Stars See Me [Interstellar] | Chapter 283 | Eternal Stars in the Long Night | Novela.app

“……” Evenheiler remained silent for a long time, a myriad of emotions surging within him. But in the end, what he said was: “…You’re being a bit cheesy, Lei Ting.” “What, you don’t believe me?” Lei Ting cleared his throat, using his deep, magnetic voice: “Man, you’ve caught my atten—” “Stop, stop, stop—!!!” Evenheiler shouted, wearing an expression that screamed *I’m not listening!* This was likely the first time in centuries he had been so agitated, to the point that his fragile heartbeat faltered, nearly triggering the alarms on the monitoring equipment. But soon, amidst Lei Ting’s panicked reaction, he began to laugh. “I missed you too,” he said. “Dear.” As he spoke, he gave Lei Ting a playful wink. Lei Ting: “…” Lei Ting slowly clenched his fist. But clearly, he was just putting on an act; within two breaths, he couldn't hold it back anymore and started laughing as well. “Fine. I knew it.” He closed his eyes, caught between laughter and tears. The power of ‘Immobility’ lingered eternally around him, yet it was no longer as cold and ruthless as it had been in the past. In a future timeline decades away, a massive energy source—one that originated from him—was calling out to him. “Do you know roughly when we’ll meet again?” he asked casually. “4053 AD… no, 4050 AD.” Evenheiler’s expression turned serious. “Trust me.” Lei Ting smiled and stood up, stepping into the void. “I’ll wait for you,” he said. “Don’t worry. I’ll wait as long as you need me to.” They both knew that if it were at all possible, Evenheiler would return to Lei Ting’s side as quickly as he could. And Lei Ting would not feel disappointed by any small delays that might occur. …… …… … One day, the Omni-channel of time and space suddenly began to fluctuate. At first, no one knew what this meant—there were too many foreign powers involved in this war. Half were monsters like the Xenodemons or the Macro-phage Worms, and the other half were parallel universe civilizations that didn't want the flames of war spreading to their own homes. Among them were even world-lines where a single civilization, like the Humans or the Abrisaks, had unified the galaxy. No one knew what hidden trump cards the various competitors on this stage were holding. That was until the Omni-channel suddenly closed, and the former Abrisak star sector was sealed by a strange power. Every individual within was carefully screened. Those with malicious intent, whether civilizations or monsters, were eliminated on the spot. The rest were categorized and placed into different coordinate sectors… Within the Ring World, a phantom consciousness vibrated: “‘Stars’…?! The Multitude of Stars?! It’s their power! They… they actually came back?!” —No. They hadn't come back. A mass of red gel, burning with flames, lay nestled within the power core of the sector assigned to the Imperial Remnants, thinking to itself. A figure stood before it—tall and thin, with golden hair and closed eyes. The only flaw was that his hair was mostly white—not in streaks like Lei Ting’s, but in large patches. This made ‘Firewine’ very reluctant to deal with him, because it knew that the person it was seeing this time was finally that old friend Kotares had met on Earth—the man who had given him the name ‘Atrin.’ “Hey,” Evenheiler reached out a finger and poked ‘Firewine.’ “Do you really want to see me that little?” “You must be joking. I’m just a blob of fire slime; I don’t even have eyes,” Firewine said lazily, even giving a soft roll on the power core’s mounting platform. “Are you really going to lower yourself to the level of a talking, super-fantasy fire slime?” “…” Evenheiler actually gave it some serious thought before saying, “No.” “Then that’s that…” “I mean, you’re not a ‘super-fantasy fire slime,’” Evenheiler said with a straight face. “You’re a ‘super-sci-fi fire slime.’” “……” Firewine was speechless, wriggling in place for three seconds without being able to squeeze out a word. “Don’t be angry. Back then, when Lei Ting threw you into the Milky Way like a cannonball, it was the time-traveling me who caught you,” Evenheiler asked naturally. “How have you been lately?” “You have the nerve to bring that up?! Isn't he your partner?!!” Firewine was shocked. “Are you two proud of running a husband-and-husband scam shop and taking turns screwing people over?!!” “Yes,” Evenheiler admitted, standing tall and proud. Firewine popped with a *splat*, gel splattering everywhere, and it took a full two minutes of wriggling to reform. “You guy… I’ve been doing okay.” Its voice sounded as if it were gritting teeth it didn't have. “It’s just that peaceful coexistence between the Imperial Remnants and other races is still a bit difficult… The word ‘prejudice’ exists in every language for a reason.” “That’s normal,” Evenheiler said with a shrug. “I spent so many years on Earth and never saw humans let go of prejudice. Even now, the Human Federation is in an uproar because the Resistance is integrating into the Federation… I don’t know how long they’re going to keep at it. I see those Vice Speakers are nearly going bald from the stress.” “If they really go bald, what do you plan to do? Drag Lei Ting back to work?” “Of course not. He has more important work to do, doesn't he?” Evenheiler smiled and