barefoot, its feet would be half-cooked in no time.

Wearing a green lotus leaf hat, Shu Shuishui sat in the shade, which wasn’t particularly cool, and rested its cheek against its paw. It seemed that besides food, it also needed sunscreen tools and shoes.

Due to the high temperature outside, Shu Shuishui temporarily gave up the action of searching for supplies. Leaning against the building, it yawned and shook its head, rejecting the midday drowsiness. Shu Shuishui decided to at least wait until the seeds were planted before taking a nap. That way, it would wake up just in time to harvest some food.

With nothing else to do, Shu Shuishui took out a map it had collected earlier from its mouth. The map was torn from a book, as paper maps were not commonly found.

The map outlined the detailed distribution of the Imperial City, including various buildings. Shu Shuishui remembered it was a travel book specifically introducing the Imperial City. Sitting on the map, Shu Shuishui slowly moved its little paw, searching for buildings worth exploring.

Finally, the little paw paused slightly at the aquarium and botanical garden and ultimately stopped at the museum and school.

Shu Shuishui wasn’t sure what age children in this world would study the principles of generators. Perhaps the physics textbooks in the school could provide a hand-cranked generator. The museum was also a possible place to store these “ancient” objects.

These two places happen to have no food and are unlikely to be visited by anyone. Shu Shuishui rubs its paws together, eagerly waiting for the temperature to drop.

However, as time passes, the temperature not only fails to decrease but keeps rising. Eventually, even the shadows provide no relief. Shu Shuishui retreats back into the building behind, feeling like it’s in a sauna, sweating profusely. With such high temperatures, it’s no wonder all the plants have withered.

After around 2 p.m., the extreme heat finally subsides slightly. However, by the time the surface temperature becomes suitable for walking, it’s already close to dusk.

Wearing its lotus leaf hat, Shu Shuishui cautiously tests the ground with its tiny feet and finally steps out of the building, heading towards the school it had determined earlier. Although the ground is walkable, Shu Shuishui doesn’t dare linger and briskly runs, tip-toeing its way into the school.

The school is not locked, which greatly facilitates Shu Shuishui’s movement. Eventually, following the signs, Shu Shuishui finds the textbook room but doesn’t discover a generator. After climbing up and down, it finds a soft insulating pad and leaves the school, quickly heading towards the museum.

The museum in the Imperial City is quite large. Although some parts are buried in yellow sand, the remaining sections are still awe-inspiring. At the entrance, Shu Shuishui finds a floor plan of the museum, discovering that it is divided into various areas, and what Shu Shuishui is looking for is a section on ancient artifacts.

With the direction confirmed, Shu Shuishui follows the path.

The sun seems to set particularly fast during dusk. Shu Shuishui has night vision capabilities, but it’s still not as convenient as during the day. Especially in the quiet darkness, where there is no sound around, only the faint footsteps of Shu Shuishui remain.

Shu Shuishui walks with its little head raised in the empty museum, feeling its small heart pounding heavily. The museum displays various strange objects, many of which Shu Shuishui doesn’t recognize, but at this moment, Shu Shuishui has no curiosity at all. It doesn’t even contemplate the feasibility of coming back during daylight. The unfamiliar or towering objects appear somewhat terrifying in the darkness.

Shu Shuishui wonders if there are any other creatures in the museum. What if there are one or two cats? Just thinking about their sharp claws and the eerie sound of their meows makes Shu Shuishui shudder, nearly scaring itself to sleep, deciding to sleep without waking up.

However, it turns out that Shu Shuishui was overly cautious. Just as the electromagnetic storm had passed, there are no living beings in the Imperial City.

In its vivid imagination, Shu Shuishui finally finds the area it desires based on the year and era and successfully locates the desired hand-cranked generator on a display stand.

Perhaps to showcase the functionality of the hand-cranked generator, it is connected to an “ancient” tungsten filament bulb. As long as the generator is cranked, the bulb lights up. In a non-working state, it naturally remains unpowered, allowing it to survive the electromagnetic storm.

Because the displayed items here are not valuable, the glass case is not locked. Shu Shuishui easily slips inside and lovingly hugs the generator, giving it a couple of kisses, then happily places it in the Spirit Dwelling.

At the same time, Shu Shuishui also comes across a powerless solar-powered desk lamp, satisfying its heart’s desire. It plans to leave contentedly.

However, before leaving, Shu Shuishui passes by the energy stone display area and notices that compared to the intact section of ancient artifacts, this area has been mostly vandalized. Broken glass covers the floor, and the items on the display stands have long disappeared. It’s not hard to guess that someone looted them after the riot.

