Chapter 136 – Travel

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It turned out that instead of the popular tourist attractions, the two ended up finding an island that had only recently been developed.

 

The island has a unique natural landscape with clear blue waters, white sandy beaches and well-protected forests.

 

As soon as she stepped off the plane, Xiao Lan could already smell the sea breeze that is characteristic of a seaside city.

 

But it would be one more boat ride to reach the island, and listening to the noise of the motor, his heart couldn't help but rise in anticipation.

 

The moment you step onto the island, a feeling of paradise comes over you.

 

It is no wonder that this place has been spotted by eagle-eyed travellers and is rising rapidly.

 

Many of the inhabitants have maintained their traditional fishing habits, while others have turned to catering and B&B.

 

The island is not very commercial because of the recent development of tourism, so you can experience the most natural way of life of the local people.

 

“Sir, we're here.” Luo leads Xiao Lan to his reserved accommodation.

 

It is a detached chalet, surrounded by other buildings set well apart in a quiet setting.

 

The chalet is close to the sea and is said to offer the best views of the area at sunrise.
Perhaps to make it easier for visitors to enjoy the view, the side of the room facing the sea has a huge floor-to-ceiling window from which you can stand and take in the view.

 

What transformed the island from anonymity to tourist attraction was a photo of the sunrise that went viral on social media, showing how stunning it can be at sunrise.

 

Unfortunately it was already late in the evening when they boarded the island.

 

It seems that we will not be able to see this famous sunrise today.

 

But for someone like Xiao Lan, who lives inland all the time, this beachfront chalet is a rare experience.

 

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He walked around the chalet, studying its construction with interest in his eyes.

 

Xiao Lan sat down on the sofa after looking around the cabin: “I didn't realise before that the beach was so interesting.”

 

Luo sits back and watches Xiao Lan's actions with a smile.

 

The two had local specialities at a nearby restaurant before Xiao Lan went to bed early this day.

 

For they had an appointment early the next morning to see the most famous sunrise over the sea here.

 

—

 

Early the next morning.

 

It is still early in the morning and Xiao Lan is sleeping soundly in her bed.

 

“Rise and shine, sir.”

 

A voice rings out above Xiao Lan's head.

 

Xiao Lan, dazed from sleep, opens his eyes.

 

The sun was still out and the island was free from the light pollution of the city.
The night sky was pure blackness and the room was pitch black, with only two spots of golden light shimmering in mid-air against a black background that was almost haunted.

 

If you had a bad heart, you would have to die in place at the sight of this image.

 

Xiao Lan could not help but feel a sense of well-being, and the sleepiness he had just woken up with faded away instantly.

 

Luo, this guy didn't even turn on a light, did he think it would be more effective for a morning call?

 

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Although ……
does work better in a way, right ……

 

Forget it ……

 

Xiao Lan turned over and switched on the lamp beside her, the warm light instantly illuminating the room.

 

It also illuminated the man, dressed in black, standing by his bed.

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Still wearing his three-piece suit, Luo stood there with the grace of a man who was facing some important occasion.

 

When Xiao Lan wakes up, Luo smiles and says, “It's half an hour before sunrise.
Breakfast has been delivered, so you can wash up before you eat.”

 

“Well ……” Xiao Lan nodded.

 

Breakfast was simple, a local speciality breakfast that had been pre-ordered from the owner last night.

 

Although the owner was a little confused as to why two people were having a four-person meal, he served it as requested and didn't ask much out of professionalism.

 

After a breakfast for three, Xiao Lan leaves the house.

 

As the chalet is right on the beach, the two walk there without much delay.

 

There were already some tourists on the beach, with a look of anticipation on their faces and some with rather professional looking cameras, presumably to capture the unique sunrise here.

 

After a short time.

 

The sky is already beginning to glow and a light hint of orange is appearing where the sea meets the sky.

 

Slowly, the splash of orange and red spreads out, gradually transitioning to gold above, reflecting the blue sky, where the red meets the blue, mixing into a ticking purple.

 

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The clouds are slightly dispersed in the sky, flowing slowly under a canopy of blue and purple gradients.

 

The sea is calm at the moment, with only slight ripples, reflecting the beauty of the sky like a mirror, like an extension of the canopy, making it almost impossible to tell the difference between the sky and the sea.

 

Finally the red became more fiery and the blinding golden light gradually spread out, gradually taking over the dominant colour of the sky.

 

The daylight was getting brighter and brighter, finally rising slowly, dispersing the still somewhat hazy darkness of the early morning hours.

 

The crowd on the shore was speechless for a moment, as if they were in shock.

 

Nature's creation is truly magical to the point of unbelievable.

 

Luo's gaze was fixed on the rising sun, and there was something complicated in his eyes.

