When Yu Mian clicked on the link, he discovered a rather peculiar forum. The name was strange as well…something like “Fish Fan Forum”, and it even required an invitation code?
[Fish: (screenshot) This is…?]
[Crispy Shark: Oh, I almost forgot about that. Here, I’ll send you an invitation code!]
Faced with the situation where the author themselves was blocked from the forum, Shaxs, a seasoned user, promptly sent over an invitation code.
After Yu Mian successfully registered using the code, he realized something. Wasn’t this essentially a fanfiction site like the ones on Earth?
And “Fish Fan”… could it mean fans of “Fish Soup Noodles”?
Good heavens, had the interstellar era also gradually developed such a mode?
The piece “The Tragedy of the Rose” was prominently displayed on the forum homepage. In addition to the blazing HOT flame icon, the several hundred pages of comments further testified to its immense popularity.
It was truly worthy of being called the forum’s crown jewel.
“Hiss… but honestly, this is really well-written.”
After Yu Mian read through the fanfiction titled “The Tragedy of the Rose”, written by someone under the name Christina, he suddenly understood why interstellar readers had been moved to tears.
The fanfiction not only featured an elegant and beautiful writing style that had a richly vintage tone, it also added some clever supplementary settings, which altered the trajectory of the story.
The narrative began with the assassination at the Full Moon Ball but diverged when Su Yan regained his memories just before successfully assassinating Dreven.
It introduced the concept of a Blood Moon Stone guarded by every ruler of the Bart Clan, which turned out to be the key to the eternal night.
In a single moment of clarity, Su Yan chose to sacrifice himself to break the balance between light and darkness. He redirected the fully activated divine dagger into his own heart and collided with the Blood Moon Stone!
The shattering of the Blood Moon Stone unleashed a raging fire. All the conservative old faction of the Bart Clan, deprived of the Blood Moon’s protection, screamed and perished in the morning light.
Meanwhile, the new faction, having refused to consume human blood, remained unaffected by the stone’s taint.
Whether it was Dreven or Xiao, both frantically tried to prevent this from happening, but they were ultimately stopped by the blood barrier and could only watch as Su Yan disappeared with the first rays of dawn.
Humans and the Bart Clan finally chose coexistence, and day and night became distinct and separate.
But Dreven, who was still a Bart, wandered the human world for eternity, searching generation to generation for every reincarnation of Su Yan’s soul that bore the mark of the Blood Moon, and silently guarded them from birth to death.
Whether Su Yan became a young nobleman in the Middle Ages or a renowned historian in modern society, Dreven watched over him.
Until one fateful lifetime, on a moonlit night near the end of Su Yan’s life, he unexpectedly encountered the still-young and handsome Dreven and said softly, “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”
But before Dreven could reply, Su Yan closed his eyes and departed once again.
Days later, Dreven, dressed in black, attended Su Yan’s funeral.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Dreven offered a single moonlight rose, watched his former lover disappear once more, and set off on yet another journey to find him.
[The Tragedy of the Rose – The End]
“It’s very well-written… and not exactly the kind of unbearably tragic BE. It has an indescribable sense of beauty instead.”
Yu Mian was somewhat surprised after finishing it. He felt that Christina seemed to be a natural-born writer.
Especially the sections depicting Dreven accompanying Su Yan through every cycle of reincarnation; the emotions in the text were extraordinarily delicate, rich, and sharp to the extreme.
If Yu Mian remembered correctly, wasn’t “Christina” the insomniac who had sent him a letter before?
In some sense, writers tended to have emotions more delicate and sensitive than ordinary people.
This Christina seemed particularly suited to this dark yet fate-laden, luxurious style of writing.
Although the comment section under this fanfiction has already turned into a foundation of tears.
[Waaah, Christina’s fanfiction has such a lingering effect! Each of Su Yan’s reincarnations kept me up all night…]
[The main thing is how it contrasts completely with Fish Soup Noodle’s original ending! After reading “The Tragedy of the Rose,” I reread the ending of the original story several times overnight. Suddenly, the idea of Su Yan and Dreven meeting again with their memories intact feels so beautiful!]
[Exactly! If this fanfiction were the main text and Fish Soup Noodle’s ending was in the extras, my heart would probably break… And this was written by a Bart reader too? Help, are there so many fans of Fish Soup Noodles among the Bart Clan?]
Christina, clearly overwhelmed by the massive reaction to her first published work, quickly replied under her fanfiction.
[Christina: Umm… I really love all of Fish Soup Noodle’s books, and these ideas just popped into my head during sleepless nights, so I tried writing them down. If people don’t like it, I won’t write anymore? Please stop crying! (Very sorry.jpg)]
“What should I do? Everyone is crying after I posted it. Maybe I shouldn’t publish anything anymore. I knew people wouldn’t like it.”
At this night’s Moonlit Tea Party, Christina appeared rather uneasy and guilty.
“Not at all, Christina. You should have more confidence in yourself. Many comments said they loved it…”
Just as everyone was trying to comfort her, Lilith raised the light brain in her hand.
“Fish Soup Noodles replied. He gave encouragement.”
As Lilith spoke, everyone noticed that Fish Soup Noodles had actually forwarded a comment on his StarBlog!
[A Bowl Of Fish Soup Noodles V: This is truly an interesting piece of work! Why not keep writing? You could even try creating an original story. I feel Miss Christina could become an amazing writer. Everyone’s creations in this forum are so imaginative.]
For Federation readers who first saw this response, it was as if their minds had been blown.
It felt as though the barrier between worlds had shattered. Fish Soup Noodles had actually read… “The Tragedy of the Rose”?
