There is no universal language in the universe, and the Intelligent Machines have long since shut down all translation technologies within their black boxes. As a result, readers naturally gravitate toward novels available in their own language.

If they don't understand a language, they either find someone capable of translating or simply stop reading.

Interactive literature, with its higher level of participation, is even more affected by the availability of translations. The novelists at the base suddenly realized this and turned as one to praise the novelist who had pointed out the flaw, admiring its wisdom. Reassured, they settled back down to draft new interactive stories.

When they grew tired of writing, they went to chat with the novelists of Mi-Huan Literature, hoping to persuade their former allies to pull back from the brink. To their surprise, Mi-Huan Literature spoke with one voice, insisting that Blue Planet civilization had every right to ignore the rules. This left the Interactive faction fuming.

The Longevity Literature brand, still preparing for its own exchange with Blue Planet, posted a few sarcastic remarks, which finally made the Interactive faction feel a little better.

"Well, even if this Blue Planet seems powerful, at least we've gained some attention..." the Interactive faction muttered as they worked on outlines at the base.

Aboard Tidal Peace, Xi Yujin had just finished outlining his new novel when he realized that the limited number of available language versions might affect its popularity. No matter how many languages Gano knew, he was still fighting alone.

Actually, the solution was simple. Hire more translators and run multiple rounds of translation. Xi Yujin was already a novelist with some assets, and problems that money could solve were no real problems at all.

After a moment's thought, he went to find Gano.

"Gano, I'm going to need your help for a while. My personas will need a lot of translated versions!"

"I'll do my best," Gano replied.

He recalled the messages he had seen on Blue Planet's official website, where many beings had left their contact information and offered to serve as translators for friendly exchanges. A flicker of displeasure crossed his face, but he suppressed it and said, "If Yujinno needs more translated versions, perhaps other translators could help in the meantime."

"But you're the only translator I need," Xi Yujin said. "After two or three rounds of translation, the original essence is already lost."

Gano gave a small nod, picked up his pen, and began translating. Complex languages in his mind were like data ready to be retrieved at any moment.

Watching from the side, Xi Yujin suddenly asked how a certain translated sentence should be pronounced.

With a calm expression, Gano read it aloud in Bubble Speech, a language that sounded exactly as its name suggested, like fish blowing bubbles.

"Huh? Then what about this one?" Xi Yujin pointed to another version.

Still expressionless, Gano spoke the sentence in a deep, demonic growl.

"And this one?" Xi Yujin asked again.

Gano thought for a moment, then, without changing his expression, bit his lip slightly and produced a soft hissing sound.

"The languages of the universe are truly profound. Gano, just how many do you even know..." Xi Yujin found it amusing and wanted to hear more, though he didn't dare push too far. After all, Gano's formidable translation ability was universally acknowledged.

Gano glanced at him quietly, catching that subtle, tempted-to-cross-the-line expression written across Xi Yujin's face. Xi Yujin immediately felt a flash of embarrassment, as if he had been caught red-handed.

After a while, Gano spoke in a language that felt both familiar and unfamiliar: "Yujinno."

His tone was gentle, as if he himself wasn't entirely certain of the correct pronunciation.

Earlier, while helping with translations, Xi Yujin had spoken this unique language a handful of times. But later, with too many other matters demanding attention and Gano's translation work falling into a steady rhythm, he had never formally taught him how to pronounce it. In idle moments, a few words would slip from Xi Yujin's lips. Gano had then painstakingly pieced together the rules of the language, recording them in his diary, and quietly rehearsed them during the calm hours of his watch shifts.

Today, their conversation about translation types had triggered something instinctive in him, and the name slipped out before he could think.

Xi Yujin stared into the distance for a long moment before realizing: it was his native language.

A language of Earth.

In that instant, it felt as if an unseen gravity had seized him. Tidal Peace, floating in space, became solid ground beneath his feet. The clean walls turned into an unreachable sky. And standing before him was another human being.

