Chapter 65: Diners Depart, New Residents Arrive
“Sigh…”
“…Captain, we’re about to depart. Please keep it together.”
At the shuttle port, Lin Yu let out who knows how many sighs, and even his taciturn guard attendant Daiken couldn’t help but speak up to remind him.
“That’s easier said than done. Once we leave, we won’t reunite with the Xiang Family until the Fleet Exchange Period, sigh. The next few years without Xiang Family ancient food will be truly unbearable.” Lin Yu turned around and looked into the distance. Although the residential area where the Xiang Family Mansion was located couldn’t be seen from the shuttle’s port, the outline of the Yue Xiang Group building on the commercial street was faintly visible. “I really hope Director Xiang can further strengthen and expand Yue Xiang, quickly opening a branch in the First Fleet. With this unique trump card of ancient food, there’s no fear of not gaining a foothold in the First Fleet.”
This time? From Lin Yu’s wording, Daiken sensed some untold hardships on Yue Xiang Group’s development path. However, he also quite liked the Xiang Family’s dishes, so he had no objections to the hope that Yue Xiang could open a branch in the First Fleet.
[Beep—First Fleet diplomatic mission shuttle will arrive in one hundred twenty minutes. Please proceed to the port rest area to wait, esteemed guests from the First Fleet.]
The guide AI robot announced the time. The First Fleet diplomatic mission members, whether sincerely or politely, bid farewell to the Third Fleet executives who had come to see them off, and boarded the automatic elevator.
[Beep—Civilian shuttle A10932 entering port. Please ensure safe passage and follow port guide instructions for movement.]
At that moment, a civilian shuttle arrived at the port. Bustling crowds on automatic elevators brushed past the diplomatic mission. Through the specially reinforced glass, one could see excited people chatting and laughing as they entered the Third Fleet.
“After we return to the First Fleet, the next civilian route won’t be open until the Fleet Exchange Period, right?”
Lin Yu sighed.
One of the fundamental reasons the medical research institute has been obsessed with studying ways to extend the average human lifespan since humans entered the Tianyuan Era is largely due to the Twelfth Fleet taking their respective routes after the Dark Virus Crisis.
After leaving the Milky Way Galaxy, fleet executives turned their sights to various galaxy groups in the galaxy cluster. But just this local galaxy cluster spans over two million light-years. Humans took over ten thousand years just to travel from Earth to the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. Exploring the galaxy cluster undoubtedly takes even more time. To maintain periodic contact, before leaving the Milky Way Galaxy edge, the twelve fleets established powerful network relay stations on planets at the galaxy edge at intervals of three hundred light-years—the prototype of the current space-time network. After the space-time network was proven capable of being built without physical media, the relay stations became sites for irregular fleet exchanges between fleets.
Over time, this formed the Fleet Exchange Period.
But the galaxy cluster is vast. Finding fleets that have entered unknown galaxies thousands or even tens of thousands of light-years away is extremely difficult. Therefore, after the Fleet Exchange Period was officially established by the First Fleet government, there are very few records of the twelve fleets completing a full fleet exchange.
This time, the First Fleet happened to encounter the Third Fleet at the Milky Way Galaxy edge, so both sides decided to conduct an exchange before the Fleet Exchange Period, which also promoted tourism between their residents. The reason residents from both sides dared to undertake such cross-fleet medium- to long-term travel when fleets could hardly establish regular contact was still because the Third Fleet, like the First Fleet and Twelfth Fleet, never missed a Fleet Exchange Period.
—Worst case, just play for a dozen or so years!
Young people who had saved enough travel funds and elderly people seeking to enjoy their later years all chose to experience life in different fleets. This made Lin Yu feel a bit envious.
As an escort ship captain, he could not leave the First Fleet where he resided unless transferred for work or retired.
“Captain Lin, excuse me.”
At that moment, an official suddenly called out to him from behind.
“You are…?”
Lin Yu turned his head, frowned at the familiar face: why would this person be here?
“After entering the rest area, could you come to the VIP room?” The other lowered their voice, glanced around to ensure no one could hear, and added: “…about the Xiang Family.”
Xiang Family? Lin Yu frowned. Logically, the Third Fleet definitely wouldn’t harm the Xiang Family now, and since he was on good terms with them, could this person be…
“Please don’t worry.” Seeing Lin Yu’s vigilant expression, the official knew there was a misunderstanding and quickly clarified, taking out a thing and placing it in Lin Yu’s hand: “We mean no harm, we just hope to discuss some matters with you.”
After speaking, he retreated a few steps, at which point several bodyguards stepped forward to block him. Clearly, the other party was prepared.
Who is this person? And what do they want with him? Lin Yu looked at the thing in his hand and was startled: it was actually a yam cake! Yam cake has not yet been officially released. After the yam policy passed, Yue Xiang’s research institute has been developing different flavors of yam cake, while making commercial improvements to the most basic version. Logically, no one except Yue Xiang’s top executives and the Xiang Family should have access to yam cake.
Could it be Xiang Weiguo coming to find him? But for what?
Lin Yu was full of doubts. When he raised his head, he casually glanced at the crowd exiting the port nearby, then froze.
Amid the group of adults and elderly people, a boy operating a terminal light screen stood out sharply. He was frowning as he opened communication records to look at something, occasionally swallowing saliva. That appearance was just like his…
—No!
“Lin Ming! Lin Ming!” Lin Yu instinctively pressed against the glass and shouted, but the glass’s soundproofing was excellent. The other was focused on the light screen and didn’t see him at all. In urgency, he shouted directly: “Guide! Where’s the guide AI! Let me go down!”
—Lin Ming, his smug son, the kid who just entered junior high this week—how could he be at the Third Fleet’s port?!
Half an hour later.
While Xiang Chuan was curled up in her room, drooling over recipes from Geegle search for who knows how many times but frustrated by the lack of soy sauce, MSG, scallion ginger, she suddenly received a communication from Xiang Qi.
[Xiang Chuan, guests have arrived. Come down to greet them.]
“Ah? Oh.”
Xiang Chuan quickly changed into casual clothes, thinking: How come guests arrive right after Uncle Lin left? Brother mentioned this morning that First Fleet civilian flights are entering port today—could there be another freeloader for food and drink? Come to think of it, Brother Xiang Qi’s expression earlier seemed a bit subtle. Could it be some not-so-good guest?
“Brother, who… came…?”
Jogging downstairs to the living room and opening the door to the front hall, her face also showed a subtle expression similar to Xiang Qi’s.
“…Everyone, we meet again.”
At the doorway, Lin Yu greeted the group with a somewhat stiff smile, and standing beside him was a little boy who looked about the same age as Xiang Xue.
Good grief, big one left and now a small one arrives? The three young Xiang Family members thought simultaneously.
The result of not being familiar with astronomy is having to look up information while writing worldview details…
Don’t worry, Uncle Lin will return to the First Fleet. After this offline, it’ll probably be quite a while before he comes back online.
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