Chapter 150
Zhou Yan gazed at Su Ci, his eyes deepening with a quiet intensity.
The words he had just spoken to Su Ci were genuine.
If Su Ci had asked him to remain in his childlike form forever, Zhou Yan would have felt regret, but he would have complied without hesitation.
Among the countless beings he had “observed” over millennia—so many species, so many forms of life—only Su Ci, the Earth Spirit, captivated him completely. They were alike in ways no other being could be.
In the distant past, when the world was still in chaos, they had been one entity. Although Zhou Yan had yet to develop sentience at that time, Su Ci, the Earth Spirit, inherently invoked in him a sense of warmth and connection.
Even after losing his memory and becoming a child, the moment he saw Su Ci at the nurturing center, this feeling instinctively drew him closer.
And from there, everything unfolded.
Looking back on the past days, it all felt like a dream. After all, everything he had once dared only to imagine had somehow come true.
For millions of years, Zhou Yan had been confined to the heavens, able only to observe from afar as Su Ci interacted with countless beings—beings who came and went in the Earth Spirit’s life.
Zhou Yan could only watch.
Occasionally, Su Ci would lift his head to gaze upward, his eyes filled with longing as though searching for something. In those moments, Zhou Yan wondered: could the Earth Spirit be yearning for him too?
But eventually, mere observation was no longer enough.
He wanted to be closer to Su Ci. He wanted to speak with him, to earn his attention, to form a deeper bond…
As he had said earlier, whether as friends, family, or partners, Zhou Yan could accept any role in Su Ci’s life.
Their forms of existence differed from that of humans, and thus their relationships need not conform to human conventions.
However, among all human connections, that of lovers or life partners was undeniably the most intimate.
If, in the future, someone were to share such a close bond with Su Ci, why couldn’t it be him?
Though they possessed eternal life, the other beings in Su Ci’s world would always be fleeting—temporary presences in the Earth Spirit’s infinite existence. But Zhou Yan? He would always remain by Su Ci’s side.
And now, it seemed he no longer needed to agonize over the possibility of that bond.
Su Ci had said he was willing to try.
Zhou Yan had waited so long—how could he not seize this chance?
He gazed deeply at Su Ci, the reflection of the Earth Spirit filling his platinum eyes.
“Su Su, being by your side like this… it’s wonderful.”
The hand Su Ci had been withdrawing hesitated mid-motion.
He touched the fluffy ears on the young man’s head, thought for a moment, and asked again, “A-Yan, are you sure you don’t remember when you first gained consciousness?”
A-Yan hesitated briefly before answering, “I suppose… it must have been tens of millions of years ago.”
Tens of millions of years. Su Ci’s mind replayed their earlier conversations.
So that’s what he meant by having “known him for a long time.” Tens of millions of years—an unfathomable expanse of time, even for someone like Su Ci.
He had experienced the pain of being unable to move or speak during his own pre-sentience. He understood how excruciating that state must have been.
But compared to the Rule Spirit, his journey to sentience had been much smoother, and their fates after gaining awareness were worlds apart.
Thinking of this, Su Ci felt a pang of sympathy for A-Yan.
Following his instinct, Su Ci reached out and gently patted A-Yan on the head, as though offering silent comfort.
Then, in a calm voice, he said, “Stay by my side from now on. I’ll establish a new order and restore prosperity to this planet.”
When that time comes, their powers would return, and Su Ci would guide A-Yan in rediscovering the beauty of this world.
And perhaps, as Su Ci gazed at the faint flickers of crimson that sometimes surfaced in A-Yan’s eyes, the malevolent traces that had corroded his soul would vanish along with it.
A-Yan froze for a moment, gazing into Su Ci’s perceptive eyes. After a brief pause, a joyful smile bloomed on his face.
“Then it’s a deal.”
“Mm.”
Su Ci met his smile, thought for a moment, and placed his hand on A-Yan’s head, tousling his hair more roughly this time.
Oh well, this version of him is rather endearing too.
The hover bus carried them on a circuit through the base.
