Stepping out of the underground seed bank, a blast of cold wind mixed with sand hit him in the face. Underground, Lin Yi had no way of sensing the conditions outside, but now that he was on the surface, he could truly feel the immense changes that had taken place:
The former buildings and structures had all vanished. Surrounding him were vast stretches of barren desert, with a few residual mutated plants growing tangled together, a desolate scene.
Looking at this landscape, Lin Yi felt little emotional stir. He had been an agricultural researcher; he had seen far worse conditions than this. He was confident that, with his farming skills and wood-type abilities, he could quickly transform this place into suitable farmland.
He was simply a bit puzzled: From what the children had said, human civilization should have been quite advanced by now. Yet the planet before him showed no sign of advanced civilization, instead, it seemed to have regressed to a primitive wasteland.
He voiced his confusion, only to see the children beside him stiffen, looking as if the subject was hard to broach. Finally, they pieced together an answer for him, speaking all at once:
After humanity entered the interstellar age, they abandoned their polluted home planet. Although with current technological levels, restoring the ecological environment here would not be difficult, there were so many habitable planets across the galaxy that no one was willing to take on such an unrewarding task. Instead, some star systems secretly dumped their space waste onto Blue Star.
Likewise, no interstellar residents were willing to live here. Those who remained were mostly refugees who had accidentally landed on Blue Star and their descendants. Blue Star had become a completely forsaken planet.
So the children before him were refugees. Although Lin Yi didn’t know exactly what interstellar refugees were, he assumed it wasn’t a favorable status, no wonder they looked guilty when the topic came up.
Lin Yi smiled and shook his head. Hearing that human civilization had actually flourished, unlike the desolation before his eyes, finally put him at ease.
Still, the prosperous interstellar age had nothing to do with them for now. With night approaching, Lin Yi decided to go back with the children to their dwellings, stay overnight, and make plans afterward.
They trudged through the desert against the wind for nearly half an hour. Finally, a scattering of low, shabby houses appeared before them, this seemed to be the refugees’ settlement.
Two of the children, as soon as they returned to the settlement, were grabbed by their anxiously waiting parents, who scolded them while fretfully checking their wounds. Lin Yi was about to try his luck and ask someone if they would take him in for the night, when suddenly, his sleeve was tugged.
He turned around and saw the little girl who had been silently following him, holding onto his sleeve. Gathering her courage, she said, “Big brother, if you don’t have anywhere to go, you can come to my home.”
Lin Yi was startled. He noticed that no one had come to greet the girl, and her clothes were the most tattered among the three children. So he guessed that her family situation was not an easy one.
After everything that had just happened, Lin Yi felt quite fond of the little girl. He touched the bow on his arm and smiled, nodding. “Thank you. I’ll trouble you to lead the way, then.”
The little girl’s face lit up. After a quick goodbye to her two companions, she grabbed Lin Yi and hurried forward, as if afraid he might change his mind.
The girl had been the calmest and most mature of the children, acting like a little adult, this was the first time she showed such a childlike side. Lin Yi couldn’t help but smile and, good-naturedly, let her pull him along.
As they walked and talked, Lin Yi asked the girl a few more questions and finally learned that her name was Ah Yun, and she lived in a house far from the main settlement area.
After another ten minutes or so, sure enough, a rundown shack appeared, isolated from the other houses. Ah Yun stopped in front of the shack, let go of his sleeve, and looked up at him with unease.
Lin Yi understood her unease. Pretending not to notice how rundown the house was, he stepped past Ah Yun, who was still standing at the door, and walked inside.
The interior was even shabbier than the outside. Only a few simple pieces of furniture occupied the space, two ragged beds and a crude stove. Thick dust covered everything, suggesting it hadn’t been cleaned in days.
Although Lin Yi had expected Ah Yun’s home to be modest, he hadn’t imagined it would look like this. More importantly…
Lin Yi turned to look at Ah Yun. “Where is your family?”
The moment the words left his mouth, he saw the little girl’s eyes redden visibly, tears threatening to spill at any second.
Lin Yi inwardly groaned. He fumbled awkwardly, trying to comfort her, but Ah Yun dodged his hand and instead tugged at his sleeve, leading him to an open patch of ground behind the house. There stood a small mound of earth, with a piece of wood, still looking quite new, stuck into it. On the wood, a few crooked characters were carved: Grandma’s Grave.
