Morning arrived quietly over Moo66.

A pale band of sunlight stretched across the horizon, illuminating the roof of the diner, the roadside sign, and the cultivated plots behind the building. The air was still cool enough to carry the scent of damp soil through the property.

Usinomics stepped outside with a harvesting basket under one arm.

The crops had matured overnight.

Leaves crowded together in orderly rows, their surfaces glittering with droplets of moisture. Some vegetables had grown so large that they leaned against one another, as though the field had become too small to contain them.

Usinomics knelt beside the first plot and began to work.

The process had become familiar.

Harvest.

Sort.

Clear the soil.

Plant new seeds.

Water each row.

Wait.

Every completed task earned another small reward. Every harvested crop could become food, trade material, or another resource to support the continued development of Moo66.

The work was repetitive, but it was never meaningless.

The property had once been little more than an isolated roadside station. Now it contained a diner, guest rooms, workspaces, agricultural plots, facilities for animals, and several structures still under construction.

Moo66 was no longer simply a place to stop.

It had become a place that expected a future.

Usinomics pressed the final seed into the soil and covered it carefully.

The irrigation system activated with a soft metallic click.

Fine streams of water swept across the field, darkening the earth in gradual lines.

A notification appeared.

Harvesting task completed.

A second notification followed.

New sea survey assignment available.

Usinomics stood and brushed the soil from both hands.

The association had issued another deep-sea request.

This time, the objective was not the removal of contamination, the collection of marine samples, or the inspection of an abandoned structure.

The mission involved a legend.

A creature known throughout the survey region as the Ancient Whale had reportedly become trapped beyond a submerged passage. Several association members had already entered the area, but the route was unstable, and no one had yet confirmed whether the whale could be safely released.

Usinomics looked back toward the newly planted field.

The next harvest would not be ready for some time.

There was no reason to remain at Moo66 and watch the soil.

Usinomics entered the equipment room, changed into the appropriate sea-survey clothing, inspected the breathing apparatus, and packed enough recovery food for the trip.

A water gun designed for contamination removal was secured at the waist.

The survey identification badge was attached to the shirt.

Only after checking every piece of equipment twice did Usinomics leave for the coast.

The entrance to the survey zone was hidden below a shelf of black stone.

Sunlight filtered through the surface far above, fractured into moving columns that swayed across the seabed. Schools of tiny fish passed through those beams, turning silver whenever the light touched them.

Several association members were already waiting near the opening.

Their clothing and equipment varied according to rank and experience. Some wore older diving gear that had clearly survived many expeditions. Others carried newly issued tools that still shone without scratches.

No one spent much time speaking.

The mission marker activated.

A narrow path of light appeared along the rocks, leading deeper into the underwater ravine.

Usinomics joined the group.

Together, they swam through the passage.

The water grew colder as the route descended.

Rock walls rose on both sides, layered like the ruins of an ancient city. Sea plants drifted between the ledges. Purple coral formations emerged from the shadows, glowing faintly whenever the survey team passed.

Small luminous organisms clung to the stone.

Their light pulsed in irregular patterns.

For a moment, the entire ravine seemed to be breathing.

The team followed the illuminated markers through several narrow openings. At one point, they had to swim beneath a collapsed arch of stone. At another, the passage widened into a chamber filled with swirling blue currents.

Something moved beyond the current.

It was too large to identify.

At first, Usinomics thought it was part of the cavern wall.

Then the shape shifted.

A vast fin passed through the water.

The current trembled.

The survey members stopped.

A shadow emerged from behind the rocks, immense enough to darken the entire chamber.

The Ancient Whale moved slowly into view.

Its body carried a pale, almost translucent glow. Soft shades of blue, lavender, and rose traveled across its skin as though moonlight had become trapped beneath the surface. Barnacles and fragments of coral marked portions of its body, but they did not make it appear weak.

They made it appear old.

Not merely old in the way of animals or buildings, but old in the way of mountains, oceans, and stories repeated for so many generations that no one remembered where they began.

The whale’s eye opened.

It looked toward the survey team.

No one moved.

Usinomics had heard stories about the creature before.

The association described it in official records as a protected marine entity. Local residents spoke of it as a guardian of the deep. Travelers claimed that seeing the whale brought good fortune. Others believed it remembered the history of every settlement that had ever existed along the coast.

Until that moment, those accounts had sounded like folklore.

Now the legend was directly overhead.

Usinomics stared upward.

The whale was so enormous that its full body could not be seen at once. Its slow movement altered the water around it, creating gentle currents that pulled at clothing, hair, and sea plants.

Light spread across the chamber as it passed.

Usinomics whispered,

The words disappeared into the water.

Yet the whale seemed to notice.

