Chapter 341: Departures (2/2)

“I want to be like all of them, daddy.I want to be a machine pilot, too.”

Lan Jue laughed affectionately. “You’re going to have to wait until you grow up, sweetie. I’ll teach you, what do you think?”

But the small girl’s expression immediately fell. “I can’t see…”

“No matter what, your daddy will find a way to get those eyes working again,” Lan Jue promised. “Then you’ll be able to see it all, all the colors of the world around you. You’ll see what your mommy and daddy look like. Sounds good, right?”

Jun’er timidly nodded her head. She was a child, true, but smart. Her thoughts were simple, but her face still revealed doubt.

“Can you feel the tingly feeling on your back from daddy’s hand?” He asked.

“Uh-huh,” she answered. “My eyes feel funny.”

He chuckled. “That’s right. You have little nerves in your eyeballs that are weak. But you know, the last time I saw you I checked for myself. You know those weak nerves aren’t because you’re sick! What that means is, all we have to do is make them strong. Then they’ll start working with your eyes – and you’ll see! It’s going to take time, but we’ll find a way. 1

That shadow of doubt receded somewhat. “Really?! Will I really be able to see?”

Lan Jue nodded . “Yes you will. Little Jun’er’s such a pretty thing, she should be able to see how much.”

Jun’er threw herself against Lan Jue in a little bear hug, then kissed him on the cheek. “My daddy’s the best.”

Lan Jue gently stroked her hair. “So what would you think about going on a little trip, huh sweetie? In a few days daddy has to go out again. It might be a little while before I come back, like before. But I spoke to your mother, and she said we could all go together. We could go to a new place and play for a little while, what do you think? We’ll get to ride in a big airship!”

She gasped, and her big round eyes widened. Her chubby cheeks were a ruddy red from excitement. “Daddy! I love you daddy. I want to go! I want to go!”

Seeing her little girl so excited at the idea, the Pharmacist couldn’t control herself anymore. Streams of tears trickled down her cheeks, and she covered her mouth to stop the sobs.

Lan Jue stayed for a long time, until Jun’er fell asleep. Only then did he bid farewell to the Pharmacist. Children were pure, and spending time with his surrogate daughter had helped to ease some of the troubles in his heart. Things were also clearer. Now that it’d happened, acceptance was the only way. It is what it is!

When Lan Jue returned to the jewelry shop, he picked out a bundle of his choicest gems and relinquished them to Mika. She was to use them for upgrades to all their mechas, as well as all three Zeus ships. He knew he didn’t have to worry over management of the store.

Three days later, an enormous transport ship lifted off from the public air field. It was headed right for the Western Alliance.

Ships of this size were designed to transport three thousand passengers at a time, and a great deal of goods. All of them were equipped with FTL drives as well, for safety and commerce.

Like any transport, the ship was separated by class. First, business and economy as it had been for ages. The university teachers, naturally, sat in economy. After all, the university was footing the bill and their pockets weren’t bottomless.

Lan Jue hunched helplessly in his seat. Economy! It’d been years since he’d had to be subjected to this.

It wasn’t a luxury issue. He was simply too lanky. He sat with his knees practically by his ears. That hunch wasn’t from depression but because otherwise his head would strike the ceiling.

This certainly didn’t qualify as comfortable. Worse still, the trip would last five days and five nights. Although there would be periods of deep sleep as the ship passed through wormholes or made jumps, he felt like five days and five nights of this would either kill him or drive him crazy. Unacceptable! He had to find a way to upgrade!

It was made infinitely worse when one considered his company. Being economy class, passengers had no choice but to literally rub elbows. On his left was his most recent trouble, Zhou Qianlin. His sins from the past come to haunt him took the form of the Savage Goddess on his right.

Qianlin was slightly better than the alternative. Their relationship was strange, and her mood toward him was markedly cooler. But she was important to him, and that was clear from his lack of self-control.

Tan Lingyun was an entirely different matter. She had looked physically disgusted when she’d found out Lan Jue was beside her, as though he were an insect.

1. I turned this in to an ELI5 because he’s talking to an infant. TJSS wrote it in more medical terms. If you’re interested, a more faithful translation ensues; “Your optic nerves had atrophied. Last time, I examined them and discovered that the nerves were not pathologically damaged. That is to say, all we need to do is stretch these atrophied nerves and they will begin to interact with your retina.” She’s a smart kid, but damn. Interestingly, though, Chinese medical terms and the normal every-day use words are the same, so young children can effectively understand. But that’s not the case here, words like ‘atrophied’ ‘retina’, even the one he used for ‘stretch’ no child would ever know.