Inheriting a Barren Star [Book Transmigration]

Barren Star – Chapter 33

by Little Panda

My honor.

The Insect Star Palace.

Blood spread across the Throne of Thorns, blue veins pulsing on snow-white skin as if about to burst. Cold mechanical limbs had pierced through the former Insect Queen’s body, leaving wounds that wouldn’t heal. Blood trickled down, staining the magnificent robe and the cold thorny throne red.

However, Hil herself seemed to feel no pain. She sat with crossed legs, supporting her chin with one hand, fingers tapping idly on the armrest.

Her soft silver hair cascaded like waves over her shoulders, and her golden eyes showed no emotion as she watched the blonde girl walking barefoot on the carpet nearby. That pale, seemingly fragile yet ruthlessly cruel Wing of Betrayal.

“Sister?” The girl’s tone was soft and sweet.

Hil barely lifted her eyelids, saying lazily, “Have you finished clearing out all your guards?”

Chris blinked at Hil, saying cheerfully, “I can’t very well keep sister’s confidants by my side, can I?”

Hil changed her position, the movement causing her wounds to bleed faster, though she paid no attention. She smiled gracefully at Chris: “Then continue the slaughter. Kill all the guards whose mental links you can’t sense.”

Chris’s brows furrowed, finally unable to contain herself, she spoke through gritted teeth: “Sister, how long will you keep this up? Cutting off the guards’ mental links with me – how does that benefit you? They can’t possibly rescue you.”

“My foolish sister, seeing you unhappy makes me happy.” Hil leaned forward, staring at Chris, “What’s wrong, my sister, why are you growing more volatile? Is it because you’re getting closer to the Source of Chaos?”

Chris raised her voice: “Isn’t that your ability?”

Hil smiled: “But I don’t like chaos.”

“Are you still thinking about that unattainable peace?” Chris coldly looked at Hil, “If you advocate for peace, then I’ll deliberately bring war!”

Hil glanced at Chris, spitting out two cold words: “Fool!”

Chris had long grown accustomed to such words, and smiled smugly: “Whatever sister cares about, I will destroy.”

Hil: “Then go. I hope I’ll see you again next time, alive.”

Chris glanced at Hil, her eyes showing both wariness and disgust. She angrily left the prison, her steps swift as wind, golden hair flying.

After returning to the royal court, Chris gave an order to her most loyal guards: attack the Giant Scythe Star.

At the border between the Insect Race and Da Xia, friction would occasionally occur, sometimes escalating into small-scale wars. However, the overall trend in the Greedy Wolf Star System was peaceful, and small conflicts like those on Giant Scythe Star wouldn’t affect nearby planets, much less reach the distant Barren Star.

At the base.

Little Feng Jius and Dragons formed four detection squads to leave the base and clear the beasts on the ground. Their own qualities were robust, and exposure to dark pollution wouldn’t immediately erode them. Moreover, after returning to base, vegetables and fruits could dispel dark pollution, so they weren’t worried even without protective suits.

When first forming the detection squads, a day’s results weren’t very ideal. Little Feng Jius were busy preening in front of mirrors, while the Dragons were busy provoking and fighting each other. By dusk when they returned, they were disheveled, with few prey in their spatial buttons. Ning Buyi found this very troublesome, feeling this couldn’t continue. After much thought, she decided to create a “contribution points” system like in games – anything good in the base, except for daily allocations, could only be exchanged with contribution points. This finally motivated the workers.

In the warehouse, diverse beast corpses piled up like mountains. Perhaps due to dark pollution mutations making them feral, though bearing the same names, they looked completely different from what Ning Buyi knew. Not all these beasts were edible, but regardless of usefulness, Ning Buyi had to extract their dark pollution. This was completely different from transplanting rice seedlings – it consumed not physical strength, but her mental power. However, after some time training, Ning Buyi progressed from needing rest after absorbing one beast to handling five consecutively without getting winded.

This work occupied all of Ning Buyi’s free time, making her feel like a worker on an assembly line, eventually becoming numb to it. Fortunately, the dark pollution reserves were increasing in the Mountain Sea Atlas, and the number of liberated animals and plants in the atlas was also growing.

