Ch70 - Interstellar Broadcasting Station

Bonus chapter for this week! Finished my work early yay!

In the mansion.

Jian Mei opened the wooden box and was surprised to find a white communication terminal inside.

It looked just like the young master’s communication terminal! Hesitating for a moment, he cautiously slipped it onto his wrist. The moment it touched his skin, a strange sensation spread through him—it started as a faint tickle, then quickly turned into a cool, numbing feeling. The sensation was oddly electric, sending shivers up his arm, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

The white wristband then began to change. Its solid form dissolved into a glowing ring of light, and runes appeared around his wrist—so faint that unless someone looked closely, they’d be nearly invisible.

Then, a string of text appeared before him. Jian Mei’s eyes widened in shock. He… couldn’t read it!

Well, this was incredibly awkward.

He didn’t recognize a single character of this planet’s language.

He’d actually noticed this problem a while ago. Back in the young master’s study, he realized he couldn’t read anymore. But during the day, he had work to do, and by night, he was so exhausted that all he wanted was to sleep. With early mornings to wake up for, there was simply no time to read or study. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to learn; he just kept telling himself he’d study once he reached the capital and enrolled in school.

What he hadn’t expected, though, was that now, with the communication terminal, he… couldn’t use it!

Jian Mei looked down at his wrist, a little distressed. “What a waste…”

But how much was this wristband really worth?

Jian Mei wasn’t ready to jump to conclusions just yet. Could it be that this communication terminal was part of the medical fee the gentleman and his wife had given him?

As he was about to place the wristband back into the wooden box, he suddenly noticed a hidden compartment. Inside it was a small pouch, and when he opened it, he found it filled with heavy gold coins!

He roughly counted them—there were 50 coins in total.

That was more than enough to cover his tuition for the next year in the capital. It even covered the registration fee for Xiao Ban!

Jian Mei murmured to himself, “This is too precious…”

He had stayed up late studying the bracelet, eventually falling asleep while still holding it. Before dawn, he was abruptly awakened by a noise from outside—a deep, beast-like growl that startled him and made him shiver.

Jian Mei snapped out of his daze and sat up. “What’s going on?”

KTLiQJN IQA afQGT, hiLJBPL nQ GLPT QJ LJB ALQB, “vTQ, Qd’A dIT AqQiQd-mLsQJN GTiTPfJp fUdAQBT.”

“YRftfm-ENXfyq?” TfNy VJf tDggJz CfI JeJI, LOOXfyq hOyADIJz. “WCNm’I mCNm?”

hiLJBPL nQ TcqYLQJTB, “EIT AqQiQd-mLsQJN GTiTPfJp QJafYaTA L IUJBiTB PLNQGLY gTLAdA PLsQJN JfQAT Ld L ATd dQPT df GILAT LmLp TaQY AqQiQdA LJB GYTLJAT fUi PQJBA.”

XQLJ vTQ mLA LPLeTB. “lf dILd’A mILd Qd QA.”

vm ENI Xfyz OA LfXJ mCJ ENe mCJe IJm OAA AftJhtNhXJtI zDtfyq kCfyJIJ QJE jJNt mO IhNtJ OAA gNz IRftfmI.

StNyzoN uf mOLz Cfo mO qJm ztJIIJz Nyz INfz, “GOzNe, oNye OA mCJ hCfLztJy ECO’FJ gJJy EOtXfyq NENe AtOo COoJ EfLL gJ hOofyq gNhX, gDm eOD’tJ zfAAJtJym. jOD’tJ mCJ eODyq oNImJt’I RJtIOyNL NmmJyzNym, IO eOD hNy’m qO COoJ mOzNe. jOD’LL yJJz mO NhhOoRNye mCJ eODyq oNImJt mO mCJ hfme hJymJt AOt mCJ hJLJgtNmfOy. sAmJt N hODRLJ OA gDIe zNeI, eOD’LL gJ NgLJ mO qO COoJ.”

Jian Mei replied, “Alright.”

He didn’t know much about his original family, but from what Xiao Ban had told him, his family seemed to have all passed away. He had lived with his grandmother, but after she passed, he followed Xiao Ban to the small town to find work. Xiao Ban still had his mother and younger sister, which was why he had gone back home yesterday.

After getting dressed and leaving his room, he saw the young master.

The young master was dressed very formally today in a dark navy-blue suit, and the raised collar added a touch of scholarly elegance, making him look incredibly refined.

Jian Mei smiled and said, “The color suits you, young master. I wonder if black would look even cooler.”

The young master replied, “Black and pure ink are colors that only the royal family can wear.”

Jian Mei froze for a moment.

He remembered a video that Dazhuang-ge had shown him, where Dazhuang-ge’s sleeves were ink-colored. Could Dazhuang-ge be from the imperial family? That couldn’t be—it didn’t match his name. Besides, Dazhuang-ge was always on his own. An imperial prince would never be without companions, just like those great nobles they always talked about.

The young master noticed his pause and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Jian Mei quickly shook his head. “Nothing.”

This was his first time attending the celebration. The entire town was filled with a cheerful, festive spirit. The streets bustled with people coming and going. As he watched the children and adults passing by, their faces bright with happiness, memories of strolling through the streets with his parents and playing outside with his older brother surfaced in his mind.

It was strange—despite the lively, crowded festival, a deep and heavy sense of longing suddenly overwhelmed him. He felt incredibly alone.

