Chapter 235 (2/2)
Vivian turned her face aside to ignore the idiot, and Hao Ren had a nostalgic flashback. He still remembered the first time he saw the animated version of Battlestar Galatica during elementary school. The way he reacted was like Lily, posing comically with the crew uniform. He imagined himself as a maintenance crew or a captain, or a fighter pilot, any role that could see his name appear on the credits… That was how Lily looked like to him, all too innocent…
It did not take long before Lily quieted down as she lay sprawling on her seat, staring at the stars. But the stars themselves were already fading away. The ship had already left the star clusters, and it was preparing to make the jump into hyperspace. The scenery outside quickly turned into a blur as a hyperspace rift formed. Blue and red lights swirled about as the rift rapidly consolidated into a tubular path. After a deep hum from somewhere deep within the ship’s engine room, the hyperspace rift around the ship closed and the swirling lights faded. All that was left was the darkness of space.
“The next stop will be the World Gate. Shouldn’t take too long.” The MDT broadcasted through the bridge’s speakers.
The husky sat on her chair blankly for a moment before suddenly reaching her hand out to Hao Ren. “Mr. Landlord, is there a notebook computer here?”
“Just install the plug-in into the terminal in front of you.” Hao Ren raised his eyebrows. “What do you need it for?”
“I feel inspired, and I want to write.” Lily was serious. “I still owe the publisher a column as well.”
Hao Ren allowed the MDT to set up for Lily as he looked at the husky, his eyebrows still raised. “Why does it feel weird when you say that you want to write?”
Lily was her usual hyperactive self since the moment she boarded the ship… Her hyperactivity aside, she was a through and through husky. How else could you describe her? She scarcely looked the part of a proper wordsmith, but Lily herself digressed. She was seated cross-legged with her oversized uniform on an even bigger chair. Her face was serious as she started penning her article. At the same time, she argued with Hao Ren. “Mr. Landlord, you are judging a book by its cover again. Do you know how much effort it takes to write a proper piece? If you think writing is like what you see on TV, you’re sorely mistaken! Those are hacks that can’t pen a proper piece and repackage themselves as a work of art to earn appearance fees in schools. True words can only come from pure emotions, and keeping a free heart is key to penning a touching line. I’m simply being whimsical to keep up my quality writing…”
Vivian was at her limits by then and simply could not hear one more word. Slamming the armrest, she roared, “Oh stop being so bloody pretentious! You’re just writing for a pet magazine! This is for their ‘How to Raise a Dog’ column!”
“…”
Lily’s fur also stood on end as she roared back defiantly, “Who told you that I only write for the ‘How to Raise a Dog’column?! I was writing lyrical poetry and self-improvement articles during the Republican Era! I only started writing for pet magazines as it was gettting much more popular lately…”
This leg of the journey was rather short as the hyperspace lane was a direct route from Kuiper Station all the way to the World Gate. While Lily was still analysing the various new dog food and their flavours, the ship had arrived at its destination.
The World Gate, one of Xiling Empire’s unique architecture. As the name implied, it was a gate used to travel across worlds. Dimensional jumps between two galaxies was different from a localised jump, and it required an almost impossible level of technology and expertise to do so. Different galaxies had differences it their most basic make-up. Some galaxies did not even have the four fundamental forces like the Milky Way did. They were sustained by a vastly different physical law. The vastness of the void was a ceiling too high for most races and species. Inter-galatic travel was most definitely out of the question. The Xiling disciples had means for inter-galatic travel, and to ease the adminstration of the Macro World as well as facilitate communication between the various civilisations under their rule, the disciples built a World Gate in almost every sphere within the Macro World.
There were two types of World Gates; a smaller one built on the surface of a planet for small-scale use, and another gigantic structure in space, capable of supporting a fleet, or a planetary body jumping into a different universe. Hao Ren had arrived at the second type of World Gate.
As the ship exited the hyperspace bubble, the scenery outside went back to normal and the shimmering sea of stars was visible once more. In front of them, lay the monumental structure.