The Record of Unusual Creatures - Chapter 267

 

Chapter 267: Under the Tall, Blue Sky

The progress bar did not freeze for long; it was just an illusion. As an observer, he subjectively felt that time was moving slower than it actually was. The entire conversion process took less than seven minutes. Shortly after, the World Gate emanated a soft glow and the fleet was transferred to another universe.

The scene in the home universe was still as busy as ever. Transportation vessels were flying to and fro around the brightly lit space complex and the World Gate. The moment the Petrachelys emerged, Hao Ren was bombarded with hundreds of advertisements from private travel agencies, soliciting for sales. The lively scene was a total contrast to the other side. The space peddlers dispersed quickly once they saw the shiny imperial emblem on the Petrachelys and the migration fleet behind it, knowing that it was an imperial convoy. So, before Hao Ren could issue a clear-space notice, which was stored in the flight’s main computer, the space had been cleared out. The entire place was quiet. However, the migration fleet behind the Petrachelys started spamming the public channel. “Please give way, please give way. Imperial convoy, imperial convoy…”

“Please give way, we are on a special mission. Star Voyager is on an imperial mission…”

“This is Draconis Lux, we are a business partner of the Empire, please give way…”

“883, dual-use, multi-purpose spaceship, we have a long history and we are realiable…”

Hao Ren stomped his feet and pointed at the captains behind him. “Holy sh*t, how could you do this?”

883 guffawed. “Don’t look at me, we aren’t violating any laws…”

Hao Ren allowed his MDT to set their course for Peatopia, the birth place of Lil Pea and he engaged the autopilot. The Petrachelys led the migration fleet and sped away from the World Gate. Meanwhile, Lily had sauntered back to the cockpit without Hilda. Hao Ren was curious, so he asked, “Where is Hilda?”

“In the cargo bay, telling stories to the children.” Lily settled herself in a chair and started to yawn. “What’s so interesting about mountains, rivers and clouds? She kept talking about them, and I was bored to death so, I dragged myself back here.”

Hao Ren understood. He knew what Hilda was thinking. He just smiled and said nothing.

After a few moments of hyperspace travel, the flight’s main computer spoke in a cold, synthesised voice, “Autopilot disengaged.” The migration fleet had arrived at its destination: the planet with oceans and forests, rich in raw and natural resources, and most importantly, habitable.

In the synchronous orbit above the planet, beams of light started to flash as the massive migration fleet emerged from hyperspace and hovered in the area. The energy-field ships and the 11 isles, including Darklight Isle, which they hauled along emerged above the new planet. These space cities were circling the planet like satellites.

“The mass has very little effect on the planet’s orbit. No adjustment is needed,” said the MDT as it switched on a special device aboard the Petrachelys and ran calculations on how the floating isles affected the planet. “The first thing to do now, is drop the materials and outposts on the planet. It may be difficult for large spacecrafts to land so, the Petrachelys will take the lead. The landing site will be the same beach where we first landed. That place is pretty big.”

The Petrachelys accelerated slowly as it broke away from the fleet. Just as Hao Ren switched on the cabin’s broadcasting system to announce their arrival to the elves, Lily came forward and took over the microphone. The husky’s energetic voice began to resonate throughout the cargo bay. “Hello everyone, I am Lily, First Officer of the Petrachelys! The flight has arrived at its destination and we are about to land. Please ensure that you do not leave behind your luggage, children and wives. Kindly get off in an orderly manner, and there will be no ticket-check!”

After making her annoucement, Lily stood upright and giggled at Hao Ren. “So that’s how it feels! I know people at the broadcast stations sound really cool…”

Vivian scoffed at her. “Loser.”

Hao Ren was still in a daze as he wondered: so far, even the captain of the Petrachelys was only a cog in the machine. When did Lily make herself First Officer?”

The spacecraft landed without issues on the planet. Hao Ren and his company got off at once and went out in the open. Y’zaks took a deep breath on the beach, where the air tasted a little salty. “This place stayed the same. It’s just like when we last saw it. Hey look, the fireplace that we left behind is still there.”

The cargo bay was still closed, but the elves were waiting behind the door eagerly. They were waiting to step out into the new world. But before that, there was still one more step: three days ago, Hao Ren had asked Hilda for a few elven volunteers to undergo a comprehensive physical scan. The results were going to be used for the environmental adaptability test.