Did this mean the forum they created had been discovered by the author themselves? [Utter panic.jpg]
[It’s over. Did Fish Soup Noodles also see my guilty pleasure posts? Is it still possible to hide them now? Big boss, those were written by my cat!]
However, while the star network spiraled into chaos and wails, Christina held her light brain in her hands, silently staring at it for a long time without saying a word.
“Christina? What’s wrong with you?”
“Yes! Fish Soup Noodles said you’d become a great writer. Don’t be upset.”
The surrounding Bart clan members immediately tried to comfort Christina. But suddenly, Christina suddenly raised her head.
“I must keep writing! One day, I’ll take my works to the Federation Star and meet Fish Soup Noodles!”
Clutching the manuscript in her hands tightly, Christina made a serious life decision.
For a moment, the Bart clan members around her were all surprised. Christina was usually melancholic and listless due to her insomnia, and rarely displayed such determination.
Only Lilith watched all of this with a smile.
**
While everyone was still immersed in the incredible fanfiction and the end of the main text of”Eternal Night Rose”, they were surprised to discover that the second volume of “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” was released!
Interestingly, as if in response to calls from the outer star systems, “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” adopted a new dual-release model: simultaneous publication of physical books and online releases.
Because of this, not only did the daily traffic of the Huanyu Reading Platform reach a new peak, but major bookstores on Central Star also experienced unprecedented queues.
This was a phenomenon no one had ever seen.
[Why would anyone queue to buy a physical book when you can easily purchase and read the e-book on your phone?]
After reports of the frenzy spread online, some curious netizens asked about the reason.
[That’s because buying online means you can read anytime, anywhere, while physical books must be bought for home collections! One set to wrap up and display, another to read before bed!]
[Exactly! Reading a physical book feels completely different from reading on a light-brain. And Fish Soup Noodles’ books are definitely worth keeping multiple copies of.]
Within moments, the responses flooded in, burying the question.
The enthusiasm for the second volume of Fish Soup Noodles’ military upgrade novel was unparalleled. Some even declared that they must be among the first readers to finish it, no matter what!
“We are Fish Soup Noodles’ most beloved readers! So, while you’re isolating at home, you could give it a read. Everyone seems to have a copy these days; it’s insanely popular.”
Even Secretary Hals brought along the beautifully bound first and second volumes of “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King” for Huo Ting as he delivered documents.
Surprisingly, after glancing at the finely crafted books, Huo Ting didn’t refuse.
After all, the first volume he had read last time indeed felt refreshingly exciting and exhilarating.
“Oh, and that recipe you gave us last time? Qiao Ni tried it, and she said it was delicious. The folks at the research institute couldn’t stop praising it!”
Before leaving, Secretary Hals mentioned the high-broth broccoli recipe Huo Ting had shared.
For years, research into interstellar food radiation focused on cultivating and developing new low-radiation foods. While many new varieties were created through extensive efforts, their unfamiliar taste or texture led many people to stick with nutrition fluids instead.
Now, this high-broth broccoli recipe seemed to have sparked a new direction.
In some ways, developing innovative uses for existing ingredients to make them more appealing could be a breakthrough idea!
However, as Secretary Hals spoke, he realized that Huo Ting wasn’t listening. Instead, he had already opened the second volume and begun reading intently.
‘Okay, then.’
But come to think of it, these annual isolation periods due to mental radiation flare-ups weren’t entirely bad.
With the military’s demanding schedule, when else could one find uninterrupted time to immerse oneself in a good book?
And “Rebirth of the Interstellar Soldier King: Volume 2” was really captivating.
From the very first page, it delivered that familiar, blood-pumping excitement!
[[When the protagonist Lin Mu heard the old man’s words, “The movement of heaven is vigorous; a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement. As long as you remain steadfast, kind-hearted and unyielding, with a heart that embraces the universe and all its beings, even a destitute wandering commoner can possess the True Heart Of A Soldier King”, a subtle yet profound emotion appeared in his previously lifeless eyes.
Indeed…
His rebirth was already a miracle.
Having resolved to find the real culprit behind the theft of his star core in this life, how could he fall here or admit defeat so easily?
When the old man saw the renewed determination in Lin Mu’s eyes, he revealed a kind and satisfied smile.
“Child, hold out your hand! This is my lifelong knowledge. How much you can absorb depends on your own ability…”
Hearing this, Lin Mu, while still coughing blood, stretched out his hand to connect with the old man’s remnant soul in the air. In an instant, a huge transfer of knowledge flooded into his mind.
The legendary “Heart of the Soldier King” inheritance coursed through Lin Mu’s body.
Despite the excruciating pain, Lin Mu gritted his teeth and withstood the test of his mind collapsing and seized the opportunity to assimilate it all.
By the time the golden radiance faded, a faint, misty golden star core seemed to have formed in Lin Mu’s previously fractured chest.
It was a nearly perfect absorption.
“Well done, my child. You are indeed the successor I had chosen… From now on, you are the sole inheritor of my legacy as the God of War, Hachir.”
Having passed on his lifetime’s expertise, the old man gazed proudly and contentedly at Lin Mu, who knelt in solemn reverence to his new master.
When Lin Mu reappeared at the edge of the cliff, he immediately plunged the villains into disbelief.
“Lin Mu? You’re still alive! And you even dare show yourself…”
The previously arrogant villains were horrified to see that the Lin Mu who climbed back from the cliff had gained unimaginable strength.
The young master of the Black Zone, who had once boasted about killing Lin Mu, now scrambled to hide behind his family’s old steward for protection.]]
