Barren Star – Chapter 24
by Little PandaSlandering me?
Hua Zhuoyu and Little Feng Jiu went back, and suddenly the surroundings became cold and quiet. In the deep, dark sky, clouds and mountains were stacked, and moonlight poured through the gaps with a cold radiance, dimly illuminating the endless sand.
Zhao Qiuyu carried a plate while walking back, planning to return to the spacecraft cabin to savor the food slowly. He Chao walked a few steps to her front, blocking her way with crossed eyebrows and cold eyes [an angry expression]: “What do you mean?”
“What?” Zhao Qiuyu glanced at He Chao with surprise, not understanding.
Ning Mo said slowly: “He’s asking why you recommended him.”
Zhao Qiuyu spoke matter-of-factly: “Among us three, his appearance is most pleasing to the Feng Jiu tribe, so we can get more benefits.” Speaking this, she glanced at He Chao with a half-smile, “You’re not reluctant to part with the boss, are you?” He Chao’s thoughts were as clear as day, but unfortunately, it was a case of falling flowers have intention but flowing water has no feeling [unrequited love], the boss had never given him any hope.
He Chao became angry from embarrassment: “What nonsense are you talking about?!”
“The Chief Judge is quite fond of Little Feng Jiu, and might not send her away anytime soon,” Ning Mo said. She didn’t want to watch them argue, both of these fellows had bad tempers! Originally another judge was supposed to come together, but He Chao thought the Chief Judge would have dark pollution accumulated in her body, and his special ability could solve this problem, even though the Chief Judge never mentioned any body issues. Now things were lively to watch [interesting], with these two firecrackers coming together.
Zhao Qiuyu let out a snort of laughter, walked around He Chao back to the spacecraft, and contentedly savored the grilled meat with narrowed eyes. Compared to the dry and bitter wild beast meat from before, these meat slices were much more tender, and after brushing them with honey, there was even a subtle sweet aftertasteβbut wasn’t using honey to brush meat somewhat wasteful? Zhao Qiuyu thought about this, sometimes happy, sometimes worried, her expression constantly changing. She wasn’t stingy either; although she had spent a huge amount to buy it, she still shared some slices with Ning Mo. As for He Chaoβthey had just argued, so she figured he wouldn’t want any anyway.
“How is it?” Zhao Qiuyu looked at Ning Mo expectantly. Although the Zhao family was wealthy, they couldn’t compare to the Ning family, who were descendants of founding heroes. She thought that what seemed good to her might be ordinary to Ning Mo.
“Was this bought from the Starlight Platform? I can’t taste that astringent feeling from dark pollution,” Ning Mo’s eyes showed traces of surprise. In this star system permeated with dark pollution, Da Xia had been researching equipment to purify and extract dark pollution. After all, even civilized stars had dark pollution, and to prevent it from torturing bodies and nerves, they could only find ways to clear it. The Imperial Star had methods to deal with dark pollution in wild beasts’ bodies, but nobody could achieve 100% purificationβachieving 80% was already considered very good. In the Ning family, everything that reached the dining table was purified, claimed to be “pollution-free,” but the taste still couldn’t compare to this piece of meat here.
Zhao Qiuyu asked: “Does your family have any machines left in the base?”
Ning Mo shook her head: “Not likely, all the important equipment was taken away.” The Ning family didn’t have much use for those things, but the people under them didn’t think so. It was said that the cargo hold was packed full, and everything that could be taken was taken.
“I see.” Zhao Qiuyu seemed lost in thought, but soon she thought she had figured it out and said cheerfully, “It must be the boss’s doing. Her identity is special, and she doesn’t want others to know, so she probably registered it under Miss Ning’s name.”
In the base, Ning Buyi looked content as another payment was added to the account. It wasn’t a waste that she had sacrificed precious sleep time to work around the outskirts.