Its head turned slightly.

For one impossible second, Usinomics felt as though the creature had heard.

The mission, however, was not complete.

Several dark formations had sealed the far end of the chamber. Contaminated growths covered the rocks, restricting the whale’s route to the open sea.

The team separated.

Some members cleared debris from the lower passage. Others activated the cleansing devices near the upper wall. Usinomics swam toward a cluster of black growths pulsing between two sections of coral.

The water gun fired.

A concentrated stream struck the contamination.

The black material recoiled.

It broke apart into fragments, dissolving before they could settle on the seabed.

Another section remained near the passage.

Usinomics fired again.

The growth cracked.

A line of light appeared behind it.

One by one, the members cleared the obstruction until the current changed direction.

Open water became visible beyond the rocks.

The whale moved.

Its enormous body passed between the survey members with extraordinary care. Despite its size, it did not strike the walls or disturb the smaller creatures sheltering near the coral.

The passage brightened as it entered the open sea.

For several seconds, the whale remained above them, surrounded by streams of bubbles and scattered fish.

Then it rose.

Its glowing shape became smaller against the blue distance.

The mission display appeared.

Ancient Whale release completed.

The association members gathered near the opened passage.

Some celebrated with gestures.

Others simply watched the creature disappear.

Usinomics remained still a little longer.

There were many things in the world that could be explained through systems, equipment, measurements, or official records.

The whale did not feel like one of them.

It felt like proof that a legend could exist without asking anyone for permission.

By the time the survey team returned to the coastal station, the sky had shifted toward evening.

Usinomics completed the decontamination procedure before leaving the area.

Equipment was washed.

Clothing was inspected.

Hands were cleaned.

The survey badge was returned to its proper case.

Only after confirming that no trace of deep-sea contamination remained did Usinomics begin the journey back to Moo66.

The direct route would have been the most efficient.

Usinomics did not take it.

During the sea survey, a publicly accessible residence had appeared on the regional map. The property had received an unusually high number of positive evaluations, and several visitors had marked it as a recommended destination.

It was not far from the return route.

Usinomics decided to stop.

The residence became visible long before the entrance.

At first, it appeared to be a palace floating above the road.

Towers rose behind layers of walls and terraces. Pink roofs, pale blue tiles, white columns, bells, arches, stars, clouds, and ornamental figures crowded the skyline. Flags moved gently above the highest spires.

Rainbow decorations curved between sections of the building.

Soft lights glowed beneath the balconies.

The entire structure seemed less like a private residence and more like a theme park built by someone who had refused to remove a single idea.

Usinomics stopped outside the main gate and looked up.

The scale was difficult to understand.

Moo66 had expanded gradually, one room and one practical decision at a time.

This mansion appeared to have expanded through pure determination.

It belonged, without question, to a highly invested owner.

The entrance alone contained enough decorative pieces to furnish several ordinary homes.

Cloud-shaped pillars stood beside the gate. Animal statues rested above luminous rainbow supports. Bells hung inside small towers. Flower beds surrounded the approach, each one arranged according to color and height.

A treasure chest had been placed near the outer grounds as decoration.

Even the mailbox seemed to be part of a larger architectural composition.

The property was open to the public.

Usinomics entered.

The mansion’s central façade rose beyond a broad courtyard.

Its windows reflected the night sky. Stars and moon-shaped ornaments shone above the main archway. White lights traced the edges of balconies and stairways.

Near the entrance, several large figures had been arranged for photography.

One resembled a cheerful animal holding an oversized tray. Another stood beside a cloud-shaped display. The placement had clearly been designed so that visitors could pose among them.

Usinomics walked toward the installation.

There was no owner present.

No guests appeared on the balconies.

The enormous estate was completely quiet.

That silence made the building seem even larger.

Usinomics positioned carefully beside the display and activated the camera.

One photograph.

Then another.

In the first, the animal figure dominated the frame.

In the second, the mansion’s archway appeared behind Usinomics.

A third image captured the surrounding towers, although the building was too large to fit completely within the screen.

Usinomics reviewed the photographs.

The mansion’s evaluation marker was located nearby.

Usinomics added a positive rating.

Then, as was customary, Usinomics searched for the flower beds.

There were many.

Purple and blue blossoms filled the front garden. Rose-covered shrubs stood along the raised walkways. Pale ornamental trees spread cloudlike canopies over the paths. Sparkling effects drifted above several flower arrangements, making them appear almost magical.

Usinomics equipped the watering can.

The first bed received water.

Then the second.

Then the third.

The flowers did not wilt.

They did not lose petals.

They did not show signs of age.

Some had likely remained in bloom for weeks or months, untouched by changing weather or neglect.

Usinomics paused among the purple blossoms.

