After spending two days at the hotel, the branch of the Visiting Delegation that Chen Chuan belonged to had recovered its spirits and boarded a train bound for V Asia.
A day later, the train reached the outskirts of Central City. It happened to be December 25, and the Federation's New Year celebrations had already begun. Even from a distance, they could see countless colorful hot-air balloons floating in the blue sky among tufts of white cloud.
It was around two or three in the afternoon. The sunshine was bright but not scorching, and the gray-and-white Central Rift Mountain Range stretched across the distant horizon.
V Asia Central City stood on the mountain range's first ridge, resembling a city on a mountaintop. Although its elevation was high, the mountain slopes were relatively gentle.
The dense buildings outside the city gradually spread outward along the slopes. Roads radiated around them, extending into the distance like the mountain range's veins. An endless stream of vehicles traveled along them, reflecting pinpricks of light in the sunshine.
Qiyuan Lake, the West Coast's smallest inland lake, lay embedded in the vast plain like a deep-blue mirror. Its clear, translucent waters reflected the sky and clouds.
The magnificent Taita River flowed through the lake and wound into the distance. Extensive industrial districts occupied the plains on either bank, dotted with orderly rows of factories and towering smokestacks. Transport ships could be seen traveling along the river one after another.
Perhaps it was because this was the Fighters' City, or perhaps its administrators were more capable, but the spore mist so ubiquitous in Serranoza Central City was nowhere to be seen here. At least this beautiful scenery had been spared.
Once they arrived, they transferred to a sightseeing ferry that could take them straight into the city