Seeing Zhuxing's slightly strange expression, Dongfang Qiqing thought she was blaming herself.
Instead, she began comforting her.
Qiqing said gently:
"Alright, don't feel bad. It's fine. I really don't mind."
"I was just complaining a little."
"If we're being honest, I don't actually have much to complain about."
She began counting on her fingers.
"The knowledge I gained from all kinds of education."
"The adaptability I developed from dealing with people everywhere."
"The calm mind I built after witnessing all sorts of hidden schemes and conspiracies."
"Even when things get urgent, I can still think clearly."
"All of that is real."
Qiqing sighed softly.
"And besides… if I hadn't been born into the Dongfang family, I'd probably still be struggling just to survive."
"Only when you don't have to worry about what you'll eat tomorrow can you even complain about not seeing the wonders of the universe."
"Isn't that true?"
"So yes—I'm grateful to my family."
"But that's separate from everything else."
"If I get the chance…"
"I still won't let those relatives of mine have it easy."
Zhuxing raised her hand and gave a thumbs-up.
Qiqing laughed, dispersing the slightly awkward mood.
"Alright."
"Didn't you say we were going to eat cake?"
"And while we're at it, introduce me to Meteor Shopping Street."
Zhuxing nodded.
"Sure, Sister Qiqing."
"The cake shop is this way."
"We can talk while we walk."
As they walked, Zhuxing began explaining why Meteor Shopping Street looked the way it did.
"Shenxiao Space City is ultimately a center of academic research."
"A lively marketplace atmosphere like this wouldn't be appropriate inside the city itself."
"And entry into the Space City is quite strict."
"After all, even something as ordinary as a random object inside the city could cause a huge disaster if it spread outside."
"So entry and exit procedures are usually very strict."
"But many goods in Meteor Shopping Street are supplied directly from the Space City."
"And a lot of materials are imported from outside."
"If everything had to go through the city's entry system, it would be far too inconvenient."
"So they chose this asteroid belt surrounding Shenxiao Space City as the location."
Zhuxing pointed toward a nearby transport vessel approaching the shopping street.
It was carrying supplies.
Qiqing nodded.
"That makes sense."
"In a research center like this, unrestricted traffic would definitely be dangerous."
Zhuxing continued.
"You can't tell while standing inside it."
"But if you observe from outside…"
"This entire asteroid belt is actually orbiting Shenxiao Space City at high speed."
"It looks just like a giant meteor trail."
She pulled up a wide-angle image taken from the city.
Qiqing examined it.
"You're right."
"It really does look like a meteor belt."
"And there's even friction fire."
Then she asked curiously:
"But why is there friction fire in space?"
"And why don't we feel anything while standing here?"
Zhuxing smiled.
"We'll talk about that later."
"Actually, Meteor Shopping Street was built only two years ago."
"Before that, shops were scattered throughout Shenxiao Space City."
"The owners were either robots or researchers living in the city."
"The teacher couldn't stand the chaos."
"So he reorganized everything and established Meteor Shopping Street."
"And as the city kept expanding…"
"It was becoming less suitable to keep drifting around the universe."
"It was better to settle in a stable star system and join the local gravitational cycle."
Then Zhuxing added:
"Of course, if we really wanted to leave, we still could."
Qiqing complained jokingly:
"With ten suns in the sky, this hardly looks like a 'treasure land.'"
"Though it is rare for so many stars to exist together without colliding."
Indeed—
The star system where Shenxiao Space City was located had ten stars.
But instead of orbiting normally—
They were arranged evenly along a single orbit.
Like a glowing ring encircling the Space City.
Ten stars orbiting a planet.
Completely reversing the normal order of the universe.
Zhuxing pointed toward a faint light in the distant sky.
"See that glow?"
"That's a high-energy barrier field covering the entire star system."
"It blocks all harmful radiation and heat from outside."
"The barrier is also extremely strong."
"At least a hundred Doomsday Beasts would be needed to break it."
"So it also works as a defensive shield."
Then she pointed toward the star illuminating Meteor Shopping Street.
"Sister Qiqing, you can look directly at it."
"Don't worry—it won't hurt your eyes."
Qiqing nodded and looked up.
"Oh."
Zhuxing continued:
"This star has also been modified by the teacher."
"It only emits radiation with healing, purification, and evolutionary effects."
"And it automatically adjusts the light intensity everywhere."
"So it never becomes blinding."
Qiqing felt like an old villager visiting a grand palace for the first time.
Everything she saw left her amazed.
"A star like that actually exists?"
Zhuxing smiled.
"Yes."
"Sister Qiqing, do you know about the Life Equation?"
Qiqing nodded immediately.
"Of course."
"It's a famous achievement of the Genius Society."
"A symbol of authority over life itself."
Zhuxing said solemnly:
"This star was given intelligence through the Life Equation."
"It's now a sentient celestial body."
"It's a living being."
As if responding to Zhuxing's words—
The light shining elsewhere remained unchanged.
But the small patch of light shining on Zhuxing and Qiqing flickered slightly.
Like it was greeting them.
Such precise control was astonishing.
Its intelligence clearly wasn't low.
Zhuxing waved toward the star.
As if responding.
Qiqing followed and waved as well.
Suddenly—
The light around her dimmed slightly.
And something heavy appeared in her hand.
A perfectly shaped, sparkling crystal.
"What is this?" Qiqing asked curiously.
Zhuxing explained:
"Keep it."
"It's a gift from it."
"Solidified light."
"It's very gentle."
"And very curious about the world."
"It gives a small gift to everyone it meets for the first time."
Qiqing asked:
"What's its name?"
"I mean… does it have one?"
Zhuxing answered:
"Its name is Yaoling."
"'Yao' means shining and radiance."
"Representing its brilliant light."
"'Ling' represents its spirit as a living celestial body."
"It symbolizes the light and vitality it brings to the world."
"Healing, purification, evolution."
"Like a sacred, living light."
Zhuxing added:
"This name comes from a mythical divine bird in the teacher's homeland."
"I see."
Qiqing nodded.
Then she waved energetically toward the star.
"Yaoling!"
"Nice to meet you!"
"Thank you for the gift!"
"I'll return the favor someday!"
"Thanks!"
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