Although he ran a check using historical data earlier, he still needed a fresh test for technical reasons; it was better to be safe than sorry.

The MDT was monitoring the environmental readings, including the microbial environment. “No different from the last readings. Environmental compatibility is near 80%. Some people may get infected with local illnesses in the short-term but, as long as control measures are in place, there is nothing to worry about.”

Hao Ren breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, open the hatch!”

The main hatch at the rear opened quietly but, no one came out.

Hao Ren dashed over, wondering what was happening. Then, he noticed that the elves had lined up in the corridor between the cargo bay and the hatch in an orderly fashion. However, no one moved a muscle. He called out, “What are you guys doing there? Step out, this is your home from now on!”

Hilda emerged from the crowd and nudged those in front. “Everyone, stay calm. Come on out. This is real.”

With encouragement from Hao Ren and Hilda, an elf finally stepped out hesitantly. Then everyone followed.

The sunshine was a little too bright though.

As the elves exited the spacecraft and set their feet on the planet for the first time, they looked up, bewildered, and even frightened at the tall, blue sky.

There were mountains in the distance.

There lay the boundless ocean.

There was the lush, primitive forest.

Everything was real.

Those in front of the pack fell into a stupor. Their steps slowed down, and they were rooted to the spot. It was only when people started coming from behind, pushing against them, that they began to move again. Many were staring at the scenery in the distance while some were deep in thought so, they fell. It was a strange scene. Soon, everyone began to behave the same way: they looked up and wobbled under the dazzling sky. Then, they closed their eyes anxiously as they lowered their heads. Some even squatted on the ground as if they were horrified upon seeing the blue sky and white clouds.

“What’s going on?” asked Hao Ren as he looked at Hilda, who was beside him.

“We have never seen an actual sky,” Hilda said quietly. “Everyone was born to only know the dome. Even though we have had a glimpse of what the sky looked like in the past from archived images, we have never experienced it in person. They are now reacting exactly the way I did the first time I saw the sky; so wide, so high, like an inverted, bottomless abyss. You feel like you’re about to fall into it as you look at it. It is difficult to comprehend, isn’t it?”

Hao Ren could not respond with words.

“Anyway, they will get used to it. They will adapt.” Hilda looked at her fellow elves, who were anxious about the sky. “From now on, we will not live without keeping our heads up.”

Waves were rolling and crashing into the shore; it was the first time the elves heard the sounds of mother nature. Finally, someone started to recall the old traditions and rituals passed down orally from their ancestors. They remembered the glorious days of Aerym and its culture as well as history from the Planetary Era, which all had been weathered out. Someone began to hum the old folk songs. Some bowed down and kissed the land, which was strewned with rocks and sand. They felt blessed and grateful. This land would be their new cradle of life. Those who lowered their heads due to “uranophobia” began to hold their heads up again. They began to follow the instructions of their team leaders and started moving materials needed to build a camp.

Hilda stood on a reef by the beach, gazing into the distance. Although she had the body of a living holy spirit, her heart was still riddled with emotion.

“The first city of the Aerymian dynasty will be built by the seaside,” said Hilda as she turned and faced the people who began to gather behind her. “We will establish a new capital right here and name it after our saviour.”

Hao Ren nodded emotionally before something struck him. He sensed that something was not right.

“If you don’t mind, could you think of another name?” said Hao Ren.

Chapter 268: So, This Is Your New Home

 

So, you have arrived in a new world. First, you need to fell some trees to make a work bench… Uhhh, no, you need to first set up a base of operations.

The first batch of immigrants were specifically picked, aside from some of their family members, most of them were skilled workers needed to build an outpost. Under a unified command, the workers quickly unloaded the various necessities from the ship’s cargo hold. Among them were energy supplies, lighting, communication tools and the likes. The wide beach front was soon a hive of activity as the workers scurried about to build a base camp before dusk. The plan was to get all the necessary equipment as well as machines up and running by dusk to prepare for the massive construction work that was slated to commence the next day. Everything that went on that day was just the prelude of things to come.

Hao Ren had thought of going back to the ships waiting in orbit for a second trip. Before that however, he decided to see what sort of help was needed planetside. Given Petraychelys’ passenger capacity, it was probably for the better.

