Ch 112: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Mu Xing was startled, then quickly realized—the antennae were probably how these little people communicated.

“Hello.” He tried greeting her with his mind as well. “Are you a flower spirit?”

The little green figure gave him a puzzled look: “What’s a flower spirit? I’m from the Iya tribe, my name is Mai Mai.”

The Iya tribe?

Mu Xing searched through the original body’s memories but found no information about such a race.

He thought of how plants in this world didn’t bloom—could that have something to do with the Iya tribe?

He pointed at the rose Mai Mai had been hiding in: “Was it you who made it bloom?”

Sitting on his ear, Mai Mai glanced at him shyly: “Yes, I heard you talking to it every day.”

She could make plants bloom.

Then…

“Our planet’s plants don’t bloom—does that have anything to do with you?”

Out of Mu Xing’s sight, Mai Mai puffed up her cheeks, angry: “That’s because of the bad things your humans did! It has nothing to do with Mai Mai and Mai Mai’s friends!”

Mu Xing was confused.

Mai Mai told him a story.

The Iya were natives of the star system. They were born small, with very long lifespans, and could communicate simply with animals and plants.

The Iya loved flowers most of all.

They lived in blossoms, drank nectar and dew from petals.

Mu Xing thought they didn’t just look like fairies from stories—even their setting sounded like fairyfolk.

Mai Mai’s voice was delicate: “Before humans came, it wasn’t like this. Everywhere there were flowers and forests. My friends and I drank all kinds of nectar every day.”

Later, the human fleets arrived. They discovered a star system suitable for living, with no predators or threats.

But to the tiny Iya, humans were gigantic, and their ships and machines even bigger.

The Iya were terrified and hid inside flowers the moment they saw them.

Then something worse happened.

Humans began cutting trees, filling lakes, building cold houses, knocking down mountains.

Many Iya lost their homes.

They were small, timid. To them, humans were like demons.

The timid Iya didn’t dare fight the “giants.” They fled into untouched mountains and snowy peaks, found plants they loved, and chose to sleep.

All the Iya fell into slumber.

And the flowers who loved the Iya most also chose silence, accompanying their best friends.

It took Mu Xing a while to process.

So the plants of this world didn’t bloom—not because something was wrong with the plants, but because the natives bore a grudge against humans.

Though sometimes, people still managed to grow flowering plants.

Mai Mai explained: “When we sleep, we can wake up too. If we meet humans we don’t dislike, we might peek out secretly.”

Mu Xing recalled the news he’d searched before: in the entire star system, only a few families could grow flowers. Their greenhouses were extravagant, and they even played music daily for their plants. Many mocked them for treating flowers like ancestors—but in truth, they’d stumbled upon the right way.

He thought of Mai Mai’s words, and his mood lifted. Smiling, he asked: “So I’m a human Mai Mai doesn’t dislike?”

Mai Mai suddenly blushed.

She thought for a moment, her wings fluttering, and flew in front of Mu Xing’s face.

Humans were so big! Looking at him like this, she felt like if he opened his mouth, he could swallow her whole.

Mu Xing didn’t know what she was thinking. He only saw a tiny, butterfly-like figure hovering before him, slowly drawing closer.

He blinked instinctively, his eyelids brushed by something cool.

Like the touch of a soft feather.

“Ah!” Mai Mai squeaked, covering her face and darting back into the flower.

Mu Xing: ?

He waited a moment before realizing: had Mai Mai just kissed him?

That little one must have gotten shy, hiding in the flower too embarrassed to come out.

He lowered his head to look. The blooming rose stood quietly—no one would guess a little Iya was hiding inside.

“Mai Mai?” he called softly.

“Mai Mai isn’t coming out!” A faint voice sounded at his ear again.

Mu Xing turned.

On the lid of the teapot sat another Iya, slightly larger than Mai Mai.

Of course, larger than Mai Mai still meant very tiny in Mu Xing’s eyes.

This little Iya was clearly bolder. Seeing Mu Xing look his way, he stood proudly atop the teapot like a miniature king surveying his realm, staring up at Mu Xing for a long time.

Finally, with a serious air, he commented: “Mai Mai said she met a human she really likes, so I came to take a look. You do look decent, and your scent is pleasant.”

Mu Xing was surprised at his voice: “Mai Mai had to touch me with her antennae to talk. Why can you speak directly?”

The little Iya answered: “She’s still young. She hasn’t learned how to speak yet.”

He glanced at the roses covering three walls of the courtyard and asked: “Mai Mai said you talk to her every day, coaxing her, just because you wanted this flower to bloom?”

Mu Xing thought about it. He really did chat with this rose every day, so that wasn’t wrong. He nodded.

The little Iya snorted heavily: “I knew it! You humans are so sly! Just want to coax us into blooming for you!”

Mu Xing looked at the little one in puzzlement. Just now he had seen Mai Mai, and from the way Mai Mai spoke, he thought all Iya were like her—soft-voiced, delicate, and shy.

He hadn’t expected this one to have such a temper.

He wanted to say something to defend himself, but suddenly the little fellow lifted his head and said: “My name is Mao Mao.”

Mu Xing didn’t know what he meant, so he replied: “My name is Mu Xing.”

“Mu Xing…”

Mao Mao repeated the name, nodded with a reserved air, then asked: “What flower do you like most?”

Mu Xing: ?

He didn’t really have a favorite. Honestly, he answered: “I don’t have a particular preference. As long as it’s a flower, I like it.”

At this, Mao Mao frowned, clearly dissatisfied with the answer.

Mu Xing couldn’t quite grasp this little one’s temper. But this finger-sized figure, scrunching up his tiny face to act all serious, was really… very cute.

And with such a cute little person, what did it matter if his temper was strange?

Of course he would choose to tolerate him.

His eyes filled with laughter as he watched Mao Mao wrestling with himself.

Finally, the little Iya seemed to make up his mind. He lifted his head, looked at Mu Xing firmly, and declared:

“I’m close with lots of flowers. If you’re willing to coax me more, like you do with Mai Mai, then I can make lots and lots of flowers bloom for you!”

Mu Xing: …?

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