C8 Level One Mission Activated

The little girl caught his gaze and quickly averted her eyes, hiding her delicate hands behind her back as she hummed an unfamiliar tune.

Situ Yu didn't dwell on it.

"Can you get back inside the star core? You're not going to pop out and cause mischief whenever I'm resting, right?"

"Of course, I can return. It's not like I wander out when I'm bored; it uses up energy. Today's an exception. I've just awakened and needed to assess my surroundings. Plus, I have to have the main brain analyze this planet's mineral composition, the diversity of its species, and its energy materials. I'm quite busy," Ke Lianna declared with a haughty expression.

"Pfft, it's the main brain that's busy, not you. Fine, if you've got things to do, then get on with it. Just be careful not to be spotted," he said dismissively.

She then lay down on the bed, closed her eyes, and resumed sleeping. After spending half the day traveling and the other half cleaning, exhaustion took over. Within minutes, her gentle snores filled the room.

Ke Lianna glanced at the primitive creature before shutting off the projection and entering Situ Yu's mind.

"Main brain, conduct a thorough scan of this planet."

"Understood, Queen Mother."

A ripple of energy swiftly blanketed the globe, undetected by any device.

"Scanning complete. Here are the findings: 208 mineral elements, over a hundred million biological species, and a scarcity of energy resources. Only a few types exist, with coal, oil, and nuclear being the primary sources. Biofuel is in short supply, and other energy resources remain untapped."

"Other than energy, the rest isn't too shabby. It's quite surprising for such a small place."

"The analysis suggests that some species here are similar to those in our databank. It's possible that genetic material from our side ended up here at some point," the main brain reported in a detached tone.

"I need to figure out how to get this primitive creature to help me gather resources. Otherwise, I won't make it back to space. The problem is finding a way to make it help me. This is so frustrating."

"Observation and analysis indicate that humans are quite interested in their money, the opposite sex, and power. Those might be good leverage points to consider."

"Nice work, main brain. We should have a good chat with him when we get the chance," the little loli declared with a smug grin. "I'm off to get some rest too."

The next morning, Situ Yu, a creature of habit, woke up early and fetched a bucket of water from the well. He washed his face, brushed his teeth, and tidied himself up. After a quick breakfast of biscuits and bread, he set out to tackle the weeds in the yard.

He returned to the storage room, grabbed a sickle and a hoe, and headed to the small courtyard. Donning his hat, he began the arduous task of weeding. Despite the early hour, the summer heat was already making its presence felt.

Two sweaty hours later, Situ Yu surveyed his handiwork with a sense of accomplishment. The courtyard looked much tidier. The surviving potted plants had been moved to one corner, the weeds were gone, the soil turned over, and freshly watered. It was quite the transformation.

Situ Yu allowed himself a satisfied smile.

Just then, the little loli came bounding out, floating up to Situ Yu with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "Now that we've taken care of the small stuff, isn't it time to do something a bit more meaningful?"

Situ Yu, catching the sly tone in the little loli's voice, had a sinking feeling. The air seemed thick with the scent of a plot.

He clutched his chest in mock terror and stammered, "You—don't start any trouble. You're still a kid, and even if you weren't, it wouldn't be okay."

"What do you mean?" Ke Lianna asked, genuinely puzzled. Before Situ Yu could clarify, the main brain interjected, "Queen Mother, what she's suggesting is that you intend to take liberties with him. To put it plainly, she's talking about mating."

Ke Lianna's face turned crimson, and she hurled a chaotic barrage of projections at Situ Yu. Having been through this the night before, he stood his ground, treating the onslaught as if it were a spectacle.

When Ke Lianna realized her antics weren't eliciting a reaction, she ceased her assault. She pouted, her cheeks puffing up in frustration, and warned, "If you ever say something like that again, I'll, I'll..." Overwhelmed, she burst into tears, the injustice of being nothing more than a projection and powerless to act weighing heavily on her.

Seeing Ke Lianna start to cry, Situ Yu was taken aback, realizing he had gone too far with his teasing.

"Okay, okay, my bad. I was just kidding around. I promise not to pick on you anymore. Be good, okay?"

At this, the little loli Ke Lianna sensed an opportunity. Imaginary little devil horns sprouted atop her head, and a pair of tiny devil wings unfurled behind her. A slender devil tail swished back and forth, unseen by Situ Yu.

"Really? You're not going to bully me? You won't let me go hungry?" Ke Lianna asked cautiously.

Situ Yu, unconcerned, responded,

"Absolutely. No more bullying, no more hunger. Wait, hunger? Does a projection even need to eat?"

"Yay! Then for today's meal, I'll need 100 tons of iron, 100 tons of lead, 100 units of energy, plus two kinds of biological genes. Hmm, what else might I need?" she pondered.

"Whoa, hold up! Why do you need all that? How are you going to eat it? Doesn't eating so much make you feel sick? Can you even digest it?" Situ Yu fired off a barrage of questions.

"Firstly, I aim to grow into a cosmic Biological Warship, so I need to eat. Secondly, that's barely enough to fill a gap in my teeth. Thirdly, digestion? To the Queen Mother, that's laughable. Lastly, take a look at your arm."

