The helicopter took off, sprinkling seeds all around her in circles. Sera started emanating gentle energy, encouraging the clover to grow.
The clover germinated in half an hour, with four hours, every plant reached seeding stage.
Sera patiently watched the growing green on the planet, with a strange sense of accomplishment.
[ Death by missing will be announced in a day ! ]
The message flashed in front of her eyes.
This is the alarm she set for herself.
Initially, she was supposed to announce her survival in style, now, she is going to do that like a wet poodle, lost in a strange land.
All the same, Sera loved the green scenery behind her, for that would make one real good advertisement for Dustwood corp.
She got out of the mecha, then walked over to the pod.
She connected straight to her uncle, Orion's office.
As expected, another conference was going on.
" Sera ! You are alive ! " Orion exclaimed, his face blooming in happiness.
Sera being alive solves almost all of his problems.
" Uncle ? Are you alright ? " Sera asked.
" I am ! I am ! we are more worried about you. Where are you ? What are you doing ? Let's get you back here ! " her uncle spoke urgently.
" Uncle. I opened a botanist panel for identification of a mutant plant sample. The records should be there in the university. I accompanied the sample on the space circuit 4535, which encountered an unidentified space anomaly as we were passing by the junkyard. I sent off the sample to the international species identification center. I hope this part could be kept confidential for as long as possible. As you can see, my mod has no choice but to make a detour. "
" how … " Orion wanted to ask how big of a detour, but he remembered the accident is near the Junkyard. Since they checked the bright side, Sera could only be on the dark side.
It won't be small.
It won't be a day or two's business to bring Sera back.
Sera directed the camera outside.
" As you can see, the planet I landed on is habitable. I have supplies that could last for six months, I have an S-grade colonization seed sampler. I won't be lacking food or oxygen, but the power supply would be a problem. I will contact you when I can, I may not be able to make it every seventh day. " Sera told Orion.
Orion smiled at her words.
This niece of hers is proving to be far tougher and capable than his sister.
He knew his sister was a princess. She has been protected since she was born, and she is protected even now.
But Sera … Sera could grow to be a queen.
" Don't worry about it, Sera, dear ! Uncle will handle everything here. " Orion promised her.
—---------------------------------------------------
After Sera concluded the legal problems of holding on to her fortune, she sat down trying to remember the details of the game.
Interstellar is a game which has base stations with levels, hunting grounds, mining grounds and even incredible equipment. Currently, the top level on earth is ninetynine, and every one was boiling over in excitement to find out what level hundred looks like.
Game information she remembers roughly goes like this.
Sera's path - Exam fail, Combat camp , level ten -> go to aqua -> find seeds -> Farm -> level fifty -> Go to Gaia -> druid -> second mecha training -> grow mutant plants at hydra -> become Herbalist or combat druid, -> start interstellar journey -> Face Gigantia -> game over you reach hundred levels !
Second path goes like this -> Buy mutant plant -> become certified druid - > buy return ticket -> go to aqua. Then it follows same course at faster speed.
The ending is always the same. She has to fight Gigantia, the mutant plant.
Lance's path - graduate - combat camp , mecha certification - combat grounds -level fifty -> go to Osgard -> get second mecha, second power, -> combat -> fight space bender -> get to level hundred.
Charlene's path - graduate - healer camp, healer graduation -> combat grounds … Follow along wherever warriors go.
Here is the thing !
Despite the simple terms Sera puts it in, the odyssey is built on one to one scale. The most idealistic paths that any character could take are like what Sera described. However, in reality, there are myriad hunting and collecting grounds, thus, people could become anything and everything.
Simply put, Sera could become master of any trade, but not combat.
Charlene could become master of any magic, but not combat or trade.
Lance could become master combat, but not trade or magic.
Most important factor of such a rule was that Sera could not go to Osgard or combat grounds that Lance goes to. However, here , it's different. She could go to any ground she wants to, she can go to any planet she wants to.
Thus, she has a list of things she must collect. Only, all around her is emptiness. She could only wait for an asteroid to pass by, before towing it down.
Sera picked up a world tree seed, to see if she could transfer vitality to this seed from the clover that has grown almost wildly.
She started walking along the field transmitting the energy slowly, one plant after another. The world tree seed only took energy of half a field.
[ World tree seed transforms ]
[ You have obtained an apple tree seed. ]
What the ?!
