The two drifted silently in the space, beyond the reach of all sound, with only each other for company.

Xi Yujin ran a hand through his smooth black hair, still not quite used to it. Then an idea suddenly struck him.

In an instant, as if undergoing a magical-girl transformation, his entire body turned back into a glittering little diamond.

Gano wasn't surprised at all.

Ordinarily, once Xi Yujin's soul returned to his physical body, it should have severed its connection with the star. The universe had given him a new body in return for his rebirth, and he had given the universe a new star in exchange. A fair trade.

But his soul had inhabited that star for too long, so the star had become an inseparable part of him.

As a result, he could still convert matter between himself and the star and transform his body into an ultra-dense carbon cosmic diamond. Or even become a star many times larger than before.

"I thought I'd only get my human body back. I didn't expect so many extra forms to come with it... Does this count as taking advantage of the universe?"

Xi Yujin's imagination began wandering in every direction.

The enormous star burned beside them. If Xi Yujin simply flew away, once he reached a certain distance, the star's gravity would pull him back. They were still connected.

Fortunately, he had thoroughly studied The Theory of Stellar Metamorphosis and knew how to take the star with him.

Xi Yujin pointed at the star, then pointed at himself. Gano immediately understood and nodded, as he prepared himself. Xi Yujin exhausted his mental power again as he started to carry the star away.

The gravitational field of the entire stellar system shifted violently. Every nearby planet experienced catastrophic geological upheaval, and some even collided with one another. Meteorites flew everywhere, while vast belts of cosmic dust filled the surrounding space.

When everything finally settled down, a tiny armored figure emerged from the asteroid field, holding hands with a sparkling person. And that person... was holding a balloon.

A burning balloon.

On a sudden whim, Xi Yujin had compressed the star until it was roughly the size of a basketball. He wrapped it with a layer of mental power so that it behaved like an ordinary fireball with just a little gravity.

He then placed both of his tiny asteroid Typing Machine and the armor core Gano had given him to orbit around the stellar balloon.

So now... he was carrying around an entire stellar system balloon. It was unbelievably cool.

Entirely satisfied, Xi Yujin drifted back with Gano while planning to build a new exhibition hall aboard Tidal Peace to hang the balloon inside. Together, they would continue building the little home that belonged only to them amid the endless universe.

After returning to the surface, they formally introduced one another as life partners. They received countless blessings and gifts: precious printed books, strange lava ecosystem spheres, lightweight laser cannons, and many other unusual presents.

Some aliens wondered why the neighboring star had suddenly disappeared. But detonating stars or modifying stars was hardly unusual news in the universe.

Privately, many simply assumed that it was some Blue Planet marriage custom, or perhaps the newlyweds celebrated by setting off stellar fireworks. That matter was quietly forgotten.

Xi Yujin and Gano carried all their gifts back to the second planet. The second planet currently contained a botanical garden, a spacecraft landing pad, and several expandable dome-shaped houses.

The houses expanded upon contact with water and contained every necessary facility. Recently, they had been living there.

After Xi Yujin finished organizing everything, he sat absentmindedly in the living room. The second planet rotated rather slowly, making its nights unusually long, clearly a paradise for night owls. But Xi Yujin simply didn't feel like working.

At that moment, Gano walked inside. Their eyes met, and the atmosphere immediately grew warmer.

Xi Yujin sensed the shift and couldn't stop his thoughts from wandering.

At one moment it felt too sudden. The next, it seemed like the most natural progression imaginable.

Gano, by contrast, was completely open and relaxed. Having finally completed the proper Blue Planet courtship rituals, he felt they could now happily build a nest together.

Gano said directly, "I collected some round fruits from the Starship Belt. Their genetics are a little different from those in Zerg territory, but they serve the same purpose. They replenish water and energy, and some can even alter flavor."

Xi Yujin pondered. "Alter flavor... hmm..."

"Nesting among plants works better," Gano continued. "I've already brought soft cushions."

Xi Yujin blinked. "We're going to... have a picnic?"

This really doesn't look like anything you'd do for nest-building...

But Gano immediately took it upon himself to teach Yujin the Zerg's nesting customs.

"There will be some partial insectoid transformation during the process. It looks like this." Gano showed him an illustration he had drawn from memory.

Without guidance from higher-ranking Zerg, he would have never realized that nesting rituals were actually so complicated.

"Insectoid transformation? Right... insectoid transformation." Xi Yujin repeated the words stiffly.

After all... he was dating an alien.

Insectoid transformation and all that... out in the wild and all that...

It probably wasn't a big problem.

Once he had mentally prepared himself, curiosity about his nonhuman lover quickly replaced his nervousness. They went to the botanical garden and selected an area where the plants had already matured enough to survive a little damage. Xi Yujin set up a night lamp nearby.

