Chapter 369: Fruit

At this point, Xiao Yu was only one step away from final success, the final and most critical step. This step could be described as both difficult and easy.

It was easy because Xiao Yu was absolutely confident that, once the final answer was revealed, everyone would have the same reaction, “So that’s all it was.” Like a magic trick, before understanding the principle, it seems mysterious and amazing; but once the secret is known, it becomes simple and unimpressive.

It was difficult for the same reason. Before the magic was revealed, figuring out how it worked was an extremely hard task. What Xiao Yu needed now was just such a person, someone who could fully decipher this magic trick.

That person might be Xiao Yu himself, or perhaps Luka Three, maybe even Senya, or someone else entirely. It could even be an ordinary, low-ranking researcher who, after randomly drinking a cup of coffee, experienced a sudden flash of insight and discovered the final answer.

Or perhaps the final answer would never be found, and even until Xiao Yu’s death, no one would solve it.

At this moment, Xiao Yu was immersed in his own set of complex, demanding calculations, attempting to rely on his immense computing power to derive the ultimate solution.

Luka Two returned anxiously to his residence aboard Home Ship Forty One in his personal shuttle. Frustrated, he didn’t even touch the drink that his maid brought him, normally his favorite. He went straight to the lawn, collapsed onto a lounge chair, and stared blankly at the artificial star in the sky. The maid behind him sensed that her master was not in a good mood and began moving cautiously, doing her best not to make a sound.

Luka Three did not return to Home Ship Forty One. Instead, he went to the still under construction Home Ship Forty Two. Construction had been completely halted, and the ship was filled with stacked building materials, half-finished skyscrapers, and massive structures. The entire vessel gave off a strange technological aura.

This was his favorite place to go. Somehow, these ruined technological constructs could always spark his inspiration. He had even specifically asked Xiao Yu to build a residence here. Whenever faced with difficult problems, Luka Three liked to come here to quietly stay and think.

Luka Four, meanwhile, had gone to the enormous underground basement of the Biological Science Institute aboard Home Ship Forty One. This basement was vast and filled with every kind of specimen Xiao Yu had encountered since leaving Earth. Even some of the Black Bugs discovered on Titan were still being kept here. In the massive specimen display cabinets, there were all sorts of mangled limbs, brain tissue, nerve tissue, and of course, all kinds of arms and tentacles were commonplace.

The towering cabinets reached hundreds of meters in height, and flying robots were responsible for transporting the specimens. The air in the room was always filled with a strange smell. But this was Luka Four’s favorite place.

Jason, Senya, Rodel, and other scientists all found their own places and fell into deep thought.

At that moment, Senya was accompanied by Feili, the daughter of Rodel, leader of Species Number Two. The two were drifting together on a lake at the grassland pasture.

It was a small boat, just big enough for two people to sit face-to-face, with barely enough room in between for some food and drinks. Feili sat at the bow, while Senya was at the stern. Feili held the two oars in her hands and slowly rowed, gently propelling the boat forward.

The lake wasn’t very large, with a surface area of only a few hundred meters. The water was crystal clear, almost perfectly transparent. The sky was mirrored flawlessly on the surface, making the boat appear as though it was floating in the air. Every now and then, a few beautiful little fish would leap out of the water and vanish in an instant, leaving behind only the shimmering reflection of blue sky and white clouds.

“Dear Senya, what are you thinking about? Did you hit a roadblock?” Feili noticed the gloom in Senya’s mood and couldn’t help but ask.

Senya shook his head bitterly and didn’t speak. According to confidentiality regulations, Feili didn’t have the clearance to know about such matters. After all, this situation was too serious, if word got out and intelligent lifeforms learned that they might only have less than three years left to live, it could lead to massive upheaval.

“Look how beautiful it is here. When I’m feeling down, I like to come here alone. Just floating on this mirror-like lake surface for a while, and all my troubles seem to vanish. Dear Senya, don’t be sad, okay? I’m here. I’ll always be with you, all the way until the last moment of life.” Feili gently comforted him.

