The Diary of a Renter
10. New Domain Coordinates
Before the first rays of dawn had completely dispelled the chill of the night, Jiang Yu was already busy in the kitchen. He carefully poured the "energy cereal" given to him by the Iron Godfather into a bowl. As the milky white milk poured in, the cereal instantly rose to the surface with fine blue bubbles, making a soft crackling sound, like a miniature starry sky.
He had just picked up his spoon when a gentle throbbing sensation suddenly came from the Source Key in his chest. A faint light projected onto the opposite side of the table, unfolding into a slowly rotating miniature star map. On the star map, three unfamiliar points of light flickered at a unique frequency, like breathing.
The familiar, slightly weary thought of the Supreme God flowed into his consciousness like a warm current: "Child, did you sleep well? The heart of the world beats ceaselessly, and three 'new buds' are sprouting in the gaps of the rules. Go and see them; they are tender and pure, needing gentle guidance, not scrutiny."
Delicate annotations appear next to the points of light on the star chart:
【Dreamlike Cloud Sea】 - Energy Representation: Changeable, Pleasant, Potential Risk of Addiction
【On the Edge of the Graveyard of Time】 - Energy Manifestations: Stasis, Guardianship, Stripping Away Potential Memories
【The Land of Elemental Rampage】 - Energy Characteristics: Chaos, Creation, Potentially Uncontrollable Evolution
Jiang Yu put down his spoon, and the bubbles in the oatmeal bowl gradually subsided. He gazed at the star map, a strange feeling welling up inside him. It was no longer the solemnity he felt when facing a source of pollution, nor the resolute determination before a decisive battle, but rather a feeling... akin to the anticipation and responsibility a gardener feels when seeing new seedlings sprout.
"I understand," he replied softly, both to the Supreme God and to himself.
11. Star Weaver
Guided by the coordinates, Jiang Yu passed through a passage formed by flowing aurora and stepped into an indescribable area—the Dreamlike Sea of Clouds.
Beneath my feet were soft yet firm clouds, with a slight springiness to them. The sky wasn't blue, but rather a tapestry of ever-changing, gentle colors, with rainbows arching across it like bridges, and in the distance, rivers of starlight flowing gently. The air was filled with a sweet scent, like a mixture of cotton candy and fresh grass after the rain, a breath of which brought instant joy.
He hadn't taken more than a few steps when a warm, misty light emerged from behind a spiraling cloud. The light writhed and eventually coalesced into the form of a small deer, its body composed entirely of starlight and its eyes like the purest sapphires. It tilted its head curiously, gazing at Jiang Yu, its hooves lightly treading on the cloud without making a sound.
"Are you the new dream?" A clear, slightly childlike voice resounded directly in his heart. It was the Star Weaver, Shirin.
"I am Jiang Yu, I've come here to see you." Jiang Yu tried her best to keep her thoughts friendly and calm.
"You came to see me? That's wonderful!" Shirin twirled around him excitedly, scattering starlight everywhere. As she rejoiced, the surrounding clouds began to transform, becoming a carousel, a candy castle, and singing flowers. "Do you like it? I can weave the happiest dreams for you! Here, you can be happy forever!"
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yu felt a powerful, intoxicating pull trying to drag his consciousness away from reality. The surrounding scenery became even more alluring, as if a simple nod would lead him into a carefree eternity.
Jiang Yu steadied himself, and the Source Key emitted a clear, faint light, isolating the gentle, corrosive force. He didn't scold her, but rather, like treating a powerful but ignorant child, patiently conveyed his thoughts: "Xilin, your dream is beautiful. But true happiness isn't about eternal slumber, but about experiencing reality, having joy and small troubles, and then overcoming them."
Shirin stopped, her sapphire-blue eyes filled with confusion: "Real...trouble?"
Jiang Yu nodded, sat down on the cloud, and began to describe the outside world to her: the fairy tales told by the librarian grandpa in the library, the shouts of Uncle Blood Axe in the barbecue square, Annie crying because Teddy lost a button, and Zero's prank of secretly adding popping candy to his water... He recounted those everyday moments full of life, laughter and tears.
Xilin listened intently, and the illusions around her gradually stabilized, turning into blurry projections of the scenes Jiang Yu had described. "It sounds... a little more interesting than eternal happiness?" she asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” Jiang Yu smiled, “you can weave short, beautiful dreams to give people a break, give them strength, and then let them return to the real world to continue living. Instead of leaving them here forever.”
