This recruitment drive brought in sixty people.

It wasn’t that only sixty people applied, but that only sixty met the criteria.

They turned the others away.

These sixty people were all young, with the oldest being no more than forty.

"Boss, I have a younger sister. She’s only eleven or twelve. Can I bring her to Caeluna with me?"

At that moment, the girl named Seven Locke looked at Stella Sterling with some hesitation, but still managed to speak up.

Besides her, a few others made similar requests.

Stella Sterling’s gaze swept over them.

After a moment of thought, she said, "I don’t support freeloaders in my territory."

Hearing this, a trace of disappointment flashed in their eyes.

But in the next moment, they heard Stella Sterling continue, "Everyone contributes according to their ability. Since you are my people in Caeluna, if your family members are willing to do whatever they can, I’m willing to give them a meal. But I hope you understand I’m doing this for your sake. Therefore, I expect you to show me your value."

"Furthermore, in Caeluna, as long as you are capable, you won’t just get to eat—you’ll live well. Likewise, if your family members are capable, they can also be given important roles."

Their eyes lit up. The few who had asked to bring their families to Caeluna were just short of kneeling down to thank Stella Sterling.

She stopped them, but they kept thanking her profusely. The others, who were alone and had no family, also looked at Stella Sterling with gratitude.

’They felt even more fortunate to have joined Caeluna. From the looks of it, Caeluna seemed quite humane. This was the kind of organization they could feel secure in following.’

After saying this, Stella Sterling didn’t elaborate further.

She turned to Stephen Lawrence and said, "I’m leaving the two of you in charge of taking everyone to Caeluna. Wait here for them to bring their families back, then head there together. I have something to attend to, so I’m leaving first!"

Stephen Lawrence nodded, then he and Shane Lawrence offered the machine guns in their hands to Stella Sterling.

Stella Sterling didn’t take them. "You keep these. After all, you’re founding members of Caeluna."

Both men looked ecstatic. Stephen Lawrence was composed, but Shane Lawrence was overcome with emotion.

’Even though he had joined Caeluna before these new recruits, it was only by ten or twenty days.’

’Sterling dared to entrust him with something like a gun!’

’Even if there were no bullets, just having it was a powerful deterrent.’

The thought that Sterling trusted him so much made it difficult for Shane Lawrence to calm down. He looked at Stella Sterling with even greater admiration.

His chest heaved. It seemed like he had a million things to say, but in the end, he didn’t know what to say. He could only nod solemnly. "Don’t worry, Sterling. I will definitely protect our Caeluna."

’Sterling trusted him so much. When he had nowhere else to go, she gave him a sanctuary. Now, she was giving him something this important, without any fear that he might use it to harm her.’

’He felt at ease following someone like her. No matter what, he would never betray this trust.’

The onlookers’ hearts swelled with emotion as they watched. Someone even shouted out loud, "The Boss is so generous!"

’Although they weren’t the ones getting the guns now, the Boss’s action undoubtedly gave them confidence. If they worked hard in the future, wouldn’t they also have a chance to be entrusted with such responsibility?’

Looking at the sincere and passionate young man before her, Stella Sterling smiled.

Her eyes showed approval, but also held a deeper expression they couldn’t comprehend. She patted Shane Lawrence’s shoulder, a silent encouragement for what he had just said.

Finally, she called Stephen Lawrence aside and said in a low voice, "Keep a close eye on him from now on."

’Stephen Lawrence was her man; he had already taken the Loyal Servant Pill, so she trusted him completely. But the same could not be said for Shane Lawrence.’

Stephen Lawrence was taken aback. ’The Master had said something similar to me on the very first day Shane Lawrence joined Caeluna.’

’But today, the Master had given the gun to Shane Lawrence. He’d thought it meant she had finally come to trust him.’

’Apparently, that wasn’t the case.’

He nodded.

After giving him a few more instructions, Stella Sterling walked to the nearby water’s edge and left in the speedboat parked there.

「Mount Caeluna.」

This place wasn’t originally called Mount Caeluna. Stella Sterling didn’t know if the mountain had a name before.

But after Shane Lawrence joined that day, her faction was officially established. She named the faction Caeluna and this mountain Mount Caeluna.

Upon returning, she entered her room, locked the bedroom door, and then went inside her space.

The last time, after Stephen Lawrence gave Stella Sterling the piece of jade he had gotten from Marcus Sterling, she had tossed it into the space’s exchange area that very night.

She could feel the space fluctuating wildly.

But after several days, there were no major changes, though the fluctuations persisted.

Similar situations had occurred before, but the disturbance had never been this significant.

Stella Sterling already had a faint premonition.

Just a short while ago, she had finally felt the fluctuations in the space calm down. That was why she had been in such a hurry to return and enter the space to check on the situation.

Standing inside the space and seeing everything within it, Stella Sterling was in a bit of a daze.

The space had undergone a world-altering transformation. Besides the few sections that were already there, the entire area had expanded significantly.

It now had mountains and water, and these mountains and water were real, not just illusions like before.

Looking up at the sky, she could even see blue skies and white clouds.

It was just like the scenery from before the apocalypse.

Inside the space, she could even feel a gentle breeze and the sensation of breathing in fresh air.

Aside from her previous planting and storage areas, the other side had become like a real world, filled with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

A thought suddenly occurred to Stella Sterling: she felt the space should now be able to support living creatures.

It was a pity she didn’t have any live animals here. Otherwise, she could have caught one to bring in and test it.

’Looks like I’ll have to keep an eye out for one the next time I go out.’

Furthermore, from the moment she entered the space, she felt her hearing and sense of smell had become much sharper, and her body felt much stronger than before.

Although it wasn’t confirmed, she just had this feeling, and it was very strong.

She glanced toward the landscape of mountains and water, planning to check later to see what was different about them.

Then, she walked toward the small hut next to the exchange area.

This hut, too, was much larger than before.