SWNOVELXO Chapter 128: Strolling in the Summer Breeze
"When do you feel you're at your most beautiful?"
"After work, sitting quietly in the car."
...
With a beat slightly tainted by electromagnetic noise, songs from hundreds of years ago still remain classics. The simple exchange of greetings between the man and the woman feels like a familiar detail from life, commonplace yet irresistibly replay-worthy.
Outside the car window, the world changes between light and shadow under the fierce sunshine. It remains the same hot summer, the same familiar cicada cries, but the environment has changed.
[Z351 station has arrived, passengers please disembark orderly]
The car doors slide open, and the heat wave outside, accompanied by the subtle chirping of insects and birds, grazes her skin, prompting the young girl to lightly shield her forehead with her hand as she lightly steps down onto the platform.
Standing beneath the rust-stained station sign, Tilan looks up, the sky exceptionally blue here, the wind carrying a warm feeling.
[Sixth Era July 9, 1258, Rose Federation - Glance Starfield - G2-3719 (Shilan Land), 2:45:29 PM]
...
Upon stepping onto this planet, Tilan had thought it would be an ancient world filled with ruins and relics or perhaps a world isolated and sparsely populated. Yet, upon arriving, she found it was neither.
Shilan Land, allegedly named by imitating the pronunciation of an ancient word, means 'childhood' or 'past.' The style and architecture of its cities possess the air of ancient times, reminiscent of Earth's era before the Extraordinary Power.
"So, during that time, there were already tall buildings and structures like these on Earth, right?" Tilan, dressed in a white summer dress, asked the guide walking ahead of her, as she walked through the gentle summer breeze.
"That's right, actually during that time, Earth was also developing quite well, gradually emerging from ignorance into the electronic and informative era." The guide, wearing sunglasses, explained to Tilan as they walked.
"Our ancestors lived in such a world."
"Isn't it fascinating? Such an environment, seemingly not as distant from our current life as one might think."
"The world wide net, the ubiquitous rail transport, the roadside signs, the clean and tidy streets."
"Has the guide been outside?" the girl asked curiously.
"That's right. It's exactly because I've been outside, I know the differences, so I'm well-suited for this job. If it were some other young chap, they might not be able to clearly explain the distinctions immediately."
"Everyone hasn't paid much attention to the outside world for a long time." The guide uncle paused.
"Why not go out and have a look?" the girl asked again.
"It's the question almost every visitor asks, and I've given many answers before, but I suppose those outside find it hard to comprehend."
"A peaceful life doesn't have many surprises or curiosities, and everything currently is just fine, so there's no deliberate pursuit to experience the outside world you mention."
"Like me, despite traveling and seeing a big part of the outside, I ultimately chose to return here because everything familiar is here."
The gentle roadside breeze carried dust and sand, landing on the girl's ankles and feet. Though the cool sandals were particularly comfortable in summer, they nonetheless could not avoid the dust.
...
Walking slowly along the roadside, the view stretches across a sea of green grass dotted with yellow flowers. Some grasses even reach onto the road, giving the girl a slight tickle as she walks by.
The air is extraordinarily quiet, the bright sky, scarce birds, only the occasional sound of the wind swirling around, fluttering her long skirt beside her legs.
"Is this the power transmission line?" the girl curiously touched the cement pillar by the roadside.
"Yes, as you said, it's used for transmitting electricity, let's just call it a 'telephone pole.'" The uncle smiled.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because I called it by its real name."
...
"Miss Lan, are you attending high school?"
"No."
"Ah, I guessed wrong, it seems." The guide uncle rubbed his head.
"My daughter seems about the same height as you."
"Yes, I was also this tall in high school, just haven't grown taller since." The girl gently adjusted the sunhat on her head as she gazed into the vast flower sea, surrounded by desolation, like a colorful patch suddenly emerging from a field of wild grass.
"Do you come here often?"
"Yes, I generally bring every guest this way. It's something like my secret manual as a guide, haha."
"Alright, not joking, actually I loved playing here when I was a child. Now that I'm a guide, I want to introduce this place to others."
"If anyone finds joy, it makes me happy too."
"Oh, right, there's also a special spot for taking photos here, something I built with my own hands, would you like to see?" Saying this, the uncle stepped into the flowers up to his waist, proceeded step by step, parting the surrounding vegetation.
"Here it is." He turned around, revealing a simple wooden bench he had constructed behind him, with a wobbly horizontal beam, the platform just enough for one person to stand on.
"It's okay. When taking a photo, the bottom part will be covered by flowers and plants."
"Hmm." Tilan walked over and looked at the trapezoidal wooden bench, its height approximately level with her chest.
"If needed, I can help stabilize you." Seeing the girl pause, the uncle thought she might be afraid of heights.
"Shouldn't be hard." The girl took off her sunhat, gracefully stepped onto the slanted horizontal beam, already standing atop the bench before the uncle even realized.