The True Heiress Farms for Survival in the Stars

by Usui Takumii

not mine, asia novel. Beware edited mtl.

2. 11 to 20

Chapter 11: Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Roasting sweet potatoes isn't hard; the heating device can handle it just fine.

Yun Wan took four sweet potatoes to the riverside to wash them. After washing, the bright red skin of the sweet potatoes showed through, a color that looked irresistibly sweet.

She put the sweet potatoes into the heating device and turned on the roasting mode.

Because of the sweet potatoes' unique aroma, Yun Wan had already turned on sensory sharing. Soon, the sweet, fragrant scent of the sweet potatoes hit like a tidal wave. Even Yun Wan, who'd tasted sweet potatoes before, was blown away, let alone the interstellar fans who'd never even seen them. They were practically drooling with anticipation, eyes glued to the screen.

A smell like that could only mean one thing: pure deliciousness.

Those who snapped out of their food trance had already sneakily placed their orders.

Within minutes, the chat was flooded with complaints.

[What? Sold out? I was just savoring the smell—how are they already gone?]

[Host, be honest—did you stash the sweet potatoes for yourself? Release more! I've never tried them, and now I'm dying for a taste!]

[No way, are people really that quick on the draw?]

After sharing the sweet potatoes with Yun Wan, some fans even tried to outbid each other.

[Willing to pay top dollar—DM if you're selling.]

[1, willing to pay top dollar—DM if you're selling.]

[Willing to pay top dollar—DM if you're selling.]

...

Yun Wan didn't stop the fans from trading privately. With demand outstripping supply, prices were bound to skyrocket.

After eating two sweet potatoes, she was pretty full, but the lingering roasted aroma made her crave more. However, her stomach couldn't handle it, so she had to stop.

Her eyes drifted over to Yun Ge.

Kids eat slowly, and everyone got two sweet potatoes. Yun Ge still had a whole one left.

Yun Wan almost felt like making a sneaky grab.

Yun Ge seemed to sense something and put down his half-eaten sweet potato, asking hesitantly, "Sis? You still hungry?"

Yun Wan, feeling a little mischievous, nodded with a pout.

"Still hungry… sigh, just not enough to go around."

Yun Ge didn't hesitate long before pushing the rest of his sweet potato toward her.

"I'm full, I can't eat anymore. You can have this one."

Even though his eyes showed reluctance, even though he still wanted it, Yun Ge—a kid who usually couldn't control his emotions—managed to hold back.

Yun Wan didn't know whether to be touched by his maturity or heartbroken by it.

He's just a kid; he should be able to be selfish.

Sigh, she shouldn't have teased him—now she's going to feel guilty all night.

"Haha, thank you, Yun Ge, but I'm already full. You eat it yourself, eat more to grow taller."

Yun Wan felt a bit guilty and decided to cook two sweet potatoes for the cat, using this as an excuse to leave.

Miao Miao, being new here, watched Yun Wan cooking sweet potatoes and smelled the aroma, feeling very hungry.

She wasn't usually this hungry or so eager for food.

She didn't really like eating, and hunting was just to survive.

She knew that not eating would kill her.

But now, she was craving food.

Perhaps it was because she had never felt such a desire before, so when it came, it was particularly intense, almost overwhelming her self-control.

The smell was amazing, she had never smelled anything so delicious before.

But Yun Wan seemed to ignore her. Originally, she thought there would be one sweet potato for her among the four, but the two humans split them evenly, two each.

The kitten was shocked and desperate.

Miao Miao thought, it's okay, at least she could have some sweet potato skins!

Then, Yun Wan finished eating, took the sweet potato skins, and buried them in the soil.

Miao Miao was getting mad!

Not even the skins?

Miao Miao slapped Yun Wan's old sneakers with her paw, leaving a scratch on an intact surface.

"Miao Miao!"

She meowed in frustration.

"Is the kitty hungry?" Yun Wan was about to cook sweet potatoes for the cat but was stopped.

"Miao Miao!"

Miao Miao walked into the sweet potato field, hooked the sweet potato leaves with her tail, and then hinted with her eyes.

Isn't it obvious?

"Do you want to eat the leaves? Not the sweet potatoes?" Yun Wan already understood the cat's meaning, but seeing her act so human-like, she felt like teasing her.

"Miao Miao Miao!"

This time, her meow was fierce, almost like she was cursing.

"Alright, alright, I got it, I'll cook the sweet potatoes for you right away."

Yun Wan followed the steps to cook the sweet potatoes again, but this time, there was an anxious ginger cat bustling around, following her around like a little helper.

Looking at the cat peeking around the heating device, Yun Wan couldn't help but gently pat the cute cat's head.

Miao Miao didn't react much, her mind and eyes were full of sweet potatoes.

When the sweet potatoes were cooked and placed on her exclusive leaf, Miao Miao didn't hold back, took a big bite, her ears turned into airplane ears, and her expression turned slightly fierce.

The unique flavor satisfied her deep craving perfectly.

So this is what sweet potatoes taste like. In the future, she wants to have sweet potatoes every day, every meal.

She thought she could eat sweet potatoes every day for the rest of her life!

Miao Miao started wolfing them down.

After enduring the lab, being displaced, and wandering alone in the mountains—all terrible experiences—now, two big sweet potatoes finally felt like a small gift from fate.

If all the suffering she'd endured was just for these sweet potatoes, Miao Miao thought it might've been worth it.

She didn't want a boring life; even after all the struggles, she still craved something extraordinary.

She'd wondered if more hardships were waiting after the ones she'd already faced.

Now, she'd found something truly wonderful and savored it. Fate had finally cut her a little break!

She licked the golden sweet potato remnants from her lips, pretending not to notice the tall female.

At that moment, Miao Miao realized she'd met the person her grandmother said she'd never forget—someone she'd want to hold onto.

Could this be love?

That darn female actually got her attention!

For the sake of sweet potatoes, she'd look after this human female with her weak limbs.

After several meals of sweet potatoes, Yun Wan was getting sick of them, but the two little ones at home still couldn't get enough.

On the bright side, sweet potatoes beat nutrient solution any day.

The later batch of sweet potatoes was harvested soon after, yielding over seventy more than expected.

Yun Wan set the quantity to 250. It wasn't clear how many were watching the livestream, but the sweet potatoes sold out instantly, leaving the page marked 'out of stock.'

[Thank goodness I was quick—I knew the host's yield would be higher. I finally snagged some!]

[What? No way! I missed it! Just a few seconds too late, and they're all gone!]

[Host, promise you'll plant more next time, okay?]

[Host, tired of planting solo? Need some free help?]

[Host, I can help too! You're so slow—let me pitch in!]

[Host, step aside—I'll handle the planting!]

"It's not that I'm lazy—I'm just limited by the conditions. I can only plant so much."

[Got it—must be a technique problem.]

[The host just started, give her some time.]

[Host, don't keep us waiting too long—we're hungry!]

"Everyone, rest assured, I will make sure the whole galaxy gets to taste the specialties of Shennong Star!" Yun Wan, caught up in the moment, suddenly had grand ambitions.

Devoted fans turned the moment into a video, added captions, and shared it on Starnet.

[My crush is about to rule the galaxy for me]

The video's likes shot up, and comments poured in.

[I thought it was mecha battles! Turns out it's all about vegetable domination—never saw that coming.]

[Wow, feeding the whole galaxy? That's bold. Did you check with Ji's Fresh?]

[This streamer's pretty funny.]

[Looks like a small-time lord from some no-name star at the lord's showcase, just having fun. Why even bother editing it?]

[So funny, must be a die-hard fan. I doubt those veggies are anywhere near as good as Ji's Fresh.]

[Ji's Fresh this, Ji's Fresh that—can't stop talking about Ji's Fresh. Are you on their payroll or what? The streamer's pretty cute, speaks seriously, and makes a good point. Isn't it great to feed the whole galaxy veggies? Lots of people have never even tried them. If Ji's Fresh can't pull it off, why can't someone else? Who's the joke here?]

[Finally, someone making sense. The comments had me scared to speak up, but I think the streamer's fine. Goals are important, even if they seem impossible—she's trying!]

[I'm all for the streamer feeding the galaxy veggies. I'm just here to be rebellious. Anyone got the link?]

[Next life, I'll be a sweet potato promoting the Shennong Star live room.]

[You can't go wrong following this streamer!]

[Anyone who's tried it knows—Shennong Star's stuff is next-level delicious.]

[What's this nonsense? Take that link down! Shennong Star's stuff isn't good at all—don't buy it.]

[Yeah, ignore these small planets. Boring, and the stuff's not good. Don't buy it.]

[Don't bother watching—total waste of time. The streamer's cute, but the stuff's not good.]

[Take it from me, it's fine to check it out, but don't buy anything, okay?]

The comments were all saying not to buy, that it's not good, but no one was actually complaining. Curious, more people started checking out the Shennong Star live room.

Out of sight, out of mind—but seeing it was a shock.

Wow, all the links are marked as sold out.

Even though the comments said not to buy, it looks like there was never a chance anyway.

Newbies to the interstellar scene didn't even know what cabbage and sweet potatoes were, but they were blown away by all the five-star reviews.

[What's going on? Fake reviews? 100% five stars? Seriously? This is what 'don't buy' looks like?]

Some sharp-eyed netizens noticed that sweet potatoes had tons of five-star reviews before they even shipped.

[Fake reviews—case closed.]

[Reviews before delivery? Is the streamer really that obvious?]

[This weird data—could the veggies really be that amazing?]

[Don't believe it.]

[Don't believe it.]

[I don't believe it unless the streamer sends me some too.]

[Oh, actually, these are just fake reviews; it's not good, seriously not good!]

[Not sure if I should say this, but you, the person above, have a level five fan badge.]

[I've noticed a problem—a lot of the people saying it's bad are actually the streamer's fans. So, what's the reason for your deep love for the streamer? You don't like her but still became her fans? Are you guys masochists or what?]

[I'm sticking around; others don't want me to, but I'm doing it anyway.]

[I'm staying, and I'm gonna buy this so-called 'unbuyable' thing—let's see how much of a scam it really is!]

The tables have turned, and this time Yun Wan's fans are left speechless.

Instead of driving people away, it attracted more to stay—these are all competitors! As the live stream's viewership shot up, hitting several million in no time, the old fans' hearts sank.

Do they still have a chance?

Streamer, do you have enough stock?

Chapter 12 The Allure of Two Star Coins

The vegetable field has been mostly harvested, and the radishes and cherry tomatoes are almost ripe. The cabbage left for seeds has already flowered and produced a small handful of light brown seeds.

The Spirit Soil produced by the system doesn't need fertilization or rest, making it convenient for Yun Wan to continue planting without any downtime.

Unfortunately, she hasn't gone out to pick up trash for many days, and the only two road greening points she has are pitifully few, barely enough to buy a few sweet potato seeds. Yun Wan feels it's a pity to plant the harvested sweet potatoes.

The harvested sweet potatoes are much larger and more attractive than the seed potatoes. These sweet potatoes should be served on the table; using them for planting seems too wasteful.

So she planted all the Spirit Soil with cabbage and went out to pick up some trash, hoping to save more greening points to buy more sweet potato seeds, but returned empty-handed.

Feeling a bit frustrated, she received an unfamiliar package.

"Yanyan, has your sister received the package?"

Qin Yan was reviewing a company project and, though slightly annoyed, didn't show it and replied seriously, "She... is just a distant cousin, not very familiar. But since I know about it, I wanted to help."

"Oh, so she's just a commoner. Why insist on coming to a noble school? And buying a barren star? She must be out of her mind. Good thing it doesn't affect the Qin family much, or it would really lower our status!"

Qin Yan smiled without saying much, only adding, "Thank you for the supplies. She should be able to survive for a while."

"No problem, they were just things we didn't need anyway."

"I heard the Crown Prince praised us publicly for donating to the barren star. Is that true?"

"Yes, yes, I was there. It's all thanks to Yanyan. We've also made a name for ourselves with the Crown Prince, haha."

"I heard Lu Ran was there too. My goodness, the strongest general in the galaxy! And with rare S-level psychic power. I really want to meet him!"

...

These past few days, Yun Wan has been sending packages frequently and has become quite familiar with the robots.

"Who sent this to me?"

"Hello, customer, the package is from the Federal Noble Academy on the Capital Star."

After the robot left, Yun Wan carried the package into the lord's mansion.

Could it be from the school? Something every graduate gets?

Yun Wan checked her class group chat but found no relevant information.

She carefully made a slit on the surface of the package. It didn't seem dangerous, and nothing strange popped out, so she opened it in one go.

