The author has something to say: I started revising from the last 2,000 words, so you can just start reading from here.
Wen Xingze returned home.
"Teacher Chi, I'm back."
"Welcome back." Chi Yan replied, stirring the porridge with a long spoon. "Don't go traveling with strangers next time."
Wen Xingze seemed to smell a little bit of vinegar.
The chef has a day off today.
Chi Yan actually cooked the meal himself—Wen Xingze didn't even know he could cook before—so when he came to pick up Wen Xingze through the mustard seed space, he still had half a bottle of soy sauce in his hand.
If it were half a month ago, Wen Xingze would never have thought that he would see Chi Yan like this: wearing simple home clothes, his expression was still cool and calm, but with a touch of worldly life, like an unapproachable and high-ranking god stepping down from the altar and becoming alive.
The blood clan parent who came today was Lan. The little boy in a tuxedo was baring his bloody teeth and floating next to Chi Yan with a fierce look in his eyes. Wen Xingze tried to stop him many times but to no avail.
Chi Yan didn't look away.
Lan used a critical eye to try to find something wrong with his behavior and the dishes he cooked, in order to persuade Wen Xingze to move out. But to Lan's great disappointment, Chi Yan's performance was very good.
The seafood porridge simmering on the stove happened to be boiling. The rice in the porridge was soft, sticky, and sea cucumbers, scallops, and light pink shrimps were rolling around in it, exuding a rich and fragrant flavor.
Besides that, there's also Dongpo pork, fresh from the steamer, with thin skin and tender meat, permeated with the brick-red sugar color of rock sugar. The sauce drips down tremblingly when you poke it with chopsticks...
The vampire parents thought of the dark dishes they had made and felt extremely jealous, but they could not find any fault with it. Lan could only pout and remain silent. Wen Xingze touched his head.
"There are spring rolls on the table. You can have some," Chi Yan, wearing an apron, said casually as he came out of the kitchen. "Don't eat too much, or you'll feel full."
Wen Xingze's saliva was almost dripping.
He thinks Chi Yan is very virtuous.
Wanting to marry... is wrong, wanting to marry... is also wrong. Forget it.
Wen Xingze sat obediently beside the dining table, holding a spring roll in his mouth, waiting. Although they had been living together for half a month, they were both very busy with work and basically only saw each other at dinner time. But Chi Yan would always come back for dinner every day, and Wen Xingze originally thought that he would have a lot of social engagements.
When the porridge was finally cooked to the right temperature, the meal was ready. Wen Xingze helped serve the dishes and arranged the plates, while Chi Yan took the bowls and chopsticks.
Lan, floating in the air, felt the more they looked like a young married couple. He was so angry that he wanted to bite someone. He followed Wen Xingze and earnestly advised him, "Your Majesty, listen to what this old minister has to say. Honest advice is unpleasant to the ear, and the evil concubine is ruining the country..."
Wen Xingze: “…”
"Teacher Chi is just cooking for us... Lan, have you been watching a lot of costume dramas lately?" Wen Xingze's ears turned red again. He felt that this was not a good idea. "I'll go serve the dishes."
After saying this, Wen Xingze went back to the kitchen to serve the dishes, so they stopped communicating for a short while.
Lan: "Hmph."
Suddenly, something caught Lan's attention.
It's the dishes and chopsticks on the table.
Chi Yan placed three sets of tableware on the table. In addition to Wen Xingze's and his own, there was another set to the left of Wen Xingze's seat.
He looked at Chi Yan in confusion, but Chi Yan looked indifferent. He took off his apron and made a "go ahead" gesture to him.
blue:"……"
Lan's face suddenly turned pale and blue, with some disbelief and some disdain.
The most jealous of the vampire patriarchs had been targeting Chi Yan, hoping to minimize his time alone with Wen Xingze. But Chi Yan had actually taken the initiative to invite Lan to the table for dinner, leaving Lan increasingly confused about Chi Yan. What was this? Repaying evil with kindness? Or was he trying to gain sympathy?
Lan sneered twice: "You don't think you can buy me off with a set of tableware?"
"Forget it if you don't want it." Chi Yan seemed to be planning to put away the tableware.
Lan: “…” Grass.
But Chi Yan didn't put the tableware away in the end. He just put a glass next to the tableware with a small garlic in it.
Lan: “…………” Grass? ?!
"I don't hate you." Chi Yan glanced at the little boy as he passed by Lan and said.
Because Wen Xingze likes them and cherishes them.
Although Chi Yan cannot love everyone and sometimes even finds it difficult to control his jealousy, he will unconditionally protect everything that Wen Xingze cherishes.
