After saying goodbye to Soma, Xi Yujin solemnly took care of the route arrangements for the Planetary Colossus.

"Now that transportation is becoming more convenient, there will definitely be even more tourists coming to visit this Literature City..." The Planetary Colossus's manager noticed Xi Yujin's unusually serious expression and gradually grew uneasy. Unable to hold back any longer, it asked, "May I ask if you have any suggestions regarding our transportation service?"

Xi Yujin shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you."

"I-I-I'm one of your readers! Could you sign my physical copy?" The alien blinked its three round eyes expectantly at Xi Yujin.

Xi Yujin agreed.

But after rummaging through its backpack, the alien realized that it forgot to bring any of Xi Yujin's books. It searched again, but still couldn't find them. This discovery was like a sudden and devastating blow.

It couldn't bear to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If they parted now, they might never meet again. So the alien could only thicken its face and hand over a book by another author instead.

Xi Yujin accepted the book and looked down. It was Fuling's The Narrow Icefield.

He looked at the alien reader. Inside, waves of shock crashed through his heart.

"I-I'm sorry... I didn't bring your book..." The alien's three eyes stared at him pitifully.

Xi Yujin silently signed the name "Fuling." He was so stunned that his handwriting came out unusually flowing and elegant.

The alien reader was surprised for a second after getting the book back, but quickly interpreted it as Yujin's sense of humor and was overjoyed.

"So the Blue Planet novelists are truly close friends! If possible, please pass along my greetings to every one of them!" The alien removed its hat and performed its species' highest form of respect.

Then, remembering a recent news story, it hurriedly added, "Including that Shanhui!"

"They'll receive your good wishes." Xi Yujin paused before adding, "Except for that one... I truly don't know... Shanhui."

The alien straightened up in surprise and watched Yujin disappear into the distance.

The Planetary Colossus's manager happened to be an avid fan of Blue Planet literature. The ship's internet connection was exceptionally fast, and because it traveled close to Blue Planet's Black Box Network, it had one of the best possible connections to Blue Planet's websites. Thus, it spent every day browsing online.

Soon it made a post: "Today was amazing! I ran into Yujin and asked for an autograph, and he actually signed 'Fuling' instead!"

Then it added: "Okay, the title is a little exaggerated. I forgot to bring Yujin's books, so I could only use The Narrow Icefield as a substitute. It would've been perfectly understandable if he refused, but he signed 'Fuling' anyway, hahaha. Does this count as a one-of-a-kind collectible autograph?"

The comments quickly filled with envy.

"I've always heard that Yujin is a very kind person in real life."

"The fact that so many famous novelists respect him can't just be because of his ability. His character must be widely admired too."

"Hearing everyone say that just makes me look forward even more to the next novelist who'll challenge Yujin."

"There hasn't really been any major news in Blue Planet's literary world lately besides everyone taking a break."

The discussion gradually drifted off-topic as readers began wishing for their favorite authors to update their novels sooner.

Then an alien reader suddenly commented: "Isn't the biggest recent news that this 'Shanhui' suddenly appeared? Has anyone else noticed how Shanhui never interacts with the other Blue Planet novelists? Weren't Blue Planet writers always supposed to have a close relationship?"

The original poster replied almost immediately: "You just reminded me, when Yujin mentioned Shanhui, he specifically said he 'didn't know him.'"

"There's actually a Blue Planet novelist that Yujin doesn't know?"

"Yujin is Blue Planet's top editor. Is there really a Blue Planet novelist who's never submitted to the Reader's Digest?"

"I found a diplomatic interview related to Yujin."

An alien reader thoughtfully translated the interview for everyone:

"Today, our diplomat Soma held a friendly and open discussion with Blue Planet diplomat Yujin. Topics included the future development of Blue Planet literature and the galactic literary community, as well as hopes that the younger generation of novelists will help spread peace..."

"The discussion also touched upon the newly emerged novelist Shanhui. Regarding the intense discussions Shanhui has sparked across the galaxy, Yujin stated that Blue Planet respects and embraces every novelist's creativity, and that the contents of a novel do not represent Blue Planet's official position."

The diplomatic interview instantly added an air of mystery to the entire matter.

"What's strange about that? Isn't that just standard diplomatic language?"

"Standard? Not at all. Remember when a Blue Planet novelist received death threats in the frontier systems? Yujin literally wrote a novel to fight back. If you replaced Shanhui with Xunming, Yujin's response would definitely be, 'Blue Planet novelists have the freedom to write whatever they want. Read it if you like it; if you don't, get lost.'"

"Are Yujin and Shanhui really unfamiliar with each other?"

"Now I'm curious about their relationship..."

"I'm late to the discussion... so who exactly is Shanhui?"

...

Xi Yujin returned to the botanical garden with a heavy heart. The moment he arrived at his temporary residence, he immediately went online to investigate.