Inside the package was a letter explaining the situation.

Dear Yun Wan,

I am your sister, Qin Yan. Mom told me you bought a barren star and plan to live there. I imagine resources are scarce, and life is tough. When our classmates heard about your situation, they all wanted to help. So, I took the lead in collecting some supplies for you. They are all gifts from kind-hearted people, so don't feel pressured.

I hope you can live well on the barren star!

The letter was short but conveyed the message clearly.

Live well on the barren star, huh.

The Qin family is so afraid of me clinging to them, how boring!

Donation? When did these nobles become so kind?

Opening the package and seeing the so-called supplies inside, Yun Wan was speechless.

Inside were cosmetics, perfumes, bags... a random assortment of items, except for food.

If you're going to donate something, at least put some thought into it! What on earth did they think would be useful on a desolate planet!

But Yun Wan wasn't angry. After all, it was all free. If it's useless, she could just recycle it with the system.

Unexpectedly, the system wasn't having it.

[This stuff is too trashy.]

Trash?

Yun Wan was puzzled.

"Aren't you a trash-collecting system? Why are you complaining about trash now? Just recycle it already, otherwise this stuff is useless!"

[Fine.]

The system reluctantly agreed.

"This bag can be sold second-hand, recycle these cosmetics... and this one too... this can be kept for chopping vegetables... this... what is this?"

Among the jumbled items, there was a small, neatly square box with three words written on it: "Gift from Yun Shuang."

Yun Shuang, huh? She's supposedly a luxurious noble, a bit standoffish.

What could she have sent?

Opening the box, inside was an oval keychain.

[Host, this isn't a keychain, it's a flying car.]

What?

A flying car?

Such a grand gesture?

Out of this entire box of donations, only Yun Shuang, who seems to live above worldly concerns, actually donated something seriously.

This one item is worth the entire box!

Setting aside its value, but in terms of practicality, Yun Wan's long-awaited means of transportation is finally here. She can now go further to collect trash, and round trips would save her a lot of time.

"She's such a good person."

Yun Wan decided to return the favor to this young lady who, though not very familiar, had helped her greatly.

She didn't have much to give, so she decided to give some freshly harvested sweet potatoes! Although it can't compare to the value of the flying car, it's not a cheap gift either. It fits the noble's taste and is considered a valuable gift for Yun Wan.

After recycling the trash, the system gave her five green points. Apparently, the system really thinks this pile of stuff is worthless. Then she listed those bags on Starnet for second-hand sale, and they were quickly sold, netting her over ten thousand star coins.

Adding to her earnings from selling vegetables, Yun Wan's balance now surpassed seventy thousand.

The sweet potatoes indeed gave Yun Wan a small profit.

Now that there's some money, it's time to spruce up this modest lord's manor.

First, for defense—even if high-tech weapons are out of reach—some basic weapons should be prepared! Next, even though Yun Ge's tuition is still too expensive, she could buy some beginner books and pair them with free online courses to get started on education. Lastly, some everyday essentials also need to be picked up one by one.

After adding these essential items to the shopping cart, Yun Wan's balance was still insufficient. She kept scrolling through the cart, convinced that none of the items could be skipped.

She kept adding and removing items, unable to decide for the longest time.

The system finally chimed in with a suggestion:

[Host, it's been detected that there's a shopping event on the neighboring planet Jinsha, where everything's just two star coins. You might want to check if there's anything you need.]

Lured by the promise of everything for just two star coins, Yun Wan applied to visit Jinsha Planet and bought a ticket.

That's over twenty star coins!

"Is this for real? Everything's just two coins?"

Yun Wan pondered to herself. The next day, before leaving, she told Yun Ge to take care of the cat and stay put, then she headed out.

After a day, her excitement faded, and she realized that anything selling for just two star coins probably wasn't worth much.

But that's just how people are—always looking for a bargain, especially when money's tight.

What if she found something useful? That'd be a total win!

She could also use the trip to check out how other planets were doing and pick up some tips.

Overall, Yun Wan's trip was pretty chill—at least until she got off the ship.

But when she arrived at Jinsha Planet, her good mood vanished as she stared at the endless desert stretching to the horizon.

"What's the deal? There's not even a road or anyone to show the way?"

She wasn't sure if she was early or late, but she was the only one who got off the ship, with no one else to follow.

Was this trip just a waste?

Can't even get in—what kind of mess is this?

Yun Wan was fuming, but the system suddenly kicked in.

[Gold crystal ore detected nearby, host. Go for it—grab some trash.]

The sudden voice made Yun Wan jump.

Isn't picking up trash on other planets illegal?

Her mind was racing, but her body instinctively moved toward the ore, which was right at her feet and looked valuable.

No wonder they call it Jinsha Planet—the yellowish sand is packed with gold crystal ore.

A sudden idea hit Yun Wan.

If picking up trash is illegal, wouldn't someone stop her if she did it?

Without a second thought, Yun Wan rolled up her sleeves and grabbed a few pieces of gold crystal ore. The planet's lord was quite composed, as no one came to stop her.

Yun Wan didn't believe there was no supervision here. Wouldn't that mean everyone passing by could pick up a few pieces of gold? Is the lord of Jinsha Planet running a charity? So generous?

As expected, after Yun Wan had collected a full load of gold crystal ore, a black robot, about two meters tall, finally appeared and told her that stealing minerals was not allowed.

Yun Wan dropped the ore, and the robot returned along its pre-set path.

She seized the chance to trail the robot.

Trailing the robot would definitely lead her to a path; no matter where it headed, it would get her closer to Jinsha City.

Plans often go awry. The robot moved so fast that Yun Wan couldn't keep up even when she ran, and she ended up standing alone in the desert again.

She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the robot didn't seem to move that fast initially; it gradually sped up, as if someone was controlling it.

Was someone messing with tourists for kicks?

Without even a reception desk, forcing people to wander through the vast desert, Yun Wan figured it had to be the Jinsha Star Lord's weird sense of humor; otherwise, such a thing wouldn't happen.

Even after losing the robot, Yun Wan wasn't scared. She pulled the same trick, and the robot was quickly called out again, allowing her to advance a bit further.

This kept happening, and the robot seemed to get fed up, finally settling on a speed that Yun Wan could just manage to follow.

This convinced Yun Wan even more that someone was really controlling the robot.

Back in the control room.

"Hey, Xiao Li, the Lord said we're not supposed to guide these people. If they want to exploit Jinsha Star, they should face some hardship. Why are you leading her?"

"Don't even get me started! This girl keeps grabbing ore and then tossing it, making Xiao Hei go in circles, nearly running out of fuel! Anyway, she'll end up following Xiao Hei back to the city, so what's the big deal?"

The operator gritted his teeth. They had always been the ones playing tricks on others; this was the first time someone had outsmarted them!

"Ah, that is indeed a problem."

It's no wonder they hadn't noticed this loophole before; they had never encountered someone as shameless as this girl.

"Let's adjust the parameters. Next time, don't warn those who repeatedly pick up ore; just throw them to the gate."

"Good idea!"

Let's see how she manages to get in next time!

Yun Wan followed the robot and successfully arrived at Jinsha City, where an electronic screen at the entrance cycled the message: Welcome to Jinsha City!

She didn't feel welcomed at all!

She arrived early, and the city was mostly filled with vendors; the buyers hadn't arrived yet.

Since the city was open for business, Yun Wan didn't believe the Jinsha Star Lord would keep people out forever. No matter what, she would eventually make it to Jinsha City.

What a Lord with a twisted sense of humor!

Chapter 13: Cultivation Manual

Yun Wan walked along the street, where various stalls were filled with a variety of goods, but most of them were not what she needed.

"Why is someone selling wood? Such a thing is pretty much useless in the interstellar era!"

She knew that two star coins couldn't buy anything good.

[Host, a cultivation manual has been detected nearby, go grab it!]

What? Cultivation manual? Is the system out of its mind? She traveled through space, right? What does cultivation have to do with it?

Urged by the system, Yun Wan suppressed her confusion and walked up to an ordinary stall.

This stall sold books, and they were the kind of R-rated novels.

The stall owner was a man who was shameless. Such books always attracted a few people, and selling two copies would earn him some money.

In the interstellar era, paper books were already hard to sell, and only tourists fall for buying them.

He was used to having a mixed bag of customers, but when he saw a young girl standing in front of his stall, looking around curiously, he couldn't help but blush.

"Get lost, this isn't for you."

Yun Wan glanced at the stall owner, "I'm an adult; what's off-limits?"

The stall owner was speechless.

Who comes to his stall besides grown men? What was a young girl doing here?

Ignoring the stall owner's discomfort, Yun Wan crouched down and picked out a couple of books, flipping through them with interest.

Thinking about it, the Little Black Dragon was an adult too. Before, it was illegal, but now, with the conditions...

Hold on, I don't have enough money; can't just buy anything.

Yun Wan closed the book and looked up to see the stall owner looking worried, afraid he'd led a young girl astray.

Yun Wan smiled at the stall owner and started looking for the cultivation manual the system mentioned.

One booklet after another passed through her hands, nothing stood out... Among a pile of old books, Yun Wan found an odd one.

Its cover was unusually thick, and upon opening it, it was indeed wrapped in a book cover. The inner pages clearly mentioned some kind of technique, but the first two words were smudged with ink and unreadable.

"Is this the one?"

Yun Wan confirmed with the system.

[Correct.]

Yun Wan looked at the cultivation manual again, thinking it looked plain and simple.

"Stall owner, I'll take this one."

The girl's delicate fingers held a grimy book, and the stall owner didn't want to sell it, but the girl insisted on buying it.

He hardened his heart, thinking that since the other party was an adult, it shouldn't be a problem!

The deal was done, and the cultivation manual was hers.

Yun Wan was a bit excited, holding the cultivation manual in her hand and quietly asking the system, "When do we start training?"

[Huh? Host, this manual is something the system needs to take back.]

"Huh? When are you taking it back? Is it urgent?"

[Not really, host, you're not planning to...]

"Of course, I'll start practicing first!" Yun Wan said, then hesitated, "Is this cultivation manual authentic?"

[Of course, it's real, but...]

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

After losing her dragon body, Yun Wan still felt a bit down, but now that she could cultivate again, she just wanted to laugh out loud three times in joy.

Previously, she was a demon and could only practice demonic methods, which were not accepted by the heavens. Every tribulation was a life-or-death situation.

Now that she was human, she could follow the path of immortality, and maybe she could even become an immortal!

This was truly a stroke of luck!

[Wait, host, this manual might not be right for you!]

"Oh? Why?"

[This is a dual cultivation manual; it needs two people to practice together.]

"That's easy, I'll practice with Yun Ge."

[No, no, no, dual cultivation, do you understand what dual cultivation is?]

"Yes, dual, two people, cultivation, is it that difficult? What condition isn't met?"

[Alright, totally clueless.]

[The host can also practice alone, but the progress will be a bit slower.]

The system didn't dare to stress dual cultivation anymore, in case Yun Wan went and bothered others.

[This can't be practiced casually, going berserk is dangerous, the host is now human, can't handle...]

Before the system could finish, Yun Wan directly used her demonic cultivation experience to absorb qi.

"Not difficult!"

[...]

[Host, it's better to find a quiet spot to practice.]

Yun Wan nodded and carefully stored the manual.

After absorbing qi, she felt her mind clearer and her senses greatly improved.

Unfortunately, with only one manual, although it could improve physical fitness and increase spiritual energy, there was no way to use hand seals to manipulate the energy.

At least it could prolong life, this body is so fragile, the more I practice, the stronger it will get!

The system was right about one thing, ordinary people indeed can't practice casually, if they go berserk, they might end up bedridden for life, she was only so bold because of her demonic experience.

Yun Wan continued to stroll around the market, where an enthusiastic aunt greeted her: "You came quite early! Would you like to take a look at some books?"

This time, the stall had some legitimate books.

"These are my grandson's books from when he was a child. They're no longer needed. Do you want them?"

Yun Wan looked through them and found several books she had planned to buy for Yun Ge, though the editions were a bit outdated.

Generally, the edition of a book doesn't make much difference; the content is largely the same, with only slight variations.

But buying second-hand books is much cheaper.

Yun Wan made a sweeping gesture and bought the entire lot.

Seeing that she bought so many, the aunt even included a few mechanical books as a bonus that her grandson didn't like.

Next, Yun Wan bought some cheap wooden bowls, cutting boards, and a few machetes designed like watermelon knives, all packed into a massive bundle.

After buying these, most of the tourists had arrived in Golden Sand City.

Many people didn't stop at any stalls but headed straight into the heart of the city.

