Chapter 261
As soon as Mu Yuncheng received the news, Li Sinian and the Creek couple sought him out.
“Why did this happen so suddenly?” Mu Yuncheng was puzzled.
Based on his understanding of the Star Alliance, the increased rate of ability awakenings among ordinary soldiers and the improved living conditions alone shouldn’t have prompted such a rapid response.
“The incoming garrison isn’t from the Star Alliance’s unified forces,” Li Sinian explained, naming several nations. “These countries are the ones preparing to send troops.”
These countries were the most powerful in the interstellar realm. Coincidentally—or not—the Tes Empire was among them.
“Once this new garrison is stationed here, the original guards stationed on Earth Star will be entirely withdrawn and returned to their respective nations.”
Had this occurred a year ago, it would have been thrilling news for the Earth Star guards. They could finally leave the harsh and perilous conditions and reunite with their families.
But now, this news seemed unmistakably like an attempt to “pluck the fruits of someone else’s labor.”
Mu Yuncheng couldn’t help but sneer when he heard this. If it were the Star Alliance’s unified forces, he might tread cautiously. However, if it were merely a few powerful nations attempting to claim the mother star for themselves, he wouldn’t hold back.
“Tes Empire…”
Mu Yuncheng fixed his gaze on Li Sinian, but before he could finish, Li Sinian decisively distanced himself. “I will discuss this thoroughly with His Majesty. The Tes Empire has no intention of meddling with Earth Star.”
“Good, I hope your words hold true.”
After sending Li Sinian and the others away, Mu Yuncheng quickly used telepathic communication to reach out to all the elders of the Wood Clan.
“Honored Elders, I require your assistance.”
While the Wood Clan was traditionally peaceful, that did not mean they were weak. The Wood Clan didn’t belong to any nation, yet their possession of a dozen or so ancient spirits, each tens of thousands of years old, made them a formidable force in the interstellar realm.
It was rare for anything to move these spirits into action, but the mother star—Earth Star—was their most sacred, untouchable core.
How the Wood Clan would handle this situation was beyond Su Ci’s interest. He left such matters to them and focused on his own work. He and A-Yan continued their daily expeditions. Sometimes, they returned after a short outing; other times, they were gone the entire day. What remained constant was Su Ci’s nightly return to the nursery, as he had promised the cubs.
The external clamor and turbulent undercurrents did not disturb the tranquility of the nursery.
*
With the arrival of a new year, the two pear saplings entered their golden growth phase. After careful consideration, Su Ci transplanted them from the greenhouse to the wilderness.
The young pear trees finally revealed their unique ability: controlling the growth of surrounding plants.
The “cheerleader” of the two saplings often chanted its favorite mantra, “Grow, grow, grow!” which turned out to be a call urging nearby plants to accelerate their growth. However, despite its enthusiasm, its own growth rate remained on par with the more laid-back sapling.
Indeed, the little cheerleader was more focused on “motivating” others.
Su Ci had no intention of separating the two saplings, which had grown together since the beginning. When transplanting them, he ensured they were placed at a distance that allowed them to thrive without competing for resources.
Thanks to Su Ci’s method of transplanting the entire saplings without damaging their roots, they quickly adapted to their new environment.
The pear trees’ special ability significantly boosted the growth of plants in the surrounding wilderness.
*
With the involvement of the Wood Clan and Xiao Zhi’s computational power, the ecological restoration of Earth Star progressed systematically. By using intelligent simulations, they identified and introduced plants and animals most suitable for building a new ecosystem.
The goal wasn’t to turn Earth Star into another agricultural planet but to create a self-sustaining ecosystem where all life forms could coexist, balancing each other within a stable food chain.
Building such an ecosystem from scratch was no small feat. Earth Star’s soil was still imbued with a significant amount of sealed resentment. Left to natural evolution alone, it might take thousands or even tens of thousands of years to reach a balanced state.