Covering her mouth to yawn, just as she turned to go back to her room to sleep, her wrist was suddenly grabbed by Hua Zhuoyu. Ning Buyi was startled, raising her misty sleepy eyes, asking in confusion: “Is there something else?” Seeing Hua Zhuoyu staring at her, Ning Buyi thought many things in an instant. Surely she wasn’t thinking of following her back to her room? Wasn’t she living by the flower sea now? She wasn’t sleeping in the hall anymore. Whatever Hua Zhuoyu says later, she can’t let her have her way!
Hua Zhuoyu considered for a moment, then said with a smile: “Zhao Qiuyu wants to pay to visit the base.”
Ning Buyi: “…” Her ears became slightly hot, avoiding Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze, she cleared her throat as if to cover up her reaction, nodding: “Oh, that’s fine.”
Hua Zhuoyu nodded: “I think so too.” She didn’t let go, and Ning Buyi didn’t struggle.
“Is there anything else?”
The emotions came somewhat inexplicably, perhaps trembling because of the night. Ning Buyi had long thrown her “determination” to the winds [completely forgotten], the slight blush remaining on her face was a gentleness she herself wasn’t aware of.
“No more.” Hua Zhuoyu gently released Ning Buyi, her hand still half-clenched at her side, as if trying to hold onto something. Just as she was about to turn and leave, she suddenly raised her hand and smoothed Ning Buyi’s hair, smiling brightly: “Good night.”
Ning Buyi’s face burned like fire, and she almost immediately turned and ran back to her room in disarray. After sitting quietly on the sofa for a long while, waiting until her heart calmed down, she finally reached up to touch her earlobeβearlier Hua Zhuoyu’s hand had lightly brushed past it, like a spring breeze. Why didn’t she warn her verbally before touching? How could she do this?!
That night, Ning Buyi didn’t sleep well.
Drifting in and out of sleep, the scenes in her dreams were strange and bizarre. One moment Hua Zhuoyu was following the story in the book and becoming the crown prince’s consort, the next moment the Barren Star was dying in judgment. The planet’s consciousness was one with her, and after its extinction, she naturally had nowhere to exist. When Ning Buyi woke up, she looked at the dark circles under her eyes in the mirror, too choked up to speak [speechless with emotion].
Hua Zhuoyu had wished her sweet dreams, but they weren’t actually sweet – next time she should say the opposite.
There were three troublesome people outside the base, and Ning Buyi didn’t want to go out “hunting.” After inspecting the fields, she bought more vegetable seeds. Previously, they had used less than one mu [Chinese unit of area, about 0.16 acres] of land, which could be managed with Beidou and five small robots, but as the field area gradually increased, they wouldn’t be able to keep up. It seemed they needed to buy more, preferably ones that could serve both military and agricultural purposes. She needed to consult Hua Zhuoyu about this.
Hua Zhuoyu explained: “High-level combat robots have quotas, only planet masters or other lords can equip them.”
Ning Buyi had never seen high-level combat robots. In her mind, they were all like “Transformers.” After thinking for a while, she asked: “Like Beidou?”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Beidou is unique. However, high-level combat robots are extremely expensive. If you want to equip an army, the cost is calculated in hundreds of millions. I suggest you buy materials – Beidou can manufacture combat robots, at least mid-level ones probably.”
Ning Buyi raised her eyebrows: “Is Beidou that impressive?”
Hua Zhuoyu chuckled: “Of course, otherwise how could it become a prohibited item meant to be destroyed?”
Ning Buyi pretended not to hear the words “prohibited item,” thinking about her lack of money, she looked deeply troubled. Dark pollutionβMountain Sea Atlasβmoney, but how to speed up this process? After letting out a long sigh, she turned to Hua Zhuoyu and said: “The day after tomorrow, no, let Zhao Qiuyu visit tomorrow, one hour, and no touching the plants in the fields.”
Hua Zhuoyu could only nod in agreement.
