Chapter 42

Chapter 42

The storefront was almost ready for operation. After taking care of everything, Lu Wei returned to his attic.

He cooked for Pang Qiu and put him to sleep.

Once Brother Danjiao was asleep, Lu Wei took out a small box from the drawer.

Inside the wooden box was a ring.

A ring with a blue stone embedded in it.

It was said that he had been wearing it inside the capsule, and after Lu Wei gained consciousness, he placed it in this wooden box.

There was a blue crystal on the ring, but as for what exactly it was, he had no idea.

Wu Star's technology wasn't fully synchronized. Accessing the Star Network still required queuing up and paying fees. He had tried to look it up the last time he had some money, but found nothing.

With no leads found even on the universal Star Network that connects to every corner of the cosmos, there were only two possibilities.

Either it was so precious and rare that no information could be traced, or it was so cheap and insignificant that nobody bothered to imitate it, hence its absence in records.

Looking at the unremarkable ring, Lu Wei inclined towards the latter explanation.

The ring he had bought for his wife before his amnesia was indeed too humble.

No wonder his wife had left the family without a second thought.

Lu Wei despised his former self from before the memory loss.

How could he have become so stingy after transmigrating to an alien planet?

Now, Lu Wei's life goal was clear: to establish a ready-meal industrial chain, earn a fortune, and wait with Danjiao for his beautiful wife's return!

For every river changes its course in thirty years, do not underestimate a young man's poverty.

He, Lu Wei, was given a script of an inspiring life!

---

At Wu Star's premier nursery.

On the first day of school, a group of people entered with their equipment in tow.

Unimpeded, they were clearly pre-approved.

As the teachers led the new students in activities, the sunglasses-wearing leader announced, "We're from Wu Star TV and are currently recruiting children for a show."

The head teacher nodded in understanding.

A man dressed in black approached to promote the opportunity, "Have any of you kids seen it before? The show is called 'Cub's Great Inventions.' Your mommies and daddies must have shown it to you, right?"

The teacher added, "Cub's Great Inventions is a joint program hosted by our planet and many neighboring planets. The children on the show create inventions using materials, and those who rank high receive rewards like the chance to study on a very advanced planet, as well as numerous other prizes!"

The toddlers were all still at an age where they could only babble.

Despite the advanced interstellar technology that facilitated their early maturity and various skills, at the end of the day, they were still just a group of children.

The toddler with braided pigtails exclaimed, "Daddy and I watched it together!"

The toddler holding a ball was completely oblivious, "Teacher, can we eat this?"

The sobbing toddler in a dress cried out, "He pulled my hair!"

Frankly, creativity was closely tied to genetics; the more superior the genes, the more powerful the offspring would be.

This competition was actually a symbol of each planet's display of national strength and birth rate.

Scanning the group of kids, the recruiter sighed.

Damn.

They were doomed again this year.

Well, Wu Star was indeed an underdeveloped and rural planet; it would be strange to find any exceptional talents there.

Year after year, they ranked at the bottom, yet they participated every single time, exposing themselves to embarrassment annually.

It had become a norm.

Danjiao sat obediently on the floor, engrossed in playing with building blocks. Upon hearing this, he merely flicked his ears.

He had no intention of studying on another planet.

He wanted to stay with his father all the time.

The guidance teacher squatted down in front of Danjiao. "Little Danjiao, you can sign up together with your dad."

Danjiao shook his head earnestly. "Danjiao doesn't know anything."

The teacher lowered their voice. "If you participate in this competition, financial worries will be alleviated. Even if you only make it through one round, it could improve your current financial situation with your father—"

The teacher meant well but momentarily forgot to adjust their language for a child's understanding.

Upon realization, the voice abruptly ceased.

"…So Teacher means it would be good for us to have some fun?"

Danjiao lifted his head, his dark eyes filled with contemplation.

Teacher had an illusion that this child could comprehend every single word she just said.

...

"Daddy—"

The invitation letter for the show was now in Danjiao's hands.

Entry Fee: 30,000.

Contestants who advanced through the first round of auditions would receive a reward of 30,000 Wu Star coins to participate in the regional competition within Wu Star.

Lu Wei clenched his fists. "We have to go to this show!"

Victory is ours!

Lu Wei patted his buddy's head. "Bro, just think of it as making an appearance. Advancing is too tough. Once Dad gets through this rough patch, I'll take you to open a chain of frozen food stores and we'll make a fortune!"

Danjiao was studying the show 'Innovations from the Young Cubs' for research.

Back when they couldn't afford the internet fees, they never watched this program.

If not for the intention of making money from it, Lu Wei wouldn't have bothered purchasing this channel either.

Danjiao was currently watching the finals of last year's 'Innovations from the Young Cubs.'

Cubs from all corners of the galaxy were competing against each other.

In reality, such competitions boiled down to sheer intelligence.

In the galaxy, there were hierarchies among the various races. Effort determined a creature's baseline, while genetics decided their potential ceiling.

This was a widely accepted truth in the galaxy, and not a single word of it was false.

Yet, it was relatively fair.

