Barren Star – Chapter 59
by Little PandaBad luck.
The appearance of Xiezhi did not cause much of a stir at the base.
However, compared to Baize and the Nine-tailed Fox, Xiezhi’s less cute and adorable appearance wasn’t very popular, though Xiezhi itself didn’t mind. Every day it would parade around the base with a noble and cold demeanor, like a ruler of this place.
Ning Buyi maintained her usual hands-off policy and didn’t really manage Xiezhi. However, the “trouble” after the easter egg still weighed on her mind. She patiently waited for a while, but the Mountain and Sea Atlas showed no movement, as if Xiezhi was just a simple easter egg. Ning Buyi had some doubts in her heart, but then that golden oak seed finally sprouted, which completely diverted her attention.
In the culture dish.
The green sprout swayed slightly, occasionally emanating a golden halo. The legendary “Seed of Life” could form a domain that blocks dark pollution, and perhaps later it could be used to enter the Mythical Forbidden Zone and resolve the pollution from the “Divine Court” in one go. However, the golden seed had just sprouted, and the thumb-sized light point couldn’t protect anyone yet.
The plants of Mountain and Sea Star absorb dark pollution, and dark pollution reserves can be used to purchase seeds, but there’s ultimately a limit. “Lack of manpower” wasn’t the problem she needed to worry about, seed scarcity was the real issue. Why couldn’t the Mountain and Sea Atlas open seed sales early? Wouldn’t it be nice to let the entire interstellar space immerse in the joy of plant revival?
Perhaps because Ning Buyi’s complaining thoughts were too strong, the usually dormant Mountain and Sea Atlas gave a response.
γNot enough energy.γ
Ning Buyi looked at the numerical panel that appeared before her, speechless for a long while.
After comforting herself that the golden seed sprouting was a good sign, Ning Buyi pushed that pit father [εηΉ | kΔng diΔ | meaning troublesome/unreliable] Mountain and Sea Atlas to the back of her mind, and her attention returned to the base and Aurora City. After the Sprout Investigation Team members officially immigrated to Mountain and Sea Star, Ning Buyi unlocked the “pharmaceutical factory” and “laboratory” in Aurora City as promised, providing sufficient resources and funding for their research. However, this wasn’t something that would show results in a short time. Ning Buyi didn’t plan to be demanding, though Mei Ping and others still demonstrated 100% research spirit, studying day and night, trying to produce encouraging results in the shortest time possible.
August.
The blazing sun hung in the azure sky, though the intense light was continuously reduced when passing through the protective shield, gradually converting to the most suitable temperature for human bodies. In the capital, flying cars sped along tracks in mid-air, bringing widespread humming sounds, while below on the roads, people walked side by side in small groups, accustomed to the monotonous steel city.
In a club with an “Extreme” sign, Alan was gesturing animatedly while talking about his journey to Mountain and Sea Star. Starting from being ambushed by space pirates upon entering the territory, he greatly exaggerated his fearless bravery, even embellishing himself into a hero who repelled pirates with guns blazing. The club members had known Alan for quite some time and knew the truth in his words, but hearing his description immediately sparked their yearning, wishing they could go themselves.
“However, I think Mountain and Sea Star won’t allow expedition teams to enter anymore,” Alan suddenly changed his tone.
“Why?”
“It’s because of those researchers, haven’t you seen the news on the StarNet? They really embarrassed our Da Xia.” A young man with dyed yellow hair sneered, then turned to Alan, “Did you see the planet owner?”
“No,” Alan shook his head, his eyebrows dancing as he said, “What’s so great about seeing the planet owner? Come watch your grandpa’s fishing style!” As he spoke, he pulled up the recorded footage and projected it onto the display screen in front.
“You mean the style where you almost got pulled into the pond by a fish?” Lu Zhijin teased.
Alan glared at Lu Zhijin upon hearing this, saying dissatisfied: “Can you not spoil this?” The club immediately erupted in laughter.
“Isn’t the planet owner from the Ning family? Shouldn’t they have good relations with the Supervisory Department?” Another person without tact spoke up.
