Chapter 1: The Emergence of the Space
【Dingdong～Welcome to the Happiness System, master.】
"Master"
…
"Master"
Shen Zhi Xia felt like ten thousand needles were continuously pricking her head, the mechanical voice repeating itself incessantly in her ear.
"Ah!"
"Who is it, so annoying!"
"Don't they know I stayed up late reading until dawn last night!"
Shen Zhi Xia extended her hand to massage her temples, irritably opening her eyes.
"Master"
"Who? Who's talking?"
"Master, I am your exclusive butler."
"Exclusive butler? What kind of joke is that?"
"I don't care what you are, you need to quiet down right now!"
The disturbed Shen Zhi Xia was feeling a surge of anger boiling within her.
"Master, I am your exclusive butler." However, the mechanical voice uninterruptedly repeated the same phrase, not changing its method of talking even at the signs of her anger.
What the hell is an exclusive butler?
Could it be a wake-up alarm set by those boring "children" at the research institute?
After all, the entire research institute knew that she, Shen Zhi Xia, was infamous for her love of oversleeping.
~~~
The research institute usually had people busy fiddling with various instruments and devices as early as seven or eight in the morning, some fanatics even earlier! But Shen Zhi Xia was an exception.
She typically appeared leisurely carrying her "breakfast" around eleven or even one or two in the afternoon. Her walking style was much like a leisurely stroll of an old man in the park.
At first, there were those who were critical and sarcastically accused her of being unprofessional despite being in charge of such significant scientific projects.
However, over time, as various achievements led by Shen Zhi Xia surfaced, it was a severe blow for the green-eyed actors.
She was the real boss!
Though she came late and left early every day, who was to argue when she was indeed efficient and smart?
After all, she is now the most famous scientific genius in China, the future star of the "Materialized Medicine" field.
Graduated from university at the age of 14 and pursued further studies at top universities in the United States. At 18, she obtained a Ph.D., and when everyone thought she would stay abroad, she resolutely rejected the temptation of a high salary in the United States, and joined a top research institute in China.
Now at 28, she holds multiple important patents in physics, chemistry, and medicine. She has more than enough capital to "do as she pleases."
~~~
"Where are you?"
"Master, I am in your mind."
In my mind? You've got to be kidding!
Am I also about to join the ranks of transmigrants? Shen ZhiXia wondered.
"Yes, Master. There is only one week left until your existence in this world will come to an end. I would like to ask you..."
"What?!" Shen ZhiXia broke in, her almond-shaped eyes wide open.
"Say that again!"
"I swear I won't kill you!"
"What do you mean by only having one week of existence left?"
"So, I'm going to die?"
Upon hearing this, Shen ZhiXia's heart sank into utter despair. She had painstakingly learned, worked diligently, and struggled so hard that the balance in her bank account finally reached double digits. She hadn't even enjoyed the wonders of her homeland, let alone fall in love. Was she really going to die?
Sensing her turmoil, the system comforted her. "Master, you're not dying. It's just that your data will disappear from this world, and this world won't have a person named Shen ZhiXia anymore."
"What's the difference from dying then?!" Shen ZhiXia yelled into the void, overwhelmed with anger.
"Can I refuse?"
"I don’t want to transmigrate!" She pleaded weakly, hoping for a sudden change of heart.
"No can do, master. You have been carefully selected by the Happiness System. Once the System has chosen, even the death of the host cannot alter the predestined trajectory."
"......"
What an inescapable life and an unattainable death!
If the system was in front of her, she might not resist the urge to beat it up. Why did it choose her, Shen Zhi Xia of all people?
Why couldn't it let her do some experiments and read novels every day? All she wanted was to be a small science-researching 'salty fish' in the 21st century.
Wuu wuu wuu~
After a while, Shen Zhi Xia cooled down.
"A happiness system, you say? Do I have a space?"
"I've seen in those novels that all the big shots who transmigrate have a very awesome space. If you want me to transmigrate, shouldn't you give me a bit of a perk?"