As the town mayor, Jia Si was naturally at the center of the divine ceremony. In the middle of the plaza stood a silver statue of the goddess, her vast, sacred wings stretching behind her. Her face radiated compassion and mercy, as if she were gazing upon humanity with boundless love.

“This year has been one of abundance, and our people’s lives are growing more prosperous,” Jia Si declared before the vast crowd. Dressed in exceptionally luxurious and formal attire, he carried himself with dignity befitting his status. He and his family stood at the front, chanting sacred prayers and kneeling in worship to the gods.

Shen Huai stood not far from Jian Mei and spoke in a low voice. “Today is an important day. Commoners are usually not allowed to participate in such grand ceremonies. See the spirit-summoner priest at the front? He’s attempting to establish a connection with the deity. Once the god descends into the statue and it starts to glow, everyone will be able to kneel and offer their prayers.”

Jian Mei asked softly, “How does one pray?”

Shen Huai replied, “You just offer your prayers sincerely, telling the deity your wishes and desires. For those who already possess divine power, receiving the god’s blessing usually strengthens their abilities—sometimes boosting them several times over for a short period.”

Jian Mei nodded. “I see.”

That shouldn’t have anything to do with him.

With that thought, he turned his gaze back to the high platform where the blessing ceremony was unfolding. The spirit-summoning priests had already completed their ritual. Town Mayor Jia Si led the way, kneeling first, with the crowd following suit.

From his elevated position, Jian Mei watched the vast sea of townspeople kneeling in devotion, bowing before the goddess. The towering statue emitted a sacred white light, its glow spreading across the land like a divine radiance, touching everyone equally, without discrimination.

At that moment, a wave of awe washed over Jian Mei. It was a visual and sensory shock, a powerful impact from this culture and this nation, so different from his own. This was their world, their faith.

Shen Huai tugged at Jian Mei’s sleeve.

Jian Mei quickly followed suit. He hadn’t known how to properly worship the deity, but as he knelt, it was as if something instinctive took over, guiding him without need for instruction.

Jian Mei knelt down and softly pressed his palms together, praying devoutly. “I hope to return soon, I hope my parents and loved ones stay healthy and well, I hope… I can see Dazhuang-ge again, and I hope the future will be smooth.”

These were his most sincere and heartfelt wishes.

The divine light seemed to shine down, and he felt a warm, comforting sensation, as though he were soaking in hot spring water. For a moment, his body tingled, as if electrified, a sensation that was difficult to describe. After the ritual, the entire town began celebrating the Lantern Festival.

The square was filled with delicious food, and the townspeople were singing and dancing, creating a lively atmosphere.

Jian Mei mingled with the crowd, soaking in the festive joy. He was wandering idly when he noticed a girl leaning against a tree near the square. Just then, a small bug fell from the tree above, and by chance, it landed perfectly on her shoulder.

Jian Mei hurried over and gently removed the insect from her.

The girl, who had been screaming earlier, now noticed the insect was gone. She let out a deep sigh of relief and tearfully expressed her gratitude, “Thank you, thank you so much.”

Jian Mei shook his head. “No need to thank me.”

A little embarrassed, the girl said, “It’s been so long since I came home for the Lantern Festival, and I got carried away. I forgot there could be insects on trees. I’ll have to keep my distance next time.”

Jian Mei smiled. “This bug doesn’t bite.”

He didn’t know that before either—Xiao Ban had told him.

The girl pressed her hand to her chest. “I know it doesn’t bite, but I’m still a little scared.”

Jian Mei understood and said, “Then just stay further away.”

The girl nodded, her gaze lingering on him with curiosity. Since it was the holiday, Jian Mei wasn’t in his usual uniform but was instead wearing a red jacket. In the cold winter, red made him appear even paler. After spending a year in the mayor’s household, his skin had become fair, and his appearance had grown more refined. At first glance, he gave off an air of quiet nobility.

The girl took the initiative and said, “I’m Ya Wen, I work at the interstellar station.”

Jian Mei nodded. “I’m Mei. I work at the town mayor’s residence.”

“Really? You don’t look like one,” Ya Wen said, munching on a fruit. “I meet all kinds of people at the interstellar station, but you don’t seem like a servant at all.”

When Jian Mei heard about the interstellar station, he became curious. “What kind of work is that? Do you work outside of the planet?”

Ya Wen shook her head and explained, “It’s not that impressive. I mainly serve the people from our planet. My workplace is the interstellar station in the sky. Every day, I’m responsible for welcoming tourists from other planets or people returning home. Of course, I also handle registrations for those leaving the planet. In addition, I gather and broadcast recent news about the interstellar station on our daily small radio broadcast.”

Jian Mei was impressed. “That sounds really amazing.”

“It’s really not that impressive,” Ya Wen replied. “I’m just another worker. Lately, the requests I get for my little radio station have been getting stranger and stranger. Some even ask me to help broadcast missing person notices!”

She complained, adding, “Since our station is connected to everyone’s personal terminals, we have a pretty large audience, so it actually works. Can you believe it?”

As she was complaining, Jian Mei’s gaze grew more intense.

Ya Wen finally noticed now and stammered as she said, “W-Wait, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Could you help me with broadcasting a missing person notice?” Jian Mei eagerly leaned in. “I want to find someone.”

Ya Wen didn’t expect this turn of events. She said, “Calm down, it’s not like we can just broadcast anything. You have to at least…”

The usually reserved Jian Mei was unusually generous at this moment. “Do I need to pay? I’ll pay whatever it costs.”