But with the combined efforts of the Wood Clan, the nursery’s creatures, and intelligent guidance from Xiao Zhi, this process was happening at an unprecedented speed. Day by day, Earth Star edged closer to becoming the vibrant world it was meant to be.
With the addition of the Wood Clan and intelligent systems, this process was significantly accelerated.
Leaving specialized work to professionals was the very reason Su Ci consistently nurtured capable allies. Now, it was finally time to reap the rewards.
Earth Star was undergoing transformation day by day.
While the daily changes seemed minor, over the span of months or even a year or two, the rapid pace of these transformations became undeniable.
When looking back, the changes on Earth Star were nothing short of extraordinary.
*
The Wood Clan eventually triumphed in their struggle.
The result? Su Ci and everything at the nursery remained undisturbed, save for one exception:
When the Wood Clan completed their full return, Earth Star welcomed a number of ancient beast spirits, including the long-lived Mystic Tortoise. Reverent of the Earth Spirit, they, too, yearned to return to their ancestral homeland.
During the Wood Clan’s confrontation with the powerful nations, these beast spirits played a pivotal role.
To Su Ci’s surprise, the returnees also included a few awakened spirits of inanimate objects: a sentient sword, a colossal mountain spirit, and most uniquely, a sentient door.
No one could explain how this door had gained sentience. It must have experienced some extraordinary fortuity and was taken along when humanity fled to the stars, surviving until now.
A-Yan, too, was intrigued by the sentient door. Between reorganizing the planet’s rules, he often spent time studying it, seemingly deep in thought.
This time, nearly all hidden spirits were persuaded to emerge by the Wood Clan, causing a significant stir in interstellar society.
The presence of spirits that had lived for tens of thousands of years was unfathomable to the average human, whose lifespan rarely exceeded one or two centuries.
*
Despite the outside uproar, these matters were tightly contained and never reached Su Ci. The peaceful and fulfilling life of the nursery remained uninterrupted.
Of course, the arrival of new members occasionally stirred up minor commotions.
For instance, the sentient sword, which had existed for over 100,000 years, was initially reluctant to return with the Wood Clan—after all, by age alone, it could claim seniority over every other spirit.
However, upon seeing Rong Heng, it was utterly captivated.
“Heaven must have eyes!” it thought. Finally, it had encountered another sword cultivator! And not just any sword cultivator, but one who practiced the Sword Qi!
Unfortunately for the sword, Rong Heng cherished the small sword gifted to him by Su Ci. Despite its lack of sentience, he was unwilling to part with it or take up a sword beyond his current abilities—no matter how powerful or spiritually awakened the blade.
The ancient sword initially wasn’t overly insistent. Having roamed freely for eons, it had no particular urgency in finding a new master.
But Rong Heng’s steadfast rejection only fanned the sword’s competitive spirit.
How could any sword cultivator not appreciate its brilliance? It was the pinnacle of swords! This stubborn child had to be taught a lesson—it would become his sword, whether he liked it or not.
As a result, the nursery frequently witnessed the comical sight of an ancient sword chasing Rong Heng around, determined to win him over.
*
While the Wood Clan and the AI worked diligently to rebuild the ecosystem, the Creek couple were far from idle.
Although Earth Star was not intended to become an agricultural or tourist planet, necessary infrastructure was essential for any human activity.
In the advanced interstellar age, constructing entirely with eco-friendly materials was feasible. Despite the high costs, such expenses were negligible for the affluent Merfolk family.
Thus, the development of a new city centered around Base 24 quietly began.
Once Base 24 was completed, the remaining 35 bases would likely follow suit, given their strategic locations covering Earth Star’s critical areas.
The Creek couple fully immersed themselves in these construction efforts. While their relationship with Ika remained distant, it hadn’t worsened either. For them, maintaining the status quo was already a comfort.
*
Yan Ya and Li Sinian privately discussed the younglings’ education.
Take Rong Heng and Ika, for instance. As heirs to their respective families, how could their guardians not hope for them to receive a formal interstellar education?