 

He had never quite understood the players' nostalgia for the real world before, when it was clear that they had everything they needed in the Advent world too, didn't they?

 

Why would any player choose to return to reality when even the stuff in the Advent world is still available for free?

 

Later he accompanies Xiao Lan back to reality a few times, visits the grave of his deceased mother, watches the history of the rise and fall of the vegetable patch of the family of the grandfather Zhang next door, and meets many more people.

 

It was only gradually that he sensed the difference between the Advent world and reality, but it was only a hazy feeling.

 

Until seeing this sunrise.

 

Such an image is something that would never be seen in the Advent world; there would not be such a magnificent sight in the players' quarters, nor would there be so many people who would rise early just for a meaningless sunrise.

 

Watching a sunrise doesn't give them anything substantial to gain.

 

They do not become rich or powerful as a result.

 

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But many human actions don't really need to have any meaning; sometimes having fun and being happy is the whole purpose of their actions.

 

And in the Advent world, there is no such luxury as being happy.

 

Because being happy or not doesn't have much of an effect on a player's battle power.

 

Luo turned his head and saw the smile on Xiao Lan's lips.

 

It looked like the gentleman was having a good time, so this sunrise was worthwhile.

 

Luo, who suddenly found himself more understanding of humans, couldn't help but smile at this thought.

 

—

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After watching the sunrise.

 

Xiao Lan suggested that the two of them experience the island's special way of getting around – the mini-donkey.

 

Xiao Lan found the owner ready to borrow a car.

 

It turns out that I didn't expect the boss to have an option like a motorbike there.

 

Looking at the brand new black motorbike in the garage, with its sharp, smooth lines and the powerful sound of the engine, it is simply a man's romance.

 

Xiao Lan was still not able to resist the temptation of the motorbike.

 

The two hired one each and set off on their ride around the island.

 

The roads on the island are new, seemingly newly built because they have become a tourist attraction, and are flat and clean.

 

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The two men did not drive fast, moving slowly along looking at the scenery and chatting the whole way.

 

Suddenly a stall selling snacks appeared ahead, and the smell of snacks wafted far over.

 

Next to them was a group of college-looking men and women.

 

Several of them mingled together and seemed to be classmates out on a trip together.

 

Several of the boys, all riding small electric donkeys, jokingly invited the prettiest of the girls to get into their cars.

 

The girl was a little embarrassed and didn't know what to do for a while.

 

The two mediocre-looking girls next to them gave them the “men are all big pigs” look.

 

At that moment Xiao Lan and Luo stopped the car.

 

Xiao Lan smiled and walked up to the stall owner, looked at the wide variety of snacks and asked, “Boss, which is the best one you have here, can you give me a recommendation?”

 

The old lady looked up and saw a handsome young man with a smile on his face and smiled back, “Hey, everything here is delicious! If it's this time of the year, I recommend the shrimp cakes, my old man goes out to the sea at dawn and fights them back, they're the freshest now, they won't be as good after a while.”

 

The older woman's words were very honest and did not mean to fool the tourists in any way.

 

Xiao Lan looked at the prawns and saw that they were indeed fresh and quite large, and that the lady had not lied to him.

 

He turned to Luo, who was standing by the car, and asked, “Do you want one?”

 

Luo shook his head, not looking very interested.

 

Xiao Lan turned to the lady and said, “A prawn cake then, I'll come back tomorrow if it's good.”

 

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“Good…
you'll be back tomorrow.” The lady smiled brightly and moved neatly to handle Xiao Lan's prawns, then mixed them with the egg mixture and seasoning and fried them until they were golden and crispy before handing them to Xiao Lan in a bag.

 

While Xiao Lan is buying snacks, a few girls on the other side of the room can't help but sneak glances at him and Luo.

 

This included the pretty girl who was being surrounded by several boys making advances.

 

A few of the boys instantly became disgruntled.

 

For some men, any good-looking, popular girl of the same sex must be their public enemy and must be unpleasant to look at in any way.

 

Getting them to willingly praise the same sex is worse than killing them.

 

They had an instant understanding, and you muttered, muttering.

 

“You girls are just superficial, he doesn't look like much of a cyclist with that look, he's definitely not as good as me.”

 

“That's right, and snacking, that's only for women.”

 

“With a chain on his hand, he must be a pussy.”

 

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The girls were baffled, what was going on?

 

What the hell just happened, how come these guys, who usually almost fight like courting cocks, suddenly united as one today?

 

How can they be superficial when they are just admiring a handsome man?

 

Don't look at him, do you appreciate a few of you?

 

With a few more of you messing around all day, the quality of the trip has gone down you know?

 

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Xiao Lan glanced at the boys as she heard their conversation.

