Chapter 8

Carol was holding a Starlight Stone, a meteorite from the depths of space.

No one has ever discovered the origin of this stone. All the Starlight Stones on the market are obtained from meteorites from outer space. Finding them is entirely dependent on luck, so people also call them lucky stones.

The Starlight Stone is valuable not for its beautiful appearance, but because it is an important material for making advanced mechas.

A mecha weighing several tons or even tens of tons might only need a few grams of Starlight Stone, but it is these few grams of stone that play a key role in the psychic link between the pilot and the mecha.

There is even a legend that humans living on Old Blue Star accidentally obtained a huge Starlight Stone, which allowed them to evolve psychic powers, leading to rapid technological development and the ability to explore the universe, thus entering the interstellar age.

Some people say that the psychic powers of star beasts also originate from Starlight Stone. If the source of Starlight Stone is found, the star beast problem can be completely solved, and humanity will once again usher in a great evolution, becoming the true masters of the universe.

Song Chunshi looked at this stone, which was hyped up to be so amazing. It was transparent, with an irregular edge, and golden threads inside, looking like a piece of broken glass.

She looked dubious, “Is it really that valuable? Are you sure?”

Carol’s handsome face was about to twist. As an instructor at the Empire Military Academy, he would rather admit to being wrong about his own home than be wrong about this important strategic material!

He took a deep breath and said, “There’s no mistake. The golden threads inside are the characteristics of Starlight Stone. If you look carefully, you should notice that these threads are flowing.”

Song Chunshi looked a little enlightened. When she picked up this stone, it was because the lines inside were like flowing sand. She thought it was interesting, so she brought it back. At the time, she thought it was a special interstellar craft. Even glass products were made so beautifully.

“I remember there was a smaller one.” She thought for a moment and started rummaging through the pile of stones.

Seeing her careless actions, Carol was terrified. He knew that Starlight Stone couldn’t be easily broken, so he quickly said, “Let me help you find it.”

Song Chunshi couldn’t refuse his anxiousness, so she stepped aside.

Now, Carol looked at the pile of stones with a very serious expression. Every stone he picked up, he carefully observed. Some of the stones the girl picked up were just ordinary stones, while others were natural gemstones or minerals.

Finally, after picking and choosing, the stones were divided into two piles. Carol pointed at the smaller pile and said, “I suggest you take all of these with you. Although they are not as valuable as Starlight Stone, they are enough for living expenses.”

Song Chunshi thanked him and picked up the smaller Starlight Stone and handed it to him, “This is for you.”

If it weren’t for Carol, she wouldn’t have known the value of these stones, so she didn’t feel bad about giving one away.

This Starlight Stone wasn’t very big. It lay in the girl’s palm, more tempting than the most exquisitely packaged gift. Carol couldn’t help but look at it twice before he reluctantly looked away, smiling wryly and pushing it back, “Don’t tempt me. Put it away.”

He wasn’t unable to afford Starlight Stone, but these stones were too rare. Whenever they appeared, they would be immediately monopolized by major forces. Individuals rarely got them.

Looking at the girl’s clear eyes, he sighed, feeling his young heart suddenly grow old in these few minutes.

Carol said earnestly, “Put it away. Although you haven’t enrolled yet, you are already considered my student. Accepting gifts of excessive value will be defined as bribery. If you really want to thank me, you can trade the Starlight Stone to the military academy. Don’t worry, the price will never be lower than the market price.”

Oh, that’s how it is. Song Chunshi nodded and put the Starlight Stone into her backpack, which also contained food for the journey.

Seeing this, Carol held his forehead, but eventually shook his head and laughed.

If people knew that the precious Starlight Stone was mixed with jerky like that, who knows what kind of expression they would make.

“Alright, let’s go.” Song Chunshi finally put her bow and arrow on her back, placed the little bald robot on top of the backpack, glanced at this cave full of memories, and turned to leave.

Carol was ready to take the backpack for her, but she politely declined, so he didn’t insist.

The two of them boarded the spaceship parked at the edge of the oasis. As soon as they stepped inside, a gentle female voice rang out.

“Welcome back, Carol. Welcome, strange girl.”

The voice seemed to echo from all directions. Song Chunshi turned her head and looked around, but couldn’t find the speaker.

Carol smiled and introduced, “It’s the spaceship’s intelligent light brain. You can call her Eva.”

Song Chunshi looked at the control panel, “Hello Eva, I’m Song Chunshi.”

After Carol heard this, he slapped his head, “Look at my memory. I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself. I’m Carol Nofi, an instructor in mecha combat at the Empire Military Academy. Although I might not be teaching you in the future, if you have any questions, feel free to come to me. By the way, just call me Carol. Don’t call me instructor. It’s too old-fashioned.”

Song Chunshi nodded. She looked around the spaceship, full of the atmosphere of technological civilization, then looked at Carol’s clothes, and realized that she was out of place.

She was still wearing a leather skirt made of scales, a fur hat on her head, and fur boots on her feet. This kind of dress was normal on the barren planet, but it would be inappropriate to go to a civilized society.

“Carol, is there anywhere I can buy some clothes before we reach the capital star?”

“Of course,” Carol clicked on the control panel, brought up the star map, and pointed at a small brown ball on the map, “This is the barren planet. To go to the Empire’s capital star, we need to go through three jumps. We will stop for a day at this jump point on the border. You can shop here.”

