Not a Secret

Physical labor consumes energy quickly, and by noon, Zhou Yi was starving.

Her stomach growled, but unfortunately, Zhou Yi was completely out of Nutrient Solution in her Space Ring.

She still had dozens of Star Coins, but clearly, they couldn't be delivered underground, even if she ordered through her Star Brain.

After all, this wasn't Earth, with its magical delivery services.

"I can't go on, I can't go on. If I don't eat, I won't be able to swing this shovel even once."

Zhou Yi couldn't stand the hunger any longer. She carried two mineral crystals out and traded them with Curly-Haired Brother for two Nutrient Solutions.

Gulp, gulp, gulp.

After downing both Nutrient Solutions, Zhou Yi felt like she had been recharged. Her back didn't hurt, her legs weren't sore, and her little shovel could once again be swung through the air.

"Brother Gal, do I look like a trustworthy person?"

Zhou Yi had just been trying her luck, and she hadn't expected Curly-Haired Brother to actually settle with her in advance.

Did she just look honest?

As expected of me, Zhou Yi patted her stomach, satisfied.

"You're thinking too much. You've redeemed two pieces now. If you don't complete the task of ten pieces tonight, I'll only pay you five Nutrient Solutions."

Zhou Yi: ...

As expected, capitalists were like sheep without wool; there was no way she could fleece them.

Returning to the mine shaft, Zhou Yi continued her work, the mineral crystals in the small cart piling higher and higher.

Doing the same action repeatedly for eight hours was quite boring. Fortunately, Zhou Yi had Xiao Fu to chat with.

Since she and Xiao Fu had just met, it was a good time to get to know each other.

"If I hand in one piece tonight, will he give me five Nutrient Solutions too? Then I'd be making a profit?"

Some things, the more you can't get them, the more you want them.

Like the wool of capitalists.

[Naive. Crystal ore has existed for so many years, and the employment system already has its own established procedures. If you can't mine five pieces, you'll be considered to be slacking off, and you won't receive any payment at all. You'll have just worked for free for the entire day.]

Xiao Fu explained.

Zhou Yi's hands moved slower, and the small spark of intelligence that had just ignited in her eyes was extinguished.

"You know I'm not from here? And you know about Earth?"

Zhou Yi suddenly remembered what Xiao Fu had said earlier when they were outside.

[Yes, I only learned that you were from Earth when I was integrated into your sea of consciousness. I am currently sharing all your memories and thoughts. What is there not to know about Earth? Aren't all existing humans descendants of the genes left by Earthlings?]

[Theoretically, you are the ancestor of everyone in the galaxy.]

"I..."

Xiao Fu's words made sense when she thought about it carefully, but Zhou Yi still felt it was strange.

"Aren't you curious about how I got here?"

Zhou Yi herself didn't know how she got here. She only remembered waking up in another world.

Perhaps a higher intelligence could give her an answer.

[Theoretically, there are three methods for achieving space-time travel: wormholes, black holes, and flying at speeds close to light. Given the technological development of your Earth, you should have encountered the first method. This means you accidentally encountered a temporal rift, and a wormhole existing in the quantum foam brought you here.]

Xiao Fu thought for a moment and gave Zhou Yi the most probable answer.

The probability of traveling through time and space in this manner is very small, but not zero.

Zhou Yi thought about what the Intelligent Brain had said. She had studied university physics and knew about Hawking's wormhole theory. Now that she thought about it, if she excluded the supernatural, this seemed to be the only possibility.

"Can I go back?" Zhou Yi asked curiously.

[Do you still want to go back?]

"No, I was just asking."

[That's good.] Xiao Fu seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

[Even if you were incredibly lucky and encountered another wormhole, or traveled through time again using high-tech interstellar means, you wouldn't be able to return to the exact time point you existed in before. Earth's technology at that time was too backward; there were no temporal stations yet.]

"So current technology can freely travel back to times with temporal stations?"

Had current technology developed to this extent? Zhou Yi was a little surprised.

[In our plane, it is theoretically achievable, but there are too many limitations and side effects, so very few people do it.]

As an Intelligent Brain from a higher plane, Xiao Fu knew a great deal.

Zhou Yi kept asking Xiao Fu about all the things she was curious about, and Xiao Fu patiently answered.

Perhaps Xiao Fu had been wandering for too long and felt it was good to have someone to talk to.

Even though, in its opinion, these were all idiotic questions.

But, it was better than nothing.

Knowing that there was another conscious being in this world besides himself who knew he was from Earth, Zhou Yi suddenly felt a sense of comfort and security.

Time passed the fastest during question and answer sessions. Before he knew it, Zhou Yi's little alias began to beep.

"What's that sound? I didn't press anything."

The sudden noise startled Zhou Yi.

[Go back, it's time to get off work.]

High-tech products were truly extraordinary. Gal could remotely control everyone's departure.

Zhou Yi stopped shoveling and forcefully pulled out the last partially dug mining crystal.

Finally, he counted all the spoils in his small cart.

He had only dug 17 pieces in eight hours.

Zhou Yi was a little dissatisfied, but he still took out seven pieces and put them into his Space Ring.

She had come this time specifically to get some of these crystal stones, and the remaining ten pieces were enough to complete her task.

When Zhou Yi pushed his cart back to the underground playground, his dissatisfaction quickly vanished.

He saw everyone pushing their carts and lining up in front of Gal, waiting to be settled.

Zhou Yi took a careful look. Most of the carts had about eleven or twelve crystal stones. The few old miners had a bit more, but it was only around fifteen or sixteen pieces. No one had more than Zhou Yi.

Mining was not easy. It was only then that Zhou Yi understood that it wasn't that he wasn't capable, but that the mine was genuinely difficult to work!

"Hey! Want to buy some stones? Three Nutrient Solutions for two."

A short man asked a plump older sister standing in front of Zhou Yi.

Zhou Yi glanced at the plump sister's small cart and understood.

The sister had mined eight stones and hadn't completed her task. She would only receive five Nutrient Solutions upon settlement.

However, if she spent three Nutrient Solutions to buy two crystal stones mined by someone else, she would meet the task requirements and receive ten Nutrient Solutions.

The plump sister readily completed the transaction with the short man, and both were happy.

"As expected, no matter where you are, the wisdom of the working people is astonishing."

Zhou Yi sighed.

There were quite a few people making such transactions, interspersed throughout the team, and it didn't seem like they were trying to hide it.

[Hmph, this is only because that Gal is decent and turns a blind eye. This would be absolutely impossible in other mines.]

Zhou Yi felt a pang of discomfort.

So, capitalists weren't entirely heartless; it was just that he hadn't been able to get his share.