Chapter 34: Starfire City (Reposted; the second update will be posted tonight.)

"What do you want?" Luo Ke replied naturally, though he soon felt something was off about the phrasing. He cleared his throat. "Potato or sweet potato?"

Xia Dou, an innocent girl, didn't notice the suggestive tone of his words at all. "Sweet potato."

Luo Ke broke off half from the part he hadn't bitten yet and handed it to her.

"How wonderful it would be if I could eat the food you cook forever," Xia Dou said subconsciously.

The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was sensitive. Luo Ke’s heart skipped a beat as he looked at her flawless, delicate face. "The Lighthouse has top-quality steak. Come find me if you want to eat it."

"Okay!"

After they had their fill, they picked up their medical kits and began the journey back.

As they neared Sun Valley, Luo Ke didn't head straight back but circled the surrounding area. Behind Sun Valley lay a boundless wilderness, a region the Lighthouse had never ventured into, yet it was rare to see any Husk-type monsters emerging from that direction.

On one side stretched a continuous range of barren mountains that seemed to disappear into the horizon. Xia Dou said that beyond those layers of mountains lay the vast ocean; no one knew what lay on the other side of that sea. After all, with the destruction caused by the ground vines, the original world had been torn apart and was no longer recognizable.

On the other side lay the general direction of the survivor base.

The valley exit opened up into a small stretch of wilderness, where wild weeds grew rampantly across the barren land. Further away were jagged rocky hills with treacherous terrain—a perfect spot for a defensive position if properly fortified.

Between the rocks and the wilderness stood three clusters of broken urban ruins. They weren't large and were relatively close to one another, clearly just a small corner of a once-great metropolis. Luo Ke marked these three locations as Ruins A, B, and C, intending to bring the Dust Walkers back later to scavenge for usable supplies.

He sketched out a rough topographical map, considering various offensive and defensive points, as well as potential evacuation routes.

The sun was high; it was time to go.

Luo Ke helped Xia Dou put on her helmet, and they sped off.

Sun Valley.

"Back so soon!" Mo Cheng raised an eyebrow. "As expected of Luo Ke, reliable."

"These are some reference maps I drew. Take them to the veterans; you're more skilled at setting up defenses than I am. Discuss it first, don't rush into action." Luo Ke tossed the notebook to Jeff.

"Rules!" Jeff’s eyes lit up as he saw the sketches, and he immediately turned to study them with Xue Feng, Haji, and the others.

"Where are Shan Da and his group?" Luo Ke asked.

Mo Cheng, who was helping build ground fortifications, wiped the sweat from his brow. "They're down below, looks like they're learning the 'Return to Origin' technique. I’m heading down there as soon as I finish this."

Underground world.

Descending the manually constructed stairs, Luo Ke noticed newly installed light bulbs hanging on the walls. He estimated this might have been a human shelter from decades ago. Pushing open a large door at the bottom, the space opened up—it was vast, several dozen meters high, and instead of straight stone walls, the sides sloped gently, giving the whole place the shape of an inverted trapezoid.

The stone walls were covered in blue Spirit Ore, and there were many blue spirit pools suitable for cultivating Spirit Essence. If they built housing along the mountain walls like they had at the survivor base, it could easily accommodate eight or nine thousand people. Besides, the crashed Lighthouse was still habitable.

At that moment, over a thousand people were sitting on the ground, honestly and earnestly watching Sui Xing and the others giving lessons on the stone platform. The scene had the air of a school opening ceremony.

"I’m heading over there, too," Xia Dou waved at Luo Ke. "See you later!"

"See you later," Luo Ke replied with a smile, opting to find a spot to sit down himself.

Sui Xing was explaining brand-new concepts like Spirit Breath Seeds, the "Return to Origin" state, and Source Essence weapons. Combined with the shocking images being displayed, it completely shattered the narrow, short-sighted worldview of the Lighthouse people.

After the theory, they moved on to batch-based practical training. To speed up the popularization, they had produced a large number of Spirit Essence cultivation tools; the blacksmiths at the survivor base had almost worked their hammers until they smoked.

