Ch 33: Interplanetary Planting Master

Unexpected

When Su He was young, his master often told him, “When dealing with people, there should be give and take. Those who only take and never give might seem clever, but they’re actually narrowing their path. As for those who only give and never take, they’re just foolish.” Su He thought this advice applied well to his relationship with Lu Li too.

Despite their strange connection, Lu Li had already helped him multiple times. Lu Li had saved him during the beast tide and allowed him to live on the Iris, providing him a lifestyle different from the refugees in the lower deck. Su He owed Lu Li a lot and felt that Lu Li and his team were different from the sentinels he had encountered on the broken star. With his defenses down, Su He wanted to repay Lu Li. The only thing he was really good at was farming.

Thinking this, Su He planted a whole field of radishes. It couldn’t be helped; he had brought the most radish seeds for convenience. The seeds quickly sprouted green seedlings. Feeling good, Su He extended his mental tendrils and gently poked Lu Li to get his attention.

Outside the Iris, Lu Li, Shen Shen, and Liao Kai, who doubled as the ship’s repairman, were discussing the repair progress of the ship’s anti-gravity system. Liao Kai looked troubled. “Several key components of the anti-gravity system are damaged. The Iris also lacks essential repair tools. To fully repair it will take two to three months.”

“Two to three months?” Lu Li sighed. Repairing the ship would take two to three months, and charting the nearby star maps, determining their location, and finding a way to contact the Federation might take even longer. He smiled wryly. “Knowing the General’s temper, not hearing from the Iris for so long, he might tear the Fourth Corps apart.”

Shen Shen snorted and shrugged, “Nothing we can do about it. The Fourth Corps was stingy with the energy stones. If they had jumped directly to our coordinates, we might already be back on Carnas.” Although it seemed like a grudge, if it weren’t for Reno’s energy shield, the Iris would have been torn apart by the subspace storm.

Lu Li was fair in his assessment, “Our relationship with the Fourth Corps is just business as usual. We’re actually quite lucky. First, we had Reno, then we found a habitable planet. Looking at it from another angle, this planet can be seen as an energy planet, so we could consider it a blessing in disguise.”

Shen Shen emphasized, “Not just an energy planet, but one that recycles energy.”

His view reflected the main opinion on the Iris. The crew believed they had hit the jackpot. Ideally, they could domesticate these strange plants and have a continuous supply of energy stones.

Lu Li smiled but wasn’t as optimistic as Shen Shen and the others. He was still concerned about the malicious intent Su He had sensed from the depths of the desert. Sentinels had keen senses, and sometimes their sixth sense was spot on. He felt there was more to this planet than met the eye. He asked Shen Shen, “Assuming Wei Na’s judgment is correct, have any of you considered how those plants formed energy stones inside them?”

Regarding this point, Shen Shen and the others had discussed it late into the night. They unanimously agreed that the key lay in the green tendrils at the top of the plants, similar to photosynthesis, absorbing light or other energies in the universe, which then condensed into energy stones inside them.

“Yes, exactly like that,” Liao Kai added.

Lu Li didn’t comment and continued, “Then what’s the purpose of the mouth at its root? What about the digestive system?” He wasn’t expecting an answer from Shen Shen or Liao Kai, nearly talking to himself, “Life in the universe evolves in relation to its environment. The mouth at the root of these plants surely isn’t decorative.”

Shen Shen was about to speak when Lu Li’s expression changed suddenly. He looked towards Su He’s cabin. Liao Kai nudged Shen Shen and mouthed, “The young guide?”

Shen Shen nodded in understanding. Both men’s eyes darted around conspiratorially before straightening their expressions, pretending nothing had happened. Lu Li gave them an amused look and said, “Alright, tell everyone to stay alert and not be fooled by the energy stones.”

It was still too early to draw conclusions. Wei Na had already taken the third squad to find live specimens of the plants. The specifics would have to wait until they had more samples. Lu Li finished his instructions and went to find Su He. Thinking of the surprise Su He mentioned, Lu Li’s face softened. He had heard about Su He working with sand in the morning and had a good idea of what Su He was up to. He felt this was a positive sign, showing that Su He’s defenses were dropping and that he was starting to trust the Iris and its crew.

Lu Li decided that whatever he saw when he opened the door, he would pretend to be surprised. However, there was no need to pretend; the scene exceeded his expectations. In Su He’s cabin, a one-meter-square plot of black soil had appeared out of nowhere, with neatly sprouting green seedlings. Su He’s mental plant spirit was cheerfully burrowing in the soil, and upon seeing Lu Li, it shyly buried its two small leaves.

Su He was poking the exposed “butt” of the plant spirit, grinning at Lu Li. Even he didn’t realize he was looking for praise.

