Famine 173: Spinning Black Hole Crystal

When they returned to see Alice, Yu Yao was already waiting at the door, smiling as he greeted, “Please, come in. Miss Alice has been awaiting your arrival.”

Miss Alice’s bedroom was spacious, with an inner and an outer room, the latter clearly used for receiving guests. The floor was covered in plush pink carpeting, adorned with elegant stone angel sculptures, and sparkling gems hung everywhere.

Si Zhiyan nearly stumbled at the sheer extravagance of the décor as he entered.
He rummaged for a while before finally managing to clear a spot among the pearl-laden couches and squeezed himself in.

The young lady sat amid a heap of jewels and dolls on the sofa, sipping the peach tea brought by Si Zhiyan, cheerfully leaning forward, “Mr. Si! Mr. Si, what new treasures have you brought today?”

“Good day, Miss.”
Si Zhiyan smiled and opened his package.
“Then let’s get straight to business.”

“We’re here this time to request the castle’s initial forging of this item.”

Tap.
With a faint chiming sound, a stone peeked out from the package.

It was about the size of a plum, jet-black and brilliant all over, its depths swirling with a space as dark as a black hole—like a ball of pristine black crystal.
Yet to the touch, it was soft, almost like a dumpling.

[?]

The little black crystal looked from side to side, rolling out of the package with a clatter.

“Oh!” Alice’s eyes lit up instantly. “What is this? It’s adorable!”

She snatched up the little black crystal with speed and precision, holding it delicately in her slender fingers, turning it over and over for inspection. The black crystal dumpling wriggled in her palm, cool to the touch; at its core, the black hole, when held up to the light, became an intricate, sparkling vortex, slowly spinning as though encasing an entire universe.

Alice’s eyes shone brightly, and her voice was rapturous, “Ah… I can sense wonderful energy within it… It seems related to space? No, without forging, I can’t be sure…”

Even Yu Yao was taken aback, leaning in for a closer look, “It’s truly beautiful… what immense potential. It’s moving—does it have intelligence? We’ve never had an order like this before, but perhaps it can be processed like magic water… If it’s merely for preliminary forging, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Come on, let’s try right now!”

Alice was decisive—she waved energetically and hopped off the sofa. All the while, the little black crystal tried to make a run for it, but Miss Alice quelled it with practiced authority.

The young lady seemed a different person altogether; tying her long hair into a ponytail, she strode briskly to the door, radiating energy. Only at the doorway did she remember her guests, turning back to Si Zhiyan’s group to say:

“The castle’s underground forge is as secret as they come, I’m afraid I can’t allow visitors.”

“We’ll return by lunchtime. Feel free to explore the castle in the meantime.”

Backlit by sunlight, she flashed a brilliant smile:

“Wait for my good news!”

Si Zhiyan nodded with a smile.
No mention of price—truly someone led by her passions.

……

When they exited the room, the castle glowed with light and grandeur, blue sky and clouds overhead.

Alice’s quarters were high up by the atrium; from the door, there was a pretty balcony corridor overlooking the courtyard. Below, servants bustled back and forth—a thriving, lively atmosphere.

Si Zhiyan turned to Bian Xu with a smile, “Are you curious? I know I am.”

“I want to know what this place is really like, but I don’t speak well enough to pry on my own—I’d probably come off as stiff.”
His fingertips brushed Bian Xu’s shoulder, his red eyes gentle.
“Would you be willing to help? I’ll wait for you right here.”

Bian Xu’s shoulders tensed—he understood that Si Zhiyan wanted him to try acting independently.

“It’s all right,” came Si Zhiyan’s voice, soft as a spell. “There are at most three hours until lunch. I’ll be here. If anything feels wrong, come find me anytime.”

The warmth and steadiness of his fingertips anchored Bian Xu.
Trembling, he nodded firmly, wiping his face before looking up again, his bright smile returned—though the corners of his eyes were still tinged red—as he said, “All right!”

He departed.