The stronger the species and genes, the more challenging their continuation, thus maintaining a dynamic equilibrium in the ecosystem.

Lu Wei observed his focused look and found it amusing. "Brother Danjiao, you're really aiming for a grand prize?"

Danjiao replied, "Seems like it."

Not bad at all.

Lu Wei donned a black tank top and flip-flops. "Wu Star is just a backwater planet; it's natural that we can't compare to them."

Wu Star was notorious for its backwardness among the galaxies, with even its connection to the stellar network being incomplete. Accessing it required paying for signal usage.

As for technology, it was even more underdeveloped.

Despite having a generally low birth rate, in interstellar terms, Wu Star was considered one of the planets with relatively higher fertility.

This indirectly reflected the genetic quality of their younglings.

Lu Wei speculated that his spouse must have been from Wu Star.

So Danjiao was a hybrid of Earth and Wu Star.

In this galaxy filled with prodigies, he didn't seem that out of place.

"Mm."

Danjiao watched the show, his arm, resembling a section of lotus root, swaying gently.

However, he felt that it wasn't as difficult as it seemed.

The test questions were simple.

Why couldn't the other younglings solve them?

Danjiao rubbed his face and focused his gaze.

It was the final round, not the preliminary selection.

Why was the question so simple that he could solve it with a glance?

"Stop staring, little one. You should go to bed early," Earth Bro yawned.

He was already tired, but his cub wasn't sleepy at all.

Upon hearing his beloved father's call, Danjiao immediately forgot about the TV show.

Danjiao reached out his chubby little hand, and Lu Wei scooped him up effortlessly.

"Daddy, pat-pat."

"Alright."

Lu Wei gently patted his little head.

It was unclear why this cub had a tendency towards insomnia at such a young age.

He could only fall asleep if Lu Wei was with him.

Danjiao nestled in Lu Wei's embrace, his milky face slightly pale.

Lu Wei gently stroked his back, and the child's expression eased a bit.

He had also figured out that there were a few days each month when Danjiao would be like this.

Easily getting headaches, having nightmares, and breaking out in cold sweat.

No one knew what caused it.

Even hospital checks didn't reveal anything.

Fortunately, Danjiao could gradually fall asleep under his soothing care, so Lu Wei didn't worry too much.

The next day, Danjiao handed the registration form to the teacher at the nursery school, officially enrolling.

Now they just had to wait for the Wu Star competition to officially start, and Dad would have the money to pay the rent.

The First Primary Planet of the B Galaxy.

Emperor Star, the undisputed paramount ruler among countless affiliated planets, reigned supreme with its vast resources and wealth, acquired through interstellar conquests.

The monarch was renowned for being valiant and unpredictable in temperament. However, this trait had become more pronounced in recent years.

The frequency of these conquests had escalated from every three months to almost every third day.

Rumors had it that the king was searching for his queen. This queen had given birth to an heir, but before the grand ceremony could take place, the child was abducted by the leader of a collateral clan.

Their fate remains unknown to this day.

In the eyes of the royal family, this was a silver lining in an unfortunate situation.

As long as the child remained.

It didn't matter whether the Queen was involved or not.

But they dared not express such thoughts in front of His Majesty.

Doing so would result in having their heads ripped off by the King himself.

The aide concluded his report and withdrew from the main hall.

Encountered a neatly dressed cub.

At two and a half years old, in the interstellar era, it's typically the age when children learn to walk, talk, and begin to think. However, His Highness possesses pure bloodline and strong genes, thus he matures earlier than others.

It could be due to other reasons.

The aide smiled at him. "Your Highness, shouldn't you be in class right now?"

The cub shook its head, lowering its eyelashes to conceal its pupils. "Teacher isn't here."

The adjutant was momentarily dazed.

The young prince's eyes really did resemble Lu Wei's.

He hadn't heard Lu Wei's name mentioned here in a long time. It was as if the entire Royal City had been silenced, as if mentioning those two words would break some sort of taboo.

It had been far too long since he'd last seen him.

Since his departure, this royal city had become even more terrifying than before.

Especially His Majesty.

The cub lifted its gaze. "Adjutant, I might be entering my genetic illness cycle. Give me an injection, please."

The words were chillingly calm.

It was hard to believe they came from a mere two-and-a-half-year-old child.

He never imagined seeking solace from anyone.

—But at this age, one was meant to cling to their mother's bosom at the slightest ailment, acting coquettishly.

It was an age like that.

The adjutant bowed slightly. "Understood."

Even though they could now provide the royal family with more effective remedies, it was of little use to His Majesty.

The Royal City was likely to be shrouded in a blood rain these few days.

"The fortunate thing is that it still works on you," the adjutant murmured in sigh.

The cub spoke up, "Adjutant, perhaps it's best not to visit the main palace tonight."

The adjutant didn't know how to respond and could only sigh. "Yes, you're right."

"Not just tonight, but for the next three days, avoid going there, Your Highness. Your safety comes first."

The cub nodded, his expression unwavering.

There was no reaction on his face.

The adjutant had nothing to say.

He was indeed too much like His Majesty.