Ziye had been orphaned since childhood. Even with the government's generous welfare, she ate at the communal mess hall—there was meat, but never the prime cuts, never the truly delicious kind; she wasn't wealthy and lacked the means to sneak out for a special treat.

Later, at school, she still ate in the cafeteria.

When she finally reached Silver Crest Star, merely managing to survive felt like the greatest fortune. Regarding food, she neither had the ability nor the luxury to make demands.

But the appearance of An Junlie changed everything!

Ziye couldn't quite fathom how, but tears silently welled up in her eyes. This meal he prepared made her realize that perhaps, in this world, there was still someone who would treat her well...

An Junlie was clearly an old hand in the kitchen; his culinary skills were universally praised, and he felt quite confident in them. Yet, why did he suddenly see tears glistening in Ziye’s eyes?

The light wasn't bright; he faced the light, while Ziye was shadowed. If not for the intense brilliance and clarity of her eyes, he might have doubted he was seeing correctly.

He didn't doubt his cooking. He had eaten some himself; it met his standards for good food and was certainly filling. Could it be that the tastes of the residents on Silver Crest Star were different from ordinary people?

Pausing to think, he set down his chopsticks and asked, "Hey, what's wrong? Is it not good?"

Ziye snapped back to attention, saying nothing. She slowly drew her tears back, maintaining a completely impassive expression as she chewed the roast meat and swallowed. "It’s very good. I just ate too fast and choked accidentally."

An Junlie was slightly surprised, but seeing her resume eating with gusto, a slow smile began to curve the corners of his lips.

He was a man of impeccably fine features, possessing deep-set eyes that rarely betrayed his emotions, giving him an inscrutable, mysterious air. Even the bizarre apron he’d worn earlier, which momentarily shattered her illusion, hadn't changed her fundamental impression.

This man, even his smile carried an imposing force.

However, Ziye momentarily froze, completely captivated.

It was the sheer satisfaction that flashed across his eyes in that instant, making them shine as brilliantly as distant stars.

"As long as you like it. We can make more next time," An Junlie picked up his utensils again, adopting the tone of an experienced elder. "Eat up, child. That’s how you grow strong."

Ziye snapped out of the spell of his smile, her movements halting, and she let out a suppressed chuckle. Child?

The meal concluded with both host and guest thoroughly satisfied. Ziye hadn't eaten a proper meal in years—she attacked the food like a whirlwind, leaving An Junlie staring in astonishment, wondering if he was serving a refugee. He was secretly relieved he had cooked enough portions and calmly continued his own meal.

When the dinner was over, the four dishes and one soup were completely obliterated, not a drop of broth left. Ziye wiped her mouth, sighed with deep contentment, and looked at An Junlie with immense reverence. "Alien, your cooking is incredible. I truly admire you."

An Junlie was equally pleased to receive such high praise for his culinary art, replying modestly, "My teacher was simply excellent."

It was then that Ziye truly understood that cooking was an essential skill; if you knew how to feed yourself, you could never truly starve anywhere. Realizing this, she made up her mind, lifted her head, and gave An Junlie a brilliant smile. "Alien, teach me how to cook from now on!"

Eh? An Junlie smiled faintly, placidly assuring her, "...There's plenty of time ahead. If you want to learn, I will teach you slowly." An Junlie inwardly wondered if his master would climb out of the netherworld to give him a swat if he learned An Junlie was teaching his skills just to secure a few meals.

"That's wonderful!" Ziye’s eyes lit up as she mentally calculated having him cook for her every day. She then suggested, "You just arrived on Silver Crest Star and don't have a place to stay yet. Why don't you stay with me for now? It’ll take a while to repair the mecha anyway."

An Junlie had been worried about being asked to leave, constantly strategizing how to make her want him to stay. Unexpectedly, things turned out better than planned; one meal had entirely won her over. He stood up. "Then I shall trouble you."

Ziye readily extended her hand for a shake, her heart soaring with joy: Yes! I’ve found my caretaker! Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are sorted for the future! There was truly no greater joy in life than not having to worry about the three daily meals.

Ziye was a woman of action and immediately began preparations for her caretaker's public introduction.

An Junlie had crashed around eight o'clock in the evening. There were few people outside, and since he hadn't used any official channels, very few noticed an extra person on Silver Crest Star.

However, if he was going to live successfully on this planet, he needed to know certain key individuals. She poked the dormant, flat bean-sprout-like device and commanded, "Book appointments with that group. Arrange them starting from the nearest one outwards."

The little sprout immediately inflated, bounced once on her head, and seeing the look she gave it, scurried away to work before Ziye could move.

Ziye shot it a sidelong glance and continued issuing orders to her other robots. A120 was to check all flight ship functions and replenish energy; A110 was to update the database, listing which clients' mechas or ships needed routine maintenance or repair; R100 was to tidy up a room for An Junlie...

With the instructions given, she motioned for An Junlie to follow her, turning and exiting the living room. It was already nine in the evening. The Purple Zenith Star cast a somber, grayish-purple hue over the land, making objects a few meters away indistinct. An Junlie recalled seeing the Purple Zenith Star when he crashed and wondered: if he could fall through, it meant there was a spatial trajectory, so why couldn't the people of Silver Crest Star leave?

Noticing him staring blankly at the Purple Zenith Star, Ziye quickly pulled him toward the long corridor. The corridor was built beneath towering trees and topped with stone, connecting the living quarters to each individual building. Seeing his perplexed expression, Ziye explained as they walked, "It's best not to be outside after dark. If you must move around, stay within the corridor; otherwise, the Gamma Baseline radiation will drive you insane."

The corridor had been constructed to minimize human exposure to the Purple Zenith Star's light, making it, without question, the most characteristic architectural feature of Silver Crest Star.

An Junlie had heard previously that the Gamma Baseline could damage the nerves. He quickly moved toward the center of the corridor and asked, "If I absolutely must go out at night, what should I do?"

Ziye gave him a sidelong glance. "Have a robot handle it."

An Junlie instantly felt embarrassed by his foolish question and didn't dare speak again. Through the corridor, Ziye led him to the structure opposite the courtyard, pushed open the door, and switched on the light.

A wave of musty odor immediately assaulted them.

The room was large, fully furnished, with a half-meter-wide portrait centered on the wall. The walls on either side were covered with photographs of mechas, varying in size, yet each one sharp and menacing, like unsheathed swords, instilling a chill that made it difficult to look directly at them. Stranger still, the Federation’s most secretive, newest, and most magnificent mecha, the 'Flying Bird,' was prominently displayed among them!

In the blank space above the upper right corner of the photo, a few words were scrawled in red ink: Completed in 3022, Tangshan.

An Junlie’s eyes widened instantly.

The Star Federation’s mecha manufacturing level was unmatched anywhere in the galaxy, as it had gathered the most formidable mecha designers from nearly every planet, and Tangshan was the Chief among them.