Ch 9: Interplanetary Planting Master

Discovery

This was Su He’s first time killing someone.

Despite experiencing the apocalypse, transmigration, and confirming his guide status among a series of chaotic events in less than a month, Su He was still essentially the young man who lived in a small town, cultivated a large vegetable garden with his master, and occasionally sneaked up the mountain to catch a wild chicken for stew. The unexpected changes in his fate came one after another; he could face them calmly, but killing someone was fundamentally against the education he had received over the years. Rationally, Su He understood that if he didn’t kill, he would be killed, and it was a case of self-defense. However, witnessing two strangers die at his hands was a shock that wouldn’t fade quickly.

The little seedling in his arms trembled with fear. It felt Su He’s emotions and tried to comfort him by reaching out its two leaves. Su He raised his hand to shield it, preventing it from seeing the gruesome scene. “I’m fine,” Su He said softly. The seedling shook its leaves and turned into green light dots, enveloping Su He. The planting technique within Su He’s body activated, and a warm energy flowed through his entire body. The energy in his spiritual world resonated with the surrounding light dots, calming both his and the seedling’s emotions.

It was a peculiar experience; Su He felt that the seedling was more like an extension of himself in some form. They were connected in spirit but had different consciousnesses. When they resonated, Su He’s spiritual world was filled with joy.

“I’m fine now,” he said more genuinely this time.

The light dots dissipated, transforming back into the seedling, which nestled into his arms. Su He smiled slightly, his spiritual sense detecting Han Rui’s presence.

“Su He.”

Within seconds, the white spiritual rabbit with red eyes rushed in from outside, followed closely by a visibly shaken Han Rui. Not long ago, while returning from the underground world, Han Rui had felt Su He’s emotions. He couldn’t describe the oppressive feeling, the sense of despair that made him rush over frantically. Seeing the bloodied man downstairs reminded him of what had happened. Han Rui clung tightly to Su He, “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

The joy of discovering the energy stones was greatly diminished by the attack. Especially since Su He deduced from the man’s words that others knew about these energy stones, while he and Han Rui had no clue about them. They didn’t know who these people were or when they might come. When Su He mentioned the name Zhao Jingguang to Han Rui, he shook his head, unfamiliar with it.

“Let’s not worry about anything else right now. Let’s hide these energy stones.”

These energy stones were Su He and Han Rui’s hope for leaving the broken planet. Even knowing the danger, they couldn’t bear to discard them.

“Let’s hide them in the underground world.”

“Alright.”

Han Rui had dug three tunnels, which he had been busy with over the past few days. He had organized several hiding places in the underground world for just such an emergency. However, neither of them expected the crisis to come so suddenly.

…

Fifty light years away from the broken planet, in the command room of Iris, Lu Li had been staring at the same page of his book for several minutes. His gaze was fixed on the third line of the page, seemingly engrossed, but he hadn’t registered a single word. At that moment, his spiritual world was like a stormy sea, boiling and surging with immense power. His usually calm spirit animal was restless, unable to locate the source of the agitation. The only clue pointed towards the broken planet fifty light years away, as if something there was pulling at his heart.

Not far behind Lu Li, Jiang Bo nudged Shen Shen and whispered, “Boss seems to have something on his mind.”

Shen Shen, busy calibrating the navigation route, asked casually, “Why do you say that?”

Jiang Bo observed keenly, “Boss’s gaze has been on the same page for 3 minutes and 28 seconds. Considering his usual pace of 25 seconds per page, this page has taken unusually long. He’s definitely distracted.”

Shen Shen didn’t take Jiang Bo’s words seriously but admired Jiang Bo’s attention to detail. He thought either Jiang Bo secretly admired Lu Li, or he was just bored. The former assumption was too terrifying, while the latter was an ironic jab at Shen Shen’s own busyness.

Having received no response, Jiang Bo complained, “What do you think?”

Shen Shen sighed, replying offhandedly, “Maybe he’s at a crucial point in the book.”

“Impossible,” Jiang Bo countered. “This is the fourth time he’s reading this book. I bet he knows it by heart. There can’t be any crucial points.”

Jiang Bo had a blind admiration for Lu Li’s intelligence. When they studied together at the Federation’s First Military Academy, Jiang Bo barely graduated, resorting to retakes, bribing examiners, and cheating. Meanwhile, Lu Li graduated with full marks and was the top student, earning Jiang Bo’s utmost respect. Even now, Lu Li’s academic achievements were legendary, towering over the rest.

“Then maybe he’s thinking about how to save more credits,” Shen Shen speculated irresponsibly.

