Barren Star – Chapter 5
by Little PandaWhy are you looking at my legs?
Hua Zhuoyu’s identity chip was still there.
However, fearing that her identity information might be hijacked by the Insect Race, she had hidden the chip, creating an incision on her right wrist to make it appear as if the chip had been extracted.
“I just wanted to know about Wang Xing’s news,” Hua Zhuoyu added.
Ning Buyi responded with an “oh,” without giving her a definite answer. She herself would follow updates about Wang Xing’s important figures through the Star Network, especially the male lead – the Crown Prince. She didn’t possess photographic memory, and when reading novels, she would scan quickly, considering it good enough to remember some details. Most of her recall relied on clues to remember certain events. And this clue was naturally the Crown Prince.
During their conversation, Beidou returned, holding a silver button-shaped “badge” in its hand. Its gaze lingered on Hua Zhuoyu for a moment before turning to Ning Buyi, handing over the item: “Master, I only found one space button. The spacecraft’s hull shows signs of Insect Race attacks.”
Hua Zhuoyu’s eyelid twitched.
Ning Buyi let out a light scoff and returned the space button to Hua Zhuoyu. In the Greedy Wolf Star System, there were three major civilizations: Humans, the Insect Race, and the Beast Race. Humans and the Beast Race had their ups and downs but currently maintained relatively harmonious relations. However, regarding the Insect Race—these cosmic locusts that used to devour everything—there was no goodwill. The wars between the two sides had hardly ever ceased, and to this day, the Empire maintained a considerable army at high military expense just to defend against the Insect Race. The Insect Race warriors were bellicose, and their species reproduced extremely rapidly, truly earning humanity’s hatred.
Ah Zhuo wasn’t telling the truth, and while Ning Buyi didn’t want to ask, there was one thing that needed confirmation: “You won’t lead the Insect Race to the Barren Star, will you?”
Hua Zhuoyu: “The Barren Star is still Da Xia’s territory. The Insect Race hasn’t engaged in large-scale warfare with us yet, so even if they enter the Barren Star, they won’t raise flags and beat drums (meaning to do something noticeable), but rather sneak in secretly.” Seeing Ning Buyi’s displeased expression, Hua Zhuoyu added, “But don’t worry, this nearly abandoned Barren Star has nothing to attract the Insect Race.”
Ning Buyi bluntly replied: “But it has you.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “I’m not worth it.”
Ning Buyi: “Let’s hope so.”
Interstellar time 20:00.
When Ning Buyi was watching news on the Star Network, she deliberately chose to project it in the living room.
As usual, when there were no major military or political matters, the Imperial Crown Prince would appear on livestream to show off his charm (“sell manner/style” – meaning to display oneself deliberately). The current Emperor of Da Xia was Xia Wenming, who had two sons and one daughter. Apart from Crown Prince Xia Tu, the Second Prince Xia Tai and Third Princess Xia Sang rarely made public appearances. After all, they weren’t the Empire’s heirs, so there was no need for the public to be familiar with them.
However, today—
Ning Buyi let out a surprised “eh” and unconsciously sat up straight, frowning as she said: “He’s gone, it’s Xia Tai who’s come out.” The Da Xia royal family had an old tradition of opening livestreams to communicate with the interstellar public, creating an image of being close to the people. Would the ambitious Xia Tu give up this opportunity? Shouldn’t he be there wind and rain without obstruction (meaning regardless of circumstances), greeting the public even if he were terminally ill and barely breathing?
Hua Zhuoyu turned to Ning Buyi: “Are you here to watch the Crown Prince? Are you, like countless interstellar girls, his… fangirl?” Hua Zhuoyu pondered for a moment before finding the appropriate word, and repeated, “Yes, fangirl.”
Ning Buyi wore an expression of someone who had been insulted – she had nearly died at the Crown Prince’s hands, how could she have any good feelings toward him? She frowned and shot Hua Zhuoyu a sideways glance: “Weren’t you trying to keep up with current events? You have spare energy to think about these things?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled and said: “You’re right.”
In the screen, Second Prince Xia Tai appeared dignified and proper, sharing six or seven tenths similarity with the peerlessly handsome Crown Prince. He smiled and said: “Big brother has gone to find someone, so I’ll be hosting the livestream in his place.”
“Find someone? Find who?”
“We want to see His Highness the Crown Prince!”
“We could help him search together!”
…
The bullet comments flew past quickly on screen as Ning Buyi frowned in thought.
Was it a search of one or two minutes, or a search across planets? What happened at this plot point? She had no interest in watching Xia Tai’s livestream, and after a long while, she suddenly slapped her forehead.
She remembered!
At this time point, the female protagonist Hua Zhuoyu had gone missing! She was attacked by the Insect Race and ended up stranded on a construction star. Though the plot might have minor deviations, the female protagonist’s disappearance should be true.
“What are you doing?” Hua Zhuoyu looked puzzledly at Ning Buyi who was hitting her head.
Ning Buyi froze at these words. “Ah Zhuo,” “Insect Race,” “crash” – these words connected in her mind, and she couldn’t help but grow suspicious. She swallowed back the question “what’s your full name” and stared steadily at Hua Zhuoyu: “Do you know Hua Zhuoyu?”
Hua Zhuoyu’s expression remained unchanged: “Of course I do. She’s from the Hua family, one of the Empire’s three major elder families, and she’s also the Chief Justice of the Star Court.” This was something even three-year-old children in the interstellar world knew. Before Ning Buyi could ask further, she added, “Speaking of which, the Ning family and Hua family have good relations, so you must be quite familiar with Hua Zhuoyu, right?”
