Zhuxing explained:
"After that, the special hot spring water is routed to the residence of every member of the Space City."
"It's one of the basic benefits of living here. Everyone gets it automatically upon moving in."
Zhuxing couldn't help complaining a little.
"The teacher is always tinkering with strange and unusual inventions."
"So the weird benefits in Shenxiao Space City keep increasing all the time."
Dongfang Qiqing asked curiously:
"What kind of benefits? How weird are we talking?"
Zhuxing shook her head.
"There are too many. I can't explain them all."
"I'll just send you a file later. You can read it yourself, Sister Qiqing."
Then she returned to the topic.
Zhuxing suddenly began listing things rapidly like announcing dishes on a menu:
"Bathing in it isn't just comfortable."
"It can relieve fatigue, restore mental energy, increase vitality, repair physical injuries, improve genetic defects…"
She rattled off a long list of effects in one breath.
After catching her breath, she continued:
"Some curious researchers even studied it."
"They found the vitality boost from this spring water perfectly offsets the natural decline of biological organisms."
Dongfang Qiqing understood immediately what that meant.
And precisely because she understood—
She became excited.
"So you mean…?!!"
Zhuxing smiled.
"In other words—"
"As long as you soak in it every day, you're basically no different from a long-life species."
"And that's one of the greatest benefits of Shenxiao Space City."
Dongfang Qiqing's eyes sparkled.
"Forget the cake!"
"I want to jump straight into the hot springs!"
"If possible, I'll never leave the water again!"
The temptation of longevity was irresistible.
For an entire population to become immortal, they would need the blessing of the Aeon of Abundance.
But in the universe, there was no shortage of ways for individuals to achieve long life.
The problem was that those methods usually came with serious side effects.
Dongfang Qiqing was still young.
She had never reached the stage where she needed to seek immortality.
But now—
There was apparently a method with almost no side effects that only required bathing.
Of course she would be tempted.
Zhuxing laughed helplessly.
"Sister Qiqing, the reason the hot spring water works like that is because it contains diluted Life Source Liquid and various medicines."
"But—"
Zhuxing deliberately stretched the word "but," teasing her.
"Have you considered the possibility…"
"That your rank is already maxed out?"
"All your permissions and welfare benefits are already at the highest level."
Zhuxing continued:
"Everything added to that hot spring water…"
"You actually have better versions of them in your benefit list."
"And even those better ones are considered minor perks."
The smile on Dongfang Qiqing's lips slowly widened.
And it refused to go down.
"I'm starting to look forward to life in the Space City more and more."
Zhuxing tugged her sleeve.
"Alright, Sister Qiqing."
"Let's go."
"First, you should experience the Warp Nexus gates."
"Hopefully you don't get motion sickness from spatial travel."
"Otherwise you'll need to start taking adaptation medicine regularly."
The shift through space happened instantly.
Before Dongfang Qiqing could even react—
She and Zhuxing had already appeared in Meteor Shopping Street.
"This… this… this is incredible!!!"
Dongfang Qiqing covered her mouth.
Even so, she couldn't hide the shock in her voice.
Then she looked around again.
"We… are we in outer space right now?"
"Why can we talk normally in space?"
They stood within an asteroid belt.
Along the long line of drifting asteroids, small clusters of people could be seen everywhere.
Each asteroid hosted a single shop.
All kinds of people gathered around.
The lively chatter of a bustling marketplace filled the area.
It really was like a shopping street.
Except—
The environment was unbelievably unusual.
Zhuxing looked puzzled at Dongfang Qiqing's reaction.
"Sure, it looks impressive when you see it the first time."
"But it's not that shocking."
"The universe is full of strange sights."
"For example, the Capsule Planet, where entire planets are used as gacha capsules."
"That's also an artificial wonder—and it's way more spectacular than this."
"With your background, Sister Qiqing…"
"You should have seen plenty of amazing things already."
Dongfang Qiqing sighed.
"I haven't seen any of them."
"Otherwise, why do you think I was so desperate to escape my cage?"
"I was born into the Interastral Peace Corporation."
"Born into the Dongfang family."
"From birth I enjoyed things ordinary people could never imagine."
"But when you gain something…"
"You also lose something."
"The family rules."
"The endless courses."
"The complicated social obligations."
"The hidden schemes between allies and enemies."
"All those things were like chains."
"They formed an unbreakable cage around me."
"I was like a bird trapped in a golden cage."
"How could I possibly have time to travel the universe and witness wonders?"
She paused before adding softly:
"This might sound like bragging…"
"But before this…"
"Aside from money, I had nothing."
Zhuxing suddenly felt guilty.
"Um… sorry, Sister Qiqing."
"I think I brought up something I shouldn't have."
Zhuxing suddenly realized something.
From the perspective of this wealthy young lady—
She herself had also grown up with a golden spoon in her mouth.
The hardest time of her life had been when she was inside the cultivation chamber.
But she had no consciousness back then.
Her first hazy memory was when the teacher broke open the chamber and brought her out.
She hadn't suffered the unbearable hardships that Sister Ranpo had endured.
Yet she possessed almost the same genes—
Even improved ones.
All of it was the creation of a genius.
From birth, she had already been destined to stand at the top of the universe.
Later, she met a kind and gentle guardian—
Lin Yi.
With his help, she gained the powerful physique that Ranpo had only achieved through immense suffering.
Later still, some of her innate flaws were corrected by Ruan Mei.
She had been:
Born in the laboratory of a genius.
Raised by a genius researcher.
The people she interacted with were figures ordinary people could never approach.
Even her education came from geniuses personally teaching her.
Not just her teacher.
Even the ones rumored outside to be:
The reclusive Herta
• The cold and emotionless Ruan Mei
• The noble yet humble Screwllum
All of them were elders she could easily approach.
Her playful childhood even coincided with her teacher's love of travel.
Instead of being confined to one place—
She traveled across the universe, witnessing countless wonders.
Her birth.
Her upbringing.
Her experiences.
Her food, clothing, and home.
All things beyond what ordinary people could imagine.
Even Aha.
Even a true Aeon, a symbol of unimaginable cosmic power—
Would occasionally come to tease her and bring strange gifts.
When she later became an Emanator, she felt no shock at all.
She simply accepted it as something normal.
Was that the result of developing a strong heart after experiencing many extraordinary things?
Or the result of being spoiled by constant kindness?
Zhuxing silently thought:
"So the person who believed she was ordinary…"
"Was actually far from ordinary."
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