Alan wasn’t angry, just glanced at him indifferently and smiled: “That I don’t know. But I remember there was quite a commotion when the Mountain and Sea Star’s planet owner sued the Ning family in the Interstellar Court.”
“Not the Ning family, it was Ning Jun and Ning Yunjing,” that person explained seriously.
“Isn’t it all the same?” Alan shrugged.
“Although I haven’t seen the planet owner, I think she’s not bad. Even though some researchers acted suspiciously, it didn’t affect others. The Lord even opened herb-gathering permissions for them,” Lu Zhijin suddenly spoke up.
“For the Xia Zheng Investigation Team? Herbs? Those extinct things?”
“Just the researchers,” Lu Zhijin replied casually. She had no intention of continuing the conversation, smiled, and kicked Alan: “Why haven’t you played the video yet?”
Seeing Lu Zhijin, Alan, and their group all focused on fooling around, that person’s eyes flashed with contempt. He pressed his lips together, didn’t continue asking, but instead “blended in” with these spoiled young masters.
After making a ruckus for half an hour, the gathered people gradually dispersed, and Alan said he was tired too, lounging lazily in his chair.
“That guy finally left,” Lu Zhijin raised her eyebrows. The “guy” she mentioned was a regular at the club, their relationship was okay on the surface, but not “close.” After they returned to the Imperial Star, he kept asking this and that, especially concerned about the relationship between the Supervisory Department and the planet owner.
“The tourist area clearly hasn’t opened permissions for the Xia Zheng Investigation Team team, isn’t this misleading?” Susan hugged Lu Zhijin’s arm, blinking with a cunning smile.
Lu Zhijin made an “um” sound, then uncertainly said: “Not really? I only mentioned the researchers.”
After leaving the Extreme Club, that person hurriedly went to a secluded alley. The people in the club were either rich or noble, and the things they usually discussed had certain value. Sometimes he would make money by selling inside information. This time too, someone paid him to investigate the relationship between the Supervisory Department and Mountain and Sea Star.
“Mountain and Sea Star has medicinal herbs, not for sale on the Starlight Platform, but provided to the Xia Zheng Research Base for experiments, researching special effect medicines.” He summarized what he heard at the club into one sentence, said some unimportant things, then walked out of the alley with a smile.
The news about Mountain and Sea Star cooperating with the Supervisory Department’s research base to produce special medicines for dark pollution quickly reached Imperial Crown Prince Xia Tu’s desk.
At this moment, Pine Orchid Apartments.
Lu Zhiwei sat cross-legged on the sofa, hugging a three-tailed fox doll, with Hua Zhuoyu’s image projected before her eyes.
“I need a pass for Mountain and Sea Star,” Lu Zhiwei spoke unhurriedly. Her complexion was fair, expression gentle, looking completely refined and scholarly.
“What are you coming to do?” Hua Zhuoyu looked at her with disdain, saying bluntly, “Just get the money ready, I’ll notify you if there are any results.”
Lu Zhiwei narrowed her eyes, her smile becoming more gentle: “I don’t trust you all.”
Hua Zhuoyu didn’t plan to engage at all: “Then forget it. I’ll go directly to Grandfather Lu.”
Lu Zhiwei: “…You’re still so shameless.”
Hua Zhuoyu fake smiled: “Thanks for the compliment.”
Lu Zhiwei rubbed her forehead, and when she raised her eyes again, her tone became much more sincere: “I just want to see my little fox, that’s all.”
Hua Zhuoyu: “Aren’t you holding one right there?” Seeing Lu Zhiwei frown, Hua Zhuoyu sighed and continued, “I’m afraid you’ll face assassination as soon as you leave Imperial Star. Right now they’re speculating about the relationship between Mountain and Sea Star and the Supervisory Department, your appearance will make him fall into deeper suspicion.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Lu Zhiwei released the three-tailed fox doll, stood up, crossed her arms over her chest, her gaze level with Hua Zhuoyu’s, “I’m willing to take this risk.”