Si Zhiyan leaned on the railing, watching Bian Xu’s upright figure with a slow, developing smile at his lips.

……

Three hours later, Bian Xu returned as promised.

From his account, Si Zhiyan gradually pieced together a mental map of the castle.

—Hephaestus Castle, called a “settlement,” was in some ways an imprecise term.

This was Alice’s fairy tale castle.

Its true master was Alice alone. The young lady lived blissfully in the castle; Yu Yao managed every affair with a quiet smile.

And as for all the others—

Back in the early days of Hunger Games, the first players here were survivors from a shopping mall, a small group who one day, while out adventuring, found an unconscious—

It must still have been early then—the apocalypse’s cruelty had not spread so wide, and people retained the compassion and tenderness of peacetime. After a moment’s hesitation, they brought them back to their refuge.

Like every fairy tale, kind strangers rescued a noble in distress. When the young lady and her butler awoke, their saviors led them to a castle straight out of a fantasy, bestowing upon them a trade for their new life.

For seven years since, Hephaestus Castle endured.

Yu Yao was the butler.

Though “butler” sounded like a lowly role, in truth, it meant overseeing everything, even managing construction progress for Hephaestus crafts. The castle housed hundreds of craftspeople and servants—Yu Yao was the equivalent of a CEO overseeing hundreds.

These matters were all handled at night. During the day, as long as Alice was awake, Yu Yao was always at her side.
They shared no blood ties, but their bond was closer than kin.

And as for what Alice herself did…

She seemed to do nothing in particular. She followed her whims throughout the day, trying to see what odd things she could eat, or going on brief adventures—causing minor headaches for Yu Yao.

The craftsmen and workshops were all underground, with workers on rotating shifts—five days on, two off, except in emergencies. They came up to live on the surface during their breaks.

None of the people working above ever spoke a word about the underground workshop.

Si Zhiyan leaned on the railing, looking down at the courtyard, then smiled and ruffled Bian Xu’s hair, “Well done. Thank you.”

“In just three hours, to gather so much information—impressive work.”

Bian Xu blushed, a bit triumphant but trying to hide it, timidly brushing up against Si Zhiyan’s hand.
Si Zhiyan could tell—if he had a tail, he’d be wagging it like a fan by now.

Si Zhiyan withdrew his hand with a smile, “It’s a fairy tale place.”

In the garden, gardeners and maids moved in clusters, glancing up at the two unfamiliar, striking young men on the second floor, whispering among themselves.

A brown-haired maid came up and curtsied to them, smiling, “Gentlemen. Miss has already left the workshop and is on her way up. You’ll see her soon.”

Bian Xu replied, “Thank you, Miss Naya.”

The maid blinked, surprised, then smiled gently, “How did you know my name?”

Bian Xu leaned against the balcony with a grin, “I remembered! Mr. Yu called your name yesterday. You were behind Miss Alice then. Did you get to try the bento? How was it? …No matter, you look great today, so it must have been delicious!”

The young maid blushed, nodded, and hurried off with a smile.

“Looks like everyone’s in good spirits,” Bian Xu said, leaning on the balcony, watching her leave. “They’re so happy. It makes me think of the carefree boys and girls from before the apocalypse—so pure.”

“That reminds me, I once considered whether we should bring the castle under the farm’s management,” Si Zhiyan said, shaking his head. “Now, I see there’s no need for that. They’d never accept it.”

Bian Xu said, “Food in the Hunger Games is expensive. With that many commissions, can they really provide for everyone here without pressure?”

“It’s difficult, unless…” Si Zhiyan paused, clearly already holding the answer, and said calmly, “…they can reduce another massive expense.”

“—Player strengthening.”

“…”
Bian Xu’s smile was flawless, but also false.

He narrowed his eyes, watching the maids’ lively, unarmed figures below.

Hephaestus Castle was nothing like the Bone Ferry or the Farm—here, besides the young lady and her butler, all members were ordinary people.

Their renowned reputation and skills allowed them to earn enough while remaining in seclusion to support all the “ordinary people” in this tiny enclave.

