Chapter 365: Celebrating by the Sea
Cyrus flew Anno to the place where Xi Mo and the others were having dinner, an open-air tavern on the beach on the west coast of the capital.
The aircraft landed in a designated parking area. Secris stayed there to wait for and protect her, while Anno walked alone towards the tavern.
In the past two years, she has tried to travel alone as much as possible, without her family members accompanying her. Most of her family members hide nearby, because they can't possibly leave their little queen beetle alone.
The coastline here is lined with all sorts of shops, mostly selling food, much like the seaside shop where she ate with Karina in a parallel universe.
It had been raining for almost the entire day. The night breeze was blowing, and the air was fresh and cool, carrying a damp, salty smell of the sea.
She likes the air after a rain, as it makes her mind clear and her spirits feel very comfortable.
"Xiao Nuo!"
Seeing Anno approaching, Molly and the others, who had arrived earlier, waved happily to her.
She walked up to them unhurriedly, casually pulled out a stool, and sat down.
"Where's Xi Mo?" She glanced around; all the other members had arrived except for him.
“He’s ordering inside,” said team member Penny, pushing a menu in front of Anuo. “Anuo, see if there’s anything you like.”
Anno glanced at it and said, "I'll just stay with you guys."
She has never been a picky eater.
A short while later, Xi Mo came out of the tavern, carrying several bottles of wine. A waiter followed behind him with food, and a small robot was floating beside him to help him.
There was an empty seat next to Anuo, as if it had been specially reserved for the two of them, and Xi Mo naturally sat down next to her.
Xi Mo easily pried open the bottle cap with his fingers, poured Anuo a glass of wine, and then took care of the other members.
Anuo rested her chin on her hand and watched him busy. She had known Xi Mo for two years. He had always been the caring captain in the team. He looked handsome and aloof, with a faint coldness that made him seem unapproachable. In reality, he cared a lot about the people around him and had a good personality that was beyond reproach.
They were very comfortable to be around, which made Anuo, who was not used to being with strangers, unconsciously able to get along with them.
The team members clinked glasses with each other, joking and laughing. On the wide beach, everyone felt relaxed and happy.
A crisp clinking sound of glass clashing was Xi Mo clinking glasses with her. "Congratulations on winning the championship again."
A smile played on Xi Mo's lips, and the aloofness in his eyes softened with his gentle gaze. His dark eyes were clear and bright, holding the stars within them.
Following his words, Anuo said, "Congratulations."
She doesn't say anything fancy, and she's usually quiet, mostly just doing her own thing in silence.
But Xi Mo never makes the conversation awkward; he always finds topics to talk about, even though she doesn't care whether there's an awkward silence or not.
As with every victory, they drank and chatted, discussing how to prepare for the next match. Anno would talk more about upgrading and modifying the aircraft.
"Our points are high enough to qualify for the Interstellar League, but it's not until the end of the year. We still have half a year to prepare."
"The competition for selection is incredibly fierce. In previous years, it was like a battle of gods, it was terrifying."
"What's there to be afraid of? With our captain and Xiao Nuo here, the selection competition is a piece of cake."
"......"
The team members spoke confidently about the year-end selection competition.
Anuo was thinking about having a late-night snack when she got back, so she didn't want to eat too much. She just wanted to have a couple of drinks and a little something.
Her gaze drifted to the sea, where the gentle waves swayed and their soft murmur soothed her.
Anno suddenly thought, "I should have brought Sitar along."
Not only Sitar, but also Caesar and the others, she has never taken them out for a meal together before.
If you really bring them out, they're either overly respectful or openly and secretly competing with each other.
She thought, "I'd better bring them out in twos."
“But Xiao Nuo will graduate and go to do an internship next year. She majors in mechanical engineering, so she probably won’t have much time to spend with us.”
Penny's voice pulled Anno back to reality, and she looked back at the dining table, finding everyone staring at her.
Xi Mo asked gently, "Annuo, where will you be doing your internship? Do you have any other plans after graduation?"
“…Ah.” Anno was a beat slow to come to his senses. After thinking for a while, he said, “I will be doing my internship on Gemini. As for my plans after graduation, I will probably join the interstellar fleet.”
Although she majored in mechanical applications, she had been learning about Tianyun's culture for the past two years. After she established a consciousness connection with the Sacred Tree, she could directly learn about everything in Tianyun from the Sacred Tree's vast consciousness. Therefore, she no longer needed to stay in Tianyun. After graduation, her mother would have Nancy come to take her along to follow Tianyun's army and learn about their internal operations. After that, she would go to the next star system to continue her studies.
I was quite surprised when she said she wanted to join the Starfleet. Most mechanical application majors stay in a large company or work in a research institute. To get into the Starfleet, you have to go through layers of screening. Graduates basically can't get in. They have to continue their studies for several years and obtain various professional certificates.
But when Anno talked about her future plans, her tone was relaxed and natural, as if she would go there as soon as she graduated, without any other anxiety.
Perhaps she simply doesn't understand the requirements for joining Starfleet, they thought.
But Anuo's grades were already the best in their major, and their professional advisors would explain their future employment or further study directions in great detail, so it was impossible for her not to know.
Molly let out a troubled "Ah," and said, "If you join the Starfleet, won't you be unable to continue participating in the spacecraft competition?"
Anno said, "Isn't there you? Didn't you want to be a professional engineer?"
Molly scratched her head, looking unsure. "Can I do it? I'm nowhere near as good as you."
"It's not far off, you're just a little rusty. You have another six months, and you'll be ready to take on the role of chief engineer."
Anuo could see the absolute certainty in her expression.
Hearing her conversation with Molly, the other members of the Star Team knew that she might not be able to participate in the later matches, and they all looked rather depressed.
Xi Mo's bright eyes dimmed, and he took a swig of wine.
Listening to Anuo's plans for the future, and hearing the confidence in her expression that she could handle anything, he realized that this girl's vision was much broader than he had imagined.
Her ambition is the stars and the sea, not the noisy arena.
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