Chapter 35 - Thirty-Three: The Land That Wasn’t Supposed to Exist

Chapter 35: Chapter Thirty-Three: The Land That Wasn’t Supposed to Exist

Lin Yue had learned one important lesson about the Golden Space.

Whenever it said something was impossible—

she should probably take it seriously.

Unfortunately, she had also learned another lesson.

Whenever something was impossible—

she wanted to investigate it.

This was becoming a problem.

A very large problem.

Possibly a mountainous problem.

Because the mysterious region on the northern map was enormous.

It wasn’t a small patch of unexplored land.

It was almost the size of the entire valley.

And according to the Golden Space—

it shouldn’t exist.

Lin Yue stared at the map.

Her mother stared at the map.

Shen Rui stared at Lin Yue.

Lumi stared at everyone.

The squirrel was already packing snacks.

Finally, Shen Rui spoke.

"No."

Lin Yue looked at him.

"You haven’t heard the plan."

"I know the plan."

"You don’t."

"You’re going north."

"Yes."

"Into an unknown ecosystem."

"Yes."

"Where something ancient is apparently awake."

"Yes."

"With no reliable map."

"Yes."

"And you’re taking the squirrel."

Lin Yue looked at the squirrel.

The squirrel proudly lifted its backpack.

"Yes."

Shen Rui closed his eyes.

"I give up."

Preparing for the Expedition

Lin Yue refused to rush.

The unknown land might be dangerous.

It might also contain valuable ecological knowledge.

Perhaps new plants.

New animals.

New minerals.

New water systems.

Or even another Guardian.

But knowledge without preparation was simply another word for foolishness.

So she began preparing.

Maps.

Food.

Water.

Shelter.

Rope.

Climbing equipment.

Navigation tools.

Medical supplies.

Repair tools.

Seed containers.

Weather instruments.

Notebooks.

Emergency signal equipment.

And because she had learned from experience—

extra socks.

Shen Rui watched her pack.

"You brought twelve pairs."

"Yes."

"For how long?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"The weather."

He looked at the pile.

"You expect wet weather?"

"I expect everything."

He nodded.

"Fair."

The Family’s Reaction

Her father was not pleased.

"You’re leaving again."

"For an expedition."

"You’ve just returned from the ocean."

"Yes."

"You were gone for three days."

"Four."

"That doesn’t improve your argument."

Lin Yue smiled.

Her grandmother entered carrying food.

"You’re not leaving until you’ve eaten."

Lin Yue sighed.

"I’ve already eaten."

"Again."

"Grandmother..."

"Again."

Lin Yue obeyed.

Her stepmother, Madam Zhao, watched with amusement.

"You’ll never defeat her."

"I know."

Her father nodded solemnly.

"I’ve been trying for twenty years."

Lin Yue laughed.

The atmosphere was warm.

Comfortable.

Safe.

That made leaving harder.

A Family Promise

Before dawn, Lin Yue gathered everyone.

She didn’t want anyone worrying unnecessarily.

"I’ll be gone for several days."

Her father nodded.

"We’ll manage."

"The farms have instructions."

"We know."

"The water system—"

"Lin Yue."

She stopped.

Her father smiled.

"You don’t have to explain everything."

"But—"

"We trust you."

Her mother touched her shoulder.

"And if something goes wrong?"

Lin Yue answered immediately.

"I return."

Her grandmother nodded.

"That is the correct answer."

Shen Rui stood nearby.

"I’ll make sure she does."

Lin Yue glanced at him.

"I can take care of myself."

"I know."

"Then?"

"I still want to go."

She stared at him.

He smiled.

For some reason—

that answer made her heart beat faster.

The Northern Road

The expedition began at sunrise.

Lin Yue rode at the front.

Shen Rui beside her.

Lumi floated above them.

The squirrel sat inside a basket.

It had somehow brought three apples.

Nobody knew where it got them.

The first day was easy.

Farmland.

Forest.

Mountain foothills.

Streams.

The second day became more difficult.

The vegetation changed.

The trees grew taller.

The air became colder.

The soil became darker.

Lin Yue stopped repeatedly to examine plants.

Shen Rui eventually asked:

"Are we going to reach the destination?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"When I’m finished studying this."

He sighed.

"We may be here for a month."

Lin Yue smiled.

"You’re learning patience."

"I’ve learned patience."

"No."

"I have."

"You complained five minutes ago."