Yun Wan, curious, hoisted her heavy bundle over her shoulder and followed the crowd.

The package was heavy, but it couldn't dampen her excitement to see what was happening.

"What's happening here? Why is there such a crowd?"

Many people, like Yun Wan, were drawn by the commotion but were clueless about what was happening, so they asked around.

A helpful bystander explained: "Don't you know? This is Golden Sand City's annual highlight! They're all here for stone betting!"

"This kind of stone is a specialty of Golden Sand City. It blocks all detection by instruments, but inside the stone, there might be very precious rare materials or ores. At the Golden Sand City Stone Betting Event, each stone costs 100 star coins. If you uncover a valuable material, you could strike it rich overnight!"

"Sounds too good to be true! I bet not many people actually find valuable materials, right?"

"Of course! Lately, there haven't been many valuable finds. Some people make a modest profit, but most are here for the excitement."

Once she grasped what was going on, Yun Wan grew intrigued.

"System, is it really impossible for any instruments to detect what's inside the stones?"

[Current interstellar technology isn't capable of that level of detection.]

"What about you? Can you detect it?"

[Host, I'm a garbage-collecting system, not a cheat tool... Detected rare Purple Gold Ore. Host, go for it!]

"..." Yun Wan touched her nose. "You talk tough, but your actions speak otherwise."

Unfortunately, the system only performed a broad scan, indicating that there was Purple Gold Ore in this pile of unremarkable stones, but it wouldn't say which specific stone it was inside, no matter how much Yun Wan prodded.

[Host, our main business is picking up garbage.]

Yun Wan pouted.

Fine, if it won't tell her, she'll figure it out herself.

Knowing there's something valuable here but not knowing where, and not having the money to buy them all, seeing the chance slip through her fingers was too painful. She wouldn't stand for it.

Yun Wan casually picked up a piece of ore, hefted it in her hand, and found it quite heavy.

The ore's surface was rough and slightly yellowish, nothing special among the stones.

She looked around but couldn't figure anything out. She sneaked glances at how others were picking stones.

She spotted someone who looked particularly professional.

He was a slightly stocky man with very fair skin. Though it was a bit rude, he reminded Yun Wan of the pigs back home, so she paid him more attention.

What made him so professional?

She watched as the man pulled out a set of tools she'd never seen before and went through a series of steps with the chosen stone.

First, he examined the stone briefly, then pulled out a small hammer of some unknown material, gently tapped the stone's surface, and held it to his ear as if listening for something inside.

After seeming satisfied, he applied some unknown liquid to the stone. Once absorbed, the stone gave off a faint glow.

Yun Wan was thoroughly impressed.

So this is how the pros do it!

Looking around, she realized no one else was nearly as professional as him. They were all amateurs like her, just trying their luck, picking whatever stone caught their eye and buying it to crack open, since it wasn't pricey.

Yun Wan felt like she'd stumbled upon the secret to stone gambling. Curious, she followed as the man picked a stone and got ready to open it.

A special grinding tool was used to slowly remove the outer layer, careful not to damage what might be inside.

After a quarter of the outer layer was ground away, it still looked like plain stone. Yun Wan was a bit confused and glanced at the man, who remained expressionless, his eyes fixed on the stone.

Halfway through, the man began to sweat buckets.

When fully opened, it turned out to be nothing but a worthless lump of rock. The man looked utterly devastated.

Yun Wan was at a loss for words.

Hearing that someone had randomly picked a few stones and actually struck blue crystal ore, she was dumbfounded.

All that effort for nothing!

Someone nearby cheered over their good fortune. Seeing the man's dejected look, Yun Wan offered some casual comfort, "Stone gambling takes patience."

"Huh?" Caught off guard, Liu Li didn't catch what the person in front of him was saying and looked up, confused.

It was a girl with a pleasant voice. She had been following him and witnessed his entire failure, which he knew.

"Your set of actions just now was quite skilled. Is there any theory behind it? If it's scientific, you should be able to find good stones."

However, judging from the previous operation, the method probably wasn't very scientific.

"This is my family's ancestral diagnostic method, using some special potions to react with the stone to determine what's inside."

Liu Li said.

This was the Liu family's stone identification method, not a secret, but the real secret was the composition of the potion.

"Oh, so someone has found good stones using this method?"

Liu Li nodded.

"That means this method works. Keep at it, and you're bound to find something valuable."

"That's what I thought two years ago," Liu Li said dejectedly.

Yun Wan then learned that in the past two years, using this method, he had only found worthless stones, not even a single piece of blue crystal ore.

Oh man...

Yun Wan didn't know how to comfort him.

"Keep practicing, and things will improve."

Yun Wan got to know the man better and started stone gambling together. With a learning mindset, she watched him select stones again, only to find that she couldn't learn it.

First, the set of tools seemed hard to come by, and second, she couldn't grasp the logic behind the process.

This was his family's ancestral technique, naturally someone taught him, but Yun Wan couldn't find anyone to teach her.

Stone gambling still depended on her own skills.

How to pick stones? Certainly not by blindly picking them at random, relying on luck would be meaningless.

Yun Wan sensed a brilliant idea was on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn't grasp it.

Chapter 14: Stone Gambling (or Stone Betting)

Her thoughts raced as her hands continuously rubbed the rough stone. Spiritual energy seeped from her fingertips, penetrating the rough surface of the stone and striking its core.

It was a dud.

Before Yun Wan even realized she had figured out the trick to stone gambling, her mind automatically concluded.

Ah, of course! Spiritual energy!

Machines couldn't detect it, but spiritual energy could probe whether there was something different inside the stone. Although it couldn't reveal the specific item, it was much better than most blind guesses.

Yun Wan had just started channeling spiritual energy into her body, and she didn't have much of it—just five or six strands. Each stone she probed would consume one strand.

By this calculation, she could only examine five or six stones. The stones in front of her numbered at least a few hundred, and finding Purple Gold Ore was like finding a needle in a haystack.

Forget about finding anything valuable; just finding something would be enough.

Yun Wan picked six stones that looked promising and used her spiritual energy to examine them one by one.

By this time, she had already figured out a way to save spiritual energy.

There was a subtle, almost invisible pattern inside these stones. When spiritual energy followed this pattern, it encountered no obstruction, moving smoothly all the way to the core. This method used half the spiritual energy compared to the brute-force approach.

So, she could check a few more stones.

Yun Wan got lucky. After going through a pile of stones, she found two promising ones.

After some thought, she added one dud and bought three stones in total.

Most people here didn't find anything valuable. If she managed to extract something from every stone, it would stand out too much. She needed to include some duds to throw people off.

Still, a two-thirds success rate was high, but she wasn't willing to spend more money on worthless stones.

She wasn't a sucker!

Anyway, she just needed to play the part of someone with good luck.

Yun Wan and Liu Li each took their selected stones to the cutting area.

Liu Li's stones, as usual, were all duds.

This time, he wasn't as disappointed.

After experiencing so many bad things, he had become numb. He had already prepared for the worst, so when it happened, he could only sigh and think: "As expected."

Therefore, Liu Li now had the mood to pay attention to Yun Wan's stones.

Seeing Yun Wan looking so relaxed, he couldn't help but ask, "How did you pick your stones?"

Most people picked stones without any method.

But he noticed that Yun Wan wasn't like that. She had examined each stone carefully, and it was clear that these stones were meticulously chosen.

There must be some method to it.

"I just picked them randomly, whatever caught my eye."

As soon as Yun Wan finished speaking, the first stone was cut open—it was the dud.

Liu Li thought it was no big deal, after all, he always ended up with dud stones and was already used to it.

But Yun Wan looked at the waste stone without a hint of emotion, which took him aback.

Even if you're mentally prepared, knowing you're going to open a dud, it's hard not to feel let down when it actually happens. Just like him, you can't help but feel bummed.

But the girl in front of him seemed unfazed, like a bystander, just watching indifferently.

She had some serious composure.

Still, trying to see things from her perspective, Liu Li comforted her, "There are still two more!"

He tossed it out there, not expecting much from the last two stones Yun Wan had "randomly" picked. Unexpectedly, as the grinder cut deeper, a white material was revealed, and his expression turned serious.

This looks like...

Liu Li couldn't believe it.

The Stone Master's voice overlapped with the one in his head:

"It's a mecha core."

This wasn't Liu Li's stone, but he was over the moon.

A white mecha core is only good for A-level mechas, but it's still a valuable item, worth 500,000 star coins.

"Wow, you hit the jackpot!" Liu Li couldn't contain his excitement.

Yun Wan stayed cool as a cucumber, mainly because she didn't know what a mecha core was and was letting the system explain.

A crowd of stone gamblers gathered, drawn by the Stone Master's voice.

"Someone actually scored mecha material!"

Regardless of what material it was, anything related to a mecha had to be a good thing.

"Who opened it? Talk about luck!"

"Hey, kid, you're all worked up—is it your stone?"

Liu Li's skills didn't go unnoticed, and many had been watching him. If he'd opened the mecha material, it would've been expected.

But it wasn't his stone.

He shook his head, his face a mix of emotions. "It was opened by my friend."

He gestured to Yun Wan beside him.

The crowd went wild, looking at the calm girl as if they couldn't believe it.

"She's got one more stone to crack open," Liu Li said.

"Did this kid really score the mecha material?"

"How can she be so calm?"

"Is she a noble lady from some family?"

As soon as these words were spoken, all eyes were on Yun Wan, sizing her up.

Worn-out sneakers, tattered pants, a shabby outfit, and a ragged bundle made her look like a trash picker. Apart from her face, there was nothing that suggested she was noble.

"Wow, I'd be thrilled if it were me!"

Yun Wan, who had just learned about the value of the mecha material, was also excited, her face flushed.

"Haha, I've never seen it before; I thought it was just an ordinary thing." Yun Wan didn't want the crowd to make too many assumptions. Finding something valuable was already drawing attention, and attracting malicious looks would make it worse.

The onlookers caught on.

That's more like it! She's just a young girl who hasn't seen much of the world, after all!

Yun Wan's third stone was halfway through being opened, but nothing had appeared yet.

If nothing shows up halfway, the stone is basically worthless, and the Stone Master would just split the rest.

"Ah, I mean, the luck couldn't be that good—who finds good stuff twice in a row!"

"It's unlikely, but still worth it—300 star coins for a 500,000-star-coin mecha material… wow, why not me?"

"Whatever, I'll go buy another one, maybe I can find something good too!"

The Stone Master announced the final result: "Just one piece of waste stone."

"Hold on!"

Yun Wan was confident in her intuition. Since she sensed something, it couldn't be waste—there had to be at least a piece of blue crystal ore.

"Could you check again?" Yun Wan gestured to the split stone pieces.

The Stone Master didn't like this request and frowned.

Liu Li was also taken aback by Yun Wan's request to cut the stone again.

Logically, once a stone is cut like this, there's no chance of finding anything good left.

"Kid, this is indeed waste stone, no need to cut it further!" said the Stone Master.

"Yeah, you don't find good stuff every time you cut a stone—this girl's just too young!"

"Young? I think she's out of her mind! Found something good once and thinks it'll happen every time!"

"Hey, girl, are you done? Let others have their turn, don't waste time on this waste stone!"

"Yeah, it's still waste stone no matter how much you cut it!"

"Hahaha!" they laughed.

The crowd burst into laughter, thinking their words would talk her out of cutting the stone again, but she remained stubborn.

"Is it illegal to cut it again?" Yun Wan asked softly.

Liu Li, who was closest to her, heard clearly and replied, "Not really."

He didn't finish, but it came off as pretty rude.

Sure enough, the Stone Master looked annoyed and spoke sharply, "You want to open it again, right? If nothing comes out this time, don't come back to me next time!"

The Stone Master had to open countless stones daily. If everyone wanted to open them once or twice like this, even ten Stone Masters wouldn't be enough.

He figured this young girl was either too naive or just trying to stir up trouble.

"Ah, why so stubborn! Let's move on, I'm still waiting to open my stone!"

Many people left, most of them having already predicted the outcome and lost interest, while a small number stayed to watch the spectacle.

The Stone Master didn't hesitate and immediately began polishing the stone again.

One, two, three… all were duds. Only a few pieces were left. The Stone Master glanced at the girl in front of him. No matter how much hope she had for this stone, she should've given up by now!

Unfortunately, the girl didn't call for a stop.

The Stone Master, now angry, decided to finish the last few pieces in one go, just to see the disappointed look on the girl's face and vent his frustration.

Unexpectedly, when he opened one particular stone, he was completely stunned.

That was…

He didn't dare to be careless, his hands growing more gentle, afraid of damaging it even slightly.

