I Transmigrated Into the Number One Darling Tree in the Interstellar Era - Chapter 7

If the water lilies could make sounds, the noise right now would be deafening.

Lin Yu was instantly flooded with waves of thankful and well-wishing messages. The plants’ enthusiasm far exceeded his wildest imagination. He scratched his head, a little embarrassed. “No need to be so polite. I just played two songs, that’s all.”

The audience watching on their screens nearly died laughing.

“Correction: the second one was a song. The first one can only be called ear-splitting noise…”

“Shut up! Leave some dignity for the kid, ha ha ha!”

“Little Magnolia says it’s a song, so it’s a song. No arguing!”

Some fans, risking their ears from the ear-splitting noise, went back and watched the program again. They isolated the part where Lin Yu was wildly playing, adjusted the audio, and reworked it into a proper song. They released it on Star Net along with the good song, crediting both to “Little Magnolia.”

When Lin Yu found out about this, he named the two songs:

The first one he called “Little Magnolia and Little Petals.” He had just closed his eyes and played, but his fans had written the soul of the song, so he put his fan name “Little Petals” first.

The second one he called “Song of the Jungle.” Lin Yu changed the credit from himself to “The Plants of the Jungle.” This was the song the plants sang to celebrate his blooming, and he would always remember it.

That’s a story for later.

For now, Lin Yu needed to cross the river.

The water lilies were difficult to communicate with during their insomnia-induced frenzy, but after recovering their health, they became remarkably gentle and understanding. Without Lin Yu even needing to ask, they had already pushed a massive lotus leaf to the shore for him to ride.

Surrounded by the water lilies, Lin Yu settled onto the lotus leaf and drifted slowly toward the opposite bank.

Lin Yu glanced back.

“Little Magnolia is looking back.”

“Oh wow, it seems to be in the direction the White Lion left earlier.”

“Did he regret tricking her?”

“So tragic, so tragic! They’re heading in opposite directions, growing further apart with each step. At the end of that path, the White Lion will never find Little Magnolia…”

“BE aesthetics lover here! Help me up, I need another hit!”

The end of the universe is shipping pairings, and the audience was full of people who loved to ship unlikely pairings. Lin Yu’s previous interactions with the White Lion had already been captured in numerous screenshots on Star Net, each one so beautiful it could have been used as a wallpaper.

Though the audience wasn’t quite obsessed enough to go to extremes, Lin Yu’s backward glance stirred excitement among the pairing fans.

Lin Yu was indeed looking at the White Lion.

But as someone who studied plants, he didn’t have any complicated feelings. Besides, he had no idea the White Lion was actually a beast in disguise; he simply saw it as a clever, fluffy creature.

He suddenly sat down on the cool lotus leaf, his bottom getting a chilly shock. Instinctively, he missed the warm, soft fur of the big lion.

He regretted it a little.

If he had brought the lion along on the lotus leaf boat and leaned against it, he wouldn’t have gotten so cold.

White Magnolia was very sensitive to the cold!

Fortunately, the river wasn’t wide, and they reached the other side quickly.

Lin Yu jumped off the lotus-leaf boat, waved goodbye to the water lilies, and walked off, rubbing his icy bottom.

The Ladybug Camera, which had been waiting for a long time, saw Lin Yu successfully cross the river. It fluttered its wings and flew off, continuing to lead the way ahead. The Demonic Vine also emerged from the riverbed, shook off the mud, and obediently followed behind.

The soil on the other side of the river was relatively drier, with noticeably less moss covering the ground. The types of plants also changed, dominated by shrubbery and tree forests.

As Lin Yu walked, he identified the plants. For those he couldn’t name, he used the Plant Encyclopedia System to take photos and save them. Some looked similar to Earth species but were much larger, showing signs of mutation.

“This probably isn’t edible anymore…” Lin Yu muttered.

Playing that tune earlier had drained most of his mental energy, and now his stomach was growling hungrily as he desperately searched for something to eat.

The jungle was densely vegetated, but the variety of Earth species was limited. Combined with his uncertainty about whether the fruits of the massive mutated plants were safe to eat, his food options were severely limited.

He could always change back into a tree and absorb nutrients from the soil, but out of human habit, Lin Yu still wanted to satisfy his hunger. Changing into a tree was a last resort to be used only when he couldn’t find anything to eat.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a water-drop-shaped leaf with clear veins peeking out from the bushes.

It was a sweet potato leaf.

In both size and shape, it was identical to sweet potato leaves on Earth.

Food! Lin Yu’s eyes lit up, and he strode over.

Unfortunately, before he could get close, the leaf vanished with a whoosh, leaving no trace of the sweet potato.

Lin Yu stared in confusion. “Where did it go?”

The viewers watching this scene were beside themselves with worry. “Run! Little Magnolia, don’t get yourself killed! That’s a Sawtooth Monster seedling! If it catches your eye, you’re done for!”

This reaction was especially strong among viewers who had watched previous seasons of the show.

In the last season, the Demonic Sweet Potato had left a deep impression on everyone.

Before then, the Demonic Sweet Potato hadn’t been known by the terrifying name “Sawtooth Monster.” Because its most distinctive feature was its incredible speed, not a single high-quality photo of the creature existed anywhere in the interstellar community before the previous season.

So far, the only high-quality photo of the Demonic Sweet Potato was obtained by Lizard, a contestant from the previous season, at the cost of his tail.