The cushions were barely spread out before they eagerly kissed, their breaths intertwining.

Soon, Gano leaned over him and unfolded his wings. They had grown much larger now, easily enveloping both of them. Sharp bony protrusions extended from the edges of the wings and anchored themselves firmly into the ground, sealing the transparent cocoon around them. From the outside, it resembled a giant crystalline chrysalis.

Xi Yujin lay inside, curiously running his fingers across the wings. They no longer possessed their former sensitivity, and they were at their hardest state now. The wings also secreted a colorless and odorless fluid that strengthened the cocoon itself.

A queen's standard nesting ritual involved transforming part of her own body into liquid while simultaneously converting her partner into biological material before recombining and absorbing it to obtain genetic information.

Some higher-ranking Zerg species similarly secreted digestive fluids during nesting, often leaving the partner dead or gravely injured. No Zerg warrior found that unusual.

Under those circumstances, Xi Yujin's nervousness was entirely understandable. Usually, Gano was the person who made him feel safest. Yet inside the cramped cocoon, beneath the dim light, meeting Gano's gaze gave rise to an unfamiliar pounding in his heart.

To the Zerg, reproduction was a process of digestion and reconstruction. Inside the cocoon, there were only predator and prey.

Even though Xi Yujin had thoroughly prepared himself... the actual nesting experience still exceeded all his expectations.

When everything was over, the cocoon split apart, leaving behind half an empty shell formed from hardened secretions.

Gano's wings trembled slightly. They were still damp, but had clearly grown another size larger. Their patterns also became even more magnificent, shimmering faintly with phosphorescence. From now on, he would be able to synchronize with his armor more efficiently.

Lying among the shrubs beneath the night sky, Xi Yujin gazed upward with a strange sense of wonder. "My first time ended up involving both an alien and the wilderness..."

"The universe really is an amazing place."

Afterward, the two of them settled into days overflowing with energy. The formal nesting ritual only needed to happen once, so the rest of the time, Gano simply continued exploring the unique characteristics of Blue Planet humans.

To be honest, Xi Yujin found the experience thoroughly enjoyable, so enjoyable that he almost felt guilty about it. He barely had to exert himself; the whole process only required Gano to take the initiative.

Gano was handsome, enthusiastic, and possessed remarkable stamina. His Zerg instincts naturally inclined him toward taking the lead. After all, Gano had seized the Ers Royal Armor by his own strength, defeated numerous high-ranking Zerg in the arena, and become the warrior who wielded Ubit's King-class armor.

If Xi Yujin wanted to suggest changing positions, Gano would frown, but most of the time he would agree and lie down obediently.

But occasionally Gano's eyes would sparkle as he looked at Xi Yujin, his tone a little unconvinced and a little aggrieved. "Does Yujinno think I'm not capable...?"

Only then did Xi Yujin realize that he had accidentally stumbled into a major Zerg taboo. He quickly corrected himself.

"Of course not. Gano... I love you very much."

He kissed Gano on the cheek, then on the forehead, trying to show that he understood his mistake.

But Gano wasn't so easily placated. Suspiciously, he said, "I clearly heard the words can't do it."

It had been said in Blue Planet language. There was no way he had misheard.

Xi Yujin was silent for a moment before answering, "I was talking about myself..."

Gano looked only half convinced. "Really?"

"Really, really. I'm the one who can't."

A while later, Xi Yujin couldn't resist teasing him again. "Then... could Gano be a little more proactive?"

"...Okay."

Feeling Gano respond more eagerly, Xi Yujin instinctively wrapped his arms more tightly around his waist and shut his eyes. Even his eyelashes were trembling slightly.

Sometimes taking advantage of this cultural difference made Xi Yujin feel a little guilty. But he had already stopped thinking that he was an ordinary human a long time ago.

...

The newlyweds spent a period enjoying their quiet life together. Then a transport ship arrived at the fifth planet.

Looking at the completely emptied balance in his account, Xi Yujin was reminded that it was time to make money again.

Feeling refreshed and happy, inspiration poured into him endlessly, so he quickly revised the script for Revival.

But to continue filming, he would inevitably have to interact with the inhabitants of the Starship Belt again. He still had lingering psychological scars from everything that had happened there.

He briefly considered revealing some information about the Zerg, but after some hesitation, he decided not to mention it.

Each side had its own path, so there was no need to force those paths to intersect. The La did not need to keep living in longing for their mother, and the Zerg had abandoned the La long ago.

Instead, he sought out Soma to learn the latest developments in the Starship Belt.

"Congratulations on your marriage." As his race's diplomat stationed there, Soma was well informed.

He explained, "After the Starship Belt's power source shut down, they settled on ER-1090 and now call themselves the Starship La Race. They need more resources now, so things have changed quite a bit."

