Just as Xi Yujin was lost in his reverie, the situation of Navigator Colossus deteriorated rapidly.

In the astronaut biometric monitoring room, countless instruments flickered with shifting data, twinkling like stars in the night sky. The monitor broke out in a cold sweat and immediately reported to the decision-maker: "The probability of unexpected events is rising. The route we've already traveled is no longer continuous; there are clear signs of fracturing. The probability of deviation is skyrocketing…"

The decision-maker said, "How much longer until we reach the center of the wormhole? At least tow the ship there! Staying on the edge of the wormhole will get us ripped apart!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the base's lights began to flicker. An astronaut who had been towing the Colossus suddenly collapsed from exhaustion.

The monitor shouted, "Acute mental confusion at the left wing base! Requesting knowledge-based first aid!"

The decision-maker said calmly, "Proceed according to regulations. We've already requested support from other civilizations."

An atmosphere of anxiety permeated the base. Xi Yujin followed the staff's directions to the bridge while Gano stood guard outside the door. The mental resonance here was deafening, yet Xi Yujin felt no discomfort whatsoever. He approached an astronaut who had already collapsed, preparing to establish a mental power link.

Suddenly, the surrounding astronauts toppled like dominoes.

On the base's staff channel, the monitor was on the verge of losing it. Its voice trembled as it said, "The worst has happened. Widespread acute mental confusion! The Colossus doesn't have enough power; we'll all be lost in the wormhole."

The decision-maker: "Call in all the rotating diplomats! How many astronauts are affected?"

The monitor: "Twelve on the right wing. The left wing… sixty-seven."

The decision-maker opened its mouth to speak, but the words turned bitter in its throat.

On the planetary base, several rotating diplomats from different civilizations were carrying out their duties. They were closest to the right wing, so they prioritized knowledge-based first aid there.

"I've never encountered such a terrible deviation incident," one diplomat said anxiously. "With this many confused astronauts, our manpower is nowhere near enough."

"There are already twelve here. Who's on the left wing? It's even worse over there!" The diplomat from the Green Clan sent out an urgent compressed signal.

Another diplomatic being in a massive spacesuit said, "Apparently, it's Blue Planet's Yujin…"

—

Inside the cockpit of the left-wing base.

Xi Yujin looked at the astronauts collapsed everywhere. Unable to determine whether this was normal, he simply put on a calm front. But he knew time was critical, so he immediately activated his four asteroids.

Acute mental confusion refers to a sudden worsening of a creature's mental confusion, causing them to forget abstract concepts. For example: infinity, courage, or the ability to weigh one thing as more important than another. Because a being's knowledge system is inextricably linked to abstract concepts, the loss of even one brick can cause the entire pyramid to collapse, potentially reducing the being to a vegetative state.

The act of helping a being relearn these abstract concepts in time is called knowledge-based first aid. Simply put, it means using mental power to tell a story directly to the other being's soul.

Among knowledge-based first aid techniques, one type of story is the most effective: children's fables. As children, many species first grasp the truths of the world through these simple stories, such as liars growing multiple* noses or hardworking beings being rewarded with good outcomes. (T/N: *Yes, it's many instead of long XD)

Fortunately, Xi Yujin's mental power was remarkably cooperative at this moment, successfully linking with the unconscious astronauts. He seemed to see their knowledge base: densely packed with incomprehensible text, with one blank corner, which appears to be the area that needed his immediate attention.

Thanks to Xi Yujin's love of using multiple personas, his ability to improvise stories far surpassed that of ordinary people. Moreover, he was well-practiced with the asteroid Typing Machines, making his mental linking efficiency extremely high.

He simultaneously narrated allegorical tales of various concepts to the linked astronauts, hearing his own voice echoing through the cabin, as if many versions of himself were speaking in chorus.

 

"A child decided to share a cake with his friends. He cut the blueberry cake in half, then suddenly thought: what if he made new friends while eating, and they didn't get any? So he cut the remaining cake in half again, giving each friend a quarter.

The child didn't know how many new friends he would make, so he cut the quarter in half once more, giving each person an eighth. After cutting it three times, each person had only 1/64 of the cake, barely the size of a fingernail. Was it impossible to cut any further? But what if there were still more new friends?