Familiar? Familiar my foot (“familiar x x” – colloquial expression of denial).
How was Hua Zhuoyu described in the novel again? The strongest in the interstellar world? An outstanding beauty and talent, radiating brilliance, extraordinarily distinguished – certainly not like the person before her eyes. Glancing at Hua Zhuoyu who was sitting with her legs crossed, Ning Buyi’s thoughts drifted elsewhere. After spraining her waist, was it appropriate to sit with crossed legs? Perhaps it didn’t hurt anymore? Then tomorrow she could go out to hunt beasts? The recovery ability of interstellar people was indeed impressive.
Hua Zhuoyu noticed Ning Buyi’s gaze… constantly falling on her legs.
She covered her mouth and gave a light cough: “Miss Ning.”
Ning Buyi snapped back to reality, hastily moving her gaze away, mumbling something indistinctly while pretending to watch the livestream intently.
Hua Zhuoyu suddenly asked: “Have you registered with the Starlight Station?”
Ning Buyi replied without turning her head: “Beidou will take care of it.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Indeed, with Beidou around, there’s nothing to worry about in the base.”
Hua Zhuoyu’s tone was calm, but to Ning Buyi’s ears, she was being passive-aggressive. Dishonest people always spoke in roundabout ways. “I want to stay at the base to farm,” Ning Buyi emphasized. The Atlas had only produced one type of seed so far, with nothing requiring her care, but the future was uncertain. However, how could she increase the amount of dark pollution?
“Have you decided on the prices?” Hua Zhuoyu asked.
She was certain that once these fresh vegetables were listed on the Starlight Station platform, they would be bid up to sky-high prices.
Ning Buyi hadn’t prepared knowledge about this, so she turned to Hua Zhuoyu, humbly seeking advice: “Not yet. Ah Zhuo, what price do you think would be appropriate?”
Hua Zhuoyu pondered for a moment: “If there’s only a limited quantity, whether priced at millions, tens of millions, or even billions, people would buy them.”
Ning Buyi: “It won’t be limited quantity, the Barren Star will become a plant base in the future.”
Hua Zhuoyu was silent for a long time before speaking: “Your dream is grand.”
Interstellar scientists had been researching plants for a long time, with both cultivation environment and technology at the cutting edge, yet they failed time and again, leaving only a few barely surviving plants. Research showed that cosmic dark pollution led to the extinction of many plants and ancient organisms. Scientists had considered creating an ecological environment without dark pollution, but plants and dark pollution shared some connection that no technology could completely separate.
Ning Buyi’s ability to cultivate vegetables on the Barren Star, she guessed, was some special ability, like the Star Court’s judges, bestowed by the Supreme. An individual’s ability might change one base, but for an entire planet, no, even for a city, she dared not have expectations.
Ning Buyi saw the doubt in Hua Zhuoyu’s expression, but chose not to mind it, just waving her hand saying: “You don’t understand.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “…” She indeed didn’t understand, couldn’t comprehend where Ning Buyi’s confidence came from. Seeing that Ning Buyi was no longer paying attention to the Star Network news, she asked, “Do you know where the dark pollution comes from?”
Ning Buyi: “From space, of course.” She had never concerned herself with the nature of “dark pollution,” as she viewed its existence similar to radiation.
Hua Zhuoyu sighed: “It comes from the ‘Mythological Forbidden Zone.'”
Ning Buyi turned her head to gaze at Hua Zhuoyu, listening attentively.
“A hundred thousand light-years away from the Greedy Wolf Star System, there’s a ‘Dead Star.’ Scientists speculate it was once home to an advanced civilization, but for unknown reasons, the civilization perished and the entire planet died. After discovering it was the source of dark pollution, the government organized no less than fifty space expedition teams, but none survived or even sent back any information. Thus, that dead star became known as the ‘Mythological Forbidden Zone.’ Until we have the ability to resist dark pollution, the government won’t send any more people there.”
“A dead civilization?” Ning Buyi was quite surprised, blinking her eyes, she couldn’t help but say, “Could it be that the civilization created the dark pollution themselves, which ultimately led to the planet’s death?” She never doubted a civilization’s capacity for self-destruction, as self-annihilation was a common ending.
Hua Zhuoyu crossed her arms and gave a light laugh: “Who knows.”
“Indeed,” she nodded, “It’s none of my business.”
After thinking for a while, she added: “Are you leaving the base tomorrow? I’m not trying to drive you away, I mean—don’t you need to get back to work?”
Hua Zhuoyu blinked: “Can I rest for a few days?”
Ning Buyi gave her a sideways glance: “Stop pretending, I can see your leg-crossing movement is perfect, so I assume—”
“Wait,” Hua Zhuoyu interrupted Ning Buyi, her smile becoming somewhat strange as she deliberately drew out her words, “Why are you looking at my legs?”
“I’m not! The leg-crossing, the focus is on the leg-crossing!” A flush of red appeared on Ning Buyi’s face from anger.
She glared at Hua Zhuoyu with puffed cheeks, “I advise you not to try to provoke me, it won’t work.”
Hua Zhuoyu sighed: “But you’re the only person in this base.”
Ning Buyi: “…I don’t like women.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Sorry, I misunderstood. After all, when I first landed here and opened my eyes, I saw you removing my…” After hesitating for a moment, Hua Zhuoyu still said those two words, “clothes.”
Ning Buyi: “!!!” That was only for treatment, for absorbing dark pollution! Well, she had been momentarily captivated by the beauty, but she could guarantee there wasn’t a single inappropriate thought!
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