Volume One, Chapter One Hundred and Six: The Capital City

As they neared the entrance to Anjie, it became clear that the traffic was gradually increasing. The passenger bus slowed down, and the two escort vehicles closed in, merging into a convoy waiting to enter Jing City.

The driver ahead presented a light green identification card to the inspection officers. After a brief check, all three vehicles were allowed through, slowly making their way into Anjie.

Jing City covered a significantly larger area than Qin City, so the Anjie barrier was correspondingly more expansive.

As they passed through the Anjie barrier, a luminous screen appeared again on the sheath at the bottom of Su Ziwen’s backpack, and her spatial ability was triggered, activating and running on its own.

After crossing the barrier, Su Ziwen, who had been asleep for the entire journey, finally woke up.

The young girl removed her blindfold and earplugs, clutching her heavy, dizzy head as she blinked sleepily and looked around.

Though she hadn’t eaten all day, Su Ziwen didn’t feel particularly hungry; instead, she felt refreshed and full of energy.

She stretched lazily, then took the bottle of mineral water handed to her by Mo De, moistening her slightly dry lips.

Watching the streets pass by outside the window, she momentarily forgot that she and the others were still in the vehicle.

“Where are we?” Su Ziwen turned to Mo De beside her and asked.

“We just entered Forty-Nine City. We still have some distance to go before reaching our destination,” Yan Ruoting, who was nearby, quickly answered and then smoothly introduced himself.

“Hello, beauty. My name is Yan Ruoting, a senior at Longting High School.”

“Su Ziwen, a student at Tianshui,” Su Ziwen politely introduced herself before putting her blindfold back on and retreating under the blanket to pretend she was dozing again.

She had just thought she’d overcome her motion sickness, but upon hearing from Yan Ruoting that there was still a way to go, her stomach immediately began to churn.

The spatial ability, which had been enhanced by the boundary stone sheath’s membrane earlier, now returned to normal. The class monitor Su’s resistance to motion sickness had once again dropped below zero.

Mo De tucked the blanket around Su Ziwen and shrugged helplessly at Yan Ruoting, giving a wry smile.

It was the first time he’d seen their class monitor able to talk so much while traveling in a moving vehicle.

Mo De then gestured for everyone to move toward the front of the carriage to avoid disturbing Su Ziwen as she struggled with nausea. Yu Jiuchuan and Yifanoti, who had already known about Su Ziwen’s severe motion sickness, sensibly changed their seats.

Yan Ruoting sat down again with a sullen expression, wishing he could find a mirror to see just how unappealing he must look.

“Our class monitor is especially sensitive to transport. Let’s not bother her until we arrive,” Mo De quietly explained to Yan Ruoting.

Upon learning why Su Ziwen had fallen asleep again, Yan Ruoting felt a weight lift from his heart and gratefully patted Mo De on the shoulder.

As long as it wasn’t because she was disgusted by his appearance...

...

As night fell and the city lights came alive, the nightlife of Jing City was far livelier than that of Qin City. Along the wide roads, numerous shops were brightly lit, attracting crowds of passersby.

“There are so many people,” Ivanoti said, gazing out at the bustling throngs.

“In terms of early night activity, Forty-Nine City rivals the ‘Magic City’ in prosperity,” Yan Ruoting seized the chance to share some local knowledge.

At night, Jing City was even more vibrant and noisy than during the day. The signs of various shops lit up, amplifying the city’s festive atmosphere to a peak.

“In the later hours, Forty-Nine City gradually quiets down like a tired child, slowly falling asleep and awaiting the dawn.”

“Aren’t they tired?” Ivanoti asked, puzzled by Yan Ruoting’s explanation.

“More than tired, they’re exhausted,” Yan Ruoting replied, looking out at the steady flow of vehicles. The streetlights cast a glow on his handsome features, sharply defined in the night.

“This place isn’t like Qin City. The pace of work and life pressures are much heavier. Many accumulate not only physical fatigue during the day but also spiritual weariness. So, in the early night, they vent their stress wildly, feel relieved, and then return home to sleep soundly.”

“You sure know a lot,” Ivanoti said with an impressed “oh.”

“My father grew up here, so he told me all this,” Yan Ruoting said, somewhat flattered that the ice-cold beauty Ivanoti was complimenting him. Could it be...

“Ivan, if you’re interested in Jing City...” the young man turned back, only to find the little one leaning against the opposite window, staring at the night view outside.

“Senior Jiuchuan, what kind of shop is that?”

“They sell roast duck.”

“What is roast duck?”

“It’s a dish made from duck, carefully marinated and roasted in the oven...” Ivanoti pointed at a shop outside with a long line of customers, curiously asking questions.

Yu Jiuchuan closed her book and patiently answered each of the little one’s questions.

Yan Ruoting, the enthusiastic guide, was momentarily stunned but then realized their conversation had taken an unexpected turn.

“Senior Jiuchuan, what’s the difference between oven-roasted duck and hanging-roasted duck?”

The roast duck shop had long since disappeared behind them, but the two girls were animatedly discussing the topic.

“How much longer until we arrive?” Mo De suddenly asked.

“We’re not far from the Southern District of Jing City. About an hour more,” Yan Ruoting said, feeling that Mo De was the easiest person in the group to talk to.

The temperaments of the others were simply inscrutable.

...

“Awake?” Mo De gently removed Su Ziwen’s cartoon blindfold and asked softly with concern.

“Not sleeping,” Su Ziwen said through clenched teeth, her face pale.

“We’ve arrived.” Mo De removed the thin blanket from Su Ziwen and tried to help her off the vehicle.

Sure enough, after waking earlier, Su Ziwen had only kept her eyes shut, pretending to endure the discomfort rather than truly falling asleep again.

Firstly, the motion sickness made it hard for her to rest; secondly, she had already slept through most of the journey and was somewhat rested.

“Find a tree,” she whispered, suddenly arching her back as her body convulsed violently. Her small hands pressed tightly over her mouth, unable to utter another word.

“Excuse me, excuse me!” Mo De immediately understood, scooping up the curled-up Su Ziwen and charging straight for the door.

“There,” as soon as they got out, Mo De looked around and saw Yu Jiuchuan pointing toward a wooded area opposite the hotel.

Like a shadow, Mo De sprinted across the street and slipped into the small grove.

“Ugh...” A painful groan escaped, startling countless nocturnal birds from their rest in the trees.