Barren Star – Chapter 77
by Little PandaExtra Chapter One.
Cui Wei Star [翠微星 | cuì wēi xīng].
This was an aqua-blue advanced construction star, with oceans occupying seventy percent of the planet. During times of heavy dark pollution, the savage beasts in the seas were enormously terrifying, but through the efforts of the planet’s residents, the near-shore beasts were driven away. The waters became clean, transforming into a popular tourist destination among the stars.
Ning Buyi discovered the advertisement while browsing the Star Network forums in a small corner. Blue skies, white clouds, coastlines, and beaches – the scenery in the images stirred some of her past memories, leading her to immediately decide on making Cui Wei Star her first travel destination.
“Since Cui Wei Star is an advanced construction star, it should be among the first batch to enter the civilized star sequence, right?” Ning Buyi turned to Hua Zhuoyu to ask, as her understanding of the planets was far inferior to Hua Zhuoyu’s.
“Yes.” Hua Zhuoyu nodded with a smile, walking behind Ning Buyi and placing both hands on the armrests, leaning forward to look at the images Ning Buyi had opened. The beach had rows of coconut trees, though they weren’t real plants but artificial ones. The planet had invested heavily in this aspect, purchasing devices that simulated plant ecosystems. “They’ve received seeds, so these artificial trees will be replaced soon, right?”
Ning Buyi nodded, a flash of brightness passing through her eyes as she pointed at the people in the image: “Are they playing beach volleyball? Their games are quite retro.”
Hua Zhuoyu shrugged: “There’s always been a retro trend in the Greedy Wolf Star System. Sometimes electronic games can’t consume people’s excess energy.”
“It’s a pity there aren’t many creatures in the coastal waters,” Ning Buyi said while reading the coastal introduction of Cui Wei Star, feeling somewhat regretful deep inside. Whale watching wasn’t possible at present. The Mountain and Sea Atlas contained few deep-sea life forms – they would probably have to wait until the dark pollution gradually receded before the ocean could slowly recover.
By the time they arrived at Cui Wei Star, it was already dusk. Their spacecraft docked at Cui Wei Port, and Ning Buyi and Hua Zhuoyu took a flying car to the hotel to check in. This hotel named “Cui Wei” was built with artificial wood on the outside, and walking on the stairs produced creaking sounds. When they reached their room, the walls became transparent glass, allowing them to take in the scenery outside.
Night fell.
However, in the scenic area outside the hotel, rows of lights illuminated the surroundings as bright as day. When opening the window, they could hear the sounds of joy and laughter from outside. The sea breeze that blew in carried a familiar salty smell, and it wasn’t until Hua Zhuoyu’s voice came that Ning Buyi snapped back to reality and closed the window.
There was only one large bed in the room.
Seeing Ning Buyi’s gaze fall on the bed, Hua Zhuoyu’s eyes grew profound. She brushed her hair and explained with a light laugh: “There are many tourists here, only large-bed rooms were left.”
Ning Buyi gave Hua Zhuoyu a deep look, slowly letting out an “Oh.”
The long journey had brought mental fatigue, and at least for now, neither had plans to go out sightseeing. The closed window blocked out the hustle and bustle from outside, and when their conversation stopped, it became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Ning Buyi stood by the window with her arms crossed, her eyelashes lowered, avoiding Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze.
Hua Zhuoyu kept watching Ning Buyi, and after a while, let out an ambiguous soft laugh.
“Want to take a shower together?” Hua Zhuoyu asked lightly, extending the invitation to Ning Buyi.
Ning Buyi pressed her lips together, her heart feeling as if entangled by fine fishing lines. Her face slightly reddened, and she glared at Hua Zhuoyu with embarrassment, refusing: “No.”
“I see.” Hua Zhuoyu’s tone was soft and drawn out as she took out clothes from her luggage and walked toward the bathroom.
The room’s light was bright, like sunlight, somehow making one dizzy. Ning Buyi found a chair to sit down, listening to the splashing sounds from the bathroom. She stared blankly for a while before rubbing her forehead. Her heartbeat refused to slow down, and in this quiet room, she felt somewhat absent-minded. Her body and mind were like a taut bowstring, and when Hua Zhuoyu emerged holding her damp hair, she became even more tense.
Hua Zhuoyu said nothing, just brushed aside her wet black hair, revealing a pair of dark eyes as she glanced at Ning Buyi.
As if receiving some signal, Ning Buyi suddenly stood up, the chair behind her scraping against the floor with a harsh sound. “I’ll take a shower,” Ning Buyi said, her words and movements notably quick. Hua Zhuoyu nodded, unhurriedly tending to her long hair, her gaze following Ning Buyi until she disappeared.
