“Hello? Ah, it’s me. ” Yang Zicang, whose coat was covered in goat’s wool, held a telephone handset while measuring the number of goats in this herd with his eyes, walking amidst the flock.
Two steps behind him, a young communications officer, crowded and surrounded by a few bleating goats, clutched a telephone base unit connected by a black wire. Following Yang Zicang’s every step, he listened and moved forward through the sheep.
“President, it’s only been a little over two hours since we spread the news about our equipment auction. So far, we’ve received participation requests from many cities. The response has been far more enthusiastic than we anticipated. “
Originally, we thought only certain families and factions from the city’s municipal government or related departments would participate in this auction.
Unexpectedly, once the news spread, it wasn’t just cities with airships overhead—many other cities, along with consortiums from large factories, business owners, and celebrities, have been eagerly calling.
There are also some families and factions we’ve never even heard of, who have been contacting the cities with airships, hoping to find someone who can connect them with the people on the airships.
“I see. I never expected such a turning point this time. “
—— “We have Ms. Colney to thank for all of this. ” On the other end of the phone came Zhao Xuemei’s crackling voice.
“Ah, is she doing alright? Not under too much pressure, I hope? “
Yang Zicang used his hand to pry open a small goat that insisted on approaching and reaching for the belly of a black sheep in front of him. His eyes searched through the flock for a goat that could serve as the lead ram.
He had already learned how to roughly identify one from an expert, but he was still a bit unskilled at it.
—— “With Kru’an extending the invitation to build the branch venue here, she’s almost in tears. “
“About to cry?” Yang Zicang straightened up, pinching the phone between his shoulder and ear, one hand already gripping the curved black horn of a male goat’s head as the head struggled hard to break free. The communication soldier behind him and to the side moved two hesitant steps closer to the young man, the already taut phone line sagging a little more.
— “Hey, President.” The voice on the phone came through very softly. “Koni made such a great contribution, thinking of the World Ark without even considering her family’s future. I just realized that she actually seems to have a really lively personality… Um, won’t you at least consider letting Miss Koni continue staying on our team?“
“This…“
— “Hmph. An intelligent and energetic girl like that, everyone really wants her to keep staying. If you don’t make a move, someone might try to get the lead of the ‘Big Baby Program’ go on walking away with him。“
Yang Zicang took a deep breath. He thought of Haili Koni’s handsome and spirited demeanor on the plane, and then her gentle look when she took care of him in the hospital ward. He also thought of how she managed all the daily chores for everyone in the villa. Although he and his people were outsiders there, they clearly never felt any of the uncomfortable strain of being away from home – every time they went, there was an atmosphere of joy and harmony.
— “Why don’t you say anything? Hey, don’t you understand what I mean, my dear four-sided friend?“
“I…” Yang Zicang glanced back at the communication soldier standing at perfect attention, and further away, the Army soldiers who were helping to sort the goats out among the flock.
He cleared his throat and lowered his voice, saying, “Uh, well… last time at the inn, I… “
— “The inn? ” A hint of surprise came through the other end the same.
“Yeah, at the inn, I actually saw my future son. “
At the two short, inhaled breaths on the other end of the receiver, Yang Zicang’s hand, showing a hint of helplessness, waved and gestured above the head of a goat that had looked up at him.
“He… he was already that tall. I… ugh, if I did that, and we were destined to separate in the end, it would hurt Koni too much. “
— “Hiss, well… wait, why can’t that woman just be our Koni? Maybe it’s a child you had with Koni herself, right! “
“Oh, that’s not it. Pfft. I’m a bit… “
Mumbling indistinctly, Yang Zicang planned to end this call that informed him his “Big Baby Koni ” plan was already proceeding smoothly.
Sound of the phone being wrested away came from the other end, followed by Hei Yang’s cold, detached voice.
— “Yang Zicang, you make this clear to me. Tell me why you don’t think that child is Koni’s. “
Yang Zicang was taken aback; what was this?
“What do you mean? “
On the distant other end of the radio wave, inside the gondola of the airship, Haili Fenny had just arrived and was sitting leisurely with her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee, at a table beside a porthole bathed in morning light.
On her table were piles of her own clothes and small packages, and even a pillow and rolled-up bedsheets. These were luggage from her own room on another airship, kindly brought over earlier by the enthusiastic Fulrry Zhao and the other girls. Among this pile of luggage sat a commonplace notebook plastered with clippings from YangZicang’s magazines and newspapers, mixed in with other books, magazines, cosmetics, and clothes.
