Barren Star – Chapter 22
by Little PandaPeople should have some sense of revenge
Night falls.
When Ning Buyi first arrived, to conserve energy, the entire base would be pitch black late at night, but now the situation has improved considerably. The base is brightly lit, illuminated on all sides.
Near the base’s perimeter, where it used to be completely empty, now stands a barbecue grill. Hua Zhuoyu sits on a small stool turning the beast leg meat in her hands, while Ning Buyi bends down to brush honey on the meat. The firelight reflects on her face, her eyes gleaming with spirit.
“Isn’t this too wasteful?” Hua Zhuoyu stares at Ning Buyi’s honey-brushing hand, her eyelid twitching.
Ning Buyi retorts bluntly: “Then don’t eat it.”
Little Feng Jiu: “Chirp chirp, don’t eat.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “…” She frees her left hand and grabs Little Feng Jiu’s tail feathers, forcefully throwing her away. Little Feng Jiu flutters back, lands on Hua Zhuoyu, and launches into a frenzy of attacks. Ning Buyi watches their antics with a smile, occasionally glancing toward the outside of the base, asking Beidou about the spacecraft’s situation.
The honey-glazed roasted meat’s aroma is very potent, carried outward by the wind. She doesn’t believe that people who drink nutrition supplements that taste like dog excrement won’t be tempted.
Hua Zhuoyu knows Ning Buyi’s intentions, but to get a bite to eat, she’s willing to go along with the scheme. Turning the roasting meat to prevent it from burning, she says softly: “They’re in the spacecraft, they can’t smell it.”
“That’s fine, it’s best if they come out on their own, if not—” Ning Buyi doesn’t finish speaking, she cuts off a piece of meat, and before it lands on the plate, Little Feng Jiu flies over like lightning, snatches the roasted meat, and flies toward the base perimeter. How could they see Little Feng Jiu and not react? Once they step out of the spacecraft, they’ll surely be conquered by the overwhelming aroma.
Hua Zhuoyu: “…” Moving her small stool closer to Ning Buyi, she takes the knife and begins slicing meat, a motion she has performed hundreds of times since arriving at the base. When a heavy leg bone drops, Ning Buyi is still observing the situation outside the base. Hua Zhuoyu smiles, picks up chopsticks, and holds a slice of meat to Ning Buyi’s lips.
Ning Buyi opens her mouth instinctively, but when the heat hits her teeth and tongue, she suddenly comes to her senses. Realizing what she just did, her face turns bright red. Fortunately, the firelight helps hide it somewhat. Raising her hand to fan her cheek, she swallows the delicious roasted meat, then gives Hua Zhuoyu a sideways glance, saying softly: “What are you doing!”
Her tone doesn’t sound like a complaint, and with those affectionate eyes, it’s more like gentle flirting. Hua Zhuoyu smiles, her eyes like crescents, and picks up another slice of roasted meat. While Ning Buyi is still flustered, she turns her wrist and puts it in her own mouth.
Ning Buyi: “…” What was I expecting anyway!
“What do you plan to do?” Hua Zhuoyu suddenly asks.
“About what?” Ning Buyi is like a tall monk who can’t touch his head [a Chinese idiom meaning confused].
Hua Zhuoyu reminds her: “The good things in the base are gradually increasing. Eventually, we won’t be able to hide it from others, and one day it will appear in everyone’s sight.”
Ning Buyi knows this in her heart, but thinking about that day makes her heart heavy. She doesn’t want others to pick peaches [benefit] from her hard work. If only the “Dominate” skill could level up, then she would have adequate preparation and wouldn’t fear others coveting it.
“My suggestion is to affiliate it under Star Court’s name,” Hua Zhuoyu continues. She has thought this through carefully, but worried that Ning Buyi might think Star Court wants to seize her base, so she hadn’t mentioned it. But now Little Feng Jiu is here, the Insect Race has arrived, and the three great civilizations have gathered on the barren star.
A cold glint passes through Ning Buyi’s eyes. After spending time together, she’s willing to trust Hua Zhuoyu, but remains suspicious of the others in Star Court. Moreover, even if they all share Hua Zhuoyu’s position, she doesn’t want to always hide under others’ wings. “How long can we keep it hidden?” Ning Buyi asks softly.
Hua Zhuoyu says: “Until the final judgment.” Many people know about the barren star’s situation, and everyone believes it will become a dead star during the final judgment. If it survives, people will certainly become suspicious of it.
“Actually, being exposed to others’ view isn’t entirely a bad thing,” Hua Zhuoyu thinks for a moment, then continues, “The barren star is protected by Da Xia’s laws, so openly, no one would dare act recklessly. It’s the underhanded methods… that are hard to guard against. Before having self-protection ability, you can find a powerful backing. What’s important isn’t the barren star, but you.”
Ning Buyi frowns: “I’ll think about it.” For backing, Star Court is naturally the best choice, but besides that, the Ning family could also be an option – not talking about family ties, just benefits. In the novel, the portrayal of the Ning family mainly focused on the conflict between the Supervisory Office and the Imperial government, as the protagonist’s enemy, naturally belonging to the “evil forces.” But from the Ning family’s perspective, their actions weren’t actually that terrible. Although there were internal conflicts within the family, everyone shared the same goal – protecting the entire Ning family’s interests.
Ning Buyi’s impression of the Ning family isn’t very good, firstly because of her “illegitimate daughter” status in the book, and secondly because of how her two bystander sisters bullied her, but the Ning family isn’t just this one branch. Of course, unless she reaches a desperate situation, Ning Buyi doesn’t want to associate with the Ning family.
Hua Zhuoyu sees some of these thoughts on Ning Buyi’s face. She stops mentioning the “backing” issue and changes the subject: “A planet’s owner has the right to establish a self-defense force. While it’s not convenient to hire people right now, combat robots can be purchased.”
Ning Buyi understands – everything revolves around “money.”
Looking at the plate of roasted meat, she suddenly regrets it. Raising her eyes to gaze at Hua Zhuoyu, she says seriously: “Is it still possible to sell this to them now?” Initially, she just wanted the three people outside to smell the aroma, but now she wants to extract a large sum of star currency from their pockets.
Hua Zhuoyu doesn’t speak, silently putting down her chopsticks.
Outside the base, Little Feng Jiu carries the roasted meat in her beak, fluttering her wings and circling around the spacecraft.
He Chao stares at the display screen, very irritated: “What is this young one doing?”
Zhao Qiuyu, sleepy-eyed, shrugs and says: “Don’t know.” After a pause, she suddenly asks, “This should be the lost one from Beast Star, right? The one the boss is keeping? Planning to keep it as a hostage?”
Ning Mo: “…Let’s go out and see.” Zhao Qiuyu doesn’t object, and although He Chao looks displeased, he follows the two outside. As soon as they open the hatch, they smell the mouthwatering aroma of roasted meat.
Seeing the three come out, Little Feng Jiu hurriedly flies toward them, almost shoving the roasted meat in their faces. She herself is also very tempted, but having a mission to complete, she swallows the roasted meat in one gulp after successfully completing her task. Flying to perch on Ning Mo’s head, facing He Chao, she declares heroically and spiritedly: “Chirp, you all, eat dog excrement!”
0 Comments