Perhaps it was because the news anchor’s voice was overly excited, but Yu Lian and Feifei couldn’t help but be drawn to it. On the screen, a well-dressed male reporter was broadcasting.
Behind him, outside the dome, was the background of a giant deep blue ice giant, likely on a space city in Neptune’s orbit, which meant it was at the edge of the Solar System.
There were quite a few onlookers behind him, many of whom were dressed like fan club members, holding various posters and self-made support boards, holding their breath with solemn faces, as if waiting for their deity to descend.
At this moment, the space they were facing suddenly rippled, and a faint image gradually emerged from within.
“They’re here, they’re here, they’re here!” the reporter shouted, “Our fairy, our pride, our national songstress, Miss Serena Mao, is about to return home! This is the Stardust Spirit cruise ship she is on! We…”
The reporter’s voice was indeed overly excited; it felt like he could immediately shed his suit, put on a support uniform, and jump into the fan club to wave glow sticks without any sense of incongruity.
However, the next moment, the electromagnetic fluctuations in space rippled like seawater, and a Pure white space giant beast surged out from within.
That “giant beast,” well, it was actually only about three to four hundred meters long, which would certainly be a giant beast on the surface, but it was truly nothing in space.
Its exterior was incredibly smooth, presenting a lustrous, Pure white, as if coated with a layer of Pure white film.
Its body was overall streamlined with a sense of speed, but its head was very large, round and Rolling, plus a pair of Pure and innocent obsidian-like eyes, making it very cute.
However, its tail was not a fish tail, but rather dragged twelve colorful feathers like a phoenix, instantly adding a touch of grandeur and solemnity.
The giant beast suddenly lunged towards the nearby space city, as if it were about to crash into the dome.
A few people shrieked, but many more cheered loudly.
Even those who had just shrieked were merely reacting instinctively, showing no fear or panic whatsoever.
Sure enough, just as the giant beast was about to hit the dome, it suddenly braked sharply.
Then, swaying its body, it turned its round and Rolling head towards everyone inside the dome and gently bumped it with its forehead.
It had no mouth, but this action appeared endearing and quite charming.
“Snowflake!” the fans applauded and cheered loudly, as if welcoming a little girl next door.
The reporter seemed a little embarrassed, but quickly adjusted his mood and shouted, “Ah! Look, look, this is our Snowflake! The pride of the Blue Star Commonwealth!”
“Not pride, but a beloved mascot!” Yu Lian looked at the space giant beast, which was about the size of a regular destroyer; though a giant beast, it was like a cheerful and cute child, and a smile involuntarily appeared on his face, but a touch of sadness in his heart.
This was a legendary Mil Yang Whale, also known as a Qiong Whale, one of the rare beasts in the galaxy capable of traversing space with its physical body and performing superluminal travel.
This white Qiong Whale was still young.
More than forty years ago, when he first became a member of the Commonwealth, he was only a few dozen meters long, but now he already possessed a massive body over 300 meters long.
Yet, even so, he was still just a child among Qiong Whales.
He was one of the sources of happiness for the people of the Commonwealth.
All citizens regarded him as a mascot, and even their own child.
Yu Lian had also seen him in his previous life.
At that time, he could already be called ‘It’, possessing a majestic body thousands of meters long, having awakened almost all Phantom Beast talents, and capable of physically confronting battlecruisers and even Dreadnoughts.
The Commonwealth raised It, and It stood with the Commonwealth.
Then…
Yu Lian fell into memories of the future, while the excited reporter continued, “As everyone knows, Snowflake went with Miss Serena to participate in the Suspension Arm concert.
Her return naturally means that our fairy is about to…”
“She’s back!” the fans echoed loudly.
After a brief spatial tremor, a sleek, medium-sized cruise ship slowly warped out of the hyperspace channel.
On one side of the cruise ship, a magnificent fairy emblem was marked; on the other side, there was a logo of a nebula surrounded by light—that was the symbol of the Universe Group, the largest entertainment giant in the All-Galaxy.
And “Stardust Spirit,” the Commonwealth’s most popular young singer, Serena Mao, was a contracted artist of this conglomerate’s brokerage department.
Snowflake darted over, circling the cruise ship happily before accompanying the ship forward.
“Serena!” “Serena!” “Serena!” The fan club’s welcoming party held up posters of their goddess, watching the ship carrying their goddess gradually accelerate and sail towards Earth.
At this moment, a clip of a young girl singing appeared on the screen, and the voiceover continued with the introduction.
“Serena Mao is the first singer from the Commonwealth to enter the top ten of the Galaxy Golden Hits Chart, and this Suspension Arm tour concert achieved…”
Yu Lian remained oblivious, continuing to stare blankly until Feifei on the opposite side drew out her voice: “Yu’er~~~~~”
Yu Lian shivered, quickly turned his head, and saw Feifei’s smiling face.
“Is she very beautiful? Yu’er was completely mesmerized just now.”
To say “not beautiful” at this moment would definitely be the answer of an inexperienced young virgin, how could Yu Lian make such a mistake?
So he said with a sincere expression, “Well, honestly, she’s quite beautiful.”
“Is she beautiful or am I beautiful?”
