Barren Star – Chapter 72

Love

The Chief Judge’s power surpassed all other judges, yet throughout the Star Court’s [星廷 | xīng tíng | celestial governing body] history, no Chief Judge had ever used their abilities against their companions. Thus, He Chao and Zhang Yi instinctively overlooked this fact. Only now, as their abilities gradually disappeared, did they remember this detail.

Although the He family bore the name of “traitors,” He Chao believed that as a member of the Star Court, perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad if he returned after everything ended. However, thinking was one thing; in reality, his choice to leave meant he could no longer maintain the dignity that came with being a Judge.

            

The patrol squad’s captain was a young female officer, wearing an immaculate blue and white uniform, her right hand resting on an antique-style sword. Her image appeared slowly at the top of the screen, her tone calm and unwavering.

“Stop.”

The spaceship carried the entire He family and their confidants, but not everyone could remain calm. Upon discovering their exposed whereabouts, an immediate uproar erupted. Some were bewildered and at a loss, some shouted about surrendering, and others strongly suggested forcing their way through. He Chao had chosen to betray Da Xia and the Star Court; having come this far, he was even more unwilling to turn back. If all the He family members were arrested, what meaning would his choice have?

            

Not only did He Chao think this way, but the He family patriarch had also made his decision. His plan was to take away all He family members and confidants, but under current circumstances, he had to abandon some first. Without waiting for the patrol squad to attack again, the He family’s spaceship opened fire, not only targeting the intercepting personnel ahead but also firing toward the residential areas of Qingyun Star, as they needed to create chaos.

As the spaceship rushed outward, anxiety gradually built up in He Chao’s heart, approaching a breaking point. His face turned ashen as his fingers tapped on the light brain. After a while, he glanced at Zhang Yi, shocked and flustered: “The Star Court has disbanded.” This dissolution meant the Judges would lose their superior status as ability users. His eyelid twitched, “The Star Court’s assets have been divided, and our share has been donated to Mountain and Sea Star.”

Zhang Yi paced back and forth, his expression equally unsightly.

            

“The Mythical Forbidden Zone has been resolved; they no longer need us,” Zhang Yi muttered. If he had received news of the Star Court’s dissolution earlier, he wouldn’t have ventured with He Chao. After a while, his expression became determined and calm as he looked at He Chao, “We have no reason to go back.”

In Qingyun Star’s sky, the crossfire gradually intensified, like a thundercloud covering the area, with beam cannons flashing like lightning, sending chills down one’s spine. This scene was recorded by Qingyun Star’s residents and forwarded to the Star Network.

—Is it an attack from the Insect Race? Why has fighting broken out on Qingyun Star?

            

—Haven’t you seen the official announcement? Some families colluded with star pirates to steal seeds during the chaos. Most have been arrested now.

—What the f*ck? Rich but heartless! Why would they even steal seeds?

—Who knows? But news has come back that the Planetary Master of Mountain and Sea Star is doing just fine.

            

…

Ning Buyi quickly scanned through the Star Network news related to the He family. Though Qingyun Star’s garrison wasn’t large, and while they had detained the He family’s spaceship, a group of people still managed to escape in mecha suits. Nevertheless, the He family’s power had been significantly reduced.

“Have they lost their abilities now?” Ning Buyi turned to Hua Zhuoyu, knowing these events were likely Ah Zhuo’s doing.

            

“Yes, they have,” Hua Zhuoyu’s eyes were deep and profound. Although the Mythical Forbidden Zone had been resolved, the dark pollution levels hadn’t dropped to zero. After He Chao lost his “purification” ability, it would be difficult for the He family to find a foothold in the vast, deep starspace. Moreover, Da Xia officials had arrested several He family members, and their loyalty might not hold.

“Where will the He family run to?” Ning Buyi asked again. She worried they might come to Mountain and Sea Star, and although Mountain and Sea Star now had the ability to handle dangers, she didn’t want to test its strength with unnecessary trouble.

“Don’t know, Da Xia officials will handle it.” Hua Zhuoyu shrugged, moving closer to Ning Buyi and waving her hand in front of her face, drawing her attention away from the light brain. “I’m unemployed now,” Hua Zhuoyu said lightly.

            

“But you can earn money while lying down,” Ning Buyi raised an eyebrow. The Star Court’s dissolution didn’t mean all its businesses disappeared. After some donations, the former Judges had divided things reasonably. Just the annual dividends from the Starlight Platform alone were enough for Hua Zhuoyu to live a comfortable retired life.

“It’s not the same,” Hua Zhuoyu shook her head, staring intently at Ning Buyi as she spoke slowly.

“Is it not?” Ning Buyi tossed aside the light brain and slightly tilted her head up to meet Hua Zhuoyu’s focused gaze.

            

Hua Zhuoyu smiled and said, “I want to do something for you.”

“You’ve done more than enough already,” Ning Buyi mumbled softly, then fixed her gaze on Hua Zhuoyu. “Let’s start with taking care of the ‘eggs’ in the incubation chamber.” The base was now running smoothly, leaving Ning Buyi with few worries. Plant seeds had been distributed to Da Xia and Beast Star, and the greening index was slowly rising. In this base, only the eggs nurturing the “Lost Civilization Races” could pique Ning Buyi’s interest.