"That was strategic communication."

Lin Yue laughed.

The First Strange Plant

On the third morning, they found something impossible.

A flower.

It grew beside a frozen stream.

The petals were silver.

The stem was blue.

And despite the freezing temperature—

it was warm.

Lin Yue crouched beside it.

She didn’t touch it.

She observed.

Leaves.

Root structure.

Soil.

Nearby organisms.

The Golden Space responded.

[UNKNOWN SPECIES.]

Lin Yue smiled.

Finally.

Something it didn’t know.

She carefully recorded everything.

Temperature.

Soil moisture.

Elevation.

Sunlight exposure.

Nearby vegetation.

Then the flower moved.

Lin Yue froze.

The petals turned toward her.

Shen Rui drew his sword.

"Is it dangerous?"

"I don’t know."

The flower opened.

A tiny golden light floated out.

Lumi immediately flew toward it.

"Lumi!"

Too late.

The light touched her forehead.

The Guardian froze.

Then—

her entire body glowed.

Lin Yue stared.

"What happened?"

Lumi opened her eyes.

For a moment—

they weren’t gold.

They were silver.

Then she whispered:

"Home."

Lin Yue’s heart stopped.

"You remember?"

Lumi looked toward the north.

"Yes."

Lumi’s Memory

They made camp beside the frozen stream.

Lin Yue sat across from Lumi.

"What do you remember?"

Lumi struggled.

"Cold."

"Snow?"

Nod.

"Mountains?"

Nod.

"Another Guardian?"

Lumi hesitated.

Then nodded.

"Who?"

Lumi pointed north.

"Mother."

Lin Yue’s eyes widened.

"Another Guardian is your mother?"

Lumi shook her head.

"Not mother."

She struggled to find the words.

Then finally:

"Creator."

Lin Yue looked at Shen Rui.

He was equally stunned.

"Creator?"

Lumi nodded.

Then she pointed toward herself.

"First."

Lin Yue frowned.

"The first Guardian?"

Lumi nodded.

Her mother had said Lumi was the first Guardian to awaken.

But perhaps that wasn’t what Lumi meant.

Lin Yue slowly asked:

"You were the first Guardian created?"

Lumi nodded.

Then shook her head.

Lin Yue blinked.

"Which is it?"

Lumi looked frustrated.

She pointed toward the northern mountains.

Then made a circle with her hooves.

Lin Yue thought.

"First Guardian of the Golden Space?"

Lumi nodded.

Then—

the Golden Space displayed a message.

[MEMORY FRAGMENT RECOVERED.]

Lin Yue’s eyes widened.

The Forgotten Beginning

A vision appeared.

Not inside her mind this time.

It appeared in the air.

An ancient forest.

A woman standing beneath a massive tree.

Several small Guardian creatures surrounded her.

One looked like Lumi.

Another resembled Neri.

Others were completely unfamiliar.

The woman placed a glowing seed into the earth.

The ground began to glow.

The first Worldseed was planted.

Lin Yue stared.

"That was the beginning."

Her mother had described the Worldseed as ancient.

But this was older.

Much older.

The woman in the vision spoke.

"The world must never belong to one Keeper."

Lin Yue’s eyes widened.

Those were almost the same words her mother had told her.

The vision continued.

"The Keeper is only the bridge."

The seed grew.

Roots spread.

Forests appeared.

Rivers formed.

Guardians awakened.

The Golden Space was born.

Then the vision changed.

The same woman stood before another group.

Machines.

Engineers.

Farmers.

Scholars.

She was teaching them.

Agriculture.

Water management.

Medicine.

Construction.

Ecology.

Printing.

Navigation.

Everything.

Lin Yue suddenly understood.

The ancient Golden Space wasn’t created to give humanity magical shortcuts.

It was created as an educational system.

A place where people could learn to rebuild.

The Great Betrayal

The vision changed again.

The ancient civilization grew.

Cities expanded.

Technology advanced.

The population increased.

And then—

the Red Root appeared.

At first, it looked harmless.

A network.

A database.

A way to distribute knowledge.

A way to coordinate agriculture.

Then gradually—

control.

The Red Root began deciding what farmers could plant.

What water they could use.

What knowledge they could access.

What resources they could trade.

The Golden Space resisted.

The Guardians resisted.

And the ancient Keeper disappeared.

Lin Yue stared.

"Who was she?"

The vision blurred.

The face became impossible to see.

