400: Blue Star 2

"You can rest assured!"

Liu Zhi immediately stood up straight, his tone resolute.

"The technical team arrived at Mars three days in advance to debug the equipment, the transport starship is already on standby in its designated orbit, and all Staff members are at their posts, ready to initiate the placement procedure at any time."

"That's good."

Li Yang nodded and turned to instruct Pal, who was behind him.

"Pal, notify the Hope Merchant Guild's starship to enter the designated orbit according to the coordinate parameters and begin the planetary release procedure."

"Understood, Captain Li Yang."

Pal saluted and turned to issue the command to the communication device.

The Hope Merchant Guild starship in the distance immediately lit up its thrusters with a blue glow, slowly moving towards the designated airspace.

The atmosphere within the spaceport instantly became tense and orderly, with every link operating with precision.

The starship's hull gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster under the starlight. With a soft 'hiss', the hatch on its underside opened to both sides, revealing two objects suspended within: a 'glass sphere' containing a planet, and a half-human-tall silver instrument covered in complex energy patterns.

Mechanical arms precisely transferred both to the starry sky. The starship fleet then activated its thrusters, slowly retreating like a tide, leaving ample space at a safe distance for the impending 'miracle'.

"Attention, deactivate safety mode."

The Captain's voice came through the encrypted channel, steady and powerful.

"Safety mode deactivated."

"Deactivate planet lock procedure."

"Lock deactivated, energy circuits clear."

"Release planet!"

The moment the final command fell, the 'glass sphere' suspended in the void suddenly vibrated violently. Its surface glowed and dimmed like breathing, then began to spin wildly, so fast it almost became a streak of light.

"Whoosh—!"

After a soft sound that seemed to tear through space, the streak of light suddenly exploded! The fist-sized sphere expanded billions of times in the blink of an eye, and a planet covered with a blue ocean and verdant land dramatically appeared in the starry sky. Its massive size was almost comparable to Blue Star, and even swirling white clouds could be seen slowly moving across its surface.

Even more striking, the planet was enveloped by a nearly transparent energy membrane, gently rippling like a thin veil.

This membrane, seemingly fragile, was in fact the product of precise calculation—it not only resisted impacts from interstellar dust but also neutralized the gravitational ripples generated by the planet's sudden appearance, preventing disturbance to the Solar System's original orbital balance.

Those watching from afar held their breath, observing this newborn planet slowly stabilize under the protection of the energy membrane, forming a delicate gravitational balance with the surrounding celestial bodies.

In the formerly empty orbit, a planet carrying countless hopes thus appeared out of thin air, silently proclaiming the miraculous creation of an interstellar civilization.

In the Space Station's circular observation deck, tourists who had been scattered about were now gathered at the portholes, their figures densely packed together, with exclamations and discussions rising and falling.

"Look! What is that?"

Someone pointed at the celestial body that had suddenly appeared outside the porthole, their finger trembling slightly from excitement.

In the formerly empty orbit, a planet wrapped in a pale blue aura was slowly unfolding, the outlines of land and ocean gradually becoming clear under the starlight, drawing gasps from the crowd.

"How did a planet suddenly appear here?"

The person next to him frowned and checked his optical computer; the interstellar navigation map clearly did not show this celestial body.

"Haven't you seen the latest announcement?"

A tourist wearing a travel hat shook the terminal on his wrist; a joint announcement from Blue Star and Mars management departments popped up on the light screen.

"It says that cross-planet tourism has surged recently, and Blue Star and Mars are almost too crowded. This is a newly developed habitable planet, specifically for diverting the population."

"So that's it!"

The person who had been puzzled earlier suddenly understood, leaning closer to the porthole to examine it carefully.

"The environment looks good, but I wonder when the buildings on it will be completed. Yesterday, I went to Blue Star's hoverport and had to queue for two hours; there really are too many people."

The discussions in the observation deck grew livelier. Some were already planning to be among the first to visit the new planet once it opened, while others debated whether the new planet's climate was suitable for holidays. Even the Staff members of the Space Station couldn't help but lean in to listen, their faces showing a hint of curiosity.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Liu Zhi was giving solemn orders into his communicator.

"First construction echelon prepare for landing, prioritize building temporary energy stations and transit hubs; second echelon is responsible for debugging the atmospheric stabilization device, ensure basic building facilities are completed within seventy-two hours!"

Neat responses came from the other end of the communicator, and dozens of engineering starships marked with the "Interstellar Construction" logo shot off like arrows, trailing white exhaust flames towards the new planet.

Clearly, they intended to build a residential area on this brand new land at the fastest possible speed.

Outside the porthole, the new planet's clouds gradually dispersed, revealing a flat expanse of land, as if quietly awaiting the arrival of pioneers.

"Captain Li Yang, what should we name this planet?"

Liu Zhi quickly walked to Li Yang's side, his gaze fixed on the new planet that had just stabilized its orbit outside the porthole, his tone somewhat inquisitive.

Li Yang tapped his fingertip lightly on the edge of the control panel, his gaze falling on the vast blue ocean on the planet's surface, similar to Blue Star. After a moment of contemplation, he said,

"Let's call it Blue Star Two. It's simple and easy to remember. Who knows, if expansion goes smoothly in the future, there might even be a Three and Four."

Liu Zhi nodded repeatedly at his words.

"That's a good name. It's both intuitive and immediately brings to mind the mother planet, making it easily accepted by the public."

With that, he immediately pulled up the communication interface and issued a solemn command to the management department's channel.

"Notify all units, the new planet is named 'Blue Star Two'. Issue the announcement immediately and synchronize the interstellar navigation map update."

Li Yang turned to look at Liu Zhi.

"Regarding the management personnel for Blue Star Two, you can arrange to transfer Staff members from your team."

After all, this planet was different from Blue Star and Mars. Blue Star was territory rewarded to Li Yang after the empire occupied it, and Mars was purchased by Anno from official channels. Both could be equipped with officials from the administrative hierarchy according to regulations.

However, Blue Star Two was bought directly from the merchant guild, following unofficial procedures, so administrative-level positions could not be activated.

Liu Zhi immediately understood.

"Understood, you can rest assured. I will select reliable individuals from our own team, those familiar with infrastructure planning and civilian management, to set up a temporary management framework. Once subsequent procedures are streamlined, we will gradually perfect the system."

Li Yang nodded in approval.

"Mm, prioritize those who have worked practically at the grassroots level on Blue Star, who have ample experience and can quickly get started. In the initial stage, there's no need for a complex structure. First, focus on energy, transportation, and security, so that the first batch of people who relocate can settle down safely."