Ch 3: Interplanetary Planting Master

The Black Market

All the way, Su He wondered what the underground human settlement would look like. He never imagined that beneath the ruins of a city lay another complete city. While this city’s scale might not match the ruins above, it seemed much larger than the small town Su He had lived in.

From a high vantage point, the entire city sloped downward. They emerged from a pipe at the highest point, on the city’s edge. The lower the terrain, the closer to the center, which was a flat valley filled with densely packed buildings. Neon lights flickered, and ignoring the two “suns” hanging in the sky, it resembled a city at night.

“The edges of the city are slums, the mid-slope is the civilian area, and the valley floor is where the most powerful people in this settlement live. Avoid going to the valley floor unless necessary,” Han Rui advised.

Su He nodded and curiously asked, “What’s the basis for this division? I mean, the closer to the edge you live, the more…”

He couldn’t find the right words, but Han Rui easily understood his meaning. “The closer to the edge, the more dangerous it is. Although Broken Star doesn’t have dark insect beasts that burrow, sometimes small dark beasts follow the scent of humans through the pipes. To those in the central area, people living on the outskirts are expendable cannon fodder.”

Su He: “…”

Han Rui nudged him, “Come on, I’ll take you to the black market.”

The black market wasn’t within the city but required passing through another underground pipe. Along the way, they encountered several strangers, all covered in mud like them. Han Rui winked at Su He and whispered, “People from the slums look like this.” This was why Han Rui dared to walk openly in the underground world. The harsh environment of Broken Star meant everyone who went out came back covered in mud. Clean water cost credits, so even those from the civilian area rarely appeared clean, making it hard to distinguish anyone.

Su He nodded slightly, trusting Han Rui’s survival wisdom. He noticed that the entrance Han Rui led him through wasn’t the only one. There were many side paths, each potentially leading to another entrance. The entire passageway was like an intricate web, and without Han Rui, Su He would have easily lost his way. Just before Su He felt completely disoriented, Han Rui led him to the left, and suddenly, a brightly lit, bustling hall appeared before him.

“Clearance sale, auxiliary intelligent machines retired from the military, only fifty credits.”

“Super affordable laser oscillation cannon, guaranteed survival in the wild, selling for just three hundred credits.”

“Energy stones, high-quality D-grade standard energy stones, two hundred credits each.”

“Military-grade mechs, crafted by the master mechanic Zou Zhiwu, embodying the pinnacle of technological perfection, selling for one hundred thousand credits.”

Su He: “…”

He felt like he had entered a bustling market, but the items for sale were far more advanced and many were beyond his comprehension.

Han Rui seemed very familiar with the place. He leaned over and whispered to Su He, “Is there anything you want to buy?”

Su He hesitated and shook his head, not because there was nothing to buy, but because he didn’t know what to buy. More importantly, Su He had no credits. If he guessed correctly, credits were the currency here or in the Federation that Han Rui mentioned.

Seeing his hesitation, Han Rui suggested, “Why don’t you take a look around first? I’ll go sell the apples and then come find you.”

Su He nodded and asked Han Rui to sell the remaining apple as well and exchange it for credits.

Su He had been wondering what the underground human settlement would look like, but he never imagined that beneath the ruins of a city lay another complete city. While it might not match the scale of the ruins above, it was much larger than the small town he had lived in.

From a high vantage point, the city sloped downward, with their entry point at the highest edge. The lower the terrain, the closer to the center, which was a flat valley filled with densely packed buildings. Neon lights flickered, and ignoring the two “suns” hanging in the sky, it resembled a city at night.

“The edges of the city are slums, the mid-slope is the civilian area, and the valley floor is where the most powerful people in this settlement live. Avoid going to the valley floor unless necessary,” Han Rui advised.

Su He nodded and curiously asked, “What’s the basis for this division? I mean, the closer to the edge you live, the more…”

He couldn’t find the right words, but Han Rui easily understood his meaning. “The closer to the edge, the more dangerous it is. Although Broken Star doesn’t have dark insect beasts that burrow, sometimes small dark beasts follow the scent of humans through the pipes. To those in the central area, people living on the outskirts are expendable cannon fodder.”

Su He: “…”

Han Rui nudged him, “Come on, I’ll take you to the black market.”

The black market wasn’t within the city but required passing through another underground pipe. Along the way, they encountered several strangers, all covered in mud like them. Han Rui winked at Su He and whispered, “People from the slums look like this.” This was why Han Rui dared to walk openly in the underground world. The harsh environment of Broken Star meant everyone who went out came back covered in mud. Clean water cost credits, so even those from the civilian area rarely appeared clean, making it hard to distinguish anyone.

