ตอน 20: Sparkling Curiosity
Vast, it was as broad as the boundless space in a person's mind.
To no surprise, it was sometimes called Vast World. A land as old as the years, no one of those alive had seen its beginning, its history was so far away from the present that only those at the higher worlds and planes had some information about it.
There were many myths about that world, but the most special one was that it was the birthplace of one of the strongest characters to have ever existed, Yang Wu, the Timeless Martial Ancestor.
It was said that he died during one especially harsh All-Heavens Cosmic Tribulation, but no evidence supported it besides a witness seeing him fighting a terrifying Tribulation Agent. But it was true that no one ever saw him again since then.
The Vast World remained a lower world despite Yang Wu's Ascension, he never put in any effort to change its rank. But just the cause and effect between them made the world benefit a lot, many strong people paid attention to that world and frequently sent their disciples there to gain experience.
Xu Ling sent Wu Xue to the Vast World after doing some research and deducing cause and effect with complex spells. She concluded that the world could bring great fortune to Wu Xue, as long as he made the right choices.
Evergreen Empire, close to an ordinary mountainous city simply called Lighting, a portal appeared below a cherry tree.
From the portal, a young man appeared with calm steps but an anxious and expectant expression, it was Wu Xue.
He took a deep breath and saw the portal quickly disappear, now the only way for him to return was to accomplish enough feats to be acknowledged by his masters.
They didn't give him any goals, so he had to think by himself what kind of accomplishments they were expecting from him. He expected them to at least give him a direction.
The first thing he noticed after arriving was that the Aura around him was not only thin but also different from the Aura he always absorbed, he was unable to absorb it.
But he wasn't too surprised since Ru Meng passed to him information regarding it, and that he should seek a way to increase his cultivation base.
The place he was was just beside a cliff, it gave him a broad and beautiful vision of the mountain range and the Lighting City, which was a few kilometers away from him, on another mountain peak.
He sorted the information he received from Ru Meng and made a quick decision to go to the city. He took a fallen branch from the cherry tree and cast a simple spell to use it as a flying sword, he stepped on it and began to fly towards the city, he also cast an invisibility spell to not cast any kind of unwanted attention.
Ordinary Qi Vortex Realm Cultivators would struggle to fly, but he was no ordinary cultivator.
Lighting City was a completely mortal city, there wasn't any kind of superpower living there so Wu Xue felt comfortable gathering more information and deciding his next steps there.
The first thing he noticed when he got there was that the people's clothes were much different from the ones he was used to, he didn't receive this information from his master. Also, the architecture of the buildings was radically different from anything he had ever seen or heard about.
The carriages were different from the ones he saw in books, the streets and roads were built differently too.
He was marveled by the new world, he was unable to extricate himself from the new things he was seeing.
The language of the people living there was different from his own, Ru Meng passed information to him explaining it was called Wootz Language.
Suddenly, while he was still flying on the branch, he sensed something and looked at the horizon, a trail of ascending white smoke began to appear on the horizon between the mountains, and with his sharp hearing he could hear a metallic sound getting closer to the city.
Curious, he controlled the branch to fly closer to the approaching "something."
To Wu Xue, who had never seen something like that before, it was like several big carts of metal running/sliding above two parallel metal rails, and at the front of all those carts was a bigger and different cart that was emitting the white smoke.
Based on his observation, he concluded that the different cart emitting smoke was the one carrying the other carts behind it. All the carts were connected, but not too much and they could make angles between themselves.
Wu Xue promptly also noticed that people were inside some of the carts, laughing, eating, in silence... Lots of people were acting as if it was something normal to be inside those carts.
Because he didn't understand their language, he couldn't understand what they talked about, and neither could he read their books or articles.
That locomotive of "carts" stopped by Lighting City in a sort of station before leaving shortly after some people either embarked or disembarked.
Wu Xue noticed some people walking hurriedly while carrying leather cases as if they carried important things. Others sat in public places while reading some strange papers, they were too large to book and too flat to be schools, and some carried drawings along with words as well.
A rather interesting thing he discovered was a small round metal object with a cover of glass on one side and pointers inside, which pointed to eleven different "words." With his Soul Sense, he discovered that the insides of those small objects contained exquisite craftsmanship, with metallic gears constantly rotating.
"Fascinating," he couldn't help mutter after a few hours of flying above the city and observing all kinds of new things.
The people's clothes were not as broad and loose as the ones he was used to, but he didn't find them to be poorly crafted or ugly.
The buildings were mainly made of stone and bricks, with some carrying wood in their main external structure. All buildings tended to be rectangular and square-looking but contained many circular and semi-circular details.
But after a while, he concluded that the most interesting thing about the city's infrastructure was the lack of a defensive wall, despite clearly being on the outskirts of the kingdom.
He wondered if there weren't any kind of dangers around, that would be the only plausible reason for that.
After seeing the sun about to set, he took a few pieces of pure gold, which he observed to be treated with value in that city, and swiftly took a few clothes from a shop while leaving the gold in the owner's pocket without him noticing.
He exchanged clothes and stored them in his storage ring, which he was gifted recently by his father, it contained a very big inner space. He normally used another storage device but decided to change equipment before leaving home.
The ring was very special, it was made of something similar to black glass and carried the ability to teleport him far away three times a day. He could even control how far he wanted to teleport.
After wearing the new clothes, he carefully marveled at the different styles of different worlds. He chose a black and navy blue set of clothes, with one of the aforementioned round objects linked into a chain and inside the left pocket of his suit jacket.
Men's fashion in that place was characterized by the popularity of high-buttoned suits that were well-tailored. These suits featured narrow lapels and created a sleek, formal look. Complementing the suits were trousers, sometimes adorned with cuffs at the bottom. Waistcoats seemed to be an integral part of men's attire, worn underneath the suit jacket. Dress shirts were typically white with high, stiff collars, and cuffs with cufflinks were in vogue.
