Chapter 243
Room 303 – Caretaker’s Dormitory
When Rong Heng entered, he found the caretaker sitting cross-legged on the floor, with several metallic discs laid out before him.
Su Su’s constant companion, Brother A-Yan, was nowhere to be seen. The room was quiet, with only Su Su tinkering with the discs.
“Su Su,” Rong Heng greeted, approaching and glancing curiously at the metallic discs. He quickly shifted his gaze back to Su Su.
“Is something the matter?” Su Su asked without looking up, his fingers tracing intricate patterns on the metallic discs. Although there was no visible material on his fingertips, faint marks appeared wherever he touched.
“Su Su, about Ika…” Rong Heng hesitated before continuing, “His beastification seems very severe.”
“Hmm,” Su Su nodded lightly.
“Can he recover?” Rong Heng’s brow furrowed deeply, his voice laced with worry.
Su Su completed his final stroke, withdrew his energy, and finally looked up at him. A faint smile curved his lips as he asked, “Do you want him to recover?”
“Of course!” Rong Heng nodded firmly.
Su Su looked at him with mild surprise. Other than Little Li Hua, it seemed no one had ever made Rong Heng this anxious before.
“Are you old friends?” Su Su asked as he stood and moved to sit on the sofa.
“Yes,” Rong Heng replied, following him and lowering his gaze. “I don’t remember much about our childhood, but he’s always remembered…”
Su Su poured him a cup of tea and motioned for him to sit.
“I’m already aware of his situation. I’ll check on him later this evening,” Su Su said.
Hearing this, Rong Heng let out a sigh of relief.
As far as the cubs were concerned, if Su Su was involved, everything would be fine.
“Thank you, Su Su!”
Rong Heng drained the tea in one gulp, then stood up to leave. He intended to use the time while the little mermaid was still asleep to continue practicing the Sword Qi Technique. No matter what happened, he couldn’t neglect his daily training.
After Rong Heng left, it wasn’t long before A-Yan’s figure appeared in the room. He glanced briefly toward the door before turning his attention to Su Su.
“You’re back?” Su Su asked.
“Mm,” A-Yan replied, walking over with a bright smile. “I’ve already placed everything in their rooms.”
Su Su nodded. “Good. Then accompany me for a trip.”
He drained his tea and, with a casual gesture, the metallic discs on the floor flew into his hands. He began walking toward the teleportation array.
Just a few steps in, A-Yan reached out and stopped him.
“Hmm?” Su Su turned back to look at him.
A-Yan clasped Su Su’s hand, interlocking their fingers, and then smiled, saying, “All set.”
Su Su shook his head helplessly, but he allowed A-Yan to hold his hand as they stepped onto the teleportation array. In a flash of dazzling white light, the two disappeared from sight.
When they reappeared, they found themselves aboard the Mu Clan’s spaceship.
“As expected, the greater the distance, the slower the teleportation speed,” A-Yan remarked, glancing at the time.
Su Su nodded but directed his gaze out the window.
At the moment, the spaceship wasn’t flying through space. Instead, at Su Su’s request, it had docked at the nearest planet.
The ship had been traveling in space for nearly a month, and the connections between the teleportation arrays were growing weaker. Without reinforcement, the links would sever entirely, making further teleportation impossible.
However, the closest resource-rich planet to Earth Star was still two to three months away. The planet they had docked on was a barren star.
For Su Su, this marked the first time he had set foot on another planet since regaining full consciousness.
Though his spirit had wandered the cosmos for countless years and even lived as a human in interstellar society, his perspective had shifted.
“Want to take a look outside?” A-Yan asked.
Su Su turned his head to meet the young man’s gaze. After a moment of thought, he said, “Thank you.”
His thanks seemed abrupt and unexplained, but A-Yan understood. If not for A-Yan rewriting the rules long ago, the Spirit of Earth would have been unable to leave Earth.
“There’s no need for that between us.”
A-Yan leaned in and kissed the corner of Su Su’s lips gently. Encouragingly, he said, “Come on, let’s explore this new world together.”
After all, this was Su Su’s first time truly leaving Earth.
