The weather today was perfect. The spring sun wasn’t too harsh, the air was bright and sunny, and the temperature was just right. Taking advantage of the moment, Ling Miao called for Susan, and the two of them headed to a forest not far away.
"Miaomiao, there aren't any fresh ingredients in this forest. If you want to create new dishes, you can just look them up on the StarNet."
Susan was completely baffled by Ling Miao’s decision to go hunting for ingredients. In her view, the Tadar Star was primitive and backward. If a backward planet like this had any edible ingredients, the locals would have long since fenced them off; there would be nothing left for outsiders to find.
Ling Miao didn't confirm or deny Susan’s point. She was still nursing a grudge. Ever since she had gotten angry at the System a few days ago, she had been stewing in it, refusing to speak to the entity for several days. Just thinking about all those lost credits made her chest ache! People who don't run a household don't know the price of rice and salt—the System had deducted the funds with no warning. Couldn't it have offered an installment plan?
Looking for ingredients was just an excuse anyway. Ever since she had transmigrated here, she had spent every day rushing about for missions or simply trying to survive. She hadn't really had a chance to observe her surroundings. It was a coincidence, really. In the vast reaches of the Interstellar, every planet had a different climate cycle. According to Susan, some planets were trapped in eternal night, others knew only day, and some were covered entirely in ice and snow. By some stroke of luck, this planet’s climate and orbital cycle were almost identical to those of the Blue Star. If Ling Miao didn't know for a fact that she had transmigrated, she would have assumed she was still on the Blue Star based on the climate and seasons.
Ling Miao was lost in thought, occasionally chiming in to agree with Susan. Though the young girl was a bit confused, she clearly seemed happy. Under Ling Miao’s deliberate attempts to grow closer over the past few days, the distance between them had narrowed significantly, and even her relationship with old Mrs. Odeya had improved quite a bit.
"Look, we're here."
Susan stopped and pointed to a vast forest not far ahead. Her cheeks wrinkled in distaste. "Why is there such a huge patch of bamboo?"
Her tone was thick with disappointment. When Ling Miao heard this, she looked up at the expansive bamboo grove and smiled. "What’s wrong with bamboo?"
Susan’s eyes widened, her orange cat-like pupils turning perfectly round, as if she had heard something unbelievable. "This stuff grows too fast. If it grew under your eaves, it could rip the roof off in a single night. Aside from the Iron-Eating Beast clan, there isn't a single species in the Interstellar that likes it."
While current technology meant that housing wasn't a major concern, that was only true on developed planets. The Tadar Star was primitive and backward; there was no advanced infrastructure here, and they couldn't even procure the chemicals needed to inhibit the growth of the bamboo.
Susan frowned, thinking about the long-term implications, but Ling Miao had only latched onto the words "Iron-Eating Beast." Her ears perked up, and she asked, "There are still Iron-Eating Beasts in the Interstellar?"
"Of course, but their clan is rare, and they rarely show themselves."
Ling Miao sighed with regret. She had hoped to see a real-life giant panda.
Susan didn't know what was going through Ling Miao’s mind. She kept walking forward until the massive bamboo forest came into view. It was lush and straight. She curled her lip and was about to detour around it.
"Wait—"
Susan turned back and saw that Ling Miao’s eyes were shining. Before she could speak, the typically calm Ling Miao hurried forward, crouched on the ground, and looked at the earth with delight. A mound of soil was bulging upward, looking like a tiny hill.
"What's wrong?"
Ling Miao looked at the small mound, thrilled. "It's a bamboo shoot!" To be precise, a spring shoot.
"A bamboo shoot?" Susan tilted her head in confusion. She walked over as Ling Miao picked up a wooden stick and began digging eagerly. A small spring shoot soon broke through the surface—it had a soil-brown husk and a pointed tip, forming a perfect cone.
*So, it's just the infant form of bamboo.* Aside from the Iron-Eating Beasts, this was the first time she’d seen anyone else interested in it. Susan raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised. However, seeing how happy Ling Miao was, she started helping her dig.
The bamboo grove was quite large, and there were plenty of spring shoots. The two of them worked for the entire morning, digging up a substantial amount. Ling Miao looked at the pile of shoots on the ground, and the exhaustion from a morning of labor felt much lighter.
"Are these used for cooking?"
"Of course," Ling Miao replied, nodding as expected.
Having received the answer she anticipated, Susan nodded and began gathering the shoots with Ling Miao. The whole pile was stored away into Susan’s space ring.
Ling Miao watched the empty clearing, filled with envy. *The extravagance of the rich!* She swallowed hard, suppressing the urge to drool as she thought about the price of a space ring, and buried her covetous thoughts deep down.
"There’s a small river ahead. Let's go over and wash up."
"Alright."
Ling Miao nodded and followed Susan forward. A quiet river flowed not far away. The vegetation along the bank was lush, and the water was crystal clear. Small fish and shrimp swam by; they weren't afraid of the newcomers, even swimming closer with reckless boldness. As she washed her hands, Ling Miao watched the fish and shrimp with a sudden impulse.
The creatures in the water had no natural predators. Although they weren't huge, they were plump and round. Every grab was a success, and in no time, Ling Miao had caught quite a few. Susan didn't pay much attention, assuming Ling Miao was just playing around.
The two were enjoying themselves when they suddenly heard some movement. Voices seemed to be coming from a dense thicket of bushes nearby.
"Ellis, are you actually reliable or not?!"
A brown-haired boy sounded impatient, questioning the thin boy in front of him.
"Alright, that’s enough," Avril said, pulling Keli back. "Who knew we’d be this unlucky? It’s no use blaming him."
The boy in front turned his head. He wore black-rimmed glasses on his thin face and looked rather helpless. "The navigation did indeed show this." The implication was that he wasn't sure either.
All three were wearing black uniforms with tailored cuts and glowing star insignias on their shoulders, looking very much like military-grade Interstellar uniforms.
"Damn it—those damned space pirates!"
The three of them were freshmen at the Federal Military Academy. They had planned a trip through the Interstellar before school started, only to run into fleeing space pirates halfway through, forcing their group to crash-land on an unfamiliar planet. To make matters worse, two of their Star Brains were damaged, and only Ellis’s was functional enough to serve as a makeshift navigator, though all other functions were offline.
That wasn't even the worst of it. The starship had crashed in the middle of a vast, dense forest where the trees were so tall they blocked out the sun, making it impossible to tell north from south. The three of them had followed the navigation and walked for days before they finally managed to get away from the crash site.
"We’ve reached the outskirts now. We should be able to walk out soon," Avril said, pushing aside the bushes. Suddenly, all three found themselves locking eyes with Ling Miao and Susan.
Each side held a wooden stick they had picked up from the ground. They stood there, staring at one another in silence.