Chapter 10: Manor Level 10

January 10, 4889, Era of the Cosmos.

The Star Lord is truly a chosen one, undefeated in battles against the Zerg race. In less than ten years, he has recaptured a third of the planets that were captured.

Although these planets have been nearly destroyed, barren and lifeless, the survivors still see the Star Lord as their savior. United, they have elected him as the Deputy Commander of the starship, to lead them in their continued resistance and rebuild their homeland.

However, the Zerg Queen sees the Star Lord as a thorn in her side, redirecting her fury to the Star Lord’s home planet. Over the past three years, we have endured countless small-scale attacks from the Zerg forces. The Star Lord is tied up with the main Zerg forces and is unable to come to our aid. Blue Star is withering away.

I have witnessed my homeland in ruins, with people living in misery, families torn apart, and even resorting to cannibalism… The bones of the fallen pile up like mountains, all of them our loved ones. Alas, my heart breaks with grief, and I am powerless!

I can only hope that the Star Lord will return triumphantly soon to relieve Blue Star from its plight.

Written by: Mang Chong.

Ai Ling felt a chill run through her as she read the words “cannibalism” and “bones piling up like mountains.” She couldn’t help but think of a line from ^[1]“白骨如山忘姓氏，無非公子與紅妝。” “Bones piled like mountains, their names forgotten; they were none other than noble sons and lovely maidens.” 白骨如山 (bái gǔ rú … Continue readingDream of the Red Chamber: “BBones piled like mountains, their names forgotten; they were none other than noble sons and lovely maidens.” What kind of devastation would it take to witness such a scene? The writer of this must have been in utter despair at the time.

Sigh, this Star Lord, leaving the people of his own planet behind while he goes off to rebuild someone else’s homeland? But then again, if the Zergs aren’t destroyed, Blue Star will never find peace. It’s the difference between enduring long-term pain and short-term pain.

Looking at it now, it seems the Zergs have been eradicated. The Star Lord may have already sacrificed himself, and Blue Star is abandoned… No, there’s still He Xi. I should ask him about the history of Blue Star the next time I meet him. I wonder if there are any other natives left, and if the Blue Star people can still reproduce.

But why was this map hidden so carefully in a small box? What could it mean? There was no mention of any map in the diary, and the map itself had no clear markings. It’s truly puzzling.

Holding the map in one hand and the tablet in the other, Ai Ling sighed, deeply worried about the future of Blue Star. Just then, a strange sound—“clink, clink, clink”—came from a small, dark hole deep inside the cave.

Ai Ling barely had time to lift her head before a creature shot out at high speed and slammed into her, sending her flying. Fluffy Ball quickly retreated back into her mind.

The sensation of weightlessness made Ai Ling’s pupils dilate. Her grip loosened, and the thin map floated away like a delicate veil, carried by the wind.

Ai Ling instinctively reached up, but she was falling straight down, while the map, caught by the wind, drifted toward the distant, towering mountain.

As she reached out, the small bell attached to her hand rang. In a panic, Ai Ling shouted at the bell, “He Xi!”

The valley echoed her voice, and the last traces of the sound gradually disappeared… but nothing happened.

Ai Ling was utterly disappointed. As the ground approached rapidly, she could only sincerely pray, “If I must die, please let me return and see my grandmother one last time… just one last time…”

Before she could finish her thought, a graceful white figure suddenly descended from the sky. Although it didn’t seem appropriate, Ai Ling couldn’t help but think of eight words to describe the scene: “As elegant as a startled swan, like a dragon in the clouds.”

【Damn, it can really fly?】

【I told you so, but you didn’t believe me. Heh heh.】

【How did they manage to trap him on Blue Star in the first place?】

【It’s said that the Ancestor God used the last bit of divine power to set up a barrier around Blue Star. For ten thousand years, only Blue Star people could enter, and no one could leave.】

【No wonder all the Xi Slayers’s faction are clones of Blue Star’s genes.】

【Flying is no big deal, right? Didn’t Luo Ling and Ji Wen know how to do that too?】

【They had the divine stones to assist them. Is it the same?】

【The way you’re talking makes me want to be a leader, or even a demon king, flying around like that—it must feel amazing.】

【You? You’re not even worthy to hold my shoes!】

【You damned alpaca, what planet are you from? If you’re so capable, come out and fight me one-on-one!】

【Afraid of you? Come at me!】

【…】

He Xi descended gracefully, his clothes fluttering as he moved, as elegant as an immortal.

