"What Xiaobai? Is that the name you ignorant humans carelessly gave me?" the voice echoed in my mind. "I am an Ihlheriz Larva, a cosmic intelligent lifeform you have yet to comprehend."

I asked, somewhat bewildered, "What on earth is an Ihlheriz?"

Xiaobai stared at me expressionlessly and said, "Show some respect. We are Ihlherizians from the Ihlheriz Star, a sovereign nation within the Galactic Federation, co-equal with Atlantis. We are five hundred and sixty-seven light-years from Earth."

Noticing the seriousness in his tone, I immediately composed myself and said, "My apologies. So, you are an alien?"

Xiaobai retorted, "What are you talking about? This is the Third Dimension of Ihlheriz Star, the long-destroyed World Sixteen. This is not your Earth, so you are the alien, alright?"

I scratched the back of my head and murmured, "Oh, I see. I didn't realize crossing that tunnel meant leaving Earth."

"That wasn't a tunnel. That was the Helbsem Bridge, a pathway between universes discovered thirty million years ago by the great scientist Helbsem of the Ihlheriz Star. Oh, and by the way, on your planet, it’s called the Rosenberg Bridge."

I thought for a moment, feeling like I'd heard the term Rosenberg Bridge somewhere before. Countless pieces of information flashed through my mind, until I finally remembered, "Isn't that just a wormhole? I can't believe I actually traveled through a wormhole."

Xiaobai’s tone held a hint of arrogance. "Hey, hey, easy there. I know that for you humans—oh, wait, you claim descent from Atlantis, so you're not exactly human anymore. Never mind. In any case, based on your current understanding, you'd naturally marvel at the existence of wormholes, especially since you're still stuck in the theoretical stage."

Sensing his boastfulness, I pressed on, "Right. Since I'm an alien here, why are you being so friendly to me? And why do you know so much about the human world?"

Xiaobai pondered for a moment. "I've been terribly bored here. Ever since World Sixteen was destroyed, I have remained here as the guardian of the Spring of Life for a hundred thousand years. You are the first living being to enter since then, so I feel a certain kinship. As for why I know so much about humans: First, there is a permanent wormhole entrance here that connects to your Earth, and I occasionally wander over to your planet. Secondly, the development of human society has a profound connection with us Ihlherizians. Furthermore, when Atlantis began to turn heretical and sought to destroy Earth, the Ihlheriz even dispatched troops for peacekeeping. I was one of the soldiers during that mission."

He dumped so much information on me at once that I felt muddled. I asked, "Wait, can you take that step by step? What enlightenment? What peacekeeping? What exactly happened?"

Unexpectedly, the creature seemed unwilling to answer me, instead continuing, "I don't want to explain everything. From your monologue earlier, I sense you are sinking deeper and deeper into trouble. I believe your grandfather once warned you not to get involved, didn't he? Yet you didn't listen. Now you are in serious trouble. Some things are best left buried, especially when they happened hundreds of thousands of years ago. Even if you manage to uncover the truth, it won't bring any good."

I shrugged helplessly. "But I've investigated this far. I'm stuck in the middle—I can't just give up now, can I?"

Xiaobai sighed. "Fine, I won't meddle in your affairs. I briefly probed your memories with my cilia just now; they are far too complex, beyond my comprehension. I intended to help untangle some of your worries, but perhaps it's better not to. However, I can help you decipher the bead you hold. Although the alliance between the Ihlheriz and Atlantis ended long ago, I have witnessed certain events over the years. Earth truly faces a monumental crisis. As a former ally, I will lend you a hand."

I nodded enthusiastically. "Great! How do we crack this bead?"

I waited eagerly for his reply, but to my surprise, he began digging at the ground, looking completely distracted.

I thought to myself, this creature really isn't some supremely intelligent being after all. We were having a serious conversation, but his attention span was abysmal—the kind of distraction usually seen only in the animal kingdom.

After digging for a moment, Xiaobai re-established mental contact. "I know what you're thinking. I just suddenly got hungry. As an exchange, how about two more of those compressed biscuits? Is that what you call them?"

I was speechless. "There are truly none left! I’m not lying to you."

