Barren Star – Chapter 42
by Little PandaThe Stars Above.
Beast Star.
The Free Trade Organization under the Ten Thousand Beasts Alliance had already established its charter, using “plants” to attract many herbivorous tribes as members. After interstellar plants went extinct, they managed to survive well on nutritional supplements, but something was always missing in their hearts. Only when fruits and vegetables reappeared did they find their opportunity to live the colorful life their ancestors once had.
Besides organizing the trade market, Feng Yi was also looking for suitable beast star people to work on Barren Star. Her target tribes included Feng Jiu, Dragon, Golden Ming Phoenix Butterfly, and some mild-mannered clans. As for the warmongers who were hostile to Da Xia, they weren’t even in her consideration. Although Ning Buyi had no connection with the Da Xia government, she was still a Da Xia citizen.
“Why is Shi Huaixiang’s name here?” While checking the list, Feng Yi saw the familiar characters and suddenly frowned.
Ling Shu said “Oh”: “She claims to have one-thousandth Munchkin cat bloodline, so she can belong to the Cat Clan. She meets the conditions for going to Barren Star.”
Feng Yi: “??? Are you joking with me!” What difference did having Munchkin cat bloodline make? After the old Lion King retired, the entire Lion Clan was managed by Shi Huaixiang as the young leader.
Ling Shu shrugged indifferently: “Isn’t she considered one of us? Let her go take a look, it’s no big deal. Perhaps it could completely change the Lion Clan’s attitude.”
This reasoning made some sense. Although Shi Huaixiang was pro-war, she wasn’t a brainless radical. They had grown up together and knew each other well. However, since she was selecting people for Ning Buyi, she didn’t want to bring any trouble to Ning Buyi. “We should inform Miss Ning about this,” Feng Yi considered for a moment.
Ling Shu had an “it’s up to you” attitude and didn’t want to get involved anymore.
On that end, when Ning Buyi saw the message sent by Feng Yi, her first thought was to refuse. But after second thought, with only one “troublemaker”, it would still be easy to “Dominate” them. She wanted to maintain good relations with the furry ones from Beast Star, and naturally didn’t want Beast Star to fall into division.
With Ning Buyi’s permission, Feng Yi didn’t remove Shi Huaixiang from the working people list. She had seen the commotion boiling over on the Star Network, and figured Ning Buyi’s place might be short-handed. After confirming the personnel, she packed them into the spaceship and shipped them off to Barren Star.
November, harsh winter.
The bitter north wind made the trees outside the protective shield rustle noisily, shadows reaching out like claws, resembling cold and fierce monsters. Heavy snow fell in swirling flurries, bringing with it a cruel frost that covered everything, decorating the entire outer area in an endless cold white.
Outside it was winter, but under the protective shield, the base remained warm as spring. In the face of high technology, even “seasons” lost their meaning.
Ning Buyi was somewhat worried the plants in the outer area would be crushed by the accumulated snow.
She wore winter clothing and walked out of the base with Hua Zhuoyu. The desolate cold wind blew against their faces, snow particles hitting their cheeks, making her shiver.
Although the snow around the base was affected by the protective shield, it still accumulated a foot high in a short time. If this continued, the small shrubs would likely be completely buried by snow.
“Fortunately, we set up supports a few days ago,” Ning Buyi frowned, rubbing her hands and letting out a breath. Quickly, that warm air froze into ice particles sticking to her gloves. “It’s too cold to continue developing the outer areas,” Ning Buyi looked up at Hua Zhuoyu and said.
Hua Zhuoyu suggested: “Then let’s shovel snow at the edges of the protective shield.”
Ning Buyi nodded in response.
Barren Star’s weather was extreme and harsh, especially in winter, when a blizzard could last for several days and nights before stopping. After these extreme weather events, the “dark pollution” levels on Barren Star would increase, but now with the base and plants continuously absorbing the dark pollution, they had successfully rescued Barren Star from its “precarious” [meaning: on the verge of collapse] state.
