The True Heiress Farms for Survival in the Stars

by Usui Takumii

not mine, asia novel. Beware edited mtl.

3. 21 to 30

Chapter 21: The Uninvited Guest (Minor Revision)

Yun Wan stood with her arms crossed, looking down at the man for a moment, then walked over and gave his chest a kick.

From his clothes, he didn't look like a poor man. His clothes, though new, were now torn and crumpled, hanging loosely on him.

His pants weren't even on right, and there were unknown fluids on him.

Was he some kind of pervert?

Yun Wan couldn't stand the sight and gave him a hard kick, flipping him over so his face was pressed to the ground.

The man whimpered, "Don't hit me! Don't hit me! I'm not a bad person!"

It took him a while to muster the strength to straighten his clothes, and he slowly stood up, his legs still weak.

"Not a bad person?" Yun Wan repeated.

Whether the man was really harmless was still up for debate, but given how weak he was and the lack of any physical threat, she could take her time figuring out why he had appeared on her planet.

The man was not young, ruling out the possibility that he was one of the students. He'd landed on her planet without warning. Luckily, the Mountain Gate Grand Array shielded the lord's mansion for a hundred miles, or else she wouldn't know what mischief this man might have been up to!

Before, she thought she had enough money to splurge, but now she just wanted to save up and buy a planetary shield as soon as possible.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Yun Wan asked.

As Zhou Ye cleaned himself up, his mind raced.

He didn't expect the Shennong Star Lord to be a woman in her twenties. Her clothes were tattered and far from elegant, but her face was quite attractive. Used to luxury, this plain type intrigued him.

What a shame! He'd just been through hell and was mentally willing but physically spent.

Pushing aside his dirty thoughts, he recalled his uncle mentioning the Shennong Star Lord's participation in the Lord's Charisma Contest. Zhou Ye grinned.

"I'm a fan! I was passing by and thought I'd stop by to see you. I didn't expect you to be even prettier in person!"

As he spoke, he stepped forward, trying to take Yun Wan's hand.

Yun Wan quickly raised her hands, her almond eyes blazing with anger.

"What do you think you're doing? Hands off!"

"You claim to be a fan? Prove it! Open your live stream and show me your fan badge!"

Yun Wan wasn't lenient just because he said he was a fan. Instead, her tone became even harsher.

Her fans wouldn't pull something like this!

Showing up unannounced and trying to make physical contact—even if he were a fan, they were still strangers!

His behavior and gaze weren't admiration but the twisted possessiveness of a stalker.

Yun Wan's arms broke out in goosebumps.

She hadn't expected to encounter such a disgusting person.

She didn't buy that he was her fan.

Sure enough, when the fan badge was mentioned, the man kept avoiding the topic, claiming his smart device had just broken.

"Oh really? Then how are you planning to get a ticket back?" Yun Wan directly exposed his lie.

"Oh! Right, the ticket..." Zhou Ye felt the awkwardness of being unable to cover his lie, his rat-like eyes darting around, "I still have a backup communication device with me, no need to worry."

"Hmm, I wonder why you're so interested in me." Yun Wan smiled ambiguously, the ticket topic was considered acceptable in her eyes.

"What?" Zhou Ye didn't expect the Shennong Star Lord to keep checking his fan status. He had no idea what was so special about Shennong Star, but this question wasn't hard to answer. "Well, obviously because you're beautiful, haha, I'm pretty shallow."

Yun Wan stared at him until he stopped laughing, then suddenly smiled.

"So, you're a fan, huh?"

"Yes."

"Got anything else going on later?"

"No." Zhou Ye shook his head, wondering why she asked.

"Alright, then do me a small favor later."

Yun Wan said casually, giving Zhou Ye a big smile despite his confused look.

Zhou Ye couldn't figure out why the Shennong Star Lord's attitude shifted so suddenly, just assuming Yun Wan had dropped her suspicions. Remembering his uncle's task, he eagerly agreed and followed her eagerly.

He didn't notice that as soon as Yun Wan turned around, her smile vanished instantly, a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

Then, something happened that Zhou Ye would regret for the rest of his life.

This so-called small favor ended up taking the entire afternoon!

She led him to an open field, with three robots working not far away. He stood around for a bit, then she pulled out several pots and bowls filled with what looked like seeds of various shapes.

Then, she outlined a plot of land and handed him a hoe to plow it.

?

Zhou Ye wanted to say no, but his mission wasn't finished yet...

After just finishing a big fight, he was still drained, his back ached, and now he had to do farm work?!

Faced with Yun Wan's beaming smile, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

Zhou Ye worked reluctantly, keeping an eye on the terrain for any chances, all while thinking about those seeds.

After working as a salesman for the Ji Clan for so long, he wasn't clueless about planting.

He figured the reason his uncle was so interested in Shennong Star had to be these seeds. Who knew such a tiny planet could hold such priceless planting techniques!

After plowing, it was time to sow. He could sneak a couple of the first-gen seeds, she'd never notice, and once he planted the monitor, he'd have gone above and beyond his mission.

See if his uncle wouldn't praise him this time!

Thinking of his uncle's praise, Zhou Ye worked willingly, much harder than before.

Yun Wan marked out the fields, leisurely observing this uninvited guest. He didn't notice someone watching at all, a foolish smile on his lips.

He didn't seem very smart.

After Zhou Ye finished plowing, he ran up to Yun Wan like a lackey, "Is it time to sow? I can help..."

As he spoke, he reached out towards the Spirit Rice seeds.

"Smack!"

Yun Wan pulled out a branch from behind her and struck Zhou Ye's hand hard. Soon after, a swollen red mark appeared on his tender hand, swelling badly.

Before he could react, the girl in front of him cried out:

"Oops! Sorry, I was too hasty! These seeds can't be touched by others, or they won't sprout! You're so kind, you won't blame me, right?"

Yun Wan said with a playful tone.

Zhou Ye looked up, initially about to get angry, but seeing the girl's moist almond eyes, his anger surprisingly subsided.

"No worries, I can take it."

"If it's okay, could you help me move some more stones? The vegetable patch needs to be fenced to prevent animals from ruining it."

Yun Wan pressed further.

Zhou Ye didn't expect her to be so direct. After working for so long, he was pretty exhausted, but seeing the girl's smiling eyes and thinking about the uninstalled surveillance device...

He couldn't get the seeds, but he still needed to install the surveillance device, otherwise...

"You did such a great job tilling the land, moving stones must be easy for you!"

This immediately appealed to Zhou Ye.

Of course he could do it!

He gritted his teeth and held on. Moving stones? Just move them!

"Over there, the robots have already cut them into small pieces. You'll definitely manage."

Zhou Ye eyed the distance, about a hundred meters, which seemed manageable, so he started moving the stones piece by piece, like an ant.

The afternoon sun was blazing, and he was sweating buckets. Whenever he wanted to give up, the girl standing in the shade would cheer him on.

"You're doing great, just a few more stones! You're amazing! Hang in there!"

"You can do it, just a bit more and you're done!"

"Wow, you've moved over forty stones, that's amazing..."

Amidst the praises, he gradually lost himself.

Although he felt a bit dizzy, it didn't seem too tiring...

He could indeed hold on a bit longer...

Had he really moved over forty stones? He had never moved so many before, that was quite impressive!

After Zhou Ye fenced the entire vegetable patch with stones, Yun Wan also finished sowing the seeds during the cooler time, watering them. The Spirit Rice didn't need seedlings and was directly planted into the spirit field. In no time, a large area was planted.

"Well done." Yun Wan packed up the pots and bowls, clapped her hands, and stood up, "So..."

Listening to the Shennong Star Lord's thanks, Zhou Ye couldn't help but daydream.

This must be an invitation to come inside for a meal!

While moving the stones earlier, he seized the moment when the girl turned her back and installed two surveillance cameras on the stones, marking his mission as complete.

However, he still had a few left. If he could plant a few more cameras... especially in the bedroom, that would be even better!

Yun Wan reached to her waist, meeting the man's naive, hopeful gaze. She gave a reassuring smile, then swiftly drew her freeze gun and fired two shots into the man's arms.

Before the man could react, his hands turned into giant, transparent ice pops, too heavy for his aching shoulders and shaky legs.

Instantly, his ice-pop hands dropped to the ground, pulled by gravity, forcing him to bend over, his butt sticking up.

"What are you doing?! I'm your fan! I helped you all afternoon!"

Zhou Ye was frantic. He tried to stand up, but his ice-pop hands were too heavy.

Yun Wan couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his butt wriggling in all directions.

Exhausted, Zhou Ye finally knelt on the ground, his ice-pop hands flopped awkwardly at his sides.

"Huh? Why the bow? I can't accept that!" Yun Wan walked up to Zhou Ye, then suddenly stepped aside.

Now, looking at her smug face, Zhou Ye realized he'd been played!

She'd never trusted him, tricking him into hard labor all afternoon, and now she was ready to dump him!

He was convinced this godforsaken place was cursed for him. The moment he arrived, a group of women drained his energy, and this one was no better. After all his efforts all afternoon, he got nothing in return! A few more times like this, and he'd be dead here!

"You helped me a lot today. Would you like to stay for dinner? I'd like to thank you properly..." Yun Wan said leisurely.

"No, no!"

Zhou Ye cried. Was this really a thank-you? His hands were still frozen! Clearly, she was planning to destroy the evidence!

"That's too kind of you..."

"No, it's fine!" Could he say it wasn't fine? Could she just give him a quick end and stop tormenting him!

"Well..."

"No, no!" Zhou Ye was numb by now. He just wanted to leave. Could he even leave?

"Ah, I was thinking you're not in a good state right now. How about I have a robot carry you to the spaceship landing point? You don't need that? Okay..."

"Yes, I need it!" Zhou Ye panicked again.

With these hands, he wouldn't make it to the landing point by tomorrow.

"Haha! Dream on! Illegal intruder, thinking you can just walk away? Do you think I'm stupid!" Yun Wan's tone shifted, and she kicked his butt.

"I really am your fan... Ow! Stop hitting me!"

"Explain yourself to the interstellar police!"

Yun Wan opened her smart device, ready to call the police.

Seeing the situation turning bad, Zhou Ye's alarm bells rang. Struggling, he pressed something in his trouser pocket with his ice-pop hands. Instantly, a hard mechanical shell enveloped him, and a propeller slowly extended from the top, generating a powerful airflow that blew sand into Yun Wan's eyes.

Before she could call the police, the man escaped on a bizarre-looking flying machine.

[Should we chase him, Host?]

"Chase him? No way."

Yun Wan never thought she could catch him in the first place. If someone's planning to do something bad, wouldn't they be prepared?

Him escaping was to be expected.

Even if she managed to call the police, Shennong Star's remoteness meant it would take them at least an hour or two to get there. He'd be long gone by then.

[Why did you let him go, Host?]

Hearing the system's question, she fell silent for a moment.

She didn't mean to let him go; she just couldn't bring herself to cross that moral line.

Her reluctance to kill gave the man his chance.

Otherwise, he'd have been dead the second she pulled the trigger.

Despite his escape, Yun Wan called the police and reported the incident to the interstellar authorities.

Zhou Ye's aircraft had a ten-minute flight limit. He couldn't escape Shennong Star by aircraft; his only option was to fly to the landing point and catch a spaceship.

When he reached the landing point, he sighed in relief and collapsed, completely exhausted.

After resting for a while, he got up and opened his smart device to buy a ticket.

Get the hell out of this place as fast as I can! He never wants to come back here, not in this lifetime, or the next, or the one after that, or ever!

His smart device was encased in solid ice. Using the infrared sensor, Zhou Ye managed to get it open. Unable to tap the screen, he had to take off his shoe and use his foot instead. He fumbled around like a monkey, scratching his head and ears, but finally managed to buy the ticket.

Soon, the spaceship arrived, and a large group of people disembarked. Almost everyone glanced at him.

Why would anyone still come to this godforsaken place?!

Zhou Ye was in a daze and almost bumped into one of the women, causing him to step back in fright, dragging his hands along the ground.

Women! He never wants to deal with them again in his life! They're absolutely terrifying!

Torturing his body while also breaking his spirit!

Women's hearts are too dark!

Chapter 22: Hello, Guests? (Minor Edits)

Feng Gang, a student in the Archaeology Department at the Imperial Military Academy, also serves as the liaison for communications with the Shennong Star Lord.

Visitors to the barren planet weren't just from the Archaeology Department; students from the Medical Department and even the Planting Department caught wind of it and stubbornly tagged along, not to mention a whole host of mentors.

