Volume 4: Twilight Galaxy
After resting for a while, it was already midnight. Based on his memory, Shu Xun had created two sets of clothing from the Twilight Galaxy. Due to the limited time, the attributes of the clothes were not complex, with only basic defense and comfort properties. However, the materials used were rare ones Shu Xun had collected before, and with the aid of defensive embroidery patterns, the clothes could be considered decent armor.
Shu Xun gave one of the outfits to Gray and changed into the other one himself. The garments from the Twilight Galaxy featured symbolic patterns of circles and right angles. Regardless of the base color, they were often adorned with golden brocade. The style was mostly form-fitting robes, which gave off an inexplicable sense of holiness when worn.
After changing, Shu Xun tied his long hair behind his head, and the sound of screenshots being taken echoed through the livestream.
“Shu Xun’s craftsmanship is getting better and better! Do you remember that little ball of fluff running around with a needle, sewing his own little socks? Now, looking at these two outfits, it feels like a dream. Has so much time really passed?”
“I always thought plain white suited Shu Xun the best, but now I see that white robes with golden embroidery give him an extra sharp and untouchable edge.”
“To be honest, in terms of appearance, the world consciousness of Twilight Galaxy absolutely wouldn’t be able to identify Shu Xun. He doesn’t lose out to the natives at all; he might even have a slight edge in temperament. This must be the result of living alone for twenty years.”
“Gray looks great in the native attire too! The delicate air has shifted into something more cool and aloof.”
Although it was still deep into the night, neither Shu Xun nor Gray felt sleepy. They extinguished the campfire and took off, flying towards the distant horizon. During a previous flight, Shu Xun had already observed the direction of the road outside the city, and now, he and Gray were heading along one of the paths.
While flying, Shu Xun uploaded details of their experiences and discoveries to the squad’s chatroom. However, Lie Yang had yet to respond, and Meng Muyu had been silent since the game started. If not for the fact that their names were still lit up, Shu Xun might have suspected they had logged out of the game.
Ye Jian also uploaded some information to the chatroom. It was daytime where Ye Jian had landed, which showed just how far his location was—likely on the other side of the planet. Ye Jian had landed in a wild mountain forest, where he hadn’t encountered any natives yet. From the ecological environment, he learned about the world. According to his observations, the plants and animals here were generally highly aggressive and some creatures possessed special innate abilities.
By noon the next day, flying high in the vast sky, Shu Xun and Gray finally spotted a small town. Compared to the bustling city they saw before, this town seemed much simpler, situated in a broad and flat area with mostly low buildings. This was exactly the type of town Shu Xun and Gray were looking for—a place to start integrating and learning about this world.
They landed on a mountain path far from the town and walked to the entrance. On the stone pillar at the entrance, the town’s name was marked: Xing Chui Town. The town bustled with people, giving off a peaceful and lively atmosphere. Shu Xun and Gray, as two unfamiliar faces, didn’t draw any attention from the natives. Surprisingly, this small town had a fairly high population flow, with people constantly coming and going at the entrance.
Shu Xun and Gray found a pawnshop and exchanged the materials they had collected from the forest along the way. The shop was clearly doing good business. Shu Xun discreetly observed the goods others were pawning and the exchange rates, carefully adjusting his own choices for the next round of trades.
When they came out of the pawnshop, Gray was still a bit dazed as he took the small pouch Shu Xun handed him. After a long moment, he finally spoke excitedly, “We… w-we’re… s-suddenly… v-very… rich…” He had never doubted Shu Xun’s luck before, but this was the first time he truly realized just how extraordinary it was. It was as if he had some kind of cheat code that allowed him to precisely find all kinds of valuable resources, including rare minerals that lacked any life signals.
The viewers in the live stream were equally shocked. Many commented that Shu Xun, with his almost human-detector-like search abilities, should work as an explorer on lifeless planets. They were sure he’d make some incredible discoveries.
Shu Xun patted the storage pouch gifted by the pawnshop, which was filled to the brim with Twilight Galaxy’s universal currency—crystal-like minerals that were graded by color for their value. Upon closer inspection, Shu Xun noticed that the crystals had unique energy fluctuations, likely processed by some kind of regulatory body. “Let’s go spend some,” he said.
After traveling for over ten hours, Shu Xun and Gray, energized by their now-full money bags, eagerly headed to a nearby restaurant. While the town was small, it had all the necessary amenities. They specifically chose a bustling restaurant and walked in.
Inside the building, which had a strong sense of religious faith, the restaurant’s layout was simple and clear. There were private booths as well as open dining areas. Most notably, there was a wooden bulletin board about three meters long positioned near the entrance. In the center of the board was a wanted notice, clearly displaying Qing Kong’s image. Below the image was a caption: “Qing Kong, a transformed commoner, escaped during their execution yesterday…” The bottom right corner of the notice bore the signature of the issuer, Wu Shi.
Thankfully, while there was a brief description of Gray, there was no depiction of his face on the board. It seemed that creating such realistic portraits was quite difficult.
