Chapter 155 Hope Never Dies Every ordinary morning is new...

On a summer morning, the sunlight lazily spills onto the streets of Hope Town.

In the kitchen of Hope No. 1 Store, pots and pans clattered and clanged. Aunt Lian was directing several employees to prepare breakfast, and the aroma wafted out of the window, filling half the street.

Lin Yue sat in his usual spot by the window, with a steaming bowl of Starlight Wheat Porridge in front of him, along with several side dishes: pickled radishes, pickled cucumbers, and a small dish of Fire Crystal Chili Sauce that A-Qiang had made before he left.

Little Black was lying on the chair opposite the table, with a small plate in front of it containing its own special dried fish.

"Whoosh—" Lin Yue scooped up a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

The porridge made from starlight wheat has a subtle sweet aroma, a soft and glutinous texture, and a lingering aftertaste. He has been eating this flavor for over a year, yet he has never grown tired of it.

"It's too hot." Little Black complained, poking at the dried fish in the dish with its paw. "Couldn't you have asked Aunt Lian to let it cool down before serving it?"

"You can blow it yourself."

How do cats blow? Have you ever seen a cat blow something?

"Then you can wait."

"Wait, wait, wait! You make me wait every day!" Little Black wagged its tail in dissatisfaction. "That penniless wretch who couldn't even afford food back then is now putting on airs."

Lin Yue smiled and shook his head, without replying.

Outside the window, the streets were already bustling with activity.

Breakfast vendors pushed their carts along the street, calling out their wares. Schoolchildren walked by in twos and threes with their schoolbags on their backs. Occasionally, a few horse-drawn carriages would come from afar, loaded with goods.

Everything was so ordinary, so peaceful.

Just like any ordinary morning.

...

"Lin Yue."

Gray strode in, still wearing his patrol uniform, clearly having just changed out of the night shift.

"Grey, have you eaten?" Lin Yue called out. "Sit down and join us?"

“No, I just came to give a report.” Gray sat down opposite him and took out a small notebook from his pocket. “The patrol last night went smoothly. There were no unusual movements on the western defense line, and the Cursed Lands are also quiet. By the way, the elves sent someone to say that the power lines have been laid to the edge of Silvermoon Forest, and the power will be available in another half month.”

"So fast?" Lin Yue was somewhat surprised.

“The elves are more efficient than we imagined,” Gray laughed. “And the ironwood they provide is really good. It makes telephone poles that are very stable once they are planted in the ground, saving us the trouble of using stone blocks for fixing them.”

"That's good."

“There’s one more thing,” Gray said, closing his notebook. “A new group of immigrants has arrived at the train station, about thirty households, all from the south. They said they heard that life is better here in Hope Town and wanted to try their luck.”

"Have you arranged accommodations?"

"It's been arranged. They'll stay in temporary housing in the new district for now. Once registration is complete, they'll be assigned jobs based on their skills."

Lin Yue nodded: "Thank you for your hard work."

“Of course.” Gray stood up. “I’ll go back and get some sleep. I have things to do this afternoon.”

"Go."

Gray turned to leave, but turned back at the door and said, "By the way, Uncle Stonefist asked me to pass on a message. He said he needs to see you and wants you to go to the blacksmith shop after you finish eating."

"knew."

Lin Yue hadn't finished eating when Shi Quan came knocking on his door.

The dwarf craftsman stormed into the shop, plopped down opposite Lin Yue, and began to complain.

"Lin Yue! You need to discipline those brats!"

"What's wrong?" Lin Yue put down his spoon.

"What else?!" Shi Quan's beard bristled with anger. "Those students from the Institute of Science and Engineering are all unreliable! Yesterday we asked them to make a batch of gears, and what happened? Three out of ten were the wrong size."

"Three are wrong? Then there are seven that are right."

“What’s the use of getting seven right?!” Shi Quan slammed his fist on the table. “Machines need to be matched. If one gear is wrong, the whole machine will be scrapped! I’ve told them so many times to be serious, careful, and meticulous! But they just won’t listen.”

"Young people, take it slow," Lin Yue reassured him.

“Take it slow? I’ve been teaching them for half a year already,” Stonefist’s voice grew louder. “If this were the Forge Royal Court, these apprentices would have been kicked out of the school long ago.”

“This isn’t the Forge Royal Court,” Lin Yue laughed. “Besides, didn’t you make any mistakes when you were learning your craft?”

Shi Quan opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

"...Can that be the same?" he muttered, his voice much softer.

"How is it different?" Lin Yue poured him a cup of tea. "Who doesn't grow from making mistakes? Be more understanding, they will improve."

Shi Quan took the teacup and took a sip in a sullen voice.

"Alright, alright, I got it." He sighed. "It's just that sometimes seeing how clumsy they are makes me so anxious that my beard is almost turning white."