"Professor, what's our next move?" Feng Gang asked the elegant middle-aged man in front of him, his mentor, known as Professor Zhao.

Professor Zhao, being older, doesn't use the high-tech gadgets favored by the younger generation, but he does have a fold-eared beast with a keen sense of smell, adept at locating objects.

Despite being a member of The Swarm, it's gentle and particularly cute, with long ears and red eyes, as if fate had granted it a unique favor in the long history of animal mutations.

Professor Zhao discovered it during an archaeological expedition on a barren planet. Separated from the main group and on the brink of starvation, he encountered the fold-eared beast. This kind little creature brought him food, helping him hold out until the main group could rescue him.

Thus, the two formed a bond.

He brought the fold-eared beast back to the capital planet, where research was conducted on this benign mutation. However, they also discovered a significant issue: the creature's lifespan is extremely short.

Now, the fold-eared beast has entered its twilight years. Because of this, Professor Zhao rarely calls upon it, and this outing marks the first time in several years that he's taken it out.

The fold-eared beast leaped out of its exclusive cabin and landed precisely in Professor Zhao's arms.

Professor Zhao lovingly stroked it and gently placed it on the ground.

"Go and see if you can find any signs of human life…"

The fold-eared beast's whiskers twitched, its nose sniffed, and then it darted off in a particular direction.

Its legs are short, so keeping up with its pace was no trouble for the group.

With their direction set, they moved forward under the night sky and a canopy of stars, savoring the unique atmosphere, as if they'd returned to a slower, more pastoral way of life.

With time to spare, the students began discussing the person they'd just encountered after disembarking.

"Is he also here to visit the Shennong Star Lord? Why did he look like that?"

"Maybe he's got some peculiar habits!"

"What a weirdo!"

...

After seeing off the uninvited guest, Yun Wan, prompted by the system, dismantled two surveillance cameras and also picked up a work badge.

She frowned as she examined the details on the work badge.

Zhou Ye, Ji's Fresh.

Yun Wan opened her smart brain and pulled up the chat window with Ji Lian. It was indeed the same Ji's Fresh.

She had a bad feeling about this.

After some thought, Yun Wan took a photo of the work badge and sent it to Ji Lian, asking:

[Is this person from your company?]

After a while, Ji Lian replied:

[He's one of our salespeople. How did his work badge end up with you?]

[He's here on Shennong Star. Is he the one handling the collaboration? But today he didn't mention anything about it when he came to Shennong Star, and he was acting suspiciously. Are you sure you're still committed to collaborating with me?]

[Did he give you any trouble? The manager is fully in charge of the collaboration with Shennong Star, so I'm not up to speed on the progress. I'll check with the manager tomorrow to see if there was a mix-up.]

[Alright.]

This whole thing made Yun Wan's opinion of the Ji Clan take a nosedive.

It made sense for Ji Lian, someone she knew well, to handle the collaboration. But for some reason, they sent someone she didn't know, and he showed up late.

Now they've sent over a salesperson and even snuck in two surveillance cameras. How intriguing!

If it weren't for Ji Lian's sincerity, his being her fan, and the salesperson not causing any harm while working for free, she would've cursed them out on the spot.

She was eager to tap into the high-end market, make a quick profit, and upgrade the planet's infrastructure. But if they couldn't even show basic respect, there was no point in continuing the collaboration.

Thanks to Ji Lian, Yun Wan decided to give the Ji Clan another chance to explain themselves.

If it was the lower-level staff messing up, the Ji Clan would have to let her pick the contact and make some concessions. If not, the pressure would fall on her! The Ji Clan wouldn't give up such a golden opportunity with Shennong Star.

After shutting off her smart device, Yun Wan finally got around to cooking. Sweet potatoes were on the table, but before she could take a bite, another commotion broke out outside.

What god did her barren planet piss off? It's always something here!

Yun Wan grabbed her cryo gun, machete, and a flashlight, then stepped outside.

"Whoa, there's a ton of pigs here—come grab them! Seriously, are there this many pigs on Shennong Star?"

"What are you on about? Pigs? I don't see any pigs! Isn't this just a field of sweet potatoes? Are you seeing things?"

"Money, I see so much money!"

"Holy cow, a legendary mech!"

...

It was the same spot, the same Mountain Gate Grand Array, but this time it wasn't just one person—it was a whole group.

To make it easier to control the Mountain Gate Grand Array, the system had passed the incantation for opening and closing it to Yun Wan. Now she didn't need to run back and forth.

As soon as she closed the Mountain Gate Grand Array, the air fell silent for a moment, and the dark crowd blended into the night.

"Are you students from the Archaeology and Medical Departments?" Yun Wan asked.

"Ah, yes."

"And the Planting Department!"

"...Alright, follow me. The lord's mansion is still a bit far."

"Be careful, there are no streetlights here yet."

The students trailed behind her, and she overheard someone mutter.

"No streetlights? There's not even a road here!"

"Hey, by the way, where did the things we just see go?"

"I just dug up two sweet potatoes and was about to eat them, but they suddenly disappeared!"

"Is this a holographic projection?"

"Holographic projections can't interact with physical objects, but what just happened felt like it was in the real world. How do you explain that?"

Amid the discussions, the group arrived at the Governor's Residence.

Yun Wan pressed her temples, which were throbbing from the noise, and then opened the door.

"Come on in," she said, flipping the light switch to illuminate the room.

She walked to the center, ready to hash out the next steps with the students.

She hadn't expected them to arrive this late, and with not many buildings on Shennong Star yet, she didn't want to take them to the safe house—it was her last resort for survival. These students would have to settle for the Governor's Residence.

When she turned around, the students trailing her nearly ran into her.

Yun Wan glanced at the crowd occupying most of the space and the people still trickling in from the entrance, then silently continued forward.

By the time she got to the sofa, the students had encircled her.

Yun Wan looked up at the students, who towered over her, feeling a bit lost.

As more people squeezed in, the air got stuffier, and she started feeling short of breath.

"Sorry, squeeze in a bit more, there are still people outside…"

"Sorry, need to squeeze in more, there are still people…"

"Sorry…"

She lost count of how many times they had to squeeze in, but in the end, Yun Wan didn't even have a place to stand. With no other option, she climbed onto the sofa, finally getting a clear view of the chaos in the Governor's Residence.

The noise around her kept going, but her mind had already checked out, her gaze unfocused.

Yun Wan had never imagined Shennong Star would host so many… guests, nor had she thought the Governor's Residence could hold so many people.

The place was jam-packed. If this were a vehicle, it would be way over capacity, with people hanging off the windows and doors, inside and out.

She couldn't help but shiver.

Had she become socially anxious from not seeing people for so long?

No one had warned her that an entire academy was coming! Did they really need this many people just to collect pig blood, worried they couldn't handle the samples? Or were they planning to each take a bottle and turn the pigs into jerky?

Honestly, with this many people, they could easily move dozens of pigs back…

Yun Wan was feeling extremely uneasy.

"Excuse me… did the whole academy come?" she asked timidly, raising her hand.

Her voice was soft, but the moment she spoke, the room quickly fell silent.

"No, they wanted to come, but there are too many of us in the academies, so only a fraction came."

Ah! They still want to come? No way! Don't come!

Only a fraction came, and that's good! Any more and Shennong Star would be overwhelmed!

Yun Wan muttered to herself, but she kept a faint smile on her face.

"You all seem to be of different ages. Are you all students?" Yun Wan asked.

Most of the people here seemed middle-aged, not like students. So why were they on Shennong Star?

A student eagerly replied, "Our mentors came along too."

"Does each of you have two mentors?" Yun Wan hesitated.

"No! It's our mentors, their mentors, and so on..."

"Stop!" Yun Wan cut in, startling everyone, then forced a smile. "Quite a crowd... Shennong Star's living conditions aren't great..."

"It's fine, Lord. We just need a place to stay."

"There's a place to stay," Yun Wan said hesitantly.

"Where is it? We'll drop our stuff off. Don't worry, Lord, we can pay the rent."

Yun Wan smiled apologetically at the student.

She really wanted to earn that money, but—

"We're here. It's free for everyone to stay."

The students and mentors all widened their eyes.

Everyone looked around in disbelief, then turned back to Yun Wan, eyes even wider.

"There's no space to stand, how can we stay?"

Yun Wan blinked, pretending not to notice, and said, "Get settled in. I'll leave you to it."

Yun Wan stepped off the sofa, and the crowd parted. She walked to the door in silence.

Finally, she turned to face the students and mentors, their eyes full of hope.

"Quick! Tell them there's another place to stay!"

Some of them had graying hair.

Yun Wan felt a pang of guilt, barely able to look at them.

"Good night, sleep well," she said, then quickly left.

"If it's too hard to watch, don't look!"

She said she wouldn't interfere, but with people on her planet, Yun Wan couldn't let them sleep standing up.

Starnet could solve anything.

She ordered tents on Starnet with express delivery, and they'd arrive in two hours.

It was the best she could manage.

Capital Star, First Sanatorium.

"Where are the guards? Call the guards quickly!"

"What's wrong? Is it possible that..."

"It blew up! Again!"

"There are people buried under the debris... quick, get them out!"

The medical team scrambled, the situation becoming increasingly dire.

"Were you searching for me?"

A deep and hoarse voice came through.

The medics looked up and saw the man they'd been frantically searching for, standing on the rubble, with some scratches on his face and arms, his blue-striped hospital gown torn, but otherwise unharmed.

His coat hung loosely over his shoulders, his hands tucked into his pockets. Judging by his expression alone, you'd think he was just a bystander, not the center of it all.

Before the medics could bring a stretcher, another key figure arrived.

"Cousin, you okay? I rushed back the moment I heard the blast..." A man in warlord-style clothing rushed over, instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

"Oh my god, it's General Lu Ran!"

...

Chapter 23 College Student on Shennong Star

At the First Sanatorium.

Lu Ran leaned against the wall outside the women's restroom, a cigarette pinched between his index and middle fingers, rhythmically exhaling smoke.

As a soldier, he seldom indulged, and smoking was a vice he had always kept in check.

But today, while his fiancée Ye Lin was in the restroom touching up her makeup, he couldn't resist lighting one up.

They had come to the sanatorium to visit his cousin brother, Lu Huai.

"Could it be that the heavens couldn't bear to part with their masterpiece, so they had to take him this way?"

That was Ye Lin's assessment of Lu Huai.

The heavens' masterpiece, huh? Give me a break!

Her tone sounded regretful, Lu Ran mused. Everyone who mentioned Lu Huai did so with regret, and their eyes always held a hint of comparison and deeper meaning when they looked at him.

Yes, he had taken his cousin's place as a general, but with only S-level spiritual power, he was unremarkable among the galaxy's elite and far behind his cousin.

But hadn't he worked hard?

To cover up Lu Huai's scandal, he trained tirelessly, yet no one noticed, only mourning Lu Huai's tragic genius.

He had poured in so much effort, yet he wasn't even a footnote!

Couldn't they see that Lu Huai was history? He was no longer the celebrated young hero but a man forced to live in the shadows.

A 3S on the verge of genetic collapse was more dangerous than the highest-level Swarm species.

If other nobles found out, who knows what chaos it would cause. If not for the Crown Prince's sentimentality and help in suppressing the news, would Lu Huai still be safe in the sanatorium?

Hearing footsteps, Lu Ran extinguished his cigarette and tossed it into the trash bin.

A nurse was pushing a cart.

Lu Ran recognized her; she was Lu Huai's assigned nurse.

His expression darkened, his gaze fixed on the shadow. As she approached, he straightened up, smoothed his clothes, and flashed a perfect smile.

Casually, he called out to the nurse.

"Little nurse."

The nurse halted the cart, suppressing her excitement, and asked, "General Lu, are you talking to me?"

As a fan, she had recognized him but didn't want to seem too eager, so she had avoided looking. She hadn't expected him to call her over.

Seizing the moment, she turned and gazed at his face.

Oh my god, he's so handsome!

She tightened her grip on the cart.

Was her makeup still intact? Was her eyeliner done? Did her eyes look big enough?

"You're my cousin's caregiver, right? I remember you. Are you going to change his dressings now?" Lu Ran made small talk, his voice unusually gentle.

The nurse screamed internally again.

General Lu is so down-to-earth!

As the assigned caregiver, she is well aware of the patient's family relationships. The "cousin" General Lu referred to is her client, Lu Huai, a patient suffering from a genetic disorder.

This condition is incurable and can only be managed with medication. Once it triggers a genetic collapse, the psychic energy will become uncontrollable, causing widespread devastation and eventually leading to a decrease in psychic energy levels.

