"...Four fiery steeds pulled the sun chariot bearing the sacred flame across the sky, from east to west, rising in the morning and setting at dusk, letting Guangming shine upon the world."
Sitting in the stretched limousine and yawning as he listened to the sing-song recitation, Lu Zhou withdrew his gaze from the window and glanced at Minister Novak beside him.
"What are you talking about?"
The Russian laughed heartily. So amiable that no one would have guessed he was the head of Russia's Department of Energy, he seemed more like an enthusiastic tour guide as he explained to Lu Zhou in a humorous tone.
"The Homeric epics! A description of Helios... and also the nuclear power plant we're about to arrive at!"
As he spoke, his tone grew wistful.
"Helios's son once tried to bring Guangming closer to the ground, but he accidentally set the earth ablaze, turning Libya into a desert and burning the skin of Ethiopia's people black. Homer, two or three thousand years ago, probably never imagined that people a thousand years later would not only accomplish deeds only gods could achieve, but even surpass the gods by finding a gentler way to release the sun's energy."
Lu Zhou said, "...Why does your version sound a little different from the one I heard?"
Minister Novak smiled. "That's not strange. Things passed down orally like this naturally have many different versions. Besides, later generations inevitably added a certain degree of artistic embellishment when compiling them. If you're interested, we can find an opportunity to have a proper chat. I've done some research in this area myself."
Lu Zhou declined tactfully. "Thank you, but I'm not particularly interested in myths and legends."
For him, taking a whole day away from academic matters was already the limit of what