Please don't question multi-week players

Chapter 117. The City Brightly Lighted
Shuguang Base placed its light show in the central commercial street area of ​​the inner city.

Staff from the United Front Work Department escorted Zuo Siquan and his entourage to the rooftop of the tallest building in the base, from where they could see the skyscrapers and billboards of the Shuguang Base under the deep night sky.

Before the apocalypse, one could probably still see neon lights and bright traffic, but now that it's post-apocalyptic, everything is shrouded in the dim darkness of the night. Even the lights on billboards are only scattered here and there, creating a sense of inexplicable desolation.

Standing on the rooftop, facing the cool night breeze, Jiang Jianxin saw a sea of ​​people below. There were no glow sticks or anything like that; the only light sources were cell phone screens and the illumination from a flashlight.

In this base rebuilt from the ruins after the disaster, in this darkness—everyone is eagerly awaiting the "Daydreamer" lantern show.

The staff from the United Front Work Department brought a chair for Zuo Siquan, who sat down, resting his chin on one hand, adopting a thinking posture, remaining motionless like an old monk in meditation.

No one spoke on the rooftop. Yin Ju and Jiang Jianxin stood to the side. Yin Ju gazed at the crowd below the building, and after a while, he whispered to Jiang Jianxin:

"My brother is here too."

"Your brother?"

Jiang Jianxin looked at Yin Ju's profile and asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it's 'Thunder God of War' Fu Yunhui."

Yin Ju took a sip of tea.

"He's always wanted to spar with you. It just so happens that Daydreamer is holding a lantern festival at Dawn Base, so he came along with other elders who wanted to see the lantern festival."

Jiang Jianxin looked down at the sea of ​​people below the building again, but after searching for a long time without seeing anyone, he asked:

"Where's your brother? Can't you see him?"

"promise--"

Yin Ju gestured with his chin in one direction and said:
"He came from Hope Base, and several elders from other bases were with him."

Jiang Jianxin looked in the direction Yin Ju pointed out and indeed saw a large group of people. The young man in the lead had short, neat hair, wore a black vest, had a bullet-shaped pendant hanging on his chest, and had smooth, curved muscles on his arms. He was also very strong.

His features were obscured by the darkness, but his lines and contours were clear and handsome.

"This kid wants to spar with me?"

Jiang Jianxin clicked his tongue and asked.

She's not exaggerating, but judging from this guy's muscles and abs, he's clearly a close-combat fighter.

—And in close combat, she, the Sword Master, has never lost.

"He is a mage and can control lightning."

Yin Ju could tell what she was thinking just by looking at her expression.

“You are a Swordsman, and the weapon you use is conductive.”

"..."

Jiang Jianxin puffed out his cheeks and asked:

"A mage-level character is this strong?"

The last person to have so many smooth muscles was Gu Fengliu, a sword-wielding officer. When he was fencing with her, Jiang Jianxin could feel the explosive power of the muscles in that kid's arms and see the bulging veins that were bulging because he couldn't withstand her strength.

"Why can't the mage sequence be strengthened?"

Yin Ju put the lid on the thermos and asked in return:

"Don't make stereotypes. My buddy is a 180cm tall, sunny, and cheerful sports student who loves fitness."

"Oh."

Jiang Jianxin gave an uninteresting "oh." Lightning abilities were a bit troublesome, but they weren't entirely without a solution for the Sword Master.

The two were about to continue their conversation when they suddenly saw a huge, fantastical golden circle rise from the bottom of the building, its magnificent crimson-gold halo spiraling upwards from the ground floor all the way to the rooftop.

Warm sunlight streamed down from the golden circle, and willow catkins fell from it like snowflakes.

"Wow------!"

A cheer of delight erupted from the crowd below; the daydreamer's talent, [Dreaming Beyond Dreams], had officially activated. "Buzz—"

As willow catkins drifted down, the steel forest of Dawn Base was ignited by tens of thousands of golden fragments of light.

