341: New home and "acclimatization problems"

The scene at the end of the jump left everyone squeezed into the observation cabin—whether they were the "newcomers" who had just boarded or the veteran members of "Starfire"—holding their breath.

Outside the portholes lay a gentle, pale gold nebula. The nebula stretched slowly through the Void Realm like an endless, sheer veil, with several stars burning quietly at its center. On the edge of the nebula, a blue and green planet floated silently, surrounded by three satellites of varying sizes like loyal guards.

That was the "No. 7 Habitable Shelter" recorded by the Star People, and the name marked on the star map was simple: New Homeland.

"Atmospheric composition: 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% rare gases—a perfect match for Earth-type life requirements. Surface temperature: 15 degrees Celsius on average, within the habitable zone. Water coverage: 67%. Land distribution: four main continents and several archipelagos. Preliminary scans have not detected any large-scale artificial structures, but multiple energy anomalies have been detected—possibly ruins left behind by the Star People."

Aila Xinghen - Deputy Captain's report broadcasted throughout the ship, and every word elicited a burst of suppressed cheers in the cabin. After ten years of drifting and a trek of a million light-years, they had finally found a place to settle down.

But Wen Youyi did not let his guard down. A programmer's instinct told him that a System that looked "perfect" often hid the most troublesome bugs.

"Send a reconnaissance team first," he ordered. "The 'Hidden Dragon' will carry the first reconnaissance squad to conduct a detailed surface survey. 'hope' will maintain orbital vigilance, shields at full power, and weapons Systems on standby."

"Boss, you're being too cautious," Zhao Iron Pillar said, rubbing his hands with glowing eyes. "This place looks even better than the Tianyuan Realm. The Spiritual Qi—oh, no, the Universe energy readings are very mild, without that oppressive feeling of the spirit net."

"Better safe than sorry," Wen Youyi said, looking at the beautiful planet. "Don't forget, the Star People labeled it a 'Shelter,' not a 'Resort.' A place that even they felt the need to take shelter in can't be simple."

Half an hour later, the 'Hidden Dragon' landed on the east coast of the largest continent of the New Homeland. The reconnaissance squad was led by Senior Brother Zhang, and the members included two Sky Patrol technicians with a background in ecology, as well as four veterans of 'Starfire'—all of whom were cautious and steady.

The first batch of images transmitted back made everyone on the bridge breathe a sigh of relief.

The beach was pure white fine sand, and the seawater was crystal clear, revealing schools of colorful fish swimming about. On the shore was a dense forest with towering trees, their leaves a strange silver-blue that shimmered with a metallic luster in the sunlight. Atmospheric scans showed that, apart from the slightly higher oxygen content (which was a good thing for a Cultivator), there were no harmful substances.

"No traces of large predators found," Senior Brother Zhang's voice came through the communication channel, with the sound of waves and birdsong in the background. "Small animals are abundant, creatures similar to squirrels and rabbits, but their fur is rainbow-colored. There is a wide variety of plants, most of which are non-aggressive. Wait—"

The image suddenly shook.

"What's wrong?" Wen Youyi asked.

"It's nothing, it's a group of... glowing butterflies?" Senior Brother Zhang's tone was filled with surprise. "They flew out of the forest and circled us, seeming quite curious. No hostility, instead... they're quite friendly."

The image stabilized, and a group of palm-sized butterflies with wings flashing with soft, iridescent light appeared on camera. They were indeed unafraid of people; one even landed on Senior Brother Zhang's shoulder, its wings flapping gently and scattering tiny specks of light.

"Energy scans show faint spiritual fluctuations within these organisms," a Sky Patrol technician reported, "but they are very mild, not like they are aggressive."

The preliminary survey lasted six hours. The reconnaissance squad explored the area fifty kilometers inland from the coastline, discovering three freshwater rivers, several flat areas suitable for building settlements, and even a natural hot spring area. The only strange thing was that they did not find any traces left by intelligent life—not even the most primitive tribes.

