First Interstellar Guide Chapter 60: Mental Fusion

Chapter 60: Mental Fusion 

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran sat face to face on the back of the Spider Queen.

Mentally, for sentinels and guides, it was indeed an intimate affair. However, at this moment, the two of them didn’t harbor any ambiguous thoughts in their minds. Instead, they felt a bit nervous—after all, this method of “moving out of the mental landscape” was an unprecedented massive undertaking that brooked no negligence.

Yu Ran took a deep breath to calm himself and then extended his mental tendrils towards Lu Zexuan. Unlike the usual healing green tendrils, this time, Yu Ran extended red attack tendrils. He had to use the formidable attacking power of the Nine-Tailed Fox to quickly destroy Lu Zexuan’s mental landscape.

This was also the first time Lu Zexuan had been connected by Yu Ran’s attack tendrils. At the moment when the red mental tendrils touched his brain, Lu Zexuan felt as if his entire brain was surrounded by a blazing flame.

The fierce attacking power of the Nine-Tailed Fox was indeed terrifying.

In the mental world, the massive Nine-Tailed Fox appeared at the foot of the snow-capped mountains. Its nine tails suddenly spread out like a burning giant umbrella, casting large shadows on the pristine snow. The Nine-Tailed Fox gazed calmly at the snow-capped mountains in front of it, fearless and instead seeming to patrol its own territory.

This intimidating spirit body, Lu Zexuan had only caught a glimpse of it in haste when Yu Ran saved him last time. Now, seeing its complete form clearly, Lu Zexuan couldn’t help but marvel—Ranran’s formidable attacking abilities would be difficult for even an S-level sentinel to resist, right?

White Eagle spread its wings and soared between the snow-capped mountains. Seeing such a powerful intruder, it instinctively wanted to protect its territory. However, remembering the strategy discussed with its master and Yu Ran, it shrunk its head back and flapped its wings to fly next to the Nine-Tailed Fox, cautiously asking, “Are you going to destroy my snow-capped mountains? Then, will you build a new one for me in your master’s place?”

The Nine-Tailed Fox replied calmly, “Yes, you can move there.”

White Eagle complained, “Move there, isn’t that becoming a dependent?”

The Nine-Tailed Fox said, “By then, you can fly back and forth between the forest and the snow-capped mountains, and there will be two foxes to play with you.”

White Eagle, “That’s great, I’ll move there now.”

Lu Zexuan was speechless. This silly eagle really embarrassed him.

Yu Ran waved to White Eagle and said, “Big Eagle, you know your master’s mental landscape the best. Guide the Nine-Tailed Fox to gradually destroy it from the beginning, step by step. This way, Zexuan’s brain won’t be harmed.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Zexuan felt a slight warmth in his heart. Ranran seemed calm and decisive on the surface, but he was actually very attentive. He was afraid that Lu Zexuan would get hurt, so he was willing to spend more mental energy and time, proceeding gradually instead of pursuing efficiency.

Lu Zexuan said, “It’s okay, I can help you too, it will be more obvious from a higher perspective.”

With that, he gently embraced Yu Ran’s waist and spread his huge wings on his shoulders. With a leap, he carried Yu Ran into the sky.

Underneath were vast expanses of white snow, one snow-capped mountain after another, shrouded in mist at the summit, like a fairyland. A cold wind blew, mixed with fine snowflakes, patting Yu Ran’s face. The slightly cool scent of the first snow was refreshing.

Thinking about being able to see snow-capped mountains anytime in his own mental landscape from now on, Yu Ran couldn’t help but feel a little happy for some reason. That must be a very novel experience.

The two stood quietly on the mountaintop, admiring the beautiful scenery.

Suddenly, on the back of the Spider Queen, Lu Zexuan reached out and intertwined his fingers with Yu Ran’s. At this moment, Yu Ran was controlling the actions of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the White Fox with mental energy and didn’t notice Lu Zexuan’s affectionate gesture.

White Eagle spread its wings and invited the Nine-Tailed Fox to visit its home. The Nine-Tailed Fox leaped agilely and landed directly on its wings. The eagle carried the fox towards the depths of the snow-capped mountains, arriving at one of the inconspicuous snow-capped mountains.

Excitedly, it introduced, “This is the house my master built for me in his mental landscape when he just awakened.”

It was a very delicate snow house hidden deep in the mountains, with many furnishings inside, storing some of Lu Zexuan’s childhood memories.

“I want to become a mighty general like my father in the future.” Young Lu Zexuan sat in the snow house, secretly wearing his father’s military uniform on his shoulders, playing with all sorts of strange mecha toys in his hands. Beside him was White Eagle, who was not as powerful as it was now. In its juvenile form, the spirit body looked like nothing more than a fluffy little bird.

A little boy, a white bird, a simple house. Young Lu Zexuan and the eagle were surprisingly cute.

Yu Ran glanced at the sentinel beside him and said, “Did you secretly wear your father’s clothes?”

Lu Zexuan blushed and touched his nose, “Ah, I idolized my father when I was young. I thought sentinels in military uniforms were the coolest, and I hoped to grow up quickly to become a general like him.”

It was a simple wish, and it had indeed come true later.

Yu Ran asked, “After becoming an adult and becoming a general, did you find that it wasn’t as wonderful as you thought when you were a child?”

Lu Zexuan nodded, “Yes… but I have no regrets.”

He was an S-level sentinel; he was born to belong on the battlefield. Even if he sacrificed on the battlefield one day, he would have no regrets.

Yu Ran sensed his firmness and felt a hint of admiration—descendants of the Lu family were indeed iron-willed and loyal, choosing Lu Zexuan as a partner must have been the wisest decision he had ever made.

Yu Ran looked at the Nine-Tailed Fox and said, “Let’s begin.”

The Nine tailed Fox began to destroy the first snow-capped mountain indicated by White Eagle. Countless red mental tendrils, like a huge net, shrouded the mountain. The fire spread along the red tendrils, and the mountain began to melt rapidly under the scorching flame attack.

Deep within this mountain lay memories of Lu Zexuan’s childhood. During his childhood, Lu Zexuan lived a very simple life, going to school on time every day, and playing with White Eagle when he returned home. Unlike most sentinels, he was not mischievous and was sensible from a young age. When his parents were not at home, he would occasionally take care of the vegetables, fruits, chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep…

Later, memories of his cousin, Lu Cheng’an, began to appear. After their uncle passed away, Lu Zexuan’s father brought Lu Cheng’an home to raise him. The two quickly became close. Lu Zexuan’s life also gradually became richer. For example, on weekends, he would climb trees with his cousin in the suburbs, getting covered in mud; or go fishing by the lake, accidentally falling into the water…

One embarrassing incident after another, but such childhood was undoubtedly happy and colorful.

As the snowy mountain gradually melted, these memories began to emerge one by one.

Lu Zexuan looked at the young versions of himself and his cousin in the bubbles of memories, a hint of pain flashing across his face.

Concerned that his mental landscape might become unstable, Yu Ran immediately comforted him, “Don’t be sad. It’s clear that he loved you dearly as his younger brother. He must have wanted you to live well.”

Lu Zexuan nodded, quickly controlling his emotions.

The first massive snow mountain, surrounded by the flames of the Nine-Tailed Fox, finally melted into water.

At this moment, with their mental connection, Yu Ran directly brought this part of the melted snow water into his own mental landscape.

At the same time, in Yu Ran’s mental landscape, deep in the primordial forest, dense green mental tendrils began to extend rapidly. White Fox was responsible for the reconstruction of the snow mountain. Its tendrils, like spreading vines, surged on the ground, re-solidifying the introduced snowwater and gradually accumulating into a mountain…

In the blink of an eye, a towering snow mountain was actually replicated and rebuilt by the White Fox.

While the Nine-Tailed Fox was responsible for destroying the mental landscape, the White Fox was rebuilding a new home in Yu Ran’s mental landscape. Yu Ran’s mental energy was split into two, simultaneously performing two tasks. Under the dual strain, his consumption doubled. In no time, fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

Lu Zexuan was equally uncomfortable. The Nine-Tailed Fox’s flames made him feel like he was in a blazing fire. The sentinel’s brain was heating up as if it was about to ignite, and his body temperature gradually rose. In a blink of an eye, his clothes were soaked with sweat.

Yu Ran immediately stopped and retracted the mental tendrils, saying, “Let’s take a break.”

He opened his eyes and found that their hands were somehow holding each other’s?  Yu Ran was stunned. The sweat in the palms of both seemed to have merged, sticky. Lu Zexuan’s forehead was also dripping with sweat, and his clothes were soaked, just like Yu Ran’s.

Both of them were sweating profusely. This unprecedented mental fusion method consumed even more energy than Yu Ran had anticipated. But fortunately, with Lu Zexuan and White Eagle’s cooperation and assistance, the reconstruction of the first snow mountain went very smoothly.

It was just a matter of time from now on.

Yu Ran communicated with the Spider Queen through mental tendrils, “Queen, is there any food?”

The Spider Queen flicked a few fruits onto her back with one of her front legs and said softly, “Purple berries, your favorite.”

Yu Ran caught the fruits, wiped them on his clothes, and handed them to Lu Zexuan, “These fruits may not look good, but they taste good. They are high in vitamins and easy to fill up. Let’s replenish some energy and continue.”

Lu Zexuan took them and tasted… They were sour and sweet, with a unique taste. He ate several in a row, and the burning sensation in the mental world eased a lot.

After Yu Ran finished eating, Lu Zexuan said, “Shall we continue?”

Yu Ran nodded, “Yes, we need to hurry.”

They couldn’t stay on this planet for too long; they had to complete the mental fusion as soon as possible. Under normal circumstances, the mental fusion between sentinel and guide would be enough in one day, directly merging the mental landscapes into one. But they were different; they had to completely destroy Lu Zexuan’s mental landscape and rebuild a new one in Yu Ran’s. Even if everything went smoothly, it would still take several days.

After the second start, Lu Zexuan looked at the chaotic memories in the mental landscape and suggested, “Ranran, we don’t need to transport some trivial memories to save your mental energy. Things like what we ate in the morning or what clothes we wore… there’s no point in remembering them.”

Many unimportant trivial memories would gradually be forgotten by humans over time, so there was no need to dig them up, reorganize them, and replicate them again. If all of Lu Zexuan’s memories from over twenty years were to be transported, Yu Ran’s mental energy consumption would be very severe, and it would take at least half a year.

So, it was enough to selectively transport what needed to be remembered. Let those trivial daily memories that were almost forgotten disappear with the flames. Lu Zexuan selectively chose to forget some useless daily memories, making Yu Ran’s reconstruction work much easier.

One day quickly passed, and three snow mountains had appeared in Yu Ran’s mental landscape.

As night fell, the two rested and slept on the back of the Spider Queen. The queen considerately cut a few large leaves and used them as blankets for them.

Lu Zexuan had never imagined that he would experience such a scene—he slept with a guide on the back of a giant monster, covered with strange red leaves, and surprisingly, he slept soundly.

The next day, the two continued the mental fusion. With yesterday’s experience, today’s progress was much faster. However, White Eagle brought up the memories that Lu Zexuan least wanted to recall—Lu Cheng’an’s sacrifice process, vividly reappearing before his eyes.

Yu Ran wanted to comfort Lu Zexuan, but to his surprise, Lu Zexuan was very calm this time and didn’t show much sadness. He looked at the scenes in the memory bubbles and said calmly, “Don’t worry, I won’t let this painful memory trap myself. Let’s transport this part of the memory completely, and I will remember his sacrifice to inspire myself.”

Yu Ran nodded, “Thinking like this, he must be very pleased.”

…

One by one, the snow-capped mountains were successfully rebuilt. Time passed slowly, and over the next few days, the two seamlessly embarked on the monumental task of destroying and transporting Lu Zexuan’s mental landscape. Connected mentally, their thoughts synchronized, and Lu Zexuan even felt that their souls were incredibly close and harmonious at this moment.

In Lu Zexuan’s memories, the part about Yu Ran was also very clear. From the moment they met to the smallest details like Yu Ran drying his hair with a hairdryer after showering, his favorite foods, and the colors he liked to wear, Lu Zexuan remembered everything vividly.

Yu Ran did not notice anything wrong and thought that Lu Zexuan remembered everything so clearly because he had been investigating him before. He faithfully replicated this part of the memory as well.

It was the longest time Lu Zexuan and Yu Ran had spent alone since they met. Besides the occasional food brought by the Spider Queen, no one disturbed them. They sat in the center of the thick red mist, feeling as if there were only the two of them in the entire world. Sitting on the Spider Queen’s back, step by step, they completed the mental fusion. It was as if every nerve fiber in their brains was entangled with each other, making their intimacy difficult to sever.

On the last day, after Yu Ran followed Lu Zexuan’s instructions to transport all the memories, there were still many snow mountains left in his mental landscape—these were illusions created by Lu Zexuan to deceive invaders, containing nothing.

Lu Zexuan said, “Alright, destroy them all.”

Yu Ran nodded, then suddenly released a tsunami-like surge of mental energy! Countless red flames burned madly between the snow mountains, sweeping up from the ground like terrifying monsters, ruthlessly devouring Lu Zexuan’s mental landscape. In no time, the remaining snow mountains melted completely. But the flames didn’t extinguish; they seemed determined to continue burning down this mental landscape. Gradually, all the original snow mountains disappeared, and the water on the ground evaporated, leaving behind an endless barren wasteland. The land was riddled with cracks and covered with ashes left behind by the flames.

Yu Ran’s mental energy was almost depleted. He withdrew his tendrils and looked at his “masterpiece” with a smile. “How about it? It looks like it’s been completely destroyed, doesn’t it?”

Lu Zexuan looked at the scorched earth in front of him and nodded. “With a completely destroyed mental landscape like this, no one would suspect that I’m still conscious. It’s just that my consciousness exists in your mind.”

Yu Ran looked at him. “Yes, we have merged mentally.”

They looked at each other and smiled. Mental fusion was truly a magical experience. Lu Zexuan’s mental landscape was completely destroyed, yet his consciousness and memories existed vividly in Yu Ran’s mind.

Yu Ran gestured invitingly, “Shall we go see the new home?”

Lu Zexuan nodded. “Sure.”

In an instant, Lu Zexuan appeared in Yu Ran’s primordial forest. In the depths of the lush forest, vast and continuous snow mountains stood tall. The snow-capped peaks soared into the clouds, majestic and grand. Countless memory bubbles floated in the depths of the snow mountains, containing all the important memories of Lu Zexuan from childhood to adulthood. A white eagle swooped down from the top of the snow mountain, spreading its wings joyfully over the forest, emitting a pleasant, crisp cry. Two foxes frolicked and played agilely between the trees.

Lu Zexuan looked at the scene before him, speechless for a moment. It was truly miraculous. His mental landscape had been transported by Yu Ran, almost identical to his original snow-capped mountains. The feeling of mentally moving homes… was he the only one in the world who could experience it?

Yu Ran’s forest was very inclusive and could expand infinitely outward, while Lu Zexuan’s snow mountains usually grew upwards. One horizontal, one vertical, the vast forest and towering snow mountains were not contradictory; instead, they complemented each other, forming a completely new and spectacular scene.

What was rare was that the snow mountains and the forest were not the same ecosystem, but Yu Ran cleverly transitioned and merged them together, not appearing abrupt in the slightest.

At this moment, the golden sunlight shone on the peaks of the snow mountains and also on the forest. The melted water from the snow mountains flowed down in meandering streams, converging into one creek after another, flowing into the primeval forest, nourishing the fertile land. The water vapor evaporated by the trees in the forest condensed into ice in the high altitude, turning into scattered snowflakes, falling on the mountain tops.

It was an endless cycle, full of vitality and nature. The vast and desolate snow-capped mountains and the vibrant primeval forest merged perfectly at this moment, like a magnificent painting.

Lu Zexuan looked at the spectacular scene before him and said to Yu Ran, “Ranran, you’ve worked hard these past few days.”

Yu Ran’s mental energy was almost depleted. He looked at the sentinel beside him and said, “Welcome to the new home. From now on, we will share this mental landscape together.”

Lu Zexuan smiled gently, his gaze warm. “Okay, I really like it here.”

This was a one-of-a-kind mental landscape. It was their home.