Lu Huai is one of the patients in the worst condition, and as a result, he has a bit of a temper. He often appears cold and aloof. Although he is more handsome than General Lu, no one's fond of someone who looks mean and brooding.

His psychic energy level seems to be relatively high, and when the genetic collapse occurs, the fallout is severe. Almost no one is willing to be his caregiver, only she had the guts to volunteer.

Because this way, she can often see General Lu, the galaxy's greatest hero!

"Yes," the nurse replied.

She's even jealous of Lu Huai for having a cousin like General Lu, who regularly visits him. If possible, she would like to take Lu Huai's place and suffer this ordeal!

"Oh, it's hard work for you. My cousin... must be difficult to take care of. Please look after him carefully."

"It's no trouble, patients can be like that. It's our duty."

The nurse was flattered.

"Hmm, thank you, but... it looks like there's a smudge on your collar..."

"Ah?" The nurse reflexively covered her collar and gave Lu Ran an embarrassed smile.

Oh no, she's embarrassed in front of her idol!

"There's a restroom just over here. You can go and clean it up first," Lu Ran pointed behind him.

"Ah, but..." The nurse hesitated, glancing at the cart.

"It's okay, I'll watch it for you."

Although it was somewhat inappropriate, the thought of maintaining her image in front of her idol overcame the waiting patient.

Being a bit late won't be a big deal!

The nurse thought as she walked into the restroom.

The smile on Lu Ran's face faded. With no one around, he walked to the cart, selected one of the bottles of medicine, opened it, poured it into the designated waste bin, and then poured the nutrient solution from another small bottle into it.

He slipped the empty bottle into his pocket.

After a while, the nurse came out.

She didn't find anything on her collar and had some doubts, but upon seeing her idol, those thoughts were quickly forgotten. She shyly thanked him and didn't notice that one bottle of medicine was missing from the cart.

"You're welcome," Lu Ran said with a smile, much more sincere.

After staying in Lu Huai's hospital room with Ye Lin for a while, during this time, Lu Ran was just a quiet background. When Ye Lin finally prepared to leave, he glanced back at Lu Huai, who was resting with his eyes closed.

His profile carried a cold arrogance of a genius.

All the way to the parking lot, an explosion sounded from the sanatorium. He was not surprised and smirked knowingly, then quickly composed himself when Ye Lin didn't notice.

"Tsk."

The gasp was drowned out by the deafening explosion.

Now, let everyone see what Lu Huai has become! If the once-revered figure has turned into nothing but a nuisance and a liability, he'd like to see who still dares claim he's no match for Lu Huai!

On Shennong Star, the students of the Imperial Military Academy anticipated the harsh conditions and didn't complain about the tents Yun Wan had arranged for them. The students let the instructors take the lord's mansion and went out to set up tents for camping.

The open space in front of the lord's mansion was just enough to accommodate so many students.

They toughed it out for the night, and when they woke up the next day, their spirits weren't dampened by the rough conditions. Even when the lord explained they'd have to skip meals, they shrugged it off.

At the crack of dawn, they flocked to the pigpen to catch a glimpse of this rare ancient species.

Yun Wan rose early, but not as early as these military-trained students. As soon as she stepped out, she was taken aback by the swarm of students packed around the pigpen. It looked like the pigpen was on the verge of collapsing under the weight of the crowd.

Someone noticed Yun Wan coming out and greeted her excitedly, "Lord, good morning! Don't sweat it, we're being super careful—no harm to the pigs."

"...Okay."

Yun Wan wasn't worried about the pigs—she was worried about a stampede.

She reminded them, "Watch your step—the pigpen's a deep pit with no safety rails. Don't crowd too much. If someone falls in, it could be deadly."

Hearing this, the students jostling for a better view backed off, and some student leaders stepped in to manage the crowd.

"The lord is right, let's not crowd together. This way, no one gets a good look. Let's wait for the instructors to finish sampling, then we'll line up for photos, ten minutes max per person."

"Okay!"

"Good!"

"Agreed!"

The chaos slowly turned into organized commotion—still loud, but far more manageable.

"Oh, and the pigs will need feeding later, so..." Yun Wan said.

"No big deal," most replied.

A few sharp minds were already scheming ways to pet the pigs.

"Lord, I can help feed the pigs!"

"Me too, I can too!"

"I can cook pig feed!"

In a flash, the pig-feeding duties were delegated.

Yun Wan admired the students' energy—it was a relief to have extra hands. Now her vegetable field was getting bigger, and there was more and more work. It was exhausting to do everything herself, and it was time to think about hiring.

However, everything had to wait until the planet's defense facilities and basic infrastructure were mostly built. Otherwise, she couldn't ensure the safety and living conditions of the employees, and she'd just be another greedy boss! Moreover, she would have to get along with the employees for a long time, and if she encountered someone with ulterior motives, she would have to protect herself.

Yun Wan didn't pay attention to these clear-minded and intelligent students, turned on the live broadcast, and then took Yun Ge to water the vegetable field.

She took the day off yesterday, and today when she went live again, her fans erupted in cheers.

As they looked at the sprawling vegetable field that barely fit on the screen, the fans couldn't stop exclaiming.

[OMG! Streamer, you're the best! I thought you were taking it easy yesterday, and I unfairly judged you. I'm guilty!]

[Did the field really grow this much in just one day?]

[Check it out! Those are sweet potato seedlings!]

[Cabbage! I know that one!]

[New varieties too! Streamer, are you rolling out something new?]

"Yep, this batch has some new varieties. Everyone's welcome to try them when they're ready."

[Can't wait!]

[I don't need the new stuff, just hook me up with the classics.]

[Deal, you get the new ones, I'll take the old ones—hands off!]

[Dream on! I'm taking both the new and the old!]

[You're hogging it all! Save some for me—I've never gotten any!]

As Yun Wan started farming, students from the Planting Department quietly approached.

"Ms. Yun, need a hand with watering? We're from the Planting Department—we're used to this and won't hurt the plants," an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl said, accompanied by two friends.

They looked a little shy, smiling nervously as they spoke.

"Sure."

Yun Wan smiled at the three sweet girls and decided to trust them, handing over the field.

She wasn't watering herself, but she kept an eye on things from outside, just in case.

It's not that she's paranoid, but with the growing attention on the Shennong Star live stream, she couldn't rule out people with ulterior motives. Plus, this vegetable field is her livelihood. If something went wrong, not only would her reputation take a hit, but she'd also fall back into poverty, and no one might buy her vegetables anymore.

Better safe than sorry.

"Can we observe the seedlings? It won't take too long," the girl continued.

"Of course. If there's anything you don't understand, feel free to ask, and I'll explain."

"Really?" The three girls were thrilled, their smiles widening. "Ms. Yun, you're so kind!"

Yun Wan was charmed by their genuine smiles and kept explaining the ins and outs of growing vegetables.

Chapter 24 The Experimental Building

After listening to her introduction, one of the short-haired girls exclaimed, "Wow, sister, have the vegetables you planted never suffered from pests?"

"A 100% seed survival rate!" another girl said. "Oh my gosh, if we could have samples for experiments, we could publish a paper in a top-tier interstellar journal in no time!"

"Xiao Yue, don't be silly!" the leading girl pulled Xiao Yue. "We're just here to help sister with watering and observe a bit. The first-generation seeds are precious, a breakthrough in planting technology. How could we just give them away for a paper?!"

After saying that, she apologized to Yun Wan, "Sister, we just got carried away seeing something new, we didn't mean anything else. We've finished watering, we'll leave now..."

Before leaving, she kindly reminded, "You might want to avoid open-air plots, it might give bad people an opportunity."

The plants are not yet mature, very close to the first-generation seeds, and incredibly valuable for research.

After saying that, she reluctantly left.

That vegetable plot is really the Planting Department's dream come true!

...

"Yan Yan, why didn't we continue observing?" Xiao Yue was a little annoyed.

She felt she didn't say anything wrong, why did we suddenly leave?! She wanted to observe more!

"Xiao Yue, can you honestly say you wouldn't be tempted by something so precious?" Yan Yan whispered.

After hearing that, the three girls fell silent.

Yes, when they heard about publishing in a journal, they couldn't help but feel tempted.

Very tempted!

If they stayed, they might lose control and do something unethical.

"Anyway, we've seen it, and sister explained it to us, we've gained so much insight today!" the short-haired girl said.

"Right."

"True."

...

The three girls hurriedly left. Yun Wan could guess what they were thinking, but they didn't need to be nervous.

The system-produced seeds are truly one-of-a-kind, but even if someone took the seeds, without the Spirit Soil from the system, they couldn't succeed in research.

She was sure no one would guess her secret lay in the soil!

And she stayed by the vegetable plot just in case someone tampered with it, ruining the quality of the vegetables.

Yun Wan smiled and shook her head.

She was live-streaming, and some fans noticed the three girls and asked questions.

[Are they new hires by the host? They're quite pretty.]

[Finally, it's not just the host alone, providing vegetables for the entire galaxy is not a dream!]

"No, they're not," Yun Wan quickly explained, noticing the confusion in the comments. "They are Imperial Military Academy students."

[Wow! So envious, I really want to go to Shennong Star too!]

[Want to go, but I'm just a corporate drone.]

Looking at the enthusiastic fans, Yun Wan gave an enigmatic smile.

Shennong Star doesn't have food or places to stay right now, if they really came, there'd probably be a lot of complaints!

[Can we see the piggy today?]

Many fans miss the pink and tender little pig, today the piggy's special window wasn't open, so they asked Yun Wan to go to the pigpen and go live for them.

"Ah, probably not today."

[Why?]

[Is the piggy sick?]

The fans didn't expect such a simple request to be refused, and couldn't help but speculate.

"Haha, the piggy is very healthy, it's just... there's a big crowd around the pig today."

Yun Wan panned the camera, standing on the outskirts of the crowd by the pigpen to show the live stream fans an overview of the situation. The scene was indeed crowded, and the fans stopped insisting to see the piggy, gasping as they saw the mentors step out from the crowd.

[Am I seeing things? Did I just see the medical dream team from the Imperial Military Academy come out?]

[The Planting Department's leading expert, the top of the planting field, who developed the apple tree that's famous across the stars, the pioneer who pioneered piglet farming, skipped the Capital Star Planting Conference, why is he appearing on Shennong Star?!]

[Although, but, there are also people from our Archaeology Department.]

[What's going on? Medical Department, Planting Department, Archaeology Department? Why are these three departments gathering together? Are they having a party on Shennong Star?]

[First time I've seen so many big names, host, what did you do to attract them over!]

[Is it because of the piggy! It's an ancient breed of pig!]

[The piggy's got such charm! No wonder I love the piggy!]

Yun Wan was interacting with the fans when a student suddenly shouted, "Boss, our mentor thinks your pig might be pregnant!"

"Ah?"

Yun Wan was puzzled.

She thought the piggy was still a baby, it hasn't been long since it came from the system, has it even grown up? And it's pregnant?

Upon hearing that the sow was pregnant, the students consciously interrupted the subsequent photo activities, reluctantly moving away from the side of the pigpen to avoid disturbing the pregnant piggy.

The one who checked and found out the piggy was pregnant was an elderly mentor from the Medical Department, his gray beard trembling with excitement.

"Great! Little Pink is such a star!"

As the owner, Yun Wan naturally had the right to see the piggy.

As she approached, she heard the old man's doting words, treating it like his own grandkid.

Little Pink? Who? The pig?

Yun Wan was very shocked and greatly puzzled.

It already has a name? That was quick!

She looked around at the medical students and asked, "Is your professor always like this?"

The medical students shook their heads. Go figure! Their professor isn't usually like this! During lectures, the most he would say was:

"You are the worst batch I've ever taught!"

"How can you sleep at your age!"

He was usually fuming and glaring, nothing like the gentle demeanor he showed towards the pig!

People don't get treated as well as pigs!

Yun Wan understood and turned to look at the old man in the pigpen.

An elderly man in his seventies was bustling around the pregnant pig, very attentive. If the pig knew how much a medical giant cared for it, it might just climb a tree!

Yun Wan couldn't stand it and suggested, "Professor, why don't you come up first? Pregnant pigs are pretty tough."

As soon as she finished, she faced the professor's stern expression.

His mood shifted instantly, from sunny to stormy.

Yun Wan didn't know what she had said wrong, only hearing the old man say, "What do you know? You've never seen an ancient creature pregnant!"

He looked really upset, "You young girl, you don't even care about your own pig! Little Pink's pregnancy is a big deal for the whole galaxy! How can you be so careless?!"

