Rora Starsea froze mid-step, her head snapping toward the source of the voice. Not far away, from inside a shallow pit, two pale hands slowly reached up through the rubble.
She waited.
One minute passed.
Then five.
By the tenth minute, her patience had worn thin. "Who are you?" she called out sharply. "If you've got guts, come out instead of hiding like a coward!"
There was no way she was walking over there. For all she knew, it could be an ambush.
She hadn't expected anyone else to be here this late—it was careless of her. She quietly scolded herself, vowing not to make such mistakes again.
Then the voice spoke again, sounding faint and apologetic.
"Uh… sorry. I'd love to come out, but I really can't move right now."
Rora blinked, uncertain whether to believe him.
At that moment, the python slithered close and whispered, "Hisss~ My Lady, allow my wife to go check. She's good at hiding—he won't even know she's there."
Rora nodded silently.
The python hissed a few quick signals, and the black-scaled serpent slipped away soundlessly toward the pit. A few moments later, she returned just as quietly.
After a short exchange of hisses, the python lowered his massive head toward Rora. "Hisss~ My Lady, that human's badly injured. He wasn't lying."
Rora raised an eyebrow. So he wasn't here to threaten her after all. She'd assumed someone had discovered her secret and come to use it against her—but if he was half-dead, that didn't seem likely.
After a brief moment of thought, she decided to check it out herself.
As she approached, she lifted her wrist and adjusted the light from her bracelet. The beam fell on a man lying amidst the heaps of garbage.
He looked utterly miserable—his clothes were torn to shreds, though they just barely covered the essentials. A half-collapsed cap hung low over his face, hiding most of his features. Still, his straight nose and shapely lips hinted at a surprisingly handsome appearance.
Sensing her gaze, the man raised a hand and pushed his cap up slightly, revealing a pair of bright eyes.
The man—Xuan Xi—smiled faintly, lips curling in amusement. He lifted a weak hand in greeting. "Hey there, Little Star Mistress. Nice to finally meet you."
Rora stared at him silently.
Then she turned on her heel to leave.
This guy looked half-dead from blood loss. Hardly anyone came this deep into the dump, so she didn't need to worry about him leaking any secrets.
"Hey—hey! Don't go!" Xuan Xi's voice cracked with panic. "If you're gonna leave, at least take me with you!"
Rora didn't even glance back. "My mom told me never to pick up strange men in garbage heaps," she said dryly. "It brings bad luck."
As an online novelist herself, she knew exactly what picking up a random man meant—it was never just a coincidence. It meant trouble. Big, cosmic-level trouble.
Xuan Xi sighed helplessly, watching his only hope of survival walk away. He struggled upright, reaching out toward her. "Little Star Mistress! Don't you want a walking encyclopedia of Star Masters? I know all the secrets—how to level up faster, how to absorb energy more efficiently, how to fix energy depletion—everything!"
Rora's pace slowed—but she still didn't stop.
Rora Starsea paused mid-step, turning toward the sound that broke through the silence.
"I can also build all kinds of machines," the man continued, his voice still calm despite his ragged state. "I know how to design planetary structures and rapidly increase a planet's prosperity. If you take me with you, you won't regret it."
Rora stopped, her golden eyes studying him, silently weighing whether taking this man back was worth the trouble.
The Star Spirit — the soft, mechanical voice in her mind — finally spoke.
"Star Master, perhaps… take him back? He doesn't belong to this planet. Though he's an Awakened, the local environment suppresses his strength. The closer he is to you, the weaker his abilities become. He poses no real threat to you. Besides…"
The voice faltered for a moment, almost sheepish.
"Besides, my energy reserves are running dangerously low. I'll soon have to enter a long dormancy to recover, which means I won't be able to answer many of your questions. If this man truly knows as much as he claims, keeping him could help you solve many problems."
Rora's gaze softened slightly.
This planet — officially classified as a junk star — was nothing but a cosmic landfill. Neighboring worlds routinely dumped their waste here. No one ever came to visit voluntarily. If she wanted to learn anything about Star Masters or Star Spirits, her only source was the StarNet.
But StarNet was full of shallow, useless gossip. No one ever shared real information.She had learned that the hard way. For instance, she hadn't even known that a Level-0 Star Master was always in danger — hunted by both humans and beasts alike — until Han Hu had warned her.
After a moment of silence, she stepped closer to the man lying in the trash heap.
"What's your condition?" she asked flatly. "And how did you know I'm a Star Master?"
The man — Xuanxi — exhaled in relief, clearly comforted by her approach. He slumped back against the mound of metal scraps and gave a faint grin.
"Let's talk about that… when I wake up," he murmured. "For now, I'll be counting on you."
And with that, his head tilted to the side — he passed out completely.
