The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 70: Chapter 70: Sailing Into the Vast Universe

Ji You carried her suitcase, her back laden with a large bag filled with all sorts of local products: apple pies baked by Grandma Jenny, artificially synthesized dried fish, artificially synthesized dried sweet potatoes... Grandma Jenny seemed worried Ji You would go hungry and stuffed the bag full of food. Uncle Xie Yi was more reserved; he gave Ji You several ordinary metal knives of various sizes and lengths he had crafted himself, which he said could serve as both weapons for self-defense and tools for use. This was something his children, Xie Chuanqiong and Xie Lingzhi, had sought from him before returning to school, and Uncle Xie Yi believed these would definitely come in handy there.

Originally, Ji You had very little luggage, so little that a 20-inch suitcase was not even filled. But after meeting with Grandma Jenny and Uncle Xie Yi, her suitcase was crammed full, and she mysteriously had an extra large backpack.

Ji You felt a soft warmth in her heart. Just before boarding the spaceship, she couldn’t help but turn around to glance at the crowd below, where Grandma Jenny and Uncle Xie Yi maintained brilliant smiles. When Ji You looked back, both of them simultaneously lifted their hands and vigorously waved at her.

Ji You felt an unexpected surge of emotion, and tears threatened to rise.

...

After waving goodbye to the two elders, Ji You turned back with difficulty and quickly boarded the spaceship.

This was a large passenger spaceship, capable of carrying up to 30,000 people. It frequently shuttled back and forth between the Sixth Star Domain, with Tiangou Star as its starting station and Lanyue Star as its final destination. Planet 101 was merely a tiny stop on its route.

Stepping onto the spaceship, Ji You located her cabin, set down her luggage, and instead of entering the cabin to sleep, sat in her seat, awaiting takeoff.

minutes later.

The spaceship slowly began to move.

”Xiao You...”

”We’re departing.”

After several attempts, Ji You had managed to grasp a bit of skill in communicating with Xiao You through the iron plate. The method seemed simple, but was difficult to execute. She just needed to focus her spiritual power and extend it into the iron plate.

Because Ji You’s spiritual power was weak and the six strands of spiritual power in her mind were still scattered, it was a test of patience, perseverance, and control power to converge them into a single thread. She had tried many times, just barely able to extend a strand of spiritual power into the iron plate.

[Sister...]

[Really?]

The girl’s voice, excited and joyous, with a hint of nervousness.

”Yes.” Ji You chuckled softly, then suddenly spoke a line that was very cringeworthy: ”Our journey, officially begins!”

[Yes!] The young girl nodded vigorously.

The brief exchange had already exhausted Ji You. After speaking to Xiao You, she immediately cut off the connection.

By then, the spaceship had already passed through the atmosphere and plunged into space.

Through the protective window, Ji You glanced at the starry sky below. The planet she had lived on now appeared in space without any of the scars it bore on its surface, surrounded by earthy yellow interspersed with hints of green. In the silent outer space, it unexpectedly radiated beauty.

Subsequently.

To Ji You’s naked eye, Planet 101 grew smaller and smaller, until it turned into a black dot and ultimately disappeared from sight.

...

For the first time venturing into space, Ji You was amazed. No matter what, she couldn’t have imagined that one day, she would be able to fly into space and roam the universe...

Ji You earnestly displayed the naivety and curiosity expected of a country bumpkin. While everyone else lay in their hibernation pods, she pressed herself against the seat, unblinkingly staring at everything outside the window, wishing not to miss even a mote of dust.

However—

The sight of space disappointed the ’country bumpkin.’

As the spaceship continued on its trajectory, aside from the occasional celestial body flying past, the vast expanse of space was nothing but pitch black.

Indeed.

Black as far as the eye could see.

Except for black, there was still just black.

All around was silence. The spaceship, traveling through space, was so stable that not even the occasional jolt or sound of wind could be felt or heard while shuttling through the universe.

...

Ji You crouched and watched for 20 hours with no findings, feeling utterly exhausted, so she had no choice but to lie down in the hibernation pod to sleep.

This journey would take a total of five days.

On the first day, Ji You was brimming with excitement, spending almost all her time, except for when handling physiological needs, intently watching outer space.

On the second day, Ji You’s enthusiasm did not wane.

On the third day, Ji You opened a book to study seriously, occasionally glancing at outer space.

On the fourth day, Ji You was quite calm, feeling that the spaceship ride was less thrilling than a Floating Car.

On the fifth day, as the spaceship began to make an announcement to the whole crew about landing and to prepare, Ji You suddenly woke up, closed her book, and during the descent, stared at the planet below, her eyes flickering with wonder: Lanyue Star actually looked very similar to Earth, with its deep blue seas, rolling greenery, and black and yellow land...

After the airship docked at the space station, the passengers left in an orderly manner.

Ji You, dragging her suitcase and carrying a large backpack, felt a mix of excitement and a vague sense of loss after disembarking the spaceship.

This—

Is this it?

Had she been soaring through outer space, traversing hundreds of light years, to set foot on another planet?

All that which people from the 21st century longed for but could not achieve... had she just effortlessly realized it all?

Fantasy.

...

This unreal dreamlike feeling made Ji You, upon stepping off the spaceship and onto the firm soil, pinch herself hard on the philtrum as the first thing:

Ouch!

It hurts!

”Tsks...”

A light tsk fell into Ji You’s ears, and she looked up in bewilderment, scanning ahead, and then her eyes widened: ”Sister Lingzhi!”

Xie Lingzhi stood with her arms crossed, chuckling, ”Stop making that shocked face... Even without trying, others can tell you’re a country bumpkin.”

”...” Ji You lifted the corners of her mouth, saying happily, ”... Sister Lingzhi, I didn’t expect you to come pick me up! Where’s Sister Lea?”

Xie Lingzhi snorted, ”What, you’re not happy to see me?”

”Not at all, I’m very happy to see Sister Lingzhi,” Ji You immediately shook her head. She had long learned to selectively listen to Xie Lingzhi’s words. A little sharp tongue like this, she’d been immune to for eight hundred years.

Hearing this, Xie Lingzhi hummed and instantly walked off.

”Hey!” Ji You quickly caught up, stopping Xie Lingzhi, and grinned, ”Sister Lingzhi, since you’re here, you should at least act like you’re here to pick someone up.”

Before she could finish her sentence, Ji You shoved her cumbersome backpack into Xie Lingzhi’s hands.

Xie Lingzhi: ”...”

Ji You smiled innocently, ”Please help. A person with Physical Strength E like me can’t carry it.”

Xie Lingzhi: ”...”

Ignoring the increasingly dark look on Xie Lingzhi’s face, Ji You familiarly hooked her arm and cheerfully said, ”Sister Lingzhi, so this is Lanyue Star. It’s beautiful here, and what’s more amazing is that the city’s skyline here doesn’t have protective nets, the air is so fresh, it smells of the fragrance of grass and trees, and there’s a breeze brushing against the face...”

Ji You was almost intoxicated.

Having her arm affectionately hooked like this was an intimacy that Xie Lingzhi had never experienced with anyone, making her body stiffen and her mind whirl as if gusts of wind were sweeping through, a vein throbbing on her forehead... She was on the verge of losing her temper and beating someone up.

Ji You caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye and couldn’t help but curl up a smile: [Heh! You dare to call me a country bumpkin, let me show you what a country bumpkin is capable of. Can’t cure a little tsundere? Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we?]