“We are setting up the Magical Resonance Stations first. That will solve the need for lighting and warmth,” Hilda said as she pointed towards the beach. “Over there, we are setting up a series of camps, enough to last the night. We can start bringing in the eco-domes from orbit tomorrow.”

The planet was suitable for habitation and had plenty of undeveloped land. Nonetheless, for a planet to support a billion new inhabitants within a short span of time in their normal living conditions was frankly unrealistic. There would be a transition period that the Aerymian elves needed to go through. At present, there were about 11 floating islands, which had been brought from their old home in orbit and they were running as per normal. These islands would be brought down the next day and placed onto the wide ocean around the planet. This was to ease the burden of those living on land.

While it may be less than desirable to continue living in those old eco-domes after the arduos journey to a new planet, these eco-domes played an important role during their transitional period. Peatopia was after all nothing but ancient jungles and mountains. There were not many areas that could be directly lived on.

Of course, the 11 eco-domes ( 10 of which have only limited habitable space) could only solve the living space issues for part of the populace while the rest would need to explore and develop the wild land. The domes would serve as an important rally point in this wild land. Thankfully, the pioneering group were well prepared to make the best of what they had, and such trials would not stop them.

Preparations and calculations had already been made for the upcoming land above the planet’s oceans, where the islands would be placed. While it could have possibly affected the total mass of the planet and change certain aspects of the ocean’s weather, it was within acceptable parameters.

The plan was as thus: One part of the elves would be staying in the domes while another part would be outside, developing the land and building new cities. These two groups would be changing their roles at a fixed interval. This allowed the elves in the domes to adapt to the outside enviroment at a faster pace, while ensuring that the pioneering group had a chance to rest and recuperate. The planet was foreign to the Aerymians from its microbes to minerals. This was a cause for concern, especially when it came to diseases. A primordial planet and a new group of settlers; it would take a good while before both sides could co-exist.

A group of elven magitechs were busy setting up the foundation on a high ground beyond the enroaching sea. The white-robed spellcasters floated gracefully up in the air as they went about their work. Letting their primordial energy run wild and very quickly, the rocks around the area quickly moulded themselves into a solid foundation. The ground was solidified to prevent a collapse. Not long after, a huge dome-like, alloy framework was floated over into the newly built foundation, and set upon it. Once done, some workers placed a metre-long, silver spire on the top of the dome. After connecting the tubes, which contained some kind of fluid to the device, the latter started humming. The operator in front of the tower stared intently at the control display, and after a while, he let out a joyous yelp. “There’s a signal! There’s a signal now!”

So, it was a communication device.

“Magic is really something.” Hao Ren was amazed. “Way more reliable than a couple of LanXiangs”

Hilda looked at Hao Ren curiously. “What is a LanXiang?

Hao Ren laughed drily without explaining its meaning as he gave orders to some of the droids near him.

He released all of the droids that were on standby in the Petrachelys’ hold to help the elves. The tentacled droids were the perfect assistants for the job, and a simple calibration was all they needed before they could operate the elven magitech equipment. The squid droids went about their duties on the beach in droves, using their nimble tentacles to move heavy objects around or to assemble intricate devices. These droids were extremely strong yet docile, and they were extremely intelligent. While the elves were initially taken aback by the tentacled monsters, they quickly got used to their presence. They were cooperating almost seamlessly.

Hilda looked up towards the evening sky. There was still time before the sun would set, but it was getting darker by the moment. Beyond the horizon, there were faint shadows that glimmered across the planet’s skyline as cargo shuttles from the migrant fleet darted in and out of the atmosphere. An open field not too far away from the beach had been turned into a temporary landing zone.The area was slowly getting crowded because personnel and materials were being sent continuously from the orbit. Some of them had deployed camps near the landing zone, while the rest milled towards the beachfront to help with the work there. The base camp was already taking shape. The simple, collapsible living quarters and tents in the area would be where the elves pass the night in their new home.

Among the first batch that landed were a company of professional soldiers. Their duty was to neutralise any danger the new planet may have posed alongside guard duty. The soldiers were dispersed all along the boundaries of the beach and jungle, where they set up a line of grey, metal pillars. As the pillars were activated, they formed a force field to prevent any surprise incursions by the local fauna. Gigantic, magical resonance devices were set up in selected points, with energy tubes snaking all across the beach to power up the equipment scattered around the area. It was a messy scene. Night was falling and there was still work to be done.