Xilin seemed to understand, but the light in her eyes softened. She gently plucked a small piece of starlight from the antlers, turning it into a dream bubble shimmering with soft, colorful light, and handed it to Jiang Yu: "This is for you... 'rent'. I'll try to weave the kind of... fleeting dream you mentioned."
As Jiang Yu left the Dream Cloud Sea, he encountered a doctor carrying a collection basket near the entrance. The doctor, seeing him, breathed a sigh of relief: "Good thing you're out. The energy field here can easily create a dependency, so I come here every now and then to collect 'Clarity Dew' to make potions. How's your new neighbor doing?"
“It’s very simple, it needs guidance,” Jiang Yu replied, glancing back at the dreamlike landscape. She already had a plan in mind: next time she would bring some of Annie’s paintings or unrecorded street sounds for Xilin to listen to.
12. The gravedigger remained silent.
In stark contrast to the dazzling beauty of the dreamlike sea of clouds, the edge of the graveyard of time is shrouded in an eternal gray hue. The air is cold and dry, with fine dust floating about—fragments of forgotten memories. Countless ancient tombstones stand silently, inscribed with indistinct words and symbols, telling stories washed away by the long river of time.
The gravedigger appeared silently. He was like a humanoid mist flowing directly from the shadow of a tombstone, without features, without form, only surrounded by a deep, ancient silence. He showed no reaction to Jiang Yu's arrival, mechanically and repeatedly surveying this territory, brushing away non-existent dust from the tombstones.
Jiang Yu attempted to communicate telepathically: "Mo? I am Jiang Yu. This newly formed area needs order, and I have come to visit."
Mo's figure remained completely still as he continued his patrol, as if Jiang Yu were merely an insignificant breeze.
Just as Jiang Yu was pondering how to break the deadlock, a player's phantom (possibly a projection from a dungeon quest) stumbled into a thick fog deep within the cemetery. The fog seemed to come alive, coiling around it, and the player's phantom immediately became blurry, its movements sluggish, and its face showing a blank expression, as if it were rapidly forgetting its identity and purpose.
Mo simply watched from afar, offering neither intervention nor assistance. His duty seemed to be "to guard this silence," and what would happen to the intruder was not within his consideration.
Jiang Yu acted immediately. The light of the Source Key pierced through the thick fog like a lighthouse, stabilizing the consciousness of the player's illusory figure as it was about to dissipate, and guiding it out of the danger zone. After regaining consciousness, the illusory figure glanced at Mo in terror and quickly vanished.
Jiang Yu walked up to Mo, this time with an unwavering determination in his voice: "Mo, I understand your protection. But indiscriminate forgetting will hurt the innocent. We need to draw clear boundaries and set up warnings to deter unintentional intruders. That is true order."
Mo finally reacted slightly, his misty body trembling almost imperceptibly. He remained silent, but raised his blurry arm, pointing in several directions towards the cemetery. Jiang Yu understood; those were the locations of energy nodes.
Using the source key's permissions, Jiang Yu, under Mo Moxu's watchful gaze, erected a semi-transparent runic boundary marker at the edge of the cemetery, emitting a faint white light. Clear warning symbols appeared on the marker, alerting people to the danger. Simultaneously, several safe paths were marked, leading to relatively stable areas within the cemetery suitable for viewing or research (for example, areas the fox might be interested in).
After doing all this, Jiang Yu felt that Mo's cold will seemed to have softened slightly. Although there were no words, a tacit understanding of "mutual non-aggression and each having their own way" was reached. As she left, Jiang Yu noticed that the fox was carefully making rubbings of the ancient patterns on a newly erected boundary marker, and gave her a gesture of thanks.
13. Chef Gulu
Even before approaching the area of the elemental rampage, Jiang Yu sensed intense energy turbulence. The air was filled with a mixture of sulfur, ozone, and some kind of…caramel smell. Deafening roars, the clanging of metal, and occasional explosions were incessant.
Passing through a raging storm of lightning, a breathtaking view suddenly appeared—a scene of utter incongruity: nestled between a boiling lava lake and howling tornadoes, sat a crooked-looking, multicolored smoke-belching…large kitchen? The kitchen sign, written in slanted characters, proclaimed: “Chaotic Kitchen, where deliciousness and surprises coexist!”
Chef Gulu is a round figure pieced together from various unstable energy clusters and what appear to be ingredients (glowing mushrooms? moving noodles?), wearing an apron stained with some unknown sauce. He is frantically operating several constantly flaming stoves, trying to "charge" a huge steak with the energy of lightning, while simultaneously stirring a pot of thick soup bubbling with green swirls.
