Gradual Change

Beiping International Airport.

A passenger jet flying directly from Paris to Beiping landed here.

The family of three—John, his wife, and their child—pulled their suitcases off the plane. Laden with bags and luggage, John was surprised to find that it was not cold at all once he stepped outside.

Having prepared translation earbuds and translation software in advance, John found the train service they needed at the airport entrance.

At the train station outside the airport, not only did he not feel cold, he actually felt rather hot.

In fact, the airport, train station waiting areas, and similar facilities were all enclosed within greenhouses, where the temperature was maintained at 26 degrees Celsius year-round.

Outside, the ground was blanketed in snow, while Siberia's frigid winds howled without end.

Yet inside the city, it was remarkably warm.

Only after taking off his coat did John feel more comfortable, no longer standing out so much among the surrounding crowd.

After all, most passengers waiting in the station wore only thin shirts, as though they were out enjoying a spring outing rather than enduring the depths of winter.

Only after boarding the train did they learn that greenhouse stations were extremely common infrastructure, and that the cities along the route were also enclosed within greenhouses.

These dense greenhouses, along with vast agricultural factories, were what gave the Federation the confidence to face extreme weather without fear.

Using his clumsy Chinese, John chatted with several nearby passengers and gradually learned some basic facts about the Federation.

For example, so-called greenhouse cities were standard facilities throughout the Federation, along with clothing that could adjust its own warmth.

Then there was the matter of prices.

Before coming here, John had exchanged all his savings for credit points, totaling only 3,753 credit points.

If he avoided extravagant