When the stone was fully polished, a clear purple crystal lay in his palm.

Purple with a golden hue. Although he didn't often come across this, as a seasoned Stone Master, he recognized it immediately.

It was Purple Gold Ore.

A tiny piece, perhaps only a dozen grams, but it was high-grade mecha energy, its value… incalculable.

This was a regular at auctions, yet it was nearly dismissed as a waste stone.

At that moment, his face burned with shame. He didn't dare to look at the girl in front of him, nor face the few onlookers, and he even hesitated to announce the outcome.

"Huh? Did she actually get something?"

The unexpected turn of events amazed the onlookers.

"She actually got something twice in a row!"

At that moment, no one recognized what the Stone Master was holding.

The Stone Master closed his hand and quickly apologized to Yun Wan, murmuring, "Hello, this was my mistake. Here's an invitation to the Golden Sand City auction. While it can't make up for anything, it's a token of my apology. I hope you can be magnanimous and not publicize this matter too much."

Yun Wan nodded, accepting the Stone Master's sincere gesture.

He had just made a mistake based on experience, something anyone could do. Any other Stone Master would've done the same. It wasn't that he intentionally targeted Yun Wan, and she didn't plan to be aggressive.

"Be more careful next time."

The Stone Master nodded repeatedly, accepting Yun Wan's reminder. Even if she hadn't said anything, he wouldn't dare to be so careless again. His entire career was almost over.

Fortunately, the girl was easy to talk to. He didn't dare to imagine the uproar this incident could cause if it got out. Not only would his professionalism be questioned, but this method of stone opening, which almost every Stone Master used, might have missed some good things.

Even if it hadn't, wouldn't other stone gamblers think so?

It would undoubtedly lead to a massive PR crisis.

He had to propose to his superiors that stones must be fully opened in the future, no matter how troublesome.

"Guest, what you've uncovered is a very precious Purple Gold Ore. If you need, it can also be sold at the auction."

This was also why the Stone Master offered the auction invitation, showing his thoughtfulness and sincerity.

Chapter 15: The System Originates from the Cultivation Realm

She didn't pay attention to the Stone Master's words, except for the phrase "Purple Gold Ore," which she promptly bragged about to her system.

"See? I found Purple Gold Ore without your help!"

[... The host is incredible.]

Yun Wan felt lucky, her mood lifted, and she viewed the Stone Master more favorably.

Feeling guilty, the Stone Master meticulously wrapped the item Yun Wan had discovered before giving it to her.

Long after she left, the bystanders suddenly commented:

"Didn't anyone notice how confident the girl was that there was something inside the stone?"

"Right! She kept demanding to open it again!"

"She must have a special way of spotting valuable stones!" The speaker's tone was both astonished and regretful.

Astonished that the girl could pinpoint stones so precisely, and regretful they missed the chance to learn from her before she vanished.

The handful of witnesses became the storytellers of this extraordinary event.

"She must be a stone-gambling master!"

"And she's only a young girl!"

Thus, a stone-gambling prodigy emerged at the convention.

...

Ultimately, Liu Li remained puzzled.

He couldn't fathom how someone could randomly pick two stones and both be treasures!

Because of this, he trailed Yun Wan out of the convention, his mind buzzing with questions.

"Hey! Did you really choose them randomly?" Liu Li asked.

Yun Wan shot back, "What else? You think I have a way to see inside the stones?"

Hearing this, Liu Li didn't buy it—such a thing was simply impossible.

If not this, how else could you explain the miracle that just happened?

"Then how were you so certain there was Purple Gold Ore in that worthless stone?"

Liu Li latched onto the crucial point, convinced he'd found the truth.

Yun Wan was ready with her answer.

"It's my intuition."

"I've always been lucky, with this weird sense of when good things are coming."

Liu Li was stunned. An ability like that? Unheard of!

No matter how crazy this reason sounds, it is indeed the most plausible explanation for the incident, at least more believable than a young girl mastering the secrets of stone gambling.

Is it really just luck?

Liu Li was a little bummed out.

He thought there might be a trick to stone gambling. After all, even the ancestral methods hadn't taught him how to gamble on stones, so what better methods could there be?

But Liu Li had a gut feeling that the girl he met today was different.

He chose to trust his intuition as well.

"How about we connect on Starnet? Next time you come to an auction, I'll explain it to you?" Liu Li suggested.

"Sure."

Yun Wan made her first friend on Starnet.

Liu Li seemed decent and wasn't jealous of her find. Yun Wan thought it wouldn't be bad to add him as a friend.

"Alright… see you next time," Liu Li said.

As Yun Wan walked away, he felt a pang of emptiness.

Was she really just lucky?

Liu Li couldn't stop thinking about it, and even his father, Master Liu, noticed his son's unusual behavior.

"Don't stress over the New Year's bet. It's just one planet. The Liu family can handle the loss!"

Liu Li snapped back to reality, shook his head at his father, and recounted today's strange encounter.

He rambled on, but Master Liu listened intently.

"Someone like that? Did you get her number?" The son was naive, but Master Liu, having seen much of the world, immediately saw that "good luck" was just an excuse.

Even if it wasn't, such intuition alone made her a natural-born stone gambler.

If she were to delve deeply into this field, her conditions were uniquely favorable, destined to achieve extraordinary success.

"I did."

"Excellent!" Master Liu's anger over having a good stone snatched away earlier was completely swept aside. For the first time in two years, he felt genuinely pleased. "After the New Year, we'll definitely invite her to the game!"

Liu Li was still a little puzzled, not understanding why his father suddenly wanted to invite a mere acquaintance to such an important game.

He'd agreed to this game in a moment of youthful naivety, a setup by others targeting one of their family's mining planets. For him, it was a losing game from the start.

Because the game was all about stone gambling.

Yun Wan had no idea her hidden talents had been spotted, and she was being invited to lend her strength.

She came back to Shennong Star loaded with stuff. First, she sorted through the big package of supplies: she put some everyday items in the living room, kept the machete out of Yun Ge's reach, and there were also Yun Ge's educational materials.

Yun Ge had spotted the books but didn't think they were for him, so he resisted asking.

He had no idea those books were meant for him.

Just for him!

This was a privilege he only enjoyed when his mom and dad were around, such as specialized toys, specialized food, a specialized little bed…

For a long time, those had become beautiful memories, something he could only long for but never attain.

Now, he had specialized books again.

He gleefully hugged the books, methodically placing them one by one on the bookshelf, carefully smoothing out any folded corners.

He discovered a few of his beloved mechanical engineering books inside, although he couldn't understand some of the words, he loved looking at the pictures.

Despite his excitement, he felt a bit troubled.

The books were wonderful, but they meant he had to go to school.

He dreaded the thought of going to school.

But his sister seemed to believe he should, and if he refused, would she get angry, dislike him, or think he was a disobedient child?

Yun Ge felt a knot of unease in his stomach, unsure whether to do something he didn't like or to refuse someone he liked. He didn't want to choose either, caught in a dilemma.

Fortunately, Yun Wan didn't let him struggle for too long.

"Yun Ge, you can start by reading these books. Later, we'll buy a children's smart device, and you can follow e-learning courses for now. We don't have the means to send you to school yet, so we'll have to manage."

Primarily because Shennong Star currently lacks the resources to establish a school. For Yun Ge to attend school, he would need to go to another planet, the procedures are troublesome, and they would need to reside long-term on another planet, which they simply don't meet the conditions for.

E-learning courses were the best solution.

"E-learning courses?" Yun Ge struggled to suppress his excitement. "Okay, I can study on my own."

The slight smile on his lips gave away his true feelings.

Yun Wan, watching him already absorbed in reading, felt a swell of pride.

What a diligent and easily satisfied child!

With Yun Ge working so hard, she, as his sister, couldn't fall behind.

The trip to Jinsha Star not only allowed her to buy cheap goods but also brought back two valuable items.

Both the mecha core and the Purple Gold Ore were highly valuable, but Yun Wan didn't plan to exchange them for star coins. Instead, she intended to convert them all into eco-points.

[Ding, eco-points 100000]

[The store has been updated; you can start shopping now!]

After the system recycled the mecha core and the Purple Gold Ore, its tone became noticeably more cheerful. It seemed the quality of the recycled items had won its satisfaction.

Yun Wan wasted no time, immediately opening the store.

With a hundred thousand eco-points, how many yams and Spirit Soil could she buy? She was about to transition from a small farmer to a landowner!

The store, no longer limited to just two items, now boasted a full eight more.

[Basic Spirit Soil: 1 eco-point/piece

Advanced Spirit Soil: 100 eco-points/piece

Basic Spirit Field: 1 eco-point/piece]

Intermediate Spirit Field: 100 Green Points per block

Sweet Potatoes: 2 Green Points per seed

Spirit Rice: 2 Green Points per seed

Spirit Pepper: 10 Green Points per seed

Radish: 10 Green Points per seed

Cabbage: 10 Green Points per seed

Peach of Immortality: 50,000 Green Points per seed

Yun Wan browsed through each item one by one, each with a beautiful icon that brought to mind the joy of a bountiful harvest.

Finally, there was even an extra fruit!

Yun Wan wanted to buy it; she hadn't eaten fruit in a while, and peaches were her favorite. The sweet aroma and juicy, tender texture had a firm hold on her heart.

But! There's always a catch!

50,000 for one? Are you sure this isn't highway robbery?

Yun Wan strongly suspected that the system was taking advantage of her, knowing she had made a big profit with 100,000 Green Points, and then offered a fruit for 50,000!

[Host, the system is always fair and just, and does not cheat people.]

"Then how do you explain this price? Is this really a peach from the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Garden?!"

[Host, please do not entertain wild fantasies.]

"Then why are you charging so much for it!"

[Host, the Peach of Immortality comes from the cultivation world, not your average variety.]

The cultivation world?

Yun Wan took another look at the store.

She spotted a problem.

Most of the items sold in the store were from the cultivation world, things like Spirit Fields and Spirit Soil, which weren't from the modern or interstellar era.

Even the cultivation techniques from her own cultivation world appeared!

All of this seemed to point in a very obvious direction.

Could it be that this system came from the cultivation world?

Why did it come here and attach itself to her?

Yun Wan had not thought deeply about this question before, but now it seemed she had to.

It was called a garbage collection system, but none of the things it "collected" were garbage; from the beginning, it was looking for Black Crystal Ore, and it was very disdainful of real garbage.

This is not a garbage collection system at all!

It is here to collect energy!

Yun Wan went quiet all of a sudden.

[Hey, Host?]

"System, are you gonna leave me someday?" Yun Wan asked.

[Host, I'll leave once the tasks are done.]

"What kind of tasks are we talking about?"

[Host, you're not cleared to know that.]

"Host? So, I'm not really your boss, huh?"

[...Yeah.]

Yun Wan figured it made sense.

"You're not gonna hurt me, right?"

She asked weakly.

[Nah, we're in this together.]

The system had compensated her before, so aside from dumping her in this weird place, it hadn't really screwed her over.

"Okay, fine!"

Yun Wan had a rough idea why the system had latched onto her.

Since she was a demon, not human, and kinda tied to the cultivation world.

It was likely the spiritual energy that got her picked.

Why not just pick someone from the cultivation world instead of going all the way to another world?

The thought crossed her mind, but Yun Wan didn't overthink it.

It wasn't her problem, as long as the system wasn't a threat.

Once she got that, Yun Wan stopped stressing.

The system was too powerful; if it wanted to hurt her, she'd be toast.

Better to just stick to farming!

She had one last question.

"System, I've put in so much work farming here. You're not gonna just toss me back to the modern world, are you?" Yun Wan hesitated.

[Host, it'll depend on how things play out.] "What kind of situation?"

Chapter 16: Expanding Scale

[Host, it's impossible to predict right now.]

The system's words left Yun Wan quite troubled, as the uncertain future really dampened her farming spirit.

But on second thought, no matter what the future holds, she's really making a life for herself on this land now and indeed needs to make her life better and more comfortable.

In short, she still had to farm the land!

Yun Wan regained her spirits and arranged the huge sum of a hundred thousand credits.

This time, she didn't have to stick to just sweet potatoes; new crops were to be added.

What Yun Wan was a bit conflicted about was the flat peach, which was too expensive, and shelling out for it still stung a little.

Staring at the beautiful peach icon for a long time, she finally bit the bullet and placed the order!

Who knows how long she can stay here! Life's too short not to enjoy it!

Buy, buy, buy!

The huge sum of a hundred thousand credits instantly shrank, and Yun Wan had to budget carefully.

