The Great Black Tower took out his staff, hooked it around Bai Luan's collar, and pulled Bai Luan so hard that he stumbled.
"What's your rush? The house isn't going to run away."
This genius can't let you run around my house all wet. Go change your clothes first.
Also, this place has changed a lot over the years; I'll send you a new map.
Bai Luan listened attentively as Da Heita finished speaking. This time, he had indeed lost his composure; he would never have done so in the past.
But now he really wants to know if his little home is still there.
Let's set off... in Chapter 33.
Bai Luan changed into a clean set of clothes, holding her phone as she looked at the new file Daheita had sent her.
Although Ms. Black Tower hasn't changed much, her home has changed quite a bit, with many of the facilities conflicting with Bai Luan's memories.
It seems I need to spend some time re-recording it.
Let's put these troublesome things aside for now and find our own home first.
Before long, the scene before me gradually became familiar.
When that familiar face came into view again, Bai Luan felt a flutter in her heart.
My own little nest, with a hint of stubborn defiance, stands proudly in the distance.
It's still there.
It's like a lone warrior emerging from faded film of memories, carrying an almost tragic stubbornness.
Amidst the ever-changing landscape, it stubbornly clings to its own corner of the world, refusing to be erased by time.
I'll stay here quietly, waiting for myself to return.
A warm, indescribable feeling, mixed with a sour taste, welled up in my throat.
Bai Luan smiled and opened the door.
The room was still filled with everything I knew.
If it weren't for the various changes that had occurred along the way, confirming the truth of what the Great Black Tower had said, Bai Luan would have had doubts upon seeing everything in her own little house.
Has it really been hundreds of years?
Just like...
The future lies outside.
The interior is a relic of the past.
A sense of absurdity welled up in Bai Luan's heart.
Bai Luan sat on the bed.
Whether I want to admit it or not.
Several hundred years have passed.
There's no turning back.
What happened to all those people and things from back then...?
Inspiration Mushroom, Botanical Garden, Resource Distribution Robot, Stark, Conrad, and the Old Rookies...
Bai Luan grabbed a pillow from the bed, hugged it to her chest, then rolled around on the bed in a relaxed manner, and then lingered in the scent of the past.
It's time to go.
We should move towards the present as perceived by others, and the future as envisioned by ourselves.
Bai Luan let go of the pillow in her hand, stood up, and looked at the messy bed.
Let's clean up when we get back!
A somewhat childlike thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly chuckled softly. The laughter echoed in the empty little house, dispelling some of the gloom.
Bai Luan laughed again, regaining her energy.
I will not run away!
To run away from their fate is to betray the past!
Bai Luan went to the botanical garden.
Bai Luan wanted to run there, but so much had changed along the way that he always had to stop and look at the map after running for a while.
What should have been a short distance took him a long time to cover.
After a routine disinfection, Bai Luan entered the place. The plants here were still the same, but they no longer recognized her.
The thousand cranes that were fostered here have also disappeared.
Finally, Bai Luan stopped in a corner.
"Inspiration gurgle gurgle waka inspiration mushroom~"
The brown mushroom with white spots on its front that should have been here is gone.
You can't expect a mushroom to live for hundreds of years.
The most likely thing still around is the resource distribution robot.
Bai Luan arrived at the supply distribution station. It was the same as before, except that the robot there was no longer the one Bai Luan was familiar with.
"Hello."
Bai Luan greeted it with a smile.
It looked up and glanced at Bai Luan.
"Hello, the supplies will be delivered to the location where they are needed; there is no need to come and pick them up."
Upon hearing this, Bai Luan smiled, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes.
"I know."
The resource distribution robot ignored Bai Luan and continued with its work.
Bai Luan looked at it; the model had changed. It was no longer the supply robot that would greet him.
As if possessed, Bai Luan asked the robot:
Do you know a robot that can greet people?
As soon as he said it, Bai Luan laughed.
Laughing at their own absurdity.
They actually asked a robot for information.
How could it possibly know...?
Just as Bai Luan was about to leave, the robot's reply was unexpected.
"Do you need me to show you the way?"
"You really know?"
"Yes."
Having said that, the robot stopped talking nonsense and led Bai Luan deeper into the supply distribution station.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, a robot stood quietly in a corner.
Rust spread like creeping vines across its shell, wear marks covered its entire body, and the joints were deformed and unable to move.
It's like a piece of steel wreckage forgotten by time on the battlefield.
"That's a robot that can greet people."
"Is it... really not scrapped yet?"
"Although most of its functions have been lost, it is still functioning. Well then, farewell."
Bai Luan watched the robot leave, then looked at the old robot.
The model number is correct, but is it really that robot?
With hope in her heart, Bai Luan walked step by step toward the robot.
Seemingly sensing someone approaching, the old robot laboriously and extremely slowly raised its scratched "TV head" monitor.
The blurry screen flickered a few times before finally focusing on Bai Luan's face.
The image freezes.
