Chapter 1

Hanhai City is just a small mountain town, surrounded by mountains and located in the heart of the mainland, yet its name often misleads people into thinking it is a coastal city.

The reason for this "facing the sea" awkwardness can be traced back to a distant geological period. According to legend, the area between the mountains of Hanhai City was indeed a vast ocean millions of years ago.

Of course, this is a story from long ago.

Hanhai City is divided into two parts by a small river that originates from the southern mountain streams, formed by numerous intricate underground streams. Therefore, the river water is always clear and cold, quite different from other rivers in the region.

This not-so-wide river is called Rili Creek by the locals, and for thousands of years, it has nourished the land and its people.

Near the source of the river, in the outskirts of the mountain town, there is a natural village at the foot of the mountains.

Although the village is not large and is far from the city center, its environment is very pleasant, with mountains and water. Especially after a new rain, the mist that rises from the mountain streams decorates the area like a fairyland. The increased stream flow from the rain often brings unexpected gifts from the mountain's limestone, adding countless joys to the lives of the local villagers, especially the children.

The rainstorm of the past two days was particularly intense, but fortunately, it cleared up by Saturday.

In the evening, the mist over the babbling stream was slowly drifting and dancing, constantly changing shape. The fresh air after the rain, mixed with the clear and cold stream water, instantly made one escape the闷热 of early summer.

At the foot of the mountain, along Rili Creek, the houses built along the river were emitting warm light, looking like twinkling stars dotted along the winding river from a distance.

At this moment, in the first house at the foot of the mountain, the Yuan Haochen family was gathered around the dining table.

Every weekend, when Yuan Haochen, a boarding student at Hanhai City's Third Middle School, returned home, he felt as if he had been granted a reprieve. Life at school was really too oppressive.

In just over ten days, he would be taking the college entrance exam. Hanhai Third Middle School was a very ordinary high school in the city, and its college entrance exam results were far behind those of the first and second high schools. Unfortunately, Yuan Haochen was a unique underachiever at the school.

He was called unique because he was the hardest-working underachiever in the entire school. From the principal to the security guard, Old Wang, everyone knew about his diligence.

However, he was naturally dull and a standard underachiever. Whenever Principal Zhang saw Yuan Haochen, he would pat his shoulder with great sympathy and say awkwardly, "Yuan Haochen, academic performance doesn't represent everything. We can still develop in other areas."

In the house, his mother tried several times to speak but held back. Yuan Haochen knew that his mother wanted to show concern and encourage him, but the same words had been said too many times, and now, as the final moment approached, she didn't know how to start.

The atmosphere was somewhat awkward, so Yuan Haochen had to lower his head and eat, then hurriedly put down his chopsticks. "Mom, I'm a bit tired from studying these days. I want to go to the river to rest for a while and come back to study later."

His mother was taken aback. "Sure, sure, take a rest. Don't work too hard."

Following Rili Creek upstream, near the foot of the mountain, where many small streams converge, over time, a small pond has formed. The water is not deep and is crystal clear.

The bottom of the pond is covered with variously shaped small stones. Most of the stones, worn down by time and the stream, have become smooth, revealing their inner materials and showing different colors. Under the faint moonlight, they appear even more warm and smooth.

Yuan Haochen sat on a large rock by the pond, his bare feet immersed in the water. The icy sensation reached deep into his mind, refreshing and invigorating. He lifted his head to gaze at the stars in the sky, and everything became serene.

Yuan Haochen didn't know what he was thinking. Perhaps he was still worried about his studies, or maybe he was already imagining his future after the college entrance exam. His parents worked so hard; if he couldn't get into college, taking on some responsibilities for the family might be a good outcome...

The sky after the rain seemed even more vast and profound. The rain had cleared the dust from the air, making it seem as if one could see to the very depths of the sky.

Yuan Haochen suddenly remembered a question he had asked his father when he was young: How big is the universe? Does it have an edge? If it does, what is beyond the edge?

This question was clearly beyond the understanding of his father and himself, but the lack of an answer added to its mystery, making Yuan Haochen often look at the stars in the universe when he was troubled, as he did today.

Suddenly, a bright meteor streaked across the sky, and Yuan Haochen's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it. He watched the meteor disappear and fell into deep thought. In his field of vision, the direction the meteor disappeared was the direction from which the mountain stream flowed. The stream was not usually as turbulent as it was today, but after several days of heavy rain, the water flow had doubled.