Men frequently donned hats in the streets, with the bowler and boater hats being fashionable choices. Completing the look, wide silk neckties added a touch of elegance to the ensemble.
Women's fashion spotlight was on dresses with a high-waisted silhouette and long, flowing skirts that gracefully reached the floor. These dresses emphasized a slender, column-like figure. High necklines with lace or ruffled embellishments were a hallmark of the era. Puffed sleeves added a touch of femininity to the attire. Not too restrictive corsets were present, allowing for a more comfortable fit.
Wide-brimmed hats, often adorned with ribbons, feathers, and artificial flowers, were a rather common accessory. Gloves were a staple, reaching above the wrist. Footwear of choice for women included low-heeled boots.
Overall, their clothing style was elegant, formal, and structured, with an emphasis on tailored fits and attention to detail in clothing and accessories.
After wearing compatible clothing, Wu Xue stopped the invisibility spell and began to wander the city's streets leisurely. Not many people noticed him, which made him think he chose clothes that at least didn't make him look like a clown.
As he walked, Wu Xue began to have a change of heart about the architecture of the place.
The city's architectural landscape was a marvel of craftsmanship. The houses and buildings were predominantly constructed from robust, richly textured bricks, meticulously laid in intricate patterns. Ornate facades adorned many of these structures, showcasing the skilled artistry of stonemasons and sculptors. Elaborate wrought ironwork graced balconies and railings, adding a touch of elegance to the urban scenery.
Delicate bay windows and turrets provided unique, eye-catching features to the buildings. Intricately carved wooden doors, often flanked by leaded glass windows, invited residents and visitors with a sense of grandeur. Everything showed commitment to detail, with meticulous consideration given to every architectural element. The buildings obviously served as a testament to the city's dedication to craftsmanship and the creation of visually stunning, enduring structures.
Many small streams crossed the city from the top of the mountain down to the valley, showing that the region was rich in subterranean water reserves. The bridges crossing those streams were made of beautiful bright stones, and the water flowing under them was clear and pure as the moonlight falling from the full moon.
Wu Xue noticed that the moon he was seen hanging high above was just a little different from the one he observed in his natal world, he marveled at it.
Suddenly, someone seemed to have observed Wu Xue's strange behavior and asked, "Are you okay?"
It was an old man wearing blue clothes and a hat, he seemed to possess high status since he had two young girls behind him acting like maids.
Although Wu Xue couldn't understand what he was saying, he could read the mood and his concern enough and thus nodded at him with his head.
"You are not from this place, are you?" the old man seemed interested in him as he continued to say more.
This time Wu Xue was utterly confused and just tilted his head.
The old man was confused at his reaction and the girls behind him looked at Wu Xue with narrowed eyes.
"Sir, I don't think he understands what you are saying," one of the girls said.
"Oh?" the old man seemed intrigued and made a gesture with his hand, which pointed first to his ear and then to his mouth.
Wu Xue understood what he meant and nodded.
The old man's eyes sparkled and then spent some effort trying to make Wu Xue understand his intentions.
First, he tried to ask if Wu Xue had someone in the city to help him. When he received a negative answer, he asked if Wu Xue wanted to go to his house to be a guest.
After a few minutes of exchanging gestures, Wu Xue understood that the old man was trying to invite him to some place, probably his house.
Because he didn't feel threatened by the old man, since he was a complete mortal, and also because he seemed to be an empathetic person, Wu Xue nodded in agreement.
"Sir, I know it's not my place to warn you," one of the girls spoke, "But he is a complete stranger, are you sure you want to bring him?"
"I'm just curious," the old man laughed, "How did a young man without the knowledge of our language manage to get to this place without anyone to help him?"
The girls sighed and said no more words.
They then left the streets and walked to his house, Wu Xue's eyes didn't stop sparkling as they walked and he always saw something new.
The old man noticed it and was even more intrigued.
The old man's house was basically a small mansion in the center of the city, it had a large garden and many maids constantly taking care of everything for him.
After entering, Wu Xue was guided to a room where he would stay for a while, he accepted that generosity without much concern.
That night, the old man commanded the cooks to prepare a great banquet solely to please the unknown young boy he just met.
From the very moment their eyes met, the old man knew the boy was not an ordinary person. Be it the valuable clothes and smooth clean skin, or even his own temperament, Wu Xue's presence scremed with nobility.
That was an eventful night, Wu Xue almost lost control in front of so many new dishes and tastes, he found all of them so delicious he almost asked for a second banquet.
Despite his eating as if there was no tomorrow, the old man noticed that Wu Xue's every movement was not like that of a pheasant at all, despite the unfamiliar etiquette. He was beginning to think that Wu Xue was a noble from a faraway place.
Actually, it was the first time Wu Xue was eating with a fork and knife, but he quickly imitated the old man's movements flawlessly.
Seeing that Wu Xue seemed a bit unsatisfied with the big banquet even after eating so much food that he found it unbelievable that he was still alive, the old man commanded for more food to be served without hesitation.
During the second banquet, Wu Xue was able to grasp the old man's name, "Edward."
He never heard such strange name spelling before.
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Lucas_Dust
Lucas_Dust To be honest, I had a hard time trying to describe everything as it is in my mind. Lighting City and the Evergreen Empire might be called a mixed land of both light Clockpunk and light Steampunk. The clothes and architecture were reminiscent of the 1910s in England but with some differences. Despite being heavily influenced by the 1910s, most places of this world have the technological level of the 1880s. This will be a land built by our world's "Western" influence, contrasting Wu Xue's "Eastern" background. For those who have questions, be free to ask in the comment section.
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