The completely non-commercial environment that had once characterized the La people had vanished. They quickly established companies and began integrating with the outside world using their existing technology. Meanwhile, the floating Starship Belt itself became a temporary orbital port.

The Starship Arts Production Company rapidly emerged as one of the brightest new stars in the universe's cultural industry. It possessed a fully developed actors' guild, exceptional production techniques for artistic derivative works, over six million preserved artworks, and what was currently the fastest and most extensive publicly accessible network. Artists from all civilizations were welcome to conduct business there.

The first Planetary Art Exhibition of the Starship Belt was still underway. As for those six million planets... they had become the prizes. Given the Starship people's relatively small population, they had no immediate need for so many worlds. They just hoped that this opportunity would help make the region more prosperous.

"You know this place used to be a battlefield ruin," Soma chatted while eating. "There aren't any major civilizations nearby."

"If development goes well, it could benefit our own cultures too. Lots of civilizations want a share of the opportunity. The competition is much fiercer than before."

Xi Yujin glanced at Blue Planet's average ranking. 145th place.

The Starship La Clan had promised to give Xi Yujin his reward ahead of time, but after making such a huge mess, they hardly had the face to ask for it back. Even so, Xi Yujin was still dissatisfied when he saw how low his ranking was.

"I really need to finish Revival properly..."

Xi Yujin scribbled more revisions on the script.

He appointed a senior Rustling who had learned other alien languages as his representative to negotiate with the Starship Company. Since the Rustlings had officially joined Blue Planet and were legally considered Blue Planet citizens, they were the ideal intermediaries.

Filming for Revival steadily resumed, and news of the production gradually spread beyond the galaxy.

Not long afterward, a spacecraft landed at the Starship Belt port. Its passengers were ordinary tourists who had come both to sightsee and to experience the legendary ultra-fast network.

"There are internet cafés everywhere!" one visitor named Beike exclaimed.

Although isolated for a very long time, they had never lost their commercial instincts, so the Starship Company had developed rapidly. They understood that if they wanted to attract visitors from across the universe, they needed a recognizable attraction. Thus, most of the old Starship Belt scenery had been transformed into internet cafés.

Although the Belt's engines had shut down, as long as it wasn't struck by an enormous celestial body, it could still safely float through space. The Starship La understood the ships better than anyone and converted them remarkably quickly.

Visiting for the first time, Beike was amazed. He hurriedly purchased a prepaid access card and entered one of the cafés.

Each room inside was private and fully equipped. There were classic flat-screen terminals, enhanced virtual experiences, and fully immersive brain-computer interfaces.

Beike played The Little Dragonfly That Loves Taking Circuits Apart and then Biochemical Green Algae. The high-quality graphics and smooth gameplay completely won him over.

"No wonder the Planetary Art Exhibition is so famous..."

As his interest rose, he opened the exhibition rankings and immediately added the top ten entries to his shopping cart.

"No, wait, the top twenty are all games made by native Starship creators. They're incredibly skilled, so why did they have such a poor reputation before? Oh right... Blue Planet!"

Scrolling further down, he finally found Blue Planet's name far beyond the hundredth place.

He had read Blue Planet's works before. Before coming here, the new Blue Planet novelist Shanhui had generated enormous discussion, and Beike had followed the online debates for quite some time. That made Blue Planet's low rank even harder to believe.

"Who's Wenhuo from Blue Planet...? I thought it was Yujin making derivative works?"

Beike belonged to a species with relatively slow information transmission. He hadn't caught up with all the latest gossip and stared at the screen in confusion.

At that very moment, a new work suddenly appeared under Wenhuo's name. Its title was Revival.

Beike clicked on it and discovered that it was a film. Since he was already tired from gaming, he selected the enhanced virtual viewing mode and lay down on the small bed to watch.

The movie opened with a man arrogantly boasting to another lawyer: "So what if I refuse to pay child support? I've got a lawyer. She's just some broke loser; how could she ever find proof that I cheated?"

Standing opposite him was someone wearing a trench coat that faded nearly white with age. At that moment, the audience couldn't clearly see his face.

Then the lawyer spoke in a shrill voice, tossing over a business card. "Sorry, but having money really does let you do whatever you want."

After the two wealthy men climbed into their sports car and drove away, the man in the trench coat slowly lifted his head. His face looked tired and worn.

The camera shifted. His legs had just transformed back from a muddy state into normal human form. He reached into those mud-covered legs and pulled out a hidden camera. Removing the memory card and inserting it into another camera, he checked the footage. The screen clearly showed evidence of the wealthy man's affair.

Only then did the man in the trench coat sneer.

"Now that I know the truth... it's time to start the entire deduction process."