Barren Star – Chapter 4
by Little PandaWill you help me?
Hua Zhuoyu met Ning Buyi’s gaze.
She sensed a genuine killing intent; this Miss Ning truly wanted to kill her.
Hua Zhuoyu smiled lightly: “I’m just joking.” She spoke with a sigh, “I’m merely a fragile woman.”
Ning Buyi didn’t believe her words.
Which “fragile woman” would pilot a spacecraft to crash-land on a Barren Star? Besides the dark pollution exceeding limits, there were no other abnormalities, clearly indicating her physical constitution surpassed ordinary people. Moreover, she wasn’t senile and could recognize the military uniform that this “fragile woman” wore initially.
Ning Buyi remained tense, her gaze vigilant.
Hua Zhuoyu raised both hands, her smile still gentle and soft, like a pleasant spring breeze.
“Alright. You don’t have to believe me, but you must trust the Star Court. If you want to conduct trade with the outside, you can choose ‘Starlight Ship.’ ‘Starlight Ship’ belongs to the Star Court, it’s the most reliable organization, even the Empire cannot interfere with its affairs.”
Ning Buyi knew about the Star Court.
Following Hua Zhuoyu’s reminder, she also thought of the “Starlight Ship.” As the foremost trading platform in the Greedy Wolf Star System, throughout the entire novel, its “reputation” had never faced a crisis. Besides being a trading platform, it was also the “eyes” (surveillance) monitoring various planets. Otherwise, how could just eight Judges cover the entire star system?
But the plot was one thing, and the real future was another. Even she, who was destined to die, had a different ending, so who could guarantee the Star Court wouldn’t undergo some strange transformation?
Her gaze fell on Hua Zhuoyu’s face.
However, her consciousness was communicating with the Mountain Sea Atlas.
As a true “Planet Master,” shouldn’t she have some power in hand?
A legal Planet Master wasn’t actually the planet’s owner; only a planet’s destiny symbiote could represent the “Planet’s Will.” However, in the novel’s plot, there weren’t any cases like hers, only brief mentions of “Planet’s Will” because it was related to the Judges. To know more profound aspects, she could only rely on her own exploration. After all, how could a “stallion” (harem) novel be expected to cover the entire world?
γPlanet Master’s Ability: Dominion.γ
The Mountain Sea Atlas emitted an electronic sound, communicating with Ning Buyi through thought.
The so-called “Dominion” didn’t mean having the power of life and death, but rather controlling fate in mysterious ways. Those rejected by the Planet Master would encounter continuous misfortune upon entering the planet. And on this perilous Barren Star, “luck” was an extremely important factor. Ning Buyi gradually understood this through her communication with the Mountain Sea Atlas.
With such a useful cheat ability now available, Ning Buyi’s mood lightened, and her gaze toward Hua Zhuoyu also softened considerably.
With only Hua Zhuoyu present, to test the effect of “Dominion,” she could only experiment on her. Ning Buyi’s eyes shifted (indicating cunning or scheming), and she flashed a brilliant smile at Hua Zhuoyu.
“I hope you remember what you said.”
Hua Zhuoyu met Ning Buyi’s gaze with surprise, not expecting such a dramatic change in attitude.
She extended goodwill toward Ning Buyi, saying softly: “Of course. I will keep my promise.”
Ning Buyi snorted, folding her arms: “Then you may go.” She watched Hua Zhuoyu, secretly changing her status from guest to unwelcome visitor.
Hua Zhuoyu was unaware of this change.
As she stepped forward, she stepped on a small stone.
Normally, such an insignificant stone wouldn’t matter, but with her luck reduced, she stumbled, and just as she managed to steady herself, she twisted her waist.
Hua Zhuoyu hissed in pain.
“Ah Zhuo, are you alright?” Ning Buyi rushed forward, supporting Hua Zhuoyu while keeping her head down to hide the contemplation in her eyes. Realizing the clever use of her cheat ability, she decided to release her test subject from the effect with a mere thought.
Hua Zhuoyu appeared uncomfortable.
“Twisting her waist” was something that almost never happened to her.
Seeking comfort, she leaned half her body against Ning Buyi, blinked, and said softly: “Would Miss Ning mind taking me back, please?”
Ning Buyi felt somewhat guilty, swallowing back the “no” that had almost escaped her lips, and smiled kindly: “Of course.”
The base had no extra rooms.
The small house was divided into two halves: one part was the living room, the other the bedroom.
The bed Ning Buyi had previously used to accommodate Hua Zhuoyu was temporarily placed in the living room, and as for letting her into her own bedroomβthis was something Ning Buyi hadn’t even considered.
With the constitution of interstellar humans, a sprain should heal quickly, right? Ning Buyi thought absent-mindedly. She supported Hua Zhuoyu to the living room before coming back to her senses.
Hua Zhuoyu’s hand had somehow found its way to her shoulder, and as she withdrew it, the soft skin of her inner arm brushed against Ning Buyi’s nape and earlobe. The unusually warm sensation made Ning Buyi shudder. She disliked physical contact with others, and without checking if Hua Zhuoyu was properly seated, she hastily withdrew.