Having escaped death and preserved her life, Ning Buyi had temporarily achieved her goal. However, she wasn’t as happy as she imagined she would be, as her thoughts were occupied with news of Hua Zhuoyu’s departure. Just thinking about the base missing such a person made her feel uncomfortable all over. The winter lethargy and separation melancholy piled up together, leaving her feeling listless and unmotivated.
Under these circumstances, the spaceship from Beast Star carrying the working people landed at the Barren Star base. This batch of new “residents” had been thoroughly instructed by Feng Yi beforehand, and being from mild-mannered species, they were very obedient even when facing an unfamiliar and novel environment, following the robots to register at the Administrative Hall.
Ning Buyi closely observed Shi Huaixiang, the “troublemaker,” but aside from her gloomy expression, she hadn’t done anything particularly unruly, showing much better behavior than the previously rowdy Dragon Clan. Ning Buyi felt slightly relieved, but when she routinely checked the “resident status” in the Mountain and Sea Atlas, she suddenly discovered Shi Huaixiang’s loyalty level was bouncing back and forth between “1” and “-1,” making her heart jump to her throat [meaning: become extremely worried].
Before landing, everything about “Base One” was confidential, and those aboard the spaceship didn’t know which planet they would eventually land on. Shi Huaixiang thought it would at least be a high-level construction planet, but when the spaceship landed, it was nearly overturned by the disastrous weather, with red alerts beeping continuously – the most direct response to dark pollution.
For a moment, she thought Feng Yi had colluded with the Da Xia people to deliberately harm them.
How could anyone survive on Barren Star? Could plants really grow here? Shi Huaixiang couldn’t believe it, but after entering the base and seeing the sea of green plants under the protective shield, she had to believe this mystifying sight. This base showed no traces of Da Xia official presence, and Feng Yi said it belonged to a private owner. But what were this “private” person’s intentions? Being human but not cooperating with Da Xia, instead turning to Beast Star – it seemed suspicious no matter how you looked at it.
Shi Huaixiang’s impression of the base fluctuated between good and bad. Her expression showed no abnormality, but everything was reflected in the atlas’s recorded values.
Hua Zhuoyu noticed Ning Buyi’s subtle expression changes and walked to her side, speaking softly: “Is something wrong with her?”
Ning Buyi’s gaze was strange as she softly replied: “She needs close observation.”
Ning Buyi didn’t meet with Shi Huaixiang directly, instead using the Mountain and Sea Atlas’s panel to gauge her mood changes. For several consecutive days, Shi Huaixiang’s loyalty level fluctuated dramatically, reaching a peak of “5” – usually when the cafeteria opened – while the lowest value of “-10″… appeared right now!
If it were just a small value like “-1”, Ning Buyi wouldn’t have minded, but now it was a negative two-digit number, exceeding the positive values of others who arrived in the same batch. Ning Buyi hurriedly called for Hua Zhuoyu, and before she could even ask Beidou about Shi Huaixiang’s whereabouts, they heard an earth-shattering lion’s roar.
Rushing to the scene, Ning Buyi found quite a crowd had gathered to watch the excitement.
On one side was Shi Huaixiang transformed into a lion, on the other was Feng Ermao looking innocent while holding the small Baize.
As for Baize… it wore a blue magua [traditional Chinese jacket] decorated with phoenixes, with two cute braids on its head that swayed with its movements. It gave off a faint perfume scent, and its mouth was painted with something making it bright red. Ning Buyi’s eye twitched at Baize’s new appearance.
“Meh meh—”
Baize let out a soft bleating sound, and upon seeing Ning Buyi, immediately struggled free from Feng Ermao’s arms, fluttering its wings toward Ning Buyi. However, just as it successfully crashed into Ning Buyi’s soft chest, Hua Zhuoyu mercilessly grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and pulled it away.
In this short time, Shi Huaixiang’s loyalty level dropped even more severely, her eyes filled with rage and hatred. Fortunately, she maintained her rationality and hadn’t attacked anyone besides the “lion’s roar.”
“What’s going on?” Ning Buyi frowned, crossing her arms as her sharp gaze swept outward.
Feng Ermao looked wronged and immediately shouted: “I was serving Lord Baize, asking for its blessing to win every game. Then she rushed out and roared at me. If Her Highness were here, she would definitely knock her teeth out!”