Another meteor! Another meteor flew from the distance.

No, Yuan Haochen suddenly stood up and focused. This meteor was different; it was moving along the mountain stream toward him.

Yuan Haochen realized that this was not a meteor. He saw the cold glow getting closer and closer, and in a moment, it was right in front of him.

Splash! The cold glow leaped into the center of the pond, emitting a faint light from the bottom.

Yuan Haochen eagerly walked into the deeper part of the pond. When the water reached his waist, he pressed his eyes close to the surface and could clearly see the cold glow.

It was a fist-sized object, lying quietly at the bottom of the pond, emitting a distant glow, looking extraordinary.

Yuan Haochen's eyes widened, deeply attracted by the glow, feeling a bit lost and unsure what to do.

After about five minutes, Yuan Haochen leaned into the bottom of the pond.

Finally, the cold glow was carefully picked up.

The texture was like a stone, but it emitted such a captivating light. The light was not glaring but gave a feeling of immense comfort.

This light reminded Yuan Haochen of the scene in the school playground, where he continued to study under the cold streetlights after the dorm lights were turned off.

Illusion! Yuan Haochen suddenly realized that the light was gradually fading.

Indeed, from the moment he held the glowing object, the light began to fade at a not very noticeable rate. Yuan Haochen was a bit panicked, as if the priceless treasure he had just obtained was slowly slipping away.

After about five minutes, the glow had dimmed to the point of being barely noticeable, and what he held in his hand was just an ordinary pebble from the bottom of the pond.

Time passed, and the cold moonlight still illuminated the small pond. Yuan Haochen stood in the pond, waiting for a miracle to light up the pebble in his hand again.

Gradually, Yuan Haochen realized that this was just a fantasy, so he disappointedly walked back to the shore. He sat on the large rock again, holding the pebble and staring into space.

After a long time, Yuan Haochen sighed and got up to leave the pond. He decided to go home and study the stone further.

When he pushed the door open, his parents had already finished washing up and were waiting for him silently.

On the table was a bowl of snacks and some washed and cut fruit, all prepared by his mother. Thinking about how much his parents had done for him and how his performance at school could never bring them glory, Yuan Haochen sighed again.

"You're back. Your mother has prepared some snacks for you. Finish them before you study," his father said first.

"Why are you all wet? What happened?" his father suddenly noticed something was wrong.

"Um, I went to the river to pick up this stone, so..." Yuan Haochen explained.

His mother quickly brought a towel. "Why did you go to the river to pick up stones? What if you get sick?"

"Father, this stone came from the mountain with the stream. When I picked it up, it was glowing, but now it has dimmed. Do you know why?" Yuan Haochen asked.

"Let me see," his father examined it but found nothing unusual. After a moment of thought, he said, "It might be some kind of mineral, containing phosphorus or something else. It oxidizes and glows, like the glow sticks you played with when you were little. Once the energy is used up, it dims. Don't think too much about it, just focus on your studies."

"Maybe," Yuan Haochen said noncommittally, changed into dry clothes, and dejectedly placed the stone on the bookshelf in his room.

His mother had already brought the snacks into Yuan Haochen's room. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "You seem very tired today. Why don't you rest early and go to school early tomorrow to review?"

"Okay," Yuan Haochen felt a bit lost after the unexpected gain and loss.

He had indeed been working too hard recently. After turning off the lights and lying flat on the bed, the starlight from the window quickly put him to sleep.

He slept particularly deeply that night. In his dream, Yuan Haochen found himself sitting on the large rock by the pond. Suddenly, the scene around him changed, and he found himself in the vast universe. Various celestial bodies were moving along different trajectories, emitting different colors of light, sometimes far and sometimes near.

Yuan Haochen couldn't resist reaching out to touch them. The feeling was unique; the celestial bodies seemed far away, yet there was a sense that they were within reach.

More and more celestial bodies appeared in his field of vision, constantly moving and evolving.

In his dream, it felt like a long time had passed, or perhaps time had become meaningless.

He saw the birth of stars, their growth, expansion, and explosion, leaving behind a core that emitted a faint light.

After an unknown period, the core lost even its faint light, and everything became utterly still...