Chapter 238: The Rift on the Eve of the Expedition

The expedition roster was finalized at dawn: Han Qing, Su Yu, Xiao Yu, Efficiency-1 (as the Silent Observer representative), a short root segment of the Soil Collector (as guide), and the Forge Crystal (voluntarily providing energy support). Old Zhao and Aili stayed behind, and Kaiwen handled remote data support.

A new sprout of the amber-colored fruit extended a short branch, which will accompany as a "Mobile Archivist"—it can connect to the Universe Memory Archive in real time and record the entire teaching process.

"Where's the ship?" the One-eyed Woman asked. Around the Purification Tower there were only ruins, no Starship.

The Soil Collector's root gently pierced the ground: "The ship is in the soil. It needs 'Warm Soil' as seed and 'Shared Wish' as moisture."

At noon, everyone formed a circle beside the grafted sapling on the north side of the ruins. The Soil Collector asked each person to bury something "nonessential but precious" in the soil.

Old Zhao buried the shard of a ceramic bowl engraved with the victim's number.

Aili buried a never‑used injector—it was her reserved "final tranquilizer" for herself.

Kaiwen buried a spare lens from his glasses case, its edge bearing a cartoon sticker his daughter had stuck on it as a child.

The One-eyed Woman buried a petal that had fallen from the geometric flower in her eye socket, its luster already faded.

The Reservoir Elder buried a small piece of wood from the wooden boat model.

Now it's the expedition members' turn:

Han Qing buried the smallest transparent flower from the scar garden.

Su Yu buried a broken but repaired paper crane.

Xiao Yu buried a tiny fragment of golden dust that had naturally flaked off the Light Sphere.

Efficiency-1 hesitated for a long time, then buried a small piece of red indicator light that had fallen from its panel—it symbolized the "Absolute Rationality Mode."

Forge Crystal buried a strand of residual heat frequency from the furnace cooling.

Finally, the Soil Collector gently scattered the furnace slag beside the "Forge Iron Flower" over all the buried items.

"Now," its voice came from underground, "think of where you're going and why you're going."

Everyone closed their eyes. Han Qing thought of the withered sesame field and its possible revival; Su Yu thought of how to teach a dying planet to know "sweetness"; Xiao Yu thought of the pain and hope that carry more civilizations; Efficiency-1 thought… it still doesn't understand "thinking," but it strives to imitate that "forward‑extending attention."

Three minutes later, the ground began to tremble.

It wasn't an earthquake, but a gentle bulge. The soil rose and fell like breathing, and the spot where the buried items lay slowly lifted a massive amber Light Cocoon. The cocoon's surface bore golden vein‑like patterns like sapling leaves, and inside the ship's structure was faintly visible—not metal, but more like a symbiosis of wood and crystal.

"This is the 'Wishship,'" the Soil Collector explained. "It has no engine; it sails by the network node's 'tugging wish.' Speed depends on how much you want to reach the destination."

Just as the hull took shape, the amber fruit's new sprout suddenly emitted a golden ray that struck the bow. The bow instantly displayed a dynamic Star Map—the route to the withered sesame field—but the map annotated not distance, but "emotional energy consumption":

Next to the first leg it read: "This sector requires consumption of 'Curiosity' energy reserves. Current reserve: ample (from the initial exploratory desire of 43,000,000 Silent Observers such as SlowLearn-8)."

Next to the second leg it noted: "This sector requires consumption of 'Gentleness' energy. Current reserve: moderate (mainly from Earth's scar garden and osmanthus grafted sapling)."

The third leg was the most unusual: "This sector is an 'Aesthetic Overload Civilization' annihilation zone, requiring consumption of 'Cautious Courage.' Current reserve: unknown, must be generated on the fly."

At the end the Star Map showed the total estimate: "Estimated travel time: 7 days subjectively perceived, objective time unknown (due to 'Wish Speed' fluctuations)."

Efficiency-1's Light Sphere scanned the Star Map carefully, then asked suddenly: "'Cautious Courage'… is it contradictory?"

Su Yu folded a new paper crane: "Not contradictory. It's like the first lesson I taught you—when looking at a petal, you must be fully engaged yet remember you're still breathing. That is cautious courage."

At dusk, the expedition ship was fully formed. It resembled a massive amber seed, with a simple living cabin, observation windows, and a central courtyard—the courtyard's center held the projection of the grafted sapling, still growing slowly.

Departure was set for midnight. In the remaining hours, everyone was doing "extra things."

Aili gave each person a completely unnecessary health scan—the expedition members' bodies were already in optimal condition, and the ship itself could provide life support.

"I know it's unnecessary," she tucked away the scanner, her voice soft, "but my mother used to pat my backpack straps three times every time she sent me to school. She said, 'Extra things give peace of mind.'"

Kaiwen compiled a three‑hundred‑page "Potentially Useful Data Pack," including 173 variant charts of sesame, farming rituals of seventeen extinct agricultural civilizations, and even simulated experiment records on "how to roast sesame in low‑gravity environments."

"Most of it won't be used," he pushed up his glasses, "but what if."

The One-eyed Woman silently stitched six small sachets, each filled with osmanthus, rose petals, and a pinch of phosphorescent moss powder. She handed each expedition member one: "If you get lost, smell it. The scent… is less likely to mislead than coordinates."

Old Zhao did nothing. He simply sat by the tea table, carefully dividing the remaining tea leaves into seven small packets, each enough for three brews.

"One pot a day." He handed a tea packet to Han Qing, "Drink until the seventh day, and you should arrive. If not… sip sparingly."

Han Qing took the tea packet and noticed each paper packet bore a line of tiny characters written with a charred twig:

First packet: "Don't rush."

