Xi Yujin believed in work-life balance. While writing, he would occasionally visit the virtual library to check whether the Rust Clan had awakened. But aside from the lively little Rustling hopping about, the rest of the Rust Clan remained curled up inside their eggs, peacefully in thermal hibernation.

The little Rustling told him that back then, the Rust Clan had regarded the volcanic eruption as an apocalyptic catastrophe, so each of them had formed an exceptionally thick rust shell. Their awakening was expected to take a very long time.

So Xi Yujin, along with Gano and the little Rustling, sat in the reception hall drinking tea while watching all kinds of new happenings inside the Deep Space Prison.

It had to be said, the e-commerce industry here was extremely developed, and Xi Yujin couldn't resist buying a pile of useless artistic trinkets. Gano sat beside him, keeping accounts while practicing his language skills.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the AI Forum carried a tense sense of excitement, like a storm about to break.

The agreed-upon day for the literary exchange arrived in the blink of an eye.

Mi-Huan Literature took the lead in posting a summary thread, compiling links to both sides' works. On their side, three novelists contributed pieces: Endless Wheels, Blossoms and Stars, and A Pansy.

The power of aggregation was not to be underestimated. As soon as the first chapters were released, readers flooded in with comments, and many writers on friendly terms with the Mi-Huan brand came to offer recommendations.

"Our journey is like wheels that never stop turning, rolled over and over again, pressed down repeatedly. Even when we encounter sharp stones, we can only crush them beneath us and keep moving forward. There is no right to escape... As always, Mi-Huan Literature's language leaves all beings astonished."

The exchange placed no restrictions on length; short or long works were both acceptable. But longer works could build more momentum, and Mi-Huan's style required careful reading. As a result, the alien writers only released the first half, holding back the rest while interacting with readers in a measured, restrained way.

At that moment, Blue Planet Civilization also posted under its brand and exchange title.

To many readers, the author's name seemed unfamiliar: Fu Ling.

An alien reader quickly checked her profile and found only that she was an officially recognized novelist of Blue Planet, with no publicly released works.

"Even if many species are stationed here under official banners, sending an official novelist seems odd, doesn't it? Independent writers usually produce more."

"That's not necessarily true. Official novelists can bring fresh perspectives to assigned themes. Maybe it's part of the strategy..."

Before Fu Ling even posted the main text, many alien readers had already placed supportive recommendations up front.

Quite a few of them were species Xi Yujin had met aboard the Navigator Colossus. They all maintained friendly diplomatic relations with Blue Planet.

Xi Yujin had assumed a simple holiday greeting would suffice, but he hadn't expected them to show up in support at this moment, making Fu Ling's side no less imposing than Mi-Huan's.

 

[

Serial Novel: Anniversary

Author: Fu Ling | [Blue Planet Civilization] | [Mi-Huan Literary Exchange Day]

"Today marks the 10th anniversary of Saturnian author Entusa receiving the Solar System Literature Prize for her work Memoirs of the Saturn War. It is also the tenth year since her passing in Solar Year 2666."

]

 

Just after posting this opening, the little Rustling happened to bounce into the adjacent right cabin and made intimate contact with the black box, causing a minor network malfunction aboard the Tidal Peace. Xi Yujin quickly scooped it up and gave it a serious lecture. The little Rustling smeared a streak of sooty black across his skin as Gano carried it away.

"Still, you're pretty impressive, affecting hardware like that," Xi Yujin remarked, partly because it looked adorable. "Let me find a black box maintenance service..." He carefully selected a repair technician, choosing only living beings from other ships, never giving the Intelligent Machines an opportunity to interfere.

To him, it was just a small accident. But on the AI Forum, chaos erupted.

AI Forum:

 

[

"Wait, that's it? Blue Planet Civilization, is this really your level?"

—

"We all know Mi-Huan Literature requires a certain threshold to appreciate; it's not as straightforward as web fiction. Its essence lies in what can be felt but not easily expressed. These subtle emotional shifts require real skill to grasp. Did Blue Planet really only write this much? Is this a misunderstanding of Mi-Huan? On a literary exchange day, this just looks like a joke."

—

"Anyone capable of writing Mi-Huan-style works is no ordinary figure. Or does Blue Planet find it too difficult and simply give up?"

—

"Strange. None of the other Blue Planet authors has shown up. Are they really that confident in their teammate?"

]

 

By the time the black box was repaired, Fu Ling's thread had already accumulated pages of replies, with even more readers joining to watch the spectacle.

Then they scrolled down, and were met with a massive block of text.

