Xisha Aerospace City

Xisha Aerospace City

Zhang Yuan hurried to the train station without a moment's rest.

A message appeared on his phone: "[Dahua Transport] Dear passenger Zhang Yuan, your ticket payment was successful at 10:03. July 14, 2264, Train G888, Second Class, Donghua (10:30) - Xisha (11:45), Ticket Number 781234..."

With time running short, Zhang Yuan boarded the train and found his seat.

A soft electronic chime echoed through the carriage: "This train is bound for Xisha, with a travel time of one hour and fifteen minutes..."

The grey-black cross-sea bridge lay across the ocean like a long dragon. Modern carbon nanotube materials could handle a 36,000-kilometer space elevator, so a small bridge on the ground was nothing.

These bridges could easily withstand a Category 16 typhoon.

Traditional modes of transport, like airplanes, were on the verge of being phased out. Fuel wasn't the main issue, as hydrogen could replace traditional fossil fuels, but the cargo capacity and operating costs of planes simply couldn't compete with maglev trains.

Furthermore, the speed of maglev trains was now approaching that of airplanes, and they were cheaper, more comfortable, and free from the ear-popping pressure issues, causing planes to lose their competitive edge and face obsolescence.

An hour later, a few blurry shadows finally appeared on the azure horizon: the fusion power plants.

The fusion power plants at sea stood a full three hundred meters tall. Because of the massive amount of heat they dissipated, the surrounding white mist was entirely composed of evaporating steam. This distilled water would be collected and supplied to the city.

Xisha Aerospace City, located in the southernmost waters of the Xia Kingdom, had been plagued by territorial disputes with neighboring small nations just a few centuries ago. Incidents involving the detention of fishing boats and accidental skirmishes were frequent.

However, times change and society progresses; with the rise of the Xia Kingdom, all those petty disputes had become mere trifles.

Controlled nuclear fusion is truly a wonderful thing. At three cents per kilowatt-hour, how much could it lower costs for industrial production? What else is there for other countries to even play at?

Fusion power plants had a peculiar characteristic: the larger the fusion unit, the more stable its operation and the lower the cost of electricity generation. Due to the limitations of human technology, it was impossible to miniaturize fusion devices, so every fusion power plant stood like a small mountain.

Nuclear fusion and the space economy had made the Xia Kingdom the first to reap the rewards, filling its coffers to the brim, so sharing a bit of the spoils with neighboring allies was perfectly acceptable. Territorial disputes had long since vanished. Those who follow the path of righteousness have many to assist them, while those who lose it have few; interests were the strongest bond between nations.

The train sped past the power plants.

"Look, look! It's the space elevator!"

"Where? Where?"

"That one... the one as thin as a strand of hair."

Squinting, one could vaguely see a slender pillar towering into the sea of clouds, looking just like a kite string.

Under the sunlight, it possessed a shimmering, surreal quality.

High.

It was too high...

Many people seeing the space elevator for the first time couldn't help but press against the glass windows to take photos.

The legendary "Tower of Babel," a miracle of history—there were 17 of them on this planet. In the next 30 years, that number was expected to increase to over 30.

Xisha Aerospace City housed the first space elevator in human history, "Tengyun." Its geographical location was about 300 kilometers from the equator. Maintaining a slight slope for the space elevator allowed it to maximize the use of the Earth's rotational force, thereby granting the elevator greater carrying capacity.

After nearly a hundred years of development, Xisha had become a major international metropolis.

"Won't it collapse?"

"How could it? The principle is different; the space elevator relies mainly on tension, not compression. Do you understand the tension of a rope?"

"Could terrorists attack this tower?" some busybody wondered, letting their imagination run wild.

"...It's said that attacking the space elevator is equivalent to launching a nuclear war and would result in equal retaliation. Security in Xisha City is quite strict; the military is stationed nearby, and aircraft are not allowed to pass through..."