Transparent fish, conjured from golden rings, swam between glass curtain walls, their light flickering and shifting between the gaps in the buildings.

As the first beam of illusory golden light pierced the clouds, the entire city-state suddenly held its breath—millions of orange Kongming lanterns were rising from the ground, like a golden rain curtain flowing backward.

The fluttering willow catkins transformed into falling specks of light, crashing to the ground and blooming into lotus flowers.

A rich floral fragrance wafted from the golden circle, and hundreds of silver butterflies swept low across the distance, carrying swirling golden specks of light, before disappearing into the transparent lotus flowers blooming on the ground.

Kongming lanterns filled the city, couples embraced in the rain of light, and children made wishes upon the lanterns.

Amidst the continuous exclamations and gasps of surprise, Jiang Jianxin blinked, his pupils reflecting the myriad lights.

The last time I saw a scene like this was when I met Edric during the Chinese New Year last year.

That year, it snowed heavily. She walked alone in the snow wearing a cotton-padded coat, gazing quietly at the lights of thousands of homes on the other side of the frozen riverbank.

At that time, the lights were dazzling, the moon hung high, and the world was brightly lit, but the light could not reach her.

A chill and loneliness enveloped her. Despite it being a joyous day, all that accompanied her were her long shadow under the bright moon and the torrential snow.

Just then, she heard a call coming from behind her.

"younger sister!"

The young man stood beside the cast-iron lamppost of the bridge, wearing a black and gray top hat with a rolled brim and a sapphire set in it.

The river breeze lifted the hem of his double-breasted black overcoat, revealing a dark-patterned jacquard vest underneath. The smooth woolen fabric wrapped around his thin shoulders, and a two-inch-wide strip of black satin was turned up at the collar, as if cutting a sharp edge out of the night.

The creases of the dark gray striped trousers were straight as a ruler, and the cuffs just covered the laces of the suede ankle boots.

The man gripped an ebony cane in his left hand, and a section of the pointed collar of his French shirt peeked out from between his sheepskin gloves and cuffs. His mother-of-pearl cufflinks gleamed with a pearly gray luster in the twilight.

"boom……"

As the fireworks on the riverbank burst into their first burst of orange light, he took off his hat, bent down slightly, took a half-step back with his toes, and rotated his wrist twice before pressing it against his left chest.

Jiang Jianxin didn't recognize what this etiquette was, but she knew that this person valued politeness and would always bow first when meeting someone.

The young man elegantly buttoned his hat back on, his breath blurring the gold rim of his monocle, but unable to conceal the smile spreading across his eyes.

He stepped forward, took a candied hawthorn skewer wrapped in a paper bag from his pocket, and handed it to her, saying:

"Your brother's here—he bought candied hawthorns for his little sister."

Jiang Jianxin, bundled up like a bear in his padded coat, took the candied hawthorn, took a big bite, and muttered under his breath:

"I thought you weren't coming for Chinese New Year this year..."

The young man's gaze, seen through his monocle, gently fell upon her, and he smiled:
"How could that be? That damn boss has already exploited me enough during the day, don't even think about stopping me from coming to see my sister at night."

The young man noticed that the girl seemed a little downcast. He stopped and stared at her lowered eyelashes, then suddenly snapped his fingers.

"Kenshin, look—"

The soft cracking of ice broke the stillness of the night.

The moment Jiang Jianxin suddenly raised his head, the river surface was suddenly shimmering with a golden halo.

Thousands of ice lanterns broke through the glass-like ice layer with a sound, rising up with fine snowflakes. The candlelight spread warm orange ripples in the twilight, turning the night into a sky full of flowing gold.

The girl instinctively opened her palm.

A sliver of light landed between her curled fingers, and the warmth, like melting snow, meandered along the lines of her palm, as if dispelling all the coldness and loneliness.

"Happy New Year, little sister!"

Amidst the flashing lights, the young man looked at her, tilted his head, and smiled as he spoke.

Thank you to the emerald green Ding Gong Teng for the monthly pass, and thank you to Bao Zi for your support!