They rubbed their eyes to make sure they weren't mistaken, then continued reading with the mindset of 'Let's see what you've really got.'

One of the readers was Huke, also the author of Endless Wheels and a well-known representative of the Mi-Huan literary school. He had risen to fame at a young age in his home star system. After setting out to travel, he gathered admirers wherever he went.

Pride had long taken root in him.

Originally, Huke had no intention of reading a rival's work. But after hearing others mention 'a novel that had only posted a single sentence,' he couldn't resist coming to watch.

Now that Fu Ling had updated, he reluctantly continued reading, hoping Blue Planet wouldn't disappoint him. After all, a literary exchange without a worthy opponent was a lonely thing.

Anniversary was divided into three volumes, centered on the events and memories surrounding the anniversary of a renowned Saturnian author's award.

Xi Yujin placed Latin American literature within the broader context of the Solar System. On one hand, this made it easier for readers to understand since modern Latin American literature cannot be discussed without its historical background. On the other hand, it allowed for freer storytelling. Certain historical aspects were difficult to state directly, so a more science-fictional framing worked better.

—

Volume One: Visitor from Jupiter

The story is narrated from the perspective of Lydicia, a Jupiter-based journalist. The text is lengthy, but the plot itself is simple.

Lydicia was originally a native of Saturn, but due to war, her parents sent her to Jupiter to study. There, she met her boyfriend at university and became a journalist. She believed she loved her job, and perhaps even loved the planet itself.

As for Saturn, it had become utterly unfamiliar to her, almost as terrifying as the nightmares that visited her each night. Yet Saturnian literature stood as a monument in Solar System literary history, and with her native identity, she could produce an outstanding report.

To pass the time, she invited her boyfriend to visit Entusa's memorial monument on Saturn. While revisiting Entusa's works, she observed what might be worth reporting on this anniversary.

Saturn once possessed a rich and peaceful indigenous culture, but it had been nearly destroyed by external forces led by Jupiter. Colonization and invasion plunged Saturn into a dark age of slavery. The surviving youth no longer knew what to believe in or where their future lay.

Entusa was born into this turbulent era.

Though local culture had been devastated, Saturn found a spark of intellectual awakening in its invader, Jupiter. Ideas opposing dictatorship and advocating freedom began to spread across Saturn. After prolonged wars, Saturn finally achieved nominal independence, but internal conflicts soon reignited due to regional divisions. Peace seemed as fragile as a feather drifting in the wind.

In such a context, Entusa devoted herself to writing. She examined Saturn's reality while imagining the sudden revival of its ancient mythology, seamlessly blending reality and fantasy into a unique literary tapestry. She always used indirect speech in dialogue, as if an elderly woman were telling bedtime stories.

Lydicia attempted to write a perfect report. At Entusa's memorial, she randomly interviewed people, piecing together fragments of the city's past. There had once been a general here who abducted different girls every day, hiding them in mosquito nets, oil barrels, and the lower decks of giant ships. But none of this had anything to do with Entusa.

The report stalled, but she still had her lover. Her boyfriend praised Entusa's writing style lavishly, yet this only deepened the distance between them. She recalled their on-and-off relationship. In her memory, Jupiter's bustling cities were vividly colored yet cold.

She left him and walked the streets, where people addressed her as an honored guest from Jupiter. Suddenly, she saw a giant bird from Saturn's ancient myths soar across the sky, just as described in Entusa's works. Her gaze followed it as it overlooked the scarred city and descended into the glow of the setting sun.

Huke was deeply shaken after finishing the first volume.

It felt like a form even more Mi-Huan than Mi-Huan itself, a completely new style.

It carried an overwhelming sense of loss. Though the ending seemed incomplete, it implied that Lydicia could change nothing. She was born in her homeland but educated on Jupiter, the very force that had invaded it. Her homeland saw her as a guest from Jupiter, while her boyfriend saw Entusa merely as a brilliant writer.

Only she could see the unhealed wounds of her home. Caught between two identities, she was lost and powerless.

"But it's not just the plot... it's this strange narrative technique..." Huke murmured, eager to move on to Volume Two. Perhaps then, he would understand more clearly.

—

Volume Two: Literary Stranger

Delgana is a destitute writer who came to the memorial to seek inspiration.

She has worked many jobs throughout her life, but believes writing is her true talent and passion. Slightly younger than Entusa, she only experienced Saturn's civil war.

She once worked as a tutor for a wealthy family, until war came and she was literally driven out by a thrown teacup. She later worked as a farmer, her fingernails caked with the stench of shrimp and mud. Around that time, news of Entusa's death and her literary award spread across the Solar System.

