What exactly is the Dark Domain like?
And what about Jiuzhou Star, the place that Lin Xiaohe and the Stardust Humans always talk about?
The crowd felt both anxious and filled with curiosity and anticipation.
No human had ever ventured deep into the Dark Domain, and no human had ever built a home there.
Complete uncertainty left everyone feeling lost.
The Dark Domain and Jiuzhou Star became the hottest topics of discussion aboard the Ark.
Melina accompanied her mentor to the marketplace to conduct research.
Her mentor whispered to her, “The social environment inside the Ark is a product of extraordinary circumstances. It’s a fully enclosed society, with external threats all around but relative safety within. The survivors on the Ark come from all walks of life, and all of them received a basic Federal education. In theory, they should all be non-believers.”
The Federation did not allow religious proselytizing, and even political parties were strictly regulated.
The education Federal citizens received was scientific and atheistic. Even though they often talked about things like the God of Wisdom or the God of Music, those were just casual sayings—hardly anyone actually believed in them.
Her mentor’s eyes sparkled as he observed that these people, who were supposed to be staunch non-believers, had developed a deep reliance on Lin Xiaohe.
From what he could tell, that reliance was slowly transforming into faith.
When would this transformation be complete? And would the next generation carry on this faith?
These questions would provide crucial evidence for perfecting his theories.
Melina glanced at her mentor and said bluntly, “Are you suggesting that Lin Xiaohe deliberately caused this outcome?”
“Who knows? After all, successfully evolving into a Stardust Human requires absolute loyalty and faith! Between a society made up of both Stardust Humans and ordinary humans, and one made entirely of Stardust Humans, which do you think is easier to manage? You should know the answer to that very well.”
Melina understood perfectly, but she was more inclined to believe that this underhanded tactic came from Wesley, not Lin Xiaohe.
Because Lin Xiaohe was, at her core, somewhat naive. Maybe she didn’t even realize it herself, but anyone who spent time with her could sense it—in her eyes, everyone was equal and free.
That is, everyone equally enjoyed the right to freedom—the freedom to choose life or death, and the freedom to choose their own way of living.
The mentor and his student walked among the crowd, listening to the anxious chatter around them.
“The Xinghe Party says that once we enter Jiuzhou Star, the flow of time will be different. One year on Jiuzhou Star will only be one month in Federation time.”
“Pfft, what’s there to worry about? Before humanity discovered wormholes, every interstellar journey could take a lifetime. They say my ancestors were even born on space vessels.”
“Exactly. Wherever we live, we’re still living. We’re already incredibly lucky—every day we’re alive now is a bonus.”
The mentor opened his smart device and recorded the public opinion among the survivors.
While keeping his ears open, he analyzed with Melina: “Generally speaking, the survivors don’t seem to mind going to Jiuzhou Star. One reason is that they’ve already been through multiple rounds of screening, and another is that the peaceful days on the Ark have brought them back to their comfort zones.”
The mentor was deeply passionate about this work, and when things got too busy, he even hired two survivors to serve as guides and assistants.
Fifteen more days passed after the Ark’s broadcast.
Finally, they could see Jiuzhou Star!
Out in the pitch-black Dark Domain, a solitary star hung quietly.
Orbiting around it was only one blue planet—their destination, Jiuzhou Star.
It was an extremely young planet, with more than two-thirds of its surface covered by ocean. The only continent was densely packed with lush greenery.
A colossal tree stretched between heaven and earth.
Its branches reached out into space, forming an oval-shaped canopy.
Above the canopy were spaceports and space stations whose architectural style closely resembled that of the Ark.
Small unmanned spacecraft shuttled busily between the space stations, Jiuzhou Star, and Taiyin Star, creating a lively and bustling scene.
Playful giant sound whales would blow out colorful bubbles that clung to the canopy like colorful fruits growing from the giant tree.
As they swam, they left trails of stardust streamers behind them, shimmering brilliantly against the dark backdrop—dreamy and surreal.
On the virtual screens of the fourth level, real-time images of Jiuzhou Star appeared.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, gazing at the view with fascination.
“So beautiful!”
What was even more breathtaking than its beauty was how normal Jiuzhou Star looked—teeming with life, just like the Federation before it fell to the Zerg.
Seeing Jiuzhou Star like this, all the unease in everyone’s hearts melted away, and they began to look forward to the days ahead with great anticipation.
The Ark came to a halt at the edge of the canopy. One of the nearest branches stretched and expanded until it reached the Ark’s entrance, forming a bridge.
Brother Thunder greeted everyone at the other end of the bridge.
“Xiaohe, we’ve built a city on the northwest side of Jiuzhou Star that can hold three million people.”
Lin Xiaohe said awkwardly, “We ran into some trouble along the way, so we didn’t bring back that many people. There are fewer than forty thousand ordinary survivors, but we did gain over four hundred thousand more Stardust Humans.”
Brother Thunder paused, then grinned. “Isn’t that even better? Fewer people means more space. I won’t have to share a room with Old Black anymore. Oh, by the way, Old Black said he wants to talk to you about something—something concerning your family. I’ll handle things here. Go take care of your business first.”
Lin Xiaohe swept her mental energy across the Ark.
“Wow, this is so cool! Is this technology, or the power of plants?”
“I can’t wait to start our new life.”
“Does Jiuzhou Star have a shopping mall? I still want to open my own shop.”
“I’d rather find a job. Can’t just sit around and eat up all our savings.”
Seeing that everyone’s spirits were high, Lin Xiaohe felt comfortable leaving everything to Brother Thunder.
Ever since the Life Center was completed on Jiuzhou Star, Old Black had stayed inside most of the time and rarely went out.
When Lin Xiaohe walked in, she saw Old Black and Mori arguing about something, while her second sister, Lin Jingqiu, stood by with her hands clasped together, watching the show.
“Xiaohe!”
Lin Xiaohe broke into a genuine smile and gave her second sister a big hug. “Second Sister, I’m back. How have you all been lately?”
Her second sister gave Lin Xiaohe a careful once-over. Seeing that she looked healthy and unharmed, she finally relaxed.
“I’m doing great. We all are. Mori wants to use some Zerg for experiments, but Old Black won’t agree.”
Ever since they’d gotten their hands on Zerg specimens, Mori felt like he’d opened the door to a whole new world—his inspiration flowing like a fountain.
Lin Jingqiu had also picked up a lot of new knowledge while assisting with his research.
“Where’s Big Brother? And Mom, Dad, and our grandparents?”
Lin Jingqiu said helplessly, “Big Brother keeps talking to the rising mountain ranges on the Pangu Continent, insisting that the mountains have consciousness.”
“Mom is still the same—unconscious and sleeping all the time. Dad is obsessed with digging holes, saying it helps him stay grounded.”
“Grandma and Grandpa are painting on leaves, and when they’re not doing that, they dance together.”
Lin Xiaohe frowned. “Second Brother’s condition is getting worse again.”
He used to just have schizophrenia, and now he’s developed delusional disorder too.
What’s going on? Everyone else evolves and gets better—how come Second Brother is only getting worse?
While Lin Jingqiu wasn’t paying attention, Old Black frantically made faces at Lin Xiaohe.
Lin Xiaohe made up an excuse and pulled Old Black aside for a private chat.
His expression turned serious as he said quietly, “Your whole family is in a very bad state.”
