To celebrate turning another year older, Ma Qiu followed the trend and visited a newly opened magical place in Atlantis City called the "Photo Studio" at the end of that year.
Inside the Photo Studio, Ma Qiu paid one silver coin and twenty Copper Coins with his heart bleeding—an exorbitant expense. It cost even more than Madam Jiana, and with just a little extra, he could have taken Miss Julia out to dinner.
But regardless, after paying, Ma Qiu earned the right to stand before a strange machine.
Facing a device mounted on a tripod, Ma Qiu forced his eyes wide open and, following the instructions of the person beside him, put on what he believed was his brightest smile and tried to hold it for three seconds.
"Click!"
Bathed in a blinding flash of light, Ma Qiu finished this expensive indulgence and was told to return in three days to collect his photograph.
Early in the morning three days later, Ma Qiu left his warm bed and hurried to the Photo Studio, where he saw the so-called photograph.
On that thin piece of stiff paper, no bigger than half a palm, he saw—despite being prepared for it, and still feeling astonished—his smiling face from three days ago printed with astonishing clarity. Though it was only black and white, it could not help but inspire amazement. It looked so much like him—more like him than even the most skilled painter could manage.
That one silver coin and twenty Copper Coins had truly been well spent... Ma Qiu sighed as he returned to the student dormitories of Atlantis University's main campus and carefully tucked the photograph inside a printed book.
After that, Ma Qiu would take out the photograph from time to time to admire it. Looking at his smile in