“You’re desecrating Lord Baize!” Shi Huaixiang was angered just hearing Feng Ermao’s words! She hadn’t expected Lord Baize to be in the base, and Feng Yi hadn’t even told her such important news! Why didn’t Feng Yi take Baize back when she returned to Beast Star?! If it was Ling Shu doing such things, that would be one thing, but this was Feng Yi! She was the future Phoenix King, how could she be so lacking in propriety?
“Nonsense. Lord Baize is clearly happy.” Feng Ermao was so angry she was jumping up and down, the word “desecration” was an insult to her devotion. Now that Ning Buyi and Hua Zhuoyu were here, she suddenly felt her backbone strengthen [meaning: gained confidence], and with wide eyes said, “You old-fashioned fossil thrown a hundred thousand light years behind fashion are just—mmph.” Before Feng Ermao could finish, Feng Jiu covered her mouth. Why was this person still asking for a beating?
Ning Buyi’s head was buzzing from their argument. She glanced at the coy Baize in Hua Zhuoyu’s arms, then turned to Shi Huaixiang: “…Baize is very happy.”
“Impossible!” The roar mixed with a lion’s growl. However, Shi Huaixiang gradually calmed down, returning to human form and tidying her messy clothes and hair. Her cold gaze fell on Ning Buyi as she said frostily, “What do you plan to do with Lord Baize whom you’ve imprisoned?”
“Imprisoned?” Ning Buyi found it somewhat amusing – in the entire base, besides the former little Feng Jiu, was there anyone more unruly than Baize?
Before Ning Buyi could explain further, others started speaking one after another.
“Lord Baize was saved and raised by the Lord.”
“Lord Baize only gets along with the Lord.”
…
Shi Huaixiang’s face turned green and white [meaning: changing colors from emotion], her eyes showing struggle and mortification. She ground her back teeth, and after a while finally squeezed out: “Lord, I request a transfer to care for Lord Baize.” This one in the base was clearly a young Baize; she couldn’t let Lord Baize continue to be corrupted by that Feng Jiu! Stars above, those flame-red lips were truly billions of light years behind in aesthetics!
Actually, Baize didn’t need such care at all, but since Shi Huaixiang “volunteered,” Ning Buyi didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm.
Ning Buyi nodded, then watched as Shi Huaixiang’s loyalty level rose upward, finally settling at “5”.
So the mythical beasts from the “Baize Tu” [Baize’s Illustrations] were this important to the Beast Race? When would the Mountain and Sea Atlas refresh its second easter egg?
In the following days, Shi Huaixiang’s loyalty level on the Mountain and Sea Atlas never dropped again. Ning Buyi didn’t plan to supervise her, but she heard news about Shi Huaixiang from others: such as how she disciplined Feng Ermao and Xiong Xun, or how she exchanged all her points for catnip…
Near mid-November, the snow stopped.
Dusk was settling, the sky turning a deep purple, then gradually shifting into darkness.
Scattered starlight appeared, but the moon remained nowhere to be seen.
Ning Buyi withdrew her gaze from the window, glancing lightly at the copper vase with flower branches.
Hua Zhuoyu sat on the sofa, legs crossed, eyes fixed on the floating images on the screen. She suddenly spoke: “The spaceship was repaired earlier.”
Ning Buyi knew which spaceship Hua Zhuoyu meant; this was actually a signal of Hua Zhuoyu’s eventual departure. She forced a smile and responded: “That’s good.” After hesitating for a moment, she finally placed her gaze on Hua Zhuoyu, “Then I wish you smooth sailing?”
Hua Zhuoyu nodded, smiling slightly: “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, after all, we’ve spent some time together.” Ning Buyi feigned cheerfulness, showing a carefree smile. She tried hard to hide her unusual state, but this very effort revealed her difference from normal. “The base is very lively now,” Ning Buyi murmured, raising an eyebrow at Hua Zhuoyu, “But it can’t compare to Imperial Star, can it?”
Hua Zhuoyu stared steadily at Ning Buyi, suddenly asking: “Have you been to Imperial Star?”