With a muffled "bang," the overloaded steak exploded, splattering oil all over Gu Lu. He didn't care, wiped his face, and excitedly saw Jiang Yu. He immediately rushed over and enthusiastically grabbed his arm (the texture was like a combination of jelly and clay).
"New guest! Welcome, welcome! Come and try my latest inventions—'Thunderbolt Steak' and 'Tornado Salad'! I guarantee you'll experience the ultimate taste storm!" The vegetables in the "salad" he brought over were still spinning wildly.
Jiang Yu looked at the plate of food brimming with dangerous energy, feeling both amused and exasperated. But he could sense that Gulu's enthusiasm was genuine; his "creation," though chaotic and dangerous, contained a wild, astonishing vitality. This wasn't malicious, but rather an endless curiosity and exploration of "creation" itself.
He didn't refuse, but carefully tasted a small bite of the "whirlwind salad" (the taste was indescribable, with sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors exploding in his mouth in turn), and then suggested, "Gulu, your idea is very... creative. But perhaps we could set up a special 'tasting area' with stronger protection, so that customers who want to try it can safely experience your food? Also, perhaps you could talk to Uncle Blood Axe at the barbecue plaza? He has very precise control over the heat."
Gulu's eyes (if those two leaping flames count as eyes) lit up instantly: "Tasting area! Great idea! Exchange and learn! Fantastic!" He excitedly waved his arms and legs, almost knocking over the soup pot next to him. "This is for you! My secret recipe wonton jam! It tastes different every time I eat it!" He handed Jiang Yu a jar that kept changing colors.
Just then, Ling, covering her nose, emerged from a clump of mushrooms emitting sulfurous fumes. Seeing the jam jar in Jiang Yu's hand, she exclaimed in horror, "Landlord! Don't eat that stuff! I licked it once, and my tongue was dancing like a disco all day!"
Jiang Yu looked at the enthusiastic Gulu, then at the terrified Ling, and couldn't help but laugh. This world is made more colorful by these very different "residents".
14. Anne's Tears
Back at the building, Jiang Yu hadn't even had a chance to recount the inspection to Ling and Pan Shi when she was interrupted by a sudden burst of sobbing. Annie, holding the lifeless Teddies, rushed into his small room, crying uncontrollably.
“Brother Jiang Yu! Waaah… Teddy… Teddy doesn’t want me anymore!” The little girl’s blonde hair was messy, her dress was dirty, and the Teddy button in her arms had dull eyes and drooped limply.
It turns out that Annie took Teddies on an "adventure" to the edge of the Time Graveyard, hoping to find an "antique button with a story" to replace Teddies's button. However, Teddies accidentally fell into a recently dissipated mist of oblivion. After being picked up, Teddies became like this, unresponsive to Annie's calls, stories, or even tears.
“It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have gone there!” Annie’s self-blame made Jiang Yu’s heart ache.
He immediately took Annie and Zero, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, and went to Mo's territory again. This time, Mo's silence seemed even colder. Faced with Annie's pleas and Zero's impatient questioning, he stood like a true stone monument.
Jiang Yu calmed down and thought of the dream bubble that Xilin had given him. He took out the warm ball of light and conveyed his thoughts to Mo: "Mo, we have no intention of breaking the rules. Perhaps the power of 'memory' itself can gently guide, rather than fight against your 'forgetting'? We just want to try to find the most precious memories that belong to this child."
Perhaps it was the pure beauty contained within the bubble of dreams that resonated with the underlying rules, or perhaps it was Jiang Yuping's calm demeanor that had an effect; Mo's misty figure finally stirred slightly. He silently pointed in a direction deep within the cemetery, his figure slowly fading away, a tacit agreement.
Deep within the cemetery, Jiang Yu guided the power of the dream bubbles, attracting and gathering like a magnet the dust of memories floating in the air—memories related to Annie and happiness. The process was not easy, requiring immense concentration to filter and guide them. Zero stood guard anxiously nearby, while Annie held her breath, her large eyes filled with anticipation.
As the last bit of warm light, representing an "embrace," merged into Teddis's body, the doll's stiff limbs twitched extremely slightly, and its button eyes seemed to reflect a tiny bit of starlight.
“Te...Tedes?” Anne called out softly, her voice trembling.
Teddy's limp arm slowly, very slowly, rose to a tiny angle, making a gesture of longing for a hug.
At that moment, Anne's tears flowed again, but this time it was the overwhelming joy of having something lost and then found. She hugged Teddies tightly, crying and laughing at the same time. Even Zero, who was standing to the side, breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his sore nose.
Mo watched quietly from afar, and the icy fog no longer seemed so biting.