By evening, Ning Buyi finally left the warehouse, swaying slightly.

While little Feng Jius and Dragons were working hard outside, those remaining at the base weren’t idle either, having built a cafeteria behind the administrative hall. The chef was a woman called Shen Li, one of eight people rescued from space pirates. She had always been a food enthusiast, and her culinary skills were “leagues ahead” of everyone else.

After a hearty meal, Ning Buyi rubbed her throbbing temples, preparing to return to her room to rest. Suddenly, the atlas flickered and lit up with golden light. Ning Buyi’s vision blurred, and she didn’t notice the stone beneath her feet, causing her to stumble. Hua Zhuoyu, who had been following behind her, quickly caught her in her arms.

“Thank you,” Ning Buyi said after regaining her footing, letting out a long breath.

“Are you tired?” Hua Zhuoyu asked with concern.

Ning Buyi didn’t answer, focused on examining the strange item glowing with golden light in the atlas.

In her mind, she called out to the hidden System Lord, who was no longer playing dead.

【It’s an easter egg produced by the atlas. The host will see coordinates after opening it. Of course, the host must retrieve it personally.】

Ning Buyi: “…” Why couldn’t the easter egg just appear directly, or at least be delivered? Did she really have to go pick it up even if it was thousands of miles away?

【Host, it won’t be too far from the current settlement.】

Ning Buyi unhappily opened the golden egg, revealing a furry cub inside, but before she could see it clearly, it was replaced by massive coordinates – East Hope Lake, 325 kilometers west, farther than the Barren Star Prison.

Whatever appeared from the Mountain Sea Atlas should be something good, but there was a countdown next to this easter egg – if she didn’t find it within three days, it would disappear on its own. However, going to the East Hope Lake area alone wasn’t appropriate. If she took Beidou with her, there would be no one to manage the base.

“Having trouble?” Hua Zhuoyu’s voice sounded again from behind, gentle and thoughtful.

Ning Buyi lowered her eyelashes, hesitating before saying: “I want to go out for a few days.”

Hua Zhuoyu frowned: “A few days? Where to?” The base’s protective shield was expanding outward, but the area it could cover now didn’t need “a few days” to patrol. She had purification abilities and didn’t fear exposure to dark pollution, but the Barren Star’s dangers weren’t just dark pollution – there were also beasts and extreme weather, definitely not something Ning Buyi could handle alone.

After pondering for a moment, Ning Buyi said frankly: “East Hope Lake.”

Hua Zhuoyu pulled up the visible territory map of the Barren Star, glancing at it before saying: “Too far, the teams haven’t cleared that area yet.” She paused, then asked, “Why do you want to go? The base isn’t short on water right now. Besides, just because it’s named a lake doesn’t mean there’s still clean water there.”

Ning Buyi pressed her lips together, not answering.

Hua Zhuoyu sighed helplessly, taking a step back: “If you must go, we’ll go together. Taking Po Jun, we can arrive quickly. However, your current condition isn’t suitable.”

Ning Buyi didn’t argue. After purifying a pile of beast corpses, her mental power was completely exhausted. Taking Po Jun now would undoubtedly make things worse, possibly even damaging her mental domain. “Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” Ning Buyi said softly. She raised her right hand, about to rub her dry eyes, when her wrist was suddenly caught by Hua Zhuoyu. Originally behind her, Hua Zhuoyu moved to the front, leaning in close with lowered head. The warm breath brushed across her cheek like a feather, making Ning Buyi shiver involuntarily. She pushed Hua Zhuoyu back a step, glaring without speaking.

Hua Zhuoyu blinked, asking with concern: “Are your eyes uncomfortable?”

Ning Buyi said quietly: “No, I’m just a bit tired.” Hua Zhuoyu’s voice was too gentle, drawing out all her emotions, as if finding an outlet for release.

“I want to say you can lean on me.” Hua Zhuoyu raised her eyebrows, smiling casually, “But right now, I think a sofa or bed would be more comfortable.”

Ning Buyi gave her a sidelong glance, then smiled: “Of course you’re not as comfortable as a soft bed.”

