Chapter 91 - Eighty-Nine: My Husband, My Farm, and One Very Suspicious Pear

Chapter 91: Chapter Eighty-Nine: My Husband, My Farm, and One Very Suspicious Pear

Lin Yue had three rules for dealing with mysterious magical objects.

First, never touch them without understanding their purpose.

Second, never allow Lumi near them.

Third, if the object began speaking, pretending to be fruit, or displaying messages from another world, put it somewhere far away from the kitchen.

Unfortunately, the pear tree had ignored all three rules.

And Lumi had eaten breakfast early.

Which meant the situation was already deteriorating.

"Where is the fruit?" Lin Yue demanded.

Lumi sat on an overturned basket, looking unusually innocent.

"What fruit?"

"The suspicious silver pear."

"Oh! That fruit."

Lin Yue closed her eyes.

Shen Rui, standing beside her, slowly turned toward the little magical creature.

"Lumi," he said pleasantly, "why don’t you tell us what happened?"

Lumi brightened.

"Certainly!"

It took a deep breath.

"I was walking past the pear tree when I noticed the fruit looked lonely. So I sat with it for a while. Then it smelled delicious. Then it made a funny noise. Then I wondered whether it was edible."

Lin Yue’s eye twitched.

"And?"

"And I asked it."

"You asked the fruit whether it was edible?"

"Yes."

"What did it say?"

Lumi looked offended.

"It didn’t answer. Very rude, actually."

"Then what did you do?"

"I gave it a little lick."

Lin Yue stared at it.

Shen Rui rubbed his forehead.

The magical creature lowered its head.

"Only a little."

"How much is a little?"

Lumi held up its claws.

"About this much."

"That is not a measurement!"

"It is a very precise measurement for a claw!"

Lin Yue took a deep breath.

Then another.

She had survived wilderness expeditions, deadly storms, and an alternate reality trying to contact her through a fruit tree.

Surely she could survive one small dragon-like creature with questionable judgment.

"Did you swallow anything?"

"No."

"Did the fruit change color?"

"No."

"Did it speak?"

Lumi hesitated.

Lin Yue leaned forward.

"Lumi."

"It said something."

"What?"

Lumi’s ears—or what passed for ears on its little dragon-like head—drooped.

"It called me a thief."

Shen Rui turned away.

His shoulders began shaking.

Lin Yue looked at him in disbelief.

"You are laughing?"

"I am trying not to."

"You are failing."

"Quite badly, I admit."

Lumi pointed an accusing claw at him.

"You are supposed to be the responsible one!"

"I am."

"Then make the fruit apologize!"

Lin Yue pressed both hands over her face.

This was her life now.

She had once dreamed of discovering ancient civilizations and unraveling the secrets of the universe.

Apparently, the universe had decided to test her patience through fruit.

"Fine," she said at last. "Nobody touches the tree. Nobody licks the tree. Nobody asks the tree whether it is edible."

Lumi raised a claw.

"May I ask whether it has any friends?"

"No."

"Understood."

A pause.

"Can I ask you instead?"

"Absolutely not."

Once the crisis of the suspicious pear had been contained, Lin Yue returned to the more serious problem.

The First World.

The mysterious messages had offered a new way to authenticate her identity, but the proposed method required finding the person who had made the original choice.

The last known location was the First World.

Unfortunately, the First World might no longer exist in any recognizable form.

Lin Yue spread the available records across the table.

"We have two possibilities," she said. "Either the First World still exists but has been erased from the archive, or the Weaver has replaced it with an alternative."

"Could both be true?" Shen Rui asked.

She considered that.

"Yes. The original might still exist somewhere outside the recognized network, while a replacement occupies its former place."

"Then how do we distinguish them?"

"That is what I intend to find out."

She tapped the crystal seed’s recorded image.

"The First Keeper said this seed could help identify hidden and erased routes. If we can get it working again without causing another uncontrolled connection, we might be able to locate the original path."

Shen Rui looked at the diagram.

"And if the path leads somewhere dangerous?"

"We don’t enter until we understand the risks."

"And if understanding the risks requires entering?"

Lin Yue gave him a narrow look.

"Then we understand as much as possible before entering."

"Excellent. I am relieved to learn that marriage has not made you reckless."

"Marriage has made me more cautious."

"Because of me?"

"Because I now have someone who will give me a lecture if I return home with a mysterious injury."

Shen Rui smiled.

"I would never lecture you."

"You would stand quietly beside the medicine cabinet until I confessed."

"That is not a lecture."

"It is psychological warfare."

"An effective form, apparently."

Lin Yue tried to look stern.

She failed.

He reached across the table and brushed a crumb from her sleeve.

It was such a small gesture that she almost missed it.

Yet she found herself watching his hand for a moment longer than necessary.

The cosmic mystery could wait another second.

Her husband was here.

Her farm was safe.

And despite everything that had happened, she still had a home to return to at the end of each day.

That mattered.

Perhaps it mattered more than any ancient title the archive could give her.

Shen Rui caught her looking at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You are smiling."