With nimble hops, Shu Shuishui avoids the broken glass on the ground. Contented with what it has obtained and not regretting not seeing the energy stone, it leaves the museum with light footsteps.

Upon stepping outside, Shu Shuishui shivers instinctively. The desert’s nighttime brings a rapid drop in temperature. The sand that burned its feet during the day now feels exceptionally cool. If one accidentally flops onto the sand, it feels like taking an icy gravel bath.

Once again, Shu Shuishui dashes all the way back to the library. Just before entering the door, it seems to catch a glimpse of a flash of red light on the remaining glass of the library.

Shu Shuishui cautiously looks back, but in the pitch-black night, there is no source of light. It appears that the reflection on the glass was just an illusion. Shu Shuishui supports its small ears and listens carefully to the surrounding sounds but hears nothing.

Although Shu Shuishui feels somewhat uneasy, the decreasing temperature prompts it to return to the library.

As the small figure disappears, on a palm-sized flying device, the red light blinks once again, and a series of data is transmitted back to a distant terminal.

[Warning! Life heat source detected. Danger level indeterminable!]

[Warning! Life heat source detected. Danger level indeterminable!]

[Warning! Life heat source detected. Danger level indeterminable!]

Far beyond the desert, Gu Langu opens its eyes. Its brain receives the thermal imaging pictures sent back by the small scout, and it sees an unidentified object, vaguely discerning limbs and a head. Judging by the shape, it somewhat resembles a rat. Are there still rats in the Imperial City?

Gu Langu was about to issue orders to continue the exploration when the detector suddenly issues a warning. A small electromagnetic storm is approaching, and the detector will enter forced insulation mode, ceasing all operations to ensure its survival.

Meanwhile, Shu Shuishui, who had been busy all day, returned to its little nest. Although it wanted to dive right into the nest, it ran to check the six large flower pots first. The soil in the pots had already become partially moist, indicating that the dry soil had been slowly soaking up the water.

Shu Shuishui didn’t wait any longer and hurried back to its little nest, diving right in. Knowing that the temperature was dropping outside, it took out a small blanket from Spirit Space and covered its nest with it. Finally, it curled up into a ball and fell asleep within seconds.

Unaware of everything, Shu Shuishui slept deeply as the electromagnetic storm paid another visit. Fortunately, the protective array easily shielded against the interference caused by the storm, as it was not of significant scale.

The next day, Shu Shuishui woke up early with thoughts of farming in mind. Facing the morning sun, the diligent farming rat was already busy in the field, checking the moisture level of the soil.

The greatest advantage of the Dew Condensation Array was its ability to automatically regulate the soil moisture, preventing it from becoming overly damp. Shu Shuishui shuttled back and forth between the six large flower pots and finally made a decision. It chose to plant potatoes in the two middle pots, sweet potatoes in the two pots on the right—short growth cycle and high yield—and green beans in the two pots on the left—cooling and refreshing, suitable for consumption during the scorching summer days on the road.

Skilled in selecting suitable seeds from the Spirit Space and promoting their growth, Shu Shuishui planted them in the pots. The loose and moist soil obediently complied with the rat’s two tiny paws.

The newly planted seedlings and the sprouting tubers of potatoes and sweet potatoes quickly adapted to their new environment, eagerly awaiting their growth.

Shu Shuishui poured some dew water into the cap of a mineral water bottle and used it to wash its paws. After cleaning them, it realized that time had passed quickly. Considering the terrifying temperature difference in the desert between day and night and the unpredictable electromagnetic storms, Shu Shuishui set up a constant temperature array and a protective array around the flower pots.

The busy little rodent finally relaxed around ten o’clock. When it had some free time, it wanted to stretch its muscles and decided to do some stretching before comfortably sleeping until harvest time.

Taking out a rose-red yoga mat from the Spirit space, Shu Shuishui laid it out on the floor, took a breath to calm its breathing, and stepped onto it, preparing to practice yoga.

And so, the little chubby mouse started stretching its tiny feet, bending its body, twisting, and stretching its arms. Its movements were deliberate and serious.

Outside the window, the detector that had entered insulation mode last night received new orders from Gu Langu and resumed its operation. It flew up against the window while activating its anti-detection and stealth functions.

Thus, the plump mouse practicing yoga came into the detector’s field of view.

Silently, the detector scanned Shu Shuishui and provided feedback to Gulanggu.

Species: @#%#%, Behavior: $$?@#

Gu Langu looked at the garbled feedback from the detector and fell into contemplation. Could it be that the interference from last night’s electromagnetic storm was still affecting the readings?