Second packet: "Watch the road."

Third packet: "If you're tired, say so."

…

Seventh packet: "Go home."

Late night, one hour before departure. Han Qing entered Bridge Space through a communication flower, intending to speak to Old Zhao's son.

But what he saw was an unexpected scene: the boy was practicing making tangyuan with his mother, using virtual glutinous rice flour and sesame (images retrieved from Kaiwen's database). The tangyuan were lopsided, some spilling their filling, yet the two laughed heartily.

"Dad!" the boy looked up, "I'm learning to wrap sesame filling! Mom said, once you bring back real sesame, I'll be able to make decent ones."

The mother handed a leaking tangyuan to Han Qing (virtual image): "Look, the sesame is spilling out… but the spilled sesame still smells nice."

Han Qing watched the broken tangyuan, its dark glossy sesame filling slowly seeping out. He suddenly felt the expedition's purpose might not be so grand—just to let a child who had spent seven years in Bridge Space taste a real, warm sesame aroma.

"I'll bring it back," he said, "the most fragrant kind."

The mother nodded, tears welling in her eyes but not falling: "Hmm. On the road… be careful of the heat."

He understood that vague admonition. She wasn't talking about sesame alone.

Ten minutes before departure, the amber fruit suddenly convulsed violently!

An emergency warning from the Universe Memory Archive appeared on the sprout's surface:

【Detected abnormal energy fluctuations in the 'Aesthetic Overload Civilization' annihilation zone】

【Fluctuation characteristics highly resemble observation signals of the Thirteenth Civilization】

【Inference: The Thirteenth Civilization may be using the area for 'Emotional Energy Extraction Experiments'—they gather other civilizations' aesthetic responses and convert them into some form of energy or weapon】

【Attachment: Three days ago, the Thirteenth Civilization applied to the Universe Memory Archive to retrieve data on the 'Tears of Connection' fruit. After being denied, the signal vanished.】

Almost simultaneously, the Soil Collector's root transmitted a sensation:

"My compatriots from other star regions sent an alert: the Thirteenth Civilization has recently been frequently visiting various 'Warm Soil Sites,' seemingly searching for 'high‑emotional‑density soil'…"

"They call us 'Emotion Miners'."

The most direct threat comes from Efficiency-1—it received an urgent transmission from the mother ship: a scout ship of the Thirteenth Civilization, silently observing the progress of aesthetic education reform on the outskirts of the Silent Observers' star domain, and attempting to establish secret contact with dissidents inside the mother ship (extreme conservatives opposed to reform).

Efficiency-1's light sphere instantly turned icy: 'Their goal might be... to create internal collapse during our most vulnerable learning phase, then harvest the emotional wreckage produced by "failed reform".'

The ship fell into a brief silence.

Han Qing looked out the window; the starry sky remained calm, but an intangible pressure began to spread.

Just as the tense atmosphere reached its peak, the projection of the grafted sapling suddenly bloomed.

It was not a virtual bloom, but the real sapling, connected to the expedition ship via Bridge Space, that opened the first full cluster of osmanthus on the north side of the ruins. The fragrance passed through the quantum entanglement channel and appeared directly in the ship's courtyard.

As the fragrance spread, everyone—including Efficiency-1—felt a strange calm.

Xiao Yu's wrist mark warmed slightly: 'The sapling says... "The place we're going may be dangerous, but the reason to set out is sweet enough."'

Efficiency-1's light sphere turned toward Han Qing: 'I don't understand how "sweetness" counters the threat. But logically, if the threat's aim is to disrupt our emotional learning, then persisting in learning itself... is a form of resistance.'

It paused, its light patterns firming: 'I suggest we depart as planned. But adjust the navigation mode to "Covert Desire Mode"—not pulling directly, instead gliding along existing links of the "Civilization Resilience Network." This would be slower, but harder to detect.'

Han Qing nodded, looking at everyone: 'Anyone want to back out?'

No one raised a hand.

Su Yu folded the last paper crane and placed it on the control panel. Written on its wings:

'Some lessons must be taught on the road.'

At midnight, the Wish Vessel slowly rose.

There was no roar, only a soft sound like soil churning. The hull resembled a giant amber tear, tracing a warm line across the starry sky.

Old Zhao stood on the ruins, watching the direction where the light trail faded. He still held the last empty tea cup—the one Efficiency-1 had 'drunk' from, with a faint golden trace on its rim like a fingerprint.

Aili whispered: 'Are you worried?'

'Worried.' Old Zhao carefully put the cup away in his chest, 'But I'm more worried they won't go.'

In the distance, on the mother ship's public channel, Slow Study-8 was broadcasting the expedition's departure—it used rust dust collected from the ventilation ducts to draw a crooked ship on the screen, with a small sprig of osmanthus at its bow.

Below the image, forty million Silent Observers simultaneously lit the 'slow sandglass' icon in the corner of their work panels.

And in an undetected fold of space, the Thirteenth Civilization's observation station was recording all this. A cold voice sounded within the station:

'The target has departed. Begin the "Emotion Vein" tracking protocol.'

'Note: the individual called Efficiency-1 is changing faster than expected... it could become a high-purity ore point.'

Inside the Wish Vessel, Efficiency-1 suddenly gave a 'shiver'—if a slight disturbance in the light sphere's frequency counts as a shiver.

It turned toward Han Qing, asking for the first time in an uncertain tone:

'Is this... a "foreboding feeling"?'

Han Qing did not answer, merely steeped the first tea bag.

The tea fragrance mingled with the osmanthus scent, slowly spreading through the cabin.

As if saying: the road is still long, first take a sip of something hot.