No one saw how the Demonic Sweet Potato approached Lizard. They only saw the potato split open, revealing densely packed sawtooth edges and its astonishing biting force. Had it bitten just half an inch higher, Lizard would have permanently lost the ability to regenerate his tail.

The footage was too gory, so when the show aired later, this part was censored with mosaics, and the image was even harmonized by Star Net.

From then on, the Demonic Sweet Potato earned the fearsome nickname “Sawtooth Monster.”

“I heard the Sawtooth Monster’s fruit is delicious. To deter poachers, anyone who approaches them gets killed.”

“And the Sawtooth Monster holds grudges like nothing else. Lizard made it into the top ten last season, but he doesn’t dare enter this year…”

“…Um, am I the only one who wants to know how delicious the Sawtooth Monster’s fruit really is?”

“OP, you’re not alone! Want to eat +1”

Lin Yu wanted to eat it too.

A plump sweet potato is sweet and fragrant, oozing honey when roasted. Who doesn’t love that?

Too bad this one can run away. It’s probably mutated, so it’s not safe to eat…

If it’s not safe to eat, then that’s that.

Lin Yu didn’t think much about it and continued walking forward, hoping to find food ahead.

No sooner had he taken a step than a bright green sweet potato leaf poked out from the bushes behind him.

The leaf swiveled around like a little periscope, its pointed tip locking onto Lin Yu’s retreating figure. Then, with a whoosh, it slipped back into the soil, leaving a small mound of dirt that quickly began to undulate and follow him.

Oh no, oh no! I’ve been spotted by the Sawtooth Monster!

Will Little Magnolia be scared to tears?

She wouldn’t be.

If Lin Yu knew the sweet potato was delivering itself to his doorstep, he’d be so happy he couldn’t close his mouth, tears of joy streaming down his face.

He grew hungrier and hungrier, and the hunger made him weaker and weaker.

Just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, a clamor erupted nearby. It was chaotic hoofbeats, roars, and whinnies.

Sounds like a whole bunch of animals are fighting.

Lin Yu had no intention of running over to check it out. Too risky.

Judging by the sounds of the battle, it definitely wasn’t small animals. He couldn’t tell if there were any fierce beasts involved. The White Lion had been friendly to him, but that didn’t mean all wild animals wouldn’t bite him. For all he knew, there might even be alien beasts he’d never seen before…

Lin Yu was looking for a safe place to turn into a tree and rest, but the mechanical ladybug, which had been flying slowly all along, showed no sign of stopping. As if it had found a happy home, it buzzed its wings and flew toward the source of the sound.

“Hey, don’t go—!”

Damn ladybug!

It wouldn’t even listen when I yelled…

He was counting on the Ladybug Camera to lead the way. If the little ladybug got killed in the animal melee, he’d never get out of the jungle!

Lin Yu had no choice but to curse and chase after it.

“Finally—”

Director B Team was itching to pop a bottle of champagne. “Little Magnolia is finally about to reunite with the main group of contestants!”

“As long as she doesn’t get separated, at least she’ll be much safer, and it’ll be easier for us to protect her.”

The young man looked so delicate, the production team hadn’t expected him to place high in the competition. But he was currently the fan favorite, and they couldn’t afford to have him eliminated too early for the sake of ratings. Secret protection was necessary.

After discovering that the young man had caught the attention of a Sawtooth Monster, the production team took it seriously and formed Director B Team specifically to ensure Little Magnolia’s safety while she was in tree form.

But just as B Team was celebrating, an urgent message came from Director A Team: “The main group is under attack by the Demonic Berry Forest! Stop Little Magnolia from getting any closer!”

Ah, this…

There’s no time!

Lin Yu was getting closer to the source of the sound. He saw the ladybug stop in the shrubbery ahead, flying erratically in a figure-eight pattern like a headless fly.

…Is it broken?

Lin Yu was about to step forward when suddenly the shrubbery shook violently.

In the blink of an eye, a blood-soaked gazelle burst out with a whoosh, nearly trampling him.

The vine reacted swiftly, whipping out its tendril to intercept the gazelle. The animal tripped and narrowly avoided hitting Lin Yu.

A few drops of blood splattered onto the young man’s pale cheek.

Several large herbivores followed the gazelle, leaping out of the shrubbery: wild boars, elk, wildebeest, and even a giraffe. Their bodies were splattered with blood, as if they had just escaped a fierce battle.

The Beastman athletes saw the vine and their eyes widened in terror.

“Aaaaah! Killer Demonic Vine!”

They immediately turned tail and fled, their hooves pounding against the ground.

They left behind a… jammy wind.

Lin Yu: “……?”

He dipped a finger into the “blood” on his cheek, tasted it, and said, “Sweet.”

Lin Yu smacked his lips, his tongue licking the corner of his mouth. “Juice?”

The substance on the animals wasn’t blood at all, but sweet, fragrant berry juice.

No longer afraid, Lin Yu curiously followed the path trampled through the bushes by the animals. As expected, he found himself in a dense berry forest, its crimson fruits dangling from the canopy, looking utterly delicious.

Below the trees, animals hopped and frolicked, happily drenched in the drizzle of berries.

Like the ones that had fled earlier, these creatures were also splattered with bright red juice.

Lin Yu: “Is the jungle hosting a berry party?”

Who knew such a good thing existed?

Meanwhile, the Beastman contestants, who had been desperately dodging berry attacks, cried out: “Help…”

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