Y’zaks had circled the camp and realised that his brute strength was of little help to the ongoing work. He then went up to one of the officers in charge to offer his help. “Is there anything I can help with? Flattening a forest, razing hills, I can do those…”

Hao Ren quickly pulled the demon aside as he heard his offer. “Uh… Not everything needs to be solved by brute force. It’s already difficult enough to setup a new home, you don’t have to blow a new crater on it…”

Y’zaks did not seem to get the message and continued to explain, “It’s not like Meteor is the only spell in my repertoire. I’m just saying that if they need more space to live in, I can just release a few blasts of Eruption to flatten the whole forest. Once the lava has cools down, the plain will be very fertile…”

Hao Ren decided there and then that Y’zaks was strictly forbidden from participating in any construction work. The demon’s sense of a “living enviroment” was just too bizzare.

By then, Vivian and Lily had also returned from the forest. They were each lugging a bag much larger than themselves. From a distance, Lily yelled at the top of her lungs. “There’s food here! There’s plenty of fruits in the jungle!”

Vivian pulled the bag open. There was a myriad of oddly-shaped and coloured fruits in the bag. Hao Ren did not know where or how these two went about collecting such a huge amount of fruits. Lily grabbed a purplish fruit and started to much on it. She also shoved one into Hao Ren’s hand. “Mr. Landlord, try it! It’s pretty good!”

“Uhhh…Slow down there, it could be poisonous.”

Lily pointed towards Vivian. “No worries, Battie tested it already. There’s no poison!”

Vivian gave Lily an angry sideways glance. “Hmph! To think that you would use my bats to test for poison! What if they died from poisoning? Will you compensate me?!”

“Sure! Only a few droplets no? I have plenty!”

“…”

The two superwomen’s foray into the jungle had attracted a large crowd of elves and some of them realised something: They would be able to eat natural food from then on.

A planet with natural air, land and water, with the occasional sea breeze and the brushing of trees; on top of that, there were even several kinds of fruits, which could be plucked from the forest. Things that were so commonplace for Hao Ren were a revelation for the elves and their excited reaction was a proof of that.

The MDT suddenly flew out of Hao Ren’s pocket and floated in front of him. “Say… you may want to meet the queen over there to discuss this. The planet needs a new name after all.”

Hao Ren was stunned. “A new name? Isn’t this planet called Peatopia?”

The MDT struck Hao Ren on the head as it roared. “That’s a f*cking nickname. If you are okay with the Aerymians being called Peatopians from now on, by all means I’ll set up a file for that…”

“F*ck it, no! I’ll talk to her about it!”

Chapter 269: After Sales Service

 

No thanks to the MDT’s timely reminder, a noble race like the Aerymian elves avoided the unfortunate fate of being called Peatopians. Hao Ren went looking for Hilda in a hurry and after explaining the notion of naming the planet to her, the elven queen reacted in shock. “Naming rights? You mean to have us decide the name of this planet?”

“Umm… If you are okay with being called Peatopians… sure…” Hao Ren laughed. “But no, I digress. I just don’t find it acceptable. This huge migration will be part of my record, and I don’t want to have my insofar clean record to have ‘Peatopia’ on it…”

Hilda could not understand Hao Ren’s resistance towards the word but she nodded solemnly. “I understand… but, this honor is not something you give to someone, no? This is your planet. I think that the right to name it is something extraordinary, and that honour belongs to you.”

“Oh, don’t you mind. He’s already given you the planet, not to mention the naming rights. If you are hoping for someone who named his planet ‘Peatopia’ to come up with a better name… Heck, even his cat at home is called Rollie…” Lily, who was beside Hao Ren blurted out nonchalantly.

Hilda was stunned for a moment before smiling gently again. “Then… can we continue to call it Aerym? I hope that our subsequent generations will know and remember our origins.”

Hao Ren nodded affirmatively. “That’ll work, and it’s something memorable too.”

