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墨書 Inktalez
After receiving a large sum of prize money, Kairuot discussed with Fairleya their plans to travel around Mars as soon as school was out. They had heard about a peculiar little villa at the foot of Olympus Mons, known for its energy absorption, gas gathering, and martial arts training, and they decided to check it out to see if it was as magical as people claimed.
On the first day of the school holiday, Kairuot sent a message to his father Kairuoka via his Wristband, informing him that he was going on a trip to relax. Without waiting for his father's reply, he quietly left the school and arrived at the Docking Room by the Southern Sea, waiting to board a ship. This made Kairou Marie, the servant sent to pick him up from school, very anxious; she couldn't figure out where Kairuot had gone. She had to rely on the interstellar navigation system to track him down, but Kairuot had intentionally turned off all tracking features, leaving Kairou Marie helpless.
At that moment, Kairuot was anxiously waiting for someone in the Docking Room—his scheduled ship was about to depart, yet Fairleya still hadn't arrived. He tried to contact her through his Wristband, but the voice response indicated that she had turned off her system. Just then, he overheard classmates discussing how Fairleya had a loud argument with her mother when she came to pick her up and was forcibly dragged into a flying ship, leaving the school. Upon hearing this news, Kairuot finally understood that Fairleya probably wouldn't be coming after all. In a hurry, he boarded the ship alone. It seemed that this trip would be taken solo.
Since arriving on Mars, Kairuot had never ventured out alone; he had servants like Kairou Marie taking care of him at home and companions like Fair Connie and Fairleya at school. Standing at the ship's railing, he let the sea breeze tousle his hair and gazed quietly at the vast ocean, lost in thought.
Kairuot had been on Mars for exactly thirty years; if he were still on Earth, he would have entered middle age by now and likely married with children and grandchildren. However, here on Mars, he was still in his youth and would have to wait over a decade before reaching adulthood; he was far from the legal marriage age of ninety. Perhaps because he was born on Earth and lived there for twelve years, his body matured faster than those who lived on Mars; his hormones developed earlier and more robustly than those of older boys.
Fairleya had also matured early due to their long-term training together in Golden Tower; she clearly developed faster than other girls. Kairuot loved the scent of femininity that emanated from Fairleya. It was a scent of love; when they were apart for even a day, both felt restless. For Kairuot, it was even more pronounced—without her presence, he felt weak and drained. At that moment, he thought going to Olympus Mons alone held no meaning; he silently called for Fairleya to come quickly to his side.
The Passenger Ship had already entered the vast ocean; even if Fairleya had three heads and six arms, she couldn't catch this ship now. Kairuot thought about how if he graduated early and spent decades apart from Fairleya in different places with little chance of seeing each other again—how would he endure that? This thought brought a pang of sorrow to his heart.
The Passenger Ship occasionally sounded its long horn as it sped across the sea; waves crashed against its sides while seabirds joyfully called out behind it, freely chasing each other over the water. Kairuot had no mood to enjoy the scenery. Returning to his cabin, he lost all appetite for food and lay down with his head covered in sleep. When he awoke, it was already the next morning; the Passenger Ship had docked at its destination.
As Kairuot stepped off the dock, he realized how hungry he was and decided to find a restaurant to fill his stomach first.
According to navigation, there was still a long way to go before reaching Olympus Mons. What Kairuot saw wasn't a bright and spacious road but rather a narrow path. There were no flying vehicles in the sky or cars on the ground; human presence was scarce. He walked along this path for several miles until he reached a small town. The navigation map indicated that this town was called Heavenly Dragon Town.
The town had unique characteristics with wooden structures lining its streets beside mountains and water; rows of ancient-style wooden buildings exuded charm. Kairuot ventured deep into an alley within the old town. The signs of tea houses and taverns along this alley were densely packed with various names attracting customers' attention. It was evident that this area was bustling compared to the noisy hustle of Mars's big cities; here it presented an entirely different scene. The street was eerily quiet—he didn't see anyone around; even the sound of Kairuot's footsteps could be heard clearly.
Kairuot felt that he had arrived a bit too early; many shops in the town had not yet opened. After some effort, he found a shop that was just opening and walked in, asking, "Is anyone here? Do you have anything to eat?"
"Hello, customer. This is your first time here, isn't it? If you want to eat, you'll have to wait until noon," a young man who came out from the back room said, looking at Kairuot with curiosity.
"Why?" Kairuot asked.
"We never sell breakfast here," Clerk replied.
"And why is that?" Kairuot asked again.
"Because we are used to operating all night. People here are accustomed to going out at night, so everyone is resting at home early in the morning," the young man explained.
"I'm really hungry. Could you please get me something to eat?" Kairuot pleaded.
"This..." Clerk seemed quite troubled.
"Since that's the case, we can make an exception and cook something for you," the shop owner said as he slowly walked out after hearing the conversation from outside.
"Thank you so much," Kairuot replied politely with a smile.
-
While the young man went to prepare food for him, the shop owner started chatting with Kairuot.
Curiously, Kairuot asked, "Why is this place called Heavenly Dragon Town? Do you have Tianlong in your town?" This was meant as a joke, but Kairuot never expected the shop owner to respond like this—
The shop owner casually told him, "You're right; we do have Tianlong. It appears whenever it's about to rain."
"Ah?..."
The shopkeeper continued, "It is because of the existence of the ancient creature, Tianlong, that our surrounding environment is protected by the Mars Alliance, establishing a nature reserve. No roads are allowed to be built here, no flying vehicles in the air, and no cars on the ground. In short, everything modern is not permitted here; everything remains in its primitive state."
"So you're saying that the deeper you go, the more primitive it gets? If I go to the lodge by Olympus Mons, there won't even be a road?" Kairuot asked.
The shopkeeper looked at Kairuot in surprise and said, "You want to go to Dragonfall Lodge? That's too dangerous. It's a place that no one dares to visit."
Kairuot curiously asked, "Dragonfall Lodge? Yes, it's marked on the map; its name is indeed Dragonfall Lodge. Did people there really descend from dragons?" Of course, this was just a joke on his part, but he didn't expect the shopkeeper to respond like this—
The shopkeeper replied, "Indeed, that's what I've heard from legends passed down by my elders. The people at Dragonfall Lodge possess immense strength and are all masters of dragon descent. Although I've never been there and cannot verify it, such legends must have some origin... It sounds quite dangerous, doesn't it? I advise you to head back home."
Kairuot firmly stated, "I came all this way just to take a look inside."
Seeing that Kairuot had no intention of turning back, the shopkeeper told him how to enter the mountains: "If you really want to go into the mountains, you must find a unicorn that knows the way; only it can guide you to Dragonfall Lodge. Otherwise, you might get lost and wander in the woods for a lifetime without being able to enter or exit."
"A unicorn?"
"Yes, it's a unique animal in our area. Follow that narrow path straight ahead; at the end of the road, there's a household that raises unicorns. This old man is quite eccentric; I don't know if he'll be willing to lend you his precious unicorn. Whether you succeed or not depends on your luck."
At that moment, the clerk brought out the prepared meal. Kairuot wolfed down his food, hurriedly paid, and set off on his new adventure.
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