“I’ll work on that.” Hua Zhuoyu paused for a moment, then continued, “Perhaps you could try making some requests of me. As long as they’re not too unreasonable, I won’t refuse. I’ve said before, I’ll help you in the name of ‘friendship.'”

As she spoke, Hua Zhuoyu extended her hand to Ning Buyi.

Ning Buyi stared at her steadily, then raised an eyebrow after a moment. She patted Hua Zhuoyu’s palm, saying with a smile: “Alright then, I’ll give you a chance to accompany me on this journey.”

Hua Zhuoyu took hold of Ning Buyi’s hand and bent down to place a light kiss on its back: “My honor.”

After a night of rest and recuperation, the fatigue and mental exhaustion in Ning Buyi’s body suddenly vanished.

She sat on the bed and looked at the easter egg in the atlas—the countdown was running, but the item was still there. After washing up, Ning Buyi walked out of her room and immediately saw Hua Zhuoyu sitting on the sofa. Her hair was loose, and she was having a battle of wits with little Feng Jiu.

Hua Zhuoyu picked up little Feng Jiu and turned to Ning Buyi: “Shall we depart?”

Ning Buyi looked at Hua Zhuoyu for a while, then spotted a comb on the cabinet. She tossed it to Hua Zhuoyu before saying: “Let’s go.”

Little Feng Jiu, not understanding, escaped from Hua Zhuoyu’s hands and hopped around on the coffee table: “Chiu, let’s go!”

Ning Buyi glanced at the little one and sighed: “Wasn’t Feng Yi supposed to take care of her?”

Hua Zhuoyu shrugged: “Maybe she’s busy disciplining Ling Shu and has no time to watch her.”

Ning Buyi: “Fine.” She watched Hua Zhuoyu tie up her hair, then finally moved her gaze away, biting her lip before saying, “It’s too far, we can’t take her.”

Hua Zhuoyu made a sound of agreement, caught little Feng Jiu, and left with Ning Buyi. After walking a few steps, they saw Xiong Xun standing there, shrugging his shoulders and rubbing his hands.

“My Lord!” Xiong Xun’s eyes lit up, “I’ve finished the proposal! I think our base’s products need better packaging!”

Ning Buyi’s eye twitched, feeling a chill and not wanting to deal with this bear’s chunnibyou [adolescent delusions of grandeur] outbreak. Hua Zhuoyu stepped forward first, tossing little Feng Jiu into Xiong Xun’s arms, saying coolly: “Take care of little Feng Jiu for a day first, we’ll discuss the rest when we return.”

Xiong Xun shrank his neck and caught little Feng Jiu.

Although Hua Zhuoyu was still smiling, he found her terrifying.

Star Court Chief Judge – this was a formidable woman who could easily deal with entire planets!

Under the sunlight, Po Jun gleamed with silver light, racing through the endless desert, leaving behind a silver shadow.

In the cockpit, Hua Zhuoyu’s fingers moved rapidly. Whenever Ning Buyi sat in the co-pilot seat, she always activated manual mode. The Po Jun mecha was extremely high-grade, and Ning Buyi’s current physical condition hadn’t reached the standard – mental linking could easily cause after-effects or even damage her body.

The boundless desert whipped up windstorms like balls of blazing fire. Ning Buyi stared ahead but quickly developed a sense of irritation and weariness. There were no green plants ahead, only endless emptiness. She withdrew her gaze, contentedly nestling in the co-pilot seat while watching Hua Zhuoyu’s flying hands in a daze.

At this moment, Hua Zhuoyu was completely focused.

Under her control, Po Jun’s right hand immediately switched from an energy blade to a gun, and a row of missiles shot upward like lamps in the sunlight. The interweaving missile trails were as chaotic as a flock of birds. After several sharp sounds, the ground again emitted several “boom” sounds, raising large clouds of dust. These were beasts dominating the sky – they flew extremely fast, but their flight paths were captured by Hua Zhuoyu. In the white light reflected off the missiles’ smooth metal shells, they left only a scream before falling from the sky, blood raining down.