"It's like a blank slate," Senior Brother Zhang summarized. "Everything is just too... perfect. Too perfect to be real."

Wen Youyi felt the same. But he knew that for every day the 100,000 people stayed on 'hope', they consumed more resources and increased internal conflict. They had to land as soon as possible.

"Convene a general representative meeting," he decided. "Make the survey results public to all groups and vote on whether to land and how to build the New Homeland."

The interior of 'hope' was now like a mini United Nations. In addition to the original 'Starfire' core team and the Sky Patrol allies, among the 100,000 newly boarded people, there were dozens of factions: traditional Sects represented by the Qingyun Sect, the East Sea Loose Cultivator Alliance, the West Wasteland Mortal community, the Southern Border Yao Race, and those old monsters who had been hiding for years (Blood Fiend Old Demon, Heaven Swallowing Ancestor, Sword Maniac, and others, each with a group of followers).

The meeting was held in the largest public area—the ecological dome, jokingly referred to as the "Starry Sky Plaza." The plaza, which could accommodate 5,000 people, was packed, and more people watched through holographic projections in their respective areas.

Wen Youyi stood on a temporarily erected podium, with a live projection of the New Homeland behind him. He didn't waste words and threw out the questions directly:

"First, should we land? Second, if we land, how do we build the New Homeland? Do we divide territory according to the original Sects and races, or do we break down boundaries and build a brand-new community?"

The crowd below immediately exploded.

An Elder from the Qingyun Sect stood up: "Naturally, we should divide by Sect! Cultivation demands an orderly Legacy; how can we live mixed together?"

A Loose Cultivator from the East Sea sneered: "Give me a break. In the Tianyuan Realm, you were suppressed by the spirit net and fought internally; now you want to do the same thing? If you ask me, whoever gets there first takes it; claim the land based on ability!"

On the Yao Race side, Mountain Roar Lord slammed the table: "We of the Yao Race want a piece of forest! And it must have running water and prey!"

Several representatives of the Mortal community said timidly: "We... we just want a piece of land to farm, as long as we can eat our fill..."

Sword Maniac hugged his sword and said coldly: "What are you arguing about? In my opinion, fight first, and whoever has the bigger fist makes the rules."

Seeing that it was about to become chaotic, Wen Youyi tapped the table—not with his hand, but with the master key. A crisp resonant sound spread throughout the venue, and everyone felt a jolt in their minds and quieted down.

"Fight? Sure," Wen Youyi said calmly. "But what happens after you win? Who will take care of the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of 100,000 people? Who will treat the injured? Who will teach the children? Who will block the enemy if they come?"

He looked around the venue: "We left the Ranch World to escape the fate of being harvested, not to change places and continue fighting internally. If we still follow the old ways, what is the point of us escaping? In a few hundred years, it will just be re-creating another Tianyuan Realm."

The audience was silent. Many people had thoughtful expressions on their faces.

"I propose," Wen Youyi continued, "establishing the 'New Homeland Joint Council.' Council seats will be allocated according to population proportions, but each major group will have at least one seat. The council will be responsible for formulating basic laws, allocating resources, and coordinating conflicts. For specific management, we will establish various functional departments: Department of Agriculture, Department of Construction, Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Defense... All positions will be open for selection, and the capable shall occupy them."

"Then how will Cultivation resources be distributed?" Blood Fiend Old Demon asked sinisterly. "This old man doesn't want to fight a bunch of juniors for Spiritual Qi."

"The New Homeland is full of energy, initially estimated to be three times that of the Ranch World," Wen Youyi pulled up the data. "And there is no spirit net extraction, so everyone can absorb it freely. We will establish public Cultivation areas and allocate usage time according to contribution. For private Cultivation, as long as you don't destroy the environment or harm others, feel free."

"Contribution?" Heaven Swallowing Ancestor frowned. "How is that calculated?"

"Building the homeland, developing technology, teaching and educating people, healing the sick and saving the dying... all actions beneficial to the collective count as contribution," Wen Youyi said. "We will establish a contribution point System that is open and transparent, which everyone can query and supervise."

