According to the pre-planned route, Lu Fenghan and Qiyan boarded the high-speed transportation vehicle of the Mikonos planet.
It was morning, and there were not many people in the carriage. Many passengers were dozing off against the wall. Along the way, I could see the advertising screen through the window. It was playing a show that Fugelina would come to the Southern Cross area for a tour in a month. Both the live tickets and the online virtual tickets were available.
Qi Yan had never seen this type of advertisement before, so he watched it several times in a row, analyzing the principles of how it was played in his mind.
Until Lu Fenghan's palm blocked his eyes.
A low, magnetic voice came from behind my ear, "Don't look at her, she's not pretty."
Qi Yan knew that the "she" in Lu Fenghan's words referred to Fujilina, so he looked carefully at the person in the advertisement: "According to current aesthetic standards, her appearance can score more than 95 points, which should meet the standard of 'good-looking'."
Lu Fenghan stood behind Qi Yan, holding the hanging ring with one hand and putting the other hand in the pocket of his gray windbreaker. He rested his chin on Qi Yan's shoulder and sighed deliberately.
Qi Yan pressed his back against his chest without moving, and asked with a sidelong glance: "Why are you sighing?"
Lu Fenghan: "I'm jealous."
"Jealous?"
"Yes, you keep looking at other people, and I'm jealous."
After Qi Yan found the meaning of "jealous" from his memory, he immediately thought: "In the technical department, before I answered Lorenz's question, you deliberately asked me if I would go back after asking about frequency band decomposition. Was that also jealousy?"
Lu Fenghan didn't expect to be exposed now.
But he admitted quickly: "Yes."
Not wanting to mention Lorenz, Lu Fenghan answered and quickly changed the subject, "It feels like we are like office workers who are always busy at work and rarely have a day off to play." He glanced at a few young people who were standing and chatting in casual clothes not far away, "Just like them."
Qi Yan looked over there.
The high-speed traffic vehicle made an unfamiliar low noise as it traveled. Lu Fenghan took off his military uniform, and the two stood together. The silent explosions in space and the enemy's butcher knives gradually faded in their minds.
In a trance, Qi Yan thought, it was really just as Lu Fenghan described.
After getting off the high-speed bus, we arrived at another area far away from the star port.
It is the rainy season. Even though the sky is clear, there is still a damp feeling in the air, mixed with the fragrance of unknown flowers, which makes people feel lazy.
The surrounding buildings were generally not high, and the road was only half as wide as Leto's. Screens were embedded on the exterior walls of the buildings, broadcasting news of the victory on the front line. The scene changed, and General Nie Huaiting, wearing a dark military uniform of a four-star general, faced the camera and answered questions from reporters.
The Southern Cross region is close to the front line and is very sensitive to the war, but people are in a hurry and there is no panic on their faces. They eat when they should eat and work when they should work. Few people stop to pay attention to the war news.
Instead, Lu Fenghan put his hand on Qi Yan's shoulder, and the two of them listened to the military's external statements together.
A little abrupt.
Lu Fenghan said in a low voice: "This is the advantage of the large territory of the alliance. Leto was occupied by the rebels, but the central administrative district is too far away from the Southern Cross District. The people here can see the most detailed information from the news, but their daily lives will not be affected, and they will not feel it. In the same way, the front-line starships exploded one after another, but not a wisp of gunpowder drifted over."
Qi Yan immediately understood what Lu Fenghan meant and continued, "Sociologist Ivanova once proposed a point of view. She believes that as the alliance continues to expand, the distances between planets and administrative regions will begin to be measured in light years. In this way, the people's empathy for their compatriots and the sense of unity in the alliance will become lower and lower. In the end, it is very likely that regional autonomy will be implemented, and the 'alliance' will become a 'nominal alliance'."
Not sure if it was because he had changed out of his military uniform or if he was being restrained on purpose, but Lu Fenghan didn’t have a strong aura. He lowered his eyes and looked at Qi Yan, with his profile clearly visible. “Well, so the military brass have a point of view—if there were no rebels as an external threat, the alliance wouldn’t be so united.”
"It sounds reasonable, but if the alliance needs to rely on a stimulus like 'external threats' to achieve 'unity', this 'unity' will not last long." Qi Yan thought for a moment, "If we lose this stimulus, the alliance will gradually split. This can only mean that 'split' is a historical development process. Human power can only stop it temporarily, but cannot completely stop it."
Lu Fenghan agreed with Qi Yan's opinion.
I also feel that this feeling is wonderful - no matter what I say, Qi Yan can understand and comprehend me.
He looked at the screen again. Nie Huaiting was speaking slowly and carefully. Just sitting there, he looked as solemn as a mountain. "If Hodgkins had a clear mind and could face this problem squarely, he wouldn't have caused so many troubles."
Although Hodgkin has become a notorious traitor to the Union, few people mention why he defected.