However, they ultimately refrained from suggesting the children leave Earth Star to rejoin interstellar society.
First, there was no guarantee that Rong Heng or the others would agree to leave. Second, the training methods they were currently learning were invaluable treasures many could only dream of accessing.
Even the base soldiers had to wait for the younglings to master these techniques before they could begin learning them.
If these children could grow into powerful figures, what did it matter if their formal education was somewhat lacking? For now, they decided that ensuring basic literacy and essential knowledge sufficed.
Once conditions improved, they could always invite professional teachers to Earth Star to provide lessons.
*
Earth Star had become a highly desirable place, with many vying for a chance to come.
Friends of Li Sinian, who had previously been hesitant despite his invitations, now found it far harder to gain entry.
Among interstellar society, many children struggled with issues related to beast blood berserk syndrome. However, Su Ci’s need for additional help had significantly diminished.
To manage demand, Earth Star implemented strict entry requirements for beast blood younglings. For instance:
Only those with difficult family circumstances or severe physical conditions were accepted.
After being cured, beast blood younglings needed to accumulate a set contribution value before leaving Earth Star.
Parents weren’t obligated to accompany their children, but those who chose not to faced a high likelihood of “losing” their child—emotionally, that is.
After all, Su Ci’s unparalleled charisma was nearly impossible for any youngling to resist.
Take Ika, for example: in his heart, his parents already ranked below Su Ci.
If a youngling was unwilling to leave Earth Star, no one could force them to. The choice was left entirely to the families.
However, two years later, with the operational launch of the planetary teleportation array, the number of applications for beast-blooded younglings surged dramatically.
What once required months or even a year or more of interstellar travel could now be reduced to just one or two weeks—factoring in travel time to the teleportation hubs. This significantly increased Earth Star’s appeal.
Unfortunately, the use of the planetary teleportation array came with strict limitations, and currently, the only operational pathway led to Earth Star.
Nonetheless, this was an immensely exciting development.
*
Earth Star’s reputation began spreading rapidly across interstellar society. Nearly everyone familiar with the planet knew about its unique mutated flora. It was rumored that both ordinary people and beast-blood warriors could gain abilities after spending significant time there.
Most importantly, Earth Star was home to a renowned nursery: the Earth Star Nursery.
This nursery welcomed beast-blooded younglings from across interstellar nations. These children, plagued by the uncontrollable berserk effects of their bloodline powers and often expelled from traditional care facilities, were offered a chance at salvation on Earth Star.
Not only did the nursery provide them with techniques to control their bloodline powers, but these techniques also made them stronger.
Over time, the Earth Star Nursery became the dream destination for families with beast-blooded children, earning the prestigious title of “The First Nursery of the Stars.”
*
For those aware of Earth Star’s history as a former prison planet, the transformation was nothing short of astonishing. Many caretakers who had witnessed the wild and untamed nature of the younglings admitted there could only marvel at the change.
It was no longer a question of whether the nursery was hiring. Even those who begged to work there found it nearly impossible to secure an interview!
Who would have thought that the seemingly ordinary Su Ci, a once-overlooked caretaker, could bring about such a monumental transformation for Earth Star and its nursery’s children?
*
Curious individuals began investigating Su Ci’s background, only to uncover a relatively unremarkable life story:
He was an orphan who inherited a sizable fortune from his late parents.
His first twenty-three years were spent in quiet, uneventful stability.
His social circle was minimal, and he had no close family ties or noteworthy achievements apart from his striking appearance.
The most notable event in his life seemed to be his decision to take the childcare certification exam shortly before graduation, sell off all his assets, and relocate to Earth Star to work as a caretaker.
Speculations abounded about this enigmatic figure, but one day, all news and discussions surrounding him suddenly vanished.
As Su Ci’s name faded from public attention, people gradually turned to newer, more exciting topics.
Meanwhile, hidden deep within the interstellar network, Xiao Zhi quietly monitored everything, taking no credit for its achievements but ensuring Su Ci’s privacy remained protected.
