Northland Journey

"I... of course I do." When saying this, Akabane Tsubaki stammered, and Xu Xiaoyou saw through her little thoughts at a glance.

"I thought you were a die-hard, loyal Zerg Star Ocean player."

"My favorite is still old-school electronic games, okay? Away from keyboards and arcades, who exactly is hyping up these virtual sensory games that have no sense of control at all..." Akabane Tsubaki's voice grew smaller. "I'm just playing it critically."

"I do have a grade 3 level 7 assassin account, with all skills and achievements unlocked and stuff, haha..."

Seeing Xu Xiaoyou's expression—which clearly said nothing yet seemed to say everything—Akabane Tsubaki felt like a deflated ball and said dejectedly:

"Fine, I admit, it's actually quite fun after playing it. Zerg Star Ocean is certainly my favorite, but I can play Zerg Star Ocean or even earlier games like Contra inside Oasis..."

Akabane Tsubaki's tone was sorrowful.

"Old-school video games have been utterly defeated."

"As long as you have one, that's fine. If there's still a bit of room to maneuver, I can think of a way to turn the tables. We'll talk about the rest on the way."

Xu Xiaoyou finished her portion of tomato baked pasta and suddenly stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Where are we going," Xu Xiaoyou corrected.

Before Akabane Tsubaki could react, she continued: "My purpose in coming back to Red Heaven to find you this time isn't just for the Oasis matter. Do you remember Sebas?"

Akabane Tsubaki thought back to the old man. She clearly knew more of the inside story, as she lowered her head heavily and remained silent.

"The reward he left for me specified that I need to go to the Northern Bank with you. I think he left some things for you as well. I've booked tickets to the North for this afternoon. Get ready..."

An image of her last argument with the blue-haired girl flashed through Xu Xiaoyou's mind. Her eyes flickered slightly, and her tone became peaceful:

"Are you coming with me?"

Akabane Tsubaki tilted her head slightly and nodded vigorously: "Of course! I've been bored for so long, and I've wanted to leave this place for ages. Wait for me, Yuzu, I'll go home and pack. I'll be back soon!"

Watching Akabane Tsubaki run out the door, Xu Xiaoyou looked not far away: "Come out. There's no need to hide. Say what you have to say directly."

Two figures walked out from the darkness, emerging from the shadows of the buildings. It was Ivy and Tiger Tail Orchid. Shedding their usual flippancy, their faces were solemn and serious. They looked at each other, seemingly deciding who should speak first.

"Your Excellency 'Dark Gold Rose'."

"There's no need to be so polite," Xu Xiaoyou said. "Without the Dawn Society's push, that performance wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

"Welcome to our ranks, My Queen."

"Queen of Hearts, take this."

Ivy threw a Sovereign Key to her. Xu Xiaoyou caught it in her palm; it looked like a heart-shaped locket with a matte texture. A crown was carved on the surface with two longswords crossed in front of it, exuding an invisible sense of nobility and majesty.

Xu Xiaoyou could not see through the interior of this heart-shaped locket. The energy contained within was like an inexhaustible sea; even a glimpse of a corner felt as if it might swallow her whole.

"When you encounter a problem you cannot solve, raise it to the sky and use it. It symbolizes daybreak and the dawn."

"A solitary person can hardly avoid the long night. It shall break from the dawn and end the night; the sky shall brighten, surpassing the whiteness of the east."

"You're so certain I'll need your help?" Xu Xiaoyou raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. When you raise it to the sky, the light it emits will be enough to illuminate the world. All suffering and long nights will be ended. The world shall start anew; all things shall revive, insects shall stir, and the first buds shall break through the frost..."

"What, can you even drive your home base, Daybreak City, over here?" Xu Xiaoyou spread her hands.

Upon discovering the two of them looking at her seriously, she realized her casual joke might actually be true.

"Then, I'll accept it."

Xu Xiaoyou dropped her playfulness and spoke formally.

"Also, isn't she your King? Aren't you her Queen? Why call me Queen?"