Ning Buyi was stunned, shaking her head: “No.” Neither she nor the “original body” described in the novel had ever been to a civilized star. Her current body was just cannon fodder in the novel, how could it have detailed life experiences?
Hua Zhuoyu asked again: “Do you want to go?”
Ning Buyi smiled: “I do, but also don’t really.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Actually, there’s nothing special about it. Darkness, humidity, and busyness fill the entire planet, it’s bizarre and dazzling. It can’t compare to Barren— this place is more free.” When mentioning “Barren Star,” Hua Zhuoyu changed her words, as countless planets could be referred to by that character. She raised her eyes to look at Ning Buyi, asking, “Haven’t you named Barren Star Base One yet?”
Ning Buyi nodded, she hadn’t paid attention to this matter before.
Hua Zhuoyu said seriously: “It will remain, it needs a name.”
Ning Buyi thought for a while: “Po Jun? Beidou? Yao Guang?” Without waiting for Hua Zhuoyu’s answer, she continued, “Let’s call it Mountain and Sea.”
After all, everything in the base came from the “Mountain and Sea Atlas.”
Barren Star Base One’s uniqueness came from the “Mountain and Sea Atlas.”
Ning Buyi’s attitude wasn’t like a discussion, but rather an arbitrary decision.
Hua Zhuoyu had no objections, she gazed at Ning Buyi tenderly, as if she would approve of anything Ning Buyi said.
Hua Zhuoyu’s arrival at Barren Star was sudden, and her departure was the same.
One day when Ning Buyi pushed open that door, she found the simple bed had disappeared, replaced by a silver mecha that was eighty percent similar to Po Jun—named Yao Guang.
Just as she had said before, Ning Buyi didn’t go to see Hua Zhuoyu off, not even having a formal goodbye.
After sitting quietly on the sofa for a long time, Ning Buyi dazedly took out her gifts for Hua Zhuoyu from her space button—a gilded phoenix-patterned Xun Qiu [incense ball] and a small box of traditional incense pills.
Her initial plan was to give “perfume,” but after “Wood God” was listed on Starlight Platform, it had lost its “unique” quality, so she prepared a gift following the ancient incense-making methods from her memory. Unfortunately, with Hua Zhuoyu’s unannounced departure, this “gift” naturally couldn’t be given.
Ning Mo left together with Hua Zhuoyu.
After the base gradually got on track, her presence wasn’t necessary at all.
In the spaceship’s cabin, Ning Mo looked at Hua Zhuoyu’s calm expression, not quite understanding her actions: “Not saying goodbye to her?”
Hua Zhuoyu raised her eyes, speaking softly: “She doesn’t like farewells.” After a pause, she curved her lips, “When I return, I’ll definitely notify her first thing.”
Ning Mo: “…” Could refusing to say goodbye make everything non-existent? She didn’t quite understand. However, her attention was drawn to the latter half of Hua Zhuoyu’s words. She frowned, asking confusedly, “You still want to return here after Month of Judgment ends?”
Hua Zhuoyu concealed the emotions in her eyes, saying calmly: “We’ll see.”
Ning Mo collected herself and said: “Month of Judgment, Barren Star’s resurrection from death will likely attract attention from various powers.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “I know, that’s why I left Yao Guang there.”
Ning Mo was shocked at these words. Yao Guang and Po Jun were mechas of the same level, always kept in Hua Zhuoyu’s possession. If one day Po Jun had problems, Yao Guang would replace it in battle. But now the Chief Judge had given Yao Guang to Ning Buyi—should she reassess her cousin’s importance in Hua Zhuoyu’s heart? After her eyelids twitched wildly for a while, Ning Mo asked another crucial question: “Can she pilot it?”
“Her spiritual power’s strength and qi already surpass all of you,” Hua Zhuoyu answered.
Ning Buyi was indeed someone blessed and favored by the planet’s will. While people say “Judges” are the highest symbol, favored by the “Supreme,” in her view, Ning Buyi was the lucky one truly beloved by the Supreme.
She had many secrets.
Ning Mo didn’t respond, finding it hard to believe, feeling the Chief Judge was seeing through rose-colored glasses.
At Mountain and Sea Star Base.