 

Having once roamed the streets and spent a lot of time honing his skills in the Advent world, he has a coldness in his eyes that is not commonplace, a look that players understand only to each other.

 

A few of the boys felt a little cold at this glance.

 

But how can they be cowardly in front of the girls?

 

They then strained their necks and stared back with an effort to stare up with eyes of varying sizes.

 

Xiao Lan is not impressed.

 

He wasn't bored enough to bother with a bunch of uneducated students.

 

He walked over to his motorbike, hung the prawn crackers he had bought on the handlebars and straddled it with a clean movement.

 

The girls said softly, “So handsome!”

 

A few boys are still muttering.

 

“You see, what's the point of being handsome, you're a wimp.”

 

“He must have been scared, not a bit of manliness.”

 

At this, Xiao Lan raised an eyebrow.

 

Afraid?

 

Only the roar of the motorbike was heard, and the dark motorbike instantly reached several boys, its front end jerking up, frightening them into backing away, each of them turning white and almost screaming.

 

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“What are you you doing ……”

 

“Hit the man!!!”

 

Before they could really let out a scream, the black motorbike had already reversed its direction and headed off into the distance, leaving only a puff of exhaust to invite them to eat.

 

Xiao Lan sped off on his motorbike.

 

The wind swept up his hair and the corners of his coat, cutting across his smiling lips in all their open curves.

 

“Cough cough cough ……” the boys who were close by coughed.

 

The girls, on the other hand, were not affected by the ripples because they were standing a little further away.

 

But when they saw that Xiao Lan had already left, the boys kept their mouths shut.

 

“Still, still not afraid to do it ……”

 

“That's right ……”

 

Instead they ended up hearing the roar of the motorbike once again.

 

A few faces that had not yet recovered their blood paled again.

 

Why are you still here?

 

This time it was Luo.

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The same black motorbike flung itself in front of them, under Luo's precise control, just a few centimetres from their foreheads, and they both felt the wind raised by the tyres sweeping across their faces.

 

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After scaring them enough once again, the motorbike turned around and gave them a renewed burst of exhaust and took off.

 

The boys coughed once more, and this time no one dared to mutter.

 

After they had finally caught their breath.

 

One boy was still indignant: “Let's catch up with them and teach them a lesson!”

 

Another boy hesitantly said, “People that are motorbikes, more than a hundred speed casually run, ours is a small electric donkey, the speed limit ……25.”

 

The boys have compared their own fancy little electric donkeys with the two tall black motorbikes of the other side.

 

Boys: “……”

 

He angrily kicked a stone on the ground.

 

The girls finally managed to stifle their laughter, which was the funniest thing they found on the trip.

 

The lady at the food stall, who had watched the whole thing, also laughed.

 

There is a pleasant atmosphere in the air.

 

And the few boys who had contracted the laughs of the room were blue in the face.

 

—

 

For dinner, the pair chose a local restaurant and sampled the island's renowned seafood.

 

There isn't any particularly expensive seafood around the island, but it is fresh enough and the two entered the shop just in time to see the fishermen bringing in their new catches.

 

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The two sit outside the shop by the sea, from where they can just see the fading sunset.

 

The chubby owner of the restaurant neatly pulled out the ingredients Xiao Lan had ordered from the side, cooked them quickly and skilfully, and served them up promptly.

 

Each oyster is plump and full, roasted over a charcoal fire and served with the owner's special seasonal garlic sauce, giving off the unique aroma of seafood and a tender, slightly spicy taste with every bite.

 

The fresh sea crab is slightly disassembled and quickly stir-fried with a mixture of spices, which quickly becomes aromatic and when served, the meat is sweet and has a different taste than the steamed one.

 

They also ordered a variety of locally sourced snails, all of which were not quite the same in appearance but all tasted equally delicious.

 

Xiao Lan ate with great satisfaction.

 

The fact that seafood almost always comes in its shell and cannot be eaten as quickly as meat makes him slow down quite a bit, for better or worse, it seems less amazing.

 

Luo sits across from him and eats slowly and deliberately, giving the grilled oysters the air of snails baked in red wine.

 

The pair also ordered a local speciality wine, which was not too strong, but went well with the seafood and was just right for the occasion.

 

The sky was bordered by the afterglow of the setting sun, which tinted the entire sky red, and the two men who were enjoying the sunset at that moment were gilded with a warm light.

 

The two men chatted while drinking.

 

Talking about the future, about the past, about the minutiae of today's happenings.

 

It didn't seem to say anything important, but it reeked of the peace and quiet of the years.

 

Xiao Lan's mouth smiles faintly in the soft light of the setting sun.

 

In this moment, Luo suddenly understood what humans mean by peace and happiness.

 

If you could live like this forever, it would indeed make your heart yearn.

 

And, to pay any price for it feels like a willingness to do so.