After a brief silence, its already clumsy mechanical arm slowly and tragically lifted itself up, pointing in Bai Luan's direction.
A broken, synthesized sound, accompanied by noticeable electrical noise, echoed in the silent corner like a sound that had traversed a vast expanse of time and space:
Hello...
You... are late... by 964.
"..."
It's confirmed, that's it.
Bai Luan walked over slowly, sat down opposite it, and looked at the paralyzed creature at eye level.
How could there be... a robot... that has waited for over nine hundred years to be called out?
"You've remembered me for so long?"
"I…tried…to leave…to…look for you…but…to no avail."
"Really? You weren't disposed of as a faulty unit."
"The Black Tower... lady... said I... have... research value..."
"I see..."
Bai Luan's gaze swept over every shocking scar on its body; the rust was the moss of time, and the wear and tear was a silent testament.
"I'm sorry."
He said in a low voice.
"Today... you... did not break your promise."
"But I arrived too late."
The robot looked at Bai Luan, seemingly making a judgment, and finally made up its mind.
It slightly turned its head, casting its gaze to one side.
A faint beam of light, speckled with snowflakes, was projected from its other still-functioning optical lens.
A familiar figure appeared in front of Bai Luan.
"Has the recording started, mushroom?"
"This is?"
Bai Luan looked at the robot with some surprise.
"I...I told you..."
The old robot's voice carried a calmness that came from having completed its mission.
"I tried to...look for you...but I didn't...find...you...but I found...them."
Bai Luan nodded knowingly.
"Gu, we don't know where you went, everyone is quite worried about you, Gu."
"Many plants have withered and died. If you were here, Mushroom would know its last words."
"Gu asked Miss Black Tower where you went, and she said that Gu would never see you again, Gu."
"There's nothing we can do about it. After all, mushrooms don't have legs, so they can't go find you mushrooms."
"Did you go to a very far place? How could you forget to come back?"
"I can't come to you, so I'll have to ask someone else for help, Mushroom."Miss Black Tower never misses a chance, so it's really time for Mushroom to never see you again."
"We can only ask the Iron Man to pass on a message to Mushroom."
"No matter what, remember to come back, Mushroom!"
"One last time, let's have that mushroom."
"Inspiration gurgle gurgle waka inspiration mushroom~"
"Thank you for teaching me all this. Although I don't know exactly what it means, it must be something very important and interesting to you, right?"
"Well, that's all I wanted to say. Goodbye, Mushroom."
"Big Iron Man, please help Mushroom pass on the message to Oh Mushroom."
Bai Luan watched the entire video in silence.
Has the Inspiration Mushroom been waiting for me all along?
It's been too long...
I've been away for far too long.
Bai Luan looked at the robot beside her and stood up.
At least.
I need to save one of them.
Bai Luan carried the robot on her back.
"What...are you...going to...do...?"
"I'll fix you."
"Why?"
Bai Luan struggled to carry the robot on his back.
"For your waiting."
Another stream of data flashed in the robot's eyes.
"It seems...you...haven't...forgot...us..."
Bai Luan gave a wry smile upon hearing this.
"I'm afraid I'll never forget you all for the rest of my life."
"Inspiration... mushroom... I... put... it... in... that refrigerator... should I... go... see it?"
refrigerator?
Bai Luan was somewhat puzzled, then his eyes widened.
refrigerator!
That refrigerator has amazing preservation capabilities! No matter how you put something in, it will come out exactly the same as before!
Could it be?! Could it be?!
Bai Luan's breathing became rapid.
Is there still a chance?
"There are...something that allows us..."
The robot behind Bai Luan laboriously raised its mechanical arm, pointing to the path ahead.
"Let's... set off..."
Chapter 34 I am not... penniless.
Bai Luan carried the robot and walked to the refrigerator.
As part of the infrastructure of Lady Black Tower's home, this refrigerator has stood here for over nine hundred years, and remains unchanged from before.
Bai Luan first put down the robot on his back, then knocked on the refrigerator, activating its AI.
"Who!? Who's so rude as to wake me up!?"
A blue dot appeared, frowning and looking around angrily for the person who had knocked on it. It paused when it saw Bai Luan, then glanced at the robot placed to the side.
The refrigerator AI was silent for a moment, then said:
"You really didn't lie to me, he really came to see me."
In response to the refrigerator's AI, the robot replied haltingly:
"I...don't...have...the ability to lie."
"Who believes in all those functions of yours? You insisted on stuffing those mushrooms and origami cranes into my body before, did you think they were included in your functions?"
Just as the robot was about to reply, it was interrupted by the refrigerator's AI.
"Alright, alright, shut up. You look like you're about to die."
Then the refrigerator AI looked at Bai Luan.
"Isn't this my cook who's been missing for hundreds of years? How did I know he'd come back?"
"Due to some uncontrollable factors, I was trapped in the time turbulence. I only stayed there for a few minutes, but you spent...964 years."
"Um..."