"No, you're too careless. I'll have to take care of it myself," the old man lovingly patted the pig's head.

He stood his ground, but his words caused chaos among the surrounding students and professors.

"Professor Luo, you shouldn't be doing this yourself!"

"What? You think I'm too old?" Professor Luo didn't like being contradicted, frowning.

"Professor, that's not what Professor Li meant. It's just that Shennong Star is still being built, and the conditions are rough. You have to worry about taking care of the piglet. If something happens, how will we explain it to your wife?"

"Exactly, Professor Luo, you can leave the pig to us. Most of us here are your former students, now professors ourselves. Don't you trust us?"

"Right, Professor, take a break and let us handle it."

Several people tried to talk Professor Luo out of it, but the old man was incredibly stubborn, even the live stream fans were getting worried.

[Professor Luo, we get it, and the pig gets it too, but with your health, it's unclear who will be taking care of whom!]

[Yes, go home and get some rest!]

[If you're really concerned, just check in from time to time! If anything happens to any of you, it'd be a huge loss for the galaxy!]

No matter what others said, the old man refused to leave or come out of the pit.

Yun Wan had a headache.

Faced with the stubborn old man, she certainly couldn't let him stay on Shennong Star. Farming was already busy enough, and now she had to worry about taking care of an old man, and not just any old man. If something happened, her guilt would be immense!

But no one expected the usually serious and meticulous Professor Luo to act so stubbornly.

Suddenly, a bunch of people in the live stream started calling out to Professor Luo.

[Professor Luo, the agricultural conference needs you! Isn't it better to sit comfortably in the meeting room and listen to reports?]

[Professor Luo, we need your guidance! We have thermostats, organic food, and advanced agricultural research here. Take a look at us, don't worry about that pig!]

Yun Wan's fans watched as a large number of experts flooded into the live stream, feeling as if it were a dream come true.

These were the celebrities they usually only saw on TV or knew through their published articles, and now they were watching the same live stream as them!

Looking at the flood of comments, the fans couldn't help but think that these people seemed no different from them.

Look at how they were pleading with Professor Luo, wasn't it just like when they were desperately trying to get vegetables?

Same world, same live stream, but different people with different stories, all equally humble!

[Speaking of which, if Shennong Star were more developed, wouldn't we suffer less?]

A fan timidly asked, and it stirred up a wave of responses.

[Right, right! If Shennong Star had proper infrastructure, the host had a large farm, having cabbage and sweet potatoes every day would be a reality, and Professor Luo would have a place to stay, so he wouldn't face such challenges!]

They finally figured out the real issue. It wasn't that Professor Luo was stubborn, nor was it that there were too many fans in the live stream so they couldn't get vegetables. Everything was because Shennong Star was too underdeveloped!

This once-forgotten small planet, left in obscurity at the galaxy's edge, has now returned to the public eye, allowing people to see the hidden beauty beneath its surface and deeply realize its troubled history.

There are many such planets, and they are all the cost of the galaxy's rapid progress.

A few overlooked planets in exchange for the galaxy's growth seemed worth it, but at this moment, in the Shennong Star live stream, almost all viewers all agreed it wasn't worth it.

[I remembered my home planet…]

[Me too, my home planet isn't a mining planet, but it became an industrial base and is severely contaminated.]

[My home planet is now a wasteland, sigh.]

[Shennong Star's condition is still relatively good, there hasn't been large-scale pollution… I have an idea…]

While the fans were expressing their opinions, Professor Luo raised his hand to stop all the advice.

He said, "Aren't you just worried that I won't live or eat well here?"

"How about this, let's build a laboratory building here!"

His voice wasn't loud, slightly tired, but it struck everyone's hearts like a heavy hammer.

After a moment of silence, the air erupted with voices of agreement.

And Yun Wan, the one who stood to gain the most, was completely stunned.

"Build a laboratory building?"

When someone approached her to buy land, she hadn't yet figured out how a laboratory building was being built because of a pig.

She didn't understand, she could only say that the world of the rich was beyond her comprehension!

"Landlord, how much is the land per square meter? Can it be closer to the pigpen…"

How much is the land? She really wanted to know. Where is the land being allocated? She really wanted to know.

Yun Wan pondered.

She realized for the first time that she knew nothing about Shennong Star!

Who would have thought that even though Shennong Star was still a barren wasteland, someone would want to buy land to build here! She didn't even know the going rate for land!

Although she wanted to develop Shennong Star, she only dared to think about making money through farming to build up the planet's defenses, turning it into a habitable planet, and then hoping someone with vision would invest, leading the planet into a period of rapid development.

She hadn't even completed her early-stage development yet, hadn't learned to walk, and now she was expected to start running. Isn't this just setting her up for failure?!

There's really no need for such a dragged-out and forced development!

Chapter 25: Early Stages of Planetary Development

Yun Wan thought over her response before answering, "The land price is still negotiable, but the location must be outside a 500-meter radius from the Lord's Mansion."

She didn't want to rush the land pricing, as it was related to the future development of Shennong Star. Moreover, land prices differ across planets, and she needed to research this. She didn't want Shennong Star's land to be undervalued.

The building locations weren't arbitrary but were based on the Mountain Gate Grand Array. She planned to use the Mountain Gate Grand Array's coverage as a boundary to distinguish between the inner city and the outer city.

The inner city would primarily focus on cultivation and the Lord's private farm, while the outer city would be for residents, developing commercial zones, schools, and more.

This way, the plants and pigs that Shennong Star relies on for survival could be protected, guarding against malicious intrusions.

Five hundred meters was a reasonable distance, and the other party could accept Yun Wan's proposal. The specifics would be discussed later via the smart brain, and an electronic contract would be signed.

Besides Professor Luo's initiative to build a laboratory on Shennong Star, fans from Yun Wan's live stream also joined in.

[Host, can we buy land too? I want to build a hotel on Shennong Star.]

[Wow! So wealthy! Building a hotel just like that!]

[Great idea, building a hotel for everyone's benefit!]

[Honestly, apart from the delicious food, there's not much to attract people to visit Shennong Star. With delivery services so convenient, no one would visit in person. Building a hotel would surely lead to losses.]

[True, Shennong Star is too underdeveloped, lacking even roads.]

[While I enjoy the host's produce, I wouldn't want to visit Shennong Star.]

[It's fine, I'm just building it for fun.]

The fans' comments once again left Yun Wan speechless.

Rich people! What others wouldn't dream of, he's building it for fun?!

She was increasingly baffled by the rich.

Yun Wan was inclined to approve the land purchase if the fan was serious.

On one hand, whether it was a laboratory or a hotel, both were things Shennong Star urgently needed. If Shennong Star had a hotel, there would be a place for guests to stay next time. Moreover, even if the hotel operated at a loss normally, it wouldn't be her loss. It was like meeting a wealthy fool... no! A generous person!

On the other hand, selling the land would also give her more liquid funds, bringing her closer to the planet's protective shield.

Although there were many benefits, Yun Wan wouldn't casually agree to such an important matter.

"Everyone can buy land, but it requires bidding, and the location cannot be chosen by oneself. In two days, I will release the land location map and the amount. Those interested can sign up first, and after passing the initial selection, they will obtain the qualification to purchase the land."

Yun Wan paused, feeling she hadn't missed any important information, and continued:

"The ownership of Shennong Star's land will not be sold. After purchasing the land, everyone will obtain the right to use the land. At the same time, they must comply with the Interstellar Green Treaty. If the pollution emission exceeds the treaty's regulations, the right to use the land will be confiscated. If you still have the intention to purchase, you can privately send me the application form. I will release the application form template tonight."

[Great!]

[Wow, are you really going to buy it? Waiting for the follow-up.]

[If Shennong Star has a hotel, I might consider going there for a visit. The scenery seems quite nice.]

In the evening, Yun Wan sat at her desk pondering over the application form. The form required the applicant's personal information, the intended land use scope and reason, as well as a detailed financial statement to prove they had sufficient economic strength to afford the subsequent development projects of the land.

After completing the form, she uploaded it to the live broadcast room space and tagged all the fans. Soon, a lengthy discussion thread formed in the space.

[The form is so detailed, the streamer is very thorough.]

[Five people have already downloaded it. Are so many people planning to build hotels? Am I missing something about the investment strategies of the experts? Can someone tell me if Shennong Star is really worth investing in?]

[Although Professor Luo is planning to build a laboratory building, Shennong Star is still a typical undeveloped wasteland planet with no tourist attractions or special industries. Unless it undergoes full commercialization in the future, it will be hard to make money from investments.]

[Right, after all, you need people to make money. Currently, Shennong Star doesn't even have a permanent population of more than 2. The only money to be made is from the lord, lol.]

...

Regardless of how the fans are discussing, Liu Tang is planning to build a hotel on Shennong Star.

Not for any particular reason, he's just been feeling annoyed these past few days and wants to find a quiet place to clear his head. Coincidentally, his father, seeing him idle every day, froze his card and gave him some money to fend for himself.

Whether he invests it or spends it, he won't receive any more support from home.

His father wants to push him to be ambitious, and it's driving him crazy.

He really doesn't get it—why can't his wealthy family just let him be a slacker? Why does he have to hustle? He just wants to lie low, to be a slacker. He's not cut out for making big bucks through investments.

He knows his limits, but his father can't see it and still holds unrealistic expectations for him.

So, if he's being pushed to invest, he'll just build a hotel on Shennong Star.

He didn't choose Shennong Star randomly either. He's been following this planet's lord for a long time and has bought a lot of sweet potatoes at high prices—they really do taste good.

Once he builds a hotel on Shennong Star, he won't have to scramble for them on the live stream anymore! He'll have the advantage of being close to the source!

Liu Tang quickly filled out the form and clicked send.

After uploading the form, Yun Wan wasn't sitting around either. She roughly zoned out Shennong Star and then posted a message on Starnet seeking planet development plans.

Although she currently doesn't have the capital for planning, she still wants to make an effort to avoid a chaotic, unorganized cluster of buildings during the planet's initial development.

It would ruin the planet's look!

Thinking of Liu Li on her friends list, she also sought his advice.

Liu Li seems to be from a wealthy family and might have friends who know about this sort of thing.

In the end, it was indeed Liu Li who helped out.

[I have a friend who has drawn some planet development plans, but he just sketched them casually and doesn't make revisions. Do you want to take a look?]

[It's not too pricey, right? How much does one plan cost?]

[Not expensive. Some are his graduation projects, and they're just 500,000 star coins.]

Seeing the 500,000, Yun Wan almost choked on her water.

This is considered not expensive?

She swallowed and continued to ask:

[What about something a bit more basic?]

[Oh, there are also some of his regular assignments, which got good reviews from his teachers. They're just 100,000 star coins.]

[Hmm… is there anything even more basic?]

[...Something more basic... How about this one?]

Yun Wan could tell the other person was struggling, but there was no other way. After purchasing the robot, she was left with just 50,000 star coins, which wasn't nearly enough.

Fortunately, the other person was really trying to help and didn't hold her being broke or picky against her, and even sent over a design draft right away.

The paper was slightly yellowed, with some rough sketches on it, obviously not a big deal.

Perfect, this one's gotta be affordable.

Yun Wan gave it a quick look. Even though the design was pretty basic, it had all the key areas. She was all about practical and budget-friendly.

[This is the one! So simple! I'm in love! How much is it?]

Behind the smart screen, Liu Li had a design textbook in one hand and was typing with the other, though he seemed a little awkward.

Plain? Yeah, it's pretty basic.

This is literally the template from the textbook...

"Ugh, Liu Li, where'd you find such a broke friend with no taste?" The roommate was annoyed that Yun Wan skipped his design and went for this boring template. "I bet she doesn't care about the design—she just wants a deal!"

"She's really struggling." Remembering the first time he saw Yun Wan dressed in rags, Liu Li said so.

After soothing his whining roommate, Liu Li kept typing.

[It's free.]

Yun Wan replied instantly:

[Huh? That's not right! You guys worked on it...]

[It's a template from the book, not ours. It's public domain—anyone in the galaxy can use it. Go ahead.]

Yun Wan was thrilled.

Such good luck! She wasn't about to be shy—she thanked the designer for their generosity!

Still, even though the design was free, she wouldn't have found it without Liu Li.

[Thank you, Liu Li.]

[Shennong Star Lord has transferred 200 star coins to you.]

[Please treat you and your friends to nutrient drinks, sorry for the trouble! When Shennong Star is developed, I'll invite you over.]

[Okay, you're welcome.]

