Chapter 90: The Ninetieth Day of Being a Salted Fish

When Geshu Qing arrived at the Capital Star, the planet was in full bloom with fiery red roses and silk cotton flowers. From a distance, they looked like clusters of blazing fire, burning and dancing, breathtakingly beautiful and bursting with vitality.

Geshu Qing had grown up on a Desolate Planet and had almost never seen flowers or plants, let alone such continuous stretches of vivid color. After leaving the Desolate Planet, although he had visited several other worlds, most were abandoned planets in the grey zones, lacking such luxurious scenery.

Fortunately, he possessed memories of Desolate Planet. He had seen the unimaginably magnificent scenes within them and had even examined them in meticulous detail, transforming them into written records. Because of this, he could be considered somewhat worldly, which prevented him from showing any outward shock upon seeing the Capital Star.

Geshu Ming personally piloted a starship, taking Geshu Qing on a flight around the Capital Star while introducing him to the planet.

It was not a large world. Most of its surface was covered in water, with only a single, roughly circular continent. The imperial palace was situated at the very center of this landmass. Radiating outward from the palace, the various great families and factions were arranged in a pattern that formed a perfect, intricate hexagram.

The imperial palace was a pale gold structure.

Bricks of ancient, heavy Dragon Jade and tiles of brilliant, magnificent Chilin¹ scales were used in its construction. This palace utilized the Empire’s rarest materials—those that most symbolized imperial power—to create a display of ultimate luxury.

“Dragon Jade is only produced on a planet called Hidden Dragon. It took billions of years for those jade stones to form, relying on that planet’s unique environment,” Geshu Ming explained, her tone subtle. “To build this palace, that planet was completely hollowed out. Not a single piece of Dragon Jade can be found there anymore. Even ordinary jade is hard to come by.”

Geshu Qing looked at her. “Do you suspect these so-called Dragon Jades didn’t actually come from Hidden Dragon?”

Geshu Ming smiled. “It happened hundreds of years ago and was carried out by the Imperial Family. It’s impossible to investigate now. Whatever they say is the truth.”

Geshu Qing nodded and said nothing more, but he silently made a note of it.

Geshu Ming hadn’t spoken much to him at all, yet she had specifically emphasized this point; she surely had a purpose. Geshu Qing didn’t understand it yet, but that didn’t stop him from marking it as a priority in his mind.

Furthermore, he did find the building a bit strange. It gave him an odd feeling.

In fact, he found the entire Capital Star strange.

For a moment, he couldn’t even tell if the planet was alive or dead.

A look of satisfaction flickered in Geshu Ming’s eyes.

She hadn’t known this “younger brother” for long, and they hadn’t shared much conversation, let alone a heart-to-heart. Although Geshu Qing possessed Mental Power, he lacked the specific Communication trait unique to the Geshu Family’s Mental Power, which had caused her some concern.

However, the youth was very composed and sharp.

He was intelligent and possessed a depth of character. With these traits, combined with his status as a member of the Geshu Family, he met the basic requirements to establish a foothold on the Capital Star. She could now feel at ease introducing him into the social circles of the Empire’s upper echelon.

“You’ve just returned to the Geshu Family, so rest for a while first,” Geshu Ming said after a moment’s thought. “I’ve arranged a physical examination for you tomorrow. In a week, I’ll find someone to teach you general knowledge and etiquette. A month from now, the Geshu Family will host a banquet, where I will formally introduce you.”

Geshu Qing nodded. “Alright.”

“After the exam tomorrow,” Geshu Ming continued, “I’ll arrange for your DNA to be entered into the gene bank and apply for your identification and StarNet account. However, processing the official identity may take some time. You’ll have to wait about a week.”

Geshu Qing nodded again. “Okay, I’m in no hurry…”

He hesitated for a moment before saying, “Thank you.”

“You are my brother, after all.” Geshu Ming gave a small smile. “I’m not quite sure how to interact with you… I can’t bring myself to hug you and weep about how much you’ve suffered, even though that’s what a normal person might do.”

“…That won’t be necessary.” Geshu Qing had absolutely no desire to see such a scene.

After spending these few days together, he had a rough idea of Geshu Ming’s personality. She appeared gentle and intellectual on the surface, but she was actually cold and detached, rarely experiencing emotional fluctuations and even more rarely showing them.

The thought of her holding him and crying… Geshu Qing found the idea terrifying.