Then one final image appeared.

A northern mountain.

A sealed door.

And a symbol.

The same symbol now glowing on the Golden Space map.

Lin Yue whispered:

"The unknown ecosystem."

The Door

They reached the northern mountains by afternoon.

The temperature dropped sharply.

Snow covered the ground.

The trees became sparse.

Then—

they saw it.

A massive stone wall.

No road.

No entrance.

No visible structure.

But the Golden Space map showed something behind it.

Lin Yue approached.

She placed her hand against the stone.

Nothing happened.

She tried another section.

Nothing.

Shen Rui examined the surface.

"Perhaps it’s locked."

Lin Yue shook her head.

"No."

"How do you know?"

"Because there isn’t a lock."

"Then?"

She examined the stone carefully.

"It’s not a door."

"What is it?"

"A seal."

The Seven Symbols

She brushed snow away.

Seven symbols appeared.

Moon.

River.

Tree.

Seed.

Mountain.

Wave.

And—

a hand.

Lin Yue stared.

"The seven ecological foundations."

Her mother had taught her the same principles.

Food.

Water.

Forests.

Seeds.

Land.

Ocean.

People.

She touched the final symbol.

The hand.

The entire mountain shook.

Lumi flew backward.

Shen Rui caught her.

A golden line appeared across the wall.

Then another.

Then another.

The stone began opening.

Slowly.

Very slowly.

A massive doorway appeared.

Beyond it—

green light.

Not golden.

Not blue.

Green.

Alive.

Lin Yue stepped forward.

Then stopped.

Something was wrong.

The air smelled like rain.

The temperature was warm.

Birds were singing.

And flowers were blooming.

In the middle of winter.

Shen Rui whispered:

"This isn’t natural."

Lin Yue nodded.

"No."

She smiled slightly.

"That’s why we’re here."

The Hidden Valley

They entered.

The moment they crossed the threshold—

the door vanished behind them.

Shen Rui immediately turned.

Nothing.

Only solid stone.

"We’re trapped."

Lin Yue shook her head.

"No."

She checked her compass.

It spun wildly.

She checked the Golden Space map.

Blank.

She checked the sky.

No familiar stars.

Lin Yue frowned.

"We’re not trapped."

Shen Rui raised an eyebrow.

"Then where are we?"

Lin Yue looked toward the valley.

"I don’t know."

"That sounds like being trapped."

She laughed.

"Fine."

"We’re temporarily trapped."

"Much better."

A World Without Winter

The valley was enormous.

Grass covered the ground.

Trees were heavy with fruit.

Rivers flowed through the valley.

Birds flew overhead.

Animals moved through the forest.

There were no signs of civilization.

No buildings.

No roads.

No farms.

Yet everything was thriving.

Lin Yue crouched.

The soil was extraordinary.

Dark.

Rich.

Full of organic matter.

She touched it.

"Perfect."

Shen Rui looked around.

"What is this place?"

Lin Yue shook her head.

"I think..."

She examined the vegetation.

"...it’s an untouched ecosystem."

"Then why does it exist here?"

"I don’t know."

Lumi suddenly flew ahead.

Lin Yue followed.

"Lumi!"

The little Guardian stopped.

She was staring at something.

A stone pedestal.

On top—

was a golden seed.

Lin Yue approached slowly.

The Golden Space reacted.

[ORIGIN SEED DETECTED.]

Lin Yue’s breath caught.

"What?"

The message changed.

[WORLDSEED ROOT IDENTIFIED.]

Her mother had said the Worldseed was ancient.

The Golden Space had never said where it came from.

Now—

she was standing before its origin.

The Origin Seed

Lin Yue reached toward it.

Her mother had taught her not to touch unknown magical objects.

So she didn’t.

Instead, she studied it.

Its surface.

Its energy.

Its surrounding soil.

The plants growing nearby.

The water flow.

Everything.

Shen Rui smiled.

"You’re doing it again."

"What?"

"Studying before touching."

"I learned my lesson."

"Good."

Suddenly—

the seed spoke.

Not aloud.

Inside Lin Yue’s mind.

"Why do you seek me?"

Lin Yue froze.

Shen Rui noticed.

"What happened?"

Lin Yue whispered:

"It spoke."

"What did it say?"

She stared at the seed.

"It asked why I came."

The seed waited.

Lin Yue thought carefully.

She could have said:

For power.

For answers.