The Aerymian elves, planetside were passing their first night in their new home. Accompanying them were the unfamiliar sea breeze, forests and the endless sky. As such, many simply could not sleep. When Hao Ren awoke in his quarters, it was still early dawn and a faint glimmer of light was visible in the horizon. However, the beach was already buzzing by then. Hao Ren did not know if the elves woke up too early or they just gave up on sleeping. After washing his face and getting something light to eat, he stepped out of his ship. He found that Lily and Vivian were taking a walk… or more like Vivian was walking Lily…

Hao Ren found Hilda standing by the sea, looking out into the horizon. Her glimmering form was still visible in the dark and she looked almost ethereal. The Queen of Aerym had refused to rest since she made landfall, and she appeared much more faint than before.

“Morning”—Hilda nodded to greet Hao Ren—”I just received word from Vimm. The second group have boarded the landing crafts. They should be arriving by noon.”

“And here I was wondering where those bunch of scallywags had gone to… Seems like those captains went to collect the second group over the night,” Hao Ren muttered. “Oh yeah, I talked with 883. He and his friends will be sending you a shipment of synthesis machines and building materials to tide your people through this.”

The planet was just too primitive, and for the elves to start excavating its riches, they would need something to start out with. The Aeryms had not been mining for over a thousand years. It would take them a while and much effort to establish a proper production chain. That drove Hao Ren to try his luck in wringing more out of those profiteers. Besides, once they started dismantling what was left of the Aerymian island chains and sell them in the second hand market, they would probably still make a profit. Thus, Hao Ren did not think too much when he twisted their arm for more concessions.

“I-I do not even know how to thank you anymore….This is not just personal gratitude… Y-you have saved my people…” Hilda’s gaze was sincere as she looked at him before the latter waved her off. “I already told you, don’t fret too much about it. If I wanted something back, I would have mentioned it long before anything else. More on you, how are your people reacting to your current form?”

“Actually… most of them have not even realised it yet.” Hilda looked at her slightly glittering form. “It only shines noticably at night. During the day, there is no difference compared to a normal body. In addition, everyone has more important things to deal with, no one has had the time to find out why their queen is shining.”

Hao Ren simply smirked. “Just take care. A holy spirit won’t tire easily but you still need to rest. At your current rate, you’ll probably be transparent in a day or two. Almost invisible if the room is lit.”

Hilda finally let out a hearty laugh. Since Hao Ren knew her, this was the first time he saw her laughing without restraint, without burden.

By then, dawn had finally broke and the sun’s glow appeared over the sea in the horizon. Its gentle light brightened the skyline and chased away the darkness.

A large shadow soon loomed over the clouds and it grew even larger by the moment as it broke through.

Hao Ren stared at the shadow for a good while before realising what it was; a floating “space island”.

This was only the first and soon, many more followed in its trail.

The command centre and communication towers had already been set up the night before and this day, all 11 of the floating islands were about to make landfall. These man-made islands, which had existed for a millenia descended majestically as they broke through the sky. Flames were visible as they made their entry through the atmosphere. Vivian simply gasped when she saw the scene. “This reminds me of a scene during the Mythological Era when Hephaestus’ Temple of Flames slid from the heavens. It was just as grand as today. However, his temple was taken down by three gas-induced fireballs set by the demon hunters.

Hao Ren glared at the vampire. “Do you have anything more auspicious to say on such a day?”

“There’s a happy ending to it. The demon hunter did not survive. He got crushed.”

The floating islands were surrounded in flames as they approached the planet. Towards the terminal phase of the drop, all the thrusters were turned off. The old engines finally completed their arduous task, and if the gods were kind, this would be their swansong. The island’s powerful gravitational system and sub-engines were hard at work to adjust for the impending landfall. This process was a slow yet delicate one. Many finer adjustments had to be made in real time. This was to prevent the sudden landing of such an enormous object onto the sea’s surface from causing catasthrophic levels of tsunami. It also prevented the island itself from disintegrating due to the enormous pressure. Even once the landing was completed, there were still many things to be done, and many systems would need to be kept operational. This included the gravitational stabilisers and the adjustment thrusters on the upper part of the rings; the island would be relying heavily on these equipment to keep the island afloat. Those on the island itself also had a very important assignment: to reform the island. Based on precise calculations of the landing zones, the bottom of the islands would almost touch the seabed. The powerful elven mages planned to utilise a year to slowly change the structure of the island and the planet’s tectonic structure, allowing them to “grow” together and bring long lasting stability to the island.