Glancing down, Situ Yu noticed the fine filaments on his arm. It clicked—he was feeding through these threads. Recalling how quickly they consumed coal, he wasn't concerned about digestion anymore.

With an embarrassed look, Situ Yu admitted,

"But all that stuff is really expensive, I can't afford it. And what's this about 100 units of energy stone?"

"You're such a dunce," the projection chided, suddenly donning a teacher's outfit and a pair of black-framed glasses from seemingly nowhere. The attire was quite a sight on little loli Ke Lianna. "Let me give you a quick lesson."

Energy units come in various levels. Right now, we're talking about White Crystals, the lowest level. The other levels are for use in the cosmos. One unit of White Crystal is roughly equivalent to 10,000 degrees of electricity.

"One! Ten thousand!" Situ Yu leapt to his feet, realizing that at a rate of one dollar per degree, the cost was a staggering 10,000 yuan.

"Student Situ Yu, please raise your hand before speaking," came the reminder, and Situ Yu obediently lifted his hand.

"Your problem is quite simple to solve. In essence, it's just a matter of money. And if money can solve it, then it's not really a problem at all," declared the little loli, Ke Lianna, with a haughty air.

"But I'm pretty short on cash at the moment," Situ Yu responded, his voice tinged with embarrassment.

"Don't fret. I'll fill you in on how to make money shortly."

She then went on to explain,

"Generating 10,000 degrees of electricity in your tech zone might consume 3 to 4 tons of coal. But my Devour Chain, the 'thin silk' you referred to, doesn't waste nearly as much. It only needs to devour one ton of coal to produce 10,000 degrees of electricity, equivalent to one unit of White Crystal energy. Its remarkable efficiency is due to its construction from a triple helix biological gene chain model.

"Do you get it now, Situ Yu?"

Situ Yu nodded, though his mind was still preoccupied with financial concerns, clearly clueless about the intricacies of a triple helix biological gene chain.

"Now, regarding making money, it's time to discuss the current level and functions of the Star Core."

"The Star Core, or my essence, is categorized into seven levels before entering the universe, from Star Core Level 1 to Level 7. Additionally, there's a Star Core Level 0, but that's outside the standard classification."

"At Level 1, where my essence merges with the host, is where I currently stand. At this level, the Star Core possesses a few basic functions, thanks to the energy field it emits. This field grants some simple, albeit modest, abilities."

Ability one is to catalyze and refine plants. In plain terms, it makes plants grow faster and healthier. The effect is adjustable and can be regulated.

Ability two is to enhance intellectual development. In other words, it makes one smarter. Haven't you noticed an uptick in your intelligence lately? Your thinking has become more agile, too."

"It does seem that way," Situ Yu admitted, a hint of realization in his tone.

Situ Yu pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement.

He patiently waited for Ke Lianna to continue, but when she remained silent for quite some time, he raised his hand and inquired, "Teacher Ke Lianna, what comes next?"

"There's nothing more. What more abilities could you possibly want? You won't even feed me, yet you expect even more abilities. These abilities were only unlocked because I devoured a considerable amount of coal in the mines. Without that, forget about it," Ke Lianna responded.

Embarrassed, Situ Yu hung his head and began to contemplate other abilities, voicing his thoughts aloud.

Ke Lianna gave him a look, her cute little face managing to make even an eye roll look adorable. She spoke with a hint of scorn, "The abilities you gain after leveling up are significantly stronger, of course. But I'm not going to tell you about them now. Hmph." With that, she turned her head away and crossed her arms over her chest, pointedly ignoring Situ Yu as if to punish him for not raising his hand earlier.

Unperturbed, Situ Yu considered the practical uses of his abilities, his gaze drifting to the corner where the unperished potted plants sat. "If my abilities are strong enough, I might be able to accelerate their growth. Then I could sell them for a few hundred yuan. I'm just not sure about the effectiveness," he mused, his face etched with curiosity.

Catching on to his musings, Ke Lianna chimed in, "At this stage, the effects are maximized. You can achieve growth within twenty-four hours and then sell them. As for the price, I have no idea. That's something we can look up online later."

Situ Yu nodded in understanding, then asked, "How can I control the effects and their range?"

"Just leave that to the main brain. All you need to do is tell me your requirements."

"Alright, but first I need to sort out some things at home. I'll come back to this later."

Ke Lianna's anxiety was palpable as she pressed, "So, are you taking on the mission or not? If you don't, we'll both end up starving eventually." Her eyes brimmed with tears, suggesting that a refusal might cause them to spill over at any moment.

Watching the 'little pitiful' on the verge of tears, Situ Yu let out a wry smile and nodded in resignation. "I agree. Launch the mission."

[Mission: Stardust Level 1. Objectives: Acquire 100 tons of iron and 100 tons of lead, obtain 100 units of energy, and secure at least two distinct biological genes. Note: Genes are crucial for future functional developments. Choose with caution.]

Ke Lianna spun around in pure joy, completing a full 360-degree turn, and flashed a triumphant gesture. She exclaimed, "We did it!"

With a bounce in her step, she slipped back into her princess dress and vanished into thin air, off to dreamland within the recesses of Situ Yu's mind.