Unlike furniture, many flowers in this world seemed almost indestructible.

Furniture could wear out.

Tools could lose durability.

Structures could require repairs.

Flowers, however, often remained bright without being harvested, protected from decay by systems no one bothered to explain.

Usinomics looked across the garden.

There are many highly durable flowers in this world.

Flowers that do not deteriorate…

Perhaps their strength comes from remaining free of infection.

It was not a scientific conclusion.

It was merely a thought produced by a world where contamination behaved like illness, darkness, mold, and physical substance at the same time.

The flowers offered no answer.

They continued to shine.

Usinomics watered another row.

From the garden, the mansion looked even more like an amusement park. The towers were playful rather than defensive. The gates did not keep anyone out. The decorative animals appeared to welcome visitors who might never meet the owner.

Usinomics studied the illuminated balconies.

An American guesthouse looks like an amusement park.

The idea was both humorous and strangely accurate.

The LEEMAI guesthouse possessed columns, observation points, formal areas, and the quiet atmosphere of a residence prepared for dignitaries.

This estate seemed prepared for a parade.

Its owner had not simply constructed a home.

The owner had built an experience.

Usinomics felt genuine admiration.

To become this absorbed in architecture required resources, patience, and a level of concentration that could easily consume entire days.

Perhaps nights as well.

Possibly weeks.

Usinomics understood the danger.

Moo66 still had unfinished sections.

The headquarters remained under construction.

Several facilities required expansion.

There were always more walls to place, more land to purchase, more furniture to arrange, and more reasons to remain awake far beyond the intended time.

The mansion therefore represented both inspiration and warning.

Usinomics completed the final watering task and returned the can to the inventory.

The absent owner received another notification of care from an unknown visitor.

Then Usinomics left the estate.

Before returning to Moo66, Usinomics stopped in the downtown district.

The interior shop was still open.

Its showroom contained chairs, lamps, wall decorations, partitions, beds, counters, and devices that looked useful until their prices were examined.

Usinomics moved through the aisles without a clear plan.

A set of glowing gates stood near the rear display.

Each gate resembled a vertical pool of liquid light contained within a thick frame. The centers swirled continuously, displaying pale blues, whites, and traces of rainbow color.

A small description identified them as transportation gates.

Usinomics stopped.

The concept seemed practical.

Moo66 had become increasingly difficult to walk around. Expansions, walls, and exterior structures forced visitors to travel along the sides of the property to reach the rear areas.

A gate could shorten the route.

It might also become useful for emergencies.

The display included several colors.

Usinomics selected one.

Only one.

There was no reason, at that moment, to purchase more.

The gate was added to the inventory.

Usinomics returned to Moo66.

Night had fully settled over the roadside property.

The crops remained dark and quiet beneath the irrigation lights. The diner windows reflected the stars. The unfinished headquarters stood beyond the main building, its upper sections still incomplete.

Usinomics carried the new gate toward the mailbox.

The front wall offered enough space beside the entrance.

The gate was placed there.

Its frame locked into position.

The center immediately filled with swirling light.

A configuration menu appeared.

Select gate function:

* Entrance and exit
* Entrance only
* Exit only

Usinomics considered the options.

The setting was selected.

Nothing happened.

The light continued to move within the frame, but the gate did not activate.

Usinomics stepped closer.

No transportation marker appeared.

No destination could be chosen.

The item description was opened again.

A smaller line of text had been placed beneath the main instructions.

Two connected gates are required for operation.

Usinomics stared at the sentence.

Only one gate had been purchased.

The device was not an entrance.

It was half of an entrance.

For the moment, it was a glowing wall decoration.

Usinomics immediately changed the setting.

Entrance and exit.

The gate remained inactive.

The configuration was correct.

The problem was still the missing second gate.

Usinomics looked toward the road.

The downtown district was not close.

The interior shop was still open, but returning meant repeating the entire journey.

For several seconds, Usinomics considered leaving the gate unfinished until another day.

Then the swirling center continued to glow beside the mailbox, visibly incomplete.

Usinomics turned around.

The trip back to the city began.

The same-color gate was still available.

Usinomics purchased it and returned to Moo66 for the second time.

This time, the destination was the rear side of the property.

Not inside the diner.

Not inside the guest rooms.

Not inside the headquarters.

The second gate was placed outdoors, against the back wall where it could connect the two exterior areas without allowing direct access to the interior.

The gate activated.

Both structures responded at once.

Their centers brightened.

The swirling material became deeper, almost three-dimensional. Blue light folded into white light. Rainbow traces appeared and vanished inside the vortex.

Usinomics stood in front of the rear gate.

The substance inside it was difficult to classify.

It was not water.

Nothing dripped from the frame.