Hua Zhuoyu quickly grabbed the sofa, preventing herself from falling ungracefully to the ground.
However, this simple action of supporting herself with both hands only worsened her waist injury, and the sound from her joints was distinctly crisp.
Hua Zhuoyu slowly moved onto the sofa, her alluring peach blossom eyes concealing a hint of reproach.
Ning Buyi avoided eye contact: “Now I believe that you’re physically weak.” Seeing Hua Zhuoyu’s lowered eyelashes, she cleared her throat and changed the subject, “Beidou hasn’t returned yet, are there that many things on the spacecraft?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled: “Perhaps.” The spacecraft had no Star Court markings, and during the crash, important items had already entered self-destruct mode, so even Beidou wouldn’t find anything related to her identity.
Ning Buyi’s gaze returned to Hua Zhuoyu’s face, carefully observing her expression. A furrowed brow – was it waist pain? After thinking for a moment, Ning Buyi couldn’t help asking: “Are you alright?”
Hua Zhuoyu spoke softly: “Not really.” She blinked, looking sincerely at Ning Buyi, “Will you help me?”
“He-help with what?” Ning Buyi felt her tongue tied, somewhat uncontrollable.
Hua Zhuoyu: “Massage.”
Ning Buyi: “⦔ She must have heard wrong – was this something strangers could do? She stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’ll go check on Beidou, you rest well.”
Hua Zhuoyu sighed: “Alright.”
Ning Buyi met Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze.
From now on, she decided she disliked peach blossom eyes.
Butβ¦ except for those seemingly joking words earlier, hadn’t the other person shown minimal malice?
Perhaps it was pretense? A stranger of unknown origin was dangerous, like a rose with thorns.
Ning Buyi thought chaotically, walking quickly toward the door with her head down. When she reached the doorway, she heard a soft, pleading tone from behind.
“I’d like some fresh vegetables, is that possible?”
Ning Buyi’s internal conflict instantly disappeared, and she turned around, expressionlessly staring at Hua Zhuoyu.
Hua Zhuoyu continued explaining in her soft voice: “In my condition, I need a medical pod for quick recovery. But since there isn’t one now, I can only get energy from fresh vegetables.”
“You know, I still have dark pollution residue.”
Ning Buyi secretly sneered.
She knew it – the act of weakness was just to trick her out of her vegetables!
But as one of only two people in the base, perhaps on the entire planet, Ning Buyi couldn’t watch her die. Well, she hoped the other would fulfill her promise and earn the supplies the base needed soon. She picked a cabbage, with plenty remaining; giving some to her “guest” for a taste wouldn’t hurt.
When Ning Buyi entered with a plate of vegetables, Hua Zhuoyu was already lying down.
She had a cushion under her head, legs crossed at the sofa’s edge. Her shirt had slid down due to her posture, almost reaching the top of her thighs.
That glimpse of jade-like skin caught Ning Buyi’s eye, momentarily stunning her. When she came to her senses, her face was crimson.
The previous dignity and gentleness were clearly an act.
“You- youβ”
“Thank you,” Hua Zhuoyu interrupted Ning Buyi’s impending curse. She slowly lowered her legs, tugging at the hem of her shirt, as if only now realizing she should cover the spring scenery (euphemism for exposed skin).
Ning Buyi patted her forehead, choosing not to look.
Putting down the plate, she went around to the other side of the sofa and pulled the cushion from under Hua Zhuoyu’s head.
“With your physical condition, could you even join the Da Xia Empire’s army?” Ning Buyi mocked, her eyes showing curiosity.
Hua Zhuoyu’s calm face showed surprise: “Who said I was an Imperial soldier?” She didn’t belong to any faction.
“Then the uniformβ¦ stolen?” Ning Buyi’s tone was peculiar. She glanced at her own shirt, which, of course, no longer belonged to her.
Hua Zhuoyu: “Miss Ning, please don’t treat me like a pervert.”
Ning Buyi muttered: “Can’t rule out that possibility.” Who would normally fall from the sky?
Hua Zhuoyu sat up, teasing: “Then do you want that possibility to become reality?”
Wasn’t that a rhetorical question? Did it need asking? Ning Buyi couldn’t follow Hua Zhuoyu’s train of thought; her guard against this “guest” hadn’t completely fallen.
She liked looking at beautiful people, provided they posed no threat.
If only Ah Zhuo were just a vase (just a pretty face, nothing more).
As soon as this thought crossed Ning Buyi’s mind, she hurriedly suppressed it.
Pointing at the plate of vegetables on the table, Ning Buyi said: “Remember to keep track of the debt. There’s no such thing as free food on Barren Star.”
Hua Zhuoyu had never owed anything before, and she disliked the word “debt.” But this time, she smiled and readily agreed.
Ning Buyi was satisfied.
She didn’t want to meet Ah Zhuo’s eyes, which were gentler than spring waters, and prepared to leave the room.
Hua Zhuoyu watched her: “Don’t you want to know about the ‘Starlight Ship’?”
Ning Buyi waved her right hand: “I’m different from you, I have an identity chip, I can access the internet.”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled: “Then may I borrow your internet?”
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