Gano watched Xi Yujin, inexplicably nervous, as if butterflies were rising within him. He recalled that no was an honorific used in the Zerg language, and thought perhaps it shouldn't be added when speaking Earth's language. So he corrected himself:

"Yujin."

Xi Yujin's mind went blank. By the time he came back to himself, he had already pulled Gano into an embrace. By his Chinese upbringing, he shouldn't have shown emotion so openly, but Gano showed no discomfort, so Xi Yujin simply went along with it, treating it as alien etiquette.

"Actually, my full name is Xi Yujin..." he said. "Just call me that."

He wanted to explain naming conventions to cover up his emotions, but when Gano said "Xi Yujin" without a moment's hesitation, he couldn't help but hug him even tighter.

In that moment, he realized with joy that from the instant their languages connected, Blue Planet civilization was no longer alone.

He had regained his motivation to travel through the universe again!

Gano, a little at a loss, responded to his happiness, then remembered that he should introduce himself as well.

"My original name is Ga. There are about three million others with the same name in the Zerg race. After earning a basic merit, I became Gano; there are about sixty thousand with the same name and rank among the Zerg. Among our kind, names grow longer as more merits are accumulated. Only those who reach the very highest level possess a truly unique name."

"But you're the only one who knows Blue Planet's language!" Xi Yujin said. "You're the only one who has seen the scenery of the interstellar journey alongside me. That's what makes you special."

A faint buzzing echoed deep in Gano's mind. An invisible chisel cracked something open, and a truth he had never before realized began to emerge from the fog.

He possessed a unique soul.

From then on, the everyday language aboard Tidal Peace fully shifted to Earth's language.

Xi Yujin's happiness was overflowing. Even the crisis posed by the Intelligent Machines no longer weighed heavily on his mind. He began browsing the StarNet for his next travel destination. With no worries about food or supplies, why not explore everywhere?

Meanwhile, Gano uploaded the Blue Planet Everyday Language Dictionary, which Yujinno had specifically asked him to post personally.

As soon as it appeared on the official site, its view count skyrocketed.

For alien species, learning new languages was second nature. The novelists led by Mi-Huan Literature, already fascinated by Blue Planet civilization, were the first to begin studying it, reminding one another: "Only by reading the original can you truly grasp the essence of a novel."

Races that had established friendly diplomatic ties automatically added the link to their own official websites. A Ctulrt waved its tentacles and told its juniors, "Our own language is too frightening. Learn a foreign one so you can communicate with other races."

"But it's not just our language that's frightening!" a young Ctulrt protested, only to be smacked hard by a tentacle.

Across distant star systems, many alien beings, despite network delays, carefully read through the material. They were intensely curious about Blue Planet's other novels, and now they finally had a systematic way to learn.

"If I read the original, maybe I can find a way to break the deadlock..." muttered a large yellow duck.

"So this is the language of Little Ore Crystal..." said a mineral giant, slowly scrolling through his optical computer. "After reading it, maybe I can build a dungeon more faithful to the original work."

Given time, this language would leave an indelible mark on the universe.

But for now, it was time for the Interactive Literature Exchange Day.

On the AI Forum, a new post from the Interactive faction sparked intense discussion.

It turns out that while working on outlines at the base, they had suddenly found inspiration for a new form of interactive literature. They called it Black Box.

The novelist would begin with a question-and-answer style opening: "The protagonist buried a fraudster alive, yet the fraudster said he forgave the protagonist. Why?"

Readers would then ask all kinds of questions in the replies, and the novelist could only answer with "yes," "no," or "irrelevant." From these responses, readers would gradually approach the truth.

"Did the protagonist know the fraudster?"

"Yes."

"Is the method of burying him significant?"

"Yes."

"If they knew each other and it's related to burying... is the fraudster a novelist?"

"Yes."

A reader had a sudden flash of inspiration: "I got it! The fraudster is a meteorite spirit! The protagonist read his book and got swindled, so he wanted the fraudster to experience being swindled too! The fraudster felt guilty, and so he forgave the protagonist!"

"The mystery is solved; completely correct!"

