CH 114

In his dreamless sleep, Shu Shuishui remained completely unaware, still lost in deep slumber.

As for Gu Langu, having earned his first stash of private funds today, he also had a rare good dream, though it got a bit intense, causing him to lower his body temperature.

Although Shu Shuishui had initially asked for only a small sum of private funds, just one cent, Gu Langu felt it was too little, insufficient for Shu Shuishui. Even though the Shui Ring contained many treasures collected on the Huanxing continent, they weren’t earned by him personally. Hence, he decided to collaborate with the gray-furred rats to earn money.

Nan Ge had no idea that those flags were all created by Gu Langu himself. Despite considering himself well-acquainted with Gu Langu, he couldn’t anticipate the increasingly peculiar direction his friend’s actions were taking.

It can be said that Gu Langu went to great lengths for his private funds. He even went as far as to search his own mind to find the most satisfying welcome phrases to use as slogans on the flags.

The following day, Gu Langu woke up punctually, but he didn’t receive Shu Shuishui’s usual morning kiss. So, he decided to go over and plant a kiss on Shu Shuishui’s forehead. His temperature was average, and he didn’t have a fever, so was he just being lazy?

Because of Shu Shuishui’s dedication to sleep, occasional scenarios like this would occur. After ensuring that Shu Shuishui didn’t display any signs of discomfort, Gu Langu wasn’t in a hurry and patiently waited for his morning kiss.

In reality, Shu Shuishui didn’t oversleep this time; he had unknowingly slipped into another dream. After falling asleep last night, his dreams had been empty for a while. Then, in an endless expanse of pure white, Shu Shuishui heard voices.

“So, am I dead? I refuse to accept it. There are so many people in the world, why did it have to be me who died?”

“Yes, but if you bind with me, you can continue to live.”

“What are you?”

“I am a system, a vessel capable of traveling through time and space. As long as there’s a supply of energy, I can function.”

“What is this energy?”

“Energy is the fluctuation of emotions in living beings. The stronger and purer the emotions, the stronger the energy…”

Shu Shuishui listened to the conversation, feeling somewhat perplexed. Both voices were unfamiliar to him. However, as the conversation continued, he learned the name of one of the individuals, who was called Shi An’an. The other entity claimed to be a system, but Shu Shuishui had no recollection of it.

Why did he enter Shi An’an’s dream? Shu Shuishui pondered this, unable to figure out the triggering conditions for these two consecutive dream entries.

Filled with questions, Shu Shuishui followed Shi An’an as they traversed different worlds within the dream, watching as Shi An’an completed one conquest after another.

Gradually, Shu Shuishui developed a strong interest in the system bound to Shi An’an. This system sounded like a highly-ranked spiritual tool but also resembled some kind of technological creation. It had its own marketplace transaction system, obtaining energy through equivalent exchanges, while providing the host with formidable capital and the ability to break free from reincarnation.

Compared to Shi An’an, Shu Shuishui found this system quite adorable. It was concise in speech, had strong principles, and approached things in an official manner. Shu Shuishui thought that as long as this system didn’t look like a cat, it would likely be very appealing to mice.

As for Shi An’an, Shu Shuishui’s assessment of him can be summed up in three words: an ordinary person. He was just lucky to be bound by the system at the moment of his death. He didn’t have any outstanding qualities or significant flaws. However, as they continued to traverse and conquer, Shi An’an’s flaws became increasingly apparent, while his strengths slowly diminished.

He would unconsciously feel superior, becoming less and less tolerant of others, and his capacity for empathy gradually faded away as his competitiveness took over. These changes occurred bit by bit, so subtle that Shi An’an himself didn’t notice them.

Shu Shuishui speculated that those bound with the system would generally fall into two categories. The first, like Shi An’an, would unwittingly amplify the flaws in human nature. They might lose themselves in the illusion of looking down on others like gods and eventually self-destruct. The second category would magnify the strengths in human nature. They would treat the system as an aid and earnestly navigate through each world.

Of course, these are just Shu Shuishui’s speculations, and there may be outliers who follow entirely different paths.

As for the current Shi An’an, Shu Shuishui couldn’t make a judgment. He introspected and wondered if he would be better than Shi An’an if he were bound with the system. He couldn’t say for sure. Perhaps, if Shu Shuishui were bound with the system, he would spend his time hibernating in different worlds, provided he didn’t encounter Gu Langu.

Shi An’an’s dream eventually stopped when he arrived at Cang Zhan Star. Before that, he had traversed thirteen worlds, and his failure rate was gradually increasing.

Choosing the body of a recently deceased person, Shi An’an began his fourteenth world, which was the conquest of Cang Zhan Star. Unfortunately, Shu Shuishui didn’t have the chance to see more information before the dream ended.

Shu Shuishui opened his eyes and saw Gu Langu looking at him eagerly.

“Gu Gu? What time is it?!” Shu Shuishui sat up abruptly.

Gu Langu, still in a standard sleeping position in his sleeping bag, replied, “Twelve o’clock, thirteen minutes, forty-four seconds.”

