Chapter 77: Seventy-Seventh Day of Being a Lazy Fish

“…What you’re saying doesn’t seem to have much to do with Xiao Lu though, does it?” Goudan’s focus never wavered, immediately bringing the conversation back to its starting point.

“But it has everything to do with Nan Mu.” Lu Yuan smiled. “I was thinking that Nan Mu might have had the chance to participate in the production of this game. He’s a painter, after all. If it were him, assembling a top-tier art team would be entirely within his reach.”

“How do you know Nan Mu would have had the chance to be involved in making this game?” Goudan asked.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment before answering. “Because there’s no doubt that the person Zhu Rong met was Xiao Lu. The reason she appeared to meet Zhu Rong was, in part, to tell us exactly this.”

Goudan looked at him with a face full of confusion. “How can you be so sure?”

Lu Yuan took out a tablet and pulled up three files.

They were the files for Chen Xingfan, Xiao Lu, and Nan Mu.

“I looked into Chen Xingfan’s background before. She was once a member of the First Legion’s Mecha Maneuver Team. Her records might be inaccessible to others, but they’re easy for me to find. As for Nan Mu and Xiao Lu, they have no privacy to speak of. Their movements – at least within the country – are completely transparent.”

As Lu Yuan spoke, he handed the tablet to Goudan.

“Xiao Lu graduated from the Capital University of the Arts in June of 5444. Nan Mu graduated two years ahead of her and went abroad, only returning when Xiao Lu graduated. This game was released in early ’44. That year, Chen Xingfan was twelve years old, the same age Zhu Rong is now,” he said.

Goudan nodded. “The timing does match up perfectly. Besides, Nan Mu could have been involved in the game’s production while he was abroad.”

“This game couldn’t have been made domestically. The design and production of those wild monsters alone would require a massive team and a long time to complete. If it had been made here, it wouldn’t have gone unnoticed,” Lu Yuan said.

“Furthermore, several later time points and events align as well.

“You know Chen Xingfan is gifted in music. In fact, she comes from the Empire’s Chen family, a famous musical dynasty. She also attended the Capital University of the Arts. That’s why Xiao Lu said they were alumni.”

“Is that school really that good?” Goudan grumbled. “Why is everyone from there?”

Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly and continued. “In 5451, the university invited Xiao Lu to become a professor. Rumor has it she initially agreed, but she never actually took the position. That same year, she followed Nan Mu abroad.”

“So that’s what Xiao Lu meant when she said she almost became Chen Xingfan’s teacher?”

“Exactly. Chen Xingfan was nineteen that year, just starting university.” Lu Yuan nodded.

“If that’s the case, then that person really must be Xiao Lu?” Goudan confirmed.

“I believe so. On one hand, all the information matches; on the other, there aren’t many people qualified to be Chen Xingfan’s teacher, and even fewer who had the chance but didn’t take it. Xiao Lu is likely the only one who fits those criteria.”

“But that only proves Xiao Lu plays the game,” Goudan pointed out.

“No, it proves Xiao Lu has a backdoor into the game.” Lu Yuan took back the tablet and quickly pulled up news of Nan Mu’s return to the country. “According to their itinerary, they should be in the Dark Sea right now.”

“The Dark Sea?” Goudan asked.

“Outside the star system,” Lu Yuan replied. “There’s no connection to StarNet there. Which means they have a way to log into this game without a StarNet connection.”

Goudan thought about it. “That makes sense. If this game relied on StarNet to exist, it definitely wouldn’t be able to handle real-time communication.”

“Right. The problem is that we don’t know how to log into the game without StarNet, but they do,” Lu Yuan said. “They possess the means for this kind of real-time communication.

“I’m certain very few people possess this technology; it’s not something you can achieve just by playing the game for a while. If it were, I would have known long ago. Therefore, even if Nan Mu didn’t participate in making the game, he must know the people who did. Under those circumstances, Nan Mu would certainly have had the opportunity to be involved in the game’s art design.”

“What does that imply?” Goudan asked.

“It implies that Nan Mu might have hidden some information within the game,” Lu Yuan said. “It’s just that I haven’t found it yet, and neither has Zhu Rong.”

“Is Xiao Lu trying to remind us to look for that information?”