This proposal sparked a discussion. Some agreed, some were suspicious, but at least no one directly opposed it.

"Additionally," Wen Youyi added, "we will retain 'hope' as a final sanctuary. If New Homeland encounters a danger that cannot be repelled, everyone can retreat to the ship and be ready to set sail again at any time."

These words gave everyone a sense of security. Yes, they were not without a way out.

After three hours of intense debate and compromise, the voting results were released: 87% of people voted in favor of landing and establishing a United Council System.

Three days later, the landing plan was initiated.

"hope" hovered in the air a kilometer above the ground, lowering hundreds of floating platforms. People descended in batches on the platforms, like a grand migration. The first to land were the construction teams—a technical team led by Senior Brother Zhang and a "Hercules" team (consisting mainly of Body Cultivators and the Yao Race) led by Zhao Iron Pillar. They needed to build temporary housing, water purification facilities, and defensive fortifications before the first group of people arrived.

Wen Youyi and the core team were the last to land. As his feet touched the soft white sand, he took a deep breath of the air on New Homeland—fresh, moist, and carrying the scent of vegetation and the ocean, completely devoid of the faint, lingering sense of oppression present in the Tianyuan Realm.

"We really... have our own home now." Aila stood beside him, her indigo eyes shining.

"Yes," Wen Youyi looked toward the camp in the distance, which was currently buzzing with construction, "but this is just the beginning."

The beginning is always beautiful.

During the first month, everyone was full of energy. A temporary residential area was quickly set up; although simple, it was clean and tidy. Farmland was reclaimed, and the first batch of rainbow potatoes and star rice were planted. A public cultivation area was also designated, where hundreds of Cultivators would meditate and spar every day, enjoying long-lost, free cultivation without being drained.

The United Council was officially established, and Wen Youyi was elected as the first Speaker—no one had any objections. Heads of various departments were also selected: Senior Brother Zhang was in charge of technical construction, Mu Wanqing was in charge of medical and health services, Wang Wu was in charge of internal coordination and archives, Old K was in charge of defense and security, and Aila and Luo Chen (after recovering from his injuries) were jointly responsible for diplomacy and interstellar affairs.

Even education was set up. Several old scholars who had been in retirement for many years volunteered to be teachers. In the temporarily constructed "schoolhouse," they taught children (including Yao Race cubs) mathematics, history, and basic science—Wen Youyi insisted that the new civilization could not rely solely on cultivation; it had to develop comprehensively.

Everything seemed to be on the right track.

Until the second month, when problems began to emerge.

The first problem: acclimatization issues.

Not physiological, but psychological and related to cultivation. Many Cultivators discovered that in this environment without the suppression of the spirit net, their cultivation speed was indeed faster, but their Heart Demons were more active than ever before.

"Previously, with the Heart Demon System suppressing them, those negative emotions would be extracted. Although painful, they wouldn't spiral out of control," a Qingyun Sect Disciple said painfully during a psychological counseling session. "Now, there's no one to extract them, and they are all blocked up in my brain... Every time I close my eyes at night, I see myself failing a Breakthrough, being ridiculed, and being scolded by my Master..."

This situation was widespread. The disappearance of the Heart Demon System caused years of suppressed negative emotions to rebound all at once. In just one month, over thirty people suffered from Qi Deviation. Although they were all saved by Mu Wanqing and the medical team, it sounded a warning bell.

The second problem: cultural conflict.

The Yao Race was accustomed to being active at night and sleeping during the day, hunting in the forest; the Human Race was accustomed to working from sunrise to sunset, farming and raising livestock. At first, they could accommodate each other, but as time passed, conflicts emerged.

"The 'Moonlight Rabbits' you raise are always making noise at night, keeping us awake!" a Human Race farmer complained.

"You cut down trees and clear land during the day, scaring away our prey!" a Yao Race hunter retorted.

Similar minor frictions occurred every day. Although they hadn't led to major conflicts, resentment was accumulating.