Excessively strong liking and love often give rise to possessiveness.
Especially for creatures like the vampires and Chi Yan, who have lived in darkness for a long time, they would naturally want to hold on to the only ray of light and would never let it go even if they died. They would not want to share it with others.
At least, the jealous vampires would never say something like 'We don't hate Chi Yan, because Your Majesty likes him, so we will do our best to protect him'.
Lan stared into his eyes to judge the truth of this statement.
No one can lie in front of the vampires who are proficient in illusion and deception.
“…”
Wen Xingze went to the refrigerator to look for juice and finally found it.
When he walked back with the cup, he found that Lan was still angry and had a stern face, but he no longer said anything about "Chi Yan, the enchanting concubine" in Wen Xingze's ear.
Their relationship seemed to have eased a little?
Of course, it was only a very subtle difference, because when Chi Yan approached Wen Xingze, Lan would still reveal his little fangs sinisterly, but he no longer had the same strong desire to attack every second as before.
This was the happiest meal Wen Xingze had had in the past two months, because the atmosphere at home was really good at that moment, and of course the most important reason was because it was so delicious.
Wen Xingze was drinking porridge from a bowl, almost crying: "How can it be so delicious? Your culinary talent is terrifying. Will the Chi family chef really be unemployed?"
Chi Yan said: "If you like, I will do it every day."
Wen Xingze thought Chi Yan was joking at this time.
Tomorrow is the day to go to the parallel universe.
And perhaps it was a coincidence, but tomorrow was the Muse Empire's annual Light-Giving Festival—the day Wen Xingze first downloaded "Desolate" and logged into the game, lighting the first lamp on the Desolate Planet. The Light-Giving Festival was similar to China's National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival.
On the first day of November every year, the citizens of Muse will spontaneously hold banquets, celebrations and parades on the capital star, and Wen Xingze, as the king, will be responsible for personally extinguishing the last lamp of the day and then lighting it again.
After dinner.
Wen Xingze sat on the sofa, looking at the translucent globe on the table.
It was sent to him by the robot parents.
"I love so much."
Life here is very happy now, with a career I love, fans, and Chi Yan. But Wen Xingze still can't forget the time when he first got to spend time with everyone in the game like a family.
The winters were very long at that time, but there was always a charcoal fire burning indoors. Even through the screen, Wen Xingze could feel the heat of the flames.
So, when I heard that Wen Xingze was very happy to be able to travel to Muse, he was really happy.
Another universe.
On Robot Planet E19, the robots gathered quietly, removing their limbs and parts to clean and oil them. Meanwhile, Robot 011 remained curled up in a corner on a blanket, concentrating on the faded pattern on its edge. Next to her was a screen displaying the "Cub Raising Plan."
When 011 heard Wen Xingze say "I like it very much", he was stunned for a long time. Then the anthropomorphic robot couldn't help but clutch the blanket tightly and showed a very clumsy and faint smile.
As the guides for Zaizai's trip, the robot parents chose the Capital Star as the travel destination for Wen Xingze.
——This was a decision they made after careful consideration. Although they really wanted their baby to come to the Mechanical Star, there would be many opportunities in the future. It would be better for them to let their baby return to the Capital Star for the first time. The baby must also want to go there and take a look.
Thirty years ago on November 1st, on the capital planet, the gears of fate quietly engaged, and the first ray of light shone upon this country.
The planet was a desolate planet thirty years ago, and it became the prosperous center of the universe thirty years later. Wang accompanied them there through many springs, summers, autumns and winters, and witnessed Muse's growth from a small city-state to the huge empire it is today.
Many Muse citizens cannot sleep tonight.
"Tomorrow, we can finally see the king." Everyone thought, trying hard to hold back their tears.
"Tomorrow, His Majesty will finally be able to review the documents." The secretary looked at the piles of documents that had piled up in the palace for four months, trying hard to hold back his tears and thought.
The Muse Empire is such a huge country, and Wen Xingze, as the king, has been absent from work for four whole months. Meanwhile, all the members of the Cabinet, the Academy of Sciences, and the Military Department are obsessed with raising cubs. One can imagine the accumulated workload.
The secretary has endured too much pain that he shouldn't have to endure at his age.
"Tomorrow, I can finally see—" Wen Xingze also tried hard to hold back his tears. Suddenly, the face of his secretary appeared in his mind. He thought, "Eh, did I forget something?... Forget it, this requires sensationalism, cry!"
The next day, at six in the evening.
"Cub Development Plan".
"Congratulations, parents! You've successfully completed the latest main quest! You've also received the special aura [Entertainment Reporter Mi Mingyou's Awe*1], and an additional bonus side quest opportunity*1."