First and foremost, the most important thing was to buy land. The system had updated two types of terrains, with different qualities at different prices.

Land is the foundation of everything, while seeds can be obtained from the stars. Therefore, Yun Wan planned to spend forty thousand to purchase intermediate Spirit Soil and intermediate Spirit Fields.

The unusually beautiful price difference had already shown the difference between intermediate Spirit Soil and ordinary Spirit Soil. Yun Wan believed in the system's quality and naturally would not buy the ordinary ones.

Half Spirit Fields and half Spirit Soil, two hundred of each.

With Spirit Fields, of course, Spirit Rice had to be bought, which was considered the staple food in Yun Wan's stereotypical impression.

All things considered, she hadn't had a decent meal since she'd been in the stars.

This Spirit Rice seemed cheap but was calculated by the grain, and upon careful thought, it was peanuts compared to the flat peach.

With the comparison, the price seemed to become an insignificant number, and Yun Wan gradually became numb to the greening points.

Spirit Rice was indispensable for Yun Wan. With ten thousand greening points left, she allocated five thousand to Spirit Rice, spent two thousand on sweet potatoes, and one thousand each on Spirit Peppers, radishes, and cabbage.

After shopping, Yun Wan felt a sense of fulfillment and was pretty pleased with her haul, feeling that her lost strength had returned.

Immediately after, the system brought good news.

[Congratulations, host, for obtaining Spirit Rice, Spirit Peppers, radishes, and cabbage, unlocking the catalog 4]

Wow! She almost forgot about that!

Yun Wan excitedly took out the Treasure Basin, and sure enough, another line of text appeared.

[Random treasures will be delivered tomorrow, please wait patiently!]

She not only had a huge plot of land and crops, but tomorrow there would also be four unknown treasures!

Given that the first Freeze Gun was very useful, it was obvious these four treasures were something special.

Yun Wan couldn't help but smile, and a big grin spread across her face.

Today was a day that left everyone satisfied.

Yun Wan was basking in the joy of one delightful acquisition after another, while Yun Ge was engrossed in tinkering with the mechanical arm, focusing intently on the patterns in his mechanical book. Even Miao Miao scored herself a cushion (a repurposed piece of cloth) and her very own wooden bowl.

Miao Miao now had her own belongings in this home. She hauled the cushion over to her bowl, and from now on, this spot was her exclusive domain!

She started to feel like she didn't want to leave this place! Although she had her friends and grandmother in the abandoned laboratory, this place was... way better than the chilly lab floor... it felt so cozy...

Her heart felt warm, pounding hard, as if it was also eager for tomorrow's sunrise.

While Yun Wan was busy expanding her farming ventures, the sweet potatoes she had packaged and shipped finally arrived at her customers' doors.

After trying the cabbage his sister had bought earlier, Ji Lian quickly started following Yun Wan's live streams.

Sure, the food was downright delicious, but that wasn't the only reason. More importantly, he spotted an unprecedented business opportunity and a shot at a promotion.

Right now, there's a shake-up in the staff. The manager was about to be promoted to a senior executive role at a branch office. Plenty of folks were itching to snag that open spot. Among them, he and another guy with strong shareholder connections were the top contenders for the promotion.

He had the best track record, while the other guy had solid connections.

At first, he didn't have much hope and felt pretty down. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn't outshine someone with a powerful background.

Pissing him off wouldn't make him quit; he'd still give his all for the company. But ticking off the other guy could mean getting the boot.

Yun Wan's veggies gave him a ray of hope.

No one in the Ji Clan had stumbled upon this goldmine. With his sharp eye, he could be the first to catch Yun Wan's attention and spearhead this collaboration.

As for whether the Ji Clan would look down on Yun Wan's small scale and refuse to cooperate, Ji Lian thought that anyone who had tasted the vegetables from Shennong Star would be unable to resist such deliciousness.

Partners would swarm to her like bees to honey.

And the first to jump on this chance would lock down the exclusive rights.

If he could pull off this deal, a promotion was practically in the bag!

This product could take the Ji Clan to the next level, not to mention the possibility of discussing planting techniques. If the other party was willing to sell the planting technology, the Ji Clan might even reward him with shares, making him a full-fledged partner.

He knew he had encountered the greatest opportunity of his life.

If successful, he would officially rise to the top of the industry!

When the sweet potatoes arrived, Ji Lian was pretty pumped. For caution's sake, he cooked one to taste.

If the Shennong Star cabbage he had eaten before was his white moonlight, then the new sweet potato was the cinnabar mole on his heart.

The overpowering aroma drifted out of his bachelor apartment, and soon, a neighbor knocked on the door.

"Sorry to bother you, I'm the neighbor downstairs, I was just... curious, is that smell coming from your place?" a young man asked shyly, scratching his head.

"Ah?" Ji Lian hadn't expected the neighbor to be attracted by the sweet potatoes. He often stayed here because it was close to his company, but interactions with neighbors were rare. This was the first time a neighbor had visited him.

"Yes, it is."

Ji Lian said.

"Maybe it's the sweet potatoes I just bought and am cooking."

Ji Lian pointed towards the kitchen.

The young man didn't recognize what sweet potatoes were, but he felt even more embarrassed.

"I know it's a bit forward, but I still want to ask if you could sell me some… oh, no! Just one would do."

Standing at Ji Lian's door, the sweet potatoes smelled even better, and the young man couldn't help but smack his lips.

Ji Lian had bought a lot of sweet potatoes, and since the neighbor had come asking, he naturally wouldn't refuse. He handed the young man two, and the young man, grateful, paid promptly.

"I wonder if I could ask one more thing—where'd you get these?"

Ji Lian handed him the sweet potatoes still in their delivery packaging, so the young man had this question.

He had a sick elderly person at home who had been unable to take medicine, and their condition had worsened badly. In recent days, the elderly person had even lost their appetite. When they smelled the sweet potatoes, their stomach suddenly growled, and they felt hungry, regaining some appetite.

He had no choice but to ask around, and after knocking on a few doors, he found Ji Lian, the neighbor who had bought the sweet potatoes.

"Oh, I got them from the Shennong Star live stream, a new planet that was part of the Lord's Style Conference. You can look it up on the Starnet."

Ji Lian generously shared.

He felt really happy, as this greatly affirmed his vision. Shennong Star's vegetables really had potential.

"I'm not sure which characters they are—can we be friends? Could you hook me up, bro?" The young man took out his phone and asked.

One more friend wouldn't hurt, so the two added each other. The young man headed home, happy with his sweet potatoes, and the elderly person indeed could eat, even managing to take some medicine with the sweet potatoes.

As for Ji Lian, after the young man left, his sweet potatoes were also roasted. After a taste, he saw them in a new light.

Originally, he planned to let the manager taste them first before contacting Yun Wan to discuss cooperation, but now he couldn't wait a second longer.

He quickly opened his smart device and sent a private message to Yun Wan from the live broadcast room.

He'd only recently followed Yun Wan but already had a third-level fan badge.

[Hello, Shennong Star Lord, would you be up for selling your veggies in bulk? We can market them as premium products for the high-end market.]

After sending the message, there was no immediate reply from the other side. Ji Lian told himself to be patient and to bring the sweet potatoes for the manager to taste tomorrow, taking both approaches.

It's never too late!

At the same time, Yun Wan's return gift to Yun Shuang was also smoothly placed by the robot in the Yun family's exclusive package spot, to be taken back and processed by the Yun family servants.

The servant gave the package from Shennong Star a curious look.

Shennong Star? Never heard of it.

Addressed to the young lady?

The servant directly opened it to check, finding some unknown plant stem-like roots inside, along with a note.

[Dear Yun Shuang:

Thank you for the flying car, it has been a great help to me. These are the vegetables I grew on the barren planet, everyone says they are delicious, you can try them.

From Yun Wan]

Vegetables?

The servant took out a specialized instrument to test them, confirming that they were indeed natural food, so she reported to Yun Shuang.

"Miss, someone has sent you some natural food. Should I send it straight to the kitchen?"

"Natural food? Sure." Yun Shuang had just woken up and was still a bit dazed. Upon hearing about natural food, she didn't think much of it. It wasn't until the chef came to ask her about the cooking method that she finally reacted.

"Natural food? Who sent it to me?" Yun Shuang asked.

"The sender said it's from Yun Wan."

"Oh, Yun Wan."

She didn't quite remember the person, but the name sounded familiar. She was a classmate, related to the Qin family. Rumor had it she went to develop a barren planet, and many classmates donated things to the barren planet.

She didn't want to get involved in such a publicity stunt, but Qin Yan specifically named her, and standing out would make her look stingy. So she reluctantly donated an unused flying car.

She never thought her small gesture would be returned.

Yun Wan really knows how to return a favor, unlike the Qins!

She took a good look at the sweet potato. She wasn't keen on eating something of unknown origin, but the cleaned sweet potato on the plate looked vibrant and delicious.

She'd never seen this food before and wondered where Yun Wan got the seeds.

"Is this called a sweet potato?"

Yun Shuang thought, had she been out of the natural food loop so long she missed new products?

She checked Ji's Fresh first, since they usually post reference recipes. Surprisingly, Ji's Fresh's site didn't even have a picture.

This was a natural food that hadn't even hit the market yet!

Yun Shuang didn't care at first, but now she was intrigued.

Natural food is pricey enough, let alone a new kind! She knows natural food well and understands its value.

It's almost as pricey as the flying car she donated.

Some might even pay top dollar for it.

Yun Shuang found a post about the cooking method of sweet potatoes. The poster raved about sweet potatoes and even created multiple recipes based on roasting them.

The post was made just yesterday.

In just one day, someone had already researched recipes for it?! What kind of ingredient has such charm to make people do this?!

Yun Shuang's expectations for sweet potatoes greatly increased. She thought, if the sweet potatoes weren't that amazing, she might be very disappointed.

In fact, she hadn't eaten natural food for a long time. After eating too much, the taste of natural food was even inferior to nutrient solutions, and it was troublesome and expensive.

Yun Shuang showed the chef the method of roasting sweet potatoes. The method was simple, and the chef got it right away, taking a few sweet potatoes to cook.

Chapter 17: Four Precious Delicacies

At noon, a plate of sweet potatoes and some other organic foods, along with a few meat dishes, were placed on the dining table. However, Yun Shuang's eyes were drawn only to the sweet potatoes.

She picked up a sweet potato, peeled off its thin skin, revealing the golden interior. The aroma, trapped by the heat, instantly wafted out, and she couldn't help but salivate.

Such an unladylike gesture would never normally appear on her, but today was an exception.

The charred skin was a bit sticky, and she, who had a cleanliness fetish, couldn't care less at this moment.

The golden flesh entered her mouth, and the soft, creamy texture instantly captured her heart.

A sweet sensation that warmed her soul slid down her throat into her stomach, gradually filling it up, and her heart felt as content as her full stomach.

She ate three or four in a row, her mouth a bit dry and her stomach somewhat full. Finally, she reluctantly stopped, saving two for later.

"Save these for Mom and Dad."

Yun Shuang instructed the servant to take the two sweet potatoes away to keep them warm, and quickly opened her smartphone to leave a message for her parents.

[I've saved something special for you, remember to eat it.]

[Okay.]

[Okay, thank you, dear daughter.]

In the evening, Yun's mother and father returned to the villa, having nearly forgotten their daughter's message. It wasn't until the servant brought out a plate that they remembered.

"What is this?"

Yun's father examined the sweet potato for a moment, finding it soft and messy to the touch, but he could smell a peculiar aroma, seemingly emanating from within.

"Sir, this is a sweet potato."

The servant explained how to eat the sweet potato, and Yun's parents suddenly understood, but they weren't particularly fond of this messy little thing.

It was something their daughter had specifically left for them, so of course, they couldn't waste her kind intentions.

Peeling off the skin, they tentatively took a bite. The soft, sweet flavor made their seasoned minds momentarily go blank, and they quickly sped up their eating.

After finishing, Yun's father wiped his hands with a napkin and said, "Not bad at all. Why haven't we heard of sweet potatoes before?"

The servant happened to know the origin of the sweet potatoes and explained, "It's a new variety cultivated by the young lady's classmate. If it weren't for the young lady discovering the recipe online, the chef wouldn't have known how to prepare it."

Hearing that no one had seen it before, Yun's father nodded in contemplation.

Suddenly, he asked, "Madam, what do you think about including this in the royal gift?"

Yun's mother nodded in agreement, "Good idea, we were just concerned about not having a unique gift. Given Shuang's connection with the crown prince, we should send something different."

Having decided, Yun's father immediately sent a message to Yun Shuang. Seeing no reply, he immediately made a series of urgent calls.