The third problem, and the most serious one: disputes over resource allocation.

The "golden locations" in the public cultivation area—the spots with the most concentrated energy—became the focus of contention. Allocation based on contribution was theoretically fair, but how should contribution be calculated? How much contribution does a Cultivator who goes into seclusion for a month to break through a Realm make to the collective? How much should a farmer who farms for a month be counted? What about a teacher who teaches for a month?

The Yao Race felt their hunting skills should count as high contribution, but the Human Race believed farming was more stable; Cultivators felt that breaking through Realms could enhance overall strength, while Mortals felt that without them farming, everyone would go hungry... they argued endlessly.

"This can't go on," Wang Wu said, rubbing his temples during an emergency council meeting. "It's only been two months, and the mediation records are already piled this high. If they keep arguing, they're bound to fight."

Senior Brother Zhang adjusted his glasses: "The algorithm for the contribution point System needs optimization, but there isn't enough data currently to build a fair model."

Mu Wanqing was worried: "The medical team is almost overwhelmed; the Heart Demon problem is getting worse. We lack professional psychologists and also lack the appropriate Medicinal Pills—the herbs on New Homeland are completely different from those in the Tianyuan Realm, and their medicinal properties are still being studied."

Old K's mechanical eye flashed with red light: "The defense team has discovered some suspicious traces. Something in the depths of the forest is observing us. It's not an animal; it has a high level of intelligence, but it has kept its distance and shown no intention of making contact."

Problems came one after another, surging like a tide.

Wen Youyi listened to the reports, tapping his fingers lightly on the tabletop. He remembered when he used to lead projects; the initial stage of forming a new team was always like this, with various adjustment issues. The solution was actually simple: either have a powerful external force to pressure everyone into uniting, or have a common goal to make everyone work together.

"Two plans," he began. "First, we create an 'external threat,' such as announcing that we've discovered hostile forces nearby, to make everyone unite against a common enemy."

"Too fake, it's easy to get exposed," Luo Chen shook his head, "and it might cause unnecessary panic."

"Then the second plan," Wen Youyi said. "Give everyone a common goal—a tangible, visible major project that requires everyone to work together to complete."

"What kind of project?" everyone asked.

Wen Youyi called up the holographic map of New Homeland and pointed to an area in the center of the continent marked as "Energy Anomaly Zone":

"The Star People ruins. The reconnaissance team reported strong energy reactions there, but it's shielded by some kind of force field, making it impossible to penetrate. We will organize a large-scale exploration, and all groups can send representatives to participate. Find the ruins, excavate the heritage of the Star People, and use it to build a better home—is this goal attractive enough?"

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

"It's attractive enough," Mountain Roar Lord grinned, "but how will the spoils be distributed? Let's not have another fight."

"All gains during the exploration will belong to the public and be distributed according to contribution," Wen Youyi said. "After the exploration ends, we will re-evaluate the weighting of the contribution point System based on each person's performance. And—"

He paused: "I will personally lead the team for this exploration. The Council will be temporarily delegated to Aila and Luo Chen. While I'm away, everyone should be more willing to cooperate, right?"

This was half-joking, but everyone understood the subtext: I'm going to the most dangerous place, don't cause trouble while I'm away.

"When are we leaving?" Sword Maniac suddenly asked, a glimmer of interest flashing in his eyes.

"Three days from now," Wen Youyi said. "Registration is voluntary, but each major group must send at least two people, and at most five. The total number of people will be kept under thirty."

After the news was announced, the reaction was enthusiastic. Many people were curious about the Star People ruins, and since this exploration would clearly affect future resource allocation, each group sent their elite members.

Wen Youyi looked at the registration list and smiled.

Sure enough, with a common goal, the conflicts were temporarily set aside.

But he knew in his heart that this exploration would definitely not be easy.

A ruin specifically hidden by the Star People...

What could be inside?

Three days later, the exploration team had assembled.

The first great adventure on New Homeland was about to begin.

(End of this chapter)