Although three “fat sheep” [wealthy targets] had come to Barren Star, Ning Buyi hadn’t given up on listing items on Starlight Platform. Several batches of vegetables and fruits had already been shipped, nothing for her to worry about. What concerned her now was the newly listed honeyβafter realizing she was extremely short of money, Ning Buyi decided to raise the price again to 100,000 star credits per 10 grams. Fruits and vegetables had the effect of clearing dark pollution, which had caused interstellar pursuit and panic buying, but this more expensive honeyβwould anyone be willing to pay for it? After all, she had checked the information on the star network, and synthetic honey came in all varieties, with top-tier honey tasting no worse than naturally produced honey.
Ning Buyi shared her worries with Hua Zhuoyu.
Hua Zhuoyu was silent for a moment, then sighed and said: “Haven’t you been following the news online lately? Many people are calling Mystery No. 1 an interstellar philanthropist.”
Ning Buyi: “…” She was so angry, wishing she could beat up her past self who had been so short-sighted and overly cautious. How could she have imagined what the world of rich people was like?
Starlight Platform.
Mystery No. 1 had already become a star merchant that attracted much attention. As soon as the honey was listed, the platform didn’t even need to promote it – the news spread across the star network. Countless eyes were watching for listed fruits and vegetables, ready to grab them immediately, but unexpectedly when they clicked, it was all-new honey.
“Why aren’t they listing fruits and vegetables? I can’t live without them!”
“Honey? It’s everywhere outside, do we need to fight over it?”
“Yes, yes, yes, everyone don’t rush to buy it, honey isn’t worth anything. 100,000 credits for 10 grams, Mystery No. 1 is just grabbing money, I strongly protest!”
“It’s guaranteed by the Starlight Platform, could it be real honey?”
“How is that possible, there aren’t even any fresh flowers in space.”
“They used to say there weren’t any vegetables or fruits either.”
“This is different, it must be a scam. Don’t be fooled, everyone.”
…
The internet was in an uproar. At first, it was the store’s old customers, complaining while waiting to buy, but later the tone changed, suddenly many water army [paid internet trolls/commenters] emerged to smear the honey and even spread rumors about Mystery No. 1.
Ning Buyi initially just wanted to look at the platform’s reactions, but when she came across the slanderous messages coming at her, she couldn’t help but laugh angrily.
She pulled Hua Zhuoyu to her side and pointed at the comments above, selecting a few to read to her:
“What Mystery No. 1, until now no one can find who this person is, hiding head and showing tail [hiding identity], obviously not a good person.”
“I suspect they obtained the fruits and vegetables through some means, with the ultimate goal of selling fakes.”
“Could it be space pirates laundering money? Were the things we bought before really from living people? The more you think about it, the more terrifying it is.”
Hua Zhuoyu raised her eyebrows and turned to Ning Buyi with a smile: “Who do you think is behind this?”
Ning Buyi shrugged: “Probably competitors.” After a pause, she added with a smile, “Does this count as slandering the Starlight Platform? Could it be the royal family adding fuel to the fire, trying to force Mystery No. 1 to reveal themselves?”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Should we suppress it?”
Ning Buyi shook her head: “No money. Personal chip-bound star network information is unique – just blacklist them directly, and they’ll never be able to buy Barren Star’s products again.”
Ning Buyi had no intention of arguing with fools.
Whether they were acting on their own or being paid, weren’t they just looking down on the base’s products, thinking they weren’t worth the price? The matter was simple – then don’t buy anymore. After all, the vast Greedy Wolf Star System had more than just these few people.
Beast Star Bear Tribe.
As one of the three major civilizations in the Greedy Wolf Star System, most beast tribes maintained their past habits, even showing their primitive forms rather than human bodies, thus being mocked as “barbarians” by the Insect and Human races, with the Bear tribe being considered the “most barbaric of the barbaric.”
At this moment, the warlike young bears weren’t wrestling and fighting outside as usual, but were all crowded in Xiong Xun’s [Bear Xun’s] house, staring intently at the screen in front of him. This was Mystery No. 1’s small shop interface on the Starlight Platform. Usually, they would rush to buy some plants, but compared to vegetable leaves, honey was their favorite.