Rora: "…"
He just fainted like that? So recklessly? Wasn't he afraid she might finish him off?
She stepped closer, catching his chin between her fingers, and tilted his face toward the light of her wristband. His breathing was steady — definitely unconscious.
Satisfied, she let go.Then she noticed a clear fingerprint mark blooming across the pale skin of his jaw.
Rora: guilty.png
She swore she hadn't used much force! It must be his fault — his skin was just… ridiculously delicate.Yes. That had to be it.
Clearing her throat, she waved at the python.
"You — carry him."
The python slithered forward obediently, his mate — the black-scaled snake — following close behind. The latter had calmed down, though her timid posture and lowered head made her look like a bullied girl too scared to speak.
Rora didn't bother comforting her. She turned, descending toward the lower slopes. When she reached solid ground, she summoned a hover bike from her wristband and mounted it.
"Sss~ My Lady, I'm coming!"
The python looped the tip of his tail around Xuanxi's body and slithered rapidly down the mountain of debris. He was just about to place the man gently on the backseat — but before he could, Rora had already taken off.
Her voice echoed from afar:
"Keep up."
The python sighed inwardly, wrapping his tail tighter around Xuanxi while his wife climbed onto his back. Together, they hurried after the disappearing hover trail.
Before long, Rora and her two serpentine followers approached the edge of the human settlement.
Just as she was about to continue forward, the python called out in alarm:
"Sss~ My Lady! We can't go any farther!"
Rora stopped, turning to glance back.
"Why not?"
"That's the human base ahead," he explained. "They've installed protective barriers around the perimeter. Mutated species like us can't cross them."
Rora blinked — realization dawning.No wonder she hadn't seen a single animal inside the settlement.So that's why.
"Alright," Rora said at last, her tone soft but firm. "You two find a place to rest outside for now. I'll figure out your lodging tomorrow."
She opened her wristband's inventory and took out another smartband — the one she had seized from Zhao Liangand his crew earlier. After syncing it to her own band and adding it as a friend contact, she handed it to the python.
"Here. Take this. I'll contact you through it tomorrow."
The python released the tip of his tail.With a solid thud, Xuanxi hit the ground.
Rora's eyelid twitched as she caught sight of the reopened wound along his ribs — she looked away, slightly guilty.
The python carefully slipped the band around his tail tip, then held it aloft so it wouldn't slide off.
"Sss~ Yes, Boss! Thank you, Boss!"
Rora watched the two snakes disappear into the night before turning her gaze back to the unconscious man sprawled on the ground. With a flick of her wrist, she stored the hover bike back into her wristband, then crouched down and scooped him up.
Her arms tightened slightly — it was, objectively speaking, the most efficient princess carry.
She had almost reached her shelter when a dark figure materialized ahead.
"Who's there!"
"It's me."
A familiar voice — Acha — answered, and the light from her wristband flickered on, casting soft illumination across her face.
"You're back so late," Acha began, relief in her tone. "Did you run into any— wait." Her eyes widened. "Who on earth are you carrying?"
Rora stepped closer, voice calm.
"Ran into a bit of trouble outside, but it's handled. This guy—" she glanced down at the man in her arms, "—I found him in the trash piles. Probably an off-worlder. Don't worry, he's badly injured; he's no threat."
Acha hesitated, words forming and dying on her lips. After a moment, she sighed.
"...Forget it."
But then something struck her, and her expression shifted.
"Wait— could he be one of the survivors from that exploded spacecraft?"
"Most likely." Rora nodded. The same thought had crossed her mind.
She stepped into her small dwelling, the door sliding shut behind her, and gently placed Xuanxi on the couch. Then she turned to Acha again.
"Do you have any medicine for injuries? He looks in rough shape."
"I do. Hold on."
Acha disappeared into her room and returned with a small medkit in hand.
"This one's for bleeding," she said, holding up a vial. "And this one accelerates healing."
"Perfect. Thanks."
Rora took the sprays, only to pause midway through treating him as a sudden realization hit her — she hadn't disinfected the wounds yet.
"Got any antiseptic?"
"Yeah. Here." Acha passed her a bottle of clear liquid.
Rora unscrewed the cap and, without hesitation, poured it directly over Xuanxi's open wounds.
Acha's mouth opened — she clearly wanted to say that's not how you're supposed to use it — but in the end, she just stayed quiet, resigned.
Within minutes, Rora finished tending to his injuries. After escorting Acha to the door, she finally noticed the loud grumbling of her stomach.
She glanced at the clock. Odd — she was getting hungry much earlier than usual.
As she sipped on a packet of nutrient fluid, her thoughts drifted.
Would her appetite return to normal once her body fully adapted to the merged energy inside her?Or… would she stay like this — perpetually ravenous?
If it was the latter, she'd need to start stockpiling food. Lots of it.