After replying, Liu Li turned off the smart screen and looked up to meet his roommate's disapproving gaze.

"Hey! I saw that, she said she'd treat both of us to nutrient drinks! You're thinking of hogging it all, aren't you?"

"Didn't you say she's poor and has bad taste? Why drink her nutrient drinks?" Liu Li said deliberately.

"I helped too! Go buy the nutrient drinks! I want to drink them!"

...

Yun Wan marked the locations of the hotel and laboratory on the planet development map, along with a series of facilities like schools, shopping malls, and food streets.

Her mind couldn't help but envision the completed construction of Shennong Star, where nature and technology would be perfectly integrated, and the revitalized food culture would become Shennong Star's unique selling point across the galaxy.

When gourmet food moves from the elite to the masses, who could resist tasting flavors that have been dormant for centuries?

According to the map scale drawn by the system, Yun Wan marked the land around the lord's mansion with areas and added the price per unit area. She then uploaded the design to her space with the message:

[Below are the specific details and prices of the land plots. Please be informed. Tomorrow night at nine, applicants who have passed the document review are invited to enter the live broadcast room for bidding.]

After completing these tasks, it was already late at night, and the air was slightly chilly.

Having just finished a strenuous task, Yun Wan's brain cells were unusually active, and she felt no sleepiness. She sat on her bed and meditated for a while.

She meditated, feeling her skin absorb faint spiritual energy with each breath.

Spiritual energy was in short supply across the galaxy, especially on barren stars without ores, where it was even more sparse. If Yun Wan hadn't had prior cultivation experience, she might not even have been able to sense the spiritual energy, let alone cultivate it.

She took her time, gradually converting the scarce external spiritual energy into energy within her meridians. Soon, the energy gathered into a small river the width of a finger, continuously washing through her meridians.

It was an incredibly unique feeling.

Yun Wan could even visualize the changes in her meridians.

Chapter 26

Yun Wan's physical constitution was far from ideal. Along with genetic defects causing genetic collapse, her meridians were not only damaged but also severely blocked, making it extremely difficult for spiritual energy to circulate within her body.

The spiritual energy, no wider than a finger, moved through the narrow meridians, and when it reached a blockage, it was like a river being dammed. Under her continuous efforts, the spiritual energy constantly acted on the blockage, and intense pain radiated from within her body. After tirelessly working to clear the blockage, the previously absorbed spiritual energy was almost depleted.

There were many such blockages within her body.

Improving her physique seemed like a long and challenging journey, requiring constant perseverance.

Clearing the blockages was both beneficial and harmless.

Drawing from her past cultivation experience, Yun Wan speculated that once the meridians were clear, it could improve the issues caused by genetic defects, as genetic collapse due to genetic defects was ultimately caused by energy fluctuations within the body. If the energy couldn't flow, it would spill over, causing harm.

If the meridians were clear, during a genetic collapse, the escaping energy could be reabsorbed. If the meridians were wide enough, the energy would not overflow but would circulate within the meridians, transforming back into spiritual energy.

At the same time, the spiritual energy could flow freely within the meridians, repairing the damage caused by genetic collapse.

In this cycle, while pain was still present during a genetic collapse, it was within tolerable limits, and the situation wouldn't get out of hand or deteriorate.

All in all, this cultivation method was a real game-changer, solving her urgent problem.

The crops produced by the system, combined with this cultivation method, greatly improved her physical condition. Since she first arrived in the interstellar realm and had an episode, several weeks had passed. She had stopped taking her medication weeks ago, and her condition had not recurred.

She saved a ton on meds!

Working on clearing blockages and healing old injuries in her meridians, Yun Wan cultivated for a long time, patching up her fragile body, and in the end, she had no spiritual energy left.

However, her efforts were not in vain. After the blockages and old injuries were healed, her meridians appeared to have expanded and grown more resilient.

She drew in new spiritual energy into her meridians, and even though it was a bit reckless, it did not injure her meridians. Instead, it calmed the restless spiritual energy in a more accommodating manner, like a mom calming a fussy kid. Soon, the spiritual energy calmed down and continued to flow forward.

Time flew by as she cultivated, and before she knew it, a new day had dawned. The gentle morning sun streamed through the window onto Yun Wan's fair face.

As the darkness faded, she realized she had been cultivating all night.

Despite staying up all night, she did not feel tired. Instead, her mind was particularly clear, and her limbs felt stronger.

Unfortunately, her efforts of the night had only resolved the meridian issues in one arm. It would be a long journey to allow spiritual energy to circulate throughout her entire body.

A night of intense cultivation had left her drenched in sweat. After a quick shower and change of clothes, she stepped out and encountered students from the Imperial Military Academy who came to greet her.

They had finished collecting samples and were preparing to leave today.

"Have a safe journey!" Yun Wan waved at them.

In the morning breeze, the students and instructors of the Imperial Military Academy also waved back, creating a grand farewell scene under the golden sky.

On the way, the students sighed.

"Although we only stayed here for two days and the conditions were not ideal, I still feel reluctant to leave. Everything here is so novel..."

"I envy the teachers who can stay and take care of the pigs!"

"Looking on the bright side, maybe when the pigs have piglets, we can buy them from the lord!"

"That's great! Then we'll have our own piglets!"

The students of the Imperial Military Academy came with excitement and left with satisfaction.

The instructors who stayed on Shennong Star also began to manage the sows' care. Professor Luo stayed but didn't get directly involved, standing aside to guide his students.

"Be gentle—can't you hear it crying? You're hurting it! What if its bad mood affects the piglets?!"

"Put this cushion in, Little Pink should have a softer spot to lie on, don't let it press on her belly!"

"Be careful..."

Listening to Professor Luo's meticulous concern, Yun Wan found it amusing.

Enjoying the morning breeze, Yun Wan stood in front of the lord's mansion, looking out.

Before her eyes was the foundation she'd built since coming to the stars.

The two pigs were still in the damp and dark pen, but their bellies were full of piglets. In the future, she would have even more pigs, soon becoming a pig farming mogul.

A few steps away, a wide field stretched out. Most of it was a vegetable garden, where tender green sprouts poked through the rich black soil, enjoying the warm sunshine and sweet dew. They swayed and danced in the breeze, seemingly happy to grow in this land.

The other half was a paddy field, where the Spirit Rice was already growing, and it looked like the grains would soon form.

The field was bursting with life, symbolizing an upcoming harvest.

At some point, Yun Ge also came out of the room and stood beside Yun Wan.

The two figures, one big and one small, stood side by side, looking at the beauty before them, smiling contentedly.

Noticing Yun Ge, Yun Wan placed her hand on his shoulder and proudly said, "Look! Yun Ge, this is the world I've grown for us!"

"Mm! Plant kingdom! What kind of veggie is a kingdom? Does it taste good?"

Hearing Yun Ge's childish words, Yun Wan laughed like a silver bell.

She didn't explain anything.

Yun Ge thought his sister was happy because of the vegetable garden, glanced at her, secretly moved closer, and grinned foolishly.

Standing beside his sister was warm, and he smelled something comforting.

He couldn't help but think, Mom, do you see? He's doing fine, not an unwanted kid, hasn't gone to the orphanage... and doesn't have to live on that chaotic planet anymore, nor be called a little slave...

He and his sister have their own planet, where it's just the two of them, with a big field full of tasty food and two pigs for meat, and some friendly visitors from who knows where.

It seemed like suddenly, the world seemed kinder, smiling at him.

Mom, do you see?

＊

While Yun Wan was enjoying peaceful times, Ji Lian, who'd promised to check on the cooperation progress, was in a frenzy.

He repeatedly tried to talk to the manager, but the manager either asked him to come later or was busy, delaying it until the next day when he finally found an opportunity to ask the manager.

"Manager, I wanted to ask if the cooperation with Shennong Star has started, and which of our colleagues is handling the liaison? I have some relevant materials here that I can hand over to them, to help with the cooperation."

The manager took a sip of coffee, picked up a document to review, and casually said, "Didn't I say you don't need to worry about it? Just give the materials to me, I'll arrange it."

The manager brushed him off with the same old excuse, and Ji Lian felt that his repeated inquiries had made the manager somewhat displeased.

But after all, it was he who initiated this matter, so even if he wasn't responsible for following up, it's only natural he'd want to know the progress, right?

Not only did the manager take over his collaboration, but he also wouldn't let him ask about it. That's just way over the line!

Ji Lian's frustration turned into outright anger at the manager.

He sighed deeply.

Whatever, he didn't actually care about the collaboration's progress. He just wanted to bring up the salesperson who snuck off to Shennong Star!

"Okay, manager, I'll send you the materials. But I didn't mean to bring up the collaboration. Shennong Star noticed we hadn't sent anyone to talk about the collaboration and texted me asking what was up. I didn't know who was handling this, so I came to you."

Ji Lian explained.

Then, he brought up the main topic of this conversation, "Also, there's this salesperson..."

"Did she say anything more?" The manager interrupted Ji Lian.

"What?"

The manager interrupting wasn't unusual, but what threw Ji Lian off was what he said.

Did she say anything more?

Why did the manager ask that?

He was certain the manager didn't know the Shennong Star Lord and hadn't chatted with her. So why ask that? Did he think she had more to say?

What more could she say?

Was the manager worried he'd cut a deal behind his back and steal the collaboration?

He'd never dare! If he pissed off the manager, he might lose his job. He just wanted a stable job with a steady paycheck, not lose his position over a promotion.

The Ji Clan is a top player in the industry, and it's tough to find a job at the same level after quitting.

What also struck Ji Lian as odd was that he thought the manager would use this deal to suck up to the higher-ups and hand the Shennong Star deal to that well-connected competitor, but there was no news about it.

Could a deal this big really be kept under wraps?

Ji Lian was baffled, suspicious but keeping it to himself.

"She didn't say a lot..." Ji Lian replied, then suddenly remembered the salesperson and added:

"Oh, she also said..."

Ji Lian was about to tell the manager about the salesperson but stopped short.

He glanced at the manager, who was staring at him intently, listening very carefully.

"What else did she say?"

Even after waiting for a long time without hearing the follow-up, he started to urge.

Ji Lian felt that there must be something he didn't know.

That salesperson definitely didn't go to Shennong Star by chance.

Could it be... the manager sent her? Otherwise, why would he be so sure that the Shennong Star Lord still had something to say?

Thinking this way, Ji Lian's intuition told him not to tell the manager about this matter.

He shifted gears, "Nothing major, just pushing us to send someone over ASAP to talk about the deal."

"That's it?" the manager asked.

Getting a yes, the manager recalled Ji Lian's earlier words and continued, "You mentioned a clerk earlier? What about the clerk?"

"Oh, just some complaints about the clerk's attitude," Ji Lian made up an excuse to brush it off.

Since it didn't seem urgent, the manager waved Ji Lian back to his workstation.

All afternoon, Ji Lian was distracted, his mind elsewhere.

At dinner time, everyone went to eat. He had been delayed in the morning and hadn't completed his workload, so he ordered takeout and continued working on his plan. Unexpectedly, he saw the clerk whose ID badge had fallen on Shennong Star walk straight into the manager's office.

There's definitely something going on!

The door wasn't closed tightly when the clerk entered, giving Ji Lian a chance to eavesdrop.

He crept over to the door, eager to find out what the manager was plotting!

Chapter 27

After leaving Shennong Star, Zhou Ye encountered many strange looks along the way, feeling extremely disheveled. He had always prided himself on his appearance, considering himself suave and debonair, and it was the first time he had been stared at like a monster.

Irritated by the stares, he quickened his pace home after getting off the spaceship. He used a heater to thaw the ice encasing his hands, and it took three hours for his hands to be freed from the ice.

What the hell kind of energy did that woman use? This ice is so hard to melt!

Zhou Ye moved his hands, which were severely frostbitten, with dark bruises and protruding veins constantly throbbing, looking horrifying.

That damn woman! She's been onto me all along!

Zhou Ye cursed.

Fortunately, he had been cautious, and the surveillance device was installed in a very hidden spot, undetectable without specialized equipment.

He wasn't up for going out in his weakened state, so he stayed at home for a day, recovering his energy before going out to find his uncle.

At his uncle's office, he quickly forgot the ordeal on Shennong Star and even felt kinda proud.

"Uncle, the job is done!" Zhou Ye casually perched on the manager's desk.

The manager shot his careless nephew a glare and slapped him on the back.

"Get off there!"

"Give me the details."

Zhou Ye jumped off the table and, with his usual mischief, picked up the manager's cup and took a sip of water.

