On the ninth day of the ninth month, the Double Ninth Festival had come around again.
Chen Shu leaned over the desk in the cave, writing earnestly in his diary.
A figure passed behind him. He immediately grew wary, covered his diary, and turned to look.
But Ning Qing was simply walking past.
Chen Shu watched her until she had gone farther away, then turned back and continued writing.
This place was cut off from the world. There was no internet, and he saw the same people and beasts day after day. Yet it was far from boring. They were all interesting, even those two Nightfolk brothers with their violent, combative temperaments. They were decent people, really. The Deities had chosen their successors well.
Chen Shu's life gradually settled into a routine.
Every morning, he woke at seven and made breakfast. A good day began with a breakfast that suited his tastes.
Sometimes people came by for a free meal. His Neighbor Next Door was a regular; everyone else varied from day to day.
At eight, he entered the Secret Realm and followed the method developed by the Chen Shu of the Main Plane, studying how to use Spacetime Energy in combat. With the Crystal in his hand and what he knew about the Sacred Ancestor, Chen Shu had easily persuaded the Wish-Granting Dragon to cooperate.
He usually kept at it until three or four in the afternoon.
He skipped lunch.
If he got bored, tired, or stuck, he wandered around Jinguan City and looked at the Sacred Ancestor's former hometown.
It was also the provincial capital of his hometown in his previous life.
Afterward, he could chat with Qingqing, examine the Cultural Relics and texts in the last Cube, or head to the seaside or the Wasteland to watch