Hua Zhuoyu shook her head in rejection: “The old master won’t agree.”
“We don’t need to let him know.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Then I’ll go convince the old master myself.”
……
Hua Zhuoyu finally admitted defeat, she saw the persistence and stubbornness in Lu Zhiwei’s eyes, probably unable to dispel her thoughts. She took a step back and asked: “Should we tell Ying Jingqiu?”
“Of course,” Lu Zhiwei nodded, smiling, “This is a free bodyguard.”
Although the trip to Mountain and Sea Star was decided, Lu Zhiwei didn’t set out immediately, but waited for an opportunity.
In mid-August, Xia Tu dealt with several officials affiliated with the Supervisory Department who had connections to the “Demon Phantom Pirate Gang” with lightning methods. With conclusive evidence, even the Supervisory Department couldn’t protect them. When the news spread, Xia Tu’s prestige among the people rose again, almost reaching a peak. In response, Xia Tu’s action was a new round of arrests, striking at the Supervisory Department’s power as much as possible.
But just at this moment.
A complete roster appeared from somewhere unknown, spreading widely on the StarNet. That list bore the mark of the “Demon Phantom Pirate Gang”. The accounts, events, and times of dealings were all clearly recorded… When netizens cross-checked the “fallen” officials, they found all signs matched with government announcements.
ββTerrifying when you think about it, is this the original roster?
ββHoly sh*t, looking at this list I finally understand the Dakeli family’s massacre by pirates ten years ago wasn’t a coincidence.
ββIf this list is real, does it mean everyone on it will be arrested? The scope is quite broad, right? Looks like these are just small fry now, big tremors will come in a few days.
ββThere are people from the Crown Prince’s faction in there, right? Will he uphold justice?
ββI’m the Crown Prince’s die-hard fan! I believe His Highness will definitely handle it fairly.
ββWhere did this list come from?
By the time Xia Tu received the news, that list had already spread extremely widely, and the online information couldn’t be suppressed at all.
Xia Tu’s first thought was the Star Court, he almost wanted to contact Hua Zhuoyu for clarity. But he didn’t know what reason the Star Court would have to harm him, after all, the Star Court stood aloof from the world and wouldn’t get involved in any disturbances. Xia Tu hurriedly called an emergency meeting, and after several hours of discussion, finally issued an announcement through the government’s official website, declaring that roster as fake.
In the Princess’s Manor.
Xia Sang had been following the news on the StarNet, and when she saw that announcement come out, she laughed happily out loud. She didn’t let the Civilization Alliance make any response, but instead let the online discussion about the government announcement heat up. After all, the “government” represented credibility, and most people, upon seeing the news, put their hearts at ease and turned to condemn those who spread the “fake roster”.
ββI said how could everyone be evil, if that were the case, then the government would be too terrible.
ββWhether it’s true or false is just talk.
ββWhy aren’t the people who first spread the news responding anymore?
ββIs it really fake? There’s even the pirate gang’s anti-counterfeiting mark, and some events and times match up perfectly.
Not until the next day did the Civilization Alliance’s Star Micro release a new message. It didn’t deliberately mention the “roster” matter, but listed the spoils of war from Giant Sickle Star against the Demon Phantom Pirate Gang, among which was the “roster” that the Imperial government had judged as fake.
ββ???
ββI’m confused.
ββSo the roster is real? Then what is the government trying to do?
ββ@Supervisory Department, @Interstellar Court, @Star Court, what do you big shots think?
The Civilization Alliance, as a civilian organization, had extreme prestige in Da Xia, especially holding a transcendent position in the hearts of star citizens who had “migrated”. After all, even the governing officials had abandoned them back then, but the Civilization Alliance never left them behind. Without the Civilization Alliance’s support, they probably couldn’t have settled in their new homeland.
The government and Civilization Alliance’s statements were completely opposite, causing two groups of people online to argue fiercely. The government’s side was still trying to find solutions, with no response. The Civilization Alliance immediately posted a second update, without any text, just a gang leader badge of the Demon Phantom Pirate Gang.