“Xiong Xun, as the bear with the fastest hands in our bear tribe, you better grab those hundreds of bottles, or you’ll need to watch your back when walking around later.”
“That’s right, Xiong Xun, big brother believes in you.”
“If you don’t get any, I’ll beat you to death, kid.”
Xiong Xun: “…” He was different from the barbaric bears in the tribe – he didn’t like wrestling and fighting, but was obsessed with technology. When it came to online shopping, he was the tribe’s top performer, but as for fighting… he had a massive headache. Facing those burning gazes that seemed like they could incinerate a bear to ashes, he sighed, “The total quantity is only 1,000 bottles, with a limit of 10 bottles per identity. I can get at most 100 grams.” This was the ideal scenario – despite all the criticism online, many people were watching, especially those who had tasted the fresh vegetables and fruits – that was heavenly bliss!
“I got news that the Octopus tribe is also trying to get some,” Xiong Xun’s eyes shifted, then added, “How can my two hands compete against them?”
“What do those water thieves want honey for?” Xiong Da [Bear Big] cracked his knuckles with loud popping sounds.
Xiong Xun said helplessly: “Reselling probably, that’s their business. If they get it, they’ll definitely come to our tribe to make a huge profit.”
Xiong Yi [Bear One] cracked his knuckles: “Then we’ll fight!”
“Yeah, yeah, if we don’t get any, it’s all their fault!”
Xiong Xun successfully diverted the trouble [idiom: to shift blame/trouble elsewhere], lowering his head to secretly smile for a moment. He patiently watched the countdown, calculating in his mind about leaving the tribe to seek his fortune – he didn’t want to be the little brother in the tribe anymore. Wonder which base Mystery No. 1 was from? Would they hire capable workers? He ate little and lived simply – clearly an excellent employee.
Similar to the previous fruit and vegetable sales, the honey sold out instantly.
Xiong Xun had good luck, successfully getting 100 grams. The group of young bears was delighted, still planning to get some honey from the Octopus tribe. However, at this moment, the Octopus tribe was in a gloomy state. Many in their tribe were interstellar scalpers, grabbing goods at high prices for others. This time ten octopi worked together, but none succeeded. No, it wasn’t just about not getting any – their interface was different from others, displaying large characters saying “Purchase Prohibited.”
“Wu Mo [Black Ink], what’s going on?” The octopi looked at each other in confusion, and finally, the tribe chief turned to the young octopus who managed the “scalpers.”
Wu Mo retracted his extra limbs, returning to human form, his face gloomy: “We’ve been blacklisted.”
The Octopus tribe chief became anxious: “I know we’re blacklisted, but why blacklist us? Our credibility rating hasn’t dropped!”
Wu Mo frowned and said: “It’s not the platform, it should be Mystery No. 1.” He thought for a moment, then had a flash of insight, pulling out his light brain to find his water army group, which was full of wailing – not just him, everyone in the group was banned from buying products from Mystery No. 1’s shop. By now he could understand what happened – they were resented for smearing the other party online.
“How can they make such a big deal out of nothing?” Wu Mo said with a dark face, complaining dissatisfied. He glanced at the tribe chief, took a deep breath and said, “I’ll contact the person in charge and complain to the Starlight Platform.” Octopi were the beast tribe that most enjoyed roaming the network, fully utilizing the convenience of their original form to engage in water army work – they would take any job as long as they were paid. This time they were contacted by people from Da Xia, who spoke with a high and mighty tone, seeming like government bigshots. Given their current predicament and heavy losses, surely the other party wouldn’t ignore them?
In the base.
Ning Buyi kept watching the news on the star network. She wasn’t very interested in the honey reviews, mainly wanting to see those water armies – if they had real backbone, they wouldn’t try to make purchases. What use was throwing a tantrum after discovering they were blacklisted?
Hua Zhuoyu sat by the sofa, seeing Ning Buyi’s amusement, also curved her lips in a smile: “They immediately complained to the Starlight Platform, but were blocked by Si Pu’s side.”
