94 Desert: Night Flight East
102.
Kara tried to break free from gravity during her first landing, but that attempt to fly ended in failure. Now that the farmer entrusted his life to her so casually, it was inevitable that people would be nervous.
"Maybe we could try a low-altitude test flight first?" Taking off her traditional Kryptonian attire, Kara stood in the wasteland of the farm in a T-shirt and jeans, looking a little worried. "I'm afraid you'll get hurt."
The plants on this planet are very fragile, and the people here are also very fragile. If she concentrates a little, she can see that Aria's heart is protected by an equally fragile chest cavity, beating with a consistent and steady heartbeat mechanically... However, the steadyer it is, the more Kara worries that this regular rhythm will suddenly be broken by an accident one day... Just like her hometown that she will never return to.
The demise of Krypton inevitably threw a child who should have continued to stay under the wings of her parents into an unknown fate... She was actually very grateful to Aria for keeping her. Really, if Kara did more things on the farm, she would have less energy to think about the crumbling city and her fellow tribesmen who died from radiation.
and……
"It's almost dark now, and we could easily get lost in the night sky."
Even though she still knew very little about this place, Kara could infer from her past experience of operating aircraft that now was not a good time to travel far - relatively developed places like farms were still not bright enough at night, not to mention other places.
During the day, she could use the ground as a landmark, but at night, once the reference objects were lost, even she would easily lose her way.
As she spoke, Kara's dazzling golden hair floated gently in the night breeze. She looked up at the horizon - the day in Smallville faded, the night fell, and above her head were countless shining stars. Thermonuclear reactions that had lasted for hundreds of billions of years could only cast cold shadows on the strangers.
Aria also looked up at the stars, but when her gaze fell from the stars, the farmer smiled reassuringly: "Don't worry, I think we can succeed on the first try."
She gestured with her hands, trying to help Kara understand the best way to transport the corn. "Have you seen other people in this town carrying corn? They just throw it like this." Aria patted her shoulder. "The weight falls on my shoulders, and then I carry it away easily."
Kara almost laughed at her comical and lively movements. The Kryptonian girl imitated the farmer and began to imitate him. She stretched out her arms, raising and lowering them as if hugging the air. "Isn't this the most comfortable way?"
"But if we run into an enemy, we won't have a free hand to fight them." Noticing the worry in Kara's expression, Aria quickly waved away her words. "Oh, I just mentioned it subconsciously. Don't worry about it. There's nothing scary in the sky."
The farmer had never been to the sky in the game, but she felt she had some decent fighting skills, so she assured him on the spot: "Don't worry! You take me with you, I have a hoe and a sword, and I'll hit you with anything you don't like in the sky!"
Kara laughed heartily this time. She picked up Aria and breathed in the country air freely and happily. She couldn't help but shout out, "Just give it a try!"
The first gust of wind passed over Kara's calf. The alien girl from Krypton was now the brightest ray of light in the world, soaring towards the long-lost starry sky!
…
"Ahhhhh!" Accompanying the talented maiden flight pilot, Kara, was the farmer, whose voice repeatedly broke with excitement: "This is too exciting!"
Unable to conceal her curiosity, she reached out and grabbed a handful of the accumulated moisture as she passed by the clouds: "This is really fun!"
"Do you often do this in your hometown?"
Once they were in the stratosphere, Kara thought for a moment, "No, we're no different from you on our own planet." It's just that the customs are different, the technology level on Krypton is higher, and... they don't have the optimism of the farmer.
"If it weren't for the accident, interstellar travel would be a great option," Aria exclaimed. "I could experience different customs and cultures. Maybe I could even fly on other planets—what an interesting life."
Kara sensed a hint of loneliness mixed in.
She glanced sideways at the woman she was carrying, opening her mouth as if to say something. However, the farmer clearly didn't intend to continue on this topic, and his tone suddenly changed: "I see... I think I know which direction to fly."
Kara nodded, and without hesitation, she flew with Aria in the direction she pointed. Perhaps their flight direction was the opposite of the planet's rotation, because the further they flew, the thick darkness on the horizon dispersed. If they flew faster, they could catch up with the last rays of the setting sun; if they flew slower, they would see the sun's afterglow fade, and the human buildings would gather like a fire beneath their feet.
As they flew through the wasteland, there were fewer sparks that symbolized civilization, and the city's veins could only leave marks on the earth like magma, briefly becoming the only attraction during the voyage.
...The world here seemed different from what Kara had felt at Aria's place. Before she could think further, she heard Aria's excited cheers:
"We're in the desert!"
…
Soros was doing the most boring job in the Assassin's League - he was guarding a store that no one came to, selling a bunch of things that no one wanted, staying in a place where there was no one around for a hundred miles, and there was no other living person except a hooded man and a colleague. He was considered strong in heart because he didn't make himself sick.
No, it can't be said to be boring... Since Lord White Ghost gave the order, there must be a reason for it. Soros fiddled with the sign on the counter, trying to find any bright spots in his current career that could comfort him.