"Ugh, this tastes like crap!" Zhou Ye spat a few times, pushing the manager's patience to the limit.

The manager's veins popped on his forehead, wanting to curse, but not wanting to delay the important matter because of his foolish nephew.

"Spit it out! No BS!"

Zhou Ye looked at his uncle's stern face and grinned.

"Ah, Uncle, Shennong Star is just a desolate planet, nothing impressive, no defenses, not even a person, getting in and out was a breeze! I was in and out in no time, installed the surveillance device, and no one noticed!"

"And that little woman! Not worth worrying about, dressed in tattered clothes, just tossed her some cash and she backed off..."

"Oh, since it's so simple, why did you only come to me now?" The manager, hearing that the job was done, wasn't in such a hurry anymore, glanced at his nephew, and snorted, "Where've you been screwing around?!"

This question was hard for Zhou Ye to answer, he dared not tell the truth, just laughed it off.

"Considering you completed the task, I'll let it go this time!"

The manager didn't want to be too hard on him, he had contributed after all, so he took it seriously but let it go lightly.

After warning his nephew, he continued, "Pull up the surveillance feed."

Zhou Ye, proud of having accomplished this task, eager to show off, immediately opened his smart device and accessed the surveillance interface.

He clicked around on the screen, supposedly the surveillance device was activated, but the screen remained pitch black.

The manager, holding back his anger, glared at him, the pressure from his gaze making Zhou Ye's hands tremble slightly.

"Don't worry, it must be too dark, the night vision mode isn't on!"

Zhou Ye navigated through multiple interfaces, tinkering for nearly half an hour, but the screen remained pitch black. Not a single figure, human or otherwise, could be seen.

The manager lost his patience and said impatiently, "How much longer do we have to wait? Is turning on a monitor really that hard? If you can't do it, get someone who can!"

"Just wait... This can't be! I know I installed it right..."

Zhou Ye, growing more anxious, started frantically tapping on the screen until finally, the smart device crashed, causing the screen to go black.

"Is this your idea of getting it done?! Is this the monitor you installed?! Are you stupid? You can't even do this simple thing—what good are you?!"

Furious, the manager kicked his crouching nephew, sending Zhou Ye sprawling, his head slamming into the door corner.

The sudden noise in the office startled Ji Lian. The door swung outward, brushing against his temple and making a loud noise.

He muttered, "This is bad," and slipped into the tea room on the left.

Shortly after, the clerk peeked out, saw no one, and shut the door tight.

The manager's office was soundproof; once the door closed, nothing could be heard.

Ji Lian didn't need to hear more; his suspicions were confirmed.

It was all the manager's fault!

But why go through all this trouble? Wouldn't it be better to report directly? Currying favor with the higher-ups could help him climb the ladder.

Why spy on Shennong Star?

Why check its defenses?

Is the manager trying to take it without paying a cent?!

Ji Lian was horrified by his own realization.

His original intention was to help Shennong Star and also to add a bargaining chip for his own promotion. He never thought things would go so wrong—not only was the cooperation snatched away, but Shennong Star was dragged into this because of him!

He knew Shennong Star's treasures would eventually attract trouble, with or without him. But he'd sped it up, and Shennong Star wasn't ready for it.

It's all his fault! Why couldn't he just be content with mediocrity!

Ji Lian clenched his back teeth, and in his frustration, he sent a message to Yun Wan to warn her.

[Leader, there's a problem with the cooperation here, it might be delayed. Be careful on your end, there might be suspicious people around recently.]

The message showed as sent, and Ji Lian stared at the dialog box for a while.

If the leader scolds him, he'll accept it! The issue arose because of him, yet he could do nothing about it.

Ji Lian threw a punch into the air, venting his frustration.

What kind of company had he joined? What kind of monsters were working here?

What kind of sin had he committed in his past life? !

...

Zhou Ye walked back in, facing his uncle's angry glare, and looked utterly defeated.

"Is there no one outside?" the manager asked.

Zhou Ye shook his head.

The manager slammed the table in anger, "The plan's a mess, and you're just sitting around doing nothing! Idiot!"

"Why are you just standing there? Get over here! You said you installed the cameras, so why isn't the footage working? Forget it, no need to explain, just tell me about the situation on Shennong Star."

"There's barely any defense, and the lord is just a girl, younger than me—seems like an easy target. Must be a glitch with the cameras..."

Zhou Ye stubbornly argued, which made the manager slap him on the head.

"Quit bragging! You're just a clueless idiot who got played! Hurry up, stop stalling! Spill everything, every detail!"

Zhou Ye glanced at the manager, somewhat hesitant.

"Do I really have to say everything? Even the nitty-gritty?"

"Yes! Exactly! Speak!"

Zhou Ye glanced at his uncle again. Some details were awkward, but since his uncle insisted, he'd spill.

He started from when he landed on Shennong Star, bragging about how prepared and clever he was, how he quickly found the lord's place, and how he bravely fought The Swarm in epic battles, really playing up his heroics.

He paused dramatically, looking at his uncle for approval.

The manager was speechless at the blatant plea for praise.

"Not only did he screw up, but he's also spouting nonsense—how can he still expect praise?"

He held back an eye roll and snapped, "Go on!"

Zhou Ye, slightly deflated, kept going. When he mentioned entering the alternate dimension, he got a little sheepish. Even though he was a bit of a pervert, he'd never gone into such graphic detail in front of anyone, even adding his own personal take.

"..." The manager realized handing this idiot such a crucial task was the dumbest move he'd ever made!

He shouldn't have trusted him just because they were related!

What a useless teammate!

"You don't have to get so graphic!" The manager was at his wit's end with his idiot nephew, taking deep breaths to keep from exploding.

"Oh."

Zhou Ye, taking the hint, skipped the R-rated stuff and jumped to what happened next. "Then the girl saved me, I told her I was a fan, she had me help with farming, and while I was at it, I planted two cameras. After that, I left Shennong Star."

"That's it?" The manager couldn't believe his nephew summed up the whole thing in a few sentences. How could such an idiot be related to him?

Zhou Ye, oblivious to his own incompetence, actually thought he was a great storyteller.

The manager was too tired to get angry anymore.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Ah! You need to explain this part! Everything you said before was garbage—even farts are more useful than your words, I swear..."

The manager was ready to hurl something at his nephew, but Zhou Ye, quick on his feet, grabbed the cup and papers to avoid getting hit.

The manager slammed the table in frustration. If he hadn't gotten any useful info, he'd never want to see this nephew again.

"Alright, shut up! I'll ask, you answer."

"Uncle, you're not gonna hit me, right? Heh, go ahead, ask away," Zhou Ye said, placing the items in his hands far away, clearly not trusting the manager.

"You just mentioned an alternate space? Is it a holographic projection?"

"Nah, you could touch it and see it, it was real, not fake! It was pretty awesome, just a bit overwhelming..."

Seeing Zhou Ye about to go off on a tangent again, the manager gave him a sharp look, shutting him up.

"Go ahead, heh, uncle, ask away."

"How did you get in? And how did you get out?"

"I just kinda popped in and then popped out."

"What do you mean, suddenly? Didn't you just say the lord rescued you? How did she do it?"

"I dunno, I was just kinda rescued out of nowhere, didn't see what she did."

"Alright, how did she treat you? What did you talk about?"

Zhou Ye went over the conversation step by step.

After hearing this, the manager thought for a second and asked, "After finishing the planting, did she let you get your hands on the seeds? Did you get any seeds?"

Zhou Ye shook his head no.

"How did you leave in the end?"

"She froze my hand... I bailed in an escape pod... What? Uncle, why are you looking at me like that..."

"I'm thinking you're the biggest idiot of all time, the biggest fool among fools!" The manager finally let out the eye roll he had been holding back.

This dumb nephew is getting played! Not only did he work for free, but he didn't even catch on that they didn't trust him! They didn't trust you, how could they let you install two monitors there? ! The idiot probably got monitored without even realizing it.

And that alternate space thing? It sounds super weird, and once you're in, you can't get out without permission, is that not a defense system? It's just that intruders won't suffer physical harm, but if you want to do something to the lord, you can't even touch a hair!

I figured a small barren planet wouldn't have the resources for defenses or weapons, but now it seems the planting area is completely under the lord's control, others wanting to access it would have to pass through a checkpoint.

Seems not difficult, but the manager had never heard of any defense measure that could create an alternate space!

Is his big plan gonna fall apart halfway through?

Based on his nephew's description, he kept replaying those scenes in his mind, trying to find a flaw.

Suddenly, he thought of something and asked his nephew, "Are you sure you marked the surroundings of the lord's mansion when you drew the map? What about the alternate space?"

"The alternate space wasn't marked on the map."

At this moment, the manager's face finally showed a good expression for the first time today.

"But the alternate space didn't prevent the map moth from entering, right?"

If people can't get in, what about machines?

Chapter 28

After the students from the Imperial Military Academy left, Shennong Star returned to its usual tranquility. Yun Wan finally had the time to plant the peach tree of immortality she had purchased at great expense.

For Yun Wan, the peach tree of immortality was a luxury. Planting it casually outside the fortified house, she always suspected that someone might steal it, or that a thunderstorm might strike it down into charcoal.

If that happened, she would suffer a great loss.

Thinking ahead, Yun Wan decided to plant the tree in a pot and place it inside the fortified house. This might affect the tree's growth and the taste of the fruit, but it was better than losing it entirely.

She quickly found a large pot, placed two pieces of spirit soil inside, and dug a deep hole in the center.

After preparing everything, she took the peach tree of immortality out of her backpack.

The peach tree of immortality was not as tall as Yun Wan remembered, perhaps only two meters high, with slender branches but lush foliage.

With a little effort, she lifted the peach tree of immortality and planted it in the prepared hole, covering it with soil and watering it all at once.

She placed the pot by the window in the living room, creating a lush indoor green landscape.

She wasn't sure if the peach tree of immortality would grow as fast as crops like sweet potatoes, but since it was a woody plant, it would take some time to grow, possibly at least a month.

Perhaps in a month, she would be able to enjoy delicious fruit!

Yun Wan stared at the peach tree of immortality, daydreaming.

Thinking of fruit, she suddenly remembered the tomatoes she had planted, which could also be eaten as fruit.

After being left unattended for a few days, the tomatoes and radishes in the old vegetable patch had already matured, and the cabbage planted later was also thriving.

Yun Wan stopped in front of the tomato plants. She hadn't set up any trellises, and now the slender branches of the tomato plants were barely holding up the heavy tomato fruits, their tempting red color, glossy skin, and round shape making them look very juicy.

She couldn't resist picking one and tasting it.

The tomato's sweet and tangy flavor exploded in her mouth, its juices refreshing and invigorating. With one bite, the juice burst out instantly, seeping between her teeth, and a wonderful fruity aroma swept over her. After chewing, the sweet and sour juice mixed with the sweet flesh, creating a rich tomato flavor that filled her mouth, like witnessing the first light of dawn in a tranquil spot, or watching the sunset on a sandy shore in the evening. All the radiance and warmth of the sunset seemed to be captured in that single tomato, slowly warming her heart.

In modern times, Yun Wan didn't like tomatoes because she always bought ones that were either too sour or tasteless, and she had never eaten such a sweet and sour tomato before. This flavor instantly won her over.

There were five tomato plants, bearing many fruits. Picking them all at once might be more than she could eat, so to avoid spoilage, she only picked one-third, filling a basket.

After washing them by the river, the tomato fruits sparkled with droplets of water, looking irresistibly fresh.

She didn't hoard them all for herself, leaving half at home to share with Yun Ge, and taking the other half to Professor Luo's residence.

After the number of people decreased, Professor Luo and his students lived in the lord's estate.

When Professor Luo saw Yun Wan, he was a bit surprised but didn't acknowledge her, continuing to speak to the students in his smart device: "Turn to the next page."

Seeing this, Yun Wan knew that Professor Luo was giving a lecture to his students and didn't disturb him too much. She placed the bowl of tomatoes on the table, indicating that he could eat them after class, and then left.

Professor Luo continued with his lecture, but the students couldn't help but notice the natural food on the screen, vibrant red and mouthwatering.

[X No One sent a small flower to Professor Luo]

[Professor Luo, you've worked hard on the lecture, why not take a break and try the food next to you?]

[Yes, yes, yes, don't let the lord's thoughtful gesture go to waste!]

[Shennong Star finally has fresh produce, but unfortunately, we've already returned! Ah, I want to eat it, it looks so tasty!]

[Professor Luo, please taste it for us, we're really curious.]