The birds circling in the high sky weren’t the first group of monster beasts Ning Buyi and her companion had encountered; before this, Po Jun had already been stained with much blood.

“What’s at East Hope Lake?” Hua Zhuoyu asked. After dealing with the flock of birds, her body relaxed, and the frost-like coldness in her expression largely dissipated. Like ice melting on a lake, she returned to being the elegant and composed Hua Zhuoyu.

Ning Buyi lowered her eyes and said: “The breath of life.”

Hua Zhuoyu suddenly sat up straight, her inquiring gaze falling on Ning Buyi, while the mecha’s running speed slowed down.

Under her gaze, Ning Buyi’s nerves tensed, her heartbeat gradually accelerating like a frantically compressed water pump.

Hua Zhuoyu spoke softly: “Alright.”

She didn’t insist on probing Ning Buyi’s secrets.

Ning Buyi sighed in relief, but felt bewildered as she relaxed.

She wasn’t ready to tell Hua Zhuoyu everything, but if Hua Zhuoyu had asked a few more times, she might have been unable to resist revealing it all.

In this strange world, she too wanted a close companion.

Cold blades and wild missiles cut open a path to East Hope Lake. After about half an hour, Po Jun reached the lake. Although it was named “lake” on the map, the actual lake had almost dried up, leaving only a few dark puddles less than ten square meters each lying in the dried riverbed, unwilling to vanish completely. The outskirts of East Hope Lake were surrounded by peculiarly shaped tall earthen mounds, similar to castles, showing no signs of artificial carving.

The system’s coordinates only pointed to East Hope Lake, but as for which corner of the lake held the easter egg, Ning Buyi had to search for herself.

Hua Zhuoyu followed behind Ning Buyi, holding an energy sword retrieved from her spatial button. The surrounding beasts had already been cleared once, but what if some had been missed?

“No clues? Why not try using food?” Hua Zhuoyu suggested after walking around fruitlessly.

Ning Buyi slapped her forehead: “How thoughtful of you.” There was a clearing ahead, and after sweeping away the sand and dust with her hand, she placed two Red Thorn Fruits, thought for a moment, then took out some dried meat strips – snacks recently made by Shen Li to motivate the Dragons and Feng Jius. After placing the food, Ning Buyi pulled Hua Zhuoyu back, hiding behind a wind-eroded rock half as tall as a person, holding their breath and waiting.

After crouching for nearly ten minutes, when Ning Buyi’s legs were numb and almost couldn’t support her anymore, a white figure darted out like lightning from behind a wind-eroded rock. This white ball resembled a lamb with a pair of plump wings on its back, its breed unidentifiable. Ning Buyi’s heart jumped to her throat, and she instinctively pressed down on Hua Zhuoyu beside her, but suddenly remembering that the other was holding a weapon, immediately released her hand, showing an apologetic smile.

The little one seemed unaware of the danger, circled the food once, then began devouring it ravenously. Hua Zhuoyu seized the opportunity and fired a tranquilizer. After a brief “meh-mi” sound, the happily eating creature fell face-first to the ground. “I’ll go check,” Hua Zhuoyu said softly, putting down her weapon and slowly approaching the white furry creature with her energy sword on her back. She prodded the creature with her sword, and seeing no signs of “playing dead,” picked it up and turned to signal Ning Buyi.

“Is this it? The life form? Looks strange, unlike any known species.”

Ning Buyi walked toward Hua Zhuoyu, carefully examining the small beast in her arms. From afar it looked like a lamb, but up close there were noticeable differences. “Dragon’s head, lion’s body, twin horns on head, twin wings on back… Could it be a Baize [bái zé, mythical creature of knowledge]?” Ning Buyi muttered, hurriedly checking the atlas. Indeed, Baize’s information had appeared in the easter egg position. Since this creature was generated by the Mountain Sea Atlas, its loyalty to the Barren Star was automatically maximized. This Baize was a fortune beast – with it, the “Dominate” skill would be more convenient to use, and it could also boost the luck of Barren Star’s residents.

Ning Buyi raised her eyebrows and smiled: “It’s the one, let’s head back!” After finding the “easter egg,” there was a satisfying sense of completion.

