Chapter 131: Planet Taihua (2/2)

The tribulations of Tang Xiao and Jin Tao were serious, but compared to the suffering of his own youth they were the lucky ones. For him and his brother, their younger years were spent in hell! The fact they lived through it was damn near miraculous.

Lan Jue gently shook his head, and awoke from his meditation. The motion also served to help him shake off those unwanted memories.

To help wipe the bitter thoughts away his eyes peered out of the porthole to the universe beyond. Thanks to the relatively short distance between their destination and departure, there was no need for wormholes or Deep Sleep. He could sit and enjoy the view.

The boundless horizons of the universe spread out before him. It didn’t matter how lofty your status, how great your powers, or how terrible your troubles… in the vastness of space they were less than nothing.

In the distance a pale blue orb spun silently in the dark. Even from out here it was easy to see Taihua’s allure. Blues and greens melded together as the dominant hues. It appeared as though Lan Jue’s silent ruminations were not brief. They would soon arrive at their destination.

“It really is just full of vitality!” Jin Yan sighed in admiration as she stared at the nearing planet.

Lan Jue nodded slowly. “Just so. Certainly worthy of being a tourist destination. I hope it’s a rewarding trip.”

“You’ve never been to Taihua before?” Jin Yan asked, somewhat puzzled.

He shook his head. “I’m not actually from Skyfire. I haven’t really visited the surrounding areas.”

This captured Jin Yan’s interest. “Oh, so where does our Professor Lan hail from?”

“The home world.”

“Home world? Isn’t the environment there already unbearable? The destruction of the previous area was terrible. If it weren’t for the following interstellar migration, then the homeworld…” Jin Yan stopped, winced apologetically, and sneaked a peek at Lan jue.

He grinned, the expression making it clear he didn’t mind. “You’re right! The ignorance of our race almost completely destroyed our ancestral home. But that’s our home, the origin of our lineage. In fact Taihua looks a little like our home world once did. If the home world had never suffered the scars of that chaos, it’d be just as beautiful.”

“Attention please. We’ll be entering Taihua’s atmosphere shortly. Please fasten your seat belts.” The warning and subsequent beeps aroused the travelers from their slumber. Jin Yan pressed the buckles together until that tell-tale snap greeted her. Everyone settled firmly in their seats.

The ship was rocked with a violent jolt, and the porthole became obscured by a fiery red light. The interior lights of the ship flickered on and off as they tore through Taihua’s upper atmosphere.

The journey through the thickening air was a short one, and as the friction eased so did the violent shaking. The ship stabilized, and the scenery returned to view outside the porthole. Moisture dotted the glass as they tore through the clouds, followed by a slight tremble as the ship began to reduce it’s speed.

As the mist cleared the dazzling blue ocean was revealed. Where it ended a vast expanse of green met the sea. For many of the teachers it wasn’t their first time visiting the planet, but they still had their faces glued to the porthole. One after the other they sighed in appreciation.

“It’s beautiful.” Lan Jue, too, could not stop himself from speaking his mind.

“It is! So pretty. If I could move here after I retire it would be incredible.” Jin Yan’s voice was full of yearning.

“I thought development was banned,” Lan Jue said, “You can still settle here?”

“There’s a small section open for development, to benefit tourism,” Jin Yan explained. “And you know as well as I that in the East there’s nothing money can’t accomplish. If you really wanted to live here it wouldn’t be impossible, just very, very expensive. At any rate it’s more than any of us could afford.”

“I see,” Lan Jue replied.

The ship began to descend. It was slow, in order to allow the passenger to adept to the change in cabin pressure. Half an hour later the ship was touching down on a tarmac surrounded by verdant green forests.

As the doors opened they were struck by the moist, fresh winds.