"Your beard was already white."

"..."

Shi Quan glared at Lin Yue, slammed his teacup on the table, and got up to leave.

"Forget it, I'm not talking to you anymore. I'm going back to keep an eye on those brats."

"Drive carefully."

"What do you mean 'slow down'? I'm in a hurry."

The dwarf disappeared through the doorway, leaving behind only a string of muttered complaints.

Lin Yue shook his head and continued drinking his porridge.

"This young old man complains all the time, but he actually cares about those students more than anyone else," Xiao Hei said lazily.

"I know."

Then why are you teasing him?

"If I don't tease him, he'll feel terrible holding it in."

...

Halfway through her porridge, Mia walked in carrying a stack of documents.

"Mayor, these are the documents that need your signature today." She placed the documents on the table. "There are seventeen in total. Please take a look."

"Seventeen portions?" Lin Yue was a little troubled. "Why so many?"

"The Grand Ceremony for Trade Among All Races has just concluded, and various cooperation agreements, purchase orders, personnel allocations... all require your review and signature." Mia flipped to the top document. "This is the iron ore purchase contract with the Dwarf Kingdom. The quantity, price, and delivery date have all been agreed upon. You just need to sign it."

Lin Yue took the pen, glanced at it quickly, and signed his name.

"This is the progress report for the Silvermoon Forest power transmission project..."

"This is the resettlement plan for new immigrants..."

"This is the teaching plan for the engineering college next semester..."

Mia handed them over one by one, and Lin Yue signed them one by one.

"You're like a stamping machine now," Xiao Hei complained from the side. "If I'd known being a town mayor was this tiring, and I'd have to be a city lord, would I have even transmigrated?"

Lin Yue ignored it and focused on processing the documents.

About fifteen minutes later, the last document was also signed.

"Alright." Mia put the documents away. "By the way, Mayor, before Qiang left, he asked me to tell you that he will write back when he gets to the Thunder Tribe. He also said that he will come back to continue cooking after he finishes dealing with things there."

"I understand." Lin Yue smiled. "How many days has he been gone?"

"It's been five days. Judging by the pace, we should be almost at the grasslands."

"I hope everything goes well for him."

“Yes, I will.” Mia nodded. “Then I’ll go and get back to work, Mayor.”

"Go."

...

As soon as Mia left, a commotion arose outside the window.

"Hurry up, hurry up, we're going to be late!"

"Wait for me! My shoelace is untied!"

"Little Fen, hurry up!"

Lin Yue turned his head and saw a group of children running along the street toward the school. They were carrying schoolbags and textbooks, with expressions of excitement or helplessness on their faces.

Among the children, there was one figure that stood out.

A huge gray-white wolf.

Little Fen followed behind the children dejectedly, its large body a stark contrast to the bouncy children around it. Its ears drooped, and its tail dragged listlessly on the ground; the whole wolf exuded an aura of "I don't want to go."

"Little Fen, hurry up!" A little girl with pigtails ran back and tugged at Little Fen's hair, pulling him forward. "You have arithmetic lesson today. The teacher said you got a lot of questions wrong on your last homework, so you need to have extra lessons!"

"Awoo..." Xiao Fen let out a mournful whimper, looking back at the direction of No. 1 Store every few steps.

Its eyes were filled with grievance: Help me, I don't want to learn arithmetic...

Lin Yue pretended not to see and continued to drink her porridge.

"Ha!" Little Black laughed gleefully. "Serves you right. Who told you to be so carefree before? Now look what happened, you're being dragged to school."

“That was Lady Silvermoon’s idea,” Lin Yue said. “She felt that Xiao Fen, as the son of the chief of the Wind Chaser tribe, should learn some literacy. Since there was a school in Hope Town, she let him attend classes with the other children.”

Why would a wolf learn arithmetic?

"Who knows? Maybe we'll need it someday."

"Tch, I think it's just unlucky. It used to be free and easy, but now it's dragged to school by a bunch of little brats every day."

Lin Yue smiled and shook his head.

Outside the window, Xiao Fen's pitiful figure gradually disappeared around the street corner. During the weekday day, it could no longer take Xiao Hei around to run wild like before.

...

After finishing breakfast, Lin Yue put down his chopsticks and looked out the window.

People come and go on the streets, shops open one after another, and the sounds of vendors calling out, chatting and laughing, and the clatter of wheels intertwine to create a unique morning symphony in Hope Town.

Further afield, rows of newly erected telephone poles stretched towards the Silvermoon Forest, their silhouettes sharply defined in the morning light. The wooden poles stood straight, their copper wires gleaming in the sunlight, like a path of light leading into the distance.

"Wow, that was fast..." Lin Yue sighed softly.

A little over a year ago, this place was just a desolate shelter with hardly any decent houses.

And now, telephone poles have been laid into the elves' territory.