The novelist's confirmation immersed readers in the joy of having uncovered the truth. They found this form of interactive literature incredibly fun and immediately began inviting friends to join in.

The Black Box format relied mainly on readers to do the guessing, saving the novelist's effort and allowing them to produce a large number of translated versions, drawing even more attention. Interactive literature instantly became a trending search term.

"What kind of horror story for novelists is this..." Xi Yujin muttered when he saw the result, a chill running down his spine. It felt like a cosmic version of Turtle Soup*. It seems that even across different eras, beings in the universe might share the same thought patterns as those on Earth.

An idea struck him. He returned to his posting interface, deleted his original text, and decided to play a round of Turtle Soup himself.

Gano stood beside him, rapidly producing a large number of translated versions, as if one person rivaling the combined forces of other literary brands.

Beings who were already somewhat familiar with Blue Planet civilization felt a jolt when they saw the translator's name. Though it was somewhat indiscreet, gossip from Blue Planet's literary scene immediately surfaced in their minds. Then they silently corrected themselves: "This Blue Planet translator is genuinely skilled."

Other readers began promoting it on their own.

"This new interactive literature is so fun, and there are so many language versions. Come check it out!"

"You mean the new post from the Blue Planet civilization? It even includes my galaxy's Zhenzhen language! Blue Planet's translation ability is incredible!"

"What? Blue Planet has one too?"

The interactive literature novelists started to feel that something was seriously off.

Interactive literature thrives on timeliness. Once a format becomes popular, countless eager beings start their own threads. Eight out of ten posts on the forum could be about the same thing, as originality ethics were not exactly a concern among alien species.

The novelists didn't care about that. They only wanted to know how popular the Blue Planet civilization had become.

"The range of translations from Blue Planet is unexpectedly vast. That translator's ability far exceeds the norm."

"This is bad. This Gano doesn't seem to have gotten the position through connections."

The alien novelists grew nervous and urged their own translators to produce more versions, enough to surpass Blue Planet's total. Then they collectively headed over to Blue Planet's thread to see for themselves.

 

[

Serial Novel

[Blue Planet Civilization] [Interactive Literature Exchange Day]

—

Jung: Welcome, everyone. At a friend's request, let's start with an appetizer.

The puzzle is as follows: A high-speed comet is about to collide with a planet. Many scientists believe it to be an envoy of an advanced civilization. The planet has constructed massive ark ships to escape. But the protagonist, a researcher of extraterrestrial civilizations, not only refuses to board but also persuades others to stay behind and witness the most magnificent moment together. Why?

 ]

 

The interactive literature novelists held their breath as they read on.

"This doesn't seem quite like the direction we took..." they murmured.

Because by the tenth reply, a reader had already asked: "I'd love to guess, but I need to know which author wrote the answer. That determines my line of reasoning."

Other readers immediately agreed. After all, it was common knowledge that every Blue Planet novelist had a distinct style, which heavily influenced how readers interpreted the truth. Even Xi Yujin hadn't anticipated this development, so he simply let his alternate accounts appear one after another, reinforcing each persona's image among alien readers.

 

[

Feiniao: "Because the protagonist is a magical girl! My fate is mine to decide! Raise the magic bow, activate full power, and protect the planetary fate ring!"

—

Readers happily responded: "That's me! I'm the protagonist! Let me be a magical girl!"

—

Xunming: "Obviously, because the protagonist is a hero who can punch the comet to pieces with one blow."

—

"As expected of you. Write it! I want to see an ordinary passerby punch a comet apart on their way home from work!"

—

Mingxin: "Because the protagonist has had enough of this ugly society. There will be a second comet, a third; humanity can't escape anyway..."

—

"That actually makes a lot of sense. I'm leaning toward this being the truth."

]

 

The readers had already grasped the personality of each Blue Planet novelist and were actively engaging with them. Those who remained were the ones genuinely interested in Blue Planet civilization; readers who had only come for the interactive format had already left.

"They've only learned the surface, not the essence," the interactive literature novelists breathed out in relief. "The core principle of interactive literature is that authors must strictly abide by the rules of interaction. What Blue Planet is doing is basically digging its own grave."