Shu Shuishui bent down helplessly and planted a kiss on Gu Langu’s forehead. “Good afternoon, Gu Gu.”

This seemed to trigger a switch in Gu Langu. He extended his long arms and enveloped Shu Shuishui in his chest. “Good afternoon, Shui Shui. Let’s just take a nap for the afternoon.” It had been a while since they spent an entire day lounging together like this. Gu Langu suddenly missed the days when they traveled together, aimlessly and sometimes just lazing in bed, wasting a whole day doing nothing.

“Sure, it’s rare for Gu Gu to be clingy.” Shu Shuishui also had no intention of getting up and laid down, taking the opportunity to recall his dream.

Despite his recent rebellious streak, Gu Langu still felt awkward about the word “clingy” and could only respond with silence.

“Gu Gu, I entered someone else’s dream again last night, it was Shi An’an’s dream. It’s so strange. I wonder what triggers this. First, it was Cheng Que, and now Shi An’an. It seems unrelated to me, and neither of them looks like a mouse, so why is this happening?” Shu Shuishui was quite puzzled.

Gu Langu habitually stroked Shu Shuishui’s hair with his hand, running his palm gently through his warm brown locks. “Perhaps it’s just a random selection, Shui Shui. Don’t dwell on it too much.”

Shu Shuishui nodded. “For now, that’s the only way. But that system on Shi An’an seems interesting, and it doesn’t look like a cat, so it’s quite cute.”

Gu Langu’s hand paused in the motion of stroking Shu Shuishui’s hair, and then he continued. “Cute?”

“Yeah, if we happen to meet during the Great Migration, maybe I’ll say hello to Shi An’an’s system.” Shu Shuishui was already planning to greet Shi An’an’s system.

The thought of someone thinking about saying hello to his system from a faraway place made Shi An’an shiver inexplicably. He could hardly imagine that someone would contemplate such a magical action.

“If you like it, just bring it over.” Gu Langu’s impression of Shi An’an only stopped at his appearance and name, nothing more.

“No, Gu Gu needs to behave and not be too violent. You might corrupt Da Bai and Xiao Jiao Jiao.” Shu Shuishui quickly vetoed. After all, the system wasn’t his, and even if he was curious, a simple greeting and handshake would suffice.

However, even a greeting and handshake were disasters for Shi An’an’s system. Of course, before the Great Migration, Shi An’an was quite at ease, at most worrying about the progress of the strategy. He had no sense of crisis that his system might be taken away.

Inside the tent, Shu Shuishui and Gu Langu cuddled under the covers, chatting and preparing for their afternoon nap.

In the valley, the others were busy with harvesting, trying to plant more crops before the arrival of summer. Currently, there was no clear notice about migration, but everyone knew that the situation outside was not optimistic. The thick snow from this winter had already turned the southern hemisphere into a wetland as it melted, and low-lying areas were now submerged.

It wasn’t just Shui Jing Gong; everyone on Cang Zhan Star was closely monitoring the snowmelt situation and when the first rain of the summer would arrive.

The arrival of the first rain meant the beginning of the rainy season, and that was when the actual water crisis would start.

Two days later, in the simulation space, Nan Ge completed a solo dungeon and obtained the exact time for this year’s rainy season on Cang Zhan Star. On the same day, Shui Jing Gong decided to migrate north.

This time, the migration was even farther, longer, and more challenging. Therefore, the preparations in the early stages were more complex. The final decision was made: they would set out in fifteen days, heading towards the unknown north.

The decision to migrate was duly communicated to the Fei Luo Base, and of course, to Area B as well. However, the situation in Area B was more complex, and reaching a consensus on migration was difficult at first. In the end, Liu Po took a decisive step and decided to lead Area B northward.

Nan Ge had no time to concern himself with the internal disputes within Area B, believing that Liu Po would handle them. At this moment, the most important thing was to prepare the ships, as they were the crucial means of transportation for their journey.

Xie Feng has been extremely busy in recent days. In fact, throughout the winter, Shui Jing Gong had been manufacturing ships, ranging from small boats to medium-sized cabins, and from manual rowing to energy propulsion, constantly advancing.

The cutting of trees in the valley required approval from Nan Ge. Originally, according to the planned number of people and resources, the ships were almost ready. The problem arose from that group of giant mutant rats.

One day, when a mutant rat appeared at Nan Ge’s doorstep, holding a small flag, he began to understand the complicated feelings the members of the Fei Luo Team had experienced when facing similar situations.

The mutant Rats stuck to their usual routine, trying to elicit sympathy while doing business. “We’re so pitiful, take us with you! We’ll help with moving and housework! One day, just two sweet potatoes each, a special family discount!”

Family discount, my foot! But why did Nan Ge feel a bit tempted? Nan Ge had witnessed the gray rats’s moving abilities and surprisingly found it more cost-effective than trading. So, Nan Ge was momentarily swayed and agreed to take the gray-furred rats with them on the migration.

So when the rats, along with their entire families and even carrying packages, appeared at the base, Nan Ge felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders.