MPWATMBC Chapter 46

As one of the first to enter the museum, the crowd inside is still far from being crowded. There is no need to peer through layers of figures to view the exhibits. It must be said that coming early is a good thing. The diary area tends to attract the most visitors, who come here with thoughts of admiration, curiosity, or prying, to evaluate the emotions conveyed by Emperor Qin Feng’s words and deeds. Moreover, they prefer to see the emperor’s ordinary side, being immersed in playing mahjong, encountering a promising young man but not knowing how to approach him, experiencing continuous failures and still persevering… It turns out that even great figures have their flaws; after all, we are all ordinary people.

Entering the museum prohibits the use of any cameras or photography equipment. Only by using our eyes to appreciate can we truly comprehend the spirit contained within the photographs and resonate with Emperor Qin Feng Anderson, who lived more than seven hundred years ago.

“This is the diary written by Emperor Anderson during his youth. At that time, the emperor’s handwriting was immature, and his thoughts were simple and pure. However, it already revealed a firm belief in learning, laying the foundation for his future accomplishments.” The museum guide in the exhibition area is a lady wearing light makeup and a uniform black outfit. She has black hair, brown eyes, and gentle features. She reads the contents of the diary in a clear and melodious tone in the language of Huaxia¹T/N: The ancient name of China. After reading two paragraphs, she switches to the standard Imperial Common Language and says, “The Great Wall Starfield uses two languages: Huaxia and the Imperial Common Language. Just like seven hundred years ago and now, daily communication and written correspondence tend to lean more towards Huaxia. The emperor’s diary is in Huaxia, written in standard running script. Many children on the planet learn running scripts by copying the emperor’s notes.”

Ryan and Auston follow behind the crowd, listening to the guide’s introduction.

Ryan: “The emperor was around eighteen or nineteen when he wrote this diary, right?” Through the glass, he points to a diary inside and shows it to Auston. “There are a few typos. Look, even as an almost twenty-year-old adult, he still makes spelling mistakes, committing such elementary errors.”

“I’ve seen this page before when I came here earlier,” Auston raises his hand, his slender fingers tracing the characters in the air. In Ryan’s eyes, the handwriting is passable and somewhat legible, with no particular calligraphic style. However, for Auston, it surpasses the existence of famous artworks. “Research indicates that before the emperor put pen to paper, he self-mockingly thought of writing ‘ha.’ But in the instant the pen touched the page, his attention shifted and he changed it to something else, resulting in what we see now. According to historians’ findings, those few meaningless characters originally had two diagonal strokes above them. However, after hundreds of years, with the diary constantly exposed to the air, those two strokes faded and disappeared.”

Ryan: “Haha, so that’s how it is.” Damn, I can’t believe there’s such a forced and far-fetched explanation!

He can’t believe that such a forced explanation is given to those clearly misspelled words like “hashi yo xie xiang da majiang²T/N: The misspelled words ‘哈市哟写想打麻将’ didn’t have a clear meaning. So, I leave it in pinyin.” What kind of historians are they? Can’t they focus on something more serious?

“Mahjong is quite fun. It seems like it was a favorite pastime of the emperor,” Ryan casually remarks. “I guess we can derive some profound insights from it. The emperor didn’t want to study; he just wanted to play mahjong.” Neglecting responsibilities, lacking ambition—look, that’s who the emperor was.

Auston couldn’t catch the implied meaning behind Ryan’s words and earnestly states, “The military once developed a course based on this, analyzing the tactics in mahjong.”

Ryan: “…” What has happened to this world?

At that moment, the voice of the guide came through, saying, “Mahjong has been passed down from ancient Earth to the present day. While the modern rules have undergone significant changes compared to the past, the essence remains the same. Each set of tiles consists of 136 pieces, and the characters and patterns have remained unchanged. If you’re interested, you can visit a chess and card room to practice and give it a try, but gambling is not allowed. If caught, your credit points will be deducted. It’s also important not to become obsessed with it. In his later years, the emperor often said, ‘Playing mahjong in leisure time helps relax the mind, but it must never interfere with important matters.'”

Auston whispers in Ryan’s ear, “General Tolkien of the Glory Legion enjoys playing mahjong and has derived several tactics from it. He frequently expresses gratitude to the emperor for providing him with the supreme strategy.”

Ryan has nothing to say and can only remain silent.

Inside the entire exhibition area, only five or six diaries are displayed for each period. Each diary, when opened, reveals two pages of content for visitors to see. Due to the emperor’s writing habits, he rarely wrote his diaries in the Empire’s common language and mostly used the Chinese language. As a result, there are corresponding translations in the common language displayed on the screens next to each exhibition stand.

“The next group of visitors will be arriving soon, so we have to pick up the pace to see more content,” the guide leads everyone forward, transitioning from the emperor’s youth to his reserve period. During this particular era, the war between humans and the Zerg race escalated. With humans oppressed and forced to become an army, capable young individuals received training and stepped onto the battlefield. This training phase was referred to as the reserve period.

During the reserve period, the emperor’s diaries were filled with his longing for war, his excitement to showcase his skills on the battlefield. The words, untouched by the horrors of bloodshed, still retained a sense of innocence and aspiration.

Auston’s gaze swiftly scanned through three diaries, finally settling on the last one. His eyes lit up with excitement. “Ryan, I haven’t seen this page before,” he softly read a few lines in slightly awkward Chinese, “I met a guy with black eyes. He is the son of a jeweler from Red Coral. But Dalton doesn’t like being called that by others. His friends say that Dalton’s family just happens to own a few gemstone mines. Well, that ‘just happens’ can make someone quite envious. Dalton rarely smiles or speaks much. He reminds me of those Prussian soldiers described in an ancient Earth book I once read—the stern and rigid ones. The children in his family must have a tough time, growing up in such a serious and strict educational environment. I feel sorry for them.”

The emperor’s diary adopted a playful tone as he teased his friends. But while reading the passage, Auston, who resembled his stern and rigid ancestors, failed to perceive the sarcasm. The stark contrast made Ryan want to laugh, yet he couldn’t find the laughter within himself because the passage wasn’t over. Suppressing a strong sense of embarrassment, Ryan continued reading.

“—In the future, if there’s an opportunity, Uncle Qin Feng will teach the children of the Dalton family how to enjoy life.”

Ryan: “…”

“This person is my great-great-grandfather, Ryan! He’s my relative!” Auston’s black eyes gleamed with joy, unaware of how far he was from the ‘stern and rigid family tradition.’ “I never realized that my great-great-grandfather had a connection with the emperor during the reserve period. It feels like the distance between Qin Feng, the Great Emperor and me has suddenly shortened.”

“Auston, do you really admire him so much?”

Auston paused, and a hint of confusion appeared in his pure smile. Then he firmly said, “It’s not just admiration, it’s also envy. When I was young, my mother was no longer around, and my father was always away on border patrols. Being subjected to strict education, I accidentally came across the autobiography of the emperor’s friend, which depicted the emperor’s teenage years and a life that was joyful and something I had never experienced and dared not imagine. I always yearned for a life like that, wondering when I could have it…” Auston smiled lightly as he looked at Ryan. He continued, “Having something to look forward to gives hope in dark days. And now, Ryan, thank you.”

The emperor was merely a longing, but it was Ryan who truly allowed him to experience a life of ease, joy, and tranquility.

In that moment, intense emotions surged within the depths of Ryan’s eyes. Something was about to come out, but was firmly pressed back. He held Auston’s hand, “This is our Fate.”

“Mm.” Auston nodded in agreement. “Ryan, you are indeed of Chinese descent. Fate, it’s the most beautiful word I’ve ever heard.”

Ryan gazed softly at Auston, pointing to a galaxy map depicted in the Emperor’s diary. “I can say something else too, ‘In this world of thousands of things, I have three loves: the sun, the moon, and you. The sun represents the morning, the moon represents the evening, and you represent every moment.’ ” His voice was gentle, deliberately lowered to create an exceptionally magnetic tone. Every word in the beautiful Chinese melody was pronounced clearly, creating an enchanting atmosphere that resonated with his focused gaze.

Thump, thump—

Auston’s heart skipped a beat, as if melting into Ryan’s gaze along with the sound.

The inherently shy young man was gradually breaking free from his shell. He clenched his fist, palms sweaty, quickly scanning left and right. Realizing that nobody had noticed them, Ryan took a deep breath, a gesture that lasted no more than a second. He leaned in and swiftly placed a kiss on Auston’s lips. “Let’s go, it seems like more people are coming.”

“Mm,” Auston lowered his gaze, his thick eyelashes trembling lightly. His handsome face remained unchanged, but a blush adorned his beautiful earlobes.

“You guys are falling behind,” the brown-haired, chubby husband was about to strike up a conversation with Ryan, discussing their impressions of the Emperor’s Diary. But as he turned his head, he noticed the two people walking beside him were nowhere to be found. Looking back, he realized they were still back at the stage of Emperor reserves.

A silent yet warm atmosphere lingered between the two. Ryan smiled and took Auston’s hand, saying to the people not far away, “We’re coming.”

He calmly looked at the diary, whose contents were recorded just like the emotions of that time, frozen in the memories of seven hundred years ago.

—War, cruel and terrifying.

It was only when Qin Feng truly stepped onto the battlefield that he realized his mind would go blank amidst the bloodshed. The comrades he once trained side by side with were torn in half by the big claws of the Zerg right before his eyes. The sticky blood, fragmented organs, blurred flesh, broken bones, and the dilated pupils of his fallen comrades… All of these diluted his thirst for war. The hot blood in his mind cooled down, a mixture of cowardice and hatred, determination and slaughter intertwined. He survived in one almost crushing war after another against the relentless onslaught of the Zerg upon humanity. His young body grew stronger, his easily heated brain became composed, and only the smile on his face remained gentle throughout.

Joining the military not only entailed war and slaughter, death and loss, but also acquisition. The unit where Qin Feng served embarked on the exploration of a new starfield —the Stormwind starfield. There, he discovered a small planet, about one-sixth the size of Earth, with a terrain and topography similar to the mother planet.

To raise military funds, any discovered asteroid could be traded on the market.

—-I really like that asteroid. After retiring from service, I can graze my herds there. Damn regulations! They don’t allow military personnel to purchase any asteroids. Qin Hao, my younger cousin, I can only rely on you to do it for me. Let me tell you, brother, you’re just making the purchase on my behalf. That star belongs to me, and I want to name it… Uh, I haven’t decided yet. I want to give it a good name. How about leaving it blank until I finalize it?”

Compared to the Emperor in the earlier stages of military life, the text was less whimsical, youthful innocence, and inconsistent emotions. It now exhibited the maturity and tranquility of a young adult.

—So many restraints, did they think they could tie my hands and feet? Hah, I’m becoming your colleague now.

Qin Feng entered politics.

During his political career, his writing gained a touch of depth, as well as sarcasm and mockery, ridiculing both the world and himself. Being stuck in this web, he delved into extensive reading and consumed various audiovisual materials from the ancient Earth era.

—I’ve discovered something great. Why are the robots deployed on the battlefield all human-sized? We could easily build towering ten-meter-tall steel behemoths! They can accommodate humans and wield highly destructive weapons. The exteriors must be sturdy enough to withstand the onslaught of the Zergs. Thanks to Tony Stark for inspiring me; his concept of that energy source is truly remarkable.

“Who is Tony Stark, the famous scientist?” murmured one member of the chubby couple. “An ancestor?”

“He’s the protagonist of a movie from the ancient Earth era. He wears an iron battle suit and is known for the phrase ‘With a mortal body, he carries a heart of steel; with human strength, he rivals the gods in the heavens.’ There is a restored version of a ten-minute segment available on the Star Net, and that’s what the Emperor watched,” Auston explained. He was well-versed in this topic and didn’t need a guide to provide an explanation—he could answer on his own.

The Earth’s mother planet had undergone drastic changes in its seas and lands. Continuous tectonic plate movements persisted for over two hundred years. In order to survive and propagate, humanity had to reluctantly leave their mother planet and develop in the cosmos. This marked the beginning of the interstellar era. Once humans gained sufficient capabilities and advanced technology, they returned to the Earth’s mother planet to restore their homeland. They salvaged many precious historical materials, including books, movies, antiques, calligraphy, and more.

Auston cherished everything about Emperor Qin Feng. “The Emperor is an enthusiast of ancient Earth civilization. Many of his ideals are derived from our early ancestors.”

Moving forward, they arrived at the final section of the exhibition. Emperor Qin Feng Anderson had aged. He invented mechas, introduced many new concepts, implemented policies with an iron fist to govern both the military and the country. He took breaks with the people and emphasized scientific research and education….. However, he had grown old. Though his face had only gained a few more wrinkles and strands of white in his black hair, his energy was not as vibrant as before. His physical strength couldn’t sustain him through nights spent crafting mechas, and he often reminisced about the past.

Beauty fades, heroes grow old.

The writing in the diary lacked the rigid strength that used to pierce through the paper, replaced by the calm and detachment of an elderly person’s words.

Ryan averted his gaze, not wanting to read those gloomy words. He said to Auston, “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

“Ryan?”

Ryan shook his head. “It’s nothing. Just going outside for some fresh air.”

Ryan walked out and stood at the entrance of the exhibition area, his gaze unfocused, fixed on a point in the sky. The museum covered a total area of fifteen acres, with the main building being the primary exhibition space they were currently in. The museum also housed a patriotic education base, a holographic audiovisual room, a souvenir center, and more. The number of people around him gradually increased, with various faces and voices, men and women, young and old, streaming into the museum. But how many of them could truly understand the inner world of Emperor Anderson and the events that took place seven hundred years ago?

Ryan’s unfocused gaze gradually focused on a statue of a Qin Feng in his youth, and their eyes met. The latter had been frozen in time seven hundred years ago, while the former still had a vast future ahead.

“In this world, but is it what you want to see?”

Ryan chuckled and shook his head, saying, “I have Auston now.”

“Ryan.”

Ryan turned around with a smile as the person approached him. He reached out his hand. “Why did you come out so quickly?” It had only been a little over a minute since he left.

Auston, who had hesitated to hold hands in public, squeezed the hand at his side and decisively grabbed Ryan’s outstretched hand. “I’ve seen many things, and I remember them by heart. Shall we go and see something else now?”

“Okay, sure.”

“Wait for us!” the chubby couple ran over, and the one with brown hair said, “You guys seem to know a lot, it’s more interesting than what the tour guide says. Can we continue exploring together?”

After glancing at Auston, Ryan nodded and said, “Sure, we can start with the Emperor’s daily life exhibit, then the Hall of Honor, and then explore other areas based on our interests.” Auston had no objections; he was indifferent.

“Great! That’s exactly the order we wanted to see.”

As the name suggests, the daily life exhibit showcased various items the Emperor had used, ranging from military uniforms to casual clothing, from socks to cufflinks, from writing tools to flush toilets… Toilets?!

Inside the exhibit, on the other side of the glass from Ryan, was a gold-inlaid, silver flush toilet. The plaque read, “Toilet used by Emperor Qin Feng Anderson on a warship.”

Ryan: “…”

Ryan chuckled, “The Emperor’s toilet is surprisingly luxurious.” He’s just a weird old man living a decadent lifestyle. Auston, you should see through his true nature.

“The Emperor lived a frugal and simple life. This toilet was damaged along with the warship during the Battle of Dawn. It was repaired after the wreckage was found by later generations,” Auston paused and continued, “It may be a bit extravagant, but it doesn’t reflect the true character of the Emperor himself.”

Ryan T^T felt like crying without tears, but Auston, who always stood up for Qin Feng, was still his precious treasure.

Deep within the Life Exhibit area was a regular four-bedroom apartment, which was the ancestral home of Emperor Qin Feng. He had lived there with his parents and siblings. The Emperor remained unmarried throughout his life, and the current honorary president, Anderson, is from his younger brother’s lineage. The house remained in the same condition as when Qin Feng last left it. Visitors were allowed inside for a limited time of five minutes, during which they could quickly tour the various rooms.

During the visit, touching the furniture was not allowed as they were antiques.

Soon it was Ryan and Auston’s turn. They spent a bit more time in the Emperor’s former bedroom, and Ryan found the bookshelf to be strangely amusing.

Next was the visit to the Honor Exhibition area, where they stood amidst various medals and certificates. Ryan felt very relaxed in this environment.

As they were about to leave the exhibition hall, the couple made a suggestion, “We’re going to see the holographic projections. What about you?”

Ryan and Auston discussed it and decided that, having experienced real battlefields, they didn’t want to indulge in artificially created war scenarios. The embellished scenes felt fake, and they had no desire to revisit the memories of real-life experiences. As soldiers who fought on the frontlines of the empire, they didn’t need any cinematic stimuli to trigger the release of adrenaline.

Ryan said, “We won’t go, we’ll go see something else.”

“That’s a pity, we won’t be able to accompany you,” the one with brown hair finally introduced himself. “Graydon Stark, nice to meet you. Hopefully, we’ll see each other again.”

“Goodbye.”

After bidding farewell to the Stark couple, Ryan and Auston continued their exploration, making the most of the three hours they had. Upon leaving the museum, they visited the souvenir center and purchased limited-edition commemorative medals and some unique snacks, said to be Emperor Qin Feng’s favorites.

“Spicy sticks, shrimp crackers, dried plum candy…” Ryan was unpacking the snack gift pack in the car. “Why are there also teddy bear biscuits, finger cheese, chocolate-covered almonds, and fruit gummy candies?!” He said with a mix of laughter and tears, “The Emperor had quite a diverse taste, and these are all things that girls and children like to eat. Can you imagine the image of the middle-aged Emperor happily munching on finger cheese?” He didn’t really like these peculiar snacks; his homemade strawberry gummies were much tastier.

Auston, who was eating fruit gummy candies, struggled to swallow and hesitantly asked, “Is it unattractive to eat like this?”

Ryan retracted his previous words, picked up a pack of finger cheese, and opened it. The short and thick white morsels, filled with a strong milky flavor, suddenly looked appetizing. “No, it’s attractive, very attractive. Um, I just thought that these snacks probably wouldn’t suit the Emperor’s taste… No, that’s not it either. Many of these are clearly made with modern recipes, far from the flavors of the past.”

Auston couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s stay here for another night and head back home tomorrow.”

“Mmm, mmm.”

In times of war, there was not much time or leisure to study gourmet food! However, Austin seemed to enjoy it, and Ryan thought it would be nice if he could learn and prepare food at home. He liked the feeling of feeding others.

In the evening, they returned to the hotel and enjoyed the luxurious Presidential Suite services throughout the day. Da fu nestled comfortably in Auston’s arms, acting cute and playful, making soft and adorable sounds. He savored Auston’s touch, wagging his tail happily.

Meanwhile, Yuan Chu and Code Zero were still engrossed in the virtual world, unable to free themselves. Learning brings joy to artificial intelligence.

As for Ryan, he sat not far from Auston and gave a glare to Yuan Chu, who was sitting directly across from him. Yuan Chu, as if possessing a sixth sense like humans, moved his rear end to the back of the master’s head.

Why bother getting angry at something far away? They had already seen the museum… Ryan, who didn’t dwell on emotions for too long, opened his personal terminal and accessed his locally stored personal log. Every citizen received a personal terminal with their DNA information bound to it from the Ministry of Civil Affairs. It was unique and durable. Ryan liked to jot down a few things in it, not writing every day, but whenever he had some insights or feelings, inspirations, or frustrations… He deleted some entries reluctantly.

But he kept some…

Closing his eyes, the diary he saw at the museum during the day appeared in his mind. Public executions, large-scale whippings—so gruesome³T/N: He refers to the public displaying of the inner most thoughts & feelings . The Emperor, exposed in front of the public, not even a pair of underpants left, a couple of misspelled words, a few useless interjections. Even an additional punctuation mark would be analyzed by future generations, trying to decipher if there was any deep underlying meaning.

Terrifying.

Can’t bear it now, but will definitely delete it before dying.