Although the Civilization Alliance had fought with the pirates, they had nothing to do with the final elimination of the pirate gang. This gang leader badge was given to them by Hua Zhuoyu.
This update caused the entire StarNet to boil over.
ββSo we guessed wrong before? It wasn’t the government who eliminated the pirate gang, but the Civilization Alliance.
ββThe government never admitted it before either.
ββSo the list provided by the Civilization Alliance is actually the real one.
In the Crown Prince’s Manor, seeing the news, Xia Tu almost couldn’t catch his breath. One hand pressed against his heart, the other pressed on the desk as he gasped for air, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. Before this, he had never taken the “Civilization Alliance” seriously. How dare a civilian organization oppose the government? Who was behind it? The Supervisory Department? The military? Or other forces? Before Xia Tu could recover, he received an imperial edict from His Majesty the Emperor. He went to the palace with a pale face to see His Majesty, and unsurprisingly, was severely scolded by the Emperor. His Majesty was furious, with undisguised disappointment in his eyes. Xia Tu tried to defend himself, but when he opened his mouth, he found he couldn’t say a word, just stood there pale-faced, shoulders hunched and eyebrows lowered, listening to the Emperor’s reprimand.
When leaving the palace, Xia Tu passed by Xia Tai who was entering, and his gaze instantly turned cold and fierce.
“Was it you? The Supervisory Department?” Xia Tu said through gritted teeth.
Xia Tai feigned surprise: “What is big brother saying?”
Xia Tu wished he could punch that affected, nauseating face of Xia Tai’s, but unfortunately they were in the deep palace. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes as he sneered and strode away. Xia Tai glanced at Xia Tu indifferently, not taking his hatred to heart. If not for the Emperor’s summons, he wouldn’t have gone out at all.
The discussion about the “roster” continued to spread wildly.
Xia Tu and the government’s prestige fell to a low point at this time. Of course, there were still people hoping Xia Tu would again take swift and decisive action to arrest those “criminals,” but with such broad involvement, how could Xia Tu dare to act? Growing up in the royal family, he deeply understood the point that “water too clear has no fish” [ζ°΄θ³ζΈ εη‘ι | shuΗ zhΓ¬ qΔ«ng zΓ© wΓΊ yΓΊ | idiom meaning: absolute purity is unrealistic]. The so-called “punishing evil and eliminating wickedness” was, in most cases, a weapon used to overthrow political enemies.
Far away on Mountain and Sea Star, Ning Buyi was watching the show.
She was pleased to see Xia Tu, who was known for being pure and noble, become infamous.
Ning Buyi turned to ask Hua Zhuoyu: “When will he step down?”
Hua Zhuoyu smiled slightly: “Soon, when he takes that irreversible step.”
Ning Buyi: “What if he doesn’t take it?”
Hua Zhuoyu: “It can’t be stopped now, even knowing it’s wrong, he can only continue making mistakes to the end.”
Just as Ning Buyi was taking pleasure in Xia Tu’s misfortune, she suddenly received a message from Beast StarβLittle Feng Jiu had gone missing.
The establishment of the free trade market between Beast Star and Mountain and Sea Star had pacified many warmongers, and some tribes that had been constantly stirring with fighting spirit finally quieted down. But this didn’t mean everyone on Beast Star was willing to accept this. Those extremists trying to provoke war couldn’t hold back anymore and caused trouble on a small planet belonging to the beast race. Because of this, Feng Yi, as the crown heir, needed to go to the small planet to quell the rebellion. In two months, those extremists were either captured or fled, and peace returned to the small planet. But at this moment, a traitor appeared in the Feng Jiu Clan, taking Little Feng Jiu hostage and fleeing.
Little Feng Jiu might have some bad luck, for in the vast Greedy Wolf Star System, where could one search?
After hearing Feng Yi’s description, Ning Buyi frowned, her eyes hiding deep concern.