So the child took an even smaller, sharper knife and successfully cut the remaining cake in half again… and so on, half and half again. No matter how many times it was cut, even if the remaining piece was as small as a fingernail crescent, it could still be halved.

The crumbs that can never be fully divided are called infinitesimals.

And the opposite of infinitesimals is infinity."

 

From Xi Yujin's perspective, he had spent some time telling each story, but to an outside observer, he merely paused briefly in front of one astronaut before moving on to the next. The four asteroids around him continued transmitting fairy tales, and signs of awakening slowly spread outward with Xi Yujin at the center.

Within seconds, the first astronaut regained consciousness, still somewhat dazed. It felt as if it had just woken from sleep, and in its dream, it had heard a gentle, dreamlike story. The only human present was walking with perfect composure, which put the creature at ease. It watched the Blue Planet human ascend the stairs step by step toward the central control panel, his soothing mental power sweeping over each fallen astronaut, slowly lifting the sunken creatures back up.

When Yujin reached the center, a gentle white light shone down from above, like a star illuminating all things back to life.

Xi Yujin lingered a little longer with the astronaut at the very center, because this particular story was rather tricky.

A few minutes later, he looked back at the awakened astronauts, satisfied that he had completed his mission well without revealing anything. The astronauts continued rising to their feet, their movements still somewhat unsteady, and all of them were staring blankly at him.

For a moment, not a single creature uttered a sound. Under those tangible gazes, Xi Yujin still managed a polite smile, even though he knew the visor obscured his face.

A moment later, the cockpit door opened and several diplomats in spacesuits rushed in: "We've come to provide support…"

The rest of their words died in their throats.

The diplomats from other civilizations, seeing astronauts moving freely about the room, immediately wondered if they had come to the wrong place. But this was unmistakably the left wing. Their gazes gradually swept across the entire area, settling on Xi Yujin at the very center, and a certain truth detonated inside their minds.

"Could it be…"

"That's impossible!"

"But no matter how impossible it is, we've all seen it with our own eyes. It happened, just as surely as one plus one equals two…"

The support team communicated in a jumbled frenzy. Xi Yujin couldn't quite follow, but the beings clearly understood exactly what had shocked them, and their exchanges flowed smoothly among themselves.

The decision-makers rushed over, first puzzled as to why the reinforcements weren't moving, and then, upon seeing the cockpit already back in order, they were struck speechless.

Over the communicator, the monitor's incredulous voice rang out:

"Confirmed! All sixty-seven astronauts in the left wing cockpit are out of danger! It was all done by Blue Planet's Yujin, alone!"

The creatures inside the bridge erupted into noise as if someone had pressed a play button. Xi Yujin was still in a daze when the excited shouts of the surrounding creatures lifted him high like a wave.

"So powerful! Is this the strength of Blue Planet?"

"I really did hear a very gentle voice while I was unconscious; so that was Mr. Yujin…"

"Blue Planet! Blue Planet!"

The entire chamber cheered for Xi Yujin's groundbreaking achievement.

Xi Yujin's mind raced. He judged that his storytelling ability might not be particularly exceptional. Even if he was indeed very good at writing inspirational chicken soup, a short tale couldn't possibly be full of twists and turns. So what affected his speed had to be his mental power…

Replaying the emergency treatment process in his mind, he gradually came to a realization: mental power could communicate directly with the soul, which meant it could also directly destroy the soul. So that was how mental power was truly used, and that was why exceptionally talented novelists were called walking weapons…

Does this mean that he already has a life-saving advantage?

Xi Yujin thought optimistically.

For the moment, he still had to deal with the creatures' enthusiastic inquiries. They surrounded him on all sides, their shouts rising and falling. Xi Yujin thought to himself that if it weren't for the spacesuit, he would probably have been engulfed by these aliens again.

"Mr. Yujin! Your voice during storytelling is so gentle. I felt like I was back in the waters of my birthplace, rocking gently in the waves…" one astronaut said emotionally. "Does your story have a name?"

Xi Yujin gave a polite smile and said, "No name, but you could consider it a collection, called… One Thousand and One Nights of the Universe?"

