Chapter 511: Homeland World

"Man... Mandarin?"

"And it's very standard, even more standard than yours."

"The Station Master seems to recognize you..."

"Woo!"

"It seems so."

Listening to their voices, Chen Shu felt a sense of familiarity and couldn't help but smile, yet he remained polite and replied, "My lords, this shouldn't be the first time you've seen someone who speaks Mandarin arrive here, right?"

"It certainly isn't."

The other party was looking at them.

Chen Shu was also looking at the other party.

There were four people in total, and one cat.

There was a woman who was not tall but had surprisingly good proportions; she was quite pretty, but a long, narrow scar ran from the corner of her left eye downward, which added a touch of sharpness to her otherwise delicate and charming features. There was a sweet-looking woman with a great figure; she wore her hair in a bun and was dressed youthfully, her features and expression always giving the impression of being lively and bright, like a mixture of sunshine and sugar. There was a tall, long-haired, flat-chested woman who was very beautiful, but judging by her expression, she did not seem like a particularly soft or gentle person.

The man called Station Master by the New Saint stood in the middle.

That cat was larger than an ordinary cat, somewhat resembling a ragdoll cat, with a strange mark on its forehead; it looked arrogant and cold, with a pair of piercing eyes, and it stood in front of the four people, staring at the two of them vigilantly.

At first glance, it looked like a pet's posture, standing in front of its owner, but looking closely, it was actually protecting the humans behind it.

At the same time, Chen Shu also sensed the power within it.

That power was strange and undisguised; if one had to describe it, it was likely also converted from Spirit Power, but it was not the same system as the Dayi Plane, so Chen Shu could not immediately judge roughly which rank of Cultivator from the Dayi Plane it was equivalent to, but it was at least much stronger than the humans behind it.

It seems to be the muscle of the group.

At this moment, Ning Qing extended her hand.

Chen Shu could clearly feel that while the others were very relaxed, only that cat became instantly vigilant.

Ning Qing opened her hand, revealing a Wooden Bead.

Chen Shu spoke at the right moment, essentially introducing himself: "Everyone, do you still remember this Wooden Bead?"

"Oh..."

All four of them recognized the Wooden Bead.

The Station Master, who had luckily merged with the Space-Time Node and become its administrator, asked, "Did you come from the world of Lord Lv Xiang?"

"Yes, we revere him as the New Saint."

"Are you very close to him?"

"Not very close, but I did learn of your existence, Station Master, from him."

"Then your Mandarin..." the Station Master was somewhat puzzled, "I heard that in your world, there was someone who went there from here, revered by that world as the Shengzu, who brought civilization to that world and also left behind Mandarin and Hanyu Pinyin, but over four thousand years have passed, and the accent has changed slightly."

"Hehe..."

Chen Shu smiled, unhurried: "Before answering this question, please allow us to introduce ourselves first."

"Apologies, please go ahead."

"My name is Chen Shu, 'Chen' as in the ear-east character, 'Shu' as in comfortable. She is Ning Qing, 'Ning' as in tranquility, 'Qing' as in cold and clear." Chen Shu paused, "Strictly speaking, I am not someone who traveled here from another world. Like the Shengzu of our world, I originally came from here. One day, I went from here, from this Earth, to that strange universe and Plane, and now, I have returned."

"Ah?"

"Er..."

"What?"

"Hm?"

"Woo?"

The four people and one cat all seemed extremely shocked.

A moment later, the woman with the scar on her face lowered her head and whispered into the Station Master's ear: "It's over, Station Master, we didn't even get a chance to introduce ourselves before they finished saying it all."

The Station Master glared at her, ignored her, and continued looking at Chen Shu: "Is what you say true, sir? It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I'm a bit surprised..."

"Genuine and authentic."

Chen Shu displayed his Crystal.

The two Space-Time Items explained everything.

"I don't know how many years ago it was here, but a man from Jinguan was taken to that world by the Crystal; for that world, it has already been five thousand years. Afterward, he spent his whole life looking for a way back here, but unfortunately, he failed." Chen Shu introduced, watching the Station Master nod slightly, as if he had heard of it from the New Saint, "Later, the Crystal left that world on its own, circled around, and returned here. Due to the strange and complex time difference between the two worlds, for this place, perhaps not much time has passed. Then, for unknown reasons, the Crystal took me away from here."

Chen Shu paused:

"My luck was better than his, and I could be considered to have inherited the series of preparations he made back then to return home, and thus, I returned here."

The Station Master listened and digested it for a while before nodding and saying:

"Congratulations on coming home."

Chen Shu revealed a bright smile:

"Many thanks."