“Thank you, Feili. Meeting you has truly been the greatest blessing of my life. After this is all over… once we’re through with this, let’s get married, alright?” Senya finally lifted his head and looked at Feili with eyes full of tenderness.

“Mhm. I’ll wait for the day I become your wife.”

“Our wedding will be a grand celebration that everyone pays attention to. Right now, the Dwarves are still too ignorant, they’re not qualified to attend. But everyone aboard Home Ship Forty One who holds status or rank will come, including Lord Two, Lord Three, and Lord Four.”

“Really? I’ll get to see Lord Three?” Feili looked at Senya in delight and said, “Lord Three is my idol. I’d be satisfied just to have half as much knowledge as Lord Three. Oh, right… Senya, can you ask Lord Three to be our wedding officiant?”

Seeing the expectation in Feili’s eyes, Senya smiled and shook his head. “No, our wedding officiant won’t be Lord Three. There’s someone else, someone even more fitting for that role. Don’t ask me who it is. I won’t tell you. I’ll keep it secret until the very last moment, and you’ll find out at the wedding. Just treat it as a surprise gift from me to you.”

Feili pouted playfully. “I don’t believe there’s anyone more suitable than Lord Three to be our officiant.”

“There is.” Senya said with a smile.

“You’re not talking about…?” Feili quietly reached out and pointed toward the sky.

Senya, of course, knew exactly who Feili was referring to, but he had no intention of revealing the secret just yet. So he merely smiled faintly and said nothing.

“Our master has so many things to worry about. How could he possibly come back just for our wedding?” Feili muttered to herself, shaking her head as though she too realized it was far-fetched. “Then… who could it be?”

As Feili lowered her head in thought, Senya looked at her with eyes full of love and warmth. But in the next instant, that same pressing question returned to weigh on his heart like a stone, making it hard to breathe.

“If we can’t find a way, we’ll all die. I’ll die, Feili will die, our master will die, everyone will die. If we don’t find a solution, then three years from now, that’ll be the end of us. But… it’s just so difficult. A three-dimensional universe moving on a Four-Dimensional level, how do we decelerate it on the Four-Dimensional plane?”

“The final answer must be incredibly simple, simple enough that even a Level 4 civilization could do it. So why can’t I figure it out? What is it? What could it be?”

Senya’s mood once again turned heavy. He picked up a piece of fruit and took a bite but had no appetite to continue. So he raised his arm and hurled the fruit into the water.

The fruit arced through the air and landed in the lake, sending ripples across the surface. A few small fish swam over, as if they’d found a tasty treat, and began fighting over the partially eaten fruit.

Perhaps Senya had thrown it too forcefully. After the fruit was released, the boat rocked slightly due to the recoil, startling Feili from her thoughts. She gave Senya a mildly reproachful look.

Senya offered an apologetic smile. But before that smile could settle, his expression suddenly froze.

Like someone entranced, Senya slowly turned to face the stern of the boat. Of course, there was nothing there, just the ripples trailing behind the drifting boat.

He grabbed another fruit and threw it toward the stern. The recoil made the boat rock again, and this time, the speed seemed to increase slightly.

Senya’s movements grew more urgent. He picked up another fruit and threw it even harder. The rocking became more violent, and Senya lost his balance, falling straight into the water.

Before Feili could even scream, a security robot appeared out of nowhere and lifted Senya out of the lake. But Senya didn’t try to grab the side of the boat to climb back up. He just floated there, stunned.

ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novｅlfire.net

“Senya? Dear Senya? What’s wrong? What’s happening to you?” Feili called out in alarm, full of worry.

Senya didn’t respond. His face was frozen in a dazed expression.

“Please, Senya, don’t scare me! What’s going on with you?” Feili lunged forward and clutched him tightly.

Still, Senya gave no reaction. Then, after holding that blank look for more than ten seconds, he suddenly burst into joyful laughter.

“Haha! I got it, I got it! So that’s how it is! Hahahahaha!”