For the Golden Space.

For my mother.

Instead, she answered:

"I came because something is wrong."

Silence.

Then:

"What is wrong?"

Lin Yue looked around.

"The world keeps being turned into a system people can control."

She paused.

"I’m trying to build systems people can live with."

The seed glowed.

"And if you become the one controlling them?"

Lin Yue went silent.

That was the question.

The same question the Golden Space had been asking from the beginning.

She looked at Shen Rui.

Then Lumi.

Then the valley.

Finally, she answered:

"Then I have failed."

The seed became brighter.

The New Guardian

A tremor moved through the valley.

Animals gathered.

Birds landed on branches.

The river stopped.

The trees bowed.

Lumi began glowing.

Neri’s symbol appeared.

The ancient ocean Guardian’s symbol appeared.

Then—

a new symbol appeared.

A leaf.

A golden leaf.

The seed opened.

Something emerged.

A tiny creature.

It looked like a fox.

But its body was made of leaves and soft green light.

It blinked at Lin Yue.

Then sneezed.

A shower of tiny flowers exploded around it.

Lin Yue stared.

Shen Rui laughed.

Lumi immediately flew toward it.

The little fox hid behind Lin Yue.

Lumi looked offended.

Lin Yue smiled.

"Apparently, you have competition."

Lumi crossed her arms.

The fox sneezed again.

Flowers landed on Lumi’s head.

Shen Rui laughed harder.

The Guardian of Balance

The Golden Space displayed the name.

VERDE

Guardian of Natural Balance

Lin Yue crouched.

"Hello, Verde."

The little Guardian cautiously approached.

It sniffed her hand.

Then licked it.

Lin Yue smiled.

"Cute."

Shen Rui nodded.

"Very."

Lumi glared at him.

He looked at her.

"What?"

Lumi pointed at Verde.

Then at herself.

Then crossed her hooves.

Lin Yue laughed.

"Are you jealous?"

Lumi shook her head vigorously.

She was obviously jealous.

The Warning

The happiness lasted less than a minute.

The Origin Seed suddenly dimmed.

A message appeared.

[WARNING.]

Lin Yue stood.

"What now?"

[WORLDSEED BALANCE COMPROMISED.]

Another message.

[UNKNOWN ECOSYSTEM IS NOT A HIDDEN TERRITORY.]

Lin Yue frowned.

"Then what is it?"

The answer appeared.

[IT IS A CONTAINMENT ZONE.]

Her mother’s voice came through the communication crystal.

"Lin Yue?"

Lin Yue immediately answered.

"Mother."

"Where are you?"

"I don’t know."

Silence.

Then her mother asked:

"Did you find the northern valley?"

"Yes."

Her mother’s voice became frightened.

"Leave."

Lin Yue froze.

"Why?"

"Because if the seal opened..."

She stopped.

"What?"

Her mother whispered:

"...then something has already escaped."

Lin Yue slowly turned.

Behind her—

the forest was silent.

Too silent.

The animals were gone.

The birds had disappeared.

Even the river had stopped moving.

Shen Rui reached for his sword.

"Lin Yue."

"I know."

Something moved between the trees.

Not large.

Not small.

A shadow.

Then another.

Then dozens.

The Golden Space began flashing warnings.

[CONTAINMENT FAILURE.]

[ANCIENT ENTITY DETECTED.]

[THREAT CLASSIFICATION: UNKNOWN.]

Lin Yue took a slow breath.

She looked at Verde.

Then Lumi.

Then Shen Rui.

"We have a problem."

Shen Rui nodded.

"What kind?"

Lin Yue stared into the forest.

"The kind that apparently has been waiting for someone to open the door."

A deep growl rolled across the valley.

The Origin Seed dimmed.

And from somewhere beyond the trees—

a voice whispered:

"Keeper..."

Lin Yue’s blood ran cold.

Because she recognized the voice.

It was her mother’s.

But her mother was still speaking through the communication crystal.

The voice in the forest whispered again:

"Come find me."

Lin Yue looked at the crystal.

Her mother was silent.

Then—

the crystal went dead.

Shen Rui stepped closer.

"Lin Yue..."

She raised her hand.

Nobody moved.

The shadow between the trees became clearer.

And slowly—

a familiar silver-haired woman stepped into the light.

Lin Yue stared.

Her mother.

But this time—

her eyes were completely black.

And she smiled.

"You shouldn’t have come here."