"Hello, Dad?" Yun Shuang was attending a gathering in her circle and was surprised to receive her father's call.

Generally, her father rarely contacted her by phone, so she was quite puzzled.

"Does your classmate still have any sweet potatoes available? How can we buy them?"

Yun Shuang raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised.

The sweet potato was tasty, but the Yun family had tried all sorts of natural foods, and the sweet potato was just a bit tastier. Besides, their family wasn't big on food, so Yun Shuang was pretty surprised when her dad wanted to buy sweet potatoes.

Was it really that good?

"I'm not sure, she just gave it to me," Yun Shuang replied truthfully.

"Then hurry up and ask her. If she's got more, we'll add the sweet potato to the royal gift list."

Adding it to the gift list, huh?

Yun Shuang started to take it seriously.

She was set to marry into the royal family, and the gifts for the royals were super important. The sweet potato, of all things, could actually make it onto the gift list.

Her dad definitely wouldn't steer her wrong. If he set it up like this, it meant the sweet potato was worth it.

"I'll check with her."

Yun Shuang got ready to contact Yun Wan right away, but found that Yun Wan wasn't on her friend list.

Remembering Yun Wan's ties to the Qin family, she didn't want to hit up Qin Yan for the contact info. Instead, she found Yun Wan in the class group and sent her a friend request.

Yun Wan didn't accept the request until the next morning.

As soon as Yun Wan woke up, she couldn't wait to grab the Treasure Basin.

Big treasure, here we go!

She reached into the basin and pulled out five small bottles lined up, each containing powders of different colors.

What's this? Just this?

Soon, after figuring out what was in the small bottles, Yun Wan wasn't so calm anymore.

The first treasure was the FiveSpice Jar, filled with five spice powders: star anise, cinnamon, vanilla, cumin, and fennel. The spices would refresh daily, refilling the jar to the brim regardless of whether they were used up the previous day.

As a seasoning, no matter how tiny or inconspicuous the FiveSpice Jar might be, it was a very fortunate treasure for Yun Wan.

The interstellar culinary culture had declined, and spices were particularly scarce. Simple condiments like soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and oil were not lacking, but when it came to spices, even the plants had gone extinct, let alone the possibility of mass cultivation.

With the FiveSpice Jar, Yun Wan could now enjoy braised pig trotters, braised pig ears, cumin potatoes... it was no longer a problem!

How many delicacies were contained in these few small bottles!

Yun Wan carefully stored the FiveSpice Jar and then took out the second treasure.

It was a strange disk with an irregularly shaped, tooth-like hole in the center.

The name displayed by the system was also very peculiar—it was actually something with an owner.

[Mountain Gate Grand Array of the Joyous Sect: Are you still worried about being harassed by suitors? Are you tired of avoiding lecherous gazes? The Mountain Gate Grand Array of the Joyous Sect is worth having. Inside the array, there are maze traps that will make those annoying suitors lose interest.]

This Mountain Gate Grand Array seemed very powerful, likely a type of protective formation. The disk's center could hold spirit stones, and it would activate when spiritual power was injected.

She didn't have any spirit stones, so she thought of trying with ores. She drove her flying car to search for a new mine, collected some ores, and brought them home.

Placing the blue crystal ore into the small hole, the disk instantly activated, glowing brilliantly and hovering in mid-air. The disk opened, its components reassembled, and finally, it deeply embedded itself into the ground.

System notification:

[The Mountain Gate Grand Array has been activated, with an energy capacity of one day. The energy driving capability allows the Mountain Gate Grand Array to cover a radius of a hundred miles.]

Wow, awesome!

Yun Wan clapped her hands excitedly, finally adding a new defensive facility!

She entered Yun Ge and Miao Miao's information into the Mountain Gate Grand Array, and the disc then produced two diamond-shaped jade tokens, functioning as access cards.

Yun Wan hung the jade tokens around Yun Ge and Miao Miao's necks, telling them not to remove them, or they wouldn't be able to return home.

"Okay."

Knowing that losing the jade token would mean no access, Yun Ge's face turned serious. He ensured the string holding the token was secure before carefully hanging it around his neck and tucking it inside his clothes.

Both items were fantastic, and the next two also left Yun Wan very satisfied.

[Safe House: A very secure house, constructed from durable materials capable of withstanding a strike from a Nascent Soul cultivator.]

[Life Flower: Planted in the flesh, once it blooms, it grants you an additional life.]

Especially the Life Flower, which Yun Wan immediately planted on her wrist as per the instructions. Unexpectedly, the flower didn't like being exposed and instead took root at her waist.

A small sprout pattern appeared on the skin of Yun Wan's waist, showing no signs of growing.

She didn't know the conditions for the Life Flower to bloom, like a millionaire whose assets are frozen, sitting on a fortune but unable to access it. Yun Wan couldn't help but sigh.

On the upside, at least she had such an item, and she would eventually discover how to use it. If she couldn't figure it out in her lifetime, it wouldn't matter much, as the interstellar realm was relatively peaceful, except for the threat of The Swarm.

Being not particularly strong, Yun Wan wouldn't risk her life unnecessarily by deliberately seeking out The Swarm. As long as she didn't cause trouble, living well wasn't a problem.

But having the Life Flower as an additional insurance would be even better.

With no progress on the Life Flower for now, Yun Wan prepared the Safe House and planned to move.

The Safe House was a rather basic structure, with four compartments and a slightly larger living room, with no other furnishings.

Yun Ge was intrigued by the house that had suddenly appeared, but he didn't ask many questions, as such details weren't important to him.

What puzzled him was—

"Hey sis, why are we moving?"

This question didn't really have much meaning, but he just wanted to call her "sis" and talk to her.

"This house is sturdier! Not even a cannonball could break it!"

"Really?" Yun Ge's interest piqued, as if he wanted to test it with a cannonball if Yun Wan said so.

The lord's mansion remained in its original place, serving as a storage room, while the Safe House was placed next door.

With this arrangement, Yun Wan practically had a duplex villa.

After arranging the placement of the various treasures, Yun Wan finally had time to replan the vegetable garden.

The previous garden was small, just right for the riverbank, but now it had expanded more than tenfold, and the flat area by the river wasn't wide enough anymore. She needed to clear land towards the forest.

Yun Wan couldn't possibly cut down trees and clear weeds herself; that would be too time-consuming. She directly purchased three land-clearing robots on the Starnet, ready to work hard the next day.

Today, she planned to take a day off, neither live-streaming nor farming.

After finishing up, she started browsing on her smart device, seeing many messages from fans and some friend requests.

Most of the fans' messages were sweet potato requests, and one was from the students who supplied pig feed.

[Hi, Landlord, when can we visit Shennong Star? Do we need to apply? There's no application channel for Shennong Star on the Starnet.]

[You can come anytime. The Starnet application channel isn't open yet, so you can just come directly.]

There was also a standout message, which was actually a request for cooperation.

Yun Wan was thrilled.

Already, someone's noticed her potential?!

Bringing Shennong Star's veggies to the high-end market?

If someone could open more channels for Yun Wan's vegetables, she'd be happy. Although her focus is on the everyday market, the high-end market could bring in a lot of cash for her, and she'd be happy to sell her products to the wealthy.

But she couldn't just agree right away; she still needed to see if they had the qualifications.

Yun Wan replied carefully.

[I'm open to exploring the high-end market, but I don't know which company you are from or your experience.]

After replying, she checked the friend requests.

She didn't plan to add fans, but there was one request from the class group, so she accepted it. The other person seemed to have been waiting and replied instantly:

[Is this Yun Wan? I'm Yun Shuang, thank you for the sweet potatoes, they were all delicious.]

Yun Wan was puzzled.

Are sweet potatoes that charming? Even the usually distant Yun Shuang couldn't resist the temptation and directly contacted her, the vegetable grower?

She knew that there might not be many people in the class who had Yun Shuang as a friend, after all, the Yun family built their wealth on military mechs and had many connections with the military, making them highly sought after.

As the leader of the Four Great Families, there were too many people who wanted to curry favor with her, so to avoid trouble, Yun Shuang wouldn't add people she wasn't familiar with.

Yun Wan hadn't been in the class for long, but she knew this because people often whispered about Yun Shuang being stuck-up.

Could it be that Yun Shuang added her just to express her gratitude?

Chapter 18 The Piggy That's Hard to Keep Up With

"Yun Wan, do you have any extra sweet potatoes in stock? Which website are they sold on? I want to buy more."

Is it really because of the sweet potatoes?

With business coming her way, Yun Wan had no reason to refuse, but unfortunately, her stock of sweet potatoes was indeed limited, just enough for herself. Plus, Yun Wan's vegetable farming venture was on the right track, and she wasn't desperate for money at the moment. Moreover, the plants produced by the system could reduce the side effects caused by genetic defects, so she didn't want to settle for less and drink nutrient solutions every day.

"The last batch of sweet potatoes has sold out. If you want to purchase some, you'll have to wait for a while."

After reading Yun Wan's reply, Yun Shuang counted the days. The queen's birthday was in twenty days, and they needed to send their gifts early.

"Approximately how many days do we need to wait?"

"It might take seven to ten days."

Yun Wan didn't guarantee anything, but with the robots clearing the land tomorrow and planting the sweet potatoes, there would be enough time before harvest.

"That's fine. As a classmate, can I reserve some?"

"Of course."

The two agreed on the quantity of sweet potatoes, with Yun Shuang providing special packaging, and delivery was set for ten days later.

Yun Shuang closed her phone, the conversation with Yun Wan lingering in her mind.

Her classmate, who was settling on a barren planet, wasn't barely getting by as Qin Yan had said, near death. Instead, she was doing quite well.

Sweet potatoes at five hundred star coins for two, and she had just sold a batch. Was this someone who was short on money?!

Not to mention the priceless farming techniques, just this new type of natural food, where would the worry of not selling come from? Starting out is always tough, but once things get going, money flows in quickly. How could there be a lack of funds?

This Qin Yan is pretty funny! Good thing she didn't make a half-hearted donation like the other classmates!

...

While Yun Shuang and Yun Wan were sealing their deal, Ji Lian was also busy.

As soon as the manager arrived at the office, Ji Lian presented the sweet potatoes.

"You say this is a sweet potato?" The manager, a middle-aged man with a beer belly, glanced at the red item on the desk and waved his hand, "Alright, got it, you can go now."

Ji Lian was not satisfied with this outcome.

The manager didn't pay much attention to this new variety, after all, the reputation of the Ji Clan was there, and it was understandable that he didn't believe anyone could surpass the Ji Clan.

Ji Lian was unwilling to give up the opportunity easily, and he had come prepared.

He took out the sweet potatoes he had roasted early in the morning from his bag. He had gotten up at five in the morning to prepare them, and the roasted sweet potatoes had been kept in a thermal container to preserve their aroma and ensure the temperature was just right for the best taste.

As soon as he took them out, the faint but increasingly rich aroma of the sweet potatoes began to permeate the air.

The manager couldn't help but be drawn to the sweet potatoes, and his eyes, which had been locked on the documents, lifted and turned towards Ji Lian.

Ji Lian took the opportunity and continued to introduce the sweet potatoes.

"Manager, these sweet potatoes were discovered by me on a small planet. When roasted and eaten, they emit a particularly enticing aroma, with a soft, glutinous, and sweet taste. They are very delicious and are sure to be loved by the public..."

"This is the roasted sweet potato I made using conventional methods, please take a look."

The manager stayed calm and collected. He didn't say yes or no, just tapped his fingers on the papers. Finally, noticing Ji Lian's confusion, he set the papers down and let out a couple of chuckles.

"You've really done your homework."

He reached out, and Ji Lian got the hint, handing over the insulated box.

The manager took the insulated box, took a good look at it for a second, and then just snapped the sweet potato in half.

The sweet potato didn't look like much, but it smelled amazing, had a golden inside, and looked great. A quick bite showed it was soft, sticky, and sweet.

This new food had it all—great looks, smell, and taste. It had a lot of promise. The manager could already see it being a hit.

"Not bad," the manager commented.

He shot Ji Lian a knowing look and continued, "You've done well. It's indeed a good product. Go ahead and draft up a proposal for me."

Ji Lian was thrilled and decided to save all his tasks for the afternoon, focusing on finishing the proposal by morning and turning it in.

"Alright, just leave it there," the manager said without much interest, not even looking at Ji Lian when he handed over the proposal.

Ji Lian wanted to speak up but hung back.

After a while, the manager finally noticed someone was still there.

"Why aren't you getting back to work?"

"Manager, should we keep working with Shennong Star?" Ji Lian asked bluntly.