Shu Xun and Gray glanced briefly at the bulletin board, maintaining calm expressions, and casually entered the restaurant. There were many people inside and occasional conversations could be heard. Although there was a lot of noise, it wasn’t chaotic. The natives of this world seemed to adhere to strict etiquette, speaking at just the right volume so that no one was shouting or being overly loud.
The two found a table in the open area and sat down. A server soon approached them and efficiently listed off the menu options, waiting for them to choose. Shu Xun and Gray picked two dishes that sounded good but were entirely unfamiliar to them, then waited quietly.
After the server left, Gray sniffed the air, then glanced at Shu Xun and whispered, “Shu…Shu…Shu Xun… the smell… is a bit… strange…”
Shu Xun nodded lightly. The treasure-seeking mouse’s sense of smell was exceptionally keen. The moment he stepped into the restaurant, he had already noticed. The food had a faintly fishy odor, and perhaps a slightly salty scent too. He couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. However, the natives around them seemed to be enjoying their meals immensely, so Shu Xun remained calm. “I smelled it too. Let’s wait and see. It could be a difference in culinary culture due to the variance in galaxy civilizations.”
Gray nodded in agreement. Both of them kept their voices low so as not to draw attention while maintaining composed expressions. However, they were still keenly attuned to their surroundings. Although the natives in the restaurant didn’t speak loudly, their normal conversations were easy for the sharp-eared Shu Xun and Gray to pick up. It seemed that the bulletin board notice had influenced the topics of conversation, as most of the discussions were about the events from the previous night and Qing Kong’s situation.
“Who would’ve thought that the person who escaped from Wu Shi yesterday was a commoner! Surprisingly, a transformed commoner could become that strong!”
“It’s not just a simple transformation. That commoner named Qing Kong is actually a resident of Xing Chui Town. On the day he was born, a meteor fell from the sky, so the town was renamed Xing Chui Town. Later, Qing Kong left Xing Chui to study at Zhu Si City, becoming the only commoner at the academy to reach the level of priest. Because of this, Qing Kong is quite famous here in Xing Chui Town.”
“How do you know all this?”
“It’s just a coincidence. A friend of mine was responsible for Qing Kong’s imprisonment in Wu Shi City, so they had a detailed understanding of his personal information.”
“Now I just hope the baptism ceremony in Zhu Si City starts soon, so there’ll be fewer people like Qing Kong.”
The chatter around them continued. Shu Xun and Gray exchanged glances, both with a hint of surprise in their eyes. Shu Xun hadn’t expected his luck to be so good—choosing the very first town, and it turned out to be Qing Kong’s hometown. Maybe they could learn more about him here. It also seemed that the natives of this world really had no concept of the ‘end’ they were facing. They clearly avoided anything related to transformation. Once someone was found to be transformed, they were judged without hesitation.
As for the mentioned locations and the so-called baptism ceremony, Shu Xun could only make rough guesses. He was just about to pull at his hair in frustration when the restaurant staff arrived, carrying their ordered meals. Two plates were placed in front of Shu Xun and Gray.
Seeing the food on the plates, Gray nearly revealed the antennae hidden under his hat by instinct. Even the usually calm Shu Xun showed a trace of conflict in his eyes. Fortunately, the server left right after placing the food down, without noticing their stiff expressions.
The food on the plates appeared to be some kind of animal meat. The texture looked somewhat normal, but the problem was that it seemed undercooked, and it was drenched in a bright red liquid. Shu Xun and Gray had seen this red liquid on other tables and thought it might be some kind of specialty fruit sauce. But now that it was right in front of them, the scent—a mix of metallic sweetness and a salty tang—made it clear that it was blood!
Shu Xun and Gray stared at each other in stunned silence for a moment before looking down at the beautifully blood-patterned, undercooked meat on their plates. Neither of them spoke, but their minds were completely in sync: I don’t want to eat this!
However, sitting there frozen much longer would certainly draw attention. Just as they reluctantly picked up their utensils and prepared to move, a familiar voice called out.
“Shu Xun, Gray, how about it? Aren’t you surprised to see me?” Lie Yang, wearing the attire of the Twilight Galaxy, smiled brightly and smoothly took two or three steps to reach their table, casually sitting down next to them.
Shu Xun and Gray’s eyes lit up. They nodded vigorously in unison, immediately pushing their plates toward Lieyang.
Shu Xun: “You haven’t eaten yet, right? You go ahead.”
Gray: “King, you eat.”
Lie Yang, never having received such treatment, was momentarily overwhelmed, his eyes brimming with emotion—until he looked down at the plates. The emotion vanished instantly.
Lie Yang: “Sorry to bother you, I must’ve mistaken you for someone else.” With that, he tried to get up and leave.
Author’s note:
On Lie Yang’s role:
Shu Xun: “Deflect.”
Gray: “Eat.”
Meng Muyu: “He actually has a role?”
Ye Jian: “Who is this person?”
Lie Yang: “…”