Saturn... has literature?

This once unremarkable planet, dismissed as Jupiter's backyard, suddenly gained immense attention across the Solar System. Extraterrestrial audiences idolized Entusa's works and even spent vast sums constructing her memorial monument on Saturn.

Delgana suddenly realized that writing was the only profession truly suited to this planet.

Saturn lay too far from the Sun and too close to Jupiter. Its culture lacked the unbroken continuity of Earth's traditions, drifting instead like duckweed in the tides of history. The only thing they could do was follow Entusa's example, kneading fantasy into literature.

That fractured, surreal mode of expression was the loudest voice a marginal civilization like theirs could send across the Solar System.

Delgana decided to return to writing. She grew accustomed to consuming addictive substances, writing poetry, and founding a magazine. Inspiration struck her differently each night, and she gathered many like-minded companions. But before long, the magazine office was burned down.

Thick black smoke rolled across the city, visible from everywhere, and it took three full years of torrential rain to extinguish the flames. The rain preserved the written evidence of their words, and her companions were arrested one after another and drowned in the sea.

Disheartened, Delgana returned to her hometown. Her childhood sweetheart had married a local general and was drugged daily, kept inside a mosquito net, while the general knelt beside her, calling her mother. These secrets were known throughout the city. The church bells rang day after day, sending off her neighbors one by one.

In the end, she boarded a bus and a large ship, traveling to Entusa's memorial monument, waiting for a new spark of inspiration.

—

Volume Three: A Stranger in a Foreign Land

Alvado was originally a judge, widely admired for her rare integrity in refusing bribes. After Saturn declared independence, she traveled through wind and rain to the capital, hoping to contribute to the cause of peace.

But shortly after her arrival, another armed faction launched a coup. They dug a deep well into the ground, from which black sludge surged out, swallowing the entire city and instantly solidifying. The armed faction walked across this hardened ground, asking those buried whether they would submit.

Only those who agreed were dug out.

Alvado pretended to comply, became the general's legal advisor, and helped him establish a diplomatic academy. When the general asked whether he could marry his own mother, Alvado trembled as she replied that perhaps he could marry someone like his mother.

Alvado and her hidden allies plotted to assassinate the general, but he bore strange traits: fish-scale patterns marked his broad back, his voice rang like a great bell that drove birds away, and even his clothes could not conceal the hernia that bulged from his body.

No matter what they tried, he could not be killed. Even when sealed in a lead coffin, he would rise the next day as usual, then fly into a rage and execute a group of people.

Day after day, Alvado prayed, nearly losing hope. Then one day, the rat poison she had prepared was accidentally mixed into the general's drink, and he died from it.

People celebrated the end of his tyrannical rule. Cars draped in colorful flags rolled through the streets.

The city began selecting a new mayor, but those who came to power were all unfamiliar faces. Newspapers suddenly proclaimed them beloved by the people, and even publications from distant Jupiter sent congratulations. Where had her comrades gone?

Lost and confused, she came to Entusa's memorial. There, she found a line engraved on the tombstone:

 

"After my death, my words will surely become valuable — dedicated to a literary world where greatness conceals baseness."

 

All three volumes of Anniversary were released at once, and alien readers devoured them in one sitting. The readers here were highly literate; after finishing, they all felt a surge of intellectual exhilaration, as if something within them had been fully opened. The aftershock was so powerful that many sat frozen before their optical computers.

"What... kind of magic is this writing?"

The same thought surfaced simultaneously in countless minds. Then their thoughts burst into motion, ideas scattering like snowflakes. They hurried to the forum to share their interpretations.

"I think this is panoramic writing," one particularly active commenter wrote. Many recognized their ID: a well-known critic on the forum.

"It is extraordinarily detailed. Through multiple perspectives, it brings to life the history and future of a place. Its details and its whole, all rendered in a strangely evocative style.

"The three protagonists of Anniversary may seem unrelated, but their fates are tightly intertwined. Each is connected to Saturn's many wars. Through their individual memories, we see a city withering under the weight of power and how different people drift with the tides of their time. They seem to take the great writer Entusa as a symbol of hope, but the scars of the past still ache, and the future remains uncertain.

"What I admire most about Fu Ling is that each of these three protagonists possesses what I would call collective reference."

Readers, used to critics coining new terms, quickly asked what collective reference meant.

"It means they each stand for a broader group. Take Lydicia from Volume One: she represents intellectuals sent abroad. Yet when she returns, she feels disoriented and rootless, caught in the pain of belonging nowhere.