Jiang Bo: “…”

Lu Li’s sudden desire to buy an eco-cabin came after reading the Federation’s annual economic report. He realized the Federation’s crop supply couldn’t meet the growing demand, making price hikes inevitable. So, he decided to reduce procurement and let the Iris grow its own produce. Setting up an eco-cabin was no easy task, requiring a professional ecological environment and a skilled agricultural technician. After considering the monthly salary of 3000 credits, and rejecting Liao Kai’s suggestion to kidnap someone, Lu Li had obtained a basic agricultural certification within two months.

Thinking about this, Jiang Bo felt Shen Shen’s guess wasn’t far off. He was about to discuss with Shen Shen other ways to save credits when a black hawk with a wingspan of two meters appeared in the command room. This was Lu Li’s spirit animal, rarely seen. The hawk, with sharp eyes, surveyed the room before calmly perching in front of Lu Li. Lu Li freed a hand to stroke the hawk’s head feathers and, unfazed by the crew’s astonished looks, asked, “When will the Iris reach Broken planet?”

Shen Shen, exemplifying an excellent deputy, promptly replied, “At our current speed, we are expected to reach the planetary orbit by 5 PM tomorrow.”

Lu Li paused, then said, “Increase the speed. I want to arrive by tomorrow morning.”

Jiang Bo, puzzled, asked, “Boss, didn’t you say there’s no rush, and traveling at this speed is the most energy-efficient…?”

Before he could finish, Shen Shen discreetly kicked him, and Jiang Bo wisely fell silent.

Lu Li didn’t explain. He was still sensing the changes in his spiritual world. Moments ago, the raging sea had calmed, the restless hawk returning to its usual composure, as if the disturbance had vanished and everything was back to normal. For a brief moment, Lu Li felt a sense of loss, realizing something. Considering the possibility, he lowered his gaze back to the book.

The command room’s atmosphere grew tense, with everyone noticing Lu Li’s odd behavior. “Boss,” Wei Na entered, breaking the uneasy silence, “The Galactic Treeman has awakened.”

Everyone: “Energy stones.”

…

After a long slumber, the first thing to do?

Humans might have various answers, but for a Galactic Treeman, the answer was singular – find energy stones.

Reno shook his head, his leaves stretching. The cold metal box limited his movement, but it didn’t deter him. Green light flickered, his roots transforming into countless glowing points, effortlessly penetrating the metal box and embedding in a nearby wall. The glow flowed like a green river through numerous rooms, finally reaching the storage room holding the energy stones, reconsolidating into Reno’s roots.

Galactic Treemen could bypass all materials, their forms shifting freely between solid and spiritual. Reno contentedly rooted himself in the energy stones, pure energy flowing back to his main body. The enjoyment lasted only three minutes before being rudely interrupted. Reno calmly left the metal box, reforming outside. According to his species’ “Galactic Survival Guide,” such an interruption indicated the imminent arrival of his future employer. He needed to present a good image and demonstrate his enthusiasm for the job.

At 4000 years old, Reno was just an adult among Galactic Treemen. He had lived in the Large Magellanic Cloud until receiving messages from his kin about the Galactic Federation offering well-paying jobs, perfect for someone who didn’t like to think too much and hadn’t yet earned a higher education diploma from the Forest Blue Planet. Reno spent a month mastering the Galactic Federation’s official language, Mandarin, and journeyed to the galaxy. It’s worth noting the average time for a Galactic Treeman to learn the language was seven days.

Reno sensed the humans approaching, ready to showcase his best self.

Two minutes later, Lu Li and his team stood outside the storage room. Shen Shen swiftly inputted the password, and Wei Na reported their losses. In just three minutes, their stored energy stones had plummeted from thirty thousand to six thousand. Had Wei Na not arrived in time, the remaining stones might have vanished too.

The door opened, and green light flooded out, surrounding everyone. Inside, the towering Galactic Treeman bowed politely, “Hello, future employers. I am Reno from the Forest Blue Planet.” His leaves fluttered as he continued, “I understand the Galactic Federation’s rules. I’ve received the deposit. Let’s discuss the subsequent cooperation and compensation. Though it’s my first time here, rest assured, excellent professional ethics is a virtue of all Galactic Treemen.”

Reno finished speaking, waiting for his employers’ response. To his surprise, the humans exchanged looks and then ignored him, gathering around the central figure instead.

“Boss, what do we do? Can a Galactic Treeman return the absorbed energy stones?”

“Should we try to make him throw up?”

