[edited]

“Can each team freely choose their camp location?” Su Ge asked while quickly scanning the remaining camp spots. As she considered which camp location would be the best based on her observations of the surroundings, while asking the little machine as if she was having a casual chat. 

To be honest, the choices of the previous four teams seemed quite perplexing to Su Ge. Two teams had chosen spots near the forest, one had picked a low-lying area, and the last one had opted for a flat plain. However, the plain was too exposed, with no cover at all. 

Su Ge wasn’t sure if other planets and star systems had survival skills courses, or if their survival techniques differed from those on Earth. Based on Earth’s environment, the choices of these four teams seemed far from ideal, and could even be considered poor. 

Staying too close to the forest might invite attacks from wild beasts, and given what Su Ge had seen on her way here, the likelihood of such occurrences was high. Of course, it was possible that the two who chose to stay near the forest had combat abilities comparable to Rong Shi’s so the appearance of wild beasts was less of a threat to them. 

Choosing a low-lying area was even worse. 

This desolate star seemed to have an environment very similar to Earth’s, suggesting a chance of rain. Being near the forest might mean heavy rains during certain times of the year. Water flows to lower areas, so in case of rain, the low-lying areas would be the first to flood. 

The last choice, a flat plain in the very center of the twenty available spots, seemed good at first glance. However, with no cover around, it would be the most vulnerable to any unexpected attacks. 

“Only the first three teams to reach the safe point get this reward,” the organizers replied generously, as it wasn’t a secret. 

Su Ge looked once more at the four already chosen camp spots, genuinely puzzled by their choices. 

“So how do the teams arriving later choose their camp spots?” Su Ge initially asked out of curiosity, but nearly burst into laughter upon hearing the mechanical voice say “by drawing lots.” 

It was hard to imagine that such a technologically advanced interstellar alliance would use such a simple method to allocate camp spots. (￣︶￣)︿ 

“Which camp spot will you choose?” Rong Shi, who was from several dimensions away, couldn’t understand Su Ge’s inner ridicule and was more concerned about another matter. 

For Rong Shi, finding a camp location was both a familiar and an unfamiliar task. It was familiar because, as someone who had been in the military since his youth, he was accustomed to fighting in any environment, making the skill of finding a suitable camp a basic necessity. 

However, it was also unfamiliar because the objective environment of this desolate star was something he had never encountered before. While he might have read about such environments in books, there was always a vast difference between theory and reality. 

As a calm and rational combatant, Rong Shi knew that ignorance and arrogance were primary reasons for failure. 

He was unfamiliar with this planet, but Su Ge might have more knowledge about it. If they were to survive and successfully live on this desolate star for a year, Rong Shi thought it would be wise to heed the advice of someone from Earth. 

By this time, Su Ge had already chosen her camp. It wasn’t a completely flat area but was located in the middle-right of the entire safe zone. This spot was one of the only two higher-elevation locations in the safe zone, with hills behind it that seemed relatively safe for now. More importantly, this camp had most of the trees concentrated within the safe zone. 

“This one,” Su Ge said, not hiding anything on a matter where the truth was evident at a glance and pointed out the station she had chosen to him. 

“Why did you choose this spot?” Rong Shi quickly compared Su Ge’s chosen camp with those of the previous four teams and noticed the differences. Her camp was higher and further back, and it had three or four tall trees. “I should ask, why did you choose a higher, farther back spot with vegetation?” 

As expected, he is a top talent in the Interstellar Alliance. He noticed the difference in her choice at a glance. Su Ge couldn’t help but look at Rong Shi with eyes full of recognition and praise. 

Rong Shi couldn’t help but feel a bit happy when he received that appreciative look from Su Ge. It was a feeling akin to the joy he experienced when he first topped his combat exams. 

Su Ge didn’t need to elaborate on why she chose a spot further back; Rong Shi was more professional in that regard. What Rong Shi was curious about was why she chose a higher ground. Unlike the strategic high points in combat, this elevation was only slightly higher than the other camps. Rong Shi couldn’t grasp the purpose of such a choice. 

Su Ge answered seriously, “The climate conditions on this planet are very similar to Earth, so there’s a possibility of rain. When it rains, the water flows to the lower areas. If we choose a low-lying spot, it will be…” 

“Wait.” Rong Shi interrupted, his face showing the same confusion he had when hearing about “directions” earlier. He raised a hand to stop Su Ge’s explanation and asked with deep curiosity, “What is ‘rain’?” 

There was no word for “rain” in the common language. In fact, there were hardly any words representing weather in the common language. Su Ge had used the Chinese word for rain, and Rong Shi mimicked her pronunciation carefully. 

“You… haven’t seen rain before?” After experiencing her inability to operate a flying vehicle, discovering that the Interstellar Alliance lacked cardinal directions, and realizing that Rong Shi was unfamiliar with certain animals, Su Ge felt that she had faced many unimaginable things very calmly. 

“No.” Rong Shi was increasingly intrigued by Earth. He had discovered many things that were completely different from his own knowledge through Su Ge’s explanations. 

“To put it simply, rain is when water falls from the sky.” Su Ge didn’t want to get into a detailed explanation of how rain forms; it wasn’t necessary, and besides, it seemed like a phenomenon unique to Earth. 

This time, it was Rong Shi who felt astonished. “There’s such a good thing? Water falling from the sky! Doesn’t that mean an endless supply of water?” 

Sug: …I don’t want to explain the atmospheric water cycle on Earth, because I only know the basics myself! W(￣_￣)W 

Author’s Note: 

Regarding the protagonist’s character, many have asked why I wrote her to appear somewhat naive. I don’t want to argue; I just want to say that I never intended to write a “dumb, sweet” character. It’s not my strength. From a certain perspective, I’m writing about an ordinary person who is simply good at some things, and it’s not related to being naive or silly. 

No one is perfect. Every elite has areas they are not good at, and the protagonist is no different. If everything about her were perfect, if she were invincible and always outshining everyone else, it would actually be quite boring. 

Moreover, this story is meant to be light-hearted and not filled with intense drama. 

I’ve constantly emphasized from the beginning that Earth’s technology is far behind that of other planets. It’s like sending the brightest kid from a backward village to a cutting-edge science museum in a big city and expecting them to understand everything. Is it fair to call them dumb if they don’t? Does that make sense? 

The main theme of this book isn’t about showcasing how advanced alien technology is, but rather to highlight that even though Earth may seem backward to these aliens, it is still charming and lovable in its own unique way. 

In this situation, as an ordinary person from a backward planet, isn’t it understandable to not know how to operate a spacecraft? And in this situation, meeting the male protagonist and being directly exposed by him, shouldn’t one feel embarrassed? Any normal person would, right? 

Lastly, let me reiterate three times: she is not a naive, sweet girl; she is not a naive, sweet girl; she is not a naive, sweet girl.