Jing Nan, standing in front of the crowd, spotted Luo Ke and immediately stood up to walk over.

"Luo Ke, ninety percent of the Lighthouse’s energy was consumed during the crash. Now, it can barely maintain the power system, making it impossible to start any major projects," she said, hesitating.

"Fuel and energy?" Luo Ke rubbed his chin. "There seems to be a spacecraft research institute in the center of Ruins A."

"I'll take some people to secure it later; for now, let's just meet the basic requirements. Also, there's the issue of food. The aerial farms can be expanded. Before we have enough food, insect cakes will be distributed to everyone—even if you're not used to it, you have to eat."

Jing Nan nodded. "Understood."

"Are you taking people to find energy?" Ran Bing’s voice came from behind. She approached carrying a lunch box. "Do you need Mark to come along?"

Luo Ke waved his hand. "Let him focus on cultivating with Bai Yuekui. Try to get him back to his human form as soon as possible."

"Oh, okay. This is for you." Ran Bing handed the box to Luo Ke, looking at him with genuine concern. "Eat and rest a bit before you go."

"Exactly. Food is the fuel of life; you're strong, but we’re not little kids. We can help you out. Let's go together later," Mo Cheng said, slinging his arm around Luo Ke's shoulder with a grin.

Looking at the faces filled with hope, Luo Ke felt a stir in his heart. "As the sun rises in the east, a single spark can start a prairie fire... Shall we call this place Starfire City?"

The group paused, not expecting Luo Ke to jump to a different topic.

"A single spark can start a prairie fire?" Ran Bing whispered softly. "Everyone here is a spark in Sun Valley; together, we are the starfire of this world."

The group began to smile. "That works. Let's call it Starfire City!"

And so, the name of the yet-to-be-formed city was decided in such a hasty manner.

After the others left, Luo Ke secretly called Xia Dou over.

"Just like I promised, eat it while it's hot."

Xia Dou curiously opened the lunch box, her eyes glowing. She was moved. "Haven't you eaten yet? I have a small appetite; let's split it half and half?"

Inside were slices of steak, broccoli, potatoes, and boneless pan-fried chicken legs.

"I'm not hungry. Go ahead and eat." Having devoured so many Husk-beasts and eaten several potatoes and sweet potatoes, Luo Ke truly felt no hunger. To him, ordinary food now only served to satisfy his palate.

Ten minutes later.

Two armored transport vehicles drove out of Sun Valley.

In the lead vehicle sat Luo Ke, Mo Cheng, and several Dust Walkers. The second vehicle carried Jeff and more Dust Walkers.

They didn't bring anyone without combat experience; the Dust Walkers could handle moving supplies just as well, and there was no point in foolishly putting others in danger.

The journey was smooth, with no sign of any Husk-type monsters. Even as they drove into the ravaged city ruins, no monsters were found.

Luo Ke pondered; perhaps the decoy missiles and his own threatening roars from the day before had done the trick. He suddenly remembered Xu Tong mentioning before he left that it was "Rent Collection Day," and the local Husk-type monsters were busy with business and promotions.

Rent Collection: Husk-type monsters absorb life source essence, store it in their bodies, and periodically head to the Mana King at Mist-Street Canyon to hand it over. Whoever hands over the most gets the most benefits from the Mana King—in short, they were just worker beasts. It was the Mana or the Mana ecosystem itself that required life source essence for self-evolution and the gestation of new Husk-type species.

"There are Husk-type monsters in this institute, but not many. Proceed with caution," Luo Ke said, stepping into the dilapidated research facility first and heading toward the basement.

Their figures disappeared into the darkness, and the city behind them remained deathly quiet. A wind blew, swaying the weeds on the cracked streets and revealing the countless piles of "flesh-soil" hidden among them. The rusted billboards were covered in apocalyptic slogans, vines climbed the leaning skyscrapers, and a dirty, discarded teddy bear rested on a window ledge.

The prosperity of this place had long since faded.

Please comment and vote.