Chapter 187
This timeline began after Starry Ming obtained the two lockboxes.
He gathered many people, searching them for gold items in hopes of opening them.
If there wasn’t gold, silver could make do.
After several attempts, Starry Ming discovered that as long as the amount of gold exceeded five taels, Lu Chuan’s lockbox would automatically open and absorb the gold, a process lasting about one second. A few more tries, and he might glimpse what was inside. By contrast, the Chairman’s lockbox wouldn’t open at all.
When his men ran out of gold, Starry Ming had to ask investigators in the city whether they had any heirloom jewelry. After all, Earth’s veins were badly polluted now, all gold mutated; the only chance was old stock.
Sure enough, he found a few gold ornaments and managed to trigger Lu Chuan’s box several times.
Unfortunately, despite repeated attempts, he still hadn’t clearly seen what was inside.
As he prepared to use the last bit of gold, the lockbox suddenly opened on its own.
To his surprise, a Money Tree, its branches of gold leaves hung with ingots, appeared before him.
The tree swayed, ingots chiming together in a crisp, pleasant sound.
The next instant, the tree vanished, as if everything just now had been an illusion.
Starry Ming blinked in disbelief.
“Could this be a special item left by Lu Chuan? Fits his taste, at least.”
Meanwhile, Lu Chuan woke up in a familiar shadowed place.
“This new guy didn’t even mention A-Xing; couldn’t last long at all.”
“He couldn’t even handle the simplest shadow calamity. What did he learn in class?”
“With results like that, he still came here as an intern?”
Familiar voices, familiar lines.
Lu Chuan was dragged out again, facing the Night Investigation Team members, who still looked at him with that mix of disdain and resentment.
Only this time, Lu Chuan wasn’t clueless like before.
So, the moment he first entered this Forbidden Zone for Humans instance, he had already come through again from the very end.
No wonder the Main God System had said this was an “experience copy” — the real, non-demo version was here.
Another difference: this time, #888 was with him, not absent as in his first run.
Lu Chuan didn’t recklessly change anything; he mimicked his first arrival, acting like an insignificant intern investigator.
It was just a matter of retracing everything once more.
In this timeline, Number 6 was likely still roaming other timelines, slowly regaining memories, and Wen Renxu likewise hadn’t yet appeared.
But there was one change.
This time, Lu Chuan could open Wen Renxu’s lockbox early, and thus see the [Time Magic] Wen Renxu had left behind.
No one knew this S+ item’s power better than Lu Chuan.
[Host, if we take this item, maybe we can leave the instance! This must be what the God of Time left here.] #888 sounded eager.
[Take it, and past and future will shift — we might break the loop.]
“Yeah.” Lu Chuan pulled out [Time Magic], agreeing with #888.
After all, this whole cycle ultimately traced back twenty years.
Who could say if Wen Renxu’s disappearance led to Lu Chuan’s arrival, or if Lu Chuan’s arrival caused Wen Renxu’s disappearance? Time was impossible to untangle.
But with this item in hand, this trip wouldn’t be in vain.
The moment Lu Chuan opened the box and retrieved [Time Magic], history changed.
Next thing he knew, he was teleported to another point in time — right into the middle of a cult’s sacrificial ceremony.
Descending from the sky onto their altar, he instantly drew every cultist’s furious glare.
“Uh… if I say I didn’t mean it, will you believe me?” Lu Chuan asked after a beat.
The cultists weren’t interested. They swarmed him at once.
“I’m not scared of you, I—” Lu Chuan braced for battle.
Three minutes later, he was tied obediently to a pillar, bleeding.
A familiar scene again.
Lu Chuan felt a headache coming on.
“Little System, you’d better explain why I have no strength and can’t use a single item right now.”
[Because the Seed of Divinity died once for you, Host! As its main body, you need time to repair.] #888 sounded guilty.
[Normally, for a god, recovery only takes seconds. But since you’re not one yet, it’s slower. Don’t worry — in half an hour you’ll be fine.]
Half an hour later, fully recovered, Lu Chuan smashed the altar and gave the [Omniscience God] a thorough beating.
What the hell? Like I’d just let you people keep bullying me!
Lu Chuan thought angrily.
“But there’s another problem, Little System,” Lu Chuan said aloud.