The two grade 5 fixers looked at each other, both seeing a faint, imperceptible light flash in the other's eyes.

"Because Hearts is the noblest suit, and the Dawn Society will only ever have one King."

...................

The silence of the Azure Sea Route was broken by a long whistle as a thousand-meter-long steel beast roared across the surface of the sea.

As the view pulled closer, the detailed appearance of this steel dragon became visible. The thousand-meter-long body was covered in rugged heavy scales, with fine nicks and corrosion speaking of its tumultuous years.

At the front, the orichalcum ox head had crimson eyes. Its nostrils erupted with scalding white steam as it bellowed toward the sky, crashing through the waves toward the distance. Sparks flew wherever it passed, kicking up massive white waves and mist.

At this moment, the furnace inside this beast was operating violently. Regulators channeled high-temperature steam produced by burning coal cinders through complex pipes to the air compressors, which was then processed by the main reservoir and sent through the brake pipes to the power components of the entire train. Excess exhaust was vented into the sky through long exhaust pipes.

Inside a beautifully decorated carriage, Akabane Tsubaki pressed her entire face against the glass, looking at the azure sky outside the window.

Seabirds flew through the scattered white clouds, their cries accompanied by the faintly receding sound of the waves.

The vast and magnificent scenery brightened her mood considerably. If the windows of this Kui-niu train heading to the North could be opened, this little family head would certainly have leaned half her body out already.

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoyou, sitting beside her, appeared preoccupied.

In the blink of an eye, the two girls had embarked on their journey to the North.

This Kui-niu train was jointly built by the three major enterprises: Kowloon Information, Skywing Spacetime, and Red Heavy Industries. Its exterior closely resembled a steam locomotive from thousands of years ago, but it actually contained much core technology. For instance, it required no tracks and could travel anywhere in the world just like the Heart's Desire. The dragon-steel copper armor covering its exterior could withstand a full-force blow from a grade 5 fixer.

This train was originally built for the purpose of transporting large-scale military equipment within Red Heaven during wartime. During the Tower City Battle decades ago, it once carried forty-three war titans at once. After that battle, it was hailed by the outside world as the Guardian Ox of the Realm that Overcomes Despair!

Now, after being decommissioned, the Kui-niu was taken over by Northern Heavy Industries and became an important bridge for north-south transportation within Red Heaven.

Heaven knows how this train violated the law of conservation of energy; a small pile of coal cinders could keep its multi-thousand-ton body running for an entire day. The core technology of this world was just that strange, with a tech tree grown so crookedly.

Technology was advanced, yet the people's spirits became increasingly withered. The glory of technology built high towers, yet it could not illuminate the poor wretches in the shadowed corners.

"Excuse me, is there anything I can help you with?" The waiter, wearing a golden mask, was dressed magnificently. His mechanical limbs reflected the luster of ceramic, looking like a beautiful sculpture. It was an autonomous robot of this train; such bionic attendants were distributed throughout the dozens of carriages.

This was their private carriage. Except for the attendants, other tourists were not allowed to step into the front-row VIP carriages.

"A cup of lime tea!" Akabane Tsubaki laughed and held up her index finger. This was also her first time seeing such an intelligent bionic human with such a flamboyant appearance; it was as if he had stepped out of the Golden Age.

"Keep an eye on the surroundings for me. Call me if there's trouble."

Saying this, Xu Xiaoyou took out her immersion device and placed it on her head.

She didn't plan to just wait during the two days of boring travel. She would use this time to start her account and at least finish the Oasis beginner tutorial.

After a burst of brilliant colors, her consciousness began to sink into the deep sea, where illusion and reality flipped.

"Oasis immersion device is starting... You have been connected to the Curtain Net."

[Loading... Scene modeling is generating]

[Loading... Reading character data]

[Loading... Generating instance]

"Welcome. Please login... Welcome to Oasis, noble guest. Please login."

A light brightened, and a completely different scene presented itself before the girl.