Though the blood mist had brought a multitude of wraiths, filling almost every corner of the base, the spirits rarely initiated attacks.
After all, every base member carried a bottle of garlic-scented spray, whose properties repelled not only the mist but also the wraiths themselves.
As a result, despite the infiltration, the base had suffered minimal harm—most injuries occurred among the operations and defense teams sent to assist the nursery center.
Places like the cultivation garden, fortified by the presence of young spirit garlic, remained completely untouched—no wraiths dared to enter.
Of course, the situation in other bases on the prison planet was uncertain. Much would depend on whether the cultivation garden could speed up production and unleash the garlic’s protective power on a broader scale.
Su Ci thought of these humans—builders of order and civilization—and how they could one day help restore the land’s vitality.
With this in mind, he instructed the system to halt the bus.
Su Ci made his way to the cultivation garden, intending to intervene discreetly.
Initially, his plan was simple: bestow a blessing upon the young spirit garlic and reinforce it with a touch of soul power to help it navigate its critical germination phase. However…
“Yiya! Yiya!”
Within the greenhouse, the young spirit garlic, sensing the presence of the Earth Spirit and receiving his “gift,” immediately perked up with unprecedented vigor.
It happily waved its garlic leaves, and the scent it emitted became even stronger than before!
Previously, the smell only covered an area of about twenty meters, but this time, the intense garlic aroma spread over a hundred meters and continued to expand outward.
Thus, the cultivators observing just outside the greenhouse, who had adjusted their positions to avoid the aroma’s effects, were once again caught off guard…
“Thud! Thud!”
Looking at the fainted cultivators lying scattered on the ground outside, then back at the little spirit garlic immersed in its own joy, Su Ci could only sigh and withdraw.
This time, who knows how long the little spirit garlic will remain in such high spirits…
On the bright side, with its intensified aroma, the wraiths lingering around the cultivation garden had fled as if encountering their natural enemy.
From that perspective, perhaps it wasn’t entirely a bad thing?
Thinking along those lines, Su Ci left with a clear conscience. After completing his patrol of the base, he brought A-Yan to the eastern side of the base.
Compared to other areas, the blood mist here was sparse to the point of being almost invisible. The closer they got to the river, the clearer their view became.
The Star-chain Spiritual Fruit Su Ci had planted along the riverbank had fully taken root. Unlike its two counterparts growing in the nursery’s green space under Su Ci’s restrictions, this one was allowed to grow freely and had begun to thrive wildly.
Without structures to climb, the Star-chain Spiritual Fruit had extended its vines across the surrounding soil. As a plant with vigorous growth traits, it now spanned an area of tens of meters in diameter.
The lush green vines were already adorned with flower buds, signaling that it would soon enter its blooming phase. Before long, there would be another harvest of spirit fruits to enjoy.
The most dramatic transformation, however, was across the river.
As the blood mist continued surging toward the base, the spiritual energy near the purification barrier had grown so dense that it had turned into a visible fog.
Bathed in this spiritual mist, ordinary plants had entered a new phase of rapid growth.
The riverbank, once sparsely dotted with Selaginella plants, had been visibly carpeted in green. In addition to Selaginella and moss, there were new plants that A-Yan and the nursery’s young ones had transplanted earlier.
These included Golden Yams, Jade Snow, and Emerald Beans, along with newer varieties such as Fragrant Sweet Potatoes, Crisp Radishes, and Arugula.
Crisp Radishes and Arugula are naturally fast-growing crops, typically ready for harvest in about a month. Under the influence of spiritual energy, their growth rate had accelerated even further.
By the time Su Ci and A-Yan arrived, these vegetables had grown so densely that the entire plot of land was overflowing with them. If they weren’t harvested soon, they’d likely rot in the field.
Fortunately, Su Ci had spent his idle time recently weaving numerous spiritual storage bags from silk. These bags now proved useful.
This harvest filled three storage bags to capacity. Since the bags preserved freshness, there was no concern about spoilage.
