Chapter 64: Ava’s Bitterness

“Wow, is it really that great to be a villager in Earth Village?”

“Earth Village even has fruit trees? Can we become villagers there too?”

Seeing the envy practically overflowing from his people, Chief Masa, who had been watching with satisfaction, suddenly lost his smile. He turned sharply to look at the family of three beside him, who were happily eating fragrant grilled fish. The mouthwatering aroma in the air made Masa’s eyelid twitch.

“Luke, tell me honestly—are you and this Chief Yun here to poach people from my tribe?”

His stern tone startled little Lu Xiaomao, who shivered. Luke quickly reached out his big hand to pat the boy’s head, soothing him gently, “Don’t be scared, Xiaomao. Be good and eat your fish.”

“Okay.” Lu Xiaomao glanced timidly at Masa, then buried his head and took a big bite of fish, his thin face lighting up with happiness as he chewed. A smear of oil at the corner of his mouth made him look like a greedy little kitten.

Masa awkwardly forced a smile to comfort the child, only relaxing when he saw Lu Xiaomao smile. Then he shot Luke another glare.

“Heh heh.” Luke grinned sheepishly. “Uncle, you’re so sharp—you’ve already guessed Chief Yun’s intentions. I won’t hide it from you: Earth Village really is short on people. But please don’t look at me like that, Uncle, it’s scary.”

Masa snorted. “Then spit it out already.”

Luke put away his joking manner and grew more serious. “Uncle, I’m sure you’ve noticed—life’s been getting harder lately. The seeds we saved used to at least grow some tubers, but now they won’t even sprout. They die as soon as we plant them. It shows the dark matter in our area is getting thicker and thicker. If this keeps up, the only way our tribe can survive is to migrate.”

Masa’s face grew grave. “You’ve noticed it too. Those seeds are useless now. The garbage ships from space keep coming, but they’re just foreign things—relying on luck can’t sustain us forever.”

Luke hesitated, as if remembering something, and said awkwardly, “Sometimes, relying on luck isn’t so bad.”

Masa: ????

“Ahem, you’ll understand once you visit Earth Village, Uncle.”

At this, Masa’s curiosity was piqued, his eyes lighting up. “Is Earth Village really that great? Worth all this praise from you?”

Masa knew Luke well—brave, clever, loyal, but stubborn as a mule. Masa had once tried to get Luke to merge his poor little Whale Tribe with the Tengu Tribe, but Luke had refused. Now, he’d joined Earth Village without much protest, which was truly surprising.

“Of course. Earth Village is different.” Luke smiled with relief. “Back when the magnetic core storm hit, some of us went mad from dark matter exposure and ran into a pack of berserk beasts. The others chased after us to try and save us…”

Seeing Shakela clutch his arm in worry, Luke rubbed his nose and smiled awkwardly. “Ahem, let’s not talk about that. The point is, Chief Yun saved us all by himself and brought us back to Earth Village. Once we got there, we snapped out of our berserk state. There’s a row of fruit trees in Earth Village—their fruit is so plentiful you can fill your belly. Pick them one day, and by the next day, they’ve grown back. The only problem is, the fruit is so sweet and rich, you don’t really want a second one.”

Masa, Shakela, and Lu Xiaomao all gaped in shock. Incredible—fruit trees like that actually exist?

Masa glared at Luke again. This brat was just showing off! Sweet, filling fruit—how could anyone complain? How were they supposed to keep drinking their nutrient fluid after hearing that?

Luke chuckled. He knew they didn’t believe him—he hadn’t believed it himself at first. But after living in Earth Village for a while, he knew: those fruit couldn’t compare to the delicious grilled fish and roast chicken there. Not to mention the pure, crisp vegetables—baby greens, cucumbers, even sweet, sticky pumpkin.

Too bad he’d bought his little cabin late and ran into the winter season, or else he’d have new kinds of fruit and vegetables growing in his yard by now.

But thinking of the coming spring, when there would be no shortage of plants, cheered him up again.

On his way from Earth Village to the Tengu Tribe, he’d scavenged plenty of corpses and exchanged them for spirit coins. Once he got back, he’d upgrade his little cabin and add a yard. Then, come spring, all the plants in his yard would be his alone.

Thinking of those good days ahead, he couldn’t help but grin, and the words just tumbled out. Like an excited youngster, he eagerly described all the wonders of Earth Village: treasure chests that could give you food, clothes, weapons, even powers like those of the gifted; plants and meat completely free of dark matter; the chance to buy your own cabin just by working hard to hunt monsters and earn spirit coins; cabins with endless supplies of pure water…

Everything he described was astonishing and miraculous—things no one had ever seen or heard of, but all deeply envied and yearned for.

Snapping out of the dreamlike world Luke had painted, Masa looked at him as if he were crazy and asked dryly, “Luke, have you gone delusional? How could such a miraculous place exist on an exile planet—let alone in our northern region?”

Luke raised his hand and swore, speaking with conviction. “I swear it’s real. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have come with Chief Yun to the Tengu Tribe. This trip is for Chief Yun’s recruitment plan—and for the future survival of our tribe. Besides, the Black Tiger Tribe next door is eyeing us hungrily. The Tengu Tribe isn’t safe anymore, Uncle—you must have noticed.”

Masa pressed his lips together and finally sighed in defeat. “You’re right. Blackbeard’s ambitions are growing. He’s somehow gotten his hands on a huge supply of nutrient fluid, and he’s not even trying to hide his wolfish intentions anymore. I thought an alliance through marriage might work…”

“Uncle.” Luke’s face darkened, and he cut him off sharply.

Masa awkwardly turned away, saying no more.

Listening in from the sidelines, Ge Miao’s eyes were shining. He jumped in at just the right moment, excitedly saying, “Father, since brother-in-law says Earth Village is so great, why don’t you let me go see for myself? I’ll take some of our people and go work there.”

Masa, seeing his son’s eager face, glared at him. “You just want those sweet fruits, don’t you?”

“Hehehe.” Ge Miao scratched his head sheepishly and grinned.

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