Shen Zhi Xia decided to give up struggling. After all, in the face of inalterable facts, it's better to accept quickly rather than arguing over pointless things. Then, look for the most comfortable way to proceed.
"Yes, master, you do."
"How do I enter..." Before she finished her sentence, Shen Zhi Xia entered the space.
What appeared before her eyes was an endless field, followed by a large pond. Nearby stood a six-storey high American country-style villa. The most surprising thing was that by the edge of the pond, there was a spring and a hot spring. Could they be the legendary healing spring and injury-curing hot spring?
The novels weren't lying then. Were all the authors transmigrating heavyweights as well? Looking at the space in front of her, Shen Zhi Xia even felt that transmigration might not be such a bad thing.
"Space Butler, is this a Spirit Spring?"
"Master, this is indeed the Spirit Spring."
"Master, you could give me a name, I still don't have one, yoohoo~"
"......"
Who would have thought it was a mechanical creature with a whimpering sound~
"Um... Then you'll have to wait for me to think." Shen Zhixia is thoroughly terrible at naming. All the products she researched were simply named Medicinal Product No.1, Medicinal Product No.2...
"Um... Then you can be called... Yuanbao. I think Yuanbao is pretty good! Haha! I'm too good at naming!" Shen Zhixia felt that the name Yuanbao was simply too perfect. This space was filled with so many resources, wasn't it just like a gold Yuanbao.
"Wow! I'll be called Yuanbao from now on! Thank you, master. Yuanbao really likes this name."
"I'm glad you like it~"
After quickly reviewing the entire spatial structure, Shen Zhixia left the space. The details can be slowly uncovered in the future, there are more critical issues to address right now.
Having finally calmed down, Shen Zhixia sorted out her thoughts. Little had she expected that she too would have a personal space, just like the people primed for transmigration. All of this came so unexpectedly, it felt inexplicably fantastical.
"Yuanbao, can I know in advance where I will be transmigrating to?"
"That... Maybe... I don't know."
It's just a little butler, it can't divulge any foreknowledge.
"Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasties?"
"Is it the post-apocalyptic world again?"
"Surely they're not expecting me to become a member of the Yuanmou people, are they?"
Yuanbao, her pet, pretended to be dead, and made no sound.
Seeing that it didn't respond, Shen Zhixia changed her approach.
"Could it be before Liberation?"
Yuanbao continued to feign death.
"After Liberation?"
"Mistress, please stop guessing."
"I can't reveal it! I can't reveal it!"
When she asked it, it never uttered a single response. But the moment she mentioned "after Liberation," it right away broke silence.
Shen Zhixia thought that the possibility of her time traveling to the period after Liberation was extremely high.
No matter where she'd end up, she simply hoped to land somewhere slightly affluent.
Although she had grown up in an orphanage, the headmistress was very kind to her. She never had to worry about food and clothing, enjoyed better treatment than average children from normal families, and certainly hadn't done any farm work. But, there's always exceptions...
Forget it. "When the soldiers approach, block them; when water comes, dam it." Being an intellectual herself with a bank account carrying several digits of balance, who would fear a life of time travel over several decades?
Since time travel was inevitable, and she had a space-time device in her hand, rather than quietly waiting, it would be wise to quickly hoard the space with supplies, just in case. If the place she ended up in was not desirable, wouldn't she be able to spend her entire life in a cave?
Shen Zhixia no longer hesitated and immediately embarked on her stockpiling journey. Having supplies in hand, she could face any situation without panic.
First, she took out her phone and found the agent who had helped her with the house purchase procedure. She called him to tell him that she wanted to sell the mountain-top villa which cost her a fortune and the high-rise where she is living now urgently within a week. It didn't matter if the price was a bit lower, the key was to sell it quickly.
The agent, of course, probably thought she'd gone mad, but Shen Zhixia didn't care what people thought.
In fact, Shen Zhixia felt a bit pained that the villa she had painstakingly had refurbished, without having the chance to move in and enjoy it yet, was soon to be in someone else's possession.
*sniffle*
Back in her study, she quickly found all the transmigration novels she had read before, synthesized a variety of items that her predecessors had bought, and made a long list.