The vehicle stopped at the central area of the former Blue Star ruins.
This area had been transformed into a vast sea of flowers. Large clusters of Starbloom blossoms swayed gently in the breeze, their petal edges glowing with soft light, like scattered remnants of shattered stars.
A rustling sound came from deep within the flower field.
Two white-haired old men were bent over, grubby shovels in hand, digging in the dirt.
Their protective suits were covered in mud, bickering every now and then over soil sampling points.
Jiang Lijin stopped, squinting.
“…Don’t those two look familiar?”
Chiron took a couple of steps forward, recognized their faces, and raised a hand to rub his forehead.
“Father, Uncle,” Chiron called out, his voice laced with rare exasperation.
Seth and Saien spun around at the sound.
“Oh ho! A Jin! Chiron!” Seth threw down his shovel, wiped his hands haphazardly on his pant leg, and hurried over with excitement. Mud was smeared across his face, mingled with his beard, making him nearly unrecognizable.
Saien followed close behind, carefully cradling a transparent container filled with soil samples.
“What are you two doing here?” Jiang Lijin asked.
“Research!” Seth clapped his hands, his eyes lighting up as if he’d discovered a new element. He pointed at the flower-covered ground beneath them, his voice rising an octave. “A Jin, do you have any idea what this planet did?”
Jiang Lijin raised an eyebrow. “What did it do?”
Saien held the container up to Jiang Lijin, his white beard quivering with excitement. “We extracted soil and water samples from ten thousand coordinates on this planet, and tested each one at least three times!”
“The conclusion is—”
Seth took a deep breath. “The soil of Blue Star has been completely purified!”
“Completely purified?” Jiang Lijin frowned slightly.
“Not reduced levels, not contained areas,” Saien cut in, his voice trembling. “Totally, absolutely clean! Blue Star itself possesses the ability to self-purify. The power you unleashed in the ruins last time—it reactivated that ability!”
Seth nodded vigorously, adding, “In plain terms, Blue Star itself is a purifier! Once activated, it runs on its own—you don’t need to keep outputting any more power. This place will become the only completely spiritually-pollution-free zone in all of interstellar space!”
Saien set the container down and gestured excitedly, talking faster and faster. “Even more important: after completing the purification, we discovered that this land produces a unique spiritual resonance field. If beastmen live in Guixu, their chance of suffering spiritual outbursts drops to nearly zero!”
“…Zero?” Baal lifted his head this time, his golden vertical pupils contracting sharply.
“Zero!” Seth drew a big circle in the air. “This land itself is the best natural soothing agent. It requires no external maintenance—as long as Blue Star’s core doesn’t go cold, this purification effect will last forever!”
Jiang Lijin fell silent.
She leaned against the vehicle, her gaze sweeping across the vast sea of Starbloom blossoms in front of her. The delicate glow on the petals flickered in the wind.
Back then, unleashing all her purifying power in the ruins had been a desperate gamble in a critical moment.
She never expected that, by chance, it had awakened something deep within this planet’s buried veins.
She figured as much—how could her homeworld be just a lowly, backward planet?
A faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Chiron glanced at the two elders, who were practically gesticulating wildly with excitement, and said softly, “Looks like the Science Academy will have to move the spiritual research division to Guixu.”
Seth slapped his thigh. “Isn’t that obvious? I’ve already drafted the approval paperwork!”
With that, he really did pull a crumpled approval document from his pocket, covered in mud and some unidentifiable liquid, though a red circle was already drawn around the designated signature area.
Jiang Lijin looked down at the pitiful sheet, her lips twitching slightly.
“Research is permitted. I approve the Science Academy establishing a division in Guixu.”
Seth and Saien’s eyes lit up at the same time, and they nearly jumped for joy.
“But—”
The two old men, mid-hop, froze instantly.
“Information lockdown.” She looked Seth straight in the eye, her gaze steady. “No word is to leak about any of the research data on Blue Star. I want a complete list of everyone who knows the details.”
Seth opened his mouth as if to argue.
Chiron cut in before he could. “The galaxy just emerged from the Zerg wars, and factions are still maneuvering in the shadows. If news that Blue Star can eliminate spiritual outbursts gets out—”
“Say no more. I understand.” Seth’s fervent expression sobered. “Every beastman would fight tooth and nail to come here. Between the power struggles, the resources being squabbled over… Guixu would become a new powder keg.”
“Worse than that.” Jiang Lijin stepped forward, her gaze moving past the flower field to the peaceful lives of the remnant people in the distance. “Those people of Blue Star who just settled down—they’ve finally found a home. I won’t let anyone disturb them.”
She turned toward Tianyan.
“From today onward, anyone entering Guixu will undergo strict screening and application. Anyone with unclear identities or suspicious motives will be turned away at the door.”
Tianyan smirked, a gleam flashing in his green eyes. “That kind of work? I’m a specialist.”