In truth, for him, the sense of belonging to the Dayi Plane was stronger, but there was no need to refute it.

"My name is Cheng Yun, 'Cheng' as in a bright future, 'Yun' as in clouds and mist; I luckily merged with the Space-Time Node, and thus I receive visitors from the endless universe here."

"I have heard of you for a long time; it is an honor."

"Guests from afar are guests, and besides, we are compatriots, so there is no need for formalities." This Station Master of the Space-Time Transit Station, just as the New Saint had said, had a very gentle temperament, and he then pointed to the long-legged, flat-chested girl beside him and continued to introduce, "This is my younger sister, Cheng Yan, 'Yan' as in clouds and mist."

"Hello."

"Hello."

The Station Master then pointed to the other youthful and sweet girl:

"This is Yaoyao."

"Just call me Yaoyao."

"Is she the youngest?"

"The Yaoyao from 'escape far away' (tao zhi Yaoyao)."

"Hello."

Chen Shu could see that she and the Station Master seemed exceptionally intimate, reflected in their subtle body language and expressions; he tentatively guessed that the two of them were likely a couple, just like himself and Qingqing.

"This is Yin Dan, we call her Nüxia. She is a traveler like you, but she has now chosen to stay here... By the way, I opened a hotel outside, and she works as a cleaner there, doing game streaming and such when she's free."

"Hello, hello..."

"Nice to meet you!"

That short Nüxia cupped her fists toward Chen Shu.

Chen Shu smiled, and couldn't help but cup his fists back at her.

"This is Crown Princess Little Lolita. She also came from another universe. We have been together for many years, and we will continue to be together."

"Woo!!"

"Crown Princess Little Lolita?"

"Woo!"

"She looks just like a ragdoll cat..." Chen Shu showed as much goodwill toward her as possible, "She is so beautiful."

But unexpectedly, the cat suddenly hissed at him:

"Hiss!!"

"Oh my! So fierce!"

"She is not a cat; she is a creature from the Pan Yu World called a Snow King. Born noble, ruling over a region, she hates it when others call her a cat... But she doesn't like to transform into human form, so she prefers to stay like this except when she's at school."

"My apologies, Crown Princess Little Lolita..."

"..."

"So cold and aloof..."

Chen Shu grinned, then said to the Station Master: "May I ask, Station Master, what year is it now?"

"2033."

"2033, huh..."

"What year was it when you left?"

"I don't remember exactly, several years ago, I suppose." Chen Shu pondered, "At that time, the time ratio between the two worlds had already become quite close."

"Was your name Chen Shu originally?"

"No."

"What was it?"

"It has no meaning anymore." Chen Shu smiled at him; now, he was simply Chen Shu.

"Understood..."

The Station Master looked thoughtful and did not press further. He nodded and then asked: "How much time has passed since the era of Lv Xiang?"

"That is too complicated to explain." Chen Shu narrowed his eyes, "If we are talking about that world, the New Saint was born nearly a thousand years before me, but between the time the New Saint came here and returned to that world, he traveled through different universes for over ten thousand years."

"Over ten thousand years..."

The Station Master was filled with deep emotion for a moment.

It was evident that he was a very young Space-Time Node manager, or what is called a Space-Time Master. He had not yet become numb to the power of time, so he was instantly immersed in the shock brought about by this temporal isolation.

The New Saint was considered an old friend of his.

To him, only a few years had passed since he last saw the New Saint, but to the New Saint, it had already been over ten thousand years.

The wonder of this was indescribable; for someone who valued relationships, the loneliness of that moment could make one's heart feel heavily blocked.

Chen Shu quietly observed them, especially this young Space-Time Master, observing his reactions.

According to the New Saint, as long as the universe does not perish and the Space-Time Node exists, this type of Space-Time Master who has merged with a Space-Time Node is immortal and indestructible. Thus, this young Space-Time Master would eventually grow over the long years into the greatest existence among the endless universes, as well as the loneliest.

Right now, he was still very young; looking only at his own Spirit Power, it was not even as high as Chen Shu's.

Combined with the New Saint's description of him and his current reactions, Chen Shu had a rough idea of his personality, which was very important to him, as it concerned the way he would interact with him.

The others and the cat remained standing to the side.

To quickly build rapport, Chen Shu said: "I brought you two gifts."

"Hmm?"

The Station Master seemed very surprised: "To tell you the truth, you are the first person I have ever met who prepared a gift for me in advance."

"Part of it is from the New Saint. He entrusted me to bring it to you, saying this was a promise between you and him." Chen Shu said, taking an object out from a Crystal, "The contents are recorded inside; you can view them with your mind."