“I feel they’re about to hatch,” Ning Buyi said.

            

The “eggs” were actually life protection shells that would automatically crack open once the surrounding conditions for nurturing life were met. Ning Buyi didn’t know whether those emerging from the “eggs” would be cubs or fully mature adults.

“Alright,” Hua Zhuoyu readily accepted this task.

Ning Buyi’s “about to” meant half a month later. A series of crackling sounds echoed through the quiet incubation chamber as cracks appeared on the egg shells glowing with lustrous white light. Each egg had a two-meter-long bed space, sufficient to accommodate whatever emerged from the “egg.”

            

Hua Zhuoyu sat in the incubation chamber, arms crossed and legs crossed, her eyes sparkling with intense interest. She had seen these species in ancient texts, but among the vanished races, different books showed vastly different depictions. In the past, she never imagined there would be a day when she could witness miracles being born one after another.

The first thing to break through the eggshell was a small bundle of energy, followed by dramatic changes in a short time, as if decades had passed in the blink of an eye. The hatched species lay on the bed, consciousness not yet awakened. However, the nearby monitor displayed extremely strong life signals.

Hearing footsteps, Hua Zhuoyu looked back.

            

“Angels, demons, elves… these are all species that only existed in legends,” Ning Buyi remarked while gazing at the incubation chamber.

Hua Zhuoyu asked, “How will we settle them when the time comes?”

Ning Buyi was silent for a moment, then replied honestly and frankly, “I haven’t thought about it.” Different races needed different living environments. But they weren’t large populations, only rare individuals remained. If they were left to find their own homes—they probably couldn’t escape extinction. “For now, they can only stay on Mountain and Sea Star,” Ning Buyi said. When bringing back the “eggs,” she had already registered them as Mountain and Sea Star residents—for future control. After all, these extinct races seemed unlikely to be “docile”.

            

Just as Ning Buyi and Hua Zhuoyu were talking, a loud “boom” resonated, and a crack appeared in the incubation chamber’s outer shell made of reinforced interstellar materials. The first to awaken in the chamber was a massive beast with fierce horns and hard scales. Though bearing the name “Giant Dragon”, it was vastly different from the Dragon Clan of Beast Star. Its four limbs were powerful, and its back bore a pair of wings with jagged bone spikes. The two-meter bed seemed rather narrow for the grown dragon.

“Careful,” Hua Zhuoyu shielded Ning Buyi behind her.

“It’s fine,” Ning Buyi shook her head and said with narrowed eyes, “They can come out and move around.” According to the Mountain and Sea Atlas, the Giant Dragon race loved fighting most, and their homeland was destroyed in combat. However, these current “lucky ones” had their “faith” erased, leaving rationality dominant. Still, fearing these “new partners” might damage the base with their excess energy, Ning Buyi called the guard army, mostly composed of beast race members, to the incubation chamber’s exterior, letting them fight to their heart’s content.

            

For the next few days, the base constantly echoed with roars and bellows.

Ning Buyi wasn’t managing the hatched bunch. She sat in the living room, holding an ice-blue, jelly-like slime, talking with Xia Sang from the Empire. After all, these were extinct races fundamentally different from humans, and Da Xia’s government had the right to know about this.

“I have only one condition: they cannot become a second Insect Race,” Xia Sang’s expression was serious.

            

Ning Buyi nodded, smiling: “These races’ revival will likely take many years. By then, they’ll have integrated into existing civilization.” These extinct races worshipped true gods and had their own faith, but the Divine Court had long been destroyed, and deities were things of the past. The revived inheritors would worry about daily necessities rather than ethereal divine wars.

The base’s pioneers accepted these legendary races well.

After all, they had witnessed historic events worthy of recording: plant revival, beast race awakening, and the Star Court’s dissolution.

            

However, the fuzzy cubs led by Little Feng Jiu harbored hostility toward these races. When Little Feng Jiu rushed in and saw the slime in Ning Buyi’s arms, its fur immediately puffed up. Those button eyes stared at the “unfaithful” Ning Buyi, seeming ready to cry. After Little Feng Jiu, a kitten from the Cat Clan also rushed in, but unlike the pretending-to-be-hurt Little Feng Jiu, it charged straight at Ning Buyi.

Seeing this, Ning Buyi quickly released the slime and hugged the fluffy creature. After some kneading, watching it turn into a soft cat pancake, she blinked and smiled at Hua Zhuoyu, who was trimming flower branches: “It’s gotten much livelier.”

“Just not at the right time,” Hua Zhuoyu said diplomatically.

            

“Hmm?” Ning Buyi turned toward Hua Zhuoyu.

Hua Zhuoyu stood up, scooping up the slime with one hand and grabbing the kitten with the other, tossing them out of the room.

“Jiu jiu!” Little Feng Jiu immediately started trembling upon seeing this, looking at Hua Zhuoyu with delight.

