Chapter 58: The Left-Behind Child, Lu Xiaomao

“No, no, no, nothing at all!” The three of them immediately shook their heads like rattles and widened their watery eyes, trying to feign innocence and get away with it.

“Oh—” Yun Qimu’s eyes glimmered with meaning. As they held their breath, faces full of nervous pleading, she suddenly curled her lips into an innocent smile. “No need to be so tense. What use would a woman like me have for the little secrets between men? Don’t worry, I promise I won’t pry any further.”

The three of them instantly breathed a sigh of relief, patting their chests in gratitude. “That’s good, that’s good.”

“I told you, the village chief is beautiful and kind. She’s not the type to care about other people’s secrets.”

Yun Qimu glanced at them with interest. “So, you really were talking about some shady little secret just now, huh?”

“Ahem, ahem, ahem…”

The three of them choked on their own saliva, breaking into a fit of coughing, and shot her aggrieved, protesting looks. “Chief…”

Up ahead, Wu Xingyu, who had been absorbed in studying the sudden appearance of white mist, turned back and shot them a look of disdain from afar, making them shrink back in fear.

“Hahaha, alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you.”

Yun Qimu straightened up, shrugged, and casually brought the conversation back on track. “You still haven’t answered my question. Are there any tribes or settlements nearby? A big city would do, too.”

Yun He and Yuan An exchanged a glance and sheepishly rubbed their noses. They were just two unlucky guys who’d only just arrived on Exile Star and had been swept away by a magnetic core storm—how could they possibly know anything?

Pei Yu’s peach blossom eyes darted around. “I… I don’t know either.”

“Hm? Didn’t you say you’re from Molan City and have lived on Exile Star for nearly twenty years? How could you not know something this basic?”

Yun Qimu looked at him as if he were useless, making him bristle with indignation. “I may not know about the nearby tribes or settlements, but I do know the overall layout of Exile Star…”

Without waiting to see if Yun Qimu actually wanted to know, he launched into a nonstop explanation, spilling everything he knew. Yun Qimu, Yun He, Yuan An, and even Wu Xingyu, who was off to the side, all listened closely and got a general understanding of the situation on Exile Star.

Exile Star is divided into four regions: east, south, west, and north.

The eastern region is home to Mercenary City, made up of major interstellar pirates and mercenaries who roam dangerous territories. They’re one of the dominant powers on Exile Star.

The southern region is where Molan City is located. Twenty years ago, Mo Xie and his generals were exiled here by Kimberly and seized this territory. Over the years, thanks to their good reputation and discipline, more and more people have come to join them. Their small patch of land has gradually grown into a major city, now the toughest force to contend with on Exile Star.

The western region is Chaos City, as the name suggests, the most chaotic city. Exiles, prisoners of war, the infected, and indigenous natives all mix together here. The population is a jumble of all kinds of people. Naturally, the power structure is just as chaotic, with all sorts of factions and teams vying for control. So far, no one has managed to take over, showing just how fierce the competition is.

Finally, there’s the northern region.

The north is also known as the Junk Zone or the Infection Zone, because the concentration of dark matter here is so high that it easily drives people mad and causes them to self-destruct. Aside from the indigenous tribes who have lived here for generations, almost no one dares to come and seize control of this area.

What’s more, the land here is vast and sparsely populated, making it the best place to come for a final self-destruction. Whenever someone can’t handle the dark matter in their body anymore, they come here to wait for death.

Over time, the northern region has become a graveyard for many powerful people. No one dares to approach, and ordinary folks stay far away.

So, if Yun Qimu wants to increase the population of Earth Village, she can only try to recruit the indigenous people of the north, or those whose dark matter has reached a critical point and have come here to wait for death—people like Old Tang.

“If the chief really wants to know about the distribution of nearby indigenous settlements, it’s not impossible. Don’t we have the Qiong Whale Tribe in our village? We can ask them. My buddy Amos is sure to know.”

After Pei Yu finished his long-winded explanation, he made this suggestion.

Speak of the devil—just as Pei Yu mentioned the Qiong Whale Tribe, Chief Luke came over, leading his tribesmen, all barefoot and beaming.

“Chief, chief, are there any more wooden cabins? Our Qiong Whale Tribe is ready with the spirit coins!”

His hearty voice rang out.

Yun Qimu’s eyes lit up. Leaving Pei Yu behind, having gotten all the information she needed, she greeted Luke and his people with a big smile.

“If Chief Luke wants them, of course we have some! How many cabins do you need, and what kind of layout?”

Luke’s weathered face creased into a smile, his eyes squinting. “There are twenty-three of us in the tribe. Three are families of three, two are couples, and the rest are twelve strong young men and one young woman. We’re planning to get nine cabins.”

He stretched out his big hand, gesturing excitedly.

“Alright, nine cabins it is. Where do you want to build them? Let’s pick a spot for the foundations first.”

The natives immediately got excited, all talking at once about their preferences.

“I want to live near Mr. Mo’s flower field. I’ve never seen such beautiful flowers—I want to see them every morning when I wake up.”

“I want to live closer to the Danmu fruit trees, so I can pick some when I’m hungry.”

“I—I want to live next to that big, beautiful white house. It’s the prettiest house. When I have enough spirit coins, I want to live in a house like that too.”

Yun Qimu gave an approving look to the native who wanted the big house. That’s exactly the kind of ambition Earth Village needs—people who want to earn and spend money.

She smiled and said, “Alright, alright, we’ll arrange it for you. But is it okay for your tribe to live scattered like this?”

Chief Luke scratched his head and grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth. “Nothing wrong with it. We’re all residents of Earth Village now, no longer the Qiong Whale Tribe. Besides, it’s not like we’ll be far apart.”

Yun Qimu greatly appreciated the chief’s open-mindedness—he was a model villager for Earth Village.

After spending some time arranging the cabins as they wanted, Yun Qimu pulled Chief Luke aside and shared her thoughts. “I wonder if Chief Luke knows of any other nearby tribes or settlements. Earth Village would be very happy to welcome more people to settle here.”

A flash of wisdom crossed Chief Luke’s weathered eyes. “Chief, are you hoping to develop Earth Village into a large town, like the city Yu used to live in?”

Yun Qimu smiled slightly. “Chief, you’re very perceptive.”

“Hahaha, as it happens, we’re about to go to other tribes to bring back some of our people. If you’d like to come, we Qiong Whale Tribe folks can show you the way. But unlike my tribe, most of the others have lived together for generations—it might be hard to convince them to move.”

“That’s nothing for you to worry about, Chief Luke. I have my ways. I just need a little help from you,” Yun Qimu said confidently.

Luke scratched his head in surprise, grinning. “What kind of help?”"