Ah Yun stood before the grave, biting her lip in silence. Lin Yi could roughly guess what had happened. He bowed respectfully in front of the grave, then led the softly sobbing Ah Yun back inside.
He had only intended to find a place to stay for a single night, but now, a heavy responsibility had unexpectedly landed on his shoulders. Looking at Ah Yun’s thin, small frame and tattered clothes, Lin Yi could hardly imagine how she had managed to survive alone in such harsh conditions.
With no adult in the household, Lin Yi couldn’t expect a child to play host. He scanned the room: the largest items were the two beds. Although the bedding on them was worn, it was thick and warm, enough for a night or two.
As dusk fell and having confirmed there was no issue with sleeping arrangements, Lin Yi headed to the stove to prepare dinner. However, things did not go as smoothly as he had hoped.
A moment later, Lin Yi stood staring at the empty stove in silence. After turning the entire kitchen upside down, he found nothing that could be called food. Only in the sole rice jar did he discover a shallow layer of grain.
Pointing at the rice in the jar, he looked at Ah Yun in disbelief. “Is this all you’ve been eating?”
Ah Yun nodded timidly. Lin Yi’s heart clenched, and he nearly choked. At her age, a child needs plenty of vegetables and meat. Eating only this every day, no wonder Ah Yun looked so malnourished.
Lin Yi couldn’t help but regret his earlier decision. If only he had known the household was in such dire straits, he would have dragged back the wolf alpha he had killed earlier. That was a huge chunk of meat!
But regret came too late. After a moment’s thought, Lin Yi decided to first make a pot of rice porridge. He scooped a ladle of water from the nearby water vat, expertly soaked and rinsed the rice, then put it into the pot, added the right amount of water, and let it simmer.
Before long, the fragrant aroma of rice drifted out from the pot. But rice alone seemed a bit too plain. Thinking it over, Lin Yi picked out a few vegetable seeds from the things he had brought.
At that moment, he conveniently forgot that his abilities had been nearly depleted when he killed the wolf alpha, what was a little extra strain on his wood-based ability compared to letting the little girl have a delicious meal?
With that perfectly justified thought, Lin Yi extended his hand and placed the seeds in his palm. Under the catalysis of his ability, the unremarkable seeds sprouted and grew at breakneck speed. In no time, several lush green vegetables appeared in his hand, almost too many for one hand to hold.
Of course, the cost to Lin Yi was significant. As the vegetables grew, he could feel his internal energy rapidly draining away, and his face turned pale.
Relying on his ability was not a long-term solution. He would have to get back to honest farming. As he chopped the vegetables, Lin Yi absentmindedly mused: The large empty plot next to the house looked perfect. With a little tilling and planting of some fast-growing crops, a harvest would be ready in a few months. And the basin he had seen on the way would be ideal for moisture-loving vegetables…
The farming instincts in Lin Yi’s blood had been thoroughly awakened, and in his mind, he had already meticulously planned out the use of all the surrounding land. As he envisioned his grand future ambitions, his hands never stopped moving. The vegetables were quickly chopped into fine pieces and added to the pot, along with a pinch of salt for seasoning. Instantly, the savory aroma of fresh vegetables blended with the gentle fragrance of rice porridge wafted through the air.
Even Ah Yun, who had been outside, was drawn in. She crouched by the pot, sniffing eagerly. “Big brother, what’s in the pot? It smells so good!”
“It’s vegetable rice porridge,” Lin Yi replied.
Hearing this, the little girl looked utterly incredulous. Although she didn’t understand what “vegetables” meant, she certainly knew rice porridge. “You’re lying, big brother! Grandma and I used to have rice porridge all the time, and it never smelled this good!”
Lin Yi smiled mysteriously and didn’t rush to answer. He lifted the lid to check, the vegetable porridge was almost ready. The soft, sticky rice and finely chopped vegetables had perfectly melded together. The only imperfection was the lack of a bit of minced meat, which made it feel slightly one-note.
Even so, the fresh fragrance of the vegetables and rice was irresistible, whetting the appetite. He served each of them a steaming bowl of porridge. The moment it was placed on the table, Ah Yun, who had been waiting eagerly, scooped up a big spoonful and stuffed it into her mouth, only to be scalded so badly her eyes watered.