“My little sister has already gone through the baptism and can control her abilities.” Feng Yi’s eyes were full of weariness, her mental strength had been greatly consumed in Beast Star’s rebellion. Taking a deep breath, she quickly continued, “Her awakened bloodline divine power is spatial jump, which was also why she entered Mountain and Sea Star from Greedy Star. She has marked Mountain and Sea Star’s coordinates, there’s an 80% chance she’ll come this way when escaping, so I’ll trouble you to keep an eye out then.”
Ning Buyi replied seriously: “I will.” After all, having raised her for a while, she had feelings for the furry one. She couldn’t conveniently leave Mountain and Sea Star now, but if Little Feng Jiu landed on Mountain and Sea Star, she would definitely find ways to locate her.
After ending communication with Feng Yi, she turned to Hua Zhuoyu: “Da Xia’s internal strife, Insect Race’s chaos, Beast Star’s rebellion… The three great civilizations all seem to be in a state of disorder. Is this how past civilizations disappeared?”
Hua Zhuoyu spoke slowly: “That was the past, it doesn’t have to be like that now.”
“Hopefully.”
Although possessing an entire planet, how vast was Mountain and Sea Star? What they usually spoke of was merely equivalent to “one country’s territory” in past understanding. Hopefully Little Feng Jiu’s “positioning” would be more precise, landing in some bushes like before.
Three hundred kilometers west of the base.
A deep blue spaceship appeared silently, but its hull was crackling with electricity and emitting black smoke.
Just as the ship exploded, three disheveled figures darted out, instantly covering hundreds of meters. The explosion made a huge booming sound, the shock wave stirring up dust everywhere. A man in a yellow shirt with sinister eyes darkly pulled down Little Feng Jiu, who was tightly gripping his hair.
“Feng Wangba, why didn’t you say earlier your young master had such weird abilities? Now we’re on this godforsaken planet, the ship’s destroyed, what do we do? Wait to die?”
“F*ck, those b*stards are really useless. If I’d known they would fail, I wouldn’t have taken this hostage no matter what.”
“This planet is a barren star, with high dark pollution concentration.”
“Look for any civilized base.” The man in the yellow shirt spoke up, then paused and lifted Little Feng Jiu again, saying irritably, “Where is this? Can you take us away?” Since the bloodline divine power could move them here, there should be a way to leave. No choice but to pin their hopes on this young one.
Little Feng Jiu, dizzy from being shaken, pecked viciously at the man’s rough palm. But her strength was still no match for an adult, and despite using all her energy, she couldn’t break free.
In the base.
Ning Buyi suddenly had a sense, then Beidou scanned several life signatures in the west where the protective shield didn’t cover.
Thinking of Feng Yi’s instructions, Ning Buyi’s eyes suddenly sharpened. Just as she left her room, the Xiezhi that had been patrolling the base ran towards her, making urgent calls.
“Is it Little Feng Jiu?” Hua Zhuoyu, after receiving Ning Buyi’s message, also ran out.
Ning Buyi said gravely: “Very likely it’s her.” If they had flown into Mountain and Sea Star along space routes, Beidou would have identified the signal before their entry. But now the life traces appeared suddenly, indicating some special ability or bloodline divine power, and Little Feng Jiu happened to have such talent. There were multiple life signatures, different from dark pollution-rich beasts, it could only be traitors from the beast race.
“There’s danger!” Ning Buyi’s eyes were stern, showing both worry for Little Feng Jiu and anger and hatred towards the rebels.
Was Xiezhi’s appearance actually a sign of Beast Star’s rebellion?
While Ning Buyi and Hua Zhuoyu were moving, the traitors were also trudging through the endless desert.
Since they pinned their hopes of leaving on Little Feng Jiu, they hadn’t given up searching for cities and bases.
Human forms weren’t as convenient as beast race original forms, so what appeared on the ground was a cow-shaped weasel, a four-legged snake long as a python, and a phoenix chick with rather bare tail feathers. Little Feng Jiu was now flapping her wings standing on the phoenix chick’s back, pecking his back while shouting loudly: “Can’t the bald chicken fly?”
“Feng Wangba, haven’t you eaten?”
Showing no awareness of being a captive at all.
0 Comments