The domes of the island were gleaming under the sunlight. They could not be shut down just yet. One reason was to prevent accidental biological pollution and two, they would serve well as emergency evacuation centres in the event of a disaster. The domes would be kept open until the experts confirmed that both the enviroment on the inside and outside were completely synchronised.

As Hao Ren, Hilda, Vivian, Lily and the big demon stood on an elevated rock to view the landing of the floating islands, a small shuttle flew out of the dome, then landed close by. Not long after, a group of Aerymian soldiers escorted a defeated, middle-aged man to Hilda.

“Your Majesty”—the man sighed as he fell to his knees—”do as you see fit.”

Hao Ren looked on curiously. “Who is he?”

“The leader of the Lotto Group.” Hilda’s expression was cold. “And I suppose he is the man behind all of the dissident groups.”

The man looked even more defeated as Hilda spoke. At the end of her sentence, he held his hands out, signalling that he wished to be bound. “… With things as it is, there is nothing for me to say, Your Majesty. Just lock me up somewhere, away from the others. That is all I ask.”

Hao Ren looked aside. From the tone of his voice alone, Hao Ren could tell that the man was simply broken and humiliated to meet anyone.

Hilda only smiled. “Lock you up? You know how much resources that would take?”

“What do you have in mind then, Your Majesty? Or else, just execute me.” The man was rather belligerent. “Bullets are cheap. If that is not possible, I will just end myself.”

Hilda simply pointed towards the hive of activity behind her. “We are short of manpower at the moment. Do you think your humiliation would get you out of labour duty?”

The man turned towards the group of elves who were busy coordinating the construction work and nodded solemnly. “Very well. If that is what you wish, Your Majesty. At most I will just keep my face covered for the rest of my life.” He then turned around.

“Hold on a minute! You are not going anywhere yet.” Hilda held the man. “You and your ilk will be held in custody for a few days first. We will get to the bottom of the World of Prayers before sending you lot to a suitable posting.”

The man was then led away by the soldiers. Hao Ren gave Hilda a surprised look. “That’s it??”

“What do you expect me to do?” Hilda shrugged. “We need the manpower, and he will be giving me any more trouble in the future. Might as well make good use of him. I have know this bunch of people since a long time ago. They mean well, but they were misguided in their actions. It is high time for them to get back on the right track.”

Hao Ren nodded. “That’s fine. It’s your internal matter anyway.”

As he finished his sentence, he heard a commotion coming from the campsite.

He caught onto one of the loudest yells. “Look, the sky! There’s something appearing in the sky!”

“What’s there in the sky?” Hao Ren laughed as he looked up. “Are they still afraid of the sk… F*ck!”

He simply looked towards where the group of people were pointing at. Lo and behold, a line of gigantic words formed in front of him. “Raven 12345’s Hand-Crafted, Habitable, Carbon-Based Type IV Rapid Forming Planet – Intensive Product Introduction Guide.”

Hilda stood there dumbstruck. “What… is that?”

A voice then suddenly appeared in Hao Ren’s head, “I sure am a fantastic workman…”

He almost forgot that the planet was made by Raven 12345!

Hilda saw Hao Ren standing there silently and tugged at his sleeves. “What is that?”

Hao Ren gritted his teeth as “After Sales Service” came out bitterly from his mouth.

Chapter 270: The Journey Home

 

No one had expected Raven 12345 to leave such an easter egg in the planet that she created. Of course, that crazy goddess had probably forgotten that she placed it there since she did not mention it to Hao Ren when he talked about the big migration. Now, the planet came alive with the influx of intelligent beings. As long as you were look up at the sky, no matter which part of the planet you were in, the words would appear within your vision. Almost instantly, Hao Ren realised that there was something even more sinister: You could not ignore the words. The moment the broadcast started, those words were firmly etched into your vision. Heck, even before the introduction began, Raven 12345’s watermark was already plastered all over your face…

“Welcome to the new intelligent beings inhabiting this planet. New inhabitants detected as foreign beings. Switching to Introductory Guide Number 2. This planet, under the majority of circumstances, was created by the great and magnificent imperial commander, goddess and apprentice planetary sculptor, Raven 12345.