Ning Buyi frowned: “Don’t we even have the right to blacklist customers?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled: “It affects merchant reputation, usually no one does this. Don’t worry, it doesn’t violate platform rules. Even if someone comes, Starlight will handle it for you.”
Ning Buyi caught Hua Zhuoyu’s implied meaning.
Could it be that some forces were pressuring Starlight?
“What do you mean?” Ning Buyi didn’t like feeling trapped in mysteries.
“Those water armies are probably octopi from Beast Star – their tribe loves doing this kind of thing, willing to do anything for money, despised by all.” Hua Zhuoyu let out a light laugh, speaking slowly, “Because of this, some bigwigs in the Da Xia government like to use them as front-line attackers. Even if they violate Da Xia’s laws, they can’t reach Beast Star to enforce anything. But octopi aren’t easy to deal with – after you blacklisted them and banned them from platform shopping, they can’t fulfill their obligations to some big clients. Having already swallowed that huge payment, the octopi won’t want to give it back, so the matter will ultimately be pushed back to their behind-the-scenes masterminds.”
Ning Buyi listened speechlessly, and after a while finally said with deep concern: “Can’t people just be honest with each other?”
Hua Zhuoyu blinked, full of smiles: “Do you want to bare your heart to me?”
Ning Buyi: “…” The best way to deal with Hua Zhuoyu’s deliberate flirting was to ignore it. Ning Buyi pretended not to hear and changed the subject, “When is Zhao Qiuyu coming? With all this delay, will there ever be a day when we’re ready?”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Tomorrow.” She was also troubled – clearly Zhao Qiuyu was the most eager, but when it came to the crucial moment, she backed off, saying preparations weren’t sufficient. Zhao Qiuyu felt wronged too – since she couldn’t touch the plants after entering the base, she had to think of other ways to “make contact.” Otherwise, just taking a tour would be too much of a loss – even with money, she didn’t want to be a fool.
Ning Buyi sneered: “She won’t give up, wants to research it, right?”
Hua Zhuoyu cleared her throat and said seriously: “From the Star Court’s position, I think her ideas aren’t bad.” If plants could become widespread and grow again on major planets, it would only benefit interstellar civilization with no downsides. But plant popularization would harm Ning Buyi’s personal interests, and before she brought it up herself, Hua Zhuoyu didn’t want to use “greater good” to pressure her.
Ning Buyi didn’t respond.
Her bound Mountain Sea Atlas system needed plants to revive on Barren Star, but was it just Barren Star? She had asked the system before and got the answer that she currently didn’t have access to this permission, meaning that when the Barren Star’s products reached others’ hands, they would wither and die like extinct plants of the past. The golden finger certainly had more uses than currently known, but to develop new modules, they had to take solid steps one at a time. She couldn’t clearly say what the future held, so it was better not to bring it up at all.
Seeing Ning Buyi’s mood suddenly turn low, Hua Zhuoyu’s eyelid twitched. As the Chief Judge, her personal position actually had to give way to everything. After much thought, she gave Little Feng Jiu a look, wanting it to stir up Ning Buyi to drive away that gloom. Little Feng Jiu ignored Hua Zhuoyu, focused only on cleaning its beautiful tail feathers, completely absorbed. Even as a chick, it truly inherited the Feng Jiu tribe’s “vanity.”
“The Feng Jiu tribe’s tail feathers are extremely beautiful, pluck a few to make decorations, to adorn the empty living room,” Hua Zhuoyu said with a smile.
The base’s conditions weren’t good, so the house was naturally very simple, with only a hanging painting on the wall and a copper vase with lavender on the tea table.
Little Feng Jiu: “???” Beautiful tail feathers were the Feng Jiu tribe’s dignity and pride, how could they be casually cut off? Little Feng Jiu became angry and puffed up, flying onto Hua Zhuoyu and frantically flapping at her. The Feng Jiu tribe was already known for their temper, and after being spoiled by Ning Buyi for this time, it gave no face to Hua Zhuoyu at all.