Xiaobai fell silent for a moment. "That's a real shame. Never mind, let's not dwell on it. The bead you have is called a Luminous Crystal; it contains massive amounts of data that can only be decrypted using Cosmic Ray B2305. Coincidentally, when our planet evacuated this dimension, we left behind two starships equipped with weapons that fire various rays."

I nodded. "Then let's go quickly!"

But then I reconsidered. "Wait, I have an even more pressing task right now: finding the Toad King. It must be another creature from your Ihlheriz Star, one that travels through spatio-temporal rifts to attack Earth."

Xiaobai replied, "I know the entity you speak of. Since you mentioned searching for the Toad King earlier, I have a general idea of what you're looking for. However, that creature is extremely difficult to deal with; even a great warrior like myself could not face it head-on."

I stifled a laugh when I heard him utter the words "great warrior" without batting an eye. Still, I managed to remain composed.

I frowned and asked, "Are you certain that's who I should be looking for? Is it a native species of your planet?"

Xiaobai responded, "More than just a native species, it is arguably one of the primary reasons for this planet's destruction. They used to be numerous, but now only that one remains. The thing looks quite like a toad and enjoys burrowing deep within your Earth's strata. Its lifespan was nearly up, and it had no hope of reproduction, but it managed to get to your Earth and breed with an animal called a snake. Its vitality has increased significantly; I wouldn't be surprised if it lives another ten thousand years."

Xiaobai paused. "I once attempted to fight it, but I failed. It frequently travels back and forth between Ihlheriz World Sixteen and Earth through wormholes, gaining strange abilities from both planets. After World Sixteen was destroyed, all species were preserved in the Ice City, under my care. This place has the most powerful defenses, and the organisms can maintain a simple cycle without going extinct. My ancestors influenced the evolutionary mechanism of life between Earth and World Sixteen, obtaining some very valuable plant samples through hybrid evolution. But when World Sixteen was destroyed, these samples faced annihilation, which is why this preservation site was built for these rare flora. My main responsibility is to guard this place until these plants mature enough to be reclaimed by the Cosmic Vault; only then can I withdraw. According to my code, as long as the creature you call the Toad King doesn't directly threaten the Plant Vault, I have no need to kill it, so I've always turned a blind eye."

I was a bit lost amidst his barrage of technical jargon.

At that moment, Xiaobai continued, "However, now that the creature is threatening the lives of many humans, I have no choice but to intervene. More crucially, the starships left behind by my ancestors are currently being guarded by this Toad King. Therefore, the two of us must pay it a visit."

I nodded. "Alright. I'll fire a signal flare to call my two companions. We don't stand a chance otherwise."

Xiaobai shook his head. "No. Your two companions are likely already engaged with significant enemies. Let them keep those enemies occupied. As long as those enemies aren't near the Toad King, things will be much easier. The task of defeating the Toad King must be executed by just the two of us."

I frowned. "What exactly is going on?"

Xiaobai explained, "Those are hatchlings the Toad King nurtured with its own vital essence—monsters that are part human, part toad, entirely black, some possessing rudimentary psychic abilities. These spawn are the Toad King's trump card. In truth, the Toad King itself is easy to handle; it's just that these little brats are too numerous. Now that it knows you have invaded this area, it has sent out most of its foot soldiers, meaning this is its weakest moment."

I quickly asked, "Will my companions be in danger?"

Xiaobai replied, "Danger is certain, but defeating the Toad King and saving the humans of your world isn't simple. When you decided to undertake this mission, you must have already accepted the consequences, right? If you truly wish to see your companions safe soon, we must hurry now."

I nodded. "Then let's not waste any more time. Let's go."

Just as I was about to move, Xiaobai stopped me. "Wait, what about that thing I gave you earlier, the one that resembles a cactus from your world?"

I patted my pocket. "It's here. What's wrong?"

Xiaobai instructed, "Eat it. After you consume it, your entire body will emit a pungent odor, which will save you a lot of trouble later."

I brought the object to my nose and indeed detected a sharp, spicy smell.

I wrinkled my nose. "So this isn't a delicacy? And an odor covering my whole body will actually help?"

Xiaobai said, "You'll find out shortly. This world has many insects, especially the Toad King's lair, which is a veritable insect kingdom. Think about that."

Hearing that, I had no choice. I figured he wouldn't go to such lengths just to poison me, so I swallowed the thing in one gulp.