People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"Professor Levy, what did you say?"

“It’s nothing.” Levi shook his head.

The streets of Tremont lived up to his image of capitalist decadence; even the most inconspicuous trash cans on street corners would automatically open their lids when you reached out, making it easy for you to throw your trash in. And at the end, they'd even praise you with a "Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility."

Is it convenient? In Levy's view, it's simply extravagant and a waste of technological resources!

When he first arrived in Terra, he landed on a frontier. There, he witnessed firsthand the so-called "Great Frontier Movement," which was far more brutal and bloody than anything the American Empire had done during the westward expansion.

What impressed him most was a blind child.

The little girl known as "Mary" was also infected with the strange stone disease unique to Terra. She was blind and unable to keep up with the main force in the frontier to do the kind of labor that was required, but she was still assigned the same work as normal adults.

Imagine if this technology on the trash can could be further developed and applied, how much simpler would that child's job be, and how much more convenient would the lives of other children with disabilities be?

That is true convenience!

As for why Levy didn't try to save the little girl...

She found Levi in ​​the frontier area, and the reason she encountered him there was because her Oripathy infection was in its final stages, and she had been abandoned in the wilderness.

Having just arrived and being completely clueless, he couldn't save the child. He could only accompany her through the last part of her short life and hold a funeral for her—using the crystals left after the child exploded to build a small tombstone.

Recalling that past event, Levy couldn't help but feel a little sad.

But all he can do now is work as a researcher in Colombia. Apart from basic living expenses and equipment maintenance, he hasn't used a single penny of the money he's saved for himself. He's invested the rest in his "Red October Pioneer Fund".

The assistant couldn't understand Levy's thoughts at all, and seeing that Levy was unwilling to explain, he simply pulled out today's schedule:

"Professor Levy, Ms. Christen, the head of Rhine Lab, has extended an invitation to you. Are you interested?"

“Kristen?” Levy’s eyes flickered for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. “Have her bring a project, instead of just sending a meaningless invitation. Scientists should act like scientists, not like a disgusting politician dawdling around.”

"Understood. I will reply to her." The assistant nodded.

Just as he was about to ask about the next item on the schedule, Levi disappeared before his eyes.

Levy paid no attention to the assistant assigned to him by the Tremont Scientific Committee to help this rising scientific star. He turned and stepped into a bookstore on the side of the street.

Linquan chain bookstores.

The streets of Tremont, the city of science, are never short of bookstores, and the Tremont Grand Library is known as the fifth largest library in Terra, after the Royal Library of Victoria, the Ursus National Library, the Ludwig University Library of Letania, and the Great Yan International Archives.

However, this bookstore is still considered a rather special type among the many bookstores on the street.

This is a branch of a publishing house from Da Yan in Colombia.

Some books about the Great Yan Dynasty will be published here.

This is very rare. According to Levi's understanding, in Terra, the Great Yan is basically similar to ancient China, closed off from the world, with only one city open to the outside world, and its internal culture and customs are very different from those of the core countries.

This is why, despite having a history much longer than that of the Victorian era and having not experienced any major wars, the Great Yan's National Archives only ranks fourth among the world's libraries.

It is not open to the public. People only know that the archive contains many rare and ancient books, but very few people have the opportunity to enter and read them in person.

Levy didn't have any particular opinion about China, but he was curious about what the Yan people in this world were researching on a daily basis.

I've heard that they have a profession called "Civil Engineering Master" in their country. Perhaps studying their techniques could help improve the environment of the development zone.

"welcome."

The shop assistants greeted each customer who entered the store with friendly voices. Levi stood at the entrance, glanced around the store, and naturally noticed the books displayed on the recommendation shelf near the entrance.

"The Chronicles of Ersley? A fictional world, a science fiction novel?"

He frowned.

He was no stranger to science fiction; his homeland had once been a hotbed of the genre. People envisioned the future based on current technology, placing their hopes on the next generation, imagining them leaving Earth's cradle, venturing into the stars, and achieving a truly communist society.

The stories of those children who buried time capsules and asked Soviet people a hundred years later whether our great ideals had been realized and how wonderful our society was back then have moved countless people.

But the reason he frowned was not because there was a science fiction novel in the bookstore of Da Yan.

It's the title of the book.

Despite considerable disagreement over the content, Wei Yanwu largely followed Ernst's opinions in the translation. Ers, as he stated, was translated in the Colombian version into a word that Levy found extremely familiar:

“earth.......”

The Terrans are accustomed to using this land as a name for the world, because the ocean has not yet been explored and long-distance voyages have been interrupted by the arrival of the Great Tranquility. Therefore, it is not so strange for a Terran to use the word "earth" to describe a fictional world.

But for someone like Levy, whose status was unique, "earth" had a different meaning.

It also refers to the Earth.

"Hello, are you reading the Chronicles of Erzley?"

A friendly Pello employee came forward to inquire.

When the book was delivered from the headquarters of Lungmen, the shop assistant wasn't particularly interested.

If Lungmen is a commercial capital, then Tremont is a city of technology. What kind of story can a science fiction novel set in an alternate world, written by a Sherag and published in Lungmen, possibly tell?

Watching a cyber snow leopard bare its teeth in a snowy city?

Stop joking. Talking about science fiction in front of people from the science and technology capital is already pretty much science fiction, isn't it?

Out of a desire to have some fun, he opened a copy himself and read it by himself when he had nothing else to do.

He then became a passionate preacher.

