As Rora Starsea sat sipping the bland nutrient fluid, her thoughts wandered.
She began to wonder about the other Star Masters scattered across different planets. In all the data she'd found on the star network, there had been no mention of unusual appetites among them. That likely meant such information was considered trivial — and if it had been noticeable, people would've definitely discussed it online.
Which could only suggest one thing: perhaps Star Masters didn't eat differently at all. Maybe they had access to a special kind of food — one specifically designed to meet the unique nutritional needs of their enhanced bodies.
As she drank the flavorless fluid, her mind drifted toward memories of her previous world — dishes bursting with color, fragrance, and taste. Her expression dimmed.
Her eyes shifted to Xuanxi, still lying unconscious nearby. She glanced down at the remaining nutrient packs in her hand — then realized she hadn't given him anything to eat.
Choosing one at random, she opened it, ready to pour it into his mouth.But just before she did, a thought flickered across her mind.
Reaching into her pocket, she fished out the tiny, sleeping Stellar Spirit and gave him a gentle shake.
"Stellar Spirit," she murmured, "wake up."
The little being stirred, stretching out two miniature arms in a huge yawn.
"Mmm... Star Master, what is it? Why'd you wake me up…"His droopy eyelids fluttered weakly, clearly still half-asleep.
Rora lifted him above Xuanxi's chest.
"Can he drink a drop of my blood? His injuries are too severe. I want him to wake up soon — I've got questions I need him to answer."
The Stellar Spirit blinked down at the unconscious man. In his drowsy state, the overlapping shadowy layers of Xuanxi's aura made his head spin. His mind was foggy; he could barely think straight.
"Mhm… yeah, sure," he mumbled, nodding lazily. "You can do whatever you want, Star Master…"
And with that, he flopped backward, falling fast asleep again.
Rora sighed, amused despite herself. She placed the tiny creature beside her pillow, even took the time to pull a small towel over him like a blanket before turning back to Xuanxi.
Drawing a dagger from her bracelet, she nicked a clean finger with practiced precision. A bead of deep crimson welled up, and she let it fall into the nutrient fluid.
Instantly, the once-colorless liquid turned a faint pink, shimmering with tiny bubbles that rose and popped softly at the surface.
Rora swirled it a few times, not bothering to check if the blood had completely dissolved, then placed her fingers gently at the corners of Xuanxi's mouth. With a firm but careful squeeze, she pried it open and poured the nutrient mix inside.
Perhaps instinct took over — his throat worked, and he swallowed it all.
Only when she was certain every drop was gone did she release him, setting the empty bottle aside. Satisfied, she finished her own meal and headed off to bed.
—
No one knew how much time had passed before mysterious sigils began to shimmer faintly across Xuanxi's skin. The wounds that had once marred his body now closed rapidly, the flesh knitting together at a visible pace.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open — a flash of emerald green gleamed in their depths before vanishing.
—
When Rora awoke again, it was purely from habit — her internal clock as precise as ever. She sat up, checked the time, and stretched before recalling the unconscious man in her living room.
Had his wounds stabilized?
She'd meant to check on him last night, but drowsiness had hit her like a wave before she could move.
As she stepped out of her room, her gaze met his.
Xuanxi was awake — sitting upright, staring at her.
For a moment, Rora froze.
There was something strange in his eyes — a flicker of tension, a spark of anger, a shadow of regret, and, perhaps most confusingly, a touch of existential despair.
In short… his emotions were a complete mess.
Rora blinked, utterly lost.
She honestly couldn't tell what the man in front of her was feeling.
Xuan Xi glanced at her and replied weakly, "Yes, Little Star Lord, thanks to your gracious help, I'm fine now."
Luo Xinghai frowned slightly — why did that sound so sarcastic?
"Well, since you're fine, my drop of blood from last night wasn't wasted. Now you can answer the question I asked you yesterday, right?"
Expressionless, Xuan Xi shot her a look. "Hasn't anyone ever told you? You must never give your blood to others."
"No. I asked someone, and he said I could," Luo Xinghai replied, perfectly confident in her reasoning.
Xuan Xi was momentarily speechless. He rubbed his face in frustration."First of all, as a Level 0 Star Lord, you must never let anyone have your blood. Second, if you do want to give it to someone, at least ask them if they actually want it."
Luo Xinghai blinked in realization. "So you didn't want my blood? But… when the Black-Scaled Snake was injured, my blood made it grow a new head instantly. You were badly hurt too, so I thought you might need it. Sorry — that was my assumption. I won't do it again."
She finally realized just how reckless her action had been the night before. After all, she had no idea whether humans consuming her blood might cause side effects.
Xuan Xi was caught off-guard by her apology. For a brief moment, surprise flickered across his usually calm expression — he clearly hadn't expected her to apologize.
"So…" Luo Xinghai asked after a pause, "you mean, my blood isn't beneficial to humans?"
Xuan Xi regained his composure and answered evenly, "For some people, it can be incredibly beneficial. But for a small number… it does more harm than good. People like me, for example."