Watching her puffing and panting, Lin Yi couldn’t help but laugh and gently tap her on the nose. “Alright, alright, you little glutton. Eat slowly, there’s more in the pot.”
Ah Yun, sticking out her tongue from the heat, protested defiantly, “It’s all your fault, big brother! The porridge you made is so delicious, way better than anything Grandma and I ever cooked.”
Hearing this, Lin Yi took a sip himself. The soft, fragrant porridge made him narrow his eyes with satisfaction.
As an agricultural science student, during the apocalypse, he had devoted considerable effort to studying food processing methods, in simpler terms, perfecting his cooking skills. This might look like an ordinary bowl of rice porridge, but the proportions of rice and vegetables, as well as the cooking time, were all based on his repeated experiments to find the optimal ratio. Not only did it retain most of the nutrients, but it also tasted exceptional.
After dinner, the sky outside had almost completely darkened. Lin Yi helped little Ah Yun get settled, then cozily tucked himself into the blankets and pulled out a wristband with a virtual screen to browse.
According to Ah Yun, this wristband was an electronic device she had picked up from a garbage pile a few years ago. It could connect to the internet, and its functions were somewhat similar to the mobile phones Lin Yi knew. After they entered the house, Ah Yun had handed it to him so he could learn about the outside world. But at the time, Lin Yi had been busy cooking, so he had set it aside and only picked it up once he finally had a moment to himself.
The interface and usage of the virtual screen were more or less the same as a mobile phone. Lin Yi quickly got the hang of it, marveling at the fact that even this desolate Blue Star still had access to the internet, as he began browsing the Star Network with ease.
Compared to the Blue Star civilization Lin Yi knew, the technology and culture of the interstellar era were highly advanced. Most planets had achieved full automation and mechanization, with people living prosperous and comfortable lives. There were also many high-tech gadgets that left Lin Yi, a “country bumpkin” from the apocalypse era, utterly amazed.
Interstellar humans had also evolved spiritual power. According to available data, spiritual power was a force that humanity had developed during the apocalypse, with the most powerful 3S-level spiritual power capable of unleashing earth-shattering destruction.
A power evolved during the apocalypse… Could it be related to the abilities he knew? Lin Yi thoughtfully lowered his gaze.
Unable to verify his guess for the time being, Lin Yi closed the dense sea of information and searched for a new keyword: Blue Star.
However, the search results were even worse than he had imagined. The majority of the results touted how desolate and backward Blue Star was. The few comments about Blue Star were all filled with a sense of dread and avoidance. Only at the very bottom of the search results was there a hastily written sentence: “Blue Star, the cradle planet of human civilization.”
That result had been pushed to the very bottom, clearly not a link many people clicked on.
Lin Yi let out a deep sigh. He had not expected humanity to forget its cradle so quickly. Originally, he had planned to leave Blue Star at the first opportunity, find the interstellar federal government, explain the situation, and hand over the seed bank.
However, after browsing the Star Network, he found himself hesitating. It seemed that the people of the interstellar era had already forgotten Blue Star. More importantly, modern humans had grown accustomed to synthetic nutrient fluids, and no one understood farming techniques anymore. If he rashly handed over the seed bank, people today might not even know how to plant the seeds, let alone cherish such precious resources.
Furthermore… Lin Yi turned his head to look at Ah Yun on the other bed. The little girl had washed away all the grime and was now curled up obediently under her blanket, only her small head peeking out. Seeing Lin Yi looking her way, she blinked and gave him a sweet smile.
Struck by an overwhelming wave of cuteness, Lin Yi sucked in a sharp breath and became even more determined to stay. Although they were only chance acquaintances, he had already grown fond of this adorable and heartbreaking little girl, and in his heart, he decided to treat Ah Yun as his own little sister and take good care of her.
The most urgent task now was to clear some wasteland and solve the food problem. But farming alone wasn’t enough, Lin Yi also needed a way to earn money. In addition, he needed a medium to promote Blue Star and raise people’s awareness of it.
He absently scrolled through the various pieces of information on the screen, looking for some suitable inspiration. A moment later, his gaze landed on a prominent webpage—
The Interstellar Live Streaming Platform.