Chapter 228
The material for the training uniforms came from the silk spun by the giant insects in the Demon Flower Valley. This silk was also used to make spirit-storage pouches.
Once Su Ci finished sketching the design for the uniforms, A-Yan began preparations.
They left the nursery together and headed to the eastern mountains of Base 24.
Over the past few months, the entire mountain range had been covered with purified spirit grass. The grass grew rapidly and, though it stopped spreading and growing with the arrival of autumn, the area remained lush and verdant.
After all, these weren’t ordinary grasses anymore but spiritual plants.
The grass continued to absorb resentment and cleared the mountain range of the lingering blood mist that had persisted for years. The visibility in the area had greatly improved.
The Star Chain Fruit planted earlier thrived under the influence of spiritual energy, covering the slopes. However, as autumn arrived, the plants began to show signs of dormancy. They would likely sprout new shoots in the spring after surviving the fall and winter.
In addition to the Star Chain Fruit, Su Ci had transplanted a significant amount of bamboo to the mountains. Bamboo grows quickly and remains green year-round, forming a sizable grove in a short time.
The monsters that once infested the mountains had mostly been cleared out. Many of the giant insects had also been eradicated, leaving only smaller ones.
These smaller insects had begun feeding on the bamboo and other vegetation, gradually losing their aggressiveness. Over decades of adaptation, their size might even shrink back to their original proportions.
Meanwhile, the demonic plants in the valley were undergoing a transformation.
With the resentment in the environment decreasing and spiritual energy concentration increasing, the plants had no choice but to adapt. Though this process wasn’t easy, progress appeared promising.
Perhaps in a year or two, this place could be renamed Spirit Flower Valley.
Su Ci looked forward to that day.
Beyond the mountains stretched a vast plain. The purified spirit grass had only just begun to spread to its edge and would likely continue its advance in the spring.
The mountain’s transformation had already started to show results. During this trip, Su Ci and A-Yan discovered traces of animals in the area.
It was unclear whether these new arrivals were ordinary beasts or beast-blood warriors like Lai Ze, who had survived the blood mist after full beastification. Regardless, the discovery was a promising sign.
As more creatures gathered, the mountain range would truly flourish.
After autumn arrived, the giant insects in the valley retreated into hiding. Unlike insects that metamorphosed at fixed times, these required sufficient energy accumulation before entering their cocoon phase.
Even the harsh weather hadn’t driven them to extinction, so they hadn’t vanished with the season’s change.
Walking through the valley, Su Ci and A-Yan could sense many giant insects burrowing underground. Hanging beneath the branches of the demonic plants were over a dozen large cocoons.
The transformation from cocoon to butterfly was a grueling process, and the success rate was low.
Among these cocoons, roughly half had lost their vitality, indicating failed transformations. A-Yan selected one of the cocoons and began collecting silk from it.
Su Ci stood still for a while before suddenly walking toward a particular cocoon. This one stood out due to its slightly deeper color, a faint milky yellow.
Su Ci studied it thoughtfully, and when A-Yan approached, he was still staring at the cocoon.
“What’s wrong?” A-Yan asked, looking at the cocoon. It seemed…
Su Ci shook his head. “Let’s check it again next spring. Maybe there’ll be a surprise.”
A-Yan smiled, his lips curving upward. “Alright, let’s do that.”
As they spoke, the silk of the cocoon, already shimmering, seemed to grow even more radiant and translucent. The mere presence of the two most powerful spirits in this land—and their brief conversation—had subtly influenced the fragile life within the cocoon.
However, whether the delicate creature inside could successfully transform and turn this influence into a positive outcome would depend on its own efforts.
Once A-Yan finished collecting the silk, the two left Demon Flower Valley. There were still other materials to gather in the mountains.
They walked at a leisurely pace, A-Yan’s face perpetually lit with a smile. Su Ci glanced at him and couldn’t help but ask, “Is there really a reason to be this happy?”
A-Yan paused, tried to rein in his expression, but eventually gave up and grinned wider. “Isn’t this like a date?” he said, looking at Su Ci with a playful sparkle in his eyes.
Su Ci gave him a puzzled look. To him, this outing felt no different from the other times they had been alone together. But… as long as this made the guy happy, why not?
When A-Yan tentatively reached out, first grabbing Su Ci’s wrist, then interlacing their fingers, Su Ci didn’t pull away.
After collecting all the materials, the two didn’t use the teleportation array to return. Instead, at A-Yan’s suggestion, they strolled back toward the base.
Of course, with the aid of the Shrinking Earth Into Inches spell, their slow pace wasn’t actually that slow.
The distance between the mountains and the base spanned over a thousand meters, covered with lush, purified spirit grass. A small section had been cleared by the Base 24 garrison to create a chicken farm—yes, the very source of the roasted chicken they had enjoyed during their autumn picnic.
After the eggs Yan Ya brought were hatched into chicks, the nursery kept a few for egg-laying, while the rest were handed over to Base 24 for farming.
These chickens were well-fed, well-housed, and even herded out for daily exercise. It was true free-range farming, and the chickens were thriving.
Over the months, the chicken farm had expanded significantly.
According to Zhang Mi, once the base’s safe zone extended further, they planned to recruit non-military staff. Priority would be given to the families of those stationed long-term on the prison planet, reducing the pain of separation. As infrastructure continued to improve, the planet would likely attract more residents.
After all, the planet was changing dramatically every day.
Su Ci naturally supported this development. The more life that flourished on the land, the more it strengthened his restorative powers.