"Cousin, are you already in Xisha City? I just saw your social media update~~~"

Just then, his aunt's daughter, Ye Qingqing, called. "Are you going to space? I really want to go on a space tour, but Mom and Dad want me to work and study to earn money. At 30,000 credits a trip, who knows when I'll ever earn enough..."

She was practically dying of envy.

"Space tourism, honestly, it's not that wonderful, I'm telling you," Zhang Yuan said with a smile. "Just take your time with your work-study. You can't even get a tourist visa until you're 18."

Getting a visa was one thing, but securing a tourist spot was another.

The daily cargo capacity of the space elevator was limited, so there weren't many tourist spots available. Not to mention the cost, one might even need to pull strings. The ways of the world were something that would never be completely eliminated in any era.

Amidst this conversation, the train gradually slowed to a stop.

"Dear passengers, the final stop, Xisha, has arrived. Please gather your luggage and prepare to disembark..."

As the train arrived, tourists excitedly gazed at the space elevator not far away. No matter which corner of the city they were in, as long as they looked up, they could always see that thick pillar reaching toward the heavens.

This power, derived from technology and industry, could fully ignite the national pride of the people of the Xia Kingdom. Almost all space elevators worldwide contained technology and shares from the Xia Kingdom.

Having been exposed to it so often, Zhang Yuan didn't feel much, simply renting an unmanned motorboat for himself.

"Splash!"

The motorboat sped through Xisha City, sending spray splashing onto him.

Xisha City was like summer all year round, but the temperature in July was actually under 30 degrees, which was much more comfortable than Donghua City.

The city was essentially made up of artificial islands connected by bridges, with numerous waterways underneath where one could sometimes see tropical fish.

Once, a leader had a sudden idea to fill in these waterways and replace them with land routes to improve traffic efficiency, but it was met with unanimous opposition from the public. The reason... they felt the motorboats were more fun and helped attract tourism.

As it turned out, the public was actually right for once. The omnipotent aerial tracks solved the traffic problems, and the water transport really did boost the tourism industry.

"Beep... This service fee: 16 credits."

Zhang Yuan stepped off the hovercraft and arrived at his destination.

"I am an astronaut from the Earth Era. May I check in now?"

The staff member at the Deep Space Planning Bureau scanned his ID card, offered a faint smile, and said, "Mr. Zhang Yuan, you still have 19 days of vacation left. You've arrived too early. Your launch batch has not been called yet."

"It's not that... I just wanted to ask, is there anywhere I can stay?"

The staff member smiled and said, "I'm very sorry, but if you had arrived three days early, we could have arranged accommodation for you. But as it stands, there are no such arrangements."

"Perhaps you could try asking the university next door to see if they have any vacant dormitories. I can issue an astronaut certification for you."

Zhang Yuan frowned; he had arrived too early and was being turned away. This was normal enough, and the staff member was simply following protocol.

"Alright then, thank you."

"You're welcome!"

Many aviation universities were stationed here, some of which were international schools that recruited students from all over the world. However, because it was summer break, most of the students were away, leaving the campuses feeling empty.

Soon, Zhang Yuan saw the four gilded characters for "Xisha University." Since he looked like a student himself, he encountered no obstacles when walking into the school.

Zhang Yuan asked several people before finally arriving at an office building labeled [Deep Space Foundation (Xisha University Branch)].

"Hello, I would like to see Professor Wang Zhong."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"...No, I don't have an appointment."

"I'm very sorry, but without an appointment, Professor Wang is very busy."

Left with no other choice, Zhang Yuan had to bring out his trump card: his astronaut certification and his father's ID card.

Even though relying on his father like this was quite embarrassing.

"I am the son of Zhang Qiming. Just tell him... I'm here to pay a visit to Professor Wang Zhong, would that be alright?"

[Hahahaha, I suddenly realized that this struggling author got signed, so I quickly made a fancy cover to calm my nerves.]

[Also, who said I wouldn't get signed until I hit 100,000 words?! (Dog head)(Dog head)]