Su He nodded slightly, trusting Han Rui’s survival wisdom. He noticed that the entrance Han Rui led him through wasn’t the only one. There were many side paths, each potentially leading to another entrance. The entire passageway was like an intricate web, and without Han Rui, Su He would have easily lost his way. Just before Su He felt completely disoriented, Han Rui led him to the left, and suddenly, a brightly lit, bustling hall appeared before him.

“Clearance sale, auxiliary intelligent machines retired from the military, only fifty credits.”

“Super affordable laser oscillation cannon, guaranteed survival in the wild, selling for just three hundred credits.”

“Energy stones, high-quality D-grade standard energy stones, two hundred credits each.”

“Military-grade mechs, crafted by the master mechanic Zou Zhiwu, embodying the pinnacle of technological perfection, selling for one hundred thousand credits.”

Su He: “…”

He felt like he had entered a bustling market, but the items for sale were far more advanced and many were beyond his comprehension.

Han Rui seemed very familiar with the place. He leaned over and whispered to Su He, “Is there anything you want to buy?”

Su He hesitated and shook his head, not because there was nothing to buy, but because he didn’t know what to buy. More importantly, Su He had no credits. If he guessed correctly, credits were the currency here or in the Federation that Han Rui mentioned.

Seeing his hesitation, Han Rui suggested, “Why don’t you take a look around first? I’ll go sell the apples and then come find you.”

Su He nodded and asked Han Rui to sell the remaining apple as well and exchange it for credits.

The two separated, and Han Rui specifically warned Su He, “Be careful.”

Su He watched Han Rui’s figure blend into the crowd, then turned and walked in the opposite direction. As soon as he entered, he saw a massive machine parked there. The dark metallic sheen was full of beauty, and the streamlined body exuded powerful strength, making it impossible to look away.

“This is a recently retired standard military mech, well-maintained with all the necessary firepower, and it comes with a C-grade standard energy stone. It’s a bargain at only one hundred thousand credits,” the vendor introduced roughly to Su He.

Su He’s face was covered in mud, making it hard to see his expression, but his exposed eyes were filled with desire. His favorite cartoon as a child was “Transformers,” and his master had even arranged for someone to buy him a Transformer toy from the city. Although Transformers and mechs were different, what boy hadn’t dreamt of being a hero in a mech suit?

Seeing Su He’s expression, the man grinned, “Like it?”

Su He nodded vigorously.

The man patted the mech behind him, “Kid, work hard to earn credits. There are even better ones when you have enough.”

A new equation formed in Su He’s mind: one hundred thousand credits = one thousand apples. If he counted the seeds in his bag, it might be enough, but should he… The thought made Su He shake his head quickly, cutting off the notion. He knew nothing about mechs; buying one would be a waste. The most practical thing now was an inhibitor.

Thinking about inhibitors, Su He forced himself to leave the mech stall. He hadn’t walked far when Han Rui found him. “Su He.”

“So soon?”

Han Rui smiled slightly and asked, “Where’s your terminal? I’ll transfer the credits to you.”

“…Terminal?”

They stared at each other again, and Han Rui guessed that Su He didn’t have a terminal. He helpfully suggested, “Let me help you buy one. Personal terminals are very useful.”

He spent five minutes explaining what a terminal was. According to Su He’s understanding, a personal terminal was like a combination of a computer, phone, bank card, and ID, simple and convenient to wear like a watch. Of course, the personal terminals on Broken Star were different from the Federation’s standard ones, being hacked versions without the impractical identity authentication but retaining the functions of a light brain, communication, and transfers.

Su He thought it was indeed useful and asked, “Is one hundred credits enough?”

“More than enough. Terminals are cheap.”

Han Rui took Su He to a corner of the black market, saying the personal terminals there were cheap and good quality. They chose a black personal terminal according to Su He’s preference, costing only thirty credits.

The vendor offered, “Do you want an auxiliary intelligent machine? Recently retired from the military, great for reconnaissance and exploration, only fifty credits.”

Han Rui’s eyes lit up, tempted. Seeing a potential sale, the vendor immediately pulled out a round metal ball from a box behind him. Han Rui leaned in, and Su He was initially interested too, but a glance out of the corner of his eye made his expression change. He quickly walked to a nearby stall.

The vendor at this stall was a burly middle-aged man with a shaved head and a fierce look, but he was very friendly to customers.

“High-quality D-grade energy stone, selling cheap at two hundred credits.”