            

However, Hua Zhuoyu was stone-hearted; after the kitten and slime, Little Feng Jiu was also sent out of the room.

Hua Zhuoyu crossed her arms and glanced at Ning Buyi: “They’ll be banned from entering in the future.”

Ning Buyi blinked: “Why are you being so particular with them?”

            

“It’s not about being particular,” Hua Zhuoyu let out a humming laugh, “it’s jealousy.” She walked toward Ning Buyi and sat beside her, slightly tilting her head to gaze at the jade-like profile under the lamplight, then continued, “Now that the Mythical Forbidden Zone is resolved, the weight on your heart has lifted, right? We can talk about other things.”

Hua Zhuoyu’s eyes were like peach blossoms reflected in spring water, flowing with deep affection and allure. Ning Buyi’s heartbeat quickened uncontrollably, and she took a breath, asking somewhat airily: “Like what?”

Hua Zhuoyu smiled: “Romance?” Her indirect approach lasted only a moment before she continued, “You still haven’t given me a clear answer.”

            

“Have I not?” Ning Buyi’s tone softened.

Hua Zhuoyu nodded seriously, her hand resting on Ning Buyi’s shoulder as she adjusted to a comfortable position, half-kneeling on the sofa face-to-face with Ning Buyi, mimicking her uncertain tone: “‘It seems too fast,’ that’s what you answered then. Now, do you still think it’s too fast?”

Ning Buyi shook her head.

            

Hua Zhuoyu wasn’t satisfied with just this; her desire rose with each passing moment, like surging tides. She raised her hand, gently caressing Ning Buyi’s lips, and said earnestly: “I want to hear you say it.”

Ning Buyi had inquired and responded indirectly before, but had never directly expressed her love. When saying the word “love”, she always felt an inexplicable nervousness and shyness. Her face turned as red as clouds at sunset, and with her heart pounding, she spoke: “I love you.” A heart full of passion needed the most direct words to respond.

Black Sea Star.

            

This was a construction star located within a cluster of dead stars, but no one was willing to cross those dead stars to enter such a resource-scarce place, except for the star pirates roaming the Black Sea.

“Father, is it here?” On the bridge, He Chao’s face showed signs of fatigue. The He family hadn’t obtained the Elpis Reagent. Back then, he had relied on his purification power and hadn’t taken this matter seriously. However, his “arrogance” had caused their group great suffering. They had already lost people and weapons at Qingyun Star, and after reaching Black Sea Star, things became even more miserable. At least one-tenth of their people couldn’t resist the dark pollution and were ultimately abandoned in space.

“Yes, according to the star pirate gang leaders, the ‘Demon Phantom’ left their legacy here,” He Xingyun [賀行雲 | hè xíng yún], the He family patriarch, nodded, his eyes flashing with madness. If the Demon Phantom Pirates were still stationed here, they wouldn’t dare risk it. But now those troublemakers had been captured. If they could inherit the “Demon Phantom’s” legacy, perhaps the He family would have a chance to rise again.

            

“What exactly is it?” He Chao frowned. Although Black Sea Star was a construction star, its location among dead stars gave him a bad feeling.

“Star pirate gangs are interstellar raiders, so naturally great wealth,” He Xingyun smiled, then added, “Perhaps there are research notes too.” Among all pirate gangs, only the “Demon Phantom” had the most unique mental pollution techniques. Da Xia’s people considered these technologies “forbidden”, but pirates had no such reservations. They would use any means to achieve their goals.

“Is it true?” At this final moment, He Chao felt doubts rising. When the Civilization Alliance eliminated the Demon Phantom Pirates, they obtained vast wealth and documents from them, so why didn’t they know about this “legacy”?

            

“Even the Demon Phantom Pirates’ members might not have known,” He Xingyun patted He Chao’s shoulder. “Luke revealed this information when drunk, and there’s footage.” He Xingyun didn’t tell He Chao the details; letting him know there was a “legacy” below was enough.

Black Sea Star’s surface was covered in black sand and stone, with past buildings eroded by wind and rain, leaving only ruins. This wasn’t a developed area, so there were naturally few buildings from this era’s civilization. As his feet touched the ground, He Chao’s eye twitched, still feeling uneasy, but he had no retreat. He could only follow his father and family members forward.

They found a well among the ruins.

            

“Demon Phantom had a base here, hidden underground. Their other stations were cleared out, only this one remains,” He Xingyun explained while leading people forward.

He Chao didn’t respond. He followed behind He Xingyun, descending the stairs while examining the base. Only footsteps echoed in the cold, empty corridors. Half an hour later, they reached the base’s center—under a massive protective shield lay a strange creature of indiscernible form, wearing half a golden mask on its face, its entire body rising and falling with each breath.

“What is this?” He Chao called out oddly, his scalp tingling as he stared at the bright red flesh and pulsing blood vessels.

            

He Xingyun’s expression became strange. He stopped those approaching the protective shield and said, “Let’s look around first, see if there are any related documents. This should be Demon Phantom’s laboratory.”

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