Free Web NovelChapter 14: Chapter 14: The Little Mushroom People in the Dream
Shi Lan had been quite hungry before dinner, but once it was delivered, her appetite vanished completely.
She stared at the meal, ultimately forcing herself to drink a bowl of soup before losing the will to eat any more.
Full and content, she started to feel drowsy. Just then, something occurred to her, and she activated the chip on her wrist to check her personal account.
’Great, my salary’s here! And so is the two-thousand-Star-Coin female subsidy.’
Shi Lan checked the amount. It was over twenty thousand in total.
Her predecessor’s life on Capital Star had been expensive, leaving her with little savings. Shi Lan had used most of what was left to buy a starship ticket to Black Star.
So, what she told Leo about being "forced by circumstances" wasn’t a lie.
And now, with her Prison Director’s salary, her savings had finally broken the twenty-thousand mark.
Shi Lan stared at her balance for a long time, unwilling to even blink. In the end, she decided to buy some snacks to reward herself.
Food and drink were decent enough on Black Star, but life was a lot less fun without snacks.
Shi Lan went on a shopping spree, quickly adding items to her cart. After spending a thousand Star Coins, she noticed the space-freight fee was two hundred Star Coins due to Black Star’s remote location. However, orders over 1,500 Star Coins qualified for free shipping. She browsed the "add-on" items to meet the threshold, and after spotting a yellow yarn ball for pets, she bought it on a whim. She then threw in a few more snacks to finally qualify for free delivery. freewebnøvel.com
’Spending money really does feel great.’ Shi Lan felt no regret as she looked at all the snacks in her delivery queue. Black Star was just so remote, it was better to stock up all at once. This way, work wouldn’t be so boring.
After finishing her shopping, she realized it was almost time to clock out. Thinking of Ye Ming’s condition, she went for another walk through the prison.
However, the healing time in the Treatment Pod depended on the severity of the injuries. He Hanshi’s treatment had taken nearly three hours last time. It had only been a little over an hour now, so Ye Ming was still inside.
A complex look flickered in He Hanshi’s eyes as he watched her walk toward Ye Ming’s cell again. He then offered gentle comfort, "Don’t worry. Robot No. 3 said Ye Ming is still alive. He’ll probably be out in another hour or so."
"Mm-hmm."
Shi Lan nodded. ’How could she be unfeeling? She had been with them for a month now. She didn’t want any of the men in the prison to die, even though she knew their endings in the book were tragic.’
A flicker of pity crossed the depths of her crystal-clear eyes as she gazed at the still-messy cell number three.
’These men were once the pride of the Empire, heaven’s favored sons. Now they were forgotten in a corner of a remote star, simply waiting for death.’
’But their fate is likely inevitable. I need to adjust my mindset and get used to it. I shouldn’t get too invested in them, or it’ll just be more painful when it’s time to say goodbye.’
With that thought, she gave her usual instructions for the end of her shift and then left the prison.
That night, lying in bed, she couldn’t help but search the Star Network: "Is there a cure for spiritual power collapse of over 50%?"
On the Star Network, 80% of users said it was impossible. They explained that if someone with a low-level spiritual power collapsed, they could live for another seven to eight years. But for a powerhouse with a High-Level Spiritual Power, it was five years at most. Some threads even mentioned the men in her prison.
The consensus was that it was a death sentence.
Her heart sank. She couldn’t resist asking in a related thread, "Is there really no other way? With so many people in the Empire, do they just have to wait to die?"
The thread mentioned high-prestige powerhouses like He Hanshi and the Eldest Prince, so it had a lot of traffic. As soon as Shi Lan posted, replies started flooding in.
[ViceAdmiralHeIsMyGod]: "Yeah, we don’t want them to die either. I really hope we can see a miracle."
[MyPrecious]: "There’s nothing to be done. Many Level 3S powerhouses have died before. The Empire is still powerless against this."
[GodGrantMeAWife]: "Actually, in theory, that’s not necessarily true. For low-level and Middle-Level spiritual power collapses, the requirements for the female’s Spiritual Power Level aren’t that high. If a High-Level spiritual power collapses, finding a female with very high spiritual power might be a solution."
[GodGrantMeAWife]: "Of course, the risk is also huge. Someone suffering from a High-Level spiritual power collapse has a much lower trust in females. This situation would require a Spiritual Connection, but the probability of triggering a spiritual power breakdown is very high, and it would definitely harm the female. Without a guarantee of success, no female would dare to take such a risk."
In this world, a Spiritual Connection was similar to a soul bond. The requirements were extremely high: it necessitated a partner who was completely trusted and possessed high spiritual power. Only under the condition of absolute safety could a healing attempt be made, and even then, success wasn’t guaranteed.
’It really is difficult,’ Shi Lan mused. ’All of those conditions had to be met simultaneously, not just one or two.’
She let out a long sigh. ’Looks like there’s really no hope. The only thing that can save them is the female lead’s future Golden Finger.’
With that thought, she logged off the Star Network.
However, the thread was so popular and replies were refreshing so quickly that she missed one comment.
[HistoryBuff]: "I was reading some unofficial histories and came across a case. A female with a Plant Type spirit body cured a Level 2S powerhouse who was suffering from spiritual power collapse. They became partners afterward and traveled the cosmos together. So maybe a female with a Plant Type spirit body is the answer."
In the novel’s original setting, females awakened spiritual power but didn’t undergo Beastification, so their spiritual power couldn’t collapse. They did, however, have corresponding spirit bodies.
Most spirit bodies were animals; Plant Types were practically unheard of. Furthermore, a female’s soothing ability didn’t rely on her spirit body, so public attention was focused more on a female’s Spiritual Power Level and Fertility Value.
If Shi Lan had seen that comment, she would have immediately recalled that the novel’s heroine eventually develops a Plant Type spirit body. But alas, she missed it.
In the middle of the night, Shi Lan dreamed again of the little green mushroom people. They didn’t do anything but stare at her and cry, their wailing grating on her nerves. With an expression of pure innocence, she spoke the most vicious words, "Cry, cry, cry. Keep it up, and I’ll boil you all into soup. I’ll eat you one by one."
At her words, the little mushroom people actually stopped crying. They gnawed on their tiny hands and huddled together for warmth.
Shi Lan crouched in an empty corner, resting her chin on her hands and muttering, ’Why are they all green? They look poisonous.’
’I wouldn’t dare eat them even if they were served to me.’
"But still," she said, "why is it you guys again? Get out of my dream already!"
Shi Lan had lost count of how many times she’d met them. They were always crying in her dreams. It had gotten better for a while after she’d had some mushroom soup, but now they were back. She started to wonder if she’d eaten too many mushrooms, and now their spirits had come to mourn her.
Fearing they’d really be eaten, one of the little mushroom people let out a weak protest, "I don’t taste good! Don’t eat me! I won’t leave unless you promise!"
"Oh, really? Threatening me now? This is my dream. Believe it or not, I can conjure up a pot of boiling water right now and toss you all in!" freewebnovёl.ƈom
She was only making an idle threat, but a huge hot pot immediately materialized in her dream. It looked like an alchemist’s cauldron and was even divided into spicy and mild broth sections.
"How considerate?"
Her eyes lit up. She stared at the vibrant green mushroom people and let out a demonic laugh. The mushroom people screamed one after another and vanished in a flash. A sharp pain suddenly shot through her head, the dream shattered, and she snapped awake.
A clear, pitiful wail, like that of a four- or five-year-old child, echoed in her ears.