Delgana in Volume Two represents poets who remain in their homeland. Displaced by war, starving, unable to find a future even after the war ends. She tries to follow Entusa, the only predecessor who made her voice heard through literature. But the power of the pen alone is too weak to fundamentally change reality.

Alvado in Volume Three represents action-oriented intellectuals with ideals. Yet even she turned into a puppet in the vortex of power. She succeeds in assassinating the dictator, but why is her homeland still unable to escape the control of another planet? Where does freedom truly lie?

A sense of powerlessness and confusion runs through all three volumes. Together, they form a panoramic depiction of that era's politics, almost like an encyclopedia of the time. This style is grand and captivating. I believe Blue Planet's novelists are no less capable than anyone here!"

"I agree! It's incredibly good. The Ruilei-language translation captures the flavor perfectly."

"I read it all in one go. My head is still spinning..."

After reading the critic's analysis, one hesitant reader asked:

"I haven't read it yet, but if it's about reality, isn't that off-topic? This is supposed to be Mi-Huan Literature Exchange Day."

That comment immediately drew a flood of rebuttals.

"How could this not be Mi-Huan?!"

"You have to read it. The feeling, yes, the feeling: it can't be put into words, only felt."

"It's an addictive kind of surrealism."

"This is... magical realism that's even more Mi-Huan than Mi-Huan itself!"

A heavyweight comment soon stirred the forum, and it came from a novelist of the Mi-Huan literary brand.

It was Huke.

His long critique dominated the page, impossible to ignore. Readers stopped spectating and focused intently, eager for someone to articulate the questions and emotions swirling inside them.

"I used to believe capturing fleeting thoughts after shifts in perception was the essence of Mi-Huan literature, like it was something that didn't require reality at all. But today, through Ms. Fu Ling's work, I've witnessed something deeper: the interplay of reality and fantasy, like fire and ice intertwined. This is an entirely new narrative technique!

Have you noticed why it feels both fragmented and coherent? Because she always extends reality just one step further, into fantasy. When she writes about the magazine burning and rain falling, that is reality. But then she adds three years of unending rain and fire that refuses to die: that is fantasy. The transition is so seamless that, at first glance, you wonder if it might be true, only to immediately realize it cannot be.

Truth and illusion interwoven, reality and imagination reflecting each other. And yet she never exaggerates the fantastical; it is as if she brushes it in casually. This keeps the heavy tone of reality ever-present, while the magical elements become part of that reality itself. I have never seen anything like it: so cold, so Mi-Huan, utterly addictive!

But what truly chills me is this: isn't the reality depicted in the book itself already surreal? Endless civil wars, seeking inspiration through addiction, the cries of a marginal culture... To any morally upright civilization today, how absurd all of that seems. Compared to that, even the revival of mythology in the book feels more real.

Magical realism... such a novel creation, such a painful one. I believe Anniversary deserves to be called a masterpiece!"

This Mi-Huan novelist showed no concern for undermining their own brand. They were worried that Blue Planet might be too weak, but the reality was the opposite. Blue Planet had brought something formidable to the exchange. Rather than feeling embarrassed by being outdone, they felt honored: this was a serious and respectful literary offering.

Huke was satisfied with his own analysis. But the next moment, another novelist from the same brand stepped forward to refute him.

"How dare you say that is not reality?"

The question seemed soaked in unspoken grief.

"I forgot. You are from another species, affiliated with our brand... But the Ruilei Galaxy itself was once considered a marginal civilization, gaining its foothold on the cosmic stage through Murmur Literature. Are the cries of marginal civilizations simply fantasy?

After reading Entusa's epitaph, I have never felt such resonance. Greatness: everyone calls it great, even builds monuments for it. They enshrine literature, turning something sharp and dangerous into a harmless idol. Entusa gave everything to make her voice heard through writing, yet those who came after are still oppressed by Jupiter's invisible weight, unable to find a way out. She knew that building monuments was a form of hollow praise, which is why she left that epitaph: greatness conceals baseness.

The book says that Entusa's unique style merges reality with mythology, consistent with Fu Ling's own approach. But this planet, Saturn, once had its own indigenous culture!

When local myths appear on their own native soil, should that not be the natural restoration of rightful glory? Why is it that when we see it, both we and the readers within the story feel only absurdity and endless sorrow?"

These questions resonated deeply.

Many silent readers fell into deep thought; guided by different interpretations, they came to appreciate Anniversary even more.

The two Mi-Huan novelists glanced at each other in the real world, then continued replying on the forum:

"I think the multiple layers of interpretation from different readers... that in itself is a kind of magical realism."