The manager smiled, "I'll handle it later. Just focus on what you're doing now."

Ji Lian's earlier joy turned to hopelessness upon hearing the manager's words.

He felt crushed and bitter.

In the end, he had no choice but to continue working like a lifeless corpse.

The manager's heartless words kept echoing in his ears.

I'll handle it...

Hmph, how will he handle it? Certainly not with him! He knew the great opportunity that the sweet potato and Shennong Star could bring, and the manager knew it too.

Why didn't he realize that this person would blatantly steal his achievements!

Was he too young? Too trusting? But without going through the manager, who else could he tell about the sweet potato's business potential? He hadn't even entered the boardroom, let alone left this department!

Was there really no way for him to rise?

He felt ridiculous, even thinking he was one of the candidates for promotion. But now it seemed the truth was that the promotion candidates had already been decided!

No matter how hard he worked, some things were never meant to be his!

If he hadn't held any hope, it would have been fine, but why give him hope only to cruelly crush it in the end!

Suddenly, he felt it was all meaningless—the endless, monotonous work, the people with their own agendas, and the recognition and opportunities he would never get...

He opened his smart device, looking at Yun Wan's reply. Originally, he had been filled with joy, but now he was disheartened.

The interface remained on their previous conversation.

[We are Ji's Fresh, with extensive experience in natural food marketing...]

[Great, it's an honor to cooperate with you!]

He stayed for a long time before gathering a little strength to type.

[Okay, someone else will contact you to follow up on the subsequent matters.]

[Someone else?]

The other side was puzzled, and Ji Lian didn't explain much.

[Yes.]

After saying that, he closed his smart device, buried his face in his palms, pressed his forehead against the corner of the table, and his drooping shoulders revealed indescribable fatigue.

After sealing the deal, Yun Wan glanced at the express delivery, and the delivery bot would arrive tomorrow.

Having just closed two big deals, she dove back into work, first putting the seeds into the seed soak. The concentration of the seed soak had been diluted significantly, and after this use, it would have little effect left.

It's a pity the system doesn't provide this kind of seed soak.

Before she knew it, it was lunchtime, and as always, it was a few sweet potatoes. After eating, she caught some Z's and then went out to explore in her hovercar.

She struck it rich today, with a hundred blue crystals. She didn't exchange these with the system, saving them to power up the Mountain Gate Grand Array.

As soon as she got home, Miao Miao, the cat, was waiting at the door for her, gazing at her with anticipation, her black grape-like pupils dilated, glistening with tears.

"Meow~"

Miao Miao called out sweetly.

Yun Wan's heart softened.

It feels so good to have someone waiting for you at home.

Yun Wan gave Miao Miao's head a gentle stroke and then scratched her chin, eliciting a contented purr from Miao Miao.

Miao Miao narrowed her eyes, feeling satisfied.

This girl's got something special!

Standing up, she noticed Yun Ge's door was ajar, with the little boy standing in the doorway, looking out.

Oh, there's another one waiting for her.

Yun Wan waved at him, and Yun Ge took a couple of cautious steps, realizing he got it right, and ran up to Yun Wan.

His eyes sparkled with excitement.

Yun Wan gave his head a pat and asked, "Were you good while I was out?"

"I've been reading non-stop."

He knew Yun Wan liked him to read.

"Good job, Yun Ge!"

Hearing the desired answer, Yun Ge's heart felt like it was soaring.

His sister praised him!

His eyes lit up even more, and he said shyly, "I'm not that amazing."

He wasn't used to receiving praise, and no one had ever called him great.

"Haha, don't be modest, Yun Ge is a great kid!"

Yun Ge blushed at the praise again.

He got so much praise today!

The touching moment was cut short by a strange noise.

It was the ginger cat's stomach growling with hunger.

"Haha, the cat's hungry, let's eat!"

Yun Wan cooked sweet potatoes, making Yun Ge happy, but she was eager to vary the menu. She had to plant new vegetables soon!

You can't eat the same thing every day, no matter how good it is!

Miao Miao eyed the sweet potatoes, took a few bites, then hid them in her mat unnoticed.

After they ate and Yun Wan cleaned up, Miao Miao pretended to lick her lips.

"The cat did great today, eating so fast," Yun Wan took the opportunity to pinch Miao Miao's cat face.

Then, Miao Miao's stomach growled even louder, almost thunderous.

"Is the cat still hungry?" Yun Wan wondered.

The cat was tiny, yet her appetite was bigger than an adult's?!

She cooked two more sweet potatoes to keep the cat from going hungry.

After cleaning, Yun Wan saw the cat had eaten quickly and was still hungry.

Curious, she felt the cat's soft, flat belly, wondering why she was still hungry.

That's four sweet potatoes already!

Yun Wan, determined, cooked two more sweet potatoes to see how much the cat could eat.

This time, the cat was finally full, lazily licking her paws, leaving Yun Wan stunned.

Six sweet potatoes! A cat ate six?!

Even she couldn't eat that much without bursting, yet the cat was fine, still eyeing the raw sweet potatoes.

Huh? She wasn't this hungry before. Did she find a meal ticket and show her true colors?

She didn't dare cook more. If this kept up, they'd run out of food and have to live on nutrient fluid!

Oh my God! I can't afford this!

What kind of cat did I get?! No wonder they call them pig-cats. This one eats almost as much as a pig!

Who gave me the courage to adopt a cat?!

Chapter 19: Miao Miao Runs Away

In the evening, the moon rose above the willow branches.

Miao Miao opened her eyes, scratched her claws on the ground, and tiptoed around Yun Ge and Yun Wan's door to confirm they were sound asleep. She went back to her nest and dug out the sweet potatoes hidden under the mat, one by one.

She cleverly opened the mat to wrap the sweet potatoes, bit the knot of the bundle, and hobbled out the door.

The bundle was too big and heavy, dragging on the ground and slowing her down.

Her legs occasionally got tangled in the bundle, slowing her down and making her less agile. Sometimes she bumped into small branches by the roadside, messing up her smooth fur.

Miao Miao didn't care about her beloved fur, and with a few leaps and bounds, she reached her destination.

It was a building that looked like a shipping container.

Miao Miao slipped in through a hole she knew well.

The door of the abandoned lab was always locked, so the hole was their way in.

As she entered the underground level, the quiet night was filled with noise.

"I smell Miao Miao. Is she back?" said a tender voice.

"What? I don't smell it," said a loud voice.

"She hasn't been back for a long time. Was she killed by a beast? Boo hoo..."

"Caw! Dead, definitely dead!"

"Boo hoo... poor Miao Miao!"

"YaYa, don't be such a pessimist!" the tender voice said with anger, lacking authority but adding a touch of cuteness.

Miao Miao heard their talk from a distance, frowned, and moved faster.

She went to her sleeping spot, dropped the bundle on the ground, and glared at her friends, "I heard you were spreading rumors that I died while I was gone?"

"Wow, it's Miao Miao! It's really Miao Miao!"

"Miao Miao is back!"

"Woof woof, go tell Grandma that Miao Miao is back!" the tender voice belonged to a Green Snake, its tail dragging on the ground while the upper half of its body stood tall.

"Woof!" Woof Woof, a loud dog, trotted off as Se Se told him to call Grandma.

"Miao Miao, I was so worried about you! Where have you been? Did you catch a lot of prey?" Yellow Chick, with tears still in her eyes, cried and leaned into Miao Miao, nuzzling the fur under her white scarf.

She was Ah Huang.

"Caw, alive, still alive," said Gah Gah, a crow beastman.

All eyes were on Miao Miao, and she, used to the attention, calmly flicked her tail.

"I didn't go hunting. You'll find out when Grandma gets here! Now, who said I died?"

Miao Miao shook her ears.

"Me..." said Ah Huang, weakly raising her wing.

"Crybaby?" Miao Miao glanced sideways, causing Ah Huang to step back in fear and apologize repeatedly.

"No big deal." Miao Miao let the matter drop.

She didn't mess with Ah Huang, as Ah Huang could cry for an entire day once she started, and no one could console her.

The grandmother everyone spoke of finally showed up.

She wore a silk nightgown, her hair loose, and her appearance was gorgeous, a woman in her twenties, yet everyone called her "grandmother."

"Miao Miao is back." Grandmother's voice did not match her youthful appearance; instead, it carried a sense of world-weariness.

"Yes, Grandmother, I also brought some stuff back." Miao Miao opened the package.

Grandmother looked over the items Miao Miao had brought back, her expression not showing the joy Miao Miao had imagined, not even curiosity.

Upon hearing Miao Miao say that these plants were edible, her expression grew even graver.

"Where did you find these?" Grandmother asked.

"...Two people showed up on the planet."

Grandmother looked like she'd expected as much. She didn't look at the sweet potatoes and said to the little creatures present, "Strangers have come to the planet. Everyone, don't go out recently, Miao Miao included. Be cautious. Our food reserves are still sufficient, and we can manage by being frugal."

"Did Miao Miao give away where we are?"

Miao Miao shook her head, a little bummed about not being able to go out, and first explained, "She thought I was just an ordinary animal..."

Then she continued, "...They are a woman and a kid, Grandmother. They are not a threat. They gave me this food..."

Grandmother stayed quiet for a while, her eyes fixed on Miao Miao.

Finally, she sighed.

"Miao Miao, did you forget what I told you?"

Miao Miao shook her head, "Nope."

"Then tell everyone, what I always say?" Grandmother's expression was very serious.

"Don't... don't get curious about the outside world. It's dangerous out there..."

"Yes, Miao Miao, we are different from them. You've only known them for a few days. Do you know who they really are? Even if they are good now, what if they discover our secret? Can you ensure they won't be tempted? Do you want to be locked in a lab for the rest of your life?"

"Don't push your luck with people, Miao Miao."

After saying this, Grandmother shot Miao Miao a serious look and turned to leave.

Miao Miao's eyes welled up, feeling wronged.

"But... but they are so kind..."

"Gah, bad people! Lock them up in a lab!" YaYa repeated.

This set Miao Miao off. She slapped the ground with her paw.

"Shut up, crow! Don't speak, or I'll rip your beak off! What do you know? You have no right to speak here!"

Her voice was so loud it startled GaGa, sending black feathers fluttering in panic.

"Wow, this is amazing! Maybe having these two outsiders around isn't so bad after all!" Ah Huang's voice interrupted the argument between the two, her tiny beak poking holes into the forgotten sweet potato.

"Hmph! See? I told you they're not so bad!"

Miao Miao's eyes gleamed with mischief as she handed out the sweet potatoes to her friends.

"Delicious, delicious! I've never tasted anything so good before. This flavor is..." Wang Wang gobbled it up, skin and all, his tail spinning like a propeller.

"It's sweet."

"Sweet?" Wang Wang, busy as he was, lifted his huge dog head, his nose smeared with suspicious sweet potato residue. "Sweet is awesome! Sweet is the best! I'm declaring sweet as my all-time favorite flavor!"

"Indeed, it's quite delightful." Se Se wrapped her tail around a sweet potato much larger than herself, nibbling with grace.

"Delicious! Caw, they're good folks, really good folks!"

The group's opinion of Yun Wan and the other was glowing, a satisfied spark flickered in Miao Miao's eyes.

"There's one more. Who hasn't eaten? Little Monster?" Miao Miao looked around and discovered the little monster hiding in the corner, almost invisible.

He stepped out of the shadows.

The little monster had a humanoid upper body and octopus tentacles for the lower half. His eight bluish-black tentacles moved independently, each with a purpose, some alternately sticking to the ground, others wandering in the air.

His tentacles were strange and a bit frightening.

"Thank you." He extended a tentacle, coiled it around the sweet potato, and returned to the darkness.

He peeled the skin, took a small bite, paused, and then ate more slowly, savoring it.

So this is what sweetness tastes like…

The five of them were totally lost in the deliciousness of the sweet potato when Miao Miao suddenly said, "Is it good?"

All five nodded eagerly, not even looking up.

"Want more?"

They nodded again.

"But what if I can't leave the house?"

Hearing this, the sweet potatoes in their hands suddenly didn't seem so tasty anymore.

Wang Wang and Se Se thought hard, Ah Huang looked like she might cry, and even Caw Caw stayed quiet. They all stared at Miao Miao, waiting for her next words.

"I've got an idea!"

Miao Miao leaned in and whispered her secret plan to the group.

"How's that supposed to work?" Wang Wang exclaimed.

"Quiet! It's not just you—we're all in on this. Grandma's gonna say yes for sure!" Se Se lowered her voice.

In the end, they decided to take turns sweet-talking Grandma, pulling out all the stops to get her to let them go.