He didn't elaborate on the reason — that was his own secret.
"I see," Luo Xinghai nodded, accepting the answer without pressing further.
Seeing that she genuinely understood, and that the situation couldn't be undone anyway, Xuan Xi sighed and let the matter go.
"All right, let's continue our conversation from yesterday," he said, leaning back into the sofa with his arms crossed. "You asked what my conditions were. It's simple — I want to stay by your side and observe you in every way."
"As for how I knew you were a Level 0 Star Lord, it wasn't hard to figure out. First, everyone on this planet is an ordinary person — no one else could possibly communicate with a python. Second, your blood heals wounds instantly. Third, you can easily subdue mutated creatures. All these are abilities only a Star Lord possesses. And finally, you probably didn't notice — when you faced that Black-Scaled Snake's attack last night, your eyes changed. That's something no ordinary human could do. So guessing your identity wasn't difficult."
As he spoke, Xuan Xi folded his arms and leaned lazily against the back of the sofa, confidence radiating from him like light.
"What? My eyes… changed?" Luo Xinghai exclaimed, startled. She quickly opened the selfie mode on her wristband, checking her reflection — but her eyes looked perfectly normal. Somewhat disappointed, she turned it off.
She remembered what Star Spirit had told her — that her body would gradually change as it merged with her power, and that the transformation would be tied to her soul itself. She'd been curious to see what kind of changes that would bring.
Shaking off the thought, Luo Xinghai focused on the rest of Xuan Xi's words — and realized with a chill how many clues she had accidentally revealed.Thankfully, no one else had been there last night.
"Why do you want to follow me around and observe me?" Luo Xinghai asked, genuinely puzzled by his condition.
Xuan Xi didn't answer right away. After a brief hesitation, he finally spoke."Actually… ever since I was young, I've had one dream — to write a Star Lord Research Manual. I've always wanted to follow a Level 0 Star Lord, to observe and study everything about them — until the end of my life."
As he spoke, his gaze stayed fixed on Luo Xinghai's face.
In the past, whenever he said something like that, all he ever received in return was anger and condemnation. To most, the Star Lords were sacred beings — far above human reach — and studying them was considered a blasphemy. Because of that, he'd been branded a heretic and hunted down by awakened beings from other planets.
Luo Xinghai thought for a moment, then said slowly, "So what you're saying is… you want to be my personal butler?"
That answer caught Xuan Xi off guard. He blinked in confusion — she wasn't yelling, or calling him crazy, or threatening to kill him. Instead, she was… offering him a position?Her words replayed in his mind, and he realized — well, technically, that did fit his goal.
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. As long as he could stay by the Star Lord's side and observe, the title didn't matter.
"Good! Then I agree," Luo Xinghai said cheerfully. "From now on, you're my personal butler. Which means you'll provide me with any help I need, unconditionally. No problem with that, right?" She looked at him expectantly.
Xuan Xi ran her words through his mind again. Everything she said matched his purpose perfectly."No problem!" he answered immediately.
Luo Xinghai grinned, her eyes curving with satisfaction. "Excellent! In that case, I already need your help. Oh, right — let's add each other as contacts first."
Once their wristbands were connected, Luo Xinghai opened a file — a house model she'd built earlier using a holographic headset — and sent it to him in one tap.
"Here," she said. "I need you to take a look. If I want to build a one-star building, what modifications should I make? It needs to allow for later expansion and landscaping, have convenient access to roads and transport, and look beautiful. What do you think?"
She looked at him expectantly. After all, he had boasted about being proficient in everything — surely, designing a building layout wouldn't be a problem for him.
When Xuan Xi saw the 3D model projected from his wristband, a flicker of surprise — almost awe — flashed in his eyes.The buildings complemented each other perfectly, blending naturally with the surrounding greenery. It was elegant, balanced, and breathtakingly harmonious. He had traveled across countless planets, but he'd never seen architecture like this before.
"These designs… did you make them yourself?" he asked.
Luo Xinghai shook her head. "Not exactly. I just modeled them based on some buildings I've seen before."
Xuan Xi studied her quietly. He didn't mention the obvious — that she had never left this planet, and that this desolate world didn't have anything remotely resembling such architecture. So where exactly had she seen them?
"Alright," he said at last. "I'll help you with the planning. But first — send me the topographic map of this planet."
"Where do I find that?" Luo Xinghai asked sheepishly.
With a small sigh, Xuan Xi guided her through several hidden menus until they finally found a deeply buried interface — the full planetary layout map. Only then did he begin to work seriously on the construction plan.
Luckily, he had once done this kind of work before. To him, it was almost effortless.
In just a single day, he had the full architectural layout ready — complete with expansion routes and maintenance options. With such a model, construction robots could directly follow the blueprint, and future upgrades could be completed through rapid deconstruction and rebuild.
Only one minor problem remained —he had completely forgotten that this particular planet was a famous junk world.
There were no automated construction robots here.
And from that moment on — the "designated scapegoat" officially clocked in for duty.