Seeing Hua Zhuoyu and Little Feng Jiu in a tussle, Ning Buyi burst out laughing. She gathered Little Feng Jiu into her arms, smoothing its messy feathers. She gently rubbed Little Feng Jiu’s soft little belly with her fingertips and glared at Hua Zhuoyu: “Why do you always tease her?”
Hua Zhuoyu moved closer to Ning Buyi, looking at her with a smile: “Then should I tease you instead?”
Ning Buyi couldn’t stand Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze. She pushed with her hand, but Hua Zhuoyu was like a wall, unmovable. Yet her fingertips touched soft skin, a complete opposite extreme. She shuddered and hurriedly hugged Little Feng Jiu while shrinking away. She frowned and said: “What’s there to tease me about? I’m busy.”
Hua Zhuoyu’s eyes flickered: “Busy taking pleasure in others’ misfortune?”
Ning Buyi: “…” She cleared her throat and said seriously, “Don’t talk nonsense, regarding them being blacklisted, I’m very sorry.”
Da Xia Imperial City, Si Family.
Si Pu sat on the sofa with crossed legs, brushing aside the hair falling on her shoulders, coldly glancing at the young man with distinct facial features sitting opposite her.
“Did Xia Tu send you to probe for information? He still hasn’t given up?” Si Pu’s tone wasn’t polite at all.
Si Xun wasn’t in the mood to care about Si Pu’s “disrespect.” He gave a bitter smile and said: “Sister, just quietly tell me about Mystery No. 1, I promise I won’t tell anyone!”
Si Pu gave a cold laugh: “Get out!”
Hearing the word “get out,” Si Xun didn’t get angry. His eyes rolled, and he took a step back: “Fine, I won’t ask. But Mystery No. 1 blacklisting users on a large scale – you need to give an explanation for this, right? They’re now full of complaints and have submitted many complaint letters to the government.”
Si Pu let out a light laugh, knowing exactly what Si Xun was up to. She lowered her eyes to admire her newly done, sparkling nails, and said indifferently: “Does the government even accept complaints from Beast Star people?”
Si Xun’s eyelid twitched – hearing the words “Beast Star,” he knew his sister had figured it out. Hiding would only make things worse. He sighed and explained: “This is His Highness the Crown Prince’s intention. You know the Crown Prince wants to win over capable scientific researchers, and Mystery No. 1 is a key observation target.”
Si Pu sneered: “Win over? This is making enemies!”
Si Xun laughed dryly: “It’s because we don’t know who they are – even if we wanted to make three visits to their thatched cottage [idiom referring to showing great respect in seeking someone], we don’t know where to go.” He looked at Si Pu with a fawning smile, “If you know, why not give us a hint? Which base are they from? Is it the Hua family or the Ning family?”
“The Star Court has rules, stop asking.” Si Pu’s expression turned serious as she frowned at Si Xun – this good brother of hers had always followed Xia Tu, becoming his personal guard after coming of age. Back then, the Si family elders actually opposed this decision, after all, the conflict between the Supervisor Si and the government was obvious to anyone with eyes, but this kid wouldn’t listen, insisting on being the vanguard. Thinking of this, Si Pu became more displeased. She glanced at Si Xun, “Are Xia Tu’s advisors all eating for nothing? Who came up with this rotten idea? Still having the nerve to send you to me, could it be they want to pressure the Star Court?”
Seeing signs of Si Pu’s anger, Si Xun’s heart trembled. He smiled apologetically: “His Highness was deceived.”
Si Pu rolled her eyes: “Then let him suffer the consequences.” With this behavior, he still wants to pursue Ah Zhuo. Ah Zhuo hadn’t said much about Mystery No. 1, but since she got involved, it shows their relationship isn’t small. Wonder how Xia Tu will react when he learns this news.
Si Xun pestered Si Pu for a long time but ultimately returned with one’s feathers plucked [idiom: to fail in one’s mission].
In the palace, Xia Tu had his hands folded on the imitation ironwood table. Seeing Si Xun’s expression, his relaxed demeanor disappeared. He frowned and asked: “Si Pu still won’t reveal any information?”
