In front of the starship is a hazy nebula. But for the crimson beams nearby, it would be a dreamy scene.
“It’s a newborn star with a surface temperature of 15 million degrees Celsius. The starship almost crashed head-on into it after a space jump… ”
Speaking of that, Lin Luoran is still scared.
Seen from a distance, the crimson blob of light is supremely beautiful. However, if the intelligent brain program hadn’t slowed down in time, all of them would have perished by now. Such an interstellar travel without coordinates is indeed full of risks, though not without opportunities. It poses a great challenge to those who are timid.
“We have to find our way to the orbit as soon as possible.”
Energy has almost run out after consecutive space jumps. In this situation, Xiaozhi suggests a forced landing on an asteroid to replenish energy in the first place. Lin Luoran readily agrees, for no one knows the condition of the starship better than Xiaozhi.
The starship flies for another ten days before it comes to an asteroid.
During an interstellar travel, crash landing is normally forbidden, unless the situation compels it. The “Alpha-Edward” starship is not in such a poor condition as to require such an adventure at the moment. What the starship needs is only energy, which can be obtained by sending the airship and robots to explore the asteroid.
This asteroid seems to be no bigger than the moon. According to Xiaozhi’s feedback, there are no signs of life on it for the time being. “Got it.” Lin Luoran replies. In fact, she is more concerned about the soy sauce and vinegar being brewed.
The former is made from black beans and soybeans, while the latter, glutinous rice. Lin Luoran makes them to kill time. She also spends her days letting the siblings of the Ma family recite spells, feeling the existence of Reiki. It is quite fulfilling.
She has no time to think about her troubles. Perhaps that’s because the returned cyan little fox keeps her busy, she suspects.
The cyan fox doesn’t mention where it has gone after it disappeared in Weifang, Shandong three hundred years ago. However, it still likes planting spirit medicine and spirit herbs. It forces Lin Luoran to convert part of the crop field on the starship into a medicine field, on which it sows some seeds of spirit herbs. Perhaps because the external area has enough radiation, the seeds indeed germinate within a few days.
Lin Luoran is too busy to bother with the cyan little fox’s behavior, let alone care for those prisoners of war who are worried about their destiny.
Lin Luoran devotes herself to supervising the learning of two children of the Ma’s. She finds that Ma Shuangshuang is a quick learner, though her congenital realm is insufficient. Her Taoist root of both the Water and the Wood is a precious gift. As for Ma Yiming, his Taoist root is so variegated that Lin Luoran, who has never cared about the Taoist root, can’t help sighing.
Four elements! He actually has a Taoist root of four elements, except for the fire!
If Taoist root affects one’s personality, Lin Luoran can understand how Ma Yiming is so inactive though he’s still young. Lacking the vigor of young people, the boy is somewhat worrying.
Fortunately, since both the brother and sister have the Taoist root, she doesn’t need to use the last resort. Though she is unwilling to admit, she subconsciously hopes that her mother may still be living in the world and that her family will reunite one day.
Personal ability enhancement requires a vision not confined to a cramped place. The siblings of the Ma family actually enjoy an environment conducive to their cultivation on the starship where they can open the skylight to observe numerous stars. It’s perfect timing for them.
As for the mining robots dispatched from the starship, they bring back enough ore when they return by airship.
The energy extracted from the ore will allow the starship to do a few more space jumps. If used solely for interstellar drift, the energy supplies will last for one year. However, Lin Luoran thinks they won’t have such good luck every time as to find an asteroid with energy sources. They may jump to a cosmic void next time where there are no stars, no planets, and no gravel.
Therefore, Lin Luoran proposes that they should stay a few more days over this asteroid to get more energy resources. Xiaozhi agrees.
Ten days later, two pieces of good news come.
Firstly, Xiaozhi has enough energy reserves, so the starship can set sail at any time. Secondly, Ma Shuangshuang has successfully acquired a sense of Qi.
For this teenage girl, her world has changed probably from the moment Lin Luoran began to take care of the siblings. As she sits in meditation according to the breathing method, she suddenly realizes that she is surrounded by little elves of which she has known nothing before. Since then, a door leading to a wider world has gradually opened to her.
She discovers that the asteroid with no signs of life is actually covered by small, brown blobs of light all over.
In addition, the light green buds on the cyan fox’s medicine field actually exude the color of the wood element. There are even green Reiki molecules lingering around when the cyan fox walks around.
When Ma Shuangshuang describes the above-mentioned discoveries, Lin Luoran secretly admires her aptitude. Ma Yiming is also proud of his sister.
Han Weiya is envious of her companions, though she never expresses such feelings.
…
Compared with Lin Luoran and her companions who lead a leisurely life, the alliance soldiers that are held captive have been desperate these days.
Lin Luoran isn’t so kind as to bring up delicious food to the alliance soldiers of a different camp from hers. Nevertheless, she doesn’t abuse the captives by reducing their food supplies.
The soldiers’ activities are indeed limited to the F living area. They must not leave there.
They are guarded by robots under Xiaozhi’s reign. They are frisked and all their modern equipment has been confiscated. Therefore, it’s impossible for them to stage a rebellion by controlling the robots. Even if they manage to escape, how long can they survive in the vast space without the starship?
Lin Luoran has paid no attention to these people, which is more painful to them than being killed.
But who wants to die if he/she can choose otherwise?
Except for such a noble as Gaut Sutherland who had a high status even before joining the army, other captives just let things be and do not cross the line since they are temporarily safe.
In contrast, Gaut Sutherland is restless. This guy actually attempts to invade the system of the starship through the entertainment facilities at hand. That happens one day after the starship left the asteroid with enough energy resources.
Hearing Xiaozhi condemn Gaut Sutherland for his underestimation of artificial intelligence’s power, Lin Luoran almost does a spit take.
But Colin Weir is impressed by Gaut Sutherland.
It turns out that the military family has such a high-end technical brain. If the intelligent brain program didn’t have independent consciousness, Captain Gaut Sutherland would have succeeded!
However, this episode reminds Lin Luoran that the handling of these captives must be put on the agenda.
A few days later, Xiaozhi has some exciting news.
“There is a life-bearing planet.”
Life-bearing planet! After several space jumps without coordinates, they have the good luck to find a habitable planet. What a blessing during the aimless interstellar travel!
However, this greenery-covered planet is not surrounded by artificial satellites. It may be decided by the Alpha Alliance to be a barbarian planet which is even more backward than the earth.
“Xiaozhi, dispatch scouting robots to search for intelligent lives on the planet.”
“Analyze air composition.”
“Analyze toxin in the plants.”
“Analyze heavy metals in soil.”
“Analyze if there’s any possibility of landing…”
It’s true that standing on the ground makes one feel real and at ease. This idea is shared by many. In addition, judging by the satellite photos taken by Xiaozhi, this planet is covered with greenery, and its surface is inlaid with yellowish patches which are actually waters. Except that its oceans are not azure, the plant is like the earth that was not polluted before the Industrial Revolution.
Have they discovered a terrestrial planet?