[A friend of mine in the Medical Department is curious too.]

[I have a friend who also wants to know...]

[Come on, just admit it's you!]

Professor Luo, his throat parched from teaching, glanced at the screen and said sternly, "Stay on topic, please."

"Anyone who keeps it up will have to turn in their mushroom project today."

The comments went quiet, but then a new comment popped up.

[Professor Luo, my question is related to the class. That plant next to you looks kind of like a tomato. Why do our textbooks say the tomatoes we grow are yellow, but this one looks smaller and more delicate? Is this because of genetic modification or different growing techniques?]

Professor Luo looked at the comment. It was, in fact, a professional tomato discussion and not unrelated to the class.

Truth be told, he was just as curious about why the Lord's tomatoes were so unique.

He wasn't certain, so he relied on his experience to answer.

"In short, growing unique tomatoes boils down to practice and is affected by multiple factors... Alright, class dismissed for today."

After explaining the tomato issue, it was time to end the class.

Professor Luo was eager to wrap up the class and brought the cherry tomatoes closer. He didn't realize the live stream was still running, and the students hadn't left the broadcast room.

Professor Luo carefully picked up a cherry tomato, studied it briefly before popping it into his mouth. The flavor nearly overwhelmed him with joy.

Being a senior researcher in the Planting Department, he'd grown many plants that took the stars by storm, but he hadn't managed to enhance the seeds effectively. So, in recent years, he changed his research focus.

The research yielded solid results, but none matched the Shennong Star cherry tomatoes. Compared to regular tomatoes, it was night and day!

Professor Luo kept eating, the cherry tomatoes bursting with sweet and tangy juice, and he couldn't stop himself.

He thought, if he could, he'd devote his life to mastering this enhancement technology.

But the person who did this was just a young girl, who possessed wealth that many star people could never dream of, yet she was content to stay on a barren planet for development.

In Professor Luo's eyes, Yun Wan had become a great young person with feelings and a detached attitude towards fame and fortune.

"Really... oh, really great!"

He had never thought he would use the word "great" to describe a young person, but at this moment, he couldn't find a more suitable word.

"Great," the Shennong Star Lord truly deserved the title!

She was indeed great!

Even he himself didn't dare to say that if he had these technologies and resources, he would be content to stay unknown behind the scenes!

While thinking, Professor Luo continued to eat, and soon the bowl was empty.

At this moment, the students in the class live stream were discussing enthusiastically.

[At first glance, huh? He's eating? At second glance, huh? He's finished?]

[Can someone send a message to the professor and ask about the taste?]

[Do you even need to ask? Look at the professor eating one after another... Isn't the answer obvious? Why embarrass yourself?]

[Wow, really! Professor Luo hasn't stopped eating, it must be really delicious. I'm tearing up just imagining how happy he must be with that huge bowl, wuwu!]

[Alright, I've already informed our mentor. His mentor is hogging it all to himself.]

[I've also informed our mentor, and I told him that his mentor is not only eating alone but also enjoying it immensely. He's freaking out right now.]

[Almost forgot, our mentor is also on Shennong Star, hahaha.]

[Front row seat, waiting for the drama to start.]

[Marking my spot.]

"Professor Luo, my student said you were eating natural food from the Shennong Star Lord, and I didn't believe it!"

Busted, Professor Luo, with his mouth still full, saw his student arrive and felt awkward.

He greeted them, "Why didn't you stick around? There's still some left! Come and try it, you won't believe how good it tastes!"

The student on the screen watched as their mentor was persuaded to pick up a tomato and take a bite, then was blown away by the flavor.

Soon after, another person arrived.

[Alright, our mentor is here too!]

[Look, two people are sneaking a feast behind your back!]

"Professor Luo, A Wei, you guys actually..."

The new arrival looked stunned, pointing an accusing finger at the two happily munching away.

Professor Luo and A Wei felt awkward. Glancing at the remaining tomatoes in the bowl, Professor Luo smiled and said, "There's plenty left!"

That person jumped into the tomato feast, but before taking a bite, another person arrived.

"You guys actually..."

"There's plenty left!"

This kept happening, and in the end, Professor Luo was numb. The awkwardness was gone, and he couldn't keep smiling anymore, just feeling heartbroken.

Ever since these people came one after another, he hadn't been able to eat a single tomato!

Who spilled the beans?

"Who told you I was eating tomatoes?" Professor Luo was fuming.

"Ah? My student told me."

"I also heard it from my student."

Professor Luo frowned.

How did the students find out?

As they compared stories, the students in the stream sensed trouble and quickly exited the stream.

[Let's get out of here, we've been caught!]

[Oh no, we're doomed!]

Professor Luo opened the live stream and saw the frantic comments, with everyone saying they were going to leave, but no one actually did.

Well, the truth is out—it's these troublemakers causing trouble!

"What are you talking about leaving for! It seems you have a lot of free time, so since you're so free, hand in your mushroom assignment this week!"

As soon as Professor Luo finished speaking, the comment section erupted in wails.

[Please no, Professor Luo, I had nothing to do with this!]

[It's a misunderstanding, Professor Luo, my mentor didn't come to eat the cherry tomatoes!]

[Wuwu, my beloved mentor, your mentor is treating me, your dear student, like this, please say something!]

[Mentor, don't you love me anymore? I told you as soon as I heard about the cherry tomatoes, please talk to your mentor!]

[Mentor, say something!]

Professor Luo looked at the comments, his students desperately pleading for mercy, his mustache twitching in amusement.

"Do you have any objections?" He sternly scanned the faces of his students.

"No, no, Professor Luo is wise."

"They need more pressure!"

[What?! My heartfelt feelings were completely wasted!]

[Wuwu, mentor! You eat the cherry tomatoes, I'll bear the pain! Can you give me a break at the end of the semester?]

Even after punishing the instigators, Professor Luo's anger didn't subside.

He hadn't had enough!

If only he could grow them himself! Then he could eat as many as he wanted!

Chapter 29

Tomatoes, as an after-meal fruit, also won Yun Ge's affection, becoming his new favorite.

He and Yun Wan took turns eating them, and soon all the tomatoes were gone, without a trace left.

How great!

Yun Ge thought that if he were to rank his favorite things, his sister would definitely be number one!

Next would be sweet potatoes, or perhaps tomatoes. Oh! Wait! There's also his good friend Little Bean! He should be in second place!

Third place would be a tie among all the delicious foods!

Yun Ge counted on his fingers and realized he already had so many precious things!

He could even say that something was one of his favorites!

Yun Ge was so happy he felt a bit dizzy and blurted out, "Sis, can I have a little more tomato?"

After he asked, he froze.

What was he saying? His life was already so happy! His sister had given him so much! How could he still ask for more?!

He felt anxious, but there was also a hidden anticipation.

He couldn't help asking again, "Can I?"

Would his sister agree to his request? Would she think he was greedy?

Yun Wan noticed Yun Ge's hesitation.

This stepbrother of hers had a low presence, often staying in his room tinkering with machinery, only appearing when it was time to help with farming or eat.

He never played and rarely spoke. In all the time Yun Wan had been in the interstellar world, she had never heard him make a request.

Unlike other kids his age on Starnet who would clamor for smart devices, games, or trips to amusement parks, his request was just for a little more tomato.

Such a small request, yet expressed so timidly, as if afraid of being rejected.

Not only would Yun Wan not refuse, but even if there were no tomatoes, she couldn't bear to disappoint him.

What he wanted was just a tiny part!

"You can have one more now, but if you eat too much, your stomach will feel bloated. We'll have more in the evening, okay?"

"Okay!"

Yun Ge's request was fulfilled, and like a gold miner who had struck treasure, his joy was indescribable. His bouncing showed just how happy he was.

Yun Ge's smile infected Yun Wan, but it also raised her concerns as a guardian.

This child had lacked love since he was young, and he was so happy with just a little affection or kindness. Would he grow up to be a people-pleaser?

She sighed, thinking she would have to praise him more in the future! Although it couldn't replace parental love, at least it could help him find some confidence and let him know he was a child with support.

In the abandoned laboratory.

Miao Miao lay on the ground, her head listlessly resting on her front paws, staring pensively towards the door.

This situation had persisted for two or three days, and the little animal companions were all very worried.

"Miao Miao has been eating less and less lately. There was someone who lived near me who was like this, and then one day he just died... Sniff, sniff, Miao Miao, don't scare me..." Ah Huang leaped up and pounced onto Miao Miao's head, her little yellow claws frantically pawing at Miao Miao's ears.

"Ah Huang, stop messing around!" Miao Miao tilted her head, causing the Yellow Chick to roll off, but she clung back like a sticky bandage.

The Yellow Chick loved to cry, but she was quite brave. She wiped her tears on Miao Miao's soft fur and came up with an idea.

"Hey, Miao Miao, why don't you go out and find those two humans... and maybe bring back some food!"

"Ah Huang, stop suggesting crazy ideas! Grandma told us not to go out, it's dangerous outside!"

Hearing this, the Yellow Chick retorted, "Se Se, how do you know it's dangerous? Grandma hasn't been out for so many years, what does she know? Maybe the outside world has changed! Look at Miao Miao, after all, she lived with humans for so long and nothing happened!"

Her words left Se Se unable to refute, so she pressed on, "Just don't you want to go out and see the world?"

Se Se hesitated, wanting to say something, but she couldn't ignore the voice deep inside.

Who would really want to stay in a dark, cramped, and damp basement forever? Here, they had escaped the torment of the experimenters, only to find themselves in another cage.

A cage that was perpetually dark and bound them.

It seemed like they had escaped the laboratory, but in reality, they were still influenced by their experiences there. They even willingly placed themselves back in those shackles.

They had simply been imprisoned for far too long.

If the outside world was always dangerous with no beauty, they would have no reason to complain about their current situation. But once they felt even the slightest bit of beauty, no matter how small, they could no longer be content with their life in confinement.

After all, they were still a group of children, at an age full of fantasies. A little beauty was enough to spark dreams of a peaceful, joyful world.

After all, who wouldn't yearn for such a life?

The Yellow Chick looked around at the little animal companions, and the objections died down.

Finally, the air was silent for a long time before she snorted.

"You're all so scared, even after saying all this, they still couldn't make a decision!"

Ah Huang had to take matters into her own hands. "Miao Miao, you sneak out, we'll cover for you, Grandma won't know! And be careful, don't reveal that we're experimental subjects. Nothing will go wrong!"

"Miao Miao, why aren't you saying anything?"

The little animal companions, along with the little monster in the dark, all looked up, waiting for Miao Miao to make a decision.

Miao Miao looked serious, glanced at the hole in the ground, and then swept her gaze over the expectant faces of the little animal companions.

She elegantly flicked her tail, "Alright, I'll be careful."

With a leap, her figure disappeared into the entrance of the hole.

After Miao Miao left, the little animal companions were tense for a while, but since Grandma never came out and nothing unusual happened, they lay back down comfortably.

"Do you think Miao Miao can handle it alone?" the Yellow Chick said after a while.

She lay on her back, her two claws idly grabbing at the air.

"Okay! Isn't she the one who knows the most about the outside world among us?" Wang Wang said loudly.

Ah Huang's paw accidentally landed on Wang Wang's furry face, reminding him, "Quiet down!"

"Maybe she could use some help?"

Yellow Chick rolled over and sprang up, her gaze meeting Se Se's.

Without a word, they instantly got each other and spoke in unison:

"Let's go help Miao Miao!"

"And if she brings back too much food, we'll help out," Se Se added.

As they talked, the decision was already made, leaving the scatterbrained dog and the inarticulate crow no chance to argue.

"Alright, Wang Wang, YaYa, keep an eye on Grandma; we'll be back soon!"

With that, they quickly slipped away.

Wang Wang obediently sat at the cave entrance, wagging his tail, waiting for their return, while YaYa perched on a high cabinet, listening intently for any sounds from Grandma's room.

The little creature preferred the shadows, usually forgotten and uninterested in the outside world. But this time, it peeked out with a hopeful look.

Looks like they might get something tasty again!

When Miao Miao got back, Yun Wan was live-streaming the land auction.

Seven or eight applicants showed up, but none seemed serious about developing Shennong Star, only wanting to buy land to hold onto and sell later.

Only one, Liu Tang, who first proposed a hotel, seemed serious. He had a clear development plan and even a construction team ready.

Is Shennong Star that popular? Why the rush?

After checking land prices across planets, Yun Wan priced the hotel land at 10,000 star coins per square meter based on the distance from the lord's mansion, future transportation conditions, and surrounding facilities.