Through the porthole, the scattered, empty buildings of high and low stature in Keullun City were tinged with a faint glow from the dispersed, murky daylight behind the thin, overcast clouds.
Haili Fenny let out a sigh. Feeling a bit cold inside the gondola, she turned back, set her coffee cup on the wooden table fixed to the floor, and looked toward her jacket.
Then, Haili Fenny noticed a lady talking on the phone in the distance, her back standing unusually straight. That older sister seemed to be speaking to someone with a rather serious tone.
“What is she talking about? ” Nunny couldn’t help but wonder curiously. But her voice sounded somewhat muffled to herself, and she wasn’t sure why.
Hei Yang sensed the girl’s gaze sweeping across her back. Her beautiful eyes glanced over at Fulrry Zhao, who stood nearby with her arms crossed, her head bowed in thought over what Yang Buchen had said.
“It doesn’t mean anything. I’m just simply curious, little President brother, just who exactly you intend to have this so-called future child of yours with. “
A static crackle came through Hei Yang’s phone.
Heiwen Zike, Marlenlint Fort. Among the flock, Yang Zicang’s hand returned to grasp the phone. “Ah,” he exhaled softly.
He thought of the future, how he might need to rely on their strength to track down someone he himself knew nothing about.
So Yang Zicang hesitated a moment, then spoke as if confessing:
“I—I don’t know who she is. No, no… don’t worry, Sister Yang, that’s not what I meant. What I meant is, the mother of my son might not even… even be human.“
— “Not human?!“
Yang Zicang’s head tilted slightly, involuntarily.
He quickly turned back and said, “I guess… maybe she’s a witch, or a succubus, or something. If there are women like that in the next era’s land.“
Yang Zicang’s voice grew softer and softer.
He heard a faint, astonished sound from the other end of the line, followed by what felt like an endless silence spreading through the earpiece.
There were a few seconds of silence on the line. “Yang… Chairman, what exactly did you see in the inn?“
……
Inside the airship gondola hovering over Qrune.
Hei Yang let out a cold snort, flicked the receiver of her phone onto the dedicated line hook, and ended the call.
“Sister Yang…” Zhao Xuemei’s chin was still somewhat slack. She saw a gleam of knowing everything in Hei Yang’s eyes.
Hei Yang, wearing a slim-fitting coat, turned her head and met the girl’s pure, inquiring gaze. Then her eyes flickered slightly toward the pile of luggage, a faint smile curving on her lips as she stepped forward.
“Ke Ni, you haven’t rested all night. How about taking a short nap before we continue with the next live broadcast and recording?“
“I’m fine,” Ke Ni straightened her back and put on a serious expression. “Just one night of staying up; I can handle it.“
Hei Yang’s gaze settled on her figure, where her waistline gradually tapered. After letting out a light sigh, she thought of Yang Zicang’s words and wondered if they might just be an excuse. Even so, helping the Hailisi family gain a foothold in Shidefen was actually a viable option.
Anyway, even if they made it to the next epoch’s land, based on Hei Yang’s experience in judging people, only Yang Zicang among this group had a personality and status that could be considered somewhat reliable. She hadn’t expected, though, that his pursuits would be so peculiar.
……
Hei wen Zi ke was located in a border evacuation settlement. At this moment, it was surrounded by many cars and horses.
The chattering crowd was being temporarily evacuated outward by hurried arriving soldiers, as well as nearby managers and volunteers.
A pile of campfires that had already been burning for a while cast faint flickering light on the ground, illuminating the shadows of passersby nearby.
At the cabin door of the airship, Liu Yun, who had her hair tied back, was looking at a roughly half-meter-long square-tube device in her hand. It was a component detached from the projection rod connected to the “Tivi machine. “
Peering inside through one end, the reflection from the lens inside made Liu Yun feel dizzy.
A man who looked like an engineer beside him rubbed his hands together amiably and chuckled, saying, “Mr. Liuyun, what do you think? Pretty good design, huh? “
“This is… a bit like a camera’s viewfinder lens? “
“Er, maybe, ” the middle-aged man said. “Anyway, without these reflective lenses, that wooden box covering the Tivi machine wouldn’t be able to transmit the image to the projector. “
Liuyun sighed and put down the similar contraption he had seen in physics class. He glanced over at the “Tivi machine ” inside the airship, which was fastened tightly inside its wooden casing. Right now, its value was being appraised by the growing crowd below the airship, reaching prices that even made an outsider like him gasp.