When Ning Buyi came out, Hua Zhuoyu was already sitting on the bed. Her nightgown had several round pearl buttons, now undone, revealing skin like silk and satin. Ning Buyi’s nervous thoughts suddenly vanished. She silently picked up the hairdryer, quickly dried her hair, and under Hua Zhuoyu’s gaze, approached and slipped under the covers.
Hua Zhuoyu turned her head, placing her hand on Ning Buyi’s chest, feeling the “thump-thump” of her heartbeat. Her hand slowly moved upward, like a gentle spring breeze passing over collarbone and neck, finally resting on full, rouge lips. Hua Zhuoyu pressed against Ning Buyi, asking softly: “May I?”
Ning Buyi nodded, slowly but firmly.
Inside the room, the spring breeze was warm; outside, the moonlight flowed like water.
When they woke up the next day, it was already close to ten o’clock.
After biting open a nutrient supplement to replenish energy, Ning Buyi had no intention of getting out of bed. By the time they felt like going to the beach, it was already their third day on Cui Wei Star. However, their luck was rather poor – upon arrival, they learned that the coastal area had been sealed off since yesterday, and no matter how much tourists inquired, the area’s management refused to reveal the details.
Seeing this situation, Ning Buyi and Hua Zhuoyu had no choice but to return. After opening the Star Network and setting the region to “Cui Wei Star,” they discovered the planet was in turmoil.
“After receiving seeds and plants, Cui Wei Star’s Governor didn’t promote them on the planet but instead secretly sold them on the black market. When this was discovered and word spread to Cui Wei Star, it triggered residents’ protests.” When Ning Buyi saw this news, her brows immediately furrowed tightly. Perhaps they thought Cui Wei Star was good enough already, or perhaps they were unwilling to alter the expensive layout of the scenic areas… regardless, Cui Wei Star’s Governor had walked into a dead end.
“Don’t worry, since things have gotten this bad, Imperial Star will handle it,” Hua Zhuoyu said.
“I’m not worried.” Ning Buyi shook her head and sighed, “Actually, one could predict such situations would occur, after all, human nature is extremely difficult to gauge. Among tens of thousands of people, there will always be some rat droppings [老鼠屎 | lǎo shǔ shǐ | similar to the idiom ‘bad apples’]. But knowing is one thing; when actually facing it, there’s still some frustration, feeling like everything was in vain.”
Hua Zhuoyu consoled: “The Governor’s vision is narrow, but Cui Wei Star’s residents know how to resist. It’s still worth it.”
Ning Buyi made an “mm” sound, meeting Hua Zhuoyu’s gentle gaze, and mumbled: “We’ll need to visit more planets later.”
Hua Zhuoyu replied without hesitation: “Alright. Wherever you go, I’ll be with you.”
Among the construction stars under Da Xia’s jurisdiction, such Governors weren’t unique. Some planetary Governors represented powerful forces, suppressing any emerging voices, attempting to profit from the plants. They didn’t necessarily trade plants on the black market like Cui Wei Star’s Governor, but rather changed free distribution into purchases… When news reached Imperial Star, the Da Xia government immediately handled the matter. Whether they raised prices or sold externally, anyone who violated Imperial Star’s decree was treated equally and given the maximum punishment. Under Da Xia’s thunderous methods, those with devious thoughts finally retreated. They couldn’t break away from Da Xia entirely like the He family.
In Mountain and Sea Star.
Beidou received a list.
Among the business settlement applications submitted by Xiong Xun, Beidou directly rejected any applications from forces close to those Governors. Since they had gone against the Planet Master’s wishes, what right did they have to share in this profit?
“Big brother, you’ve really ruined me. Why did you have to be greedy for such trivial gains? Now we can only watch others make huge profits at Mountain and Sea Star.”
“I don’t think it’s appropriate to continue our cooperation. Please find someone else in the future.”
…
Cui Wei Star’s Governor slumped in his chair with a fallen face. Since the news was exposed, he hadn’t received any good news, and even his Star Network account was banned, gaining no benefits at all. Da Xia’s punishment had hit him like a sledgehammer, but now that he’d sobered up, it was too late.
In the spacecraft.
Ning Buyi looked at the apologies and requests forwarded from Beidou without the slightest softening of her heart. She gave a cold laugh and directly told Beidou to blacklist them. She was definitely holding a grudge! There were so many people to choose from, and they weren’t irreplaceable.
“Where should we go next?” Ning Buyi looked up and asked.
“How about Insect Star?” Hua Zhuoyu blinked and smiled, “We received an invitation from Hill.”
Ning Buyi nodded, suddenly remembering something, “Speaking of which, Kris is still at Mountain and Sea Star, should we send her back to the Insect Clan?”
“We can,” Hua Zhuoyu shrugged, “If the Insect Clan needs her.”
After breaking the spiritual connection, the Insect Clan’s queen became more of a symbol – even if there were “dual queens”, it was no longer a disaster.
LP: I need the sugar
It feels like we found a false oasis in the middle of nowhere.. 😭