The refrigerator AI pondered for a moment.
"I don't understand any of what you're saying, but there's something I have to tell you. That robot over there once went berserk."
"Rampage?"
"Yes, first he abandoned his post and came to inquire about you, then he tried to force a mushroom and a paper crane into my body. Back then, even Lady Black Tower came."
"...Then what?"
"Ms. Black Tower said, 'To be able to cause so much trouble even when she's not around, she's truly a genius.' And then she just let it be."
If you had come any later…
The refrigerator's AI glanced at the robot that stood quietly to one side.
"It's about to reach the end of its lifespan and shut down."
"My...thing...doesn't matter...anymore...what about the Inspiration Mushroom?"
"That's what I'm about to talk about."
The refrigerator AI looked at Bai Luan and said:
"Although I foolishly stuffed them into my body in the first place, hoping to use my preservation function to put them into a deep sleep and thus extend their lifespan."
But this is only theoretically feasible; no one knows what the outcome will be.
Bai Luan nodded and said.
"I'm ready."
"I'm telling you this not to prepare you for failure, but to tell you—whether you succeed or not, you owe me a meal... no, many meals."
"..."
Bai Luan was speechless upon hearing this.
Is this the key point?
"We had a promise that you would provide a stable supply. After you left, I haven't seen anything that I like for a long time..."
"Stop it! Stop nagging! Don't you even consider the atmosphere?!"
"Okay, okay."
The refrigerator AI opened the refrigerator door, and two robotic arms extended out, taking out a flowerpot from inside. Inside the flowerpot was a mushroom, and on top of the mushroom was a paper crane.
Brown, white spots...
It seems to have grown a bit larger than I remember, but I can still be sure of it.
It's definitely the Inspiration Mushroom.
It just looks rather sluggish now.
The refrigerator AI placed it on the ground, and at that moment, the eyes of the one person and the two machines were focused on the mushroom.
"It failed?"
"..."
Bai Luan remained silent, only watching Qianhe and Linggan Gu.
Bai Luan knew better than anyone that Inspiration Mushrooms were difficult to cultivate, but he still held out hope that they could survive.
A ray of sunlight pierced through the white gauze and shone on Chizuru, who had been sleeping soundly. Suddenly, Chizuru's head twitched.
Then, the previously stiff body began to move, and the body, which had been protected for hundreds of years by the special force field of the refrigerator, began to gradually stretch out.
Then, it spread its wings, flapped them a few times, and flew off the Inspiration Mushroom.
The gazes of the one person and the two machines rose as Qianhe ascended into the sky.
"Chizuru! You made it through!"
Bai Luan brought his palms together, providing Qianhe with a platform to rest on. Qianhe spun in the air and landed steadily in Bai Luan's hands.
"I never expected that this refrigerator would not only keep food fresh but also have a hibernation function. It's truly amazing."
Just as the refrigerator AI was feeling smug, a slightly weak but firm voice retorted:
"Mushroom...you felt really uncomfortable inside...thankfully it was only for a short while..."
"What are you saying! What are you saying! What do you mean 'uncomfortable'? I'm already being lenient by letting you in! And what do you mean 'only staying a little while'? You've been here for over eight hundred years, do you know that?"
"I'm just telling the truth. You can't be too honest, you mushroom."
Inspiration Mushroom looked at the robot in front of her, her tone filled with doubt.
"Big Iron Man, what happened to you? You were just like that before... Could it really be that long ago?"
"Inspiration Mushroom".
When Linggan Gu heard Bai Luan's voice, she trembled.
"Bai Luan? You're back? Big Iron Man, you really didn't lie to me, this way I can indeed see Bai Luan Mushroom."
Also, didn't the mushroom tell you? If you stand behind the mushroom, it can't see you, mushroom.
The robot laboriously lifted its mechanical arm, gripped the edge of the flowerpot, and painstakingly turned the Inspiration Mushroom toward the White Jasmine.
"Mushroom...you haven't changed at all, Mushroom? You guys didn't team up to lie to Mushroom, did you? Has it really been that long since Mushroom went in?"
Bai Luan explained with a smile:
"A long time has passed, at least for you, a long time has passed."
"mushroom..."
Linggan Gu pondered for a while, trying to understand what Bai Luan meant.
"Forget it, I don't need to understand human affairs so thoroughly!"
After convincing herself to give up thinking, Inspiration Mushroom looked at Bai Luan and said:
"Anyway, welcome home, mushroom."
Those not-so-distant memories surfaced in Bai Luan's mind, then flashed by and disappeared.
They won't be coming back.
How could that have been a final farewell?
A tremendous emptiness and a sharp sense of loss gripped my heart.
But the next second, the subtle touch of the origami crane in his palm, the swaying cap of the Inspiration Mushroom before his eyes, and the faint humming of the robot's remains beside him...
These faint yet real presences, like sparks in the darkness, stubbornly illuminated the small patch of ground beneath his feet.
But thankfully...
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