Chapter 49: The City Amidst the Mountains

The speeding train roared across the grayish-white Gobi Desert. With a vast wind sweeping the boundless wilderness and the scorching sun hanging high in the sky, the endless expanse stirred up a boundless sense of heroic spirit. Inside the carriage with its windows wide open, white curtains fluttered and the whistling wind beat against the heart, inspiring one to lift their head and sing proudly today.

This was a special train bound for the Northern First District. Seated inside were graduating students who were about to participate in the entrance examinations and secondary trials of the many prestigious academies in the Northern First District, which would determine the course of their future lives.

Today, Hersilia was among them. The airflow caught her strands of hair, and the sunlight passing through them flickered and shifted in fine fragments, resembling the shimmering light upon a water's surface.

Her light pink nails appeared translucent in the sunlight as they gently stroked the identification card that represented her status and eligibility. Hersilia cast her gaze toward the distant scenery outside the window, looking out over this vast and desolate world.

There were many such Gobi wastes in the northern part of the Emerald Skirt—vast and empty for tens of thousands of miles, dotted with only a scattering of desert plants.

It was said that centuries ago, grasslands and forests had existed here, but those vegetations were destroyed by toxic rains. Deprived of the anchoring roots, the land underwent desertification year after year, eventually forming the scorching and empty wilderness of today.

The train traveled at high speed, setting off in the early morning. Along the way, it crossed the desert-like Northern Sixth District, followed by the rugged and mountainous Northern Fifth District, the flat Northern Fourth District with sparse vegetation, the semi-terrestrial and semi-lacustrine Northern Third District, and the Northern Second District littered with abandoned factories and rust, finally arriving amid the colossal and magnificent Great Divine Canyon. This was the Northern First District—the northern center where high mountains and canyons coexisted, cities were dense, and population converged.

Mountains nearly a thousand meters high pierced straight into the clouds. The grayish-white mountain surfaces were rugged with jagged rocks and numerous gullies, displaying typical glacial landforms. Moving down the cliff face, the mid-levels were covered with verdant coniferous forests, presenting an overall pattern of mixed yellow and green. Continuing further down, even more tender and lush green grasslands began to emerge.

The giant mountains encircling the canyon shielded it from wind and rain, preventing the corrosive toxic rain from destroying the world within this canyon. Relying on the magnificent rock walls of the mountain range, cities were scattered throughout, overlooking this magnificent world from amidst the clouds and mists.

In the entire Northern Hemisphere, about one-third of the population was gathered in the Northern First District. This was one of the few regions in the Northern Hemisphere with a pleasant climate.

Stepping off the train, Hersilia stood in the spacious square at the foot of the mountain, unable to help herself from looking up at the towering peak before her. Its summit was exceptionally steep, and merely gazing at it gave a sense of a collapsing sky that made one want to flee the giant mountain's shadow.

Sunlight shone through the gap between the two giant mountains. Hovering vehicles shuttled back and forth among them, while tracks encircled the mid-levels of the mountains where numerous transport trains ran, producing roaring sounds and bustling activity.

Huge white airships could be seen ascending and descending in the sky from time to time, occasionally obscuring the entire expanse of blue overhead. Some of them landed on the far side of the mountain, while others followed the open Gobi outside the canyon, flying toward the direction of the setting sun and gradually shrinking into tiny black dots.

Walking among these towering mountains, one's spirit seemed to expand entirely, banishing any thought of ever returning to that dim and suffocating underground metropolis.

No wonder her classmates all wanted to study and live in the Northern First District, the young girl could not help but think.

And this was merely the Northern First District; it was said that the Southern First District in the Southern Hemisphere was even more prosperous and beautiful, beyond imagination.

Following the prompts on her personal terminal, Hersilia crossed the huge cross-shaped square and walked toward the steps on one side. Such steps resembled the front entrance of an ancient grand theater, hundreds of meters wide and dense with lampposts. After climbing several turns, she finally arrived at a large viewing platform halfway up the mountain.