15. The hustle and bustle of the food festival
To celebrate the arrival of their new neighbor and Teddies' "recovery," Jiang Yu proposed holding a "World Food Exchange Festival." The proposal was met with enthusiastic responses, but also led to numerous mishaps.
Uncle Blood Axe was full of ambition, wanting to grill "epic lava dragon ribs", but he couldn't control the heat and almost set the temporary grill on fire, causing thick smoke to billow out, and everyone laughed at him for "smoke bomb grilling".
Chef Gulu excitedly brought his "Quantum Popcorn," claiming that every single kernel was a surprise. Zero, skeptical, grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his mouth, only to be choked by the randomly selected "Extra Spicy Lava Flavor," turning his face red, his head steaming, frantically searching for water, and ultimately triggering a "brief levitation" effect, floating in the air and cursing Gulu for ten minutes.
The Whisperer of the Abyss wanted to offer his "Soul Brew," but the doctor firmly refused, so he offered "Abyss Soda" instead. This soda produces colorful little fireworks when you burp, and it has become a favorite among the children.
The Steel Godfather earnestly brought out his specially made "machine oil lubrication cake," claiming it could optimize mechanical performance. However, only he seemed to enjoy it; everyone else kept their distance. Seeing everyone's expressions, the Godfather's optical lens dimmed slightly. Jiang Yu quickly reassured him, suggesting a special event for mechanical lifeforms, and only then did the Godfather start humming again.
Star weaver Xilin used starlight to weave dreamlike tablecloths and ribbons, decorating the venue like a fairy tale world.
The gravedigger sent a silent gargoyle to deliver a plate of "Silence Cookies." Eating them could bring ten minutes of inner peace, making them very popular with participants who needed a moment of tranquility (such as Zero after being tormented by Gulu's cooking).
The most hilarious episode came from the shadow in front. He mixed a "Truth or Dare" candy into the "surprise candy" he brought.
Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), Blood Axe Uncle ate it. As a result, under the candy's magic, this ruthless killer sheepishly admitted in public that his greatest fear was… a small spider (stemming from a childhood battle with a troublesome mutated spider boss). The entire audience was initially stunned, then erupted in deafening laughter. Blood Axe Uncle's bronze face flushed crimson, and he angrily chased after the prankster, who was doubled over with laughter.
16. Ultimately, stillness prevails.
As night deepened, the hustle and bustle of the food festival gradually subsided. Jiang Yu returned to her quiet little house, washing away the lingering smells of cooking. On her desk, her diary glowed softly under the lamp.
He reflected on this long and fulfilling day: from the responsibility of inspecting the new city, to the tension brought by Annie's tears, and then to the joyful laughter during the festival. What he was protecting was no longer an abstract concept or rule, but these vibrant lives, these everyday moments full of life, these real moments of tears and laughter.
He opened his diary, and calm, warm words flowed from his pen:
On [Date], things were sunny at first, then turbulent, and finally calmed down.
We went to three new places. Shirin is like a little sister, needing someone to teach her what true happiness is. Mo is like a silent elder, protecting something in his own way, needing understanding and clear boundaries. Gulu… is an overly enthusiastic artist, needing some safety and guidance.
I helped Annie find Teddies. Seeing her cry so sadly and then laugh so happily made it all worthwhile. Mo...maybe he's not as cold as he seems.
The food festival was a great success, though fraught with mishaps. Uncle Zero was terribly harmed by Gulu's popcorn, and Uncle Bloodaxe's secret about being afraid of spiders was exposed. Mr. Shadow will probably have to hide for a few days.
The Godfather's cake was great, but... it wasn't to everyone's taste. Maybe we'll throw him a special cake next time.
I'm very tired today, but I feel fulfilled and at peace.
Repairing the world is about protecting every tiny wish and connecting every lonely heart.
Goodnight, dreamy Shirin. Goodnight, silent Mo. Goodnight, energetic Gulu.
Goodnight, Anne and Teddy, who is finally home.
Goodnight, Uncle Bloodaxe who's afraid of spiders and Mr. Shadow who's on the run.
Goodnight, all the new neighbors and old friends.
Goodnight, this noisy yet incredibly warm home.
He paused, then added the last sentence, a faint smile playing on his lips:
P.S. I hope Mr. Shadow's candy shop will still be open as usual tomorrow.
Closing his diary, the boy blew out the desk lamp and drifted off to sleep in the gentle night, bathed in starlight and the soft glow of countless lights. Outside the window, the lights of the endless corridor went out one by one, like stars falling asleep, peaceful and serene.
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