No matter what, after completing the exploration mission in Wild Valley Town and getting a week's vacation, Tianyang was quite happy.
After all, unlike Cang Du, who was in a hurry to earn 100,000 contribution points to revive his family, or Han Shu, who had the pressure of being a captain, Tianyang had no such burdens.
So, as soon as the high-speed train arrived, he boarded it and returned to the rear base in Kraftmen with Lao Xu, Yan Bing, and the others.
On the train, Tianyang calculated his plans for the week; he would visit Lao Xu and Xun's homes and needed to borrow some contribution points from Yan Bing to treat his wounds.
The remaining time would be his to arrange freely.
As he stepped out of Kraftmen, he felt a sudden chill on his head. Looking up, Tianyang realized that it was raining in Qingtian Fortress.
Above the fortress, the circular dome was fully extended, shielding 90% of the city from the wind and rain. However, when the sea breeze carried rain, the edges of the fortress would still get wet.
The transfer platform outside Kraftmen was in such an edge area. Whenever the sea breeze blew, it would bring heavy rain to this region.
Tianyang walked towards Platform 7, turning off his tactical eye along the way. Firstly, he wouldn't need the electronic eye in the fortress, and secondly, he didn't want his personal life recorded as files.
He mounted his electromagnetic motorcycle and left the transfer platform, braving the wind and rain. Once he entered the upper city's streets, the rain stopped hitting him. Apart from the deafening thunder, he could hardly feel the wind and rain in the upper city.
Back at the apartment assigned by the fortress, Tianyang parked his motorcycle in the garage and activated the electromagnetic plate to charge it.
At the front door, after passing the biometric scan, the apartment door opened.
Inside, the air circulation system turned on automatically, the living room windows adjusted their transparency, and the food dispenser started preparing dinner according to Tianyang's preferences.
The widespread use of home automation meant that residents in the upper city didn't need to waste much time on household chores, though some women still found housework to be a kind of pleasure.
Tianyang put down his extremely simple bag and looked at the clean but lifeless room, softly saying, "I'm back."
He threw his dirty clothes into the integrated washer and took a shower. By the time he got dressed, dinner was ready.
In the dining room, he activated a panel on the wall and tapped a table icon. The wall opened up, and a mechanical arm gently placed the table onto the floor.
It then lowered three chairs.
Finally, the ceiling above the dining table lit up, casting a soft light over the dining area.
Tianyang set his dinner on the table; a bowl of rice, three chicken fillets, and a bowl of vegetable soup. Simple, but it provided enough calories. Most importantly, it was free.
Each month, Ascendants received a living allowance from the fortress, which was enough to cover their daily food needs. Of course, if you wanted to eat better, you'd have to pay for it yourself.
While eating dinner, the home automation system notified Tianyang that there were two messages on the home communicator.
"Read," Tianyang commanded.
The system's soft female voice began, "Reading the first message now..."
"Tianyang, it's me, Xun."
"I heard you went on a mission. Let me know when you're back. You haven't forgotten you're supposed to visit my house, right?"
Tianyang smiled, suddenly finding the rice in his bowl extra tasty.
"Reading the second message now..."
A stranger's voice came on, "Mr. Tianyang? I'm a staff member at the Fortress Registration Office. Your application submitted to the Information Management Department has been approved. Please contact us at your earliest convenience to check the results."
Tianyang slapped his forehead. After getting Su Lie's diary, he checked some information with the registration office. With his mother's passing and the mission, he had almost forgotten about it.
Fortunately, the registration office hadn't forgotten. If they found information on someone named "Jingnan," they might be able to uncover what happened back then. Could Su Lie be his father?
After dinner, Tianyang contacted Xun and arranged to visit her house the following evening. He also transferred 2,000 contribution points to Yan Bing.
With these tasks done, Tianyang returned to his room and casually picked up a book to read.
Suddenly, on a whim, Tianyang called out, "System, I want to learn the language of the Inverse Universe. Can you check if there are any related courses available in the fortress?"
"Okay, searching now."
A few seconds later, a soft female voice from the ceiling responded, "Search complete. Here are the results."
"The fortress does not offer any direct courses related to the language of the Inverse Universe. However, this year, Qingtian Academy has started a course on the history of the Inverse Universe civilization, taught by academician Liu Jinglin, who specializes in the 127th Inverse Universe civilization."
Tianyang pondered for a moment. "Can I enroll?"
"The history of the Inverse Universe civilization is not open to the public. To attend, you need to apply. Would you like to submit an application?"
Tianyang nodded. "Yes, please submit an application for me."
"The application requires submitting personal information, which involves personal privacy. Are you sure you want to proceed?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Application submitted. The academy has received your application. You will receive a response within three working days."
Tianyang closed his book and lay down on the bed, looking forward to the course on the history of the Inverse Universe civilization. He wondered if it might provide information about the Black Prince or even the Black King.
The next evening, following Xun's directions, Tianyang drove alone to her apartment.
He rang the doorbell and, after three seconds, the door opened.
A young boy peeked out and exclaimed, "So it’s you, my sister's boyfriend. You finally came!"
The next moment, Xun's voice came from inside. "Xiaojie, if you keep talking nonsense, you'll have no dinner tonight!"
The boy named Xiaojie quickly corrected himself. "Sis, I was wrong. He's your friend, not your boyfriend. Is that better?"
There was the sound of footsteps, and the door fully opened. Xun, with her black hair, fair skin, and clear eyes, stood inside, shooing her brother away.
She was wearing an apron and holding a spoon, looking as if she had just come out of the kitchen.
Tianyang was surprised. "You're cooking by yourself?"
Xun blinked. "What else? Did you expect to eat food from the food dispenser?"
Tianyang scratched his face awkwardly. "I didn't expect you to know how to cook."
He then took out the gift he had spent the morning buying and handed it to Xun.
Xun accepted and glanced at it. She smiled radiantly and said, "Next time, don't buy anything. It's just a meal; no need to spend so much."
She led Tianyang past a partition and into the living room.
Tianyang noticed that her place felt much more alive than his own. The living room didn't use the apartment's standard retractable furniture. The tables and chairs looked well-used.
There was an embroidered table runner on the table, which seemed handmade rather than industrially produced.
Several potted plants on the windowsill added a lush, inviting green to the room.
This reminded Tianyang of his mother. No matter how tough times were, Nan Fei always brought home fresh flowers and plants each week.
Those little touches filled their tiny shack with a sense of life and ritual.
Now, Tianyang saw the same in this girl's home.
"Take a rest; dinner will be ready soon," the girl with the spoon said, turning back to the kitchen.
The doorbell rang again. Tianyang was startled. Could there be more guests tonight besides him?