Shanhui! Weren't you still with the Zerg? What on earth did you do to suddenly become famous?!

He searched everywhere and finally found the answer. Shanhui's Third-Rate Lover trilogy had been published.

The publisher, a member of the Longerte species, wrote the following in the preface:

[

"Every moment, I can still recall those horrifying days within Zerg territory. Together with other unfortunate adventurers, I lived on the edge of death until we eventually became numb to it.

Yet even in those days, when the noose around our necks seemed to tighten little by little, the light of reading gave us the air we needed to breathe.

How many years have I survived until now? I no longer know. But one of the greatest purposes of my continued existence is to publish this book, so that every living being may know that such a work once saved us.

That is the primary reason for publishing Third-Rate Lover.

The author entrusted the manuscript to me, and I believe I bear the responsibility of bringing it to readers. Therefore, I would like to make the following remarks regarding this edition.

The original manuscript was primarily written in the Enqiu language. Shanhui never revealed his race, but I discovered numerous traces of unfamiliar writing beneath revisions in the manuscript. After careful study, I determined that the language was the commonly used Huaxia script of Blue Planet.

Furthermore, Shanhui's physical characteristics closely resemble those of Blue Planet humans as described online. I therefore conclude that Shanhui is most likely a Blue Planet novelist.

Third-Rate Lover consists of three volumes, conveying the protagonist's dramatic life: from Butterfly Noble, to Dragonfly Count, to Icefield Writer.

According to Shanhui himself, the novel is semi-autobiographical. Some of its remarkable experiences could only have been written with such detail by someone who truly lived through them.

To read Third-Rate Lover is also to read Shanhui's own memories.

Third-Rate Lover: an unimaginable story, a masterpiece everyone should read at least once in their lifetime!"

]

After reading the preface, Xi Yujin himself could barely remember what he had originally written.

So... this is Shanhui's autobiography now? The preface is so exaggerated. Would anyone actually buy this?

The truth was that not only did people buy it, but its sales actually exploded.

"A literary work that survived being devoured by the Zerg! A firsthand account of an extraordinary life!"

"The untold story between Blue Planet and the Zerg, all recorded in this novel!"

"A brand-new school of Blue Planet literature! The lifelong masterpiece of the talented novelist Shanhui! Every spaceship bookshelf should have a copy!"

Countless slogans like these flooded the market. The words "Zerg" and "Blue Planet" alone were enough to excite readers everywhere, so alien readers simply couldn't resist. They bought it on impulse without even checking reviews.

After finishing the entire Third-Rate Lover trilogy, they were deeply shocked by its contents. A new wave of discussion swept through readers across the galaxy.

The growing buzz drove the sales even higher, and even people who normally had no interest in physical books ended up reading it.

The Longerte publisher was actually one of the Zerg's former Brood Hosts. After completing Queen Ubit's bizarre assignment, it was finally expelled from Zerg territory.

However, more than a hundred years had passed since its accidental drift through space. Its family and friends had long since vanished without a trace, and the star system where it landed was completely unfamiliar.

Alone and with no one to rely on, it devoted itself to translating and publishing Shanhui's books, finding new meaning in life through this task.

It did not keep the profits. Instead, it decided to build a Drift Museum on its adopted planet, using Third-Rate Lover as the museum's cornerstone and collecting records of accidental space drifts experienced by beings from all species.

Meanwhile, Xi Yujin had been completely absorbed in writing Revival in the Starship Belt. Because the Starship Belt's connection to the external StarNet was relatively slow, he happened to miss this major piece of news entirely.

Who would have thought that someone would actually publish Third-Rate Lover?!

But then again... that book also bore witness to his and Gano's love story. Thinking of that, Xi Yujin's heart softened, and he found himself looking at it much more favorably.

As long as he never admitted that Yujin had written the book, readers could keep believing that Shanhui was just another Blue Planet novelist. As for all the discussions sparked by Shanhui's works, what did any of that have to do with him, an innocent little star?

So Xi Yujin left the following message on his Blue Planet homepage: "It has been confirmed that Shanhui is a Blue Planet novelist. We thank our friends across the galaxy for publishing his work. Blue Planet Literature City will likewise include Shanhui's novels in its collection."

After the previous incident in which Wenhuo had been exposed almost immediately, Xi Yujin decided that he would absolutely make sure that Shanhui never interacted with any of his other pen names. He refused to believe the identity could still be uncovered that way.

At that very moment, on the somewhat laggy Blue Planet forums:

"I think I've stumbled onto a massive piece of gossip..."

"Third-Rate Lover is supposed to be Shanhui's semi-autobiographical novel. Which parts are real? Shanhui went to the Zerg territory, but did he actually make it back out alive? And why isn't Shanhui close to Yujin? That's Yujin we're talking about!"

"Didn't Yujin disappear for a while because he went to the Zerg territory looking for his partner...?"

"The Zerg territory again. It's practically vanished from history, so how did two Blue Planet novelists end up going there?"