"Am I forbidden to smile at my husband?"

"Certainly not."

"Good."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

Shen Rui went quiet.

Lin Yue sat back, looking extremely pleased with herself.

"Well?"

He blinked.

"Well, what?"

"Your reaction."

"My reaction?"

"Yes. I have conducted an experiment."

"An experiment?"

"I wanted to determine whether you become less talkative when surprised."

"And what were the results?"

"Highly promising."

He laughed, caught her hand, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

"Then perhaps I should conduct an experiment of my own."

Lin Yue immediately became suspicious.

"What sort of experiment?"

He leaned closer.

"Whether you can finish a sentence while blushing."

She snatched her hand away.

"I have work to do!"

"Of course, Madam Researcher."

"And you have absolutely no scientific integrity."

"On the contrary. I intend to repeat the experiment."

She fled to the other side of the table.

Shen Rui’s laughter followed her.

For several precious minutes, the mysteries of the First Observer and the Possibility Weaver seemed a little less frightening.

Then Aster interrupted them.

"Unexpected finding detected."

Lin Yue straightened.

"What is it?"

"The crystal seed has begun responding to the silver trace beneath the pear tree."

She sighed.

"Of course it has."

The next hour was spent establishing a controlled test.

The cracked crystal seed remained inside its containment case. Lin Yue positioned it near the edge of the orchard, at a safe distance from the strange pear tree.

Aster recorded the seed’s response.

At first, nothing happened.

Then a faint golden line appeared within the crystal.

It moved slowly, tracing a path from one end of the seed to the other.

Lin Yue leaned closer.

"Can you identify the pattern?"

"Partially. The pattern resembles a route marker from the Heartline archive, but its structure is incomplete."

"Does it point toward the First World?"

"I cannot confirm the destination."

"Does it point anywhere?"

Aster projected a simple directional diagram.

A thin line extended from the seed toward the northern edge of the Golden Space.

Lin Yue frowned.

"That is strange."

"What is?" Shen Rui asked.

"The archive’s earlier records placed the First World beyond the known Heartline routes. But this direction leads toward the old boundary of my Golden Space."

She studied the map.

"What if we have been looking too far away?"

Shen Rui followed her reasoning.

"You think the connection might begin here?"

"Not necessarily the First World itself. But perhaps the route to it begins inside the Golden Space."

She walked to the northern boundary.

The fields ended at a low stone wall she had built months earlier to mark the edge of the cultivated land.

Beyond it lay a stretch of uncultivated ground, scattered with small rocks and hardy grasses.

There was nothing unusual about it.

No glowing portal.

No ancient doorway.

No dramatic magical inscription.

Just dirt.

Lin Yue stared at the ground.

"Somehow, I expected something more impressive."

"Would you prefer a dramatic entrance?" Shen Rui asked.

"Not particularly. But a sign would be helpful."

"Perhaps we should install one."

She turned to him.

"What would it say?"

He considered the matter gravely.

UNKNOWN ROUTE. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Lin Yue nodded.

"Add a second line."

"What would that be?"

PLEASE DO NOT LICK THE LANDMARKS.

Behind them, Lumi made a strangled noise.

Lin Yue spun around.

"Lumi!"

"I haven’t done anything!"

"Why are you standing behind the stone wall?"

"I wanted to see the mysterious ground."

"From a distance?"

"Of course."

"Then why is your tongue sticking out?"

Lumi pulled it back into its mouth.

"No reason."

Shen Rui covered his face.

Lin Yue decided that if the universe did not destroy her, Lumi might.

She returned her attention to the ground.

The crystal seed’s golden line had brightened.

Aster projected a faint outline of the northern boundary.

"Spatial irregularity detected," it reported.

Lin Yue crouched and examined the stones.

One of them had a shallow crescent-shaped mark.

She brushed away the dust.

Another crescent appeared beneath it.

Then a third.

The marks formed a short line leading to a small stone half buried in the earth.

Lin Yue carefully cleared the soil around it.

The stone was not large. It could have fit in the palm of her hand. Its surface was smooth, and a single symbol had been carved into its center.

A crescent surrounding a tiny seed.

Lin Yue’s breath caught.

She had seen the symbol before.

Not in the archive.

Not on the crystal seed.

In her dream.

The golden seed beside the black tree.

She looked up at Shen Rui.

"I think we’ve found something."

He crouched beside her.

"Can you identify it?"

"Not yet."

"Should we touch it?"

"No."

Lumi immediately sat down.

"Excellent. I shall remain here and provide moral support."

Lin Yue gave it a look.

"You may provide moral support from three paces farther away."

Lumi shuffled backward.

"Such strict working conditions."

"Consider it an occupational hazard."

The stone did not respond to ordinary light.

It did not respond to Aster’s scans.

And it did not respond when Lin Yue placed the crystal seed nearby.

For nearly half an hour, the three of them tried different angles, lighting conditions, and distances.

Nothing.

Finally, Lin Yue sat back on her heels.

"Perhaps it is simply an old stone."