[Tsk.] Little Black jumped onto the windowsill, following Lin Yue's gaze. [The bill for the power lines for the elves hasn't been settled yet. Can't you at least ask for payment first?]

Lin Yue laughed: "What's the rush? They'll have plenty of things to buy once they have electricity."

"It's your old trick again." Little Black flicked its tail. "First, you give it away for free. Once people get used to it and can't live without it, you slowly make it back. You're even more cunning than those unscrupulous merchants."

"That's called strategic vision."

【Heh.】

In the distance, the long, drawn-out whistle of a train rang out.

That was the first train bound for Blackrock City.

As Lin Yue watched the steel behemoth billowing white smoke slowly drive out of the station, an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.

More than a year ago, he was trapped alone on the edge of the cursed land, unable to even get a sip of clean water.

Now, trains carry goods and passengers between the two cities, power plants operate day and night, electric lights illuminate the once dark land, and people of all races live, work, and communicate here...

Sometimes even he himself finds all of this unbelievable.

"Waaah—"

Another whistle blew.

White smoke rose in wisps from the direction of the power plant, slowly dissipating under the azure sky.

Those are traces of the cursed land's energy being transformed into electricity. What once brought only death and destruction has now become light illuminating countless homes.

"Lin Yue."

Aunt Lian's voice came from behind me.

"Finished eating? I'll take the bowl away."

"Okay, thank you, Aunt Lian."

"What are you thanking me for? It's the same few dishes every day, don't you get tired of it?" Aunt Lian nagged as she cleared the dishes.

"I think it's great."

"You're just not picky." Aunt Lian shook her head, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and headed towards the kitchen. "Alright, I'm going to get busy. What are your plans for today?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Then take your time to think about it."

Aunt Lian disappeared into the kitchen, and the sounds of pots and pans clattering began again.

Lin Yue stood up and stretched.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell warmly on him.

"Where are we going today?" Little Black jumped down from the windowsill and squatted at his feet.

Lin Yue did not answer immediately.

He walked to the window, his gaze first falling on the rows of telephone poles stretching into the distance, then slowly moving back, sweeping across the bustling street, the crowds coming and going, the red-brick houses and the chimneys emitting smoke.

Finally, his gaze settled on the direction of the power plant.

White smoke is slowly rising and merging into the azure sky.

"Let's go check out the power plant."

【Then what? 】

Lin Yue pushed open the door, and a gentle breeze of early summer blew in, carrying the fragrance of flowers and plants along the street, the aroma of distant cooking smoke, and the unique scent of hope that this small town possessed.

"Then……"

He stepped out the door, sunlight falling on him and casting a long shadow on the ground.

"Think about what to do next."

Little Black jumped onto his shoulder, its emerald green eyes squinting slightly in the sunlight.

"[Here we go again with this incoherent, rambling talk.] [Couldn't you just say you don't know?]" it grumbled lazily.

"Not knowing and 'thinking about what to do next' are two different things."

What's the difference?

“The difference is…” Lin Yue raised his head and looked at the land in the distance that was once known as the cursed land, “As long as you still think about it, there are still infinite possibilities.”

Xiao Hei didn't say anything more.

On the streets, people are busy with their own lives.

Breakfast vendors called out their wares, workers hurried to their jobs, and newly opened shops welcomed their first customers. From a distant school came the sound of children reading aloud, interspersed with the reluctant whimper of a large white wolf.

The train whistle sounded again, and a train loaded with goods was heading towards Blackrock City.

The white smoke from the power plant rises in wisps, continuously supplying light and warmth to this land.

In the direction of Silvermoon Forest, newly erected telephone poles gleam in the sunlight, waiting to send the light of hope to farther places.

Lin Yue walked along the streets of Hope Town, facing the rising sun.

It was just another ordinary morning.

But every ordinary morning is a new beginning.

(The End)

-----------------------

Author's Note: It's finished! Once all the finishing processes are complete, the subsequent updates should be free bonus chapters. I'll try to update a few more chapters over the weekend to fill in any unclear parts about the system, or perhaps add another daily life bonus chapter.

Finally, this moment has arrived, and I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. This story began with a simple plot point, and most of the subsequent events were actually conceived on the fly. Some scenes made me think, "Wow, I'm so clever!" at the time, but looking back now... well, it's hard to say (laughs). Initially, I wanted to go for a lighthearted, humorous, and quirky style, but as I wrote, I realized that what truly fascinates me is depicting the everyday lives of ordinary people, showcasing the bittersweet experiences of life, and capturing the glimmer of light and warmth in ordinary living. Although I often fall short in expressing myself, this warm little world has finally begun to grow under my pen.

May the characters in the story continue their journeys in life and find their own place in the world.

May we, outside the story, also keep moving forward. Of course, when we get tired, we should take a good rest and then head towards our own distant horizons.