Cosmic Odyssey

A salty fish phase? Nonexistent! Yu Xian was merely binge-watching a show. In truth, Little Nora had only been venting offhand, never expecting anyone to take her grumbling seriously. It was true that every so often Yu Xian would barely move or step outside for a stretch of time, but that was actually because he had found a good drama, slipped into binge-watching mode, and refused to leave the house until he reached the grand finale. Recently, he had stumbled upon a sci-fi series titled *Cosmic Odyssey* and was utterly captivated by the story of a small crew drifting through space aboard a starship, embarking on adventures. Particularly in the final few episodes, the story shockingly revealed that every member of the crew was actually a brain-in-a-vat test subject. Their so-called cosmic voyage was merely an electronic simulation generated by machines, deceiving those brains into believing they existed in a real universe. Even though he had possessed a faint inkling during the earlier episodes, Yu Xian was still profoundly shaken when the truth came to light. At last, he finished the final episode. The protagonists realized they were trapped in a fictitious universe and recognized their own tragic fate, ultimately choosing to commit suicide. "Speaking of which... could I actually just be a brain in a vat too?" Lying on his rocking chair, Yu Xian felt an empty sense of melancholic loss after the finale, and a thought inevitably surfaced in his mind. To be fair, the characters in the show were able to realize they lived in a fake world because that world had noticeable flaws. Yet the world Yu Xian inhabited was an utter mess with a massive pile of flaws. But when there were too many flaws, it was almost as if there were none at all. He genuinely had no idea how to prove he was in a real world. "Salty Fish, let's go eat the World's Best Bun!" Zhang Buyao strode over with light, brisk steps, immediately inviting Yu Xian the moment she saw him. Sitting in his rocking chair, Yu Xian stared at Zhang Buyao's face. Once she drew near, he reached out and gave her cheek a hard, twisting pinch. "Ouch! What are you doing?" Zhang Buyao cried out in pain, hurriedly swatting his hand away and asking with a scowl. Yu Xian asked, "Yaoyao, tell me, how can we be sure this world is real and not an illusion? What if we're actually brains in vats and everything we see is just a phantom? What would we do then?" "Who cares whether it's real or fake? As long as you believe your life is real, then it's real!" Zhang Buyao replied gruffly, rubbing her cheek. Yu Xian sighed wistfully. "Then what if I've actually been caught in an illusion technique, and everything right now is an illusion?" *Smack!* Zhang Buyao delivered a resounding slap straight across Yu Xian's cheek. The force was so immense that the collision generated scorching heat, and white steam rose from both her hand and Yu Xian's face. "Aaaargh, that hurts...!" Yu Xian's eyes went wide as he sharply sucked in a breath of cold air, unable to hold back a wretched howl. His cheekbone had been shattered and his teeth knocked out. Although his injuries healed the very next second, the pain still transmitted directly into his brain, making him feel every bit of agony. Zhang Buyao smiled with satisfaction. "Mhm, looks like it's not an illusion." In fact, Zhang Buyao possessed the Eye of Truth and couldn't possibly fall under an illusion technique in the first place, so she naturally knew Yu Xian was just having a momentary lapse of sanity. "Yaoyao, I recommend you check out a show. I think it's pretty good. It's called *Cosmic Odyssey*. Be sure to watch it when you have time," Yu Xian said with a beaming smile, rubbing his cheek. Zhang Buyao was certain Yu Xian was trying to set a trap for her. Still, she genuinely enjoyed watching all kinds of films, dramas, variety shows, and live-action adventure programs. So she nodded. "Sure, I'll watch it. Now let's go eat the World's Best Bun. Come on." She pulled Yu Xian to his feet and dragged him toward Little Huangquan's kitchen. However, right after crossing the stone bridge, she and Yu Xian saw Little Nora bounding over. Both were taken aback—instead of doing an eating broadcast aboard the Aska, Little Nora had actually stepped outside. "Big Brother, Sister Yaoyao!" Little Nora greeted them in high spirits. Yu Xian asked curiously, "Little Nora, what brings you here?" "Big Brother, the Death Calamity Sea is holding the grandest gourmet competition, and I'm a judge!" Little Nora answered proudly. Zhang Buyao said in surprise, "You're a judge? Aside from saying 'delicious,' 'yummy,' and 'this is tasty too,' what else can you even critique?" "Sister Yaoyao, they all said I've eaten more delicacies than they've ever seen, which is why they asked me to be a judge! I think they have a point. I eat so much food every day—isn't it totally reasonable for me to be a judge?" Little Nora argued indignantly. Zhang Buyao tilted her head. "Well, put that way, it does make a bit of sense." Even so, she still believed Little Nora wouldn't be able to offer any critique beyond "delicious" and "this is tasty too." Meanwhile, Yu Xian had already deduced the true motive behind this gourmet competition. The Deadly Sun had likely become a threat to the entire Death Calamity Sea, and the local inhabitants wanted him to intervene, which was why they had gone through roundabout methods to target Little Nora. "Since Little Nora is a judge, let's go check it out together," Yu Xian said to Zhang Buyao, an idea striking him as his eyes shifted slyly. Zhang Buyao shot him a glance. She knew him inside out—the moment he stuck his backside out, she knew whether he wanted to take a dump or let out a fart. She instantly understood that he wanted to use the gourmet competition as a shield simply because he didn't want to eat the World's Best Bun. Even so, the idea piqued her interest, and she finally nodded. "Alright, let's go join the fun. We'll call Niman and the others so everyone can have a good time." "Yay!" Hearing that everyone was coming along to support her, Little Nora cheered happily. Two hours later, everyone gathered together, returned directly to the passenger space, and opened the door leading outside. Outside Dianguang Island, countless islands were layered upon one another amid swirling clouds and mists. Every island was hosting a different event. The moment the door of the Little Mobile Ant Car opened, the bustling excitement of the festivities surged to a whole new peak. "Benefactor, Duckie, you've arrived!" Sima Gao exclaimed joyfully the instant he spotted Yu Xian and Little Nora. Yu Xian glanced around and asked in surprise, "Isn't this supposed to be a gourmet competition? Why does it feel like every island is doing something different?" "Island Number One is hosting the gourmet competition, Island Number Two has the beauty pageant, Island Number Three is the handsome men contest, Island Number Four is the rare beast competition, Island Number Five is the treasure appraisal contest, Island Number Six is..." Sima Gao reeled off the events hosted on each island in a single breath. Just reciting the full roster of events took him more than ten minutes, which made it abundantly clear how extravagant the whole affair was. Yu Xian did not know whether to laugh or cry. The people of the Death Calamity Sea had truly gone to great pains to lure him out; at this point, it would almost feel unreasonable if he didn't help resolve the Deadly Sun. "Everyone, feel free to explore on your own. Go wherever you'd like to play," Yu Xian said to the group after a moment of thought. Little Nora immediately chirped with excitement, "I'm going to Island Number One to be a judge! I want to eat yummy food!" "Then I'll go check out Island Number Five," Niman said with a smile. Nora chose Island Number Thirty-Three, where a shooting competition was underway, wanting to see other people's marksmanship skills. Before long, everyone had selected their destinations and scattered, leaving only Yu Xian and Sima Gao standing there, staring blankly at each other. "Benefactor, how about... we go watch the beauty pageant?" Seeing Yu Xian fall silent, Sima Gao thought for a moment and offered the suggestion. *Am I really that kind of person?* Yu Xian had the distinct impression that his reputation in the Death Calamity Sea had somehow gone terribly awry.