With that, they stopped paying attention to Blue Planet and returned to their own threads.

Xi Yujin continued leisurely having his alternate accounts write short pieces. He had already decided. Instead of going to the mountain, he would let the mountain come to him. So there was no rush. He planned to finish one last puzzle answer before letting Yongye step in with the main course.

He glanced at the comments section and noticed many readers calling for the account Yujin.

On the AI Forum, the pen name Fuling was the most famous among Blue Planet novelists. So even if readers didn't know who Yujin was, they were still very curious about Fuling's superior. Who could possibly be more capable than Fuling?

"I'm curious whether Mr. Yujin will write the answer."

"I've heard about this author for a while, but I've rarely seen him appear."

"Rumor has it Mr. Yujin might be in a relationship recently."

Xi Yujin had no idea where that rumor came from, but the internet was always full of misinformation, and not everything needed addressing. He simply switched to that account and replied.

Although Yujin was technically on hiatus, writing a short piece was no problem at all.

Yujin: "If I were to write it, it would be a story about an encounter. The protagonist's lover is on that destructive celestial body. For the sake of that one moment of meeting, the protagonist is willing to give up their life."

"Wow... Mr. Yujin has never written in this close friend style before..."

"So the rumor was true after all."

"That translator has been there the whole time. I think I understand something now."

Xi Yujin didn't understand the readers' reactions at all. He assumed there must be some grammatical error in his writing and quickly asked Gano beside him.

A short while later, a discussion thread appeared on the front page of the AI Forum.

In this universe, novelists held a special status, and readers loved to gossip about them. Especially on the AI Forum, where the sheer number of authors made discussions even more uninhibited.

 

[

Other

I'm a bit worried about my new favorite author's office environment...

—

I recently became a fan of a new novelist. Even though we're from different species, I pushed through tons of material on their official site. The more I read, the more I felt she was simply the best.

Since she's an official novelist, I couldn't help but pay attention to her workplace. Some of her colleagues seem nice enough, but their boss seems quite intimidating; rumors about things like going on hiatus, half a work that shook an entire star system, and bloody storms have been circulating, each one more dramatic than the last.

I tried reading it, but after two chapters, I had a headache. That only made me more worried. As everyone knows, powerful novelists tend to have bad tempers, and on top of that, their boss is apparently good-looking...

Anyway... if you can tell which species I'm talking about, please don't expose real names. I just found out something that left me with complicated feelings: their boss is in a relationship.

His tone has become... so gentle. Is this the power of love? A capable novelist, leading an office romance of all things... now my worries have shifted in a different direction.

My goddess has to work in an environment where her colleagues are dating each other. I feel sorry for her.

—

Relax, OP. Blue Planet is just a place where people love falling in love with their close friends. Why can't coworkers be close friends?

—

Don't expose real names!

—

Actually, I think the Blue Planet boss and the translator are the most normal and sweet pair. OP, you should be more worried about your goddess's other colleagues and their friends. The odds of those relationships being unusual are considerably higher.

—

What???

]

 

This thread planted a seed of gossip in the minds of alien readers, but no one had time to dwell on it because something else had captured all their attention.

In this exchange, interactive literature had initially been gaining popularity quickly. But suddenly, a Blue Planet novelist stepped forward. His words struck a chord with countless readers, and the momentum began tilting steadily toward Blue Planet civilization. Even readers who didn't share the same language grabbed passing beings to translate for them, or hastily started learning Blue Planet's language on the spot.

No creature's instinct for drama would allow them to miss what came next.

 

[

Serial Novel

[Blue Planet Civilization] [Interactive Literature Exchange Day]

—

Jung: A reader has already guessed the answer. The truth is that the advanced civilization never noticed the planet at all; they were simply passing by. When the comet was about to collide, the technology aboard it automatically commanded it to reroute... The planet is safe.

—

Jung: Solving puzzles together is truly enjoyable.

—

Yongye: A challenge is also a form of interaction.

—

Yongye: Next, please allow me to challenge all readers.

]