On the return journey, they encountered fewer beasts and met a patrol squad clearing the outskirts. Hua Zhuoyu and Ning Buyi decided to move with the squad, only returning after completing the sweep and establishing coordinates. The coordinates served as an anchor point – once Beidou at the base received the message, they would expand the protective shield toward this position.

Back at the base, Ning Buyi pulled the Baize out of the mecha cabin. The little one’s sedation had long worn off, and it was now sleeping deeply with its belly exposed. Ning Buyi initially wanted to give it a rub, but as her hand touched Baize’s belly, she remembered Hua Zhuoyu’s previous comments about beast tribes’ “petting habits” and silently withdrew her hand.

“What species is this?” Chang Su curiously peered over. After spending some time on the Barren Star, she had gradually adapted to the current life. Unfortunately, reapplying for a personal chip required extremely complicated procedures, so she currently couldn’t log into the Star Network, leaving her with fewer entertainment options. However, these days were still better than her time in the Fallen Abyss – no, even better than what her previous self could have imagined. The fruits and vegetables that millions fought over on the Starlight Ship were now right before their eyes, and they could eat them. The organs in their bodies and immune robots, which had begun to decay under dark pollution’s assault, were now renewed with vitality and vigor.

“A lamb? Not quite right.” Ning Mo came closer for a look, then shook her head.

Little Feng Jiu fluttered over, targeting Ning Buyi among the crowd and shooting toward her like a bullet. When little Feng Jiu discovered Ning Buyi’s attention was all on the Baize, her entire bird-self became distressed, wobbling as if falling into a nightmare. She chirped loudly at Ning Buyi: “You’re fickle with your affections.”

“Feng Xuan has learned idioms?” Ling Shu, who had just walked up, heard this and was amazed, then filled with pride.

Feng Yi’s face darkened like storm clouds: “You taught her?”

Ling Shu looked confident: “I can definitely teach her even better.”

Feng Yi didn’t want to look at Ling Shu’s smug, punchable face. She gave a cold laugh before preparing to grab the rolling, tantruming little Feng Jiu. However, when she clearly saw the small beast sleeping soundly on the ground, her expression suddenly changed, even her voice altered.

“Baize?!”

Ning Buyi had deduced from Hua Zhuoyu’s reaction that the star system had no knowledge of mythical beasts, so hearing Feng Yi’s words was quite unexpected. Turning around, her gaze was full of inquiry: “Does the Crown Princess recognize it?”

“It’s a Baize.” Feng Yi was absolutely certain. Ignoring the chirping chaos of little Feng Jiu, she focused intently on the sleeping creature and said, “In our beast clan, there’s a precious scroll called 《The Baize Scroll》 that records the beast clan’s deities. Legend says they were our ancestors, the origin of the Beast Star bloodline, creatures personally molded by the Supreme One. The scroll contains 1,520 ancestral beasts, and except for bloodlines like the Dragon, Phoenix, and Xuanwu [mythical turtle-snake], no other ancestral beast bloodlines remain.” After speaking, she gazed intensely at Ning Buyi, her eyes burning, “Where did Miss Ning find the Baize?”

**Xuanwu; literally a turtle with a snake**

Hua Zhuoyu gave a light laugh and answered: “We found it while clearing out wild beasts.”

“Is there only one?” Without waiting for Hua Zhuoyu’s answer, Feng Yi sighed, “Of course. The ancestral beasts from the scroll have long become history. Even if they received the Supreme One’s favor again, they could never return to what they once were.”

Ning Buyi: “…” With Feng Yi having said everything, Ning Buyi felt there was no need for her to speak.

Feng Yi politely asked: “May I request to bring it back to the Beast Star?”

Ling Shu poked Feng Yi’s arm, reminding her: “You haven’t even cleared your own debts yet.”

Feng Yi immediately came to her senses at these words.

“Then can I at least pet it?” Feng Yi decided to take a huge step back.

Ling Shu cut in: “No. Didn’t you say yesterday that you love shiny scales the most?”

Feng Yi: “?” Her actual words had been “shining scales look better than dark, cracked ones,” how did that turn her into a dragon scale enthusiast?

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