“The planet’s average radius is 9,000 kilometres. For unit of surface gravity, please measure it yourself. For planetary rotation cycle, please calculate it yourself. Galactic parameters, forgotten but, it is probably stable. The galactic map is available in the creator’s suite within the planet’s core however, it seems to be password protected. All in all, the planet is beautiful and perfectly habitable. It is in harmony with the celestial bodies nearby so, there should not be any cosmic disasters.

“The planet is equipped with an atmosphere and ecosystem that is suitable for Type IV carbon-based life forms. For basic tectonic parameters, please see Appendix I. For natural resources and reserves, please see Appendix II. For a guide on extracting resources, I have forgotten. Nevertheless, I believe that any race capable of interstellar travel is capable of finding it out themselves. Following this will be the various parameters set during the planet’s creation. Disclaimer: I bear no responsibility in notifying you of any subsequent natural changes to the planet.

“That is all.

“From your great and magnificent goddess, Raven 12345.

“P.S. If there is any problem regarding the planet’s quality, please bear with it using your faith and courage. This planet is not registered in the Imperial Planetary Database as it is a personal project. Frankly, it is not possible to cover everything, so bite me.”

Raven 12345’s broadcast had mostly ended. What followed was a series of data about the planet’s resources and parameters. At the same time, a multi-signal transmission reverberated throughout the atmosphere. This signal was also a broadcast of the planet’s parameters. By then, Hao Ren was already squatting in a corner, pretending to be looking at some stones alongside Lily, who was actually looking at stones. Hilda’s voice only broke through to him after a couple of tries. “Umm… A-are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Just feel like gutting someone right now. But, I can’t defeat her.” Hao Ren lamented. “…It has taken me so much effort to pull of something big like this… Can’t she just let me finish it properly… This scene… will forever be etched in the annals of your people’s history…”

Hilda looked blankly towards the beach and found that many of her people had only just recovered from their stupor. However, there were a few experts who did not dwell on the stunning heavenly message, and quicky realised the importance of the broadcast. They swiftly called for their helpers or roused their colleagues, who were still dumbstruck to get their recording tools. They then began taking down all the important notes before the broadcast ended.

“Have a look.” Hilda pulled Hao Ren to his feet. “This thing is of great importance to us. You may think that the presentation was too casual… but for us… it is another gift.”

Hao Ren gave a stunned, “Oh”. He never thought that the elves would intently take down notes of Raven 12345’s super casual broadcast. It was not until much later that Hilda would tell him how the information helped the Aerymians pass their first winter in their new home without incident. As this migration was done on such a short notice, aside from the data the MDT had from its last cursory scan, there were no further detailed information about the planet. The elves would have taken years, or even decades to even start developing their industries again and to understand the nature of the planet. Raven 12345 had however saved them a potentially fatal trouble.

Hao Ren spent the next few days on the beach’s front base with the elves. He was there until all of the Aerymians and materials were sent over by the transport fleet in orbit, thus completing the Great Migration. He and his motly crew were of great help during their stay. Lily and Y’zaks’ brute strength were more than welcomed in the ongoing work while Vivian’s blood magic saved many from the grisly fate of succumbing to the local pathogens. It also helped the Aerymian medical experts in their research of ways to combat and prevent infections from the native microbes as well as pathogens.

Once the treatment methods were sent back to research facilities on Darklight Isle, the introduction of vaccines and antibiotics were quickly made for the migrants. Therefore, the initial fear of local diseases were someone allayed.

Something did boggle Hao Ren’s mind; he was under the impression that vampires contributed more to plagues, poisons and the likes while Blood Magic was meant to be destructive. Vivian had also mentioned that other Blood Clan members were not particularly adept with healing magic. However, she was the odd one out with some rather impressive restorative abilities. Her blood magic could easily kill someone like the magic of any normal Blood Clan member yet, hers had a secondary ability—the ability to turn itself around and utilise its energies to heal her target.

Hoa Ren had to reconfirm with Vivian if any other vampires had such an ability, and Vivian was adamantly sure about it. The Blood Clan had no interests or intentions to heal anyone, and they even thumbed their nose at such unconventional magic. Vivian also mentioned that a few of her juniors were interested in learning her healing magic, but they soon found that their blood was poisonous, incapable of being transformed into life energies.

