Chapter 1: Journey Through the Stars

Chapter 1: Journey Through the Stars

At dawn, the first warm rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon.

In a room shrouded in darkness, untouched by the sun's rays, a girl's long eyelashes fluttered slightly, as if she was about to wake up but hadn't opened her eyes yet. She extended a delicate hand from under the blanket and fumbled around on the bedside table a couple of times.

She couldn’t find her phone, which confused Yun Wan.

She opened her eyes, determined, but was met with complete darkness, like a confined space where nothing was visible.

She, Yun Wan, a young dragon spirit who had worked hard for fifty years to earn a lavish apartment after the founding of the nation—where was it?!

In her confusion, an electronic voice resonated in her mind.

[Memory reception in progress—]

With a mental "click," a flood of unfamiliar memories rushed in.

Yun Wan grasped the situation—she had been transported to the interstellar age.

The original owner was also named Yun Wan, originally a lineal descendant of the noble Qin family. Due to a mishap during her mother's pregnancy, she was left to wander a destitute planet and was taken in by a benevolent family. By chance, the hostess was also in her birthing period, and both gave birth at the same time, accidentally swapping the babies.

Twenty years later, the false heiress of the Qin family, Yun Yan, was about to graduate from the Federal Noble Academy. As was customary, a genetic test was performed, revealing she had no connection to the Qin family, thus exposing the truth.

The Qin family, naturally, could not allow their bloodline to remain estranged, so they sent people back to the poor planet to find her. They discovered that the couple had already passed away, leaving only their later-born son and the original owner. Both were brought to the capital planet.

The original owner, who had always despised her humble upbringing and looked down on her adoptive parents, believed upon learning her true identity that the adoptive mother's family had deliberately swapped the babies to let their own daughter enjoy a good life, stealing the glory and wealth she deserved.

Hearing that she was going to the capital planet, the original owner was overjoyed. To impress the Qin family, she even generously brought along her encumbering younger brother.

The opulence of the capital planet dazzled her. She daydreamed of dining in upscale restaurants, sipping premium nutrient solutions, and mingling with noble ladies and gentlemen over glasses of wine.

However, things did not unfold as smoothly as the original owner had envisioned.

Before even meeting, the Qin family had her undergo a genetic test. After confirming her identity, they did not immediately acknowledge her. Instead, they merely threw her into the Federal Noble Academy, gave her 500,000 star coins, and left her to her own devices.

A few days ago, the original owner suddenly fell seriously ill and discovered she had a genetic defect. She suddenly understood why the Yun family had ignored her.

They had known the results of the genetic test all along. Not allowing such a scandal to taint the Qin family, they preferred to let the mistake stand, sending her to the noble academy and giving her 500,000 star coins as compensation.

Between family ties and face, the Qin family chose face.

Yesterday, the hotel booked by the Qin family expired. Yun Wan had spent all her money on genetic elixirs—80,000 per dose, once a week. She had bought six doses, leaving her with only 20,000 star coins. She had to rent a basement in the slums and move in with her encumbering younger brother.

The genetic defect was incurable and required ongoing medication to manage.

Before she could devise a plan after finishing the six doses of genetic elixirs, she succumbed to genetic collapse from overwhelming anxiety.

After merging with the original owner's memories, Yun Wan sighed.

Yun Wan was a descendant of the Golden Dragon Tribe, mutated into the ominous Black Gold. She was discarded into a trash bin while still in her egg.

At that time, she had a faint consciousness and didn't understand what being abandoned meant. Later, after being bitten by rats, pecked by chickens, and scratched by cats, she saw chicks protected by hens, unbothered by anyone, and realized what it meant to be an unwanted child.

She could only tend to her wounds in solitude and quietly endure.

Later, she finally cultivated a human form, adapted to human order, and lived steadily for decades before her life improved.

Yun Wan thought she had already suffered enough misfortunes, but she never expected the original owner to be even more unfortunate!

She just transmigrated, but the original owner lost her life!

Compared to dying, downgrading from a comfy apartment to a dingy basement seems almost bearable.

[Detecting the host's willingness to bind to the system, initiating binding——]

[Congratulations, host, on successfully binding to the Trash Collection System.

This system integrates recycling and greening. After recycling garbage, it immediately plants and produces, allowing the host to enjoy the fruits of labor in time, making the host fall in love with garbage picking from the heart!]

[Our motto is: Love fades, but trash remains; hearts shift, but the land stays true.]

[Begin your delightful trash-collecting adventure right away!]

Yun Wan stared blankly.

When did she ever agree to bind with this system?

She only agreed to transmigrate, nothing else. How could the system jump to conclusions?

Besides, others either get revenge plots or become everyone’s favorite. Why does she have to be the pathetic trash collector?

Forcing her to pick trash—where’s the dignity of a dragon?! How dare the system! Isn’t it scared she, the Dragon Overlord, would shred it with one bite?

[Reminder: The system has recycled your dragon body. You’re just an ordinary human now, so don’t overestimate yourself!]

What the—?!

Yun Wan’s face twisted in frustration.

She twisted her waist, but there wasn’t a shred of spiritual energy in her body—she couldn’t even summon her tail.

"Can’t you recycle this body?" Yun Wan gestured to herself.

[Sorry, dear, it’s not recyclable.]

"So you swapped my priceless body for this junk in your eyes?"

Dragon teeth, claws, bones, and scales are rare crafting materials. Dragon horns can make immortality elixirs, and dragon meat is a delicacy—tender and succulent...