"To ensure a smooth journey for Zizi, the game system and live broadcast channel of the "Zizi Development Plan" will be temporarily closed today and tomorrow. The final confirmation of the trip has been sent to Zizi. Please wait patiently for Zizi's arrival!"
And the other side.
The Light Tower did not specify the specific method of transportation. At four o'clock in the afternoon of that day, Wen Xingze followed the instructions sent by the Light Tower and went to the largest airport in the capital.
Since they were only going for one day and were going to their own country, Wen Xingze strongly requested to lighten the luggage, but the suitcase was still filled with his parents and Chi Yan: including but not limited to four sets of spare clothes, scarves, snacks and chocolates, sunscreen, tents, umbrellas, game consoles, comic magazines, insect repellent... If you didn't know, you would have thought he was going to live there for a year.
The general process is similar to taking a plane. The luggage has to go through security check and then check in at the counter. The difference is that there is no need to go to the waiting lounge afterwards. After the airport scanned his documents, a female staff member with exquisite makeup came out.
The female staff member seemed to have been waiting for a long time. She looked calm and took Wen Xingze to a separate area that looked like a VIP waiting room and poured him some tea.
"Please wait here for a moment."
Wen Xingze: "Okay, thank you."
Then Wen Xingze began to wait.
At half past four, the staff turned on the circular projection screen to play SpongeBob SquarePants, and asked Wen Xingze to wait for a moment.
At five o'clock, the general manager and the board of directors came in to play Monopoly with him and asked Wen Xingze to wait for a moment.
At half past five, a symphony orchestra arrived. Wen Xingze, please wait for a moment...
If Wen Xingze hadn't been startled by the magnificent melody of the Symphony of Fate, he would have almost fallen asleep.
Why would someone play the Symphony of Fate at an airport?!
"About when can we leave?" Wen Xingze asked the general manager, "How about I take a nap?"
The general manager was sweating profusely. "We're not sure about this, but your service comes with flight delay insurance. You will receive a high compensation. Please be patient..."
"Okay." Wen Xingze sighed and thanked them.
Then the general manager, the board of directors and the band left one after another and closed the door.
It wasn't until six o'clock that Wen Xingze's phone rang with a message alert. He finally received the final confirmation:
"【Guangta Travel】Dear Mr. Wen! Your first Muse tour is about to begin. Please cooperate and confirm the following matters:
1. The first plane transfer may cause vomiting, dizziness and other discomfort symptoms. The Light Tower will provide you with simple and convenient medical rescue. Details are in Appendix 1.
2. The travel destination and itinerary are entirely determined by the responsible parent. The initial transfer landing point may differ slightly from the expected location (within 0.5-1 light-years). The intersection of parallel universes may produce a slight butterfly effect. Details are in Appendix 2.
3. The total cost of this trip is 10,000,000 star coins (including transportation fees, excluding data charges). In the parallel universe, you can still use 4G Universe China Unicom data, which will be charged at 200 star coins/M.
Guangta reserves the right of final interpretation for this trip. Wish you a pleasant journey! "
It looks like we're about to set off.
Wen Xingze let out a long sigh and stood up. Would a flight attendant come and take him on a spaceship? Or a door like Doraemon's? Or some fancy, high-tech space capsule?
However, it turned out that he was wrong.
No staff came in.
Wen Xingze had just taken a few steps with his suitcase when his vision suddenly went dark.
Accompanied by an extremely strong feeling of weightlessness and falling, and a dizzy feeling that made people want to vomit, a synthetic AI voice came to Wen Xingze's ears:
"Countdown to plane jump..."
"three."
"two."
"one!"
About ten seconds later, Wen Xingze felt his feet standing on solid ground again. As his blurred vision became clear, he heard the noisy cheers, applause, and shouts in his ears.
The place is bustling with people and extremely lively:
"Buy and forget! Even numbers are negative, odd numbers are positive!"
"The dwarves are really daring to gamble. Aren't they usually the most stingy? The mermaids over there are really being taken advantage of."
“Who wouldn’t be jealous of this big prize?”
“Ding—Ding Dong—”
This place was extremely large, covered with gorgeous and intricate thick carpets, but the lighting was very dim. A few spotlights were focused on the main gambling tables, and the onlookers were lined up in three layers inside and outside.
From time to time, there were cheers or boos. Everyone in sight was wearing black robes and masks of various styles. At first glance, it looked a bit like a masked ball.
Wen Xingze: “?”
Wait, if he remembered correctly, this place seemed to be...
A small intelligent robot hovered nearby, explaining in an emotional voice, "Welcome to the largest underground casino in all of Muse!"