"You have excellent taste. I highly recommend this book. In my opinion, it's not just a science fiction novel, but also a historical novel. Mr. Ernst's vivid depiction of a world without Oripathy is both captivating and incredibly realistic. It's not a fairytale world where the absence of infected individuals makes it perfect; rather, it's precisely because it lacks Oripathy, natural disasters, and infected individuals that many of us living on this land can gain a clearer understanding of the contradictions and sufferings we've previously overlooked! This is truly delightful!"

The shop assistant enthusiastically shared his knowledge. But before he could finish speaking, he sensed something was amiss.

What's going on? Why do you look even more excited than me?

Seeing Levi's eyes widen and his breathing quicken, the shop assistant took a step back, somewhat at a loss.

"Guest? Sir? Are you alright?"

Levy snapped out of his daze, took a deep breath, and replied:

"I am fine."

He reached out, pointed to the book, and asked:

How much does this book cost?

"Do you want to buy the whole set or just the parts? If you buy the whole set, the Ancient Civilizations section is discounted to 300 Columbia Gold Vouchers, and it comes with a free setting book. If you buy them separately, the setting book is 20 Columbia Gold Vouchers, and each of the Ancient Civilizations section is 80 Columbia Gold Vouchers."

The Four Ancient Civilizations?

Levy's gaze hardened even more.

Now that things have come to this, whether it's a "coincidence" or not, he's determined to buy the book!

“A complete set,” he said.

The clerk beamed upon hearing this, returned to the counter, opened the cash register, and asked:

"Cash or card, sir?"

Levy took out his wallet, paused for a moment, then took out his phone:

"Wait a minute, I'll make a call."

Five minutes later, the assistant, who had almost been forced to perform "I used to have a job" because he lost Levy, arrived at the bookstore sweating profusely and thankfully paid for Levy's purchase.

"Professor Levy, you scared me to death! Next time you're going to disappear, could you please tell me in advance?"

“If I had told you beforehand, would it still count as disappearing?” Levi retorted.

The assistant choked for a moment, then said with a mournful face:

"Can we not disappear next time?"

Levi glanced at him and nodded.

The assistant breathed a sigh of relief and pulled out the schedule again, saying:

"Professor, we have an academic conference to attend in half an hour. Would you like to...?"

“Cancel it,” Levy suddenly said. “Cancel all my plans for today. I’m going back to study.”

The assistant was stunned. He glanced at Levi, who was walking away without looking back, and then at the packed schedule in his hand. He suddenly felt that he might as well have just never found Levi.

At least you only lose a job. But if you had to call all the big shots on that schedule, you might end up being thrown into a remote, undeveloped area!

"Professor Levy, let's discuss this again. We can read at night, right?"

The assistant chased after him, offering words of advice.

But Levy had already found a café, sat down at an outdoor glass table, and opened his book.

His brows were furrowed tightly; he seemed unusually tense even though he was just reading a book.

He smiled with relief when he saw the quote that was clearly a reference to One Hundred Years of Solitude.

He wasn't wrong. He wasn't the only one who had come into this world.

Ernst, a Scherragian?

It seems necessary to meet this "compatriot" of mine.

"Professor Levy, could you...?"

"Okay, please cancel all my plans for the next few days," Levy said. "I might have to go on a long trip."

The assistant opened his mouth, but the words of advice stuck in his throat suddenly became impossible to utter.

Hey, I might as well not have tried to persuade you at all!

Why are you getting more and more extreme the more you try to persuade them?

Chapter 105 Ask Levi if he's interested in Star Pods

Levy ultimately did not set off for Shelag immediately.

It wasn't because train tickets to that place were impossible to buy, but because Ernst himself came.

At the beginning of 1094, after officially finishing the first quarter's production work and recommending Latatos to join the Carlan Trade as a government commissioner, Ernst took advantage of the last gap before Christen's scheduled visit to begin his second recruitment journey!

And the first stop was Colombia.

The morning breeze in Tremont carries the fragrance of the city's gardens. This city, which blends the tech vibe of Silicon Valley with the financial atmosphere of New York, is the best embodiment of the Columbia spirit.

Enterprising, pioneering, and forging ahead. If we disregard those who become "consumables" at the cost of development, this is undoubtedly a dream city for everyone.

Just like Night City is a holy land that countless legends who want to rise above others dream of.

The only difference is that only a very few rise to the top, while countless others fall to their deaths.

As one of the brightest stars in Star City, any new discovery by Christensen is enough to attract the attention of the entire industry.

But even she has her rare moments of being outmaneuvered.

"Christen, Mr. Levy has declined your invitation again."

Whether it was a water clone or the real body, Muelsys poked his head out of Christen's water glass and replied with a somewhat disappointed expression.

The idea of ​​the commander-in-chief residing in the commander-in-chief's office was previously a myth, but recently, Christensen has consistently stayed in her own office. Those who know Christensen naturally know some of the inside story.

Their commanders seemed to attach great importance to this trip to Shelag.

"Does that place really deserve so much attention? It seems like the returns this investment will bring to Rhine Life won't even cover the costs."

Justin Bieber of the Department of Commerce once questioned this, but Christensen refuted him without hesitation.

"Because this is research, research is more important than you, Justin."

She was someone who rarely spoke such outrageous things, and after that, there were no more voices of opposition within Rhine Labs.

The person who caused Christensen to suffer a setback was undoubtedly Levy.

In Christensen's view, Levy was eccentric. More eccentric than any scientist she had ever met.

He disliked money, and all his research earnings, except for those used to support his basic living, went to charitable foundations. He didn't crave power; when Rhine Life Sciences invited him to establish a brand-new department, he remained unmoved. At times, Christen even felt that he seemed to have a sense of alienation and disgust towards the world.