He can actually fly? That’s so cool! If only he could step on auspicious clouds—it’d be perfect… Ai Ling was lost in daydreams, when she felt He Xi lightly lift her by the back of her shirt, and then suddenly, she felt a tightness at the back of her neck.

What the hell? Does this person have any sense of romance? This is supposed to be a hero rescuing a damsel in distress, can’t it be a little more romantic? At the very least, don’t twist the collar like you’re wringing out a chick!

Cough cough cough!

The valley had a beautiful view, and her savior had an irresistible charm, but Ai Ling was swinging in mid-air like a ragdoll.

Just as she was about to be strangled by her clothes, He Xi finally landed smoothly and tossed her to the ground. “Why aren’t you working the fields? Why come here to jump off cliffs? Is it fun?”

Ai Ling nearly died from the shock. After a long moment, she finally caught her breath, her face flushed red from coughing, and yelled, “Have you ever saved someone before? What’s with grabbing the collar? If you’d waited any longer, I’d have been strangled instead of falling!”

He Xi glanced at her from head to toe, clearly uninterested. “Is there any other part of you to grab?”

Ai Ling put her hands on her hips, ready to say, “Can’t you land gracefully like they do on TV, gently supporting my waist?” But as she placed her hands on her hips, she realized she was only wearing a short piece of clothing, barely covering her chest, so the waist idea wasn’t very suitable.

Er… forget it, forget it, this small piece of clothing only covers the chest, it’s not really enough to support the waist.

But she refused to give in, stiffly retorting, “You could grab my arm, anyway, just don’t grab my collar!”

He Xi crossed his arms, looking at her lazily. “Sure, as long as you don’t mind me breaking your arm. Next time, I’ll do as you wish.”

Ai Ling was left speechless. Although she knew he was speaking the truth, she couldn’t swallow her pride, so she continued yelling:

“Do you know why I jumped off the cliff? It’s because I wanted to bring back more plant species to graft and improve the variety for you guys! All my hard work, all this effort, is for you! And you, didn’t you say you’d keep me safe? How is this safe? This is supposed to be a fair trade! If you’re not happy with it, next time don’t bother saving me! You Blue Star people will never have a good future in this life or the next!”

He Xi was stunned for a moment, blinking. “So… can we graft now?”

Ai Ling almost spit blood. Can’t he stop focusing on the key points?

“Almost… almost.”

“Those seedlings that are still smaller than a pinky finger?”

“Yes, what’s wrong? Don’t like it?” Ai Ling gritted her teeth, determined to graft them for him today, even if it didn’t work!

He Xi raised an eyebrow. “Oh, of course, I’m impressed. But I just think it’s a little unfortunate.”

He raised his hand, and a yellow crystal appeared in his palm. “This is a mineral that can accelerate plant growth. One piece can cover a 10-square-meter area. I had to go through a lot of trouble to find it. I was planning to give it to you so your little saplings could grow faster and be ready for grafting, but now it seems it won’t be necessary.”

He pretended to throw the crystal out, and Ai Ling was startled, quickly rushing over to grab his arm.

“Wait, wait, that… although the saplings can be grafted now, if they grow a bit more, the grafting effect will definitely be better, hehehe! Also, also, it’s not just the saplings that need to be accelerated—there’s also wheat and rice, and other plants, the uses are huge! You absolutely can’t throw it! Please don’t!”

Just a second ago, Ai Ling had been angry and stubborn like a dead duck, but now she was acting like a sycophant, smiling in a highly flattering manner.

He Xi’s face twitched, and he sighed, finally saying, “Fine, since you want it, you can have it. But if you ever want to go somewhere dangerous in the future, just let me know. If you jump off cliffs like this again, I can’t guarantee I’ll always be able to save you. Got it?”

Ai Ling hugged the yellow crystal in excitement and nodded vigorously. “Got it, got it, whatever you say!”

Ah, a mineral that accelerates plant growth—this thing really exists in the world? Her planting business was about to take off!

“Alright, now I’ll take you back. You can choose for yourself—whether you want me to grab your collar, your hair, your arm, or even pick you up by your feet, it’s all easy.” He Xi smiled faintly as he looked at her.

Ai Ling was stunned for a moment, then blushed and lowered her head, drawing circles on the ground with the tip of her shoe. “Do you… do you know what a ‘princess carry’ is?”