Wen Xingze: “…”
Yes! This is an underground casino run by the dwarves!
However, the "underground" here does not mean shameful, but as the name suggests, it means literally underground.
The underground city located ten thousand meters deep on the capital planet is a place like a huge mine, connected by countless pipes and suspended ladders. Casinos of all sizes are scattered throughout it. Its existence itself is like a huge and complex hub.
It is pitch black here, and there is never any light.
This is the city-state of dwarf scholars.
To the entire universe, the dwarves are an extremely mysterious race. Countless great scientists were born here, and their existence has advanced the technological level of the universe by at least a thousand years.
——The dwarfs are knowledgeable, intelligent and hardworking.
——The dwarfs are gamblers, arrogant and greedy.
Before the Muse, they never joined any country because no one could tolerate their strange and eccentric tempers for long, and they disdained to attach themselves to a race whose IQ was far lower than their own.
When Wen Xingze was playing "Desolation", he only knew of the existence of this underground casino. He had never been there even in the game. It was probably because of an error in the light tower space transmission. He didn't expect to have the opportunity to come here in person this time.
The intelligent robot was obviously programmed to repeat the slogan whenever someone approached the exit:
"The most authentic and exciting competitions, the toughest opponents, the most adrenaline-pumping grand prizes—see you at the First Casino on the night of the Light-Giving Festival!"
Wen Xingze: "What exactly is the grand prize?"
Wen Xingze looked around and was shocked by the flow of people. Muse was so rich and powerful, so the casino shouldn't be so popular.
Do you have so many things that you can only get by gambling?
And the dwarves are the casino operators, right? Do they even gamble in person?! Dwarves have many strange habits: mysophobia, a dislike of crowds, a dislike of crowds, a dislike of bright lights... So, while they love gambling, they rarely come to the casino to place their bets in person.
Probably in the second or third year after opening the underground casino, the dwarf chief Eli started trial operation of an online casino on Starnet, mainly to serve the habits of the dwarfs, and of course he also made a lot of money from the Universal Alliance.
Yes, the kind where beautiful dealers deal cards online.
The next second, the intelligent robot said, "Some of the prizes are generously sponsored by the Light Tower. The third prize is a collector's edition vinyl record of Zai Zai's recording of 'I Like You'. The second prize is a limited edition Zai Zai vampire filter figurine..."
At this point, the robots couldn't help but reveal a fascinated look in their eyes.
Wen Xingze: “…”
He should have guessed it.
Wen Xingze felt as if he had been put into a steamer, about to be overwhelmed by excessive embarrassment and shame: "Thank you, please don't say anymore."
Shut up, little robot.
"Please give me a number plate, robe, and mask," Wen Xingze said to the little robot. "Where can I exchange the chips?"
Wen Xingze didn't have a terminal, and he didn't have a single star coin on him, but one of the charms of the underground casino was that its chips were not all exchangeable for money.
The little robot did not answer immediately.
It scanned Wen Xingze's skeleton with its iris, and after a moment's hesitation, it said, "Your age does not meet the 200-year adult requirement, so you cannot enter or leave this place. You need..."
Wen Xingze: “…”
The little robot said, "...you need to pay an entrance fee of 10,000 star coins."
Wen Xingze thought, no way, even if you're underage, you can enter as long as you pay. It's worthy of being a casino run by the dwarfs.
Wen Xingze said: "You may have misunderstood something."
Little robot: “?”
"I'm not here to gamble," Wen Xingze said, pulling down his mask a little to reveal his full face. "I'm here, uh, for a private visit."
The little robot raised its head blankly and used iris scanning to identify Wen Xingze's face.
“Beep—beep—”
"Highest level of authority! Welcome, Your Majesty—"
Wen Xingze quickly covered the little robot's mouth.
The little robot was obviously so excited that it was dizzy and confused. It made a clicking sound like a cassette tape, and then it held the robe and mask to Wen Xingze with its hands and feet, and finally shyly put another card into Wen Xingze's hand.
That's an energy card.
Small robots of their level can redeem an energy card after working in the casino for three years. This year happens to be the third year since it was officially put into use.
"I'm sorry, I only have one," the little robot stubbornly stuffed the energy card into his hand and whispered, "Come back next time, I'll have more..."
It was very strange, Wen Xingze felt inexplicably sad.
He returned the energy card to it and patted the little robot's head: "I'll come again next time. Please save it for me first."
The little robot clutched the card and stammered, "I hope you'll be an adult next time you come. Otherwise, according to the regulations, I'll still need to charge you 10,000 star coins."
Wen Xingze: "...Okay, I'll try my best."
Wen Xingze walked into the casino.
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