"This..."

The Station Master seemed to recall something and froze for a moment; his hands trembled as he reached out to take it.

"The contents inside are mainly divided into two parts: one is the research on the Plane Origin, and the other is the method for merging the Origin." Chen Shu said, glancing at the Station Master and the others, "This Great Universe does not have planes, nor does it have separated Plane Origins. Whether there is something similar to a Universe Origin, I do not know. But merging Space-Time Energy is possible, provided you have an Origin as a catalyst. Furthermore, this fusion process requires the existence of something similar to the Forbidden Land in our plane, as well as special plane mechanisms to assist from the side—this is something even the New Saint has not conquered. But he said he believes you can slowly unlock it, using his research as a reference for you. If there is not enough time, you can also head to our side to complete the fusion, but I hope that before you unlock its technical secrets, you will not reveal it to visitors from other universes, to avoid causing trouble for the countless planes of our universe."

"..."

The Station Master was speechless for a moment.

The others and the cat were also stunned.

At this very moment, the last bit of their wariness vanished.

"Thank you... and thank you to Lv Xiang..."

"You are welcome."

"Back then, we only mentioned it in passing. Although I held onto hope, I was also prepared for the fact that he might never return..." the Station Master sighed with emotion.

"The New Saint told me that when he understood the longing of Space-Time Masters to break through the limits of a normal lifespan, and heard of the regrets of other great Space-Time Masters regarding this matter, he better understood how wonderful and rare his encounter with you was, and therefore he was destined not to let you down."

The mechanism of merging an Origin to become a "deity," or rather, to become one of the representatives of a plane, was a unique product of the Dayi universe; it was not universal, but a very rare coincidence.

Perhaps in the endless universe, there was no other universe with such technology, so many Space-Time Masters with lifespans of tens or hundreds of billions of years had tried everything but failed to find it, yet it had encountered this young Space-Time Master before him through such a serendipitous coincidence.

This is quite astonishing.

"And also—"

Chen Shu took a few more items out from the Crystal: "A Spiritual Flying Car, a Spiritual Motorcycle, a Spiritual RV, some Artifacts, Pills, and cosmetics; they are all specialties from our Plane, a welcoming gift for everyone."

"Many thanks..."

"May I go outside?"

"Of course you may." The Station Master already trusted him completely, "The very purpose of this place is to provide convenience for Space-Time travelers. They might need to stay here for a period of time to recharge their Space-Time Items or rest for a few days, and they might not understand the culture of the outside world or speak its language, so we provide them with assistance, while also imposing some restrictions on them to prevent them from going out and damaging our world... But since you are from here originally, these are naturally unnecessary."

"Then my Space-Time Items... can they be left here to recharge?" Chen Shu began to seek help from this Station Master; perhaps with his help, he could return without the aid of the wish-granting dragon.

"Yes, recharging is very fast here."

Almost as soon as the words were spoken, the Crystal and the Wooden Bead flew away from them uncontrollably and hovered in the sky.

Chen Shu found his connection to them severed.

Perhaps this is an innate ability of a Space-Time Node manager...

Chen Shu shook his head, not thinking too much about it.

"Follow me."

A door opened behind them.

Chen Shu and Ning Qing exchanged a glance, followed them, and stepped through the door in one stride.

In an instant, the scenery changed, too fast to grasp, and he was already standing on a wooden corridor, with an ordinary wooden door behind him belonging to a room in the furthest corner of the second floor, where the scent of wood could be faintly smelled.

Sunlight spilled in from the window beside them.

It seems to be spring outside.

"This is Chunming."

"Chunming? Not Jinguan?"

"We moved to Chunming; it's like spring all year round here."

"I see..."

"I can provide you with a free room and the money you need. I have other long-term residents here; I'll introduce you when you meet them. If you have any needs, you can ask me or Yaoyao."

"I would like to... go for a walk outside."

"Go ahead."

The Station Master revealed a smile, which was also goodwill, a return for the goodwill Chen Shu had just shown: "See what differences there are between this world and your memories, just don't fly around everywhere, don't break the law, and don't display your extraordinary side to ordinary people."

"Understood."

Chen Shu held Qingqing's hand and walked downstairs.

The sunlight outside was very bright; there were several flower boxes at the entrance of the hotel, planted with the Chinese roses that Ning Qing liked, which happened to be in bloom. In front of them was a classic, large, yellowish-white Chinese rose with wavy edges, and its fragrance was very rich.

Chen Shu couldn't help but lean in and take a deep sniff.

Finally back here, his homeland world.

And at this moment, his mind was full of—

If only Shengzu could come back too...