He pointed to a palm-sized milky white stone on the table. Su He stared at it in disbelief, feeling that the vendor’s energy stone looked exactly like the low-grade spirit stones his master had left behind.

On Earth, which had entered the era of the last law, spirit stones had long been extinct. Without spirit stones and with extremely thin spiritual energy, more and more traditions died out. Su He’s sect had discovered an abandoned spirit stone mine, and it was only the small amount of unmined low-grade spirit stones that had allowed them to survive. After his master’s death, Su He had kept the remaining spirit stones as treasures in his backpack.

“Want it, young man?”

Su He hesitated. He needed to use his mental strength to probe the energy stone to see if it was a spirit stone. If it was, he could finally break through the bottleneck in his planting technique caused by a lack of spirit stones. If not, there was no harm in just probing. But this could expose him to the sentinels in the black market. Should he take the risk? Su He struggled internally, feeling like a cat was scratching at his heart. The best approach would be to buy it and find a safe place to test it, but he was short on credits, and it wasn’t appropriate to borrow from Han Rui. Should he go back and plant a few apple trees, sell the apples, and then come back?

The vendor, seeing the desire in Su He’s eyes, knew how to handle such customers. He grabbed the energy stone and shoved it into Su He’s hand, smiling, “Two hundred credits is a bargain. Don’t hesitate, young man.”

As soon as the energy stone touched his palm, Su He’s planting technique activated uncontrollably. A familiar energy flowed in, bringing joy to his mental world. His face turned pale, and he almost immediately dropped the energy stone, but it was too late.

On the other side of the black market, a large lynx spirit animal leapt onto the nearest stall. The vendor didn’t notice its presence. Spirit animals were usually only visible to sentinels and guides, but some powerful sentinels and guides could manifest them physically for ordinary people to see.

The lynx’s golden pupils narrowed, its huge head slowly rotating 180 degrees. A tall, muscular man in a black work vest and matching pants approached the lynx, a wicked smile on his handsome face. “Found the little treasure? I wasn’t even looking for him, and he wandered into my territory. Daring to reveal his mental strength here, the little guy has some nerve.”

The lynx’s gaze scanned the black market, and Su He felt cold sweat breaking out all over. The next second, the lynx’s suspicious gaze fixed on Su He, who no longer dared to gamble and pulled Han Rui, running toward the nearest exit.

“Which way?” he shouted.

Han Rui, grabbing his hand, turned into the right fork.

The man in the black market whistled excitedly, “Two guides? Luck really can’t be stopped.”

In the blink of an eye, the man had reached the fork, the smell inside almost unbearable, but the thought of Su He’s sweet scent made him feel he could endure any olfactory torture.

Su He didn’t dare look back, keeping his head down and following Han Rui. Han Rui led him left and right, and when they reached a narrow pipe, he didn’t hesitate to squeeze in. “Hurry, there’s a place up ahead where they process monster meat. Several passages lead to the ruins.”

The thick smell of blood hit them, and Su He followed Han Rui, enduring the discomfort. The area beyond the pipe was like a monster slaughterhouse. Han Rui, running and smearing himself with mud, didn’t need to remind Su He, who had already mastered the basic skill. They ran desperately for what felt like ages, finally leaving the underground world and returning to the ruins.

The sky outside was already dark, the two “suns” replaced by a blood-red “moon.” The ruins echoed with the roars of beasts, the desolate wilderness bathed in a crimson glow.

Breathing heavily, they stopped and looked at each other, then burst into laughter. “Sorry,” Su He apologized. If it weren’t for his mistake, they wouldn’t have been discovered.

“It’s okay,” Han Rui showed his dimples, “Every time I go to the black market, I usually get spotted a couple of times. I’m used to running.”

Su He was stunned, then laughed. They didn’t dare relax, finding a dark beast’s nest nearby to hide for the night. Su He learned that Han Rui didn’t live in the underground world, only occasionally going to the black market for trades. For wild guides, the underground world with sentinels was far more terrifying than the dark beasts outside.

Under the blood-red night, Han Rui quickly fell asleep. Su He, after such an eventful day, couldn’t sleep at all. Listening to Han Rui’s even breathing, he sat up, pulled out a seed from his bag, and, using a special technique, planted it in the ground.

A milky white glow flashed, and in an instant, the seed sprouted and grew rapidly into a small green sapling. The sapling grew quickly, reaching Su He’s outstretched hand, and its branches and leaves trembled slightly, bearing five bright red fruits.

If someone were scanning the planet from space at that moment, they would see that this tiny fruit tree was the only green dot on the entire planet’s surface.

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