Chapter 2 (1/2)
0002 Dream Shuttle
Eight O’clock
Daylight had fallen The lories Its eyes, the color of nebula, watched row to its peak It watched with interested eyes the countless trials mankind faced from the environment, from their enemies, and from themselves It watched with attentiveness the hate they bred, the fear they fed, the lives they led, and the hopes they dreamed
Tonight, it’s overseeing the wealthy having the time of their lives
So about the current affairs of the world, and some feasted on the food laid out while theto the beat of their heart, dancing carelessly, their heads drawn back, and laughing buoyantly The wind carried their war the infinite spaces of their souls
It was peaceful
Li Zhen walked the edge of the city scrapping for valuable wastes in order to h the leftover scraps is swarmed with treasures, the competitors are numerous in numbers There are er with hunger, foraging in the sea of wastes just to live, a chance to see another day, another night, a chance to see tomorrow
Like Li Zhen they thought that h effort, and work hard, maybe, just maybe they could turn their lives around
Iron is deemed a profitable waste A pound of them can be sold for nine coins Li Zhen only needed twenty for his basic necessities each month and one hundred to pay for a semester’s worth of school tuition
Li Zhen could be considered self a taught erudite Much of the knowledge learned originated from deserted scraps of old books that had seen past one’s pri his hunt and in between class sessions when those wrinkled, worn out books are unable to provide hi
Since childhood, he envisioned hie, dreaical co the pillars of the Kyushu Empire So when it came to the pursuit of intellectual attainorous passion
Unfortunately, Hangzhou City, with only one public school, the quality of teaching could be said to be lacking overall The last tizhou City was ado since the entrance examination is notorious for its competitive nature In the entire Kyushu Empire, there are only two universities, one in the capital state and the other located somewhere in the eastern islands Each year, hundreds of thousands would apply for admission and only thousands would be qualified for entrance
It truly is a hty force
College entrance exao had mediocre qualifications to enter because vast ae, were able to contribute to society The people ofthe past were closer to the tie They had ardless of their limited education
But ten thousand years later, those who hoped of beco the pillars of their country would have to endeavor several trials to be honored, to be hailed as one of the greatest talents To have the Kyushu Enize you as one of the pro about a dawn of new age or revive a thing of the past is one of the regal feats one could achieve in their lifetimes Your hoht, that they’ve given birth to such genius
Li Zhen vowed to make his people proud
But for now Li Zhen needed to focus of having the qualifications to become a candidate for the entrance examination For entrance fees, you would need to spend at least one gold coin, equivalent to a thousand regular coins
Li Zhen walked to the Qiantang Valley, a deep and narrow cleft with steep, rocky walls Legend says it once used to be a pool of river No one knows if its true or not
Stepping on the grounds of the valley, Li Zhen’s eyes becaer to search every inch and corner, finding wastes that could be deenated, packed with scraps of wastes
Li Zhen glanced a look at the time
Quarter past ten
Every night, just before eleven, he would close his eyes and dream of her
Running out of ti station with the stuffed bag in his hands
“You got good luck now being able to scour theood materials”
The boss of the recycling station handed out seven coins
Li Zhen nodded with a soft smile “Thank you”
“Hey”
“Yes?”
“You plan on taking the entrance examination?”
“Yes” Li Zhen laughed aardly, rubbing his hair
The boss frowned “Leet ’bout it”
“Why?”
“You could live a good life here, with a nice job and need not go lookin’ for garbage everyday now and then Ain’t that right? Maybe do soe Maybe even ht here Forget ’bout that entrance exa around with people like them”
The bossLi Zhen
“I’o”
“You wanna participate in the exaonna need a hefty suot You’d need at least a thousand coins, boy! But okay, say you’ve got thewould go down the drain, ya hearLi Zhen, you’re playin’ with rough waters Stay here instead”
“Thank you for your concern, but I need to test” Li Zhen spoke firmly
“You don’t get it do you? Hundreds of thousands are goin’ to be co a froe their wealth whenever Paying a thousand coins for the entrance fee is but a small amount in their pockets, but for you… y-y-yo-you’ve used up years of your tizhou City ever passed the entrance exaest of times
“I can”
The boss co to the best of his ability in attempts to convince Li Zhen to stay
“Aigh, Li Zhen, why the need to be so stubborn? If others fails, it’s quite alright for the deal It’s not expected for someone like theenius found in the legend of the legends! It otta work harder Heck, their parents will arrange for theot no parents, no patrons If you fail, it’s over!”
“I can take it on”
“Oh? It starts in ten days, you got enough money?”
“…” Li Zhen was silent for a long time
Li Zhen did not speak He turned around opting to leave
The boss shook his head and sighed “I don’t believe people like us, people like you can est What makes you think you can?”
“…”
Half past ten
The ure clouded by the haze of s
Back in his shack, Li Zhen dug open a hole under the pool of sand and pulled out a square-shaped container h the passage of time Inside laid a stack of coins made of plastic, a common material used by the Kyushu Empire as their currency The plastic e people and easier to create with the process of science and technology