The surrounding astronauts all hoped he would compile today's stories into a book.

Meanwhile, the astronaut from the very center, the one who had been most severely unconscious, rushed forward, only to be held back by the others. It asked excitedly, "I've never heard a story so perfectly suited to my taste! The whole world is darkness! The whole world has wronged me! And yet I must save the whole world! That's exactly the feeling! How did you do it?!"

Xi Yujin recognized this astronaut and felt a headache coming on. The concept the central astronaut had been missing was called chunibyo. On Earth, it referred to a self-centered, main-character way of thinking common among second-year middle school students.

Xi Yujin had been forced to improvise a formulaic chunibyo story about a magical girl transforming to fight evil, and the astronaut actually remembered it after waking up.

"I never thought someone as serious as you would create such a story! I truly look forward to your next work!" the astronaut praised enthusiastically. However, this raised Xi Yujin's guard. Was this story too far removed from Yujin's usual style? He didn't want the Yujin persona to change too much. If he kept creating contrasts, the outside world's impression of Yujin would become diluted.

If he had to attribute this story to someone else, who would be suitable?

Xi Yujin thought it over. Xunming's chunibyo vibe didn't quite fit, and the others didn't seem like the right type of novelist for this style either. Thus, he decided to invent someone on the spot.

"That's actually a story one of our Blue Planet freelance novelists usually writes," Xi Yujin quickly came up with a new pen name. "That person is called… Feiniao!"

The way these astronauts moved around the base really did resemble a school of fish, or perhaps a flock of birds.

"Oh, so it's the novelist Feiniao…" The astronaut's tone was filled with longing, as if it already knew Feiniao intimately. "I will do everything in my power to support Blue Planet's novelists!"

Before Xi Yujin knew it, he was once again swallowed up by the other creatures' excitement. He felt someone pull him back and obediently followed that direction, because he knew that at times like these, Gano would always come to extract him with ease.

"Alright! Stop bothering Mr. Yujin. We need to get back to work!" the decision-maker shouted.

The astronauts then remembered their duties, returned to the control panels, and resumed towing the Colossus. Xi Yujin finally made it to an open area, watching how the creatures worked together to overcome the crisis. What happened next was no longer up to him.

The monitor continued broadcasting data:

"Deviation probability: 45%!"

"Deviation probability: 56%!"

"Deviation probability: 77%!"

"Arrived at the center of the wormhole! Deviation probability: 99%! Initiating lock-on mode! All personnel, secure yourselves!"

 

Every creature's emotions were whipped up by these announcements. They were strapped in tightly by their safety belts, though in truth, if disaster struck, the belts wouldn't prevent anything; they were simply making every preparation they could. In the passenger area, all the creatures gripped their handles tight. Some lamented that their cargo was going to be a total loss, some thought of friends still in the previous Galaxy, and some even began writing wills that no one would ever see.

 

"Deviation confirmed…"

 

Perhaps because the dreaded outcome had finally arrived, the monitor actually sounded relieved as it said this. "We've done our best to reach the wormhole center. From here on, it's up to time to decide where it takes us."

The decision-maker said hoarsely, "Thank you all for your efforts. Initiate the braking procedure…"

A heavy atmosphere filled the air.

The astronauts no longer needed to use their mental power; they sat down in twos and threes, awaiting probability's final verdict.

The diplomats were lost in silent thought. Xi Yujin observed it all, recalling the knowledge he had read in the virtual library.

In the basic understanding of the universe, time flows in only one direction. Because of this, time is likened to a wind that never returns, while space is like an ever-expanding desert.  

However, this desert is not a single entity, but a colossal mass composed of countless tiny grains of sand. Between these grains, the contact surfaces produce primordial wormholes through the strong force. When the grains begin to move, the original wormholes naturally break, and new wormholes only form when one grain comes into contact with another.

So how do the grains of sand move? Just like real sand dunes: some grains remain nearly stationary, while others move extremely fast.

In reality, when wind sweeps across a desert, it forms crescent-shaped dunes. Based on basic physics, one might assume that dunes move into the wind, since higher wind speed creates lower pressure. But that is not what actually happens, because dunes move with the wind.