Su Su nodded and, without informing Mu Yuncheng, vanished in a flash with A-Yan. In the next instant, they stood on the ground outside the spaceship.
The planet was a desolate wasteland. While not entirely devoid of life, it held only sparse signs of vitality—truly living up to its designation as a barren star.
Su Su placed his feet on the ground and closed his eyes to sense the planet. When he opened them again, he shook his head and said, “This planet hasn’t developed a spirit.”
He thought back to his years of wandering through the cosmos and realized he hadn’t encountered any other entities like himself—what he might call “star spirits.”
It seemed Earth Star was uniquely special. Not only did its inanimate objects have the chance to develop spirits, but even the planet itself had achieved this.
Su Su pressed his lips together slightly.
He had often gazed at the stars, wondering if the celestial bodies above harbored life forms like him. Yet now…
A profound sense of loneliness enveloped him. Before it could fully consume him, the young man beside him broke through that solitude.
A-Yan grasped his hand tightly and softly called his name: “Su.”
Su Su came back to his senses and turned his head slightly to look at A-Yan’s strikingly handsome face. His gaze fell into those platinum eyes filled with warmth and affection, where he saw his own reflection.
That’s right, he wasn’t alone anymore.
The heavy feeling in his heart lifted suddenly. Though his face remained calm, he felt lighter as he replied, “I’m fine.”
He refocused his attention on the barren star, searching for suitable spots to place the metallic discs. While one disc was sufficient for the teleportation array, using multiple discs would strengthen the connection and provide redundancy in case one failed.
The two of them traversed the desolate planet together.
Although the star didn’t hold the star spirit Su Su had hoped for, its unique landscapes—unlike anything found on Earth Star—offered a rare sense of novelty for him.
For A-Yan, everything about this barren star was intriguing.
As he observed the planet’s distinct laws and energy flows, A-Yan mused aloud, “If this planet were refined, could it become part of us?”
Since the planet lacked a spirit, A-Yan spoke without any guilt or hesitation.
Su Su glanced at him, not entirely dismissing the somewhat invasive suggestion. “Let’s address the situation on Earth Star first,” he replied.
“Understood.”
A-Yan nodded, a faint smile playing on his lips.
He wasn’t genuinely seeking expansion; rather, he was considering future possibilities. One day, Earth Star’s environment would stabilize, and before that, it was worth exploring what else they could do.
Otherwise, he worried Su Su might grow bored and decide to return to his long slumber.
The two dropped the subject and headed to the nearest metallic disc. After activating it, they stepped onto the array together.
For the first time, white light illuminated the barren star. As it faded, their figures disappeared.
Su Su and A-Yan reappeared in their dormitory.
With the teleportation array successfully tested, Su Su contacted Mu Yuncheng to inform him that the spaceship could resume its journey.
Hearing the news, Mu Yuncheng was overjoyed.
Interplanetary teleportation had been achieved!
Since discovering the teleportation array on the spaceship could connect to the nursery, Mu Yuncheng had already coordinated with the elder wood spirits. They were now stationed at a rendezvous point on the ship’s route, eager to reach their destination—their home planet.
With Su Su’s confirmation, Mu Yuncheng immediately ordered the pilot to set off, making their way to the designated location as quickly as possible.
By evening, the sunlight had softened into a pale orange hue.
Ika, having enjoyed a rare restful nap, slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the soft cushion he was lying on, then at the blanket draped over him. After a moment of confusion, he hurriedly lifted his head.
There, not far away, was Rong Heng, practicing his sword technique.
The little mermaid let out a sigh of relief, his face breaking into a smile. Just as he was about to call out, his expression tightened, and he turned warily to his side.
A pair of black leather shoes had appeared silently next to him. Following the figure upward, Ika’s gaze met a pair of cold, black eyes.
For some reason, an unease stirred in Ika’s chest.
Driven by instinct, he subdued all signs of aggression. His bared teeth disappeared, and his clawed hands retreated behind his back.
The little mermaid looked up with wide, watery blue eyes, his face pure and innocent.
The slender young man standing before him chuckled softly and said, “You actually seem pretty obedient.”