It was something almost beyond comprehension, but Hao Ren did witness Vivian resurrecting a dead elf with her blood.

Hao Ren had thought long and hard about her abilities and in the end, he concluded that he had better things to do. All of his tenants were already quirky to begin with and quite frankly, no one had the time to actually bother with that.

As for Hao Ren, his job was to command his regiment of droids from the Petrachelys. The droids only took command from the captain and he could not relegate the job to someone else. He was thankful that the droids were very effective in carrying out their tasks and their ability to desynthesis or resynthesis items. The construction of the base camp was moving forward swimmingly. By the time the last of the migrants had landed, the basic camp site now looked more like a settlement. In fact, you could call it a proper town at this point.

The Aerymian mages reconstructed the base of the town and moved it towards the jungle. Some of the buildings were even translocated directly into the forest. The elves were careful not to harm any of the ancient trees there. They only emptied the clearings as well as a portion of the snaking brambles and vines. The elves had found ancient construction logs on how their ancestors peacefully co-existed with the forest. As such, they placed utmost importance and reverence to the forest in their new home. Being one with nature did run in their blood after all, and millenniums of living under a metal dome did not diminish their inborn appreciation for nature.

Plenty of simple wooden houses now dotted the beach as the construction work gained pace. The exposed Magic Resonance Device had also since been transfered into the town’s power station, and the feeder tubes were buried underground as per the reconstruction plans. These facilities were partly made with the materials brought from Aerym while the rest were rocks that were converted into building materials. As these buildings were temporary shelters, they sufficed.

More and more elves were making landfall from orbit, and part of the populace stayed in Darklight Isle as well as the remaining eco-domes. Meanwhile, the rest formed into approximately 20 primary settlements all over the planet. The transport fleet also brought along spacecrafts that the Aerymians had cosntructed. These spacecrafts were capable of atmospheric travel, and were used to keep the lines of communication between the settlement open.

Vimm landed along with the last batch of the migrants into the settlement on the beach, now named Minas Elenion, the City of Stars. This was the name of the legendary capital of Aerym’s first dynasty. It was also the first major, historic city that was constructed after the elves left the forest. While it was a simple town at the moment, it would not take long to be a prosperous capital. Hao Ren and Hilda awaited the prince regent in the town hall. Aside from bringing in the last of the migrants, he took with him an atmospheric transport craft.

The prince regent was taken aback by the sight of his new home. But, as he had also received footage of its progress from Hilda, he recovered much faster than others.

“I have brought along the World of Prayer’s server.” Vimm pointed towards a bulky transport craft, which had landed on the beach. “All data is frozen as of now.”

“Once we upgrade the power station to a higher level, we can reactivate the servers.” Hilda nodded and sighed. “…I just feel so sorry for the last batch of elves who entered the World of Prayers… Cardillon too…”

“If only they had waited another month for the Great Migration.” Vimm was solemn too. “They left a little too soon.”

Hilda did not wish to dwell on such a grim topic. “The Lotto Group has already handed over the activation keys to the restricted and locked areas in the World of Prayers. I believe we can meet them again soon. Have faith in our scholars. Perhaps, they will find a way to create a body for those in the World of Prayers to reconnect with us physically.

The last of the transport fleet’s ships were preparing to leave the system. Captain 883 sent a communication signal to Hao Ren and the Aerymian elves to say his farewells. He also promised to send in the relief materials, which was agreed upon earlier. Hao Ren felt that his group had nothing more to do there presently, so he also bade farewell to Hilda.

“I’ll leave one of the droids here. You can use it to communicate with me.” Hao Ren pointed at the squid droid that was entertaining a few excited Aerymian children as their parents looked on. “Let’s keep in touch. If you run into any trouble, please let me know. If you want to visit Earth again, you’re most welcome as well. I should be able to accommodate a few visitors.”

Hilda smiled beautifully. “Please send my regards to the goddess. Once I am done over here, I will head over to pay my respects.”

Not long after, the Petrachelys soared towards the sky and disappeared from Hilda’s sight.

Vimm was deep in thought as he tried to recall something. Having suddenly remembered the matter, he quickly turned to Hilda. “Mother… haven’t you forgotten about your body?”

“…”