Lu Li smiled and genuinely said, “Impressive.”

Su He’s smile widened, his pride barely concealed. Lu Li’s gaze softened as he sat next to Su He. Both sat on the floor, and Lu Li picked up a handful of soil, extending his senses. The black soil was fertile and vibrant with energy, entirely devoid of the desert’s barrenness.

He asked knowingly, “This is the sand you were working with this morning?”

Su He nodded. Lu Li mused, “Is this ability part of your plant spirit?”

Su He hesitated, “Not entirely.”

Lu Li wasn’t the first to ask this. Like Han Rui, Lu Li had assumed the formation was a plant spirit ability. Su He had tried to explain the principles of setting up a formation to Han Rui, but Han Rui couldn’t understand. So, Su He admitted it was partly the plant spirit’s ability, but the formation was an aid, and the two worked together. He brushed aside the soil to reveal the energy stones beneath and looked at Lu Li, saying, “The plant spirit ability is part of it, but it needs a formation to help.”

“Formation?” Lu Li pressed a finger into the soil, sensing the simple yet perfect energy cycle within. He was surprised, “An energy field?”

Su He: “… You could say that.”

Lu Li pondered, “If we wanted to set up this formation outside the Iris, how many energy stones would we need?”

“That depends on how big the formation is. But…” Su He admitted honestly, “My spirit… my mental strength isn’t enough. I can only set up small to medium formations; anything bigger is beyond me.” He guessed Lu Li’s intention, “You want to cultivate the desert?”

Lu Li nodded. “The Iris is severely damaged. Fully repairing it will take three months. While we’re on this planet, the people in the lower deck can’t stay idle; they need something to do.”

Strictly speaking, Lu Li saved these people out of human compassion. The Iris couldn’t keep supporting them indefinitely, and Lu Li didn’t plan to. Besides, among these people, there could be many federal fugitives, making it impossible for the Iris to treat them as ordinary civilians. Lu Li needed them to sustain themselves and reduce the Iris’s burden. Also, keeping them busy would prevent them from causing trouble.

Su He calculated that with a bit of effort, he could set up a formation large enough for over 300 people to farm. However… he hesitated, looking at Lu Li, who understood his concern and promised, “I’ll strictly limit their activities. They won’t know who set up the formation.”

Su He smiled, “The old man, oh, my master, he often said, ‘Don’t flaunt your wealth, and don’t show off your uniqueness.’” He trusted Han Rui, Lu Li, and the friendly sentinels on the Iris but didn’t trust the people in the lower deck. It wasn’t that he suspected they would do anything, but it was just his instinct to avoid trouble.

Lu Li agreed, “The old man was right. Like the plants we discovered that produce energy stones, no one’s thinking of handing them over for federal research. Instead, we’re thinking of secretly raising them to provide a constant supply of energy stones for the Iris.”

Su He blinked, mischievously imitating Lu Li’s serious tone, “You all are virtuous. Even far from the Federation, you never forget to uphold its honor…”

Lu Li laughed, “Well done.”

Su He couldn’t continue with a straight face. Lu Li was very candid, “These slogans are for others. Whatever you do, it’s easier with a righteous banner.”

Su He nodded vigorously, “I understand.”

Seeing his earnest look, Lu Li couldn’t help but ruffle Su He’s hair. Su He turned slightly, the tips of his ears turning red.

The atmosphere in the cabin became a bit strange. A few screams from outside the Iris interrupted the subtle connection that had been forming between Lu Li and Su He. Su He looked outside in surprise, and Lu Li quickly got up, saying, “Stay here, don’t wander off.” As he walked out, he extended his senses, and the scene by the sea unfolded before him.

At that time, it was the scheduled activity period for the lower deck residents. They were unaware of the small-scale battle between the Iris and the plants the previous night. Shen Shen had instructed them not to stray too far from the Iris, and most complied. However, a few surviving girls wanted to bathe and were reluctant to stay where the crowd was. They walked along the seashore, moving further and further away, trying to leave the sentinels’ sensory range. By the time Jiang Bo noticed and tried to call them back, green tendrils suddenly emerged from the sand. Gray rocks with gaping, menacing mouths bit the girl at the front in half at the waist.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the green tendrils quickly burrowed into the girl’s body. Her body withered at a visible speed, and one of her legs had already been chewed clean by the gray rocks. The remaining girls retreated in terror. Jiang Bo arrived almost immediately, swiftly killing the feeding plant, but the attacked girl was beyond saving.

Jiang Bo lifted the green tendrils, which were covered with numerous breathing organs. Tiny cilia extended from these organs, still writhing as they tried to latch onto his hand. Despite his experience with various dark beasts, Jiang Bo couldn’t help but shudder.

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