However, he wondered if she would hug Lu Yuan and have a good cry once she saw the living version of him. Geshu Qing thought with a bit of dark humor, feeling somewhat expectant.

“Yes, I imagine you wouldn’t like it either,” Geshu Ming said softly. “Let’s just interact as friends for now and slowly adjust. What do you think?”

Geshu Qing watched as she turned her head to meet his gaze. Her light purple eyes, identical to his own, curved slightly, clear and filled with sincere tenderness.

Geshu Qing smiled. “Alright.”

–

Planet Muse.

Siming and Zhu Rong stepped off the starship. After scanning their optical computers to exit the transport station, they were greeted by a bustling, lively metropolis.

Unlike the Capital Star, where one might walk a kilometer without seeing a single soul, this place was commercially developed. The streets were filled with a constant flow of people, weaving in and out in a noisy throng.

Siming hailed a ride, and soon, a Shuttle Car flew in from the distance. It only detached itself from the main traffic flow once it neared them, coming to a halt right in front of the pair.

The Shuttle Car was the Empire’s standardized public transportation vehicle, capable of traveling by water, land, or air. They were a common sight everywhere in the city.

In fact, because riding a Shuttle Car was so convenient, very few people bought private cars anymore. Aside from those with a specific passion for vehicles or the wealthy who wished to flaunt their status and riches, almost no one owned a car.

Siming entered their destination. Without requiring any manual control, the Shuttle Car merged back into the traffic and sped toward their destination.

The destination was an apartment.

Geshu Ming was thorough in her arrangements. Not only had she provided them with identities, but she had also given them some money and helped them purchase a home on Planet Muse to serve as a temporary base.

Of course, for her, this was nothing more than a simple instruction. As for the money spent to accomplish it, neither Geshu Ming nor the Geshu Family would give it a second thought.

During the ride, Zhu Rong fiddled with the new optical computer on her wrist.

Previously, on the long-distance starship, there were frequent warps, and the StarNet connection in deep space was poor, making it inconvenient to play games. She had been bored for several days. Now that she finally had some free time, she was itching to log into the game and take a look.

Watching her movements, Siming smiled. “Go ahead and play. Our residence is quite far from here; it’ll probably take a few hours to fly there.”

Most planets only had two or three interstellar transport stations. Standard passenger starships from other planets landed at these stations. Only a few small private starships could enter low-altitude flight paths after applying for permission to land near their specific destination. Everyone else had to disembark at the transport station and take a vehicle to other parts of the planet.

The Shuttle Car was not slow, but Siming’s new home was two thousand kilometers away from the station. It would take some time to arrive.

“Then I’ll head in and check it out,” Zhu Rong said. “Maybe Geshu Qing is already waiting for us.”

They had previously agreed with Geshu Qing that once they obtained their optical computers, they would also play 80% Mecha Combat. On one hand, they wanted to explore this mysterious game together; on the other, it provided an additional channel for communication.

Siming nodded and helped Zhu Rong recline her seat so she could play while lying down. Then, he took out his own optical computer.

He would have forgotten if Zhu Rong hadn’t mentioned it, but now that they had arrived safely, he needed to quickly let Geshu Qing, Goudan, and Lu Yuan know they were okay.

Zhu Rong, meanwhile, had already swiftly entered the game.

Then.

“Oh? Why are you back again?” a voice said with a chuckle nearby, sounding a bit teasing. “I knew this game was too fun for you to just quit like that!”

It was Jeremy.

Zhu Rong slowly opened her eyes and found herself still in the guild lounge. There were a few more people around now, and Jeremy was among them.

She looked down at herself. Her clothes were the same ones she had worn during her last visit, her spatial button was still there, and her mecha lay lonely inside it.

Zhu Rong closed her eyes for a moment, pursed her lips, and then looked at Jeremy, saying calmly, “Yeah, I still wanted to play, so I came back.”

At that moment, Siming had already received a message from Geshu Qing.

“It’s good that you’ve arrived. I’ve also reached the Capital Star, and everything is fine. I had a physical examination yesterday and just got my optical computer.”

“There are many things to do now that I’ve first arrived at the Capital Star, so I probably won’t be able to play 80%. Tell Zhu Rong not to wait for me and to play on her own for now. I’ll accompany her when I have time.”

Siming frowned.

“Probably won’t be able to play 80% Mecha.”

Was he unable to find an opportunity to enter the game within the Geshu Family? Or had something else gone wrong? Why did he go out of his way to emphasize that?

Translator’s Notes