It was not gas.

It did not disperse into the air.

It was not radiation.

The monitoring equipment detected no dangerous emission.

It did not behave like glass, light, fabric, or any known surface.

It moved continuously, as though something on the other side were stirring it.

Usinomics raised one hand.

Then stopped.

The idea of entering an unknown, writhing, rainbow-colored substance was not naturally reassuring.

The device had been sold openly in an interior shop.

That fact did not guarantee safety.

Many dangerous objects came with instructions.

Some came with decorative frames.

Usinomics stepped closer.

The gate gave off no heat.

No sound emerged from it.

The surface appeared deep enough to contain an entire corridor, although the frame rested directly against the wall.

Usinomics looked back toward the open grounds.

There was no one available to test it first.

No association member.

No friend.

No pet.

Only Usinomics.

The gate had been purchased for transportation.

At some point, someone had to enter it.

Usinomics inhaled.

Then stepped forward.

The surface offered no resistance.

For less than a second, the world became light.

A fragment of Moo66’s interior flashed across Usinomics’ vision—the diner wall, a section of flooring, part of a window, and the dark outline of furniture.

The image vanished before it could be understood.

Usinomics emerged through the front gate beside the mailbox.

Both feet landed safely on the ground.

No pain.

No contamination.

No missing equipment.

Usinomics checked both hands.

Five fingers on each.

Everything remained present.

The gate continued to swirl behind.

Usinomics turned toward the long route around the side of the property.

Then looked back at the gate.

I can save time without walking around both sides.

The device was not merely decorative after all.

It was exceptionally practical.

Usinomics tested it again.

Front to back.

Back to front.

Each transfer occurred almost instantly.

There was always a brief flash of Moo66 during transit, as though the gate understood the shortest route but still passed through some invisible section of the property.

Usinomics began considering additional placements.

One pair could connect the front and rear.

Another could connect the left and right sides.

A third might link the headquarters to a distant area after construction was complete.

Then another possibility emerged.

Moo66 was usually peaceful.

Visitors arrived to explore, complete tasks, water plants, exchange items, or simply run through the property before leaving.

Yet the world beyond Moo66 was not always predictable.

If a friend ever arrived while being followed, harassed, or pursued by someone, an exterior gate could provide a rapid escape route without opening the interior of the building.

The visitor could enter one gate and emerge on the opposite side of the property.

A pursuer unfamiliar with the layout might lose sight of them.

The system would not solve every problem.

But it could create several seconds of distance.

Sometimes, several seconds were enough.

Usinomics looked at the gate beside the wall.

A trouble-avoidance gate.

The name was unofficial.

It was also more useful than 

Usinomics decided that additional gates might eventually be installed along both sides of Moo66.

Not immediately.

The headquarters still required beds.

The land still required funds.

Resources could not be spent on every good idea at once.

The two existing gates would be enough for now.

After confirming that both gates functioned properly, Usinomics entered the diner.

The day’s routine continued in the usual order.

Hands were washed thoroughly.

Gargling followed.

Survey equipment had already been decontaminated, but the habits of Moo66 did not change merely because another facility had performed the same procedure.

Usinomics visited the toilet.

The existence of a proper restroom remained one of the property’s most important achievements.

No journey.

No legend.

No palace.

No transportation technology could reduce that importance.

Afterward, Usinomics prepared the bath.

Warm water filled the tub.

The steam softened the room, carrying away the remaining cold of the deep sea. Usinomics lowered into the water and felt the exhaustion of the day emerge all at once.

The Ancient Whale returned to mind.

Its enormous body.

The shifting colors beneath its skin.

The way it had moved through the opened passage without harming the coral or the survey members.

For a moment, the bathroom seemed impossibly small compared with the ocean.

Then the mansion appeared in memory.

Its towers.

Its clouds.

Its decorative animals.

Its endless flowers.

Its owner, absent somewhere beyond the public estate.

Two extraordinary places had occupied the same day.

One had been created over centuries by nature, history, and legend.

The other had been created through architecture, resources, and an astonishing amount of personal dedication.

Both had been enormous.

Both had made Usinomics feel small.

Only one required watering.

Usinomics rested in the bath until the recovery indicator returned to a safe level.

Then the water was drained.

Clean clothing was prepared.

Before sleeping, Usinomics opened the wardrobe and considered what to wear the following day.

A complete outfit was assembled.

Shirt.

Pants.

Shoes.

Hat.

Accessories.

The colors were examined together.

One combination was rejected.

Another appeared too formal for agricultural work.

A third looked appropriate for both the city and Moo66.

Usinomics selected it and placed the clothing where it would be ready in the morning.

There was still one final task.

The headquarters.

To Be Continued.