"Hodgkin was not satisfied with the status quo. He tried to use divine authority to legitimize despotism and dictatorship, and to strengthen centralized rule with dictatorship and strict laws, so as to achieve a certain kind of 'unity'."
Lu Fenghan thought of the video conversation with Nie Huaiting.
"More than a decade ago, Hodgkin expressed his disappointment with the overly liberal atmosphere of the Alliance. He believed that this was undesirable and that the Secretary-General and the Commander-in-Chief of the Alliance should do something. However, it was obvious that the Secretary-General and General Nie's actions did not meet his requirements, so he turned to the rebels, believing that the rebels could realize his political ideals."
Qi Yan shook his head. "I am not from the future. I am not sure whether the current alliance is 'correct', but preaching God's power, brainwashing, restricting freedom, strict laws, controlling people's thoughts, and making everyone a 'standard and perfect alliance citizen' is a regression of mankind."
"That's right. Hodgkin's words made me feel like humans had regressed four or five hundred years in one go, or even wore animal skins to hunt mammoths."
Lu Fenghan's eyes were filled with sarcasm, and his gaze was solemn. "In the first year of the Star Calendar, the Human Alliance was formally established and the Human Interstellar Covenant was promulgated. The original copy of the covenant is still in Leto's historical archives. It clearly states freedom, equality, dignity, order, and the rule of law. But there is no mention of 'God' or 'dictatorship'."
After the news was over, the two went to the public hovercraft platform.
The buildings on Mikonos reflect the unique style of the Southern Cross region. The tops of the taller buildings are often decorated with large rings with words and patterns engraved on them, which look like a huge stone monument from a distance.
The destination was a small restaurant called "Star Flower Mushroom Noodles". After the two sat down, Lu Fenghan flipped through the menu: "There are one, two, three or four flavor combinations. Which one do you want to eat?"
Qi Yan looked at the pictures on the menu and compared them with his memory: "Since we came in from the door, we have passed a total of 31 tables. Among the 93 bowls of noodles, the number of people who chose the four flavors were 21, 14, 38, and 20 respectively. According to the statistical results, if we ignore the unknown influencing factors, flavor three should be the most suitable for most people."
Seeing Qi Yan doing a data survey, Lu Fenghan smiled and said, "Okay, as you say, I'll choose flavor three."
The noodles were served in a mushroom-shaped bowl, steaming hot, and in addition to the noodles, there were also many side dishes.
Qi Yan tasted the food and picked two of the side dishes and put them in Lu Fenghan's bowl. After picking, he realized that this was impolite. But when he looked up again, he found that the dishes he picked had been eaten by Lu Fenghan.
Seeing Qi Yan holding a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other, staring at him blankly, Lu Fenghan raised his eyebrows: "What's wrong?"
Qi Yan quickly lowered his eyes, feeling inexplicably flustered.
Probably knowing the reason, Lu Fenghan passed the side dish that Qi Yan liked from his bowl to the one across from him, and deliberately said, "Exchange with you."
Qi Yan replied after a while: “…Okay.”
After answering, he immediately took a sip of soup to cover up.
His eyes paused at the tip of his nose that was reddened by the heat, and Lu Fenghan asked him, "Is it delicious?"
"It's delicious and fresh. I've never tasted anything like it before."
"Come and eat again tomorrow?"
Qi Yan: "Don't you only have one day off?"
Lu Fenghan had a good reason: "The rest days can be combined. Two years ago on this day, I was holding a strategic meeting on the ship, so I can move the day off I didn't take to tomorrow."
As for Vincent and Erich's ideas, they were not within his consideration.
Time became abundant. After finishing their noodles, the two walked to a small square nearby and looked at the sculpture fountain from a hundred years ago. Lu Fenghan went to buy a bag of food to feed the pigeons for Qi Yan. They found someone playing classical music from the Earth era on the side of the road, so they stopped and listened for an hour.
Lu Fenghan rarely has such leisure time.
After entering the First Military Academy, every day was filled with training and courses. I wanted to make the most of every second, and I even had to develop the skill of memorizing knowledge points while doing physical training.
Later, I joined the expeditionary force and was on the ship 359 out of 360 days a year. It was a rare experience to be down-to-earth.
Even during the six months I spent with Leto, I couldn't really relax because I had worries in my heart.
But today—
no the same.
He looked at Qiyan, whose brows were relaxed and a pigeon feather was stuck on his coat, and thought that Qiyan should be the same as him.
As it was getting dark, Lu Fenghan took Qi Yan to eat the blue-scaled fish, a specialty of the Mykonos, according to the plan he had made in advance, and finally found a hotel to stay in.
Neither of them mentioned paying for two rooms.
After opening the door and entering the room, Lu Fenghan ordered Pojun: "Connect to the nearby star network."
In less than ten seconds, Po Jun gave his answer: "Very safe."