Standing here, one could overlook the massive cross-shaped square below, where figures looked no larger than ants or sesame seeds. Across the open space, sightseeing hovercrafts flew past from time to time.

[Proceed straight along the 2 o'clock direction to the east for 620 meters to find the boarding point for Line 8192. Take this vehicle for 49 stops and get off at Wolfsbane Peak Station...]

Following the instructions, Hersilia ascended the steps and soon spotted the red station nestled in the mountainside—its smooth exterior walls resembled red glaze, accompanied by dark gold transparent metal corridors and windows. Upon entering the station, one simply needed to step onto the square floating floor tiles and hold the handrails at the side, and they would transport you to wherever you wished to go.

Arriving at the boarding platform, the young girl stepped off the square plate and stood patiently alongside quite a few others. There were many students from other places here as well, and by the looks of them, they were likely also here to take the secondary trials.

"I wonder if I'll pass. I've been practicing bitterly for half a year for this," a short-haired teenage boy said, rubbing his hands and rolling up his sleeves. He wore a loose white martial arts uniform with bandages wrapped around his wrists, though it was likely just to look cool.

"The place I'm going to is the only witchcraft academy in the Emerald Skirt. Moon of moons, star of stars, Alansiluca, Minetelanha, sages among the stars, please witness for me. I shall embark on the path of following the past witches and achieve the grand enterprise of traversing the stellar orbits."

A girl wearing a black witch's hat was praying with her eyes closed, holding a mysterious golden pendant in her right hand while gently waving her left hand in the air. Pale blue traces emerged, forming intricate crest symbols.

"You two, if we hadn't known each other since childhood, I really wouldn't want to stand with you right now." Among the three, the only normal girl with long black braids pushed up the glasses on the bridge of her nose and stepped back a few steps to indicate she wasn't all that close to these two.

"Alright Taohui, don't try to hide. We agreed three hours ago that we're going to become legends together." The girl in the witch's hat grabbed her companion, hooked her arm around her waist, and then 'escorted' the black-braided girl toward the mountain train.

"Let's go! Our target this time is victory!"

"Yeah!"

How wonderful and vibrant they were. Taking light steps, the young girl also boarded the train, thinking to herself.

Compared to these spirited students, she felt as though she wasn't of the same age group, with a completely different mindset. Perhaps the harsh living environment of Peony City forced people to abandon many fantasies and focus entirely on competition and comparison.

The classmates in her junior high school either worried about their future schools and jobs, or spent all day thinking about making money and plotting against one another, which had drained her of illusions as well.

Yet not everyone lived such a life. Just like those three students from a moment ago, they were still pursuing romance and possibilities in life, failing to arouse any aversion, leaving only a hint of envy.

The train started, speeding along the mountain wall attached to its side, accelerating from slow to fast. Outside the window on the other side were abysses and high mountains, skies and deep valleys. Soon, the speed reached 500 kilometers per hour as it twisted and undulated among the mountains, resembling some ancient form of amusement known as a 'roller coaster'.

Half an hour later, Hersilia stepped off the train with a slightly dizzy head. This was a platform high in the mountains, as neatly cut as if a giant mountain had been sliced straight across its waist. Covering an area of several hundred square kilometers, it stood adorned with elegant white buildings interspersed with trees in an elegant environment.

Was this the Iris Court Academy?

She looked up at the huge white archway where intricate and graceful characters flowed, with iris patterns outlined in fine, azure crystals winding around the door pillars. Students entered and exited from time to time, dressed in uniforms with a white base, trimmed with fine blue borders and sapphire bows tied at the collars, inspiring a sense of envy.

Gently pressing her hand against her chest to cheer herself up, Hersilia walked through this magnificent school gate.

It's about to begin, Hersilia.

Come on, you mustn't fall behind your sister.