[What problem, Host?]
“Even though I’ve got this [Time Magic], I haven’t left the instance,” Lu Chuan said seriously. “Which timelines do I still need to cross to fill in the blanks?”
#888 pondered.
[That shouldn’t be, Host… Maybe because you haven’t yet met Wen Renxu and Number 6? Perhaps you need to free them from this cycle too.]
“…The Chairman’s side is manageable — I can just lay everything out, he’ll probably believe me and break free for now. But what about Number 6? You think I can stop him from devouring gods or regaining memories?” Lu Chuan spread his hands, dumping the problem on #888.
I’m only a system, Host, I don’t fight! #888 howled inwardly.
“Forget it, I shouldn’t expect too much from you.” Lu Chuan, seeing #888 stay silent, grew serious. “At this point, we should be able to contact Cang Jiu. Hurry up and reach out to him and see what’s going on.”
[Oh, oh. Okay, Host.]For the first time, #888 felt that Cang Jiu’s presence was truly necessary.
Just like now—if it couldn’t answer the host’s questions, at least there was someone else who could share the burden.
At that moment, Cang Jiu, who was trying to figure out a way to contact Lu Chuan, was suddenly contacted by Lu Chuan himself, leaving him a bit flattered.
“Cang Jiu, listen to me first. I’ve already experienced one cycle in this time dungeon. Here’s what happened…”
Chattering nonstop, Lu Chuan told Cang Jiu everything that had happened so far, including Number 6’s mutation, the use of the Money Tree, the current situation, and his plan to break through the dungeon.
The more Cang Jiu listened, the grimmer his expression became.
Number 18, who had originally wanted to tease him, immediately shut up and obediently went off to eat on the other side after seeing his senior’s worsening face.
Better to behave—his senior clearly wasn’t in a good mood.
“That’s pretty much everything. Did you understand it all?” Lu Chuan finished in one breath, his mouth dry.
“I understand,” Cang Jiu replied.
“You believe me that quickly?” Lu Chuan asked curiously.
“Of course.” Cang Jiu answered without hesitation. “You accepted the Golden World I gave you—there’s no way you’d lie to me.”
Kid, you’ve got sharp eyes!
Lu Chuan secretly gave Cang Jiu a thumbs-up, thinking he really did understand him.
After all, Lu Chuan was the kind of person who couldn’t turn his back on favors—if he took someone’s gift, he couldn’t help but soften toward them.
“Number 6’s mutation will be very hard to stop. He’s not like the other Executor Gods—he was originally a powerful deity himself. He hasn’t fused with many other gods’ memories, and with his authority, his subconscious will keep driving him to devour gods to recover his own memories. On the contrary, if you can’t stop him and you take away [Time Magic], the situation will only worsen. You won’t even know if another timeline loop will be possible. So, you only have this one shot.”
Cang Jiu had already grasped just how perilous this dungeon really was.
If Lu Chuan wanted to survive safely, he had to follow the original cycle plotline. But that meant constantly repeating the same things.
Breaking the cycle, however, could trigger a chain reaction. Wen Renxu might fail to seal Number 6, and then the [Devouring God] could consume the entire world, breaking the shackles of the time dungeon. But what would be the point of clearing the dungeon if Lu Chuan got devoured in the process?
There was only one chance to break the cycle. If he missed it, he might be trapped in endless repetition.
“Yes, that’s what I’m worried about. So I came to ask you—as a fellow god, how do you think I should deal with Number 6?” Lu Chuan asked sincerely.
After all, Cang Jiu had also revived from being an Executor God. In some ways, his perspective might align more closely with Number 6’s.
At that moment, Lu Chuan suddenly remembered what Number 6 had said before—that many gods used to ostracize the [God of Desire].
He wanted to ask Cang Jiu if that was true… but now didn’t feel like the right time, so he pressed the thought down for later.
“To deal with Number 6, the best way is to keep him conscious,” Cang Jiu said after thinking for a moment. “He and Wen Renxu are the protagonists of this time dungeon, and both are closely watched by the God of Time. Unlike you, they don’t have memories of the repeated cycles, which proves they’ve already fallen under the God of Time’s spell. So, if you can wake them from it, make them realize that everything needs to change, you might also be able to change Number 6’s mindset.”