Song Chunshi thanked him and didn’t ask why they had to stop for a day.

Since it was the border, maybe they had to verify the identities of incoming personnel. She didn’t have any identification documents, but Carol knew this and didn’t mention it. He must have a way to deal with it.

The spaceship took off. Song Chunshi stood by the porthole, watching the ground getting further and further away. First, she saw her territory, then the desert, and finally the oases in the desert, like lonely islands in the sea.

Soon, the barren planet shrank into a small ball, left behind by the spaceship—

Behind her, the view outside the window had become the boundless universe.

Two days later, the spaceship underwent its first jump and arrived at a space transit station on the Empire’s border.

The transit station was incredibly large, almost the size of an asteroid. Spaceships came and went like shuttles, and people of all races gathered there, creating a bustling scene.

Song Chunshi had been traveling for many years, but this was the first time she had seen so many people. The scene was comparable to a tourist attraction during a holiday back on Earth. She was a little overwhelmed.

Carol mistook her for being timid. Thinking that this was the girl’s first time leaving the barren planet, like a small animal leaving its nest for the first time, she was timidly observing the outside world. He, who was usually carefree, couldn’t help but feel a little soft.

He put his arm around Song Chunshi, pushing through the crowd while explaining, “This is the port, so there are a lot of people. It’ll be fine once we go through the passage.”

The two of them squeezed through the passage of the spaceport and came out onto the street. As expected, there were no longer crowds of people.

“Come on, let’s go sell the things first.”

Song Chunshi wanted to buy clothes, but she didn’t have any money. Carol offered to lend her some, but she didn’t agree. She decided to sell some of the stones she had.

Carol seemed to be quite familiar with this place. He pointed to a row of machines on the street and a row of shops across the street, saying, “These light brains are set up by the government. The purchase price is fixed. Those shops are private. The price you can sell them for depends on your own ability. You might lose out, or you might get a great deal. You have two choices.”

Song Chunshi went towards the machines without hesitation. Bargaining with shop owners? With her level of common language, which she learned from the enlightenment material, there was no way she could win, right?

Besides, she never had the skill of haggling.

Before crossing over, when she bought clothes for herself, the shopkeeper would ask for a hundred yuan, and she would only timidly ask if it could be cheaper. The shopkeeper would say no, and she would have no choice but to pay. She didn’t know how other people dared to ask for thirty yuan and say “take it or leave it.”

She placed the first stone on the machine. The machine emitted a beam of light that scanned it. A line of text appeared on the screen: “Natural Green Crystal, purity 98%, superior quality, weight 214g, purchase price 4280 credit points. Confirm sale?”

Song Chunshi didn’t know if this price was good. She turned to look at Carol. Seeing him nod, she pressed the confirm button.

She then sold four more stones, including gemstones and minerals. Although they weren’t as valuable as the first one, the prices were still good. She sold a total of twelve thousand credit points. Song Chunshi didn’t have a personal account, so the machine gave her a card.

Carol then took her to a women’s clothing store. The store was filled with clothes, making it hard to see everything. Song Chunshi chose two of the simplest outfits.

After she changed into a sweater and pants, her whole demeanor changed instantly. The wild and dangerous aura of the barren planet was well contained. Her small chin was buried in the high-necked sweater, and her black and white eyes were even brighter and more spirited.

Carol looked at her and realized, belatedly, that this girl was still very young. In an era where the average lifespan was over one hundred and fifty years, she hadn’t even reached adulthood yet.

He had taken a child who hadn’t grown up yet away from her home.

Carol suddenly felt a strong sense of responsibility. He thought of his fierce little sister. When she was little, she was also so cute, and she would call him “brother” in a soft voice.

So when he spoke again, his tone was softer by three points, “Are you hungry? Do you want to go get something to eat? I know a shop that has great ice cream. I heard that kids love it.”

Seeing Song Chunshi shake her head, he took the clothes she was holding in her hand. The young man’s face was full of kindness as he smiled, “Let the adults do this kind of thing.”

Song Chunshi gave him a strange look and complained to the system, [He’s on drugs, isn’t he?]

[Someone who is being overly kind is either up to something or is about to do something bad.] The system was sarcastic.

Song Chunshi was speechless. Ignoring the two of them, she walked out of the shop first.

Carol walked beside her with his long legs, asking if she was tired and if she wanted to rest, then asking if she was thirsty and if she wanted some water.

If he had been this chatty when they first met, Song Chunshi definitely wouldn’t have left the barren planet with him. It would have seemed unwise.

They inadvertently turned into a dark alley. Although it was only separated from the street by a wall, there was clearly something different. Song Chunshi smelled something similar to the barren planet here.

“This isn’t a good place to walk. Let’s…” Carol pulled her away.

Suddenly, a short, fat man emerged from the side and spoke to Carol. His lustful eyes were fixed on Song Chunshi, “What’s her price?”

Carol’s face changed instantly. Before he could react, the figure beside him had disappeared. There was a bang, and the fat man fell to the ground. The girl stepped on his face, slowly pulled out a dagger, and turned to ask him, “Do those machines buy humans? If they don’t buy a whole one, can they be disassembled into skin, bones, and flesh?”

Carol: “…”

His cute little sister, oh my god.