If they didn’t ask for high credits, only took nutrient packs and food as payment, they could manage well enough.

If the Hunger Games was hell, then this was the highest tier of hell.

Yet on closer thought, even this fairy tale depended on certain conditions.

—First, lacking access to credit-fueled enhancements, they couldn’t complete quests and had to hide in subspace, refusing outside visitors, steering clear of conflicts among players.

—Second…

“The young lady and butler are truly good people,” Bian Xu said suggestively with a smile.

There was no one overseeing the young lady and her butler. They were the true autocrats here.

The butler’s long whip brimmed with thunderous power, but he stood calmly behind Alice;
The girl, with a chainsaw in hand—sweet-faced yet bloody—stood alone at the front of the castle.

Together, they’d built a fairy-tale castle amid the apocalypse.

Si Zhiyan made no comment.

Creak.
Alice returned.

She had her hair in a ponytail, her poofy pink dress tied up, and she invited Si Zhiyan and Bian Xu back into her room.

There, using a velvet cloth, she presented a black crystal that rolled about restlessly.

It was surely not an illusion that it had been polished—now it was even rounder and clearer, like a tiny crystal dumpling.
And on that glossy little black crystal, a label finally revealed what Si Zhiyan had longed to see.

[Spinning Black Hole Crystal]
Hululu…
A crystal containing the powers of space and life, with something spinning inside.
It was conceived at the dusk of a world’s destruction, yet it was born at the dawn of new life. It is the child of the world.
It appears to possess a certain intelligence.

[Stage One Forging Unlocked]
The Black Hole Crystal can sense [World Fragments].
No matter if they are about to be destroyed, or already gone.
They can search for [World Fragments] and attempt to gain the remaining will within each fragment’s [Acknowledgment].

Upon gaining sufficient [Acknowledgment], the crystal can resonate with those fragments, borrowing the power of the world itself.

However, given its small size, the degree of resonance is minute.

For example,
If you gain the approval of [Tianman Blessed Land – Divine Samurai], you could, just like a Divine Samurai, briefly borrow the destiny power of the heavenly bloodline to fight for yourself.

This is about the extent of its ability.
Gaining new world, or new will’s acknowledgment will overwrite the previous record.

……

The results of this forging exceeded even Si Zhiyan’s expectations!
Si Zhiyan couldn’t help but feel a jolt of excitement.

Yu Yao marveled, “To borrow the power of an entire world…it’s unheard of.”

“A gemstone of priceless value… I’d trade a tower for one… It’s breathtakingly beautiful. Farm owner, how much do you plan to sell them for? No, such treasures are surely not for sale…”

Alice held up the gem, cupping her cheeks in fascination, whispering,

“Then, let me ask, sir: from which world did you find this?”

Good. Here was the crucial point.

Si Zhiyan took a deep breath, suppressed his excitement, and smiled slightly, answering without hesitation, “We produced them ourselves.”

Silence.
At this, both Alice and Yu Yao’s pupils contracted sharply. They exchanged a glance and looked up at Si Zhiyan in perfect unison, shock written on their faces.

Si Zhiyan bowed courteously:

“That, in fact, is why I am here to speak with you both—”

“I wish to sign a batch processing agreement.”

Tap!
Tap! Tap, tap-tap! Tap!

No sooner had he spoken than a small troop of black crystals leapt from his bag, one after another, like a fountain.

They looked lively, yet retained their crystalline texture, bouncing and rolling all over the table with soft clinks.

Countless tiny black holes glanced around curiously, scattering like playful marbles.

Bian Xu was prepared; vines coiled gently to gather all the little black crystal dumplings together. He crouched down, patting one seriously: “Didn’t we agree last night? If you come out, you’re not allowed to embarrass the farm!”

Tap tap! Tap-tap-tap-tap!

The little black holes bounced and patted and made their own odd little commotions, in ways only they could understand.

And so, not a single gem, but… a multitude.

A never-ending supply, mined every day, in a great and growing abundance.