Hua Zhuoyu and Ning Mo’s departure had no impact on most people, but for a small portion—like Feng Ermao—it meant one less Damoclesian Sword [meaning: impending doom] hanging over them.
Even when looking at the smiling Hua Zhuoyu, they would feel an inexplicable fear, but now there was no need to worry.
“Aurora Dairy and Aurora Snack Processing Factory have started operations, though production capacity is insufficient, with extremely limited quantities available for external supply,” Xiong Xun reported recent work to Ning Buyi. His work focus had gradually shifted from the base to Aurora City, and seeing one factory after another start operating made the whole bear excited.
Ning Buyi nodded.
Though called a city, their population couldn’t compare to even one “district” of a Construction Star, so being unable to export products on a large scale was quite normal, unless there was a large population influx into Mountain and Sea Star later. But such things couldn’t be rushed; for now, they would profit from what they had. It didn’t matter if quantities were small—they would follow the “scarcity creates value” route.
“Oh right, several companies have contacted us wanting to obtain distribution rights for the “Wood God” perfume series,” Xiong Xun continued. In early October, “Wood God” had competed with “True Wood”, developing only one iris-based perfume, but later Jin Feifei’s progress picked up, developing several more varieties, and being too lazy to think of names, they were simply grouped into the “Wood God” series.
“And there are people who want to endorse our products,” Feng Ermao eagerly chimed in. Seeing Ning Buyi raise an eyebrow, she added with a grin, “They say they don’t want payment.”
Ning Buyi asked suspiciously: “There’s no free lunch” [meaning: suspicious kindness without reason], contemplating the feasibility.
Seeing Ning Buyi’s interest, Feng Ermao hurriedly added: “Keep the water in your own field [meaning: keep benefits within the family], why not do it ourselves?”
Ning Buyi: “…Can amateurs compare to celebrities?”
Feng Ermao: “I have a sister, she’s not an amateur, she’s also a celebrity, struggling in Da Xia Imperial Star right now!” Before Ning Buyi could speak, she continued chattering, “Her name is Tu Shan Sansan, from the Fox Tail Clan, she looks bewitchingly gorgeous.”
Ning Buyi: “…” Was that meant to be a compliment?
Hearing Feng Ermao’s words made Xiong Xun’s scalp tingle, and he quickly interjected: “My Lord, don’t listen to Feng Er’s nonsense. Sansan is a good girl. Their fox clan is naturally graceful and charming.”
Ning Buyi became curious about the words “good girl” and opened her light brain to search for “Tu Shan Sansan,” finding a flood of negative news.
#First-rate looks, third-rate acting, exposing why Tu Shan Sansan sleeps on the streets#
#Tu Shan Sansan reselling Fox Tail figurines#
#Tu Shan Sansan organizing gambling gatherings#
…
Ning Buyi drew in a sharp breath, gaining new understanding of Xiong Xun and Feng Ermao’s unreliability: “Fighting, gambling, using ‘Siren’ – this is your idea of a good girl?”
“She was forced into it,” Feng Ermao immediately defended Tu Shan Sansan, “She’s from our Beast Race, unwelcome in Da Xia, and was tricked into signing a predatory contract at a young age, so poor that you couldn’t hear a single coin jingling on her.”
Ning Buyi didn’t speak, instead scrolling to a new piece of news and showing it to Feng Ermao.
#Tu Shan Sansan sells her looks to attract rich patrons#
The accompanying photo showed a fire-red fox tail looking lazy and comfortable, nestled in a young woman’s arms, its fluffy tail wrapped around the woman’s arm, covering half her face.
Feng Ermao: “Ah!” She covered her face and fake-cried, “My poor sister, how could she show her original form in front of humans? One day she might get her fur stripped off for cushions before she even realizes it!”
“Control your divine powers!” Ning Buyi glared at Feng Ermao: “However, if she can be as reliable as Jin Feifei, we can invite her to try.” The Month of Judgment was approaching, and the base would eventually be exposed to those people’s sight. The defense system had been upgraded several times, and she was prepared for battle, so there was no need to fear others knowing.
For the name of the planet, leaving it untranslated might sound better as a name than Mountain and Sea. I remember machine translate showing it as something like Shanhai.