He had even noticed recently that, without deliberate purification, some vengeful spirits lingering in the base had gradually dissipated and returned to the earth on their own.
Vengeful spirits, tied to unresolved obsessions during their lifetimes, typically lingered after death. Their gradual disappearance might be linked to the base’s improved environment, which indirectly soothed their lingering attachments.
As Su Ci and A-Yan entered the base, they looked up to see floating “islands” in the sky.
These sky islands were planted with purified spirit grass, hovering above the base to cleanse any vengeful energy descending from the mist-laden clouds.
With the presence of the spirit grass, the garlic-flavored measures originally used to repel the blood mist were no longer necessary. The air in the base had become noticeably fresher.
Garrison soldiers patrolled the base, and maintenance teams were busy refurbishing buildings and equipment. However, the once-busy operations teams, constantly running between structures to address emergencies, was nowhere to be seen.
The cubs’ berserk bloodline issues no longer required intervention, and with Su Ci and A-Yan protecting the base, no monsters dared to attack. As a result, the operations team had significantly less to do lately.
According to Zhang Mi, Base 24 was planning to collaborate with Base 26 to scout and engage monsters proactively in the wild.
At the same time, the former operations team leader, Lai Ze, had shown them that there might still be comrades out in the wilderness—those who had fully beastified and lost their sanity, struggling in the blood mist.
In the past, there had been no way to address these issues. Now, with newfound resources and capability, it was only natural to find ways to rescue them!
This mission received unanimous support from the soldiers.
The research institute also contributed by developing a new weapon using mutated garlic. This weapon proved effective against most monsters, especially devastating to insect-like creatures.
Such advancements provided the soldiers with significant protection, enabling them to fight monsters more effectively.
In summary, everything at Base 24 was moving in a positive direction.
After returning to the nursery, A-Yan began crafting the training uniforms, while Su Ci summoned Mu Yuncheng and handed him a metallic disk.
“What’s this?” Mu Yuncheng asked, puzzled.
Su Ci didn’t explain much, simply saying, “Place it on your spaceship, secure it on a spacious section of the floor, and then you can depart for Mu Pa Pa Star.”
Mu Yuncheng froze for a moment before nodding.
“Understood.”
Although he didn’t know exactly what the Earth Spirit was planning, he trusted the deity completely. Whatever Su Ci did, there was always a reason behind it.
“Let me say goodbye to Mu Bao, and then I’ll set off immediately.”
There were so many tribe members to relocate to the homeworld, and time was of the essence. He couldn’t afford any delays because…
The ancestors, now connected to him via the Wood Tribe’s telepathic link, were constantly chattering in his ears. They alternated between clamoring to return to the homeworld and arguing over who would be more useful to the Earth Spirit, with some even debating who might replace Mu Qing as the Earth Spirit’s favored one.
On top of that, they kept sharing gossip, forcing Mu Yuncheng to overhear all kinds of scandalous tidbits.
He couldn’t take it anymore. No matter what, he had to bring these ancestors to the homeworld as soon as possible!
After bidding an emotional farewell to his son and giving him detailed instructions, Mu Yuncheng reluctantly boarded the spaceship. As the ship departed the nursery and Base 24, with the towering tree disappearing from view, his eyes reddened.
He knew he couldn’t take his son with him. The solution to Mu Bao’s plantification had only just been found, and the process couldn’t be interrupted.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he took the metallic disk Su Ci had given him and placed it in the largest cabin of the spaceship, securing it in the center of the floor.
What exactly was this thing for?
Mu Yuncheng squatted on the floor, examining it for a long time but couldn’t figure it out. When the pilot reminded him that the spaceship was about to enter the atmosphere, he abandoned his investigation, went to the adjacent cabin, and buckled his seatbelt.
What he didn’t know was that after he left the room, the metallic disk, now attached to the floor, began to transform and expand on its own…
The spaceship smoothly exited the planet’s atmosphere and headed into the vast expanse of space.
Through the window, Mu Yuncheng gazed deeply at the blood mist-covered planet.
It was his first time leaving his son behind. It would be at least six months before they could meet again, and he was leaving Mu Bao in an unfamiliar place.
Though Elder Mu Qing was there, it just wasn’t the same. Mu Yuncheng could only hope that, in his absence, Mu Bao would be strong enough to face everything on his own.
As he thought about being apart from his son for so long, Mu Yuncheng’s fatherly heart ached deeply, filled with sorrow.
Sigh. It’s just too heartbreaking!
Mu Yuncheng got up and left the cabin, planning to head to the cockpit to chat with the pilot and ease his mind. After all, they were about to spend several monotonous months aboard the spaceship, and staying in such a mood wasn’t healthy.
As he walked down the corridor toward the cockpit, he suddenly heard a voice behind him—
“Daddy!”
Mu Yuncheng froze. Was he missing his son so much that he was hallucinating? He looked toward the corridor window, but all he saw was the vast expanse of outer space.
“Wow! So this is what it looks like outside the sky!”
Mu Yuncheng was stunned. Hearing Mu Bao’s imagined voice was one thing, but why was he now hearing Lang Ze too?
“So pretty,” said another voice—Lu Jiao’s, the little white deer!
Mu Yuncheng finally realized something was off. He turned around in disbelief and saw, just a few steps away in the corridor, all the cubs from the nursery standing there, pressed against the windows and gazing out into space.
What was going on? When did they sneak onto the spaceship?!