Sera never knew this in the game ! Wait ! Fruit seeds are a paid item. Damn players ! you sold the fruit trees for such a high price ! She scolded the black hearted players in her heart, as she looked at the shining apple tree seed in her hands.
[ Appraisal ]
Sera called .
[ Apple tree transformed from world tree seed. ]
[ This seed could grow in to a tree anywhere in the space, as long as nutrition is kept up. ]
[ The seed grows at accelerated speed, as long as nutrition could keep up. ]
Her system displayed.
Wow ! That's exactly what she needs. However, the universe is never kind to her, unless it was about to throw a big disaster her way !
…
..
.
' NO ! I will not sink into that kind of pessimistic thinking. " Sera decided.
First thing she needs to do is determine her location. Then, find a way to go to the nearest hunting ground.
Her mecha is rooted in the soil just like plants. It seems to be basking in the sun, even when there is no sun to be had.
Sera paused and looked at the horizon.
Despite being called a junkyard, when looked from space, it's an incredible view.
The yard looked like the New york skyline reverted, then embedded with jewels of different kinds. Then there are the fairy lights, the unknown objects emitting light, moving all around the junkyard.
The farthest horizon she could see is the view from a year ago ! How incredible is that ?
Though she is stranded in the middle of nowhere, she did not lack for food or water, perhaps, she could take a vacation as she intended to in the first place. Her idea of vacation is lying unmoving on the beach watching the sun and scenery. This situation is more in line with the vacation she wanted than the one in florida.
Sera turned on the discovery function of the pod, so that she could have a local map by tomorrow.
After that, she walked over to the field of clover she sucked energy out of. She sprayed the insect pellets she brought along with herself. It's only after that she planted the apple seed. With that, the tasks she could do for the day are over and done. For the next few days, she will just let clover and lupine grow as they wish, creating a protective cover for the soil of this asteroid. They will lock heat and water inside this green carpet.
Sera removed the space suit, wore the softest pajamas she could find, then put her lounge couch in front of the window, then stared outside, at the view of junkyard.
As she laid down, slowly let her mind go, she drifted off into a temporary sleep.
Red haze surrounded all around her.
A warrior was trying to come towards her, but he could not extricate himself from the red haze.
The man looked desperate, but even amidst the desperation, he did not beg her, but just diligently crawled towards her.
Sera moved one step forward.
" It's not safe ! " The man said with difficulty.
Even amidst the danger, with his life on the verge of being destroyed, this man did not want to sacrifice others to save himself.
Sera was moved. 'Such a hero could not die '. It is the world's loss, consequently her loss if he dies.
Sera moved forward, held the hand of the man, and started transmitting energy. She has a world seed filled with enormous amounts of energy. She's not lacking energy.
Soon, the man walked out of the red haze. Then, Sera flew back automatically. The man wanted to hold on to her hand, but he could not.
In the end, he could only follow in the general direction of Sera.
Sera, on the other hand, is sleeping peacefully, under the night sky of the junkyard.
She did not notice the black spot that was heading straight towards her pod. Sera did not even realize half way through, her pod became completely dark.
In the morning, she woke to a different view than the one in the night.
There was a gigantic tear in the fog barrier.
A Godzilla was stuck in the fog barrier, screeching at her silently.
Sera watched in shock as the creature's mouth lit up and it spat out a ball at her.
However, the ball did not come straight for her as she expected. Insted, it started circling the same loop as the disc made yesterday, similar to the one her pod made yesterday. It's only then she figured out what it is from her memory.
It's an anomalous gravitational field, which usually forms near the shards of a neutron star that failed to become a black hole. However these must not be inside the junkyard, but in the vast expanse of darkness. They created an invisible magnetic field. Due to this, the asteroid pancake settled in the middle. She is protected thanks to these anomalous magnetic fields.
' Wow ! really anything and everything could be found in Junkyard. ' Sera thought absentmindedly.
Whatever that creature is spewing out, everything started circling in the gravitational barrier.
Just like that, Sera had an energy source both for her pod, and her crops.
At this time, she heard it.
The sound of heavy footsteps.
Footsteps are so heavy, there is no way they could belong to a human.
Sera turned around and froze.
There was a gigantic black lizard out there. It looked far too much like toothless, but with a lot of rope-like whiskers extending backwards behind its ears. .
Whiskers came out from behind the ears. There are tentacled mouths at the end of these whiskers. At least a half eaten clover is still inside one such tentacle.
" Hello ! How do you do ? " A man greeted her in a Boston accent.