Ryan has made a decision!

• ··

The two-day tour of Qinglong Star came to a perfect conclusion. They focused on visiting the Anderson Emperor Museum, saw panda cubs at the zoo, enjoyed the most distinctive local delicacies, and took a leisurely stroll through the streets filled with ancient charm. They bought many local specialties and snacks, intending to bring them back home for their parents, relatives and friends.

Leaving the atmosphere of Qinglong Star, they followed the directions of the traffic police and entered the space lane heading towards the nearest secondary planet. There, they would board a transport ship to the Stormwind Starfield. After one day in the Stormwind Starfield, they would detach from the transport ship. Instead of heading to Newnes, they would recalibrate their course and pilot a small starship for a 12-hour flight to the vicinity of Newnes, the primary star of the Stormwind Starfield. E69, a plantation asteroid, was located beneath Newnes.

The Stormwind Starfield is located in the northernmost part of the Empire and is the most recently discovered starfield within the entire Empire. The overall climate is cold, and while traveling through the starfield, one can often witness the cosmic light bands resembling auroras in the deep expanse of space. They move slowly like delicate veils and mist, displaying cool green, ethereal red, and radiant golden colors…

“Auston, what color do you like?”

As they stood by the window, gazing at the cosmic auroras, Ryan suddenly asked.

This question caught Auston off guard, “I think they all look beautiful.” 

“Haha, we’re on the same page. I feel the same way,” Ryan chuckled and turned his head to look in a certain direction outside the window. “We’re almost home.”

As they approached their hometown, Auston started feeling nervous. Would Ryan’s parents like him? Would they be aware of his position as a General in the Empire? Would they feel reserved or find him too old to be compatible with Ryan? Given their busy schedules, unable to spend much time together, would they think it’s not ideal?

Many questions that Auston had never considered before swirled in his mind.

This nervousness felt similar to the first time he faced his father’s test, participated in a large-scale military competition, stood in a high position as a General, or intimately made love with Ryan for the first time…

Feeling a hand holding his, Auston, who appeared composed and cold despite his nervousness, lifted his head. His gaze was icy enough to freeze people. Ryan wasn’t bothered and he embraced Auston’s shoulder, gently patting it. “Don’t worry, my parents are easygoing. They are looking forward to our return.”

“Mm,” Auston relaxed and leaned against Ryan’s shoulder, responding softly.

When there’s something on your mind, time flies by quickly. It felt like they had just left Qinglong Star, but in the blink of an eye, they arrived at Newnes, a predominantly windy and snowy planet that appeared translucent ice-blue in the vastness of space. Next to Newnes, several small asteroids orbited around it on their own trajectories. Among them, a blue asteroid was Ryan’s home—E69, the Fengge Plantation Star.

As the spacecraft entered the atmosphere of E69, friction generated a bright light, creating meteor-like streaks.

Located near the equator, it was a picturesque place with a perpetual spring-like climate. On the emerald green meadow stood a simple yet cozy house. Outside the house, the azure lake had turned pink due to the proliferation of algae—a romantic hue that graced the lake once a year. The waves, carried by the wind, gently lapped against the pink-colored beach. On the beach, small hermit crabs scurried away, dragging their mobile homes, swiftly disappearing into small holes in the sand.

Once the spacecraft had landed, Ryan and Auston descended together, followed by Yuan Chu and Da fu running beside them.

Hand in hand, the two walked along the cobblestone path towards their home. As they pushed open the door—

Crackles and pops filled the air as confetti rained down, colorful ribbons fluttered, and the sounds of blessings and celebratory music filled the scene.

“Ryan, Auston, welcome home!”

In a moment of surprise, Auston was embraced by a warm, sweet-scented embrace that belonged to his mother. His eyes became teary, and he buried his face in her shoulder, softly uttering a long-lost, intimate term of endearment, “Mom.”

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They are finally home!!! I hope you are all enjoying this novel. Can you guess why Ryan doesn’t like the Emperor?🤔 Feel free to comment your views or suggestions below. Consider supporting me by buying me a Ko-fi. Thanks for your support!! Love you all!!❤👋