“No way. That’s thirty thousand A-grade standard energy stones. To avoid waste, we should start using the bio-shield now until the absorbed energy stones are exhausted.”

“This Galactic Treeman was supposed to be a gift for the general. Can we ask the general to compensate us for the energy stones?”

Reno: “…”

Lu Li: “…”

Everyone was expressing their heartache, trying to find ways to recoup their losses. Lu Li thought that the last suggestion was the most feasible. However, considering the general’s birthday, Lu Li had a rare moment of conscience and decided not to disturb the general. He stopped everyone from speaking nonsense and gave Reno a friendly standard Galactic greeting.

“Welcome to the Galaxy, Mr. Reno. I am Lu Li, the captain of the Iris. As you may have inferred, we did not intend to hire a Galactic Treeman. Mr. Reno is just a guest we rescued from space pirates three days ago. Out of humanitarian concern, my subordinates and I could not stand by and watch a Galactic Treeman being treated and sold as mere cargo.”

Lu Li spoke kindly, showing no signs of the pain he felt over the energy stone loss. He understood that the energy stones absorbed by the Galactic Treeman could not be recovered, so he had to focus on minimizing the damage. In a situation where they couldn’t sell Reno to offset the debt or trouble the general, the Iris had to absorb the loss. Of course, if they could gain a Galactic Treeman’s friendship through this, it wouldn’t be a bad deal in the long run.

Lu Li’s words were quite effective. According to the “Galactic Survival Guide” passed down by his tribe, space pirates were heavily emphasized. Reno quickly understood Lu Li’s meaning and felt touched, shaking his leaves.

While Lu Li couldn’t sense emotions like a guide, his keen senses helped him gauge reactions, even from a tree. Seeing that his words were effective, Lu Li sincerely continued, “Although I would love to hire Mr. Reno, the Iris is just an ordinary B-class starship, lacking the capability and resources to hire a Galactic Treeman. In fact, the thirty thousand energy stones Mr. Reno absorbed were all the Iris had, meant to last us for the next five years.”

The phrases “all our assets” and “the next five years” struck a chord with the upright Reno, who lowered his head in shame. “I apologize. Please accept my apology and compensation.”

Having prepared to serve this starship, Reno absorbed a large amount of energy stones as soon as he woke up. The “Galactic Survival Guide” mentioned that Galactic Treemen were highly valued by the local civilization, and no starship would refuse their service. Honest Reno never considered the possibility that the other party couldn’t afford him.

Lu Li magnanimously replied, “Mr. Reno, please don’t worry about it. This was just a misunderstanding.”

“No, please accept my apology and compensation,” Reno insisted. “I can serve on the Iris without payment.” He then realized that maintaining the energy shield still required energy stones, and the Iris had none left. Troubled, Reno said, “If the captain trusts me, I will find a job as soon as possible to make up for the Iris’s loss.”

Lu Li smiled slightly. “How about this? My superior, General Li Zhendao, is seeking cooperation with a Galactic Treeman. If Mr. Reno needs a job, the thirty thousand energy stones can be considered a deposit for collaboration with General Li.”

“That would be great.” Reno shook his leaves happily and gratefully said, “Captain, you are truly a good person.”

With a warm expression, Lu Li received the compliment. Remembering why he woke up, Reno decided to seek help from the kind-hearted Lu Li. “There’s one more thing, Captain. On the planet ahead, there is a newly born little tree. I hope the Captain can pause on the planet and allow me to find this little one.”

A little tree! Another Galactic Treeman!

This news was like a pie falling from the sky, making everyone behind Lu Li light up. If there was a guide present, they would notice that everyone’s thoughts were in unison, filled with the image of credits! Credits! Credits!

Lu Li smiled warmly and politely replied, “Of course.”

Reno: Captain, you are truly a good person!

Everyone on the Iris: Getting another Galactic Treeman for less than thirty thousand A-class energy stones is a bargain!

Twenty hours later, at 8 a.m. Earth Standard Time.

The Iris was swiftly breaking through the atmosphere, hovering over the desolate planet’s surface. From the command room, the abandoned cities and red sand were visible on the planet’s surface.

Lu Li stood before the virtual screen displaying the planet’s map and said to Shen Shen, “Go and invite General Zhuang to the command room…”

Before finishing the word “room,” Lu Li suddenly looked outside. Unprecedented agitation surged within him, and almost instinctively, he dashed out of the command room. Quickly donning his mech suit, Lu Li, under the astonished eyes of everyone on the Iris, leapt out of the ship, rapidly descending toward the ground from tens of thousands of meters in the air.

A voice in his mind told him, “There, it’s right there.”

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