“Perhaps.” Lu Yuan thought for a moment and suddenly smiled. He tossed the tablet aside, his tone softening as he stepped out of his intense analytical state. “But there’s no need to rush. We shouldn’t let them disrupt our rhythm.”

“Huh?” Goudan was dazed.

“The stance of those two is a bit ambiguous,” Lu Yuan said with a smile. “We don’t know if they’re friends or foes yet, so don’t let them lead you by the nose.”

“They seem friendly toward the Desolate Planet, don’t they? And they’re friends of Zhu Rong’s mother…”

Lu Yuan looked at him. “They made the game, they hid the items, and they’re fully aware of both the situation on the Desolate Planet and Zhu Rong’s identity. If they have something to say, why can’t they just say it directly?”

“Ah…” Goudan was at a loss for words.

Lu Yuan could think of many reasons why they would act this way. Whether their intentions were benevolent or malicious, there was more than one reason for Nan Mu and Xiao Lu to choose this path.

But he had no way to verify it, nor was he inclined to try. It wasn’t important.

“It’s more important that we focus on our own tasks, one step at a time,” Lu Yuan said seriously. Then he asked, “Speaking of which, I haven’t asked in a while, how is your teaching plan progressing?”

–

The Sea Eagle Pirates.

“So, Nan Mu and Xiao Lu know a lot. We can have further contact with them, but we must remain on our guard.” After reading the reply Goudan sent, Siming summarized the situation.

“We don’t actually have many opportunities to approach them proactively,” Geshu Qing said dismissively. “The gap in status, strength, and information is too large. We’re in a very passive position.”

“Not necessarily.” Siming shook his head. “Once you return to the Geshu Family, the situation might change.”

Geshu Qing wasn’t quite so optimistic. “But we aren’t exactly on the same page as the Geshu Family. We might be able to borrow their influence, but how much we can actually leverage is another matter. We shouldn’t be too overconfident. Especially since we just screwed over Geshu Ming.”

“That’s true.” Siming sighed. “Actually, that’s what I’ve been worried about all along. We still need to establish our own power base.”

“We don’t even have the Desolate Planet firmly in our hands yet,” Geshu Qing grumbled.

“That depends on Goudan. Lu Yuan should be teaching him what to do.” Siming thought for a moment and smiled. “Besides, there’s no need to rush. We’ll develop eventually if we take it slow.”

Geshu Qing felt helpless. “True. For the time being, there isn’t much we can do.”

Zhu Rong suddenly spoke up, interrupting their conversation.

She had been silent until now, appearing to be in a trance-like state, lost in thought.

However, it seemed she had been listening to them after all.

“We might not have the time to take it slow,” she said abruptly.

“Hmm?” Both Siming and Geshu Qing looked at her.

“We are part of Lu Yuan’s plan,” Zhu Rong said. “And Lu Yuan’s plans… the preparation phase can be very long, but once the general offensive begins, the pace is usually lightning fast.”

“We’re in Lu Yuan’s plan?” Siming asked.

“The current him might not have one. He’s probably too lazy to calculate too much and only bothers to use his brain when we ask him something,” Zhu Rong replied. “But the version of him that exploits bugs definitely does. He certainly has his own plan. Those arrangements he gave us weren’t for no reason.

“In fact, I think Nan Mu’s appearance was also within his calculations. When he arranged for us to save the old Emperor, he should have anticipated Nan Mu’s return.

“He said it himself – even if others see through our identities, they won’t disrupt his plan.”

She emphasized, “His plan.”

“So, what do you think his plan is?”

“I don’t know.” Zhu Rong’s expression was blank. “But I suspect his goal is the same as ours, or at least similar. It definitely involves himself, the Desolate Planet, and the Imperial Family.

“As for the process… we’re likely just one part of his plan. There must be other people involved. Like Geshu Ming, Nan Yingzhe, Ying Xun, and… Nan Mu and Xiao Lu.”

“…” Geshu Qing thought for a while before giving up. “I can’t figure it out.”

Siming shook his head. “There’s no need to guess. Since he didn’t tell us, it means we don’t need to know everything. As long as our goals align, we just need to do our own jobs well. Just as Lu Yuan said, don’t let your rhythm be disrupted.”