Chapter 151: Eye of Heaven and Earth (Part 2/2) (1/2)
Chapter 151: Eye of Heaven and Earth (Part 2/2)
Translator: Strivon
The elevator that Luo Nan rode made a stop at the 133rd floor. The other people got off there, leaving just him and Tian Si in the elevator. The floor number rapidly jumped up on the elevator display, and it seemed that the journey was to be a quiet one until Luo Nan suddenly opened his mouth.
”What kind of person is Professor Pan?”
Half of Tian Si's attention was still captured by the berserk devil ray, and the other half revolved around Ju Maoxun. A few seconds passed when she heard Luo Nan in her stupefaction, and only when the elevator stopped and the metal doors opened did she wake up to reality.
Right as she was about to speak, Luo Nan already took the lead and walked out of the elevator. She could only hurriedly follow him. She was completely taken in by his rhythm, like a secretary accepting her boss's whims.
Tian Si suppressed the odd feeling in her heart and said, ”Professor Pan is the world's top expert in design theory. At least half of the reputation of our design school comes from her hands.”
Tian Si was quite clear on what Luo Nan truly cared about. She gave a slight pause, then continued speaking, ”When Senior Sister Qingwen was in the design school, she was personally taught by Professor Pan. I have asked a few teachers for guidance, and they all say that Professor Pan treated Senior Sister Qingwen like a daughter. She loved her that much. Outside of academics, she is a very kind old lady. She'll certainly be very happy if you pay her a visit.”
Luo Nan seriously said, ”I will certainly pay her a visit.”
”That's good. I can help introduce you.”
Luo Nan didn't care how much thought was put into her words. He just carefully memorized Professor Pan's contact details.
The two people made their way through the corridor and arrived at the viewing platform exposed to the sky. The elevation here reached seven hundred meters. The buildings of the Pingjiang District were generally shorter. Aside from Cloud City's main building behind it, open space sprawled wherever the eye could see. Tian Si said that one could see the wetland jungle of the school from here. It appeared to be true.
Dusk arrived. The weather turned cold. The winds of high altitudes came roaring in. The protective glass at the edge of the viewing platform began to buzz. The sound of water rushed underneath the sound of the wind.
”The top of the central crystal pillar is on the 142nd floor.”
Tian Si pointed at the frame structure rising above the center of the viewing platform. The frame both supported and separated the water. The vast volume of water was nearly fifty meters in diameter, and it cut through the viewing platform. It jutted approximately two meters out, and it was surrounded by protective glass.
”This is the rather famous Heavenly Ocean Lake. It appears to be a portion of the crystal pillar, but they're actually separate structures. Reinforced glass separates them at the bottom of this lake. So, it's just a swimming pool. The constructors made it themselves as a joke.”
The two needed to pass by the edge of the Heavenly Ocean Lake frame structure. Luo Nan just cast a glance at this 'joke' and lost all interest.
The current time was just before most salary workers got off work. The sky gradually darkened, and there weren't many people on the viewing platform. It looked a bit deserted.
Luo Nan discerned the direction to travel and walked to the edge of the viewing platform. He cast his gaze toward the school. Indeed, he could see the wetland jungle of the school and Gear clearly. He could also see the long river that weaved in and out of the forest. He could see the reflection of the setting sun coming in and coming out.
Luo Nan was able to make an approximate guess on the location of Gear from the outline of the jungle and the river. But with the gradual darkening of the sky and the distance of a dozen kilometers, the independent building was truly like a tiny part lost in the shadows of the boundless jungle. It was hard to find.
Luo Nan wanted to put more effort into looking for Gear. He believed that Tian Si wouldn't lie about such matters. He wanted to use his mental senses, but his mental clairvoyance, which had been always successful, seemed to not have the range of his vision under these circumstances.
”It's getting dark. Our vision is limited. But there are viewing scopes here. You should be able to use it to see Gear.” Tian Si pointed at a row of high viewing binoculars at the edge. These were meant to be used by tourists. Right now, there were just three people using them.
Luo Nan walked ahead without saying a word. He moved closer to look through the binoculars and then stood straight.
Tian Si cautiously observed him. ”No good?”
Luo Nan shook his head. The binoculars limited his field of vision, and all he saw was a repressed world. This was not the feeling he needed.
He stood lost there for seven seconds on the viewing platform, before he suddenly spoke without warning, ”What is Coupling Design all about?”
He had an approximate understanding what 'Coupling' meant. It referred to the phenomenon of interaction and joint movement between various systems. But what did it concretely refer to in the context of his mother's architectural theory?
Tian Si had to answer this question. She grew all the more cautious and careful, considering her wording over and over before speaking, ”It is a more unified theory within the design school, lying in the field of aesthetics and philosophy. It is a new interpretation of the classical eastern philosophical concept of 'oneness of heaven and humanity'. Practically speaking, it runs in the same vein as green construction like solar energy, hydraulic power, wind energy, and other natural resources.”
Luo Nan furrowed his brows into a frown. Tian Si immediately emphasized, ”But in my opinion, Senior Sister Qingwen's core idea should inspire hope that an effective influence can be achieved upon grand natural systems through man-made orderly structures of buildings. And the level this sort of influence method involves is incomparable with the traditional meaning of green construction…. In regard to this, Professor Pan possesses what is called an 'eye of heaven and earth' in assessing. It is a mystery of mysteries.”
Tian Si had spoken very vaguely. She had yet to research Coupling Design thoroughly. She just cherry picked good-sounding evaluations that other people made to appease Luo Nan, and nothing more.
Luo Nan was well aware of her intentions. He pursed his lips but didn't respond. He had somewhat of an idea, but he wasn't certain. He also didn't want to tell Tian Si.