Courtyard House: Primordial Chaos Pearl

Inside the ecological capsule in the underground cavern of the planet Gushen, the light from red LED lights shines through the glistening ice crystals, refracting into tiny spots of light that fall onto the lush green rice paddies. This is the first crop cultivation since the underground ecological capsule was built. Nourished by liquid water, the improved interstellar rice is growing far beyond expectations—the stalks are thick and the ears of rice are full, maturing a full ten days earlier than similar crops at the Mars base.

Wearing light overalls, He Yushui was using a portable testing device to measure the fullness of the rice ears, her face beaming with joy: "The weight of a thousand grains is 28 grams, which is 3 grams higher than that of high-quality rice varieties on Earth! The natural constant temperature environment of the cave (-5℃ to 10℃), combined with the temperature control system improved by the Chaos Pearl, perfectly meets the growth requirements of interstellar rice. Moreover, the liquid water is rich in trace minerals, which is equivalent to a natural nutrient solution."

Lin Xiangyang squatted by the edge of the field, holding a microscope and intently observing soil samples. Ever since discovering the liquid water in the cave, he had been paying close attention to the ecological environment here: "The bacterial activity of the hydroponic system is also very high, and the nitrogen fixation efficiency is 15% higher than that of the ground laboratory. However..." He suddenly frowned, "There are unidentified microorganisms under the microscope, which look like rod-shaped bacteria. There are not many of them, but they reproduce very quickly."

Yan Jiecheng leaned closer and peered into the microscope: "Could it be pollution from Earth? Our equipment has undergone rigorous sterilization."

"It's unlikely." He Yushui took the sample and put it into the portable analyzer. "The cell membrane structure of these microorganisms has obvious low-temperature adaptation characteristics. The cell wall contains special lipids that can withstand a low temperature of -10°C. They are more like native organisms of Asteroid Eclipse."

The analyzer quickly produced the results, and a line of data appeared on the screen: "Unknown microorganism, Gram-positive, capable of surviving in low-temperature and low-oxygen environments, preliminary tests show it has weak nitrogen-fixing ability and no obvious toxicity."

When Lin Dong received the message, he was holding a video conference with new members of the alliance. Brazil, India, and other countries had just joined the Global Interplanetary Agriculture Alliance, and the core of this meeting was to promote the "Asteroid Integrated Supply Standard"—including underground ecological cabin construction specifications, resource recycling parameters, and agricultural machinery operation protocols.

"These standards are based on the practical experience of Bennu and Asteroid and are universally applicable." Lin Dong pointed to the standard document on the screen. "But we have also retained flexible clauses. For example, tropical agricultural techniques from Brazil and water-saving irrigation experience from India can be incorporated into the standards to form a 'core uniformity + regional adaptation' model."

Brazilian representative Carlos nodded: "We are concerned about the high-temperature adaptability of interplanetary crops and hope to cooperate with the alliance to establish a tropical crop test chamber on Asteroid A.E.

Indian representative Rajiv added, "India's drip irrigation technology can optimize water resource utilization in interplanetary agriculture, and we are willing to share relevant data."

Halfway through the meeting, He Yushui delivered an urgent message: "Native microorganisms on the planet Gushen have been discovered. They have nitrogen-fixing capabilities, are non-toxic, and may have a positive impact on the ecosystem."

Lin Dong immediately paused the meeting and shared the microbial testing report with everyone: "This is the first time that humans have discovered native microorganisms with functional value in the asteroid belt. It can not only enrich our ecological closed loop, but may also provide new technological directions for interplanetary agriculture."

Carlos's eyes lit up: "If we can cultivate this microorganism and combine it with Brazilian tropical crops, we might be able to build an agricultural capsule on a high-temperature asteroid."

Rajiv also stated, "We can provide microbial application solutions for water-saving irrigation, taking water resource utilization efficiency to the next level."

The meeting reached a new consensus: the alliance will establish the "Interstellar Microbial Research Group," with He Yushui as the group leader, to integrate the technical strengths of various countries and conduct in-depth research on the native microorganisms of Gushen; at the same time, an "International Interstellar Crop Experiment Zone" will be built next to the underground ecological cabin of Gushen to accommodate the characteristic crops and agricultural technologies of various countries and jointly enrich the diversity of interstellar agriculture.

After the video conference ended, Lin Dong dialed the video call from the courtyard house. On the screen, Yi Zhonghai, Liu Haizhong, and Yan Bugui were sitting around a table with freshly steamed buns on it and a copy of "Interstellar Agricultural Science Popularization Illustrated Guide" next to them.