Lu Fenghan said "hmm" and turned his head to look at Qi Yan who was standing beside him. Qi Yan happened to be looking at him.
Eye contact.
Maybe it was because the room was too cramped, but Lu Fenghan felt that the air was not circulating well and his breathing became tight.
Images popped up in my mind uncontrollably.
Metierin shared her experience with Wein, telling him to choose a small bed when choosing a room. A bed that is too wide will result in each of them sleeping on one side, while a small bed can be used to hold the bed all night after the ceremony.
Duchamp added that the atmosphere is very important, the light should not be too bright, and it is best to have fragrance and flowers -
Stop.
He took a deep breath, and his temples felt tight and painful. Lu Fenghan felt that he had been contaminated by his subordinates!
He glanced at the bed in the room and found that it was not very wide, and it was a bit crowded for two people to sleep in. The bedside lamp was also a bit dim.
Can't think about it anymore.
Looking at the furnishings in the room, Lu Fenghan found something to do: "Shall I take a shower first?"
His voice was dry, and his voice was two degrees hoarser than usual.
"Okay," Qi Yan looked at the shower room and found that it was transparent, so he could see directly inside. His heart beat faster for a moment, "I'll go to the rooftop terrace to see the night view."
After saying that, without waiting for Lu Fenghan's response, he turned around and opened the door.
The entire hotel building has only seven floors. The roof is empty and undecorated, with only a half-withered climbing plant growing in the corner.
Qi Yan sat down on the edge of the roof, his long legs dangling in the air, his thin shadow slanted to one side.
"Pojun, are you there?"
"I'm here." Pojun's voice came from Qiyan's personal terminal.
Qi Yan looked at the scattered lights in the distance, then raised his head to the night sky: "There is only one moon here."
"Yes, this moon is called Elpha-i, and it is a satellite of the star Mikla." Po Jun continued, "The general, like you, also likes to observe the night sky. During the morning star hour, the day is long and the night is short. The day lasts 32 leto hours, and the night is 18 leto hours. The general asked me to adjust his activities and sleep time according to his biological clock. If he wakes up at night, he will keep looking at the stars."
"Look at the stars?"
In Qi Yan's memory, Lu Fenghan did not have this hobby.
"Yes. After being trapped on Dawn Star, the general once asked me if I could confirm the location of the Lagoon Nebula. However, according to the star map I saved at the time, I could not give an answer. The general was very disappointed."
Lagoon Nebula.
Qi Yan vaguely guessed something: "And then?"
"The general later told me that it doesn't matter if we can't determine the location of the Lagoon Nebula. There are billions of stars in the night sky, and there will always be a ray of starlight that comes from a distant star, passes through where you are, and finally reaches his eyes."
Qi Yan was stunned.
Po Jun was still talking: "The general called this 'consolation'."
The stars reflected in Qi Yan's eyes. He tried to imagine how Lu Fenghan felt when he was searching for a ray of starlight, but found that he couldn't do it.
He just felt a tide filling his heart, like fog gathering in the jungle, a little astringent, a little heavy, even making his eyes sore, as if something was about to overflow.
He heard himself asking, "Can you determine the location of the Morning Star?"
Pojun: "Okay."
"Give me a multidimensional star map."
After Lu Fenghan finished his shower, he took out his clean clothes from the clean clothes box, put them on, and buttoned them. When he looked in the mirror, he touched his jaw to make sure there was no stubble.
After smoothing out the tiny wrinkles on the edge of his gray windbreaker, he left the room and went to the rooftop to find Qi Yan.
They were in the old town, and there wasn't much to see at night. But because there was little light pollution, they could see a sky full of stars.
It was dark, but Lu Fenghan determined Qi Yan's location at a glance. He walked closer and sat down next to Qi Yan.
Just when I was about to ask Qi Yan if he was cold, I felt my sleeves being gently tugged twice.
"Look up."
Lu Fenghan didn't understand, but raised his head as he was told.
Qi Yan pointed to Lu Fenghan and said, "Quetzalcoatl is over there."
Lu Fenghan followed the direction he pointed and said "hmm".
"To the east of the star at Quetzalcoatlus, about 20 degrees north, there is a bright star called M11." Qi Yan looked focused. "It is an ancient star that has existed for 9.8 billion years."
His finger used the night sky as a canvas and M11 as the starting point to draw a line. "Here is the planet where the White Tower is located in the Lagoon Nebula."
The two are connected.
Qi Yan's fingers kept moving slowly, "After passing the planet where the White Tower is, follow this straight line forward and forward, and you will reach the Dawn Star."
The three form a line.
Qi Yan clenched his fingers and told Lu Fenghan seriously.
"The light from M11 once passed through the night sky above my head and fell into your eyes."
The wind is quiet.
At this moment, Lu Fenghan saw the galaxy falling in Qi Yan Qingling's eyes.