Uh, whoops! Got a little carried away.

Every part of a dragon is priceless. How could the system dare trade gems for pebbles? She’s never met anyone so shameless!

Oh, right—it’s not even a person.

[Bzzt——]

The system, knowing it was at fault, responded with gibberish.

"Do all systems pull this kind of stunt, or are you special?"

System: Double kill.

The robotic voice sounded slightly panicked.

[We’re professionally trained systems; we don’t violate host rights. There has never been a case where the host was a demon, so the system hasn’t recorded a solution.

Given the circumstances, we can provide the host with compensation.]

"What kind of compensation?" Yun Wan asked.

"The feedback package has been sent to your system backpack. Go ahead and take a look."

Curious and skeptical, Yun Wan opened her system backpack. In the first slot, a gift icon adorned with a bow sparkled brightly.

Was she really the type to sell her soul for a gift?

She grumbled internally, but her hand reached out anyway.

Who doesn’t love opening a mystery box?

When she clicked the slot, the gift icon grew, shook three times, and burst into an odd light. As the white light faded, a bowl with a stand remained.

The bowl was fully gilded, its surface intricately carved with exquisite eight-treasure patterns. The patterns were delicate and lifelike, with its name, 'Treasure Basin,' hovering above.

"[Treasure Basin: A powerful ancient artifact. Unlock a new catalog to receive a random treasure.]"

"How do I unlock the catalog?" Yun Wan asked, surprised there were conditions.

"[You can unlock the catalog by collecting greening points.]"

As the system explained, a panel opened, and a small light appeared in the corresponding spot.

"How do I collect greening points?" Yun Wan asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

"[You can earn greening points by picking up trash.]"

Hearing this, Yun Wan’s expression turned serious.

Finally, it clicked—something was off!

The Treasure Basin sounds impressive, like a treasure-generating machine. But without picking up trash, you’ll never see any treasure.

It’s like having a VIP card—useless if you don’t use it.

It feels like you’ve gained something, but in reality, you’ve got nothing.

The system really knows how to sell itself!

"Do I still have a choice to refuse?"

"[You have three months left to live, so take your time deciding. Oh, and by the way: the system’s plants can cure genetic diseases!]"

Yun Wan gave in and reluctantly joined the system’s scheme.

Picking up trash—it’s not like she hadn’t done it before. She was quite skilled at it!

...

The system had three sections: Catalog, Mall, and Backpack. Currently, except for the lit bowl in the backpack, everything else was gray, with a plant shadow and a big question mark on each icon, making them unrecognizable.

The system explained that Yun Wan needed to collect her first greening point and obtain the beginner’s gift package to officially start her journey of picking up trash and farming.

Wait, so this job has a barrier to entry?

Yun Wan grumbled.

"Who are you talking to?" A seven or eight-year-old boy pushed the door open and stood there.

Light poured in from behind him, highlighting his small frame.

He raised his chubby little hand to turn on the light, and only then did Yun Wan see his face clearly.

The little boy was Yun Ge, Yun Wan’s younger brother. The siblings had always been at odds, and now that they were stuck together, they rarely spoke. Due to Yun Wan’s relationship with the Qin family, their relationship had deteriorated to its lowest point.

Yun Ge’s existence constantly reminded Yun Wan of growing up on an impoverished planet, suffering for twenty years. She had once considered sending Yun Ge to an orphanage to shed this responsibility.

Seeing Yun Wan remain silent, he walked over and lightly touched her forehead with his hand, which was burning hot, startling Yun Wan, who leaned back.

Yun Ge’s hand paused for a few seconds before he silently withdrew it to his side and snapped, "I’m not concerned about you!"

Though young, he had lost his parents early and had been under the care of his unreliable sister for two years, making him more mature than most children his age.

Although he didn’t like this sister, he knew she was his guardian. If something happened to her, he would be sent to an orphanage.

As for his biological sister, with Yun Wan as a bad example, he had no interest in having a sister.

A biological sister might not be any better than a bad sister, especially since he hadn’t even met her after all this time. At least the bad sister had lived with him for a few years, and between the two, he preferred to stay with the familiar one.

Now that Yun Wan was awake, his racing heart calmed down.

Without waiting for Yun Wan to respond, he ran out and soon came back, holding what looked like an ice pop.

"Here, take your medicine!" Yun Ge said with a serious face. "You have to take medicine to get better."

Seeing Yun Wan slowly open the package, inspecting and sniffing it but not drinking, Yun Ge grew anxious.

Why is an adult scared of taking medicine?

"Drink it! Don’t you want to go home? Take the medicine, get better, and they’ll come get you right away!"

To a child, things are simple. To them, taking medicine when sick means getting better.

Yun Ge didn’t yet know that a genetic defect was an incurable condition.

Being coaxed by a child to take medicine, Yun Wan found it amusing yet frustrating.

She bit into the plastic packaging and downed the liquid in two gulps.

The genetic medicine didn’t have the bitterness of regular medicine. Instead, it had a sticky texture and tasted like a strange mix of vegetable juice.

After taking the medicine, Yun Wan felt somewhat better, and the dull ache in her head eased.

"Thank you, Yun Ge," she said gently, patting the boy’s head.

For a moment, Yun Ge thought he saw his mother waving at him. He blinked and saw that it was still his annoying sister in front of him.

Her eyes curved into crescents, and a soft smile appeared on her face, showing a look other than disdain for the first time.