Shen Rui glanced at the carved symbol.

"An old stone hidden beneath the boundary of a magical pocket dimension, bearing a symbol from your dream?"

"When you put it like that, it sounds less ordinary."

"Your standards for ordinary things have changed considerably."

"That is an unfortunate consequence of my current circumstances."

She stood and brushed the dirt from her hands.

"We’ll mark the location and return tomorrow."

At that exact moment, Lumi sneezed.

A tiny puff of golden sparks burst from its nose.

The sparks drifted toward the stone.

One landed directly on the crescent symbol.

The stone chimed.

All three froze.

Lumi slowly covered its nose.

"I can explain."

Lin Yue turned her head very slowly.

"Can you?"

"No."

The symbol began to glow.

A thin golden line emerged from its center and spread across the ground, following the crescent marks they had uncovered.

It moved toward the stone wall.

Then it passed through it.

The line continued northward, crossing the uncultivated ground before disappearing into the distance.

Aster’s projection flickered.

"Route marker activated."

Lin Yue stared at the glowing line.

"Can you map its direction?"

"Partially. The route appears to extend beyond the currently recognized boundary of the Golden Space."

"Is it stable?"

"Unknown."

"Is it safe?"

"Unknown."

"Can you tell me anything useful?"

"The marker has responded to Lumi’s magical signature."

Lin Yue turned toward the little creature.

Lumi pointed at itself.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"But I only sneezed!"

"Apparently, that was enough."

Lumi looked at the stone with newfound pride.

"I knew my nose was special."

Lin Yue rubbed her temples.

"Please do not let this go to your head."

"Too late."

The golden line pulsed once.

At the far end of the visible path, a small symbol appeared in the air.

A book.

Its cover was blank.

Lin Yue stopped smiling.

She recognized it from her dream.

The same book that had rested beside the black tree.

The same book the woman had tried to touch before choosing the golden seed.

Shen Rui moved closer.

"Is that the First World?"

"I don’t know."

The blank book opened.

One page turned.

Then another.

A single sentence appeared in the air.

THE PERSON WHO MADE THE CHOICE IS WAITING.

Lin Yue felt her heartbeat quicken.

Beneath the sentence, a second line slowly formed.

BRING THE SEED.

The crystal seed inside its case gave a faint golden pulse.

Then the message changed.

BRING THE OBSERVER.

Lin Yue stared at the words.

A third line appeared.

LEAVE THE WEAVER BEHIND.

The golden line vanished.

The book closed.

The northern boundary returned to ordinary grass and stone.

For a long moment, no one spoke.

Then Lumi raised a claw.

"I have a question."

Lin Yue did not look at it.

"If your question concerns whether we can bring snacks, the answer is no."

Lumi lowered its claw.

"That was exactly my question."

Shen Rui laughed.

Lin Yue shook her head, but the sound of his laughter steadied her.

They had found a route.

They had found a marker that responded to Lumi.

And someone—or something—was waiting at the other end.

But the instruction to leave the Weaver behind troubled her.

If the route truly led to the person who made the original choice, why would that person fear the Possibility Weaver?

Unless the Weaver was not merely searching for the missing life.

Unless it had something to do with why that life had been hidden in the first place.

Lin Yue closed her notebook.

"We are not going anywhere tonight."

Shen Rui nodded.

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, we prepare. We gather supplies, establish a return signal, and make sure the farm can function without us for a few days."

"And Lumi?"

Lumi stood tall.

"I shall guard the farm!"

Lin Yue raised an eyebrow.

"Without eating anything unusual?"

"Absolutely."

"Without licking magical objects?"

"Certainly."

"Without asking the pear tree to be your friend?"

Lumi hesitated.

"Can I wave at it?"

Lin Yue sighed.

"Fine. You may wave."

Lumi cheered.

Shen Rui took Lin Yue’s hand.

"Then tomorrow, we follow the route."

She looked toward the northern boundary, where the golden line had appeared.

For the first time since the mystery began, the next step seemed clear.

Not easy.

Not safe.

But clear.

And somewhere beyond the edge of the known world, someone was waiting to tell her what she had carried all these years.

Lin Yue squeezed Shen Rui’s hand.

"Whatever we find, we don’t let it decide who we are."

"Agreed."

"And if it turns out to be another mysterious fruit?"

"We leave it to Lumi."

Lumi gasped.

"Betrayal!"

Their laughter drifted across the orchard.

Far beyond the Golden Space, the blank book opened once more.

A hand appeared above its pages.

The fingers were slender, familiar, and marked by a thin scar across the back.

The hand wrote a final sentence.

SHE IS COMING.

Then, beneath it, in smaller letters:

I HOPE SHE BRINGS HER HUSBAND.

The ink shimmered.

For the first time in centuries, the person who had made the choice smiled.

And somewhere in the darkness beyond the First World, the Possibility Weaver opened its eyes.

It had heard the route marker awaken.

It had heard the name of the Observer.

And it knew that someone had just invited Lin Yue into a world that was never supposed to be found.

To be continued...