NFBE Chapter 419 [Empire] Flying Earth
Chapter 419 [Empire] Flying Earth
However, things didn't go as quickly as I'd anticipated. Final grades were announced, and as usual, I received relatively stable scores and successfully earned my study credits for the semester. Everything was proceeding as planned, but the system notification never arrived. The instruction to travel to a designated star region within three days never appeared. Ye Qing didn't contact me either.
Time passed by bit by bit, and even the "Spring Festival", a festival on the interstellar calendar, came quietly, as if everything was reminding me: the new year is about to begin, but my mission has not yet really begun.
The festive atmosphere was especially intense on the capital planet. The interstellar city was festooned with lights and a simulated warm spring breeze lingered through the streets and alleys, seemingly shrouded in a festive languor. Although I had long since grown accustomed to the various simulated festive moments of this era, at this moment, my heart felt a sense of emptiness.
I wandered through this city, brimming with festive atmosphere. Shops lining the streets were adorned with dazzling lights, and virtual projections of various advertisements were projected onto the glass facades of tall buildings, advertising festive sales. Every corner of the commercial street held representative goods from various star systems—gorgeous ornaments, exotic delicacies, and less common souvenirs.
But the bustle and celebration of this city didn't bring me any warmth. They only highlighted the loneliness and confusion in my heart.
While everything seemed to be in a jubilant atmosphere, I still had no news from Ye Qing. I began to wonder if I had done something wrong. Had I missed some crucial step, or was there a system issue, or was Ye Qing simply delaying things? These thoughts swirled in my mind, becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
My friends are all immersed in the "Spring Festival" celebrations, some returning home to reunite with family, others celebrating with friends. Life around me seems to be going on as normal, but I'm the only one still waiting, seemingly lost in this bustling interstellar city. Occasionally, I think back to the companions who once fought alongside me, the days and nights I toiled through the mercenary streets, and I can't help but feel a pang of loss. Back then, I seemed to have a clear goal and direction, but now, this festival has become my biggest mystery.
Although everything around me was filled with festive joy, the uneasiness and anxiety within me lingered. It seemed as if all my anticipation and preparation had become empty on this day. I knew I still had no real direction, still waiting for a signal that would allow me to truly leave this city, this stable environment. Ye Qing's contact, the system's instructions, still remained absent from my life.
The Spring Festival, once a festival on Earth, has now become a nostalgic symbol of the interstellar age, a symbol devoid of much practical meaning. Despite some projections and decorations of festive atmosphere, its essence is no longer tied to homeland. Perhaps its significance lies simply in offering a moment's respite from daily routines, allowing people to experience a sense of virtual comfort.
I sat in a small corner shop, cupping a steaming bowl of broth in my hands, a bowl of fragrant glutinous rice balls beside me. Gently cracking the wrapper, the steam washed over me. Though simple, the meal brought a touch of warmth to this freezing winter day. Neon lights flickered outside, the streets bustled with people, and the festive atmosphere of the city permeated the streets and alleys, permeating everyone's expressions. Although Spring Festival is no longer a legal holiday in this interstellar era, its atmosphere remains lingering, permeated with a sense of nostalgia.
My thoughts, however, were restless and drifting far away. In interstellar history class, we'd learned about a catastrophe on ancient Earth, and that particular year's disaster happened during the Spring Festival. Consequently, that year's "Spring Festival" became a commemorative day, a festival that endures to this day and symbolizes the interstellar era. Although the torrent of history has long since erased ancient Earth, the sentiment and memory remain. While no one clearly recalls the specifics of the disaster, every year at this time, people still commemorate it in various ways, whether in remembrance or nostalgia, as if retracing footsteps erased by time.
And now, sitting in this small shop, I felt like a stranger. The hot soup and glutinous rice balls beside me brought a long-lost warmth, but deep down, a sense of emptiness lingered. Just like the past, the memories, gradually losing their original meaning. Today, I am still waiting, waiting for that connection, waiting for the mission to begin, waiting to meet Ye Qing. The interstellar festival, while bustling and lively, couldn't mask the uneasiness within me.
I can't help but recall those days, standing on the mercenary streets, burdened with missions and responsibilities, rushing out late-night missions with Nightingale, struggling to survive alongside Lin Hao. Back then, our goals were clear and resolute, as if every action had a clear trajectory. But now, this virtual "Spring Festival" atmosphere before me feels like an isolated world, isolated from my own reality. Every year at this time, are there others like me, standing at the intersection of past and future, silently waiting for something?
The sweetness of the glutinous rice balls gradually dissipated in my mouth, but my thoughts remained shrouded in confusion. The goals I once believed in, the companions I had walked alongside, all seemed to have become blurred figures in this moment. I began to wonder if the future would be as illusory and unpredictable as this festive illusion.