This price wasn't high by galactic standards. On the capital planet, where land is gold, it could go for 80,000 to 100,000 star coins per square meter, while in remote areas like Jinsha Star, it was only around 5,000 star coins per square meter.

Shennong Star wasn't as prosperous as the capital, so it couldn't demand a high price. But Yun Wan believed Shennong Star's future would rival the capital's. She didn't want to sell it cheap at 5,000, so she doubled Jinsha Star's price.

This price was low for Yun Wan, but bidders saw a barren planet without a shield or facilities as unlivable. For a planet to develop, it would take at least ten to eight years.

If the land were cheap, they wouldn't mind buying it and leaving it there, but now it was being sold at a higher price than the well-developed Jinsha Star, which felt very uneconomical.

[Is the host really serious about selling? Only usage rights and such a high price? ]

[Host, we really can't accept this price, can you lower it? ]

[Yeah, at this price, I might as well buy on Jinsha Star, and have a place to stay during their gemstone gambling events! ]

Amidst the bargaining comments, one stood out and was particularly annoying.

[Huh? Expensive? Not really, I'll just buy 1,000 square meters for fun! ]

Other bidders: ...Where did this big fool come from, with too much money to spend? Would bargaining kill you?

The bidders fell silent, but Yun Wan was very satisfied, "Alright, is there anyone else who wants to buy the land at 10,000 per square meter?"

She asked three times in a row, and except for that lively voice, everyone else was dead silent.

[I'll buy it, I'll buy it, I'll buy it.]

[Host, stop asking! If they're not buying, I will! I've got the cash!]

Other bidders: Stop asking, host, we're not buying, just sell it to this idiot already so he'll shut up!

The final silence from the bidders was within Yun Wan's expectations.

Actually, to be honest, Yun Wan was very conflicted inside.

If she weren't in such desperate need of money right now, urgently needing to establish planet defense, she really wouldn't want to sell the land. If everyone really wanted to buy, she wouldn't want to sell either! This outcome both relieved her and left her with a tinge of regret.

The regret was not having enough money to buy the planetary protective shield.

But to lower the price was impossible. From the way the bidders were talking, the land on Shennong Star would have to be sold cheaper than on Jinsha Star, perhaps only two to three thousand per square meter, and even then, not many would buy.

She wouldn't sell at a rock-bottom price, no matter how short of money she was! Knowing that the land on Shennong Star would definitely increase in value in the future, she couldn't bring herself to sell it! Not even a little!

Say she's greedy if you want!

"Alright, the land goes to... Liu Tang, Mr. Liu!"

Chapter 30

After ending the live stream, Yun Wan looked at her account, which had just received 10 million credits, plus the 10 million credits from Professor Luo, totaling 20 million credits.

This amount was enough to pay off the massive debt she had incurred from buying the planet, but she had no intention of doing so.

Debt doesn't bother her! Moreover, there's still some time before the planet's assessment, so the debt isn't an issue right now; planet development is the bigger issue.

Previously, she had seen that a decent planetary shield would cost 50 million credits, and she was still more than halfway short. It was currently out of her reach. However, she could now afford the visitor system and the raptor repelling device, which cost about 240,000 credits, a drop in the bucket compared to the planetary shield.

Since she couldn't afford the planetary shield, Yun Wan decided to look for alternatives, such as combat robots.

Currently, Shennong Star is not highly developed, and four or five combat robots would barely ensure the planet's safety.

Yun Wan browsed Starnet and found a wide variety of combat robots with significant price differences and varying energy sources.

Currently, she lacks high-grade energy sources, and the only available energy source on Shennong Star is blue crystal ore. Due to energy limitations, she could only buy four low-end combat robots.

Just as she was about to proceed, she spotted a military robot, entirely black with a unique design capable of transforming into multiple attack modes, and she instantly fell in love with it.

Looking at the price and energy source again, 1 million credits, obsidian energy, it seemed within her budget.

She needed at least one powerful combatant for emergencies! Mainly, the term 'low-end' sounded unreliable, and she was worried that low-end combat robots could be easily destroyed.

Anyway, planetary defense is Shennong Star's weak point, and if she's reluctant to spend money, and someone invades, it would be a double whammy!

The total cost for the robots and obsidian energy was 5 million credits, with 3 million going toward energy.

She wanted to stockpile more energy for emergencies, as energy doesn't expire.

Now that she had ample funds, she didn't forget the learning brain she promised Yun Ge. The child is still self-studying! She wasn't sure if he really understood, but he reads books with great interest every day.

After all the purchases, there were 14.7 million credits left in the account.

Glancing at the planetary shield and her balance, Yun Wan felt full of energy.

Make money, make money, make money!

But relying only on farming and selling vegetables, it's tough to accumulate that much capital quickly.

Initially, she wanted to enter the high-end market, but Ji Lian sent a message saying the cooperation had changed and advised her to be careful.

?

The Ji Clan definitely wants to mooch off her crops!

Letting the tiger return to the mountain last time was her being too soft!

But if she had to choose again, she still wouldn't choose to kill, and would let that man run away again.

Yun Wan was very annoyed by her oversight.

She had been working hard on Shennong Star from the start and didn't know much about the interstellar scene, naively thinking that a big company like the Ji Clan was trustworthy, without personally checking their reputation, which put her in danger.

On the other hand, having a treasure is a crime. She should have improved the planet's defense facilities from the beginning, but a clever woman can't make a meal without rice.

She's anxious too, but her anxiety won't magically generate funds for construction!

As for the trouble brought by Ji Lian, she doesn't blame him, as he genuinely wanted to help at first, but human hearts are unpredictable, who would have thought to encounter such a company and such people!

In her opinion, the Ji Clan's business has grown so large that attracting top talent is crucial for long-term growth. Grabbing anything good they see, they must have offended many people, and they're bound to crash eventually.

Some people may not have a background, but the more they lose, the more they're willing to go all out.

Yun Wan is not optimistic about the future development of the Ji Clan, and fortunately, she did not cooperate with them.

If she were in that position, she'd rather invest in technology or offer incentives for partnerships, creating a win-win scenario and even dominating the market. What's wrong with that?

Of course, the Ji Clan has now gained a monopoly by suppressing similar products, but monopolies naturally make people uneasy, and their shady tactics will only fuel more resentment.

When grievances accumulate, a small spark can ignite a wildfire.

Unfortunately, people in power often overlook this, or perhaps their previous successes have made them take it for granted that they can continue to prosper.

Yun Wan pouted, not bothering with the future of the Ji Clan. For now, she's still stuck living in their shadow, as things on Shennong Star are far worse.

It's possible that Shennong Star could vanish before the Ji Clan falls.

Yun Wan picked up the planet development map and looked it over repeatedly. No matter how she looked at it, there was only one way out: to kickstart a food culture right away.

Only in this way can Shennong Star attract substantial investment and a large number of tourists, and the economy will take off on its own.

Currently, her ingredients are limited: sweet potatoes, cabbage, Spirit Rice, radishes, and Spirit Peppers are all vegetarian, and there's hardly anything that can stand out as a gourmet dish.

There are two items with potential: sweet potatoes and radishes.

Sweet potatoes are the raw material for noodles. Once she figures out how to make noodles, she can introduce sour and spicy noodles, a bold flavor that's impossible to resist. As for radishes, although they are plain on their own, they can be made into Spicy Dried Radish, a tasty side dish that's hard to say no to! It can be paired with Spirit Rice and sold together.

The idea sounds great, but reality's a different story.

Yun Wan doesn't know how to make noodles. It might require high temperatures or something else, so this'll take some serious thought.

Spicy Dried Radish, however, is not difficult. She's got all the seasonings on hand and can start making it tomorrow, using the five large radishes harvested from the old vegetable patch.

With a plan in place, Yun Wan felt more at ease, feeling hopeful yet daunted by the future.

Just as she was about to browse Starnet to relax, she suddenly heard a familiar "meow."

Well, Starnet suddenly didn't seem so appealing.

Yun Wan closed Starnet and searched around the safe house, finally finding the cat crouching outside the glass window, its fur all tangled and matted, as if it had just rummaged through a trash bin.

At that moment, it was looking pitifully inside, its tail wagging obediently, like a poor little stray, hungry and freezing outside, tugging at the heartstrings.

She quickly opened the window, brought the cat inside, and weighed it in her hands, muttering, "So you finally decided to come back! You've been away for days and starved yourself lighter! Now you see how good you've got it with me, huh?"

Placing the cat on the sofa, she gave its obedient head a good rub, then tapped Miao Miao's little nose, "Let me tell you, on this planet, who else can keep a cat in six sweet potatoes a day besides me?"

"I'm not exaggerating, but in the whole galaxy, I'm the only one who can give you unlimited sweet potatoes!"

"So, next time, don't run away! It's dangerous outside. Be careful of being snatched by wild beasts and never coming back! If that happens, I'll get a new cat, live in your spot, eat your sweet potatoes, and see if you regret it..."

Yun Wan was still rambling, but Miao Miao knew the female wasn't angry. She stared at the female's hovering finger for a while, then tilted her head, her soft fur brushing against the female's hand.

As if a hidden switch had been pressed, the female stopped her chatter, opened her palm, and gently cupped the cat's head, giving it a light scratch.

Miao Miao rolled over in comfort, her four pink paws waving unconsciously, her head resting in the female's palm, and she twisted her body, rubbing and cooing.

"Since you're being so sweet, I'll let it slide this time!"

Miao Miao made it back safely, and Yun Wan was a cat person once more. Neither of them noticed that two mysterious figures had appeared outside the glass window, watching them interact.

Ah Huang and Se Se had sneaked out after Miao Miao. Being beastfolk, they had sharp noses and followed the scent of Miao Miao lingering on the grass and leaves.

This path seemed to be one Miao Miao often took, as there were no signs of The Swarm along the way, and they made it through without trouble. However, when they reached the vicinity of the human's house, Ah Huang vanished into thin air.

!

Se Se panicked, scurrying around in a frenzy, trying to find Ah Huang.

"Ah Huang, what's going on? Where did you go?"

Then, Ah Huang's voice echoed back.

"I don't know either, but I feel like I'm not far from you."

Ah Huang was safe and sound, and Se Se let out a relieved sigh.

"Can you find an exit?" Se Se asked.

"I don't see an exit; there's nothing here."

Se Se was baffled.

They were not far apart and could hear each other clearly, yet they couldn't see each other, like some invisible wall separating them.

Ah Huang also realized this and immediately cautioned Se Se.

"Se Se, stop right there. There's something fishy going on here. Go back and find Wang Wang. He can dig holes; you can dig a hole to get through."

"What about you?" Se Se asked.

"Don't sweat it. Find Miao Miao; she'll figure something out."

Se Se had no choice and headed back to fetch Wang Wang.

"Ah Huang, are you okay?" They didn't rush to dig the tunnel and first made sure Ah Huang was okay.

But this time, there was no response.

"Oh no, Ah Huang must've gotten into trouble!" Se Se said with a trembling voice. "Wang Wang, start digging. We need to find Miao Miao as soon as possible."

Wang Wang nodded, his two paws digging rapidly, even using his mouth to throw aside the dug-up stones. His body was covered in wet soil, and his fluffy ears were flapping wildly.

Soon, the tunnel was completed.

The two little ones crawled through the hole, took a couple of cautious steps forward. They didn't encounter the barrier again and successfully reached the two houses.

Following Miao Miao's scent, they approached the window and peeked inside curiously.

Wang Wang's dog head was too large, and his entire face pressed against the glass. The heat from his breath left a mist on the glass, blurring Se Se's view.

"Wang Wang, move over a bit; don't press your nose against the window!"

Se Se's slender snake tail pushed Wang Wang forcefully, sinking into his thick fur, but Wang Wang didn't budge.

"Wang Wang!"

Se Se got a little irritated that Wang Wang ignored her and raised her voice.

"Se Se, keep your voice down, come and see!" Wang Wang paid no attention and called out to Se Se on his own, his face pressing even closer to the glass.

Helpless, Se Se coiled her tail around Wang Wang's ear and pulled hard, landing directly on top of Wang Wang's head.

Only then did she see the scene inside the room.

Under the warm light, she saw their boss, the no-nonsense, fiery yet composed Miao Miao, obediently rubbing her fur, which she never allowed anyone to touch, against the hand of a female human, even rolling over to charm her!

Miao Miao was actually acting cute!

They had never been allowed to touch her fur! Even their grandmother hadn't received such treatment!

That inside couldn't possibly be their Miao Miao!

Their faces pressed against the window, serious and absolutely convinced.