“And how do I keep him conscious?” Lu Chuan asked.
“Let him recover part of his memories, but not all,” Cang Jiu replied. “Don’t let him devour too many gods. If he eats too much, he’ll be assimilated by the memories, making it hard for him to see things clearly. You said earlier that there are four Evil Gods in this dungeon, all high-level gods you’re familiar with. If Number 6 doesn’t devour all of them, only half, then he shouldn’t fully recover.”
“…So what you mean is, I have to personally help him catch two Evil Gods to eat, but also make sure he doesn’t eat too much. Is that right?” Lu Chuan’s teeth ground a little.
How was this advice any different from babysitting in a kindergarten?
“At the moment, that’s the only approach to try,” Cang Jiu admitted, hearing Lu Chuan’s dissatisfaction. “Number 6 never had close ties with us, and the higher an Executor God ranks, the lower their rationality tends to be.”
Number 6 hated the Main God System far too deeply—persuading him with words was impossible. Worse, if he realized Lu Chuan’s identity, he might swallow him whole.
Better to let him never fully recover. A half-awake Number 6 was easiest to fool; any other time, he’d be unapproachable.
Cang Jiu had tested this many times on Number 18. If a god could wake up and still hold a normal conversation, Number 18 wouldn’t be the mess he was now.
Number 18 glanced at his senior and suddenly had a bad feeling. His senior’s eyes seemed full of disdain.
But he had only been eating quietly! How could that upset him?
Forget it—better not disturb them. He slipped farther away.
Once he was sure he was out of sight, Number 18 took out his hidden stash and ate slowly.
“My own rationality isn’t that high either.” Lu Chuan didn’t realize his conversation with Cang Jiu had hurt poor Number 18. Instead, he felt a bit melancholic. “But you do make sense. I’ll try my best. If it doesn’t work, you’d better come save me—I don’t have a second Money Tree anymore.”
After all, he didn’t want to lose his life in this dungeon. That’d be too pitiful. Better to secure a backup plan than cry for help too late.
“Alright.” This time, Cang Jiu agreed readily.
If it really came to that, he didn’t care what would happen if two True Gods appeared in the same dungeon—he’d just rescue Lu Chuan first.
After cutting the connection, Lu Chuan stretched and decided to give it a try.
Step by step, then traverse into another timeline. Start with Wen Renxu, then wait for Number 6 to arrive and see if they could ally.
[Host, how about trying to drink more Calmness Potions?] #888 suddenly raised another possibility. [Even though we don’t have Rationality Cards anymore, Calmness Potions are still available outside. If your rationality increases, maybe you’ll think of something different. Since you don’t have any gold right now, it’s worth a try, isn’t it?]
“I don’t have any on me, but Shen Li still does.” Lu Chuan replied directly. “But what if it uses up my real-world gold? A rational version of me is still a bit… Wait, system, why are you suddenly bringing this up? Something’s wrong—spill it. What’s going on?”
#888 was about to cry.
It hadn’t meant to say this to the host.
But the idea of Lu Chuan approaching Wen Renxu and Number 6 again, trying to free them from the cycle—was too dangerous. Only one chance, and without the Money Tree, he was far too vulnerable.
That’s why #888 wanted to see what the 100-Rationality Lu Chuan would do.
After all, wasn’t this dungeon opened by that version of Lu Chuan?
Whether it was 60-Rationality or 100-Rationality Lu Chuan, neither would ever intentionally harm himself. So maybe the higher-rationality Lu Chuan had a better plan—and that could explain why he’d dragged the current Lu Chuan in without telling him.
More than fearing Lu Chuan’s anger, #888 feared for his safety.
Even if it meant punishment, it didn’t want him to risk his life.
Without realizing it, #888 had placed Lu Chuan’s survival above his becoming a god.
Maybe it was because the humanized module had been loaded too much—#888 found itself wishing Lu Chuan would live well, rather than be trapped in this impossible dilemma.
[H-Host, actually, there’s something I never told you, wuwuwu…] Stammering and sobbing, #888 confessed everything the 100-Rationality Lu Chuan had done.
Including his brief appearance in the [Battle of the Blood Kingdom] dungeon, and the deliberate tricks played earlier to drag him into this dungeon.