"Lin Dong, I heard you guys discovered new microorganisms on Planet Gushen?" Yi Zhonghai's voice was filled with curiosity. "Can that stuff be used as fertilizer?"

"That's roughly the idea, Grandpa Yi." Lin Dong explained with a smile, "These microorganisms can help crops fix nutrients, making them grow better and reducing the need for nutrient solutions."

Liu Haizhong gave a thumbs up: "You guys are amazing! Not only can you grow crops in space, but you can also discover new things. I'm even tempted to write 'Treasures Hidden in Space' in my calligraphy!"

Yan Bugui's science museum was packed with children. Pointing to pictures of microorganisms on the wall, he loudly introduced, "These are 'space fertilizer bacteria' from the planet Asteroids, which can make crops grow quickly and well even in places without Earth soil!"

After hanging up the phone, Lin Dong turned and walked towards the underground ecological cabin. At this time, Lin Xiangyang had already established a microbial monitoring module in the lighthouse system. The screen displayed the distribution, quantity, and activity of microorganisms in real time: "I used the Chaos Bead to deduce the growth curve of microorganisms and found that they reproduce the fastest at the interface between liquid water and soil, and can form a symbiotic relationship with the nitrogen-fixing bacteria we brought, which is mutually beneficial."

Yan Jiecheng is directing workers to build a microbial culture chamber: "We have built a biosafety level 3 laboratory in accordance with the alliance's standards, which can not only ensure that microorganisms are not leaked, but also provide a safe experimental environment for researchers from all countries."

He Yushui is developing a research plan: "The first step is to expand the culture and analyze the metabolites of the microorganisms; the second step is to verify its application effects on different crops; the third step is to optimize it through gene editing to enhance its nitrogen fixation capacity and environmental adaptability."

Three months later, the underground ecological capsule on Gushenxing yielded its first harvest.

As the robotic arm harvested the first golden ears of rice, a faint fragrance of rice filled the entire cave. The soil, improved by microorganisms, allowed the interstellar rice to achieve a yield exceeding 500 kilograms per mu (approximately 0.16 acres), setting a new record for interstellar agriculture. Even more excitingly, the optimized microorganisms in the cultivation chamber were successfully applied to vegetable cultivation, shortening the growth cycle of lettuce and tomatoes by 15% and increasing vitamin content by 20%.

New members of the alliance also reported good news: tropical corn from Brazil successfully germinated in the experimental chamber, and water-saving irrigation technology from India, combined with microorganisms, increased water resource utilization by another 10%. Carlos excitedly said in a video, "Asteroid has become the alliance's 'interstellar agricultural testing ground,' and these achievements will benefit all members."

Rajiv added, "We plan to establish small supply stations on the moon, directly applying the microorganisms and water-saving technologies from Osmo to enable lunar agriculture to become self-sufficient."

That evening, a simple harvest celebration was held in the underground ecological capsule of Gushenxing. Everyone sat around the harvested rice paddies, sharing rice cooked from the newly harvested rice. The rice had a faint mineral aroma and a soft, sweet taste.

Holding a bowl of rice, Lin Xiangyang looked at the ice crystals on the ceiling of the cave and suddenly said, "Dad, do you think there might be more 'surprises' like this in the universe? For example, microorganisms on other planets that could help us grow crops in more extreme environments?"

Lin Dong patted his head: "We definitely will. The universe is so vast, there are always mysteries we haven't discovered yet. But the most important thing is not to discover the mysteries, but to learn to coexist with them and use them to help humanity go further."

Yan Jiecheng took a sip of wine and said with a smile, "Back in the old days in the courtyard house, who would have thought we'd be eating rice in the underground caves of an asteroid? Now, not only can we eat it, but we can also study new microorganisms and set international standards."

Looking out at the starry sky, He Yushui said softly, "This is the meaning of exploration—moving from the known to the unknown, from loneliness to cooperation, from survival to prosperity."

At this moment, Lin Xiangyang wrote a new log on the screen of the lighthouse system:

"The fragrance of rice on the planet Gushen comes from the resilience of interstellar rice; the miracles of microorganisms originate from the gifts of the universe; the power of the alliance lies in collaborative exploration. Every planet holds the potential for life; every collaboration can illuminate a more distant cosmos."

Lin Dong looked at those words with absolute certainty. The story of Gu Shen Star was just one chapter in humanity's exploration of interstellar agriculture. In the future, they would encounter many more unknown challenges and surprises, more countries would join the alliance, and hope would be sown on even more distant planets.

And this red star that rose from the courtyard house will eventually carry the friendship of the alliance, the spirit of science, and the courage of exploration, writing an immortal legend of harmonious coexistence between mankind and nature in the vast universe.