"Seems normal enough. Blue Planet has a long history, and apparently has close ties with the Intelligent Machines too. That's the confidence that comes with civilization."

"Sniff sniff. Wait... is that the scent of dog blood*?!"

Far from being curbed, the speculation only grew more heated.

At the same time, Gano was reading Third-Rate Lover. When he reached the scene where the protagonist boldly toyed with his adopted son's wings, his entire face turned bright red.

But... this word was obviously mistranslated.

With a professional translator's eye, Gano examined the wording of the translation. He knew Xi Yujin's writing habits well. Yujin sometimes inverted sentence structures or used playful slang, and those habits carried over even when writing in other languages.

Xi Yujin had written Third-Rate Lover in an alien language that he had just learned, and without Gano at his side, he used Blue Planet grammar without noticing. Thus, awkward phrasing and words that missed their mark were inevitable.

"It should be corrected like this..." Unable to resist, Gano began editing it himself.

He was not only the Zerg's finest warrior, but also Blue Planet's greatest translator.

Through his work, he had accumulated many little techniques for translating Blue Planet literature. Perhaps he could write an academic paper about them someday?

After all, in the world that Yujin had built, Blue Planet offices were always producing research papers. As Blue Planet's translator, writing papers seemed perfectly reasonable.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. Xi Yujin hugged him from behind, resting his chin against Gano's neck.

"You're reading... that?" Seeing the book in Gano's hands, Xi Yujin's voice shifted ever so slightly.

It wasn't that he objected to the book's existence. Gano could do whatever he wanted.

The problem was that the book contained lengthy and highly detailed scenes that were unsuitable for children. And every single one of them had come from Xi Yujin's own pen.

Even though his lover had already read them before, it still made him feel pressured.

What if Gano asked why I seemed so experienced? How am I supposed to explain that literary creation and real life are completely different things? I'm an innocent diamond spirit!

So Xi Yujin decided to strike first. He leaned over and kissed Gano lightly on the cheek.

Gano looked at the page of Third-Rate Lover, then at the expectant Yujin beside him. He seemed to understand something.

Tonight, we're going to... role-play?

...

The Starship Belt.

The filming of Primordial Myth was completed, and it was just waiting to be broadcast. Moreover, the five little Rustlings had completed their grand poetic masterpiece, which was published in the Poetry Column of the Reader's Digest.

At present, two Planetary Colossi wanted to include this place in their routes, and the number of tourists visiting Blue Planet Literature City increased day by day. At last, Xi Yujin's wallet was finally filling up.

His only regret was that he wouldn't get to see Planet Two completely covered in vegetation. But if he waited any longer, the spirit of exploration would fade away.

It was time to embark on a new journey.

The Tidal Peace finished its reconstruction and was considerably larger than before. Its hull employed pressure-resistant technology that was enthusiastically recommended by the Intelligent Machines.

Inside, it was divided into functional, entertainment, and living areas. The functional area included the cockpit, storage bays, power systems, and similar facilities.

The ship possessed two network servers: one was a newly purchased Black Box, and the other was the Egg Brain gifted by the Starship Belt. Xi Yujin deliberately placed the two servers at the opposite ends of the ship, out of respect for the Zerg Queen.

The entertainment section was packed with things to enjoy. There were various art pieces Xi Yujin had collected during his travels that served little practical purpose. There were numerous Blue Planet board games and even a full-scale replica of an internet café that Xi Yujin had purchased in the Starship Belt. There was also an observatory, a botanical greenhouse, a mineral exhibition hall, a stellar balloon viewing area, and many other attractions.

The living quarters were divided into two separate sections. One was for Xi Yujin and Gano, and the other was for the five little Rustlings. The two sections were completely isolated from each other. After all, the Rustlings were still minors.

There were also many empty rooms aboard. Perhaps someday they would all be filled.

"Do you know what it means to say goodbye forever?" At the spaceport, Xi Yujin crouched down and solemnly asked the little Rustlings again.

"It means that you may never meet again. Once you board this ship, there will be no turning back. Your parents, your neighbors... they may never see you again."

The little Rustlings glanced back at the silent adult Rustlings behind them. For a moment, none of them spoke. Then, once they had gathered themselves, they nodded.

"Welcome aboard the ship." Xi Yujin gently patted each of them.

Tidal Peace, set sail!

The view outside the ship climbed higher and higher. Tidal Peace steadily ascended until the distant horizon gradually came into view through the windows.

The sunrise glowed like molten gold and the morning sun flowed like liquid fire, carving brilliant streaks across the horizon. Little by little, they could see the entire city beneath them where their friends continued waving goodbye.

In this universe, every farewell deserved to be cherished.

The spacecraft climbed ever higher, and the world outside shrank smaller and smaller. The adult Rustlings who remained standing in place, gazing after them, eventually dwindled into tiny dots, until they completely disappeared from sight.