“Are you going to dismantle these now? ” Liuyun turned to the man and asked. “How will you broadcast the projection signal later? “
“Shh, ” the middle-aged man whispered, glancing at a few people inside the cabin who wore uniforms from the Technical Department of Stiffen and looked a bit awkward.
He said in a low voice, “We’re only going to take down this one. If something urgent comes up, we’ll put it right back. Anyway, we still have some spare parts over there. We’ll just drop it down for them later. “
Liuyun’s brows furrowed slightly. With a soft grunt from his nose at the thought of Yang Zicang, he handed the pipe with its exquisitely reflective inner surface to someone who had been waiting anxiously beside them.
Within a few minutes, Jiang Tao and Sha’er below, brimming with excitement, reached out to catch a chest being lowered by rope from an airship above.
Beside them, some surrounding civilians wore vigilant expressions, scanning the area as more and more people in bright, fine clothing began to appear.
……
On the various streets of Turku, many morning risers had already emerged from their homes.
They were astonished to discover that the public, who had been making a racket outside all night, was not today as usual, engaged in noisy uproar due to shift changes or other matters.
The streets were unexpectedly filled with the smell of smoke.
At the already closed Tà’ěr Kē Grand Theater, passing residents covered their mouths and noses while passing through, illuminated by the still-burning bonfire.
He Yishu, Wang Zhi wrapped in his coat, and the two men in soldier uniforms beside them, passed through the layer of smoke drifting within the streets and alleys, and stood at the entrance of the grand theater.
A middle-aged man of average height, wearing a white shirt and black coat with a pair of glasses hanging on his eyes, immediately greeted the arrival of the four with a smile.
“Are you the gentleman from the Defense Office? “
“That’s right. “
“Ah, please come in quickly. ” Hodges, with wrinkles carrying touches of joy at the corners of his eyes, welcomed them: “For the plays you informed us about earlier, we’ve urgently found actors. The gentleman and the lady are changing and will be ready shortly. Please come in quickly. “
He Yishu looked slightly surprised—they had only mentioned that they wanted to look up some information on the subject.
But since Hodges had already found the actors, even if time was tight, he felt he had to personally communicate with them.
As Hodges turned and headed into the grand theater, and one of the soldiers, around whose body a subtle, distorted shadow spread, followed, striding forward with steps powered by military boots, through the open iron gate into the theater.
Inside the dimly lit theater passageway, some people wrapped in blankets were walking out, yawning. Seeing the tall figures marching in, they quickly stepped aside to make way.
“What’s going on? “
“Probably on a mission. “
The people in the passageway, their skin looking dull, watched the figures cross the lobby and head straight towards the previously locked entrance to the largest theater.
The four figures descended the steps and disappeared quickly.
Several people in the passageway turned around to continue walking out: “They can’t be here to watch a show, are they? “
“Ha, you kidding? “
Then, behind them, they heard the rapid click of footsteps on the tile floor. The young man who hadn’t been working normally for a long time locked the theater door. The sleepy-eyed one, still rubbing his eyes, drowsily guarded the entrance.
Then came the others, clearly just roused from bed. These lads, bundled into clean coats and shouting as they swung their arms, gasping for breath, sprinted across the lobby and into the corridor leading to the theater’s backstage.
Then came a nervous woman, dashing in a stage costume, holding up her skirt.
“Wha-, what, no way! ” The man at the passageway entrance, instinctively clutching his arms, watched in shock as these people moved.
“They really came to watch a show. Must be some big shots. “
“Who knows, these gentlemen. Well, I suppose we’ve got nothing better to do either. Sigh. ” Another man stretched and casually draped the blanket he’d used to keep warm at night over his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go out for some fresh air. Should be time for the first meal round soon. “
“I wonder what they’re watching, ” mumbled a curious young man in dirty clothes, glancing back as he walked.
No sooner had he spoken than a dense blue figure in a ruffled long skirt swept past, pinching the hem at her hip, as if stepping out of a painting.
The grimy young man, who hadn’t bathed in days, was stunned speechless.
The other two beside him shook their heads, and one barked, “I get it now, it’s that play. “
“What? “
“That one who just went in, she must be Fogfolk. These Foglets love this play. I think it’s called ‘The Glazed Cup’ or something. I used to see this troupe perform all the time. “
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