gestured toward the direction of the former Omni-channel. “…You even have that kind of knowledge base?” “Of course. Otherwise, how do you think I’ve maintained my look all these years?” Firewine pondered for a long while before suddenly wriggling frantically: “Then you lied to me and said my long-haired mimicry didn't look good, making me change it so many times!!” “A person has to find some fun in the dullness of immortality,” Evenheiler said shamelessly. “I’ve done so many good deeds; what’s wrong with pranking a friend? Didn't I compensate you later?” Firewine looked like it was about to jump up and hit him—the only reason it didn't was likely because it couldn't win. After a while, it calmed down and asked, “So, why have you come to the Ring World again after all this time?” “To buy a starship,” Evenheiler said. “…Huh?” “I’ve got my eye on an almost brand-new, fully equipped planting ship, manufactured this year. It’ll be perfect with just a few modifications.” Evenheiler pulled out a data pad and showed Firewine the information for a commercial-agricultural dual-use cargo planting ship. The factory tag had been transcoded by Human Federation tech, clearly displaying ‘4049.’ “Lei Ting has always wanted to go interstellar traveling while farming once everything is settled, living a relatively ordinary life… Though the title of ‘Space Farmer’ doesn't sound very ordinary, it’s better than traveling through time and space to fight.” Evenheiler laughed as he spoke, happily tapping the data pad in his hand, then showed Firewine the modification plan he had prepared who-knows-how-long ago. “It’s not bad, right?” he asked. “It is. But…” Firewine paused, tactfully expressing a doubt about the plan: “…Why are there only two seats in the command center?” “AIs don’t need seats.” “No, I mean,” Firewine’s tone became even more tactful: “…Is there a possibility that you two… also have a child?” “Who brings a kid on a honeymoon?” Evenheiler blinked. “It really is a honeymoon!! Wait, you two aren't even married yet!” Firewine was aghast. “With a father who doesn't care and a mother who doesn't love, I’m telling you, your kid is going to cry!!!” “I don’t ‘not love’ him. I’ve been keeping an eye on him.” Evenheiler smiled. “I was with him the whole time he was growing up. But he’s grown now, my friend. He’s a powerhouse; he shouldn't be tethered to our side—” “—And that’s why you didn't lift a finger to stop Lei Ting when he threw the boy too far and lost track of where he landed?” Firewine countered flatly. “Yes.” Evenheiler admitted it again, standing tall. “Don’t worry. The power core of Xiao Li’s ship is actually being monitored by both me and Lei Ting. The ship is fully staffed and equipped; it’s practically a self-sufficient miniature nation.” Firewine felt a sincere sense of gloom for Kang Li… or Lei Li. Though either name worked. With two parental figures who were either workaholics or unreliable, the kid really was… But at least these two knew to keep an eye on the kid’s expenses while he was out. “Then, one last question,” Firewine said. “Actually, Lei Ting’s work should be finished in a couple of days, right? So, have you remembered one thing?” “What thing?” Evenheiler asked. “The fact that that guy is planning to let the Human Federation’s laws judge him,” Firewine said. “He certainly won’t die, because there’s probably no way to kill him—he can’t even do it himself. He likely won’t face any overly severe punishment either. But I bet he’ll insist they follow the law strictly and give him a long enough sentence or something… Hey, hey, hey, where are you going?!” “Leaving for a bit!” Evenheiler, already in outer space, sent back a message: “I’ll have them deliver the starship to you. Keep it for me!” Firewine stared blankly as Evenheiler disappeared into the distant sky, then suddenly burst out laughing. As it laughed, the tiny blob—now only the size of a fingertip—wriggled and let out a sound like a sigh, likely something it had picked up from those two. Within its range of perception, everything in the sector belonging to the Imperial Remnants was clear. The war had stopped, at least for now. People were beginning to live their own lives; everything was flourishing. “Even if human prejudice is as immovable as a mountain, as long as we keep walking, one day, wisdom will lead us out of the mountain pass.” In the empty power chamber, it sighed to itself and began to watch the beautiful stars outside. Even after so much had happened, compared to when it and Lei Ting had passed through years ago, Andromeda was still Andromeda. And the Large Magellanic Cloud, which had been merging with the Milky Way for countless years before human civilization appeared, remained unchanged. “It’s interesting, isn't it? So many stars being born and dying in this brief period of peaceful development in the universe. They see us, we see them. A little earlier, we didn't exist; a little later, we will vanish… “In such a short time, it seems everything has changed, yet it also seems the only ones who changed were us.” The gel wriggled twice, and the phantom of Atrin Kotares appeared beside it. The young man with crimson hair leaned against the power console with a smile, reaching out his hand as if to grasp a distant star. “Well, the night is long,” he sighed softly. “Only the stars are eternal.” ***