Si Xun nodded, his expression full of frustration. He raised his eyes to meet Xia Tu’s deep gaze and scratched his head: “But I suspect this matter has nothing to do with the Supervisor’s Office. Although we can’t use them, others also can’t use the Star Court to win over Mystery No. 1.” Without waiting for Xia Tu’s response, he continued, “They’re more likely to belong to the Star Court.”
The Star Court stands aloof from worldly affairs in the Greedy Wolf Star System. The judges won’t use their special abilities to interfere in politics, but that doesn’t mean they’re detached from real life. The Star Court has many affiliated institutions engaging in various industries to maintain its operations. If Mystery No. 1 is a base under the Star Court’s name, representing “righteousness,” they won’t be won over by anyone.
“This isn’t so bad.” Xia Tu frowned, then gave a cold laugh, “My good brother is also investigating related information, he’s been making quite a splash lately.”
“Does Your Majesty plan to let the First Prince step into the public eye?” Si Xun’s face was full of surprise.
“It’s the trouble from Beast Star,” Xia Tu said casually.
“The Feng Jiu tribe and Dragon tribe…” Si Xun was lost in thought for a moment, then sighed. The Feng Jiu tribe could be said to be having an unlucky year – at first only Little Feng Jiu went missing, but later the Feng Jiu tribe princess chased after that person from the Dragon tribe and also disappeared without a trace. These two left from Da Xia and disappeared within Da Xia’s territory, now the Feng Jiu tribe is joining with Beast Star to pressure Da Xia. If they can’t give a satisfactory explanation, Beast Star might lean towards the Insect tribe.
Xia Tu suddenly said: “I heard Zhao Qiuyu and He Chao left Imperial Star.”
Si Xun was stunned, and after coming to his senses, muttered: “The judges’ movements can’t be tracked, and it’s not time for judgment yet – could it be they received orders from the Chief Judge?”
Xia Tu raised his eyebrows with a smile: “Very likely. Perhaps after some time, Zhuoyu will return to Imperial Star, then His Majesty can go to the Hua family to propose marriage.”
Si Xun looked at Xia Tu with a strange expression: “…” His Highness the Crown Prince sure had beautiful dreams.
Barren Star Base.
After browsing the news online, Ning Buyi was satisfied and had a good sleep.
When she opened her eyes, she noticed something unusual about the Mountain Sea Atlas, but before she could examine the difference carefully, she was startled by Hua Zhuoyu sitting at her bedside, looking haggard with deeply furrowed brows.
This was her room – how did Hua Zhuoyu get in? What was she doing here? Could it be that she had been pretending all along? Where was Beidou? Why hadn’t it controlled Hua Zhuoyu? Ning Buyi was panicked but struggled to maintain a calm expression. Hua Zhuoyu was right in front of her – after the black lock became ineffective, perhaps she could use the “Dominate” skill?
Hua Zhuoyu caught Ning Buyi’s subtle emotions and secretly sighed, lowering her eyes to hide her thoughts. She said softly: “You’ve been unconscious for three days, did you know? If not for Beidou stopping me, I would have already taken you to the medical pod on the spaceship.”
“Huh?” Ning Buyi was stunned, having not considered this possibility at all.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude, I just hadn’t seen you and worried something might have happened.” Hua Zhuoyu stood up, giving Ning Buyi an apologetic smile.
Hearing these words, Ning Buyi felt somewhat awkward. She had resisted Hua Zhuoyu entering her private space, but in reality, the other person just had good intentions. These three days, she had probably been taking care of her, right? Otherwise, she wouldn’t look so haggard and disheveled – after all, except for the day she first arrived on Barren Star, Hua Zhuoyu had never been less than impeccable. “I don’t blame you,” Ning Buyi looked up at Hua Zhuoyu and said seriously.
Hua Zhuoyu made a soft “mm” sound, her expression indifferent, left a “rest well,” and strode out of the room.
Walking with such force it stirred the air, as if being chased by fierce beasts.