Lu Chuan froze after hearing it all.
“Wait, wait. Did I hear that right? Let me go over this again.” He jabbed a finger at himself, step by step. “You’re saying there’s another me—at full Rationality—who’s been in my body this whole time. And this full-Rationality me is the one who tricked me into this damned dungeon. So basically, I tricked myself, but I don’t even know it? Is that what you’re saying?”
[It’s a bit of a tongue-twister, but yes.] #888 answered.
“…I knew it! High-Rationality me is no good either.” Lu Chuan cursed even himself mercilessly. “Either a wastrel, or a cold-blooded killer—and now one that even sabotages me? Didn’t I say the Main God System’s Rationality ratings were nonsense? I’m perfectly normal but scored so low, while my other insane self gets full marks.”
#888 stayed silent. It didn’t know what to say anymore, only hoping the host would forgive it—and go easy when punishing it.
“And you only tell me now? Really?” Lu Chuan wanted to drag #888 out of his head and shake the water out of its database. Which version of himself could he even trust anymore? He still didn’t know.
[Because I didn’t want you, my host, to take risks.] #888 instinctively replied. [You also know that stopping Number 6 like this is extremely dangerous, which is why I had Cang Jiu come rescue you. But even if Cang Jiu came, he might not be able to find the correct timeline. In the domain of the God of Time, even the God of Desire might not be able to prevail. If he can’t save you, and you no longer have your money-tree, then you’ll be in danger. I can’t just watch you die.]
#888 understood very clearly what was truly important.
“ Tch. System, you may not be the brightest, but sometimes you really know how to cool my temper.” Lu Chuan let out a long sigh. He was the type who responded to gentleness but not hardness, so when #888 said things like this, he couldn’t keep being angry.
Still, punishment was punishment.
Once he got out of this instance and became guildmaster of the Starfall Guild, he’d make #888 sort through every single account of the guild. If its database didn’t smoke by the end, then he wouldn’t be surnamed Lu!
[Host…] #888 whimpered pitifully.
“But you’re right about one thing. So what if max sanity points are impressive? Max sanity points mean you can set me up? Since he caused this mess, let him deal with it.” Lu Chuan had completely forgotten that he used to enjoy setting himself up, too.
Now, he just wanted revenge.
Even if the one he was targeting was still himself.
Lu Chuan went to the nearest shop and started buying calming potions like mad.
Buy one, drink one.
When his Sanity Value rose to 70, his head cleared a little, and he realized his behavior was a bit foolish. But after some thought, he figured this problem was indeed hard to handle right now, so he kept drinking.
At 80 Sanity, he tried again to look for a way to break the instance. Failing, he gave up and drank more.
At 90 Sanity, Lu Chuan’s face was already wreathed in smiles.
#888 was so terrified it shook, not daring to speak to a 90-Sanity Lu Chuan.
“I really look forward to what I’ll do once I hit max Sanity.”
No matter the stage, Lu Chuan could never let go of the fact that his max-Sanity self had set him up.
What’s so great about max Sanity? Could it really change one’s essence? It was still just himself, in a different state. Who would ever think poorly of their own self?
One bottle after another—until he had drunk nearly all the calming potion stock of the nearby shops.
At last, his Sanity Value hit 100.
His stomach was bloated to the point of bursting from all the potion; if he kept drinking, he’d vomit.
[Congratulations, your Sanity Value has increased to 100.]
Max-Sanity Lu Chuan opened his eyes, looked at the potion bottles scattered around him, and chuckled softly.
He was perfectly clear on what had happened. After all, Lu Chuan had always been the same person, so naturally he had access to all the memories.
Humans cannot empathize with their past selves.
“Don’t be afraid, #888. I knew you’d eventually say it, and I knew I’d show up.”
His voice was extraordinarily gentle, and that gentleness struck #888 deeply, after all the pain it had suffered from Lu Chuan in different Sanity states.
Ah, it was my fault. How could I have betrayed my host?
Max-Sanity Host… he was just too good.
Even a system could not empathize with its past self.
Author’s Note:
Lu Chuan: “What’s so great about max Sanity?”
100-Sanity Lu Chuan: “It really is great.”