However, looking back on the entire development process, Soroush discovered, like a desperate illiterate, that there really was none.
Maybe he offended the White Ghost without knowing it... Otherwise, there is no way to explain why the other party exiled him here.
Soroush should have spent the day peacefully and boringly. However, as if the heavens had heard his prayers, the shop door, which had never been opened by a customer before, suddenly creaked open, and two strangers walked in.
Two women, one blonde and one brunette, walked in empty-handed without hiking bags. The brunette immediately locked her eyes on Soroush, making him a little uncertain and searching his memory hard.
——I have no impression at all.
So, was she lost hiking in the desert or something? It didn't look like it. Just as Soros's confused gaze met hers, the black-haired woman ran over with energy and skillfully recited the names of the seeds at the counter: "Please give me three groups of star fruit, one group of beetroot, one group of rhubarb, and three cacti."
Soroush: “Huh?”
"Don't you sell things here?"
“Yes, it is…” But since its opening, there has been no publicity and the location is poor. How did this woman know about this store?
Could this be what Master Las had expected... Soros silently repeated his master's order with reverence: "One star fruit seed is $400..." This was also the reason why he felt that he couldn't sell it when he took over. Who would spend so much money on a seed, even if it was individually packaged?
However, the woman nodded and said, "I know the price, just give it to me." Her tone was so straightforward that Soroush almost thought that star fruit was a synonym for something.
But what he was selling were indeed ordinary carambola seeds. Soros bent down to find those seeds for her, and heard the woman behind him saying, as if to demand her life:
"Are you selling ice cream today?" the voice said, a little further away. "Would you like some ice cream?"
"Never tried it? We can try it later... But I think he's too slow. Sandy used to do it quickly and well, and she's so pretty..."
What the hell is she talking about? He's been the one since the opening, okay?! Feeling overwhelmed by the sudden surge of business, Soros struggled to get up and sell the woman two ice creams, trying to silence her with food.
However, she devoured the ice cream in one gulp, and the devilish voice came again.
"Do you think the price of the seeds is too high? Although I can sell more after growing them, this price really makes me want to ask, are these carambolas made of gold or silver..."
"By the way, here's this." The black-haired woman stuffed a coconut into his hand and said, "Although you sell them here, I just picked this up outside. Feel free to take some."
Oh God! Someone please save him!
…
It is impossible for God to respond to a person twice in one day, unless that person is Soros.
"Excuse me." A voice somewhere between youthful and mature spoke behind Aria as she waited patiently. She instinctively turned to look, only to see a hooded NPC. From the voice, she could tell it was a man, roughly her height.
Seeing that Aria didn't move, he repeated again in a good-tempered manner: "Please move aside."
The farmer silently marked the mysterious new NPC he didn't recognize, then rummaged through his inventory and handed him a coconut he had picked up outside. "Here."
The hooded man froze for a moment, seemingly completely caught off guard by her action, but he quickly reacted and shook his head to refuse the gift.
"No, thank you."
The coconut was back in her hand.
Huh? This was the first time the farmer had encountered an NPC that refused to accept gifts.
Her pupils widened, and she moved out of the way with some confusion. The other party whispered thanks, and the back of his cloak swayed as he walked past Aria. Because it was made of light material, it touched her like a touch of water, and immediately slipped away from her feet like a fish.
Aria's intuition told her that this NPC must be something special. After the hooded man passed by her, she still followed him closely with her eyes, watching him continue to walk in, turn a corner, and stand in front of the door.
It was no different from what the farmer remembered - behind that door was a casino run by "Mr. Qi", but to get in you needed a membership card, and to get a membership card you needed to complete Mr. Qi's tasks, and what tasks Mr. Qi had issued you could only find out through a secret note... In short, nothing involving "Mr. Qi" was easy and complicated.
The hooded man seemed oblivious to her gaze. He didn't pull out the membership card Aria was familiar with, nor did he try to force his way in by exploiting various loopholes like the previous farmer had. He simply lifted his hood at the guard in a blind spot, and the guard bowed slightly, making way for him.
Targeted! This is completely targeted!
...No, why?! She's the only one who has to run around doing quests, and other NPCs can just join whenever they want?
"Here, your carambola seeds." The shop owner wiped his sweat and finally counted a large bag of seeds and handed it to her, blocking the farmer's view from continuing to explore.
Aria pointed at the door in the air with feigned curiosity, trying to get some information out of her boss: "What's behind that?"
...Wait, it seems there is no need to ask.
The farmer caught a glimpse of the distinctive color on the ground, secretly stepped on the membership card, and casually bent down to pick it up and put it in his pocket.
The guy just now dropped his equipment.
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*The abstract uses the title of the book Night Flight Westward
Guess who the Hooded Man is without a prize. First, exclude the Red Hood. Hint: Most people should know him, but he hasn't appeared before.
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