“Why walk so fast,” Ning Buyi mumbled quietly. Only after the door completely closed did she withdraw her gaze, lying on the bed, staring fixedly at the ceiling, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Although completely different from how she was described in the novel, excluding those negative factors, Hua Zhuoyu was a good person, right?
γDing, “Mountain Sea Atlas” upgrade complete.γ
γOpening “Resident Module.”γ
The electronic voice in her mind interrupted Ning Buyi’s thoughts. Her expression focused, immediately pushing aside her scattered thoughts.
Her unconsciousness was definitely because of the “Mountain Sea Atlas.” Hua Zhuoyu hadn’t asked about it, which was good – if asked, she wouldn’t know how to explain.
Ning Buyi sat up and pulled up the Mountain Sea Atlas interface, discovering that after the upgrade, besides the initial mall module, there was now a resident module. Currently, there was only one lonely person listed, with the title “Planet Master.”
Could it be like a simulation game where you develop residents for Barren Star? Is there a difference between residents here and the government’s household registration system? Ning Buyi was puzzled.
γThe resident module has no connection to the household registration system. It only represents citizens recognized by the planet – only they will truly receive the planet’s will’s protection. Through the resident module, the host can check subordinate residents’ loyalty and ability values.γ
Ning Buyi raised an eyebrow: “Then how can someone become a resident of Barren Star?”
γProcess relocation procedures at the Government Affairs Hall. Barren Star residents can better care for system products. It’s unrealistic for the host alone to build the planet.γ
Ning Buyi: “…”
“Why wasn’t it activated before?” Ning Buyi asked again.
γNo life settlement detected.γ
The electronic voice was as cold and emotionless as ever. Ning Buyi understood – it meant that now it had detected something, which triggered the upgrade conditions. As the planet master, she needed to find a way to bring existing “life” back to the base. On Barren Star with such severe dark pollution, how did those people survive? Their condition was unknown, so bringing them back to the base rashly wouldn’t be appropriate. The base’s resources were enough to feed one or two mouths, but with more people, they couldn’t go without staple food. Ning Buyi’s mind was in chaos. After thinking for a while, she temporarily pushed those thoughts aside. She switched the interface back to the mall. The dark pollution reserves were enough to buy “rice seeds.”
If it were just her, Little Feng Jiu, and Hua Zhuoyu, she would choose another profitable fruit instead of rice seeds. But now with the resident module activated, meaning they needed to prepare for population expansion, she couldn’t choose freely. After sighing, Ning Buyi bought the rice seeds, then unhurriedly got up to wash.
The bedroom and living room were separated by just one door. As soon as Ning Buyi opened it, she saw Hua Zhuoyu sitting lost in thought on the sofa.
Hearing movement, she immediately turned to look at her.
Meeting those eyes full of concern, Ning Buyi felt uneasy, unconsciously wringing her hands behind her back. She found an excuse: “I’m fine, I was just too tired.”
Her reason was weak – each day she only needed to patrol the territory with determined steps, but Hua Zhuoyu didn’t question further. While Ning Buyi felt relieved, she also felt an inexplicable disappointment.
“Zhao Qiuyu is coming this afternoon, is that okay?” Hua Zhuoyu asked gently.
Ning Buyi came back to her senses and nodded: “It’s fine.” The money Zhao Qiuyu transferred had arrived long ago, but the “base tour” had been delayed for several days – if this continued, she would feel guilty.
Hua Zhuoyu sighed and spoke, her eyes full of struggle and reluctance: “From now on… I’ll just drink nutrient solution.”
Ning Buyi didn’t understand, instinctively asking: “Why?”
Hua Zhuoyu gazed at Ning Buyi, her eyes scanning slightly from top to bottom, saying meaningfully: “Have to save it, you need to properly nourish yourself.”
Ning Buyi looked down at her chest, then quickly raised her eyes to glare fiercely at Hua Zhuoyu: “???” What good person? Hua Zhuoyu was a dog!
Thanks for the update! Love to read more.