Even with Yu Lian’s emotional intelligence, it was impossible to answer such an easy question incorrectly, so he continued earnestly, “She’s beautiful after who knows how many hours of makeup.
Besides, in terms of temperament, I think she’s more like a beautifully packaged doll, far inferior to you.”
“Heh heh, Serena Mao is famously known for not liking makeup; except for going on stage, she’s almost always barefaced.”
“Hmm? Is that so?” Yu Lian started to play dumb.
Feifei thought for a moment, then lowered her voice and said with a giggle, “She’s also rumored to be having an affair with President Knockham recently.”
Yu Lian was genuinely surprised this time: “If something like that gets out, it’s definitely going to cause a huge stir!
But I really haven’t heard anything about it.”
“Heh heh, I was also a student council president for three years, big or small, so I have my own intelligence channels.” She chuckled, then restrained her smile and used a pair of metal chopsticks to poke the hotpot.
“So, knowing she likes to go barefaced, is she beautiful or am I beautiful?”
“Of course you’re still more beautiful, Feifei is the most beautiful in my heart.
What Stardust Spirit, what Dawn Dragon Girl, they’re all trash!” Yu Lian said loudly.
Indeed, the reason classic answers are cliché is because, in most cases, that’s the only way you can answer.
Feifei looked at Yu Lian with a half-smile, neither expressing dissatisfaction nor satisfaction, until Yu Lian began to feel a little restless, then she picked up a plate of beef and began to put it into the boiling hotpot: “Let’s eat.”
It must be admitted, this beef hotpot was very delicious.
Yu Lian had no thought of not eating too much at noon to save room for the big dinner at night.
Young people should eat and drink heartily; once they pass thirty and become couch potatoes, they have to be mindful of high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol even when indulging.
After dinner, the two carried large and small bags and boarded the train before it departed.
Calling it a train, it was actually a type of rail transit technology that Yu Lian found difficult to explain.
The track was a transparent light rail, and the train would travel on it at supersonic speeds without causing terrible noise pollution to residents living near the tracks or the natural environment.
The fare for this intercity rail was not expensive, and Yu Lian and Feifei could even ride for free with their student IDs, making it the most important mode of transportation for the Commonwealth public.
From Pearl City by the sea to Jin City inland, the entire journey was nearly 2,000 kilometers.
In Yu Lian’s previous life’s hometown, even taking a plane would take three or four hours—including various airport procedures and waiting—but now it only took two hours, which also included stopping time at intermediate stations.
By the time Yu Lian and Feifei finally arrived at their hometown where they grew up together, a pedestrian street called Fu Street in the center of Jin City’s old town, it was almost five in the afternoon.
Jin City was now divided into the new and old urban areas.
The new urban area in the south had a very futuristic feel, but because it was an inland city and not very prosperous, it certainly didn’t have the cyberpunk atmosphere of Pearl City and Guanghan City on the moon.
This was also where most of the city’s residents lived.
As for the old urban area in the north, it was said that no large-scale urban reconstruction had been carried out since the era of “Heavenly Beings’ Descent” (i.e., when the Alliance and Empire’s scientific research teams arrived on Earth).
Even if houses were too old and needed repair or even renovation, efforts would be made to preserve their original appearance, at least ensuring consistency with the surrounding architectural style.
As a result, after such a long time, the old urban area of Jin City still maintained its ancient and traditional charm.
The bluestone streets, the small stone lions at the entrance of every household, the shrines or archways at street corners, and the courtyards filled with floral scents all seemed to belong to a different era.
Children ran and played in the streets, followed by barking puppies and some other alien pets.
Walking here, one might momentarily believe they had returned to an ancient Chinese waterside town, with small bridges over flowing water, and black-tiled roofs.
The gentle light of the setting sun merely cast a layer of elegant warmth that delighted the heart.
However, occasionally, autonomous cleaning robots designed as terracotta doll figures running through the streets, or sudden light-screen advertisements jumping out from a shrine, would remind Yu Lian that he was indeed in a “future” world.
At the main entrance of Fu Street stood an archway said to be a thousand years old, bearing two very vigorous Song-style characters.
Inside the archway were hundreds of two- or three-story small buildings with courtyards, closely intertwined.
The street between the two rows of houses was about ten meters wide, but vehicles were not allowed to enter.
It should be known that ninety percent of the residents on this pedestrian street ran restaurants; the courtyards behind were used for living, and the front rooms were the main dining areas.
If business was too good and there wasn’t enough space inside, seats would be set up directly on the street.
At most, one or two thousand seats could be arranged, and such a scene occurred almost every day.
Outsiders looking from the street entrance would see the street filled with delicious food and diners, clinking glasses, and boisterous revelry.
The entire street seemed like a large pot stewing delicious food, full of the hustle and bustle of life.
The name Fu Street came from this.
Fortunately, it was not yet the busiest time for dinner, and most people were still preparing.
A few children still playing by the street, seeing Yu Lian and Feifei appear at the street entrance, paused for a moment, then ran inside shouting, “Uncle Liu! They’re back, Brother Yu Lian and Sister Feifei are back!”
Yu Lian and Feifei exchanged a smile, then walked side by side through the archway, returning to the hometown where they grew up.