She walked for about a kilometer, slowly approaching the "tents." Only upon getting closer did she realize they weren't tents at all, but rather conical structures, with only the tips exposed and most of them underground.
Someone noticed her approach and defensively asked, "Who are you?" while raising a weapon.
It was a man, perhaps in his late twenties or thirties, dressed in tattered clothes whose original style was indistinguishable. He held a gun-like weapon, but there was a peculiar energy fluctuation emanating from it, clearly not an ordinary firearm.
As she observed the man opposite her, he was also observing her.
From the other "tents," many more pairs of eyes were fixed on her.
They were filled with apprehension towards this strangely dressed yet radiant young woman. If she hadn't looked entirely human, they would have surely mistaken her for an alien monster and opened fire.
"Just passing by, I'm lost," Zhuo Ran explained casually, then continued to walk further in.
"I'd like to stay here for a few days. Can we trade? What do you need?"
The man remained wary, not entirely believing her.
Someone poked their head out from a tent, "Alright. Scan her energy fluctuations."
The man, keeping his gun pointed at her with one hand, pulled out a small device with the other and pressed it against her.
A moment later, he breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his weapon, and said to Zhuo Ran apologetically, "Sorry, the monsters are getting better at disguising themselves. We have to be very cautious. We were just attacked yesterday."
"It's understandable."
They led Zhuo Ran into a tent, down to the underground area. While only tips were visible from above, the space below was quite substantial. There was a large common area, with several smaller compartments around it. In the common area, a dozen or so people were standing or sitting, all looking at her.
The man who brought her in said, "We're from the SE galaxy, looking for energy. What about you?"
The system quickly reminded her: [Host, you should say you're from the SA galaxy.]
"I'm from the SA galaxy. I had an accident mid-journey and landed on this planet."
She thought the system's reminder was foolproof, but as soon as she uttered these words, everyone else looked at her, their gazes complex, many filled with hostility.
A man on a worn-out sofa asked, "You're from, the SA galaxy?"
"Yes."
"Lan, calm down. The SA galaxy has 16 planets and billions of inhabitants. They might not all be bad."
The man snorted and fell silent.
[Host, ask them if they can send you back.]
"Do you have a starship? Can you send me back? I can pay for the service."
The man shook his head, "We're not going to the SA galaxy. Besides, we don't even know when we'll be able to leave here."
"Why?"
"There used to be starships passing through regularly. In the last two years, they've become much rarer. Leaving depends entirely on luck; it might take a long time. You look like... a noble. You should find someone to pick you up."
Zhuo Ran no longer insisted and proposed to stay, asking about the compensation.
A woman with golden hair walked over, "We only need food, energy drinks, nutrient paste, or energy. We don't accept intergalactic currency."
Zhuo Ran thought about the food she had stored in her space and felt it wouldn't be a problem.
But could she just take things out of her space directly...
[This world has space nodes. They think you're a noble, so just take it out.]
Zhuo Ran then conjured a box of pastries out of thin air.
When the others saw her produce something without doing anything, they assumed it was a new function of a high-level space node, and couldn't help but feel envious and jealous, while also filled with anticipation.
"What is this?"
"Pastries."
Her cave dwelling could remain unchanged for ten thousand years. This box of pastries was from her last world. After she opened the packaging, a sweet fragrance instantly permeated the air, causing the others to involuntarily swallow.
She handed the pastries to the man named "Cheng," "Is this acceptable?"
The man took it, had someone examine it, invited her to sit down, and then began a brief introduction of their team.
Their team had over 30 members, all from the SE galaxy looking for energy. The world was too unstable, and in more populated areas, they were more susceptible to alien attacks. Therefore, they spent most of their time wandering on barren planets.
The man was the team's vice-captain, named Cheng Tian. Their captain had taken some people out, leaving a few, less offensively capable individuals at the base, including four women and two children.
The person who examined it quickly returned with the pastries, happily declaring, "No problem, it's edible."
The others chuckled. Cheng Tian took out a third of the pastries and distributed them among them.
One-third was only four or five pieces, averaging less than one piece per two people. The two children each received a small piece of pastry and were reluctant to eat it.
Zhuo Ran inexplicably thought of her own little cub.
However, with her innate divine body, she would never be so disheveled.
Perhaps her maternal instincts kicked in, Zhuo Ran produced two more bags of pastries, "There's more here, for you." Sudan Novel Network.
The crowd looked at her with some surprise. Some were grateful, while others felt she was a noble and didn't care about such food.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Cheng Tian looked at her with immense gratitude. He distributed the first opened pastries to everyone else, and put the subsequent two bags away.
Even so, on average, no one received a whole pastry. After they finished, they couldn't help but savor the taste.
"These things called pastries are really delicious."
"I've never eaten anything like it. How do you think it's made?"
Another child shook his head, "This is something only nobles have."
They only had cheap and unpalatable nutrient paste, which, apart from maintaining bodily functions and providing essential nutrition, couldn't be called food.
"Thank you. We have eight rooms here. See which one you'd like to stay in; we can vacate any of them for you."
After saying that, he took Zhuo Ran to see all the rooms.
The common area had brighter lights, while the other rooms only received light filtered through the "tents" on top. The rooms contained simple "bedding" and some living supplies. The "bedding" was laid directly on the floor, very basic.
Zhuo Ran decided not to be picky, "I'll take this one."
She thought for a moment, then took out a mattress from her space, "Help me set it up."
She didn't want to sleep directly on the floor.
The man was extremely surprised, asking with disbelief, "What level is your space node? Why can it hold something so large?"
The system couldn't stop Zhuo Ran in time and could only remind her: [Just say it's the latest model.]
After Zhuo Ran gave this answer, the other party, apart from becoming even more envious and jealous, didn't seem to suspect much.
Perhaps the gap between ordinary people and the so-called "nobles" was too vast, and they were accustomed to it.