Tiny grains at the base of the windward slope are blown upward, gradually reaching the top of the dune, then rolling down the leeward slope. Just as dunes move with the wind, space changes along the direction of time's arrow, which is why flames extinguish after releasing heat, and why living beings grow larger and older.

Layer upon layer of sand is lifted by the wind, with the innermost layer becoming the outermost layer of a new dune. This is how the countless dunes in this cosmic desert are in constant flux.

Right now, the Navigator Colossus sat on the outermost layer of sand, swept away by the wind. They had already crested the top of the dune and were rolling rapidly downhill. A being from a stable Galaxy glanced into outer space, and in that blink of an eye, the Navigator Colossus had crossed tens of thousands of Galaxies.

Everyone felt an overwhelming vacuum sensation, and their entire lives flashed before their eyes.

Then, space gradually returned from its kaleidoscopic chaos to a tranquil darkness. Xi Yujin blinked three times before the Navigator Colossus finally managed to brake amid deafening explosions, his ears ringing.

It was a long time before all the passengers regained consciousness.

Xi Yujin looked around. The Navigator Colossus was utterly wrecked. What had once resembled a half-bitten mooncake now possessed only half its original mass. The lost mass had become fuel for the braking. And when the planet's core completely cooled, this Colossus would meet its end.

A hiss of static emanated from the control base.

Then a voice burst through the communicator on every spacesuit, and the decision-makers shouted with emotion:

"We! We've successfully completed the voyage!!"

The entire base erupted in thunderous cheers.

Regardless of species or civilization, everyone embraced in excitement. Several of the Green Clan's heads twisted together like snakes, only to be smothered with a kiss by a giant creature beside them. Spacesuit-clad crew members spun through the air like a school of fish, limbs flailing in a genuine zero-gravity dance.

In the distant passenger area, countless beings aboard the same ship wept with joy, breaking down every barrier to embrace one another in tears.

Amid the thunderous celebration, Xi Yujin looked back in the direction he had come from. He knew he had just crossed hundreds of thousands of Galaxies, leaving the Pangshi Galaxy far, far behind.

So this was what never returning meant.

He could never go back.

He felt slightly dazed. Then he saw Gano beside him. They were both in spacesuits, their eyes visible only through small visors. The moment their gazes met, Xi Yujin felt a warmth in his chest. He reached out and took Gano's hand, savoring a moment of stillness amid the surrounding joy.

"Alright everyone, celebration's over." The decision-maker's voice still couldn't hide his excitement, but he feigned composure, saying, "This is nothing new. Our Navigator Colossus has weathered several deviations before. As its astronauts, we must uphold its dignity!"

The astronauts booed loudly.

"Observer, where are we?" The decision-maker's voice trailed off as the discussion turned technical. "We've reached a new location and need to redesign our route. Hopefully, the new route will have better occupancy rates. Should we decorate the planet a bit…?"

The technicians quickly confirmed their current coordinates. The process was remarkably fast, as the base had already received a signal from the nearest civilization.

The Navigator Colossus transmitted a signal declaring it had arrived due to course deviation and requested permission to dock in the civilization's territory. The civilization agreed, sending their latest, most detailed star map, allowing the Navigator Colossus to locate its destination more quickly.

"As expected of them. I've never seen such a precise star map… Damn, there are so many Navigator Colossuses docked here. The higher the tech level, the harder it is to do business, apparently…"

The decision-maker had forgotten to mute his microphone, and his muttering reached Xi Yujin's ears.

A massive star map covered in tiny dots was displayed above the base. Different colored dots represented different important structures. Navigator Colossuses, as planetary-class vessels, appeared as green dots, forming a long river along the star map's edge. The various colored dots at the center of the map were crammed together like popcorn in a machine, a testament to this civilization's prosperity.

"Announce it to the passengers. They've been waiting long enough."

At the decision-maker's command, the communication channel linking the entire Colossus opened, and announcements in different languages declared that they had arrived at their next stop.

"Passengers," an astronaut called out, voice ringing with pride, and arms outstretched beneath the star map.

"Welcome to the self-imposed prison of the Intelligent Machines!"

"Deep Space Prison!"