The next day, Grandma found the little beastmen either rolling in front of her, dancing, or singing, always ending with a request to go out. Watching Miao Miao observing from behind the door, she felt a headache coming on.

"Do you really want to go out so badly?" She wasn't thrilled about these outsiders who'd gotten the little ones all riled up and defiant.

"Did Grandma say yes?" Miao Miao eagerly popped out.

Grandma shook her head, even more sternly.

"No way, you're not going out!"

"Enough with the puppy eyes, I'm not budging!"

Miao Miao and the others came back defeated, plopping down on Miao Miao's cushion in defeat.

The little monster hadn't been involved, but seeing them return, he was curious about how it went.

From the looks on their faces, Grandma hadn't given the green light.

He wrapped his tentacles around himself and thought: Guess I'm not getting that treat.

The silence dragged on, the mood heavy, until someone finally broke it.

"Miao Miao, are you gonna go?" Ah Huang asked.

Even though Grandma said no, the door wasn't locked.

They'd always listened to Grandma and never went against her.

But this time, with the door wide open, they couldn't resist testing the boundaries.

Miao Miao looked up, her eyes fixed on the hole for a while.

Early that morning, Yun Wan had just picked up the package and fired up three reclamation robots as per the manual.

Once she hit start, the robots sprouted six arms from their backs, each wielding tools like axes and shovels.

The robots lumbered forward on their long legs, heading toward the forest.

Despite their bulky, awkward frames, they worked fast, clearing a big patch in no time.

Yun Wan nodded, pleased; at this pace, they'd be ready to plant by afternoon.

Back at the safe house, she felt like something was off.

By lunch, the feeling was even stronger.

But when she went to put the sweet potatoes in the cat bowl, she stopped, hesitating.

"Yun Ge, have you seen the cat?"

"No."

"Haven't seen it all morning, and weirdly, the cat bed's gone too."

Yun Wan was completely baffled. She ran outside and scanned the area, but there was nothing—no sign of anything suspicious.

"System, any sign of my cat?"

"[Not in any area you've explored.]"

"What?"

She looked up at the bright sky, her mind blank, feeling like screaming. What, where is my cat?

Where on earth has her well-behaved ginger cat with the white collar gone?!

Could it have run away from home because it didn't get enough to eat yesterday?

Even the cat bed is gone; it seems quite determined.

Oh cat, you're so foolish! You won't find another person on this entire planet who can take care of a cat like her!

Before she could even start to grieve for the missing cat, a strange male voice came from not far away, startling a flock of birds.

"Help! Is there anyone who can save me!"

There was no one around; the voice seemed to come out of nowhere.

Yun Wan was startled—what was supposed to be there was gone, and what shouldn't be there had appeared!

This is strange!

The cat must have been taken by a monster!

"What kind of monster is causing trouble here!" Yun Wan kicked away a log that had fallen on the road by the land-clearing robot, and marched fiercely toward the source of the voice.

Chapter 20: The Den of Temptation

Ji Clan.

After Ji Lian left, the manager picked up the proposal on the table and carefully reviewed it.

He had learned many important pieces of information, such as the fact that Shennong Star was just a barren planet, and its lord, Yun Wan, although surnamed Yun, had no connection whatsoever with the Yun family. She was merely a poor girl with no background or money, and she had a younger brother to support.

A gleam of ambition flashed in the manager's eyes.

Initially, he had intercepted Ji Lian's proposal with the intention of using it to advance his career, but now he had changed his mind.

Having worked in the Ji Clan for many years, he fully understood how lucrative the agricultural sector could be. Now, a small-time planet lord actually possessed planting techniques and unknown seed varieties. If he could acquire these, he could establish his own "Ji Clan," even surpassing the glory of the existing one.

A lord with no background didn't deserve such valuable assets!

The manager called his nephew and instructed him to reconnoiter Shennong Star.

His nephew, Zhou Ye, was a lazy troublemaker who had only managed to secure a position as a sales associate at Ji's Fresh thanks to his uncle's influence.

Zhou Ye was puzzled by his uncle's request.

"What am I supposed to do in that godforsaken place?"

The manager rolled the document into a tube and smacked Zhou Ye on the head.

"Weren't you listening just now? You, go and check out the defenses of Shennong Star. Why ask so many questions? You'll find out later! Don't mess this up, or I'll beat you to death!"

The manager was furious with his clueless nephew. How could someone so old still fail to understand the situation?

Fortunately, Zhou Ye was quite obedient and followed orders well, making him a reliable pawn.

"If there's an opportunity, install a few surveillance devices there," the manager added.

Zhou Ye obeyed his uncle and took leave that very day, bought a ticket to Shennong Star.

This planet was located on the outer rim of the galaxy, in a region where few planets were well-known to the public. Compared to the central planets, it was barren and inhospitable, with outdated infrastructure in terms of environment, healthcare, and education. Apart from the locals, no one was willing to live here.

Upon arriving at Shennong Star, the spaceship was already empty.

Zhou Ye slung a briefcase across his shoulder, wore sunglasses, and donned a flashy plaid suit. His leather shoes looked out of place on the wild, overgrown plains.

He dodged a small flying insect, sneering in disgust.

What a place for savages!

Without a map, he didn't know which way to go.

Luckily, he had come prepared. He pulled out a few moth-shaped drones from his bag, pressed a button, and the drones flew off in all directions. Soon, the areas they flew over were mapped out and displayed on Zhou Ye's smart device.

This was a live map.

Zhou Ye stood in place for thirty to forty minutes before the drones finally found signs of life. From the footage, he only saw a red outline.

The drones could only capture scenery and couldn't identify living beings; any living creature would appear as a red shadow.

There was a makeshift lord's residence there, likely the dwelling of the Shennong Star Lord.

Who still lived in such a free, rudimentary lord's residence these days?

He looks like a broke loser, what kind of defense facilities could he afford? Uncle's really something else, insisting on sending me here. There's not even a bar. I really don't know what's so attractive about this dump of a planet!

Zhou Ye grumbled under his breath but didn't dare to half-ass it.

He swiped across the light screen, checking the distance to the lord's residence. He found the direction and set off.

The trip was anything but smooth. First, two Swarm creatures popped up, then he encountered a mountain and had to take a detour. Hiking through rough terrain while fighting monsters, he was almost wiped out by the time he reached the vicinity of the lord's residence.

Before he could even catch his breath and get closer to install a few security cameras, the lord's residence, which had been visible just moments ago, vanished into thin air.

He kept walking, and after another half an hour, he should've been there by now, but the surrounding scenery hadn't changed at all.

What the hell's going on?

Zhou Ye frowned.

He opened the map, and a cold shiver ran down his spine.

The map showed that he had been standing in the same spot all along, but he had clearly walked a long distance. Had he been dreaming for the past half hour?

He gave his thigh a pinch.

It hurt. It wasn't a dream.

What's going on now?

Zhou Ye wasn't buying it. He walked while watching the map, but no matter how he moved, even when he started running, the map on his device was frozen, unmoving.

Is this some kind of ghost trick? What's going on? Now he can't find a way to leave, and he can't move forward either. So where is he? Is there a wormhole here?

He tried everything, but Zhou Ye felt like he'd been thrown into another dimension, surrounded by emptiness, with no way to find an exit.

Just as he was about to lose his mind in frustration, a light suddenly flickered ahead. He rushed over, excited, and saw a bustling commercial street.

This dump has a street this lively?

Zhou Ye was suspicious. He walked slowly, looking left and right on the street. The scenes felt strangely familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up when he saw a bar not far away.

Standing in front of the bar were two stunningly beautiful women with curvaceous figures. When they noticed him looking, they both gave him flirtatious glances.

There's such a good place here?

Zhou Ye solemnly averted his gaze, trying to keep himself focused.

The mission isn't finished yet…

But his eyes didn't seem to obey him, constantly wandering to the women's chests.

Finally, he swallowed and resolutely walked toward the bar.

Since he happened to encounter a place with people, he could ask for directions on how to get out.

Right! He's going to the bar to gather information! Uncle shouldn't blame him for that!

Zhou Ye figured he might as well enjoy a little romance in the bar.

As soon as he entered the bar, it was like Tang Sanzang stepping into the spider's lair. All the women immediately surrounded him.

Jostling and laughing, joking around, pale thighs and arms whirled past his eyes.

As he had expected, he had his fun with several beauties. Eventually, feeling worn out, he wanted to decline the invitations from others, but one of them said:

"Can't handle it anymore?"

Zhou Ye, never one to back down from a challenge, couldn't bear to hear such words and jumped right back into the fray.

He patted the face of the beauty beneath him, grinning with a sly charm.

"You'll see if I'm up to it soon enough!"

Zhou Ye got into the groove, picking up the pace. Hearing the sounds from the beauty beneath him, his male ego was greatly satisfied.

Caught up in the moment, he wanted to lean down and kiss the beauty's face, but in a flash, he saw a massive, grotesque fish head beneath him, bubbles frothing.

The shock nearly made him freeze.

Zhou Ye paused, blinked hard, and saw that the beauty's face was still beautiful, which reassured him.

It seemed that he had been a bit too indulgent today, draining too much of his vital energy, which made him feel dizzy.

He picked up where he left off, determined that this would be the last time. He couldn't overdo it and harm his body; there would be other opportunities.

"Master Zhou, feeling good? Did Little Carp serve you well?" another beauty pressed up against him, her chest pressing into his shoulder.

"Comfortable!"

Zhou Ye was pleased and turned to give her a kiss.

"Master Zhou, you're biased, I want one too!"

Zhou Ye spread the love evenly, giving each a kiss.

More and more women lined up for his kisses, but as he kissed them, he noticed something was wrong.

The scene flickered between shadow and light, sometimes showing beautiful skins and other times skeletons.

Like scenes from a nightmare, the real scene kept shifting, finally landing on a crumbling house filled with skeletal horrors.

Zhou Ye was so scared that he leapt up, hurting himself in the process, clutching the spot, howling in pain.

Soon, he had no time to care about it.

Cobwebs draped the ceiling of the ruined house, and a massive spider dropped from above, dangling in mid-air. The spider had a beautiful face, its eight legs constantly moving.

"Master Zhou, what's wrong? Continue, don't you like us sisters anymore?"

Zhou Ye looked at the monster, frozen in shock.

Seizing the opportunity, Little Carp pounced on him, hugging him. "Master Zhou, I still want more, why did you stop? Did Little Carp not serve you well?"

Zhou Ye felt the sticky sensation on his body, dumbfoundedly looked down at Little Carp's ugly fish head, and a sickening stench of fish hit his nostrils.

Despite feeling disgusted, his eyes couldn't help but scan the various monsters around him.

Were these... the beauties he had just enjoyed?

Zhou Ye shivered, stepping back repeatedly. With each step he took back, the monsters advanced one step forward.

When he finally found a chance to escape, the monsters were already prepared. Some rushed to hold the door, while others grabbed Zhou Ye's arms and dragged him back.

"Mr. Zhou, we girls aren't done having fun yet! Where do you think you're going?"

Zhou Ye watched as the crack of the door slowly closed, blocking out the harsh light outside and the deep darkness inside, leaving him hopelessly trapped in the arms of the monsters.

Back on the bed, this time he was the one lying down. Numerous women took turns with him, and Zhou Ye couldn't take it anymore. These creatures even gave him drugs...

He felt like he was going to die, dying because of a woman, how humiliating!

He didn't want to die in such a disgraceful way, so with what little strength he had left, he kept calling for help. The monsters didn't stop him, seemingly enjoying his desperate cries for help.

Gradually, he lost hope. With a final desperate shout, he was surprised to hear a voice respond.

"What the heck? Where are you? Show yourself! Give me back my cat!"

Cat?

Zhou Ye didn't understand what the voice outside was saying.

Great, another woman!

He shivered instinctively, worried this might be another trap.

He talked to the person outside, but the monsters inside didn't seem to care, just kept doing what they were doing.

Either way, he was done for. Dealing with one woman outside was better than facing a bunch of monsters!

Zhou Ye continued to call for help.

"Please, help me! I don't even know where I am. I got off the ship and walked here, and now I'm stuck. Please help me, I'm dying! I'm dying..."

Yun Wan stared into the empty space, completely baffled.

The person inside sounded weak and miserable, not like a cat thief.

Hold on, where did this guy come from?

No one was around?

Then, Yun Wan suddenly remembered something. She returned to the safe house, closed the Mountain Gate Grand Array, and went back to the scene. Sure enough, there lay a man who looked extremely weak.

He looked like he'd been sucked dry by a demon!