In addition to the fast-growing crops, the bamboo Su Ci had planted earlier had grown into a small grove. New shoots were also visible among the bamboo, though it wasn’t quite time to harvest them yet. By tomorrow, they would likely be ready.
As for the White Mugwort, a perennial herbaceous plant, it was thriving alongside the Selaginella, competing for growth space. For now, it could be left alone.
In the river, aquatic plants such as water lotus, water grass, and algae, which had previously grown slowly due to low spiritual energy levels, were now thriving under the influence of increased spiritual energy.
The spiritual mist drifting toward the base settled into the river as it passed overhead, merging with the water.
Water grass and algae grew rampantly, turning the entire river green. In the area where the water lotuses grew, large lily pads floated on the surface, and blooming lotus flowers dotted the scene.
Su Ci gazed at the lotuses, feeling an inexplicable joy. Smiling, he said, “A-Yan, how about lotus seed soup tonight?”
A-Yan nodded but couldn’t help worrying as he looked at the rapidly growing aquatic plants. If the growth became too dense, it might harm the fish population…
Hearing his concerns, Su Ci nodded in agreement. “Then let’s clear the source upstream. The river can carry these aquatic plants to farther places.”
Before leaving, they harvested the lotus seeds from the water lotuses and then used a teleportation array to travel to Demon Flower Valley.
Shortly after Su Ci and A-Yan disappeared into the array, a black-and-white figure emerged from the direction of the base, its heavy steps thudding across the ground.
It was none other than the giant panda that had confronted Ran Lie outside the nursery.
The panda approached the riverbank, first sniffing at the Star-chain Spiritual Fruit, which had just entered its flowering stage, and then lifting its nose to sniff toward the opposite bank.
Gazing longingly at the lush new bamboo forest on the other side, the thin, hollow-cheeked panda’s eyes filled with desire as its stomach growled with hunger.
It glanced around, then dragged its weary body along the riverbank, step by step, until it eventually reached the downstream area where the river had been blocked by silt and debris.
The silt wasn’t entirely level with the riverbanks, dipping one or two meters below, but it had formed a “bridge” connecting both sides.
Resolutely, the giant panda jumped onto the silt, trudging through the sludge as it made its way to the opposite bank with increasingly heavy steps.
*
Meanwhile, at the Administrative Office Building, Guo Hui could no longer sit still after receiving countless messages from acquaintances, all urging her to expedite Su Ci’s permanent employment process.
She, too, had seen the video of Su Ci’s battle against over a hundred monsters—or rather, his one-sided domination over them.
An employee with such extraordinary abilities, especially at such a critical juncture, was an asset they couldn’t afford to lose. Failing to secure him would undoubtedly be her dereliction of duty!
She promptly drafted a formal application for Su Ci’s permanent appointment and a salary upgrade, submitting it to the inspector currently on vacation—though even for expedited cases, his signature was required.
The inspector, who was on his way back, was utterly baffled upon receiving Guo Hui’s report.
He couldn’t help but exclaim, “I was still preparing his first assessment! How did he skip straight to special appointment? And with such a significant salary increase too!”
Could this Caretaker Su really be that exceptional?
Due to confidentiality, Guo Hui couldn’t share Su Ci’s battle video with him. However, aside from his combat abilities, Su Ci’s performance in nurturing the young was also impeccable.
She replied, “Just take a look at the current state of the young ones, and you’ll understand why.”
Hearing this, the inspector nodded skeptically. With a critical mindset, he used his clearance to request access to the surveillance footage of the nursery from the base’s AI.
He had, of course, reviewed Su Ci’s file before, and based on that, he never expected this newly hired intern caregiver to survive the probation period in the nursery.
Guo Hui’s reaction had thoroughly piqued his curiosity. He wanted to see for himself what was so special about this Caretaker Su. Could it be that the nursery’s troublesome young ones had finally calmed down and stopped sending caretakers to the infirmary?
If so, perhaps this Caretaker Su was just… unusually lucky?
However, when the footage began to play, and he saw what was happening inside the nursery, he was completely dumbfounded.
Thanks for the update