Golden Age

After saying this, Ms. Moly decisively hung up the phone.

Hesta vaguely felt that the other party's final words had been somewhat deliberate, but she didn't understand why.

That afternoon, accompanied by Liz, Hesta successfully completed her registration for the base's spring courses.

A large amount of unfamiliar information flooded her mind. Her memo recorded over forty unheard-of words, along with numerous technical terms she didn't even know how to spell, so she could only vaguely imprint them in her mind.

Following Liz's advice, in her first year, she chose almost all courses related to survival, first aid, and physical training. These courses would span the next two academic years.

It was said that most of the Quicksilver Needles' "Secondary Awakening Special Training" would be arranged during the holiday after the end of the first academic year. After successfully awakening, they would occasionally receive dispatch missions and participate in actual combat alongside active Quicksilver Needles.

Since basic physical fitness directly affects the upper limit of abilities after activating Bullet Time, spending the entire first year on physical training-related courses was very worthwhile. Conversely, those cadets who were unwilling to go to the battlefield could postpone their confrontation with combat by choosing courses, or even apply for civilian or reserve medical positions from the beginning.

Under Liz's guidance, Hesta initially drafted her course schedule:

Project Group Training: Quick Strength Project Group Training: Speed Project Group Training: Endurance Basic Tactics Basic Weaponry Overview Basic Shooting Practicum Basic Driving Practicum Wilderness Survival Overview Applied Tactics and Terrain Mapping ...

"Can I submit it like this?"

"It feels like something's missing." Liz looked at the screen and suddenly realized something, then chuckled, "Ha, you've only chosen required courses!"

"The maximum number of courses for new cadets is twelve," Hesta glanced at the guidance manual beside her. "I don't think I have the energy to take anything else."

"No, that's not what I mean. I don't want you to take more courses, but rather some that would allow you to rest..." Liz leaned over and opened the elective course window. There were about seven or eight major categories, each with its own sub-list.

"Choose at least one, you'll like them," Liz said earnestly with her arms crossed. "Everyone needs literature, or music."

"...What's the use?"

"There's no use," Liz replied. "Besides Edgar, did you read other novels before?"

"I read some short stories, from newspapers," Hesta answered.

"How did you feel about them?"

"..."

Hesta felt that Liz seemed to be expecting a certain answer, but in reality, she couldn't grasp Liz's meaning at all. Those short stories in the tabloids, filled with gossip about men's affairs or women's infidelity, made it difficult for her to glean any wisdom, and thus she didn't know how to answer Liz's question.

Seeing Hesta's continued silence, Liz mistook it for deep thought and couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

She sighed softly, "Actually, the atmosphere in the base is already quite tolerant. No matter what difficulties you encounter, you can find someone to help you solve it, but..."

"But?"

"But some things are always difficult to discuss openly, or even to talk about with others," Liz said softly. "In any civilized society, there are always suppressed things. Everyone has truths that are hard to tell others, and literature—or music—can help us ask."

"In the base, sometimes you'll be so lonely it drives you mad, or so anxious about something it feels like you're on fire—no one can help you then. But if, by chance, you encounter a character in a novel who's in a similar predicament to yours, it feels like a refreshing rain on a sweltering summer day...

"No matter where you are, or what hardships you face, as long as you're willing, literature will always offer you a place to shelter, allowing you to maintain a connection with this world—"

Hesta listened quietly as Liz spoke. She could see the bright joy in Liz's eyes at that moment. She felt she understood some of it, but not entirely.

"Then do you have any elective recommendations?" Hesta glanced at the list of elective courses. "I'm not sure what's suitable for a newcomer like me."

"Of course, it's 'Golden Age Literature Appreciation'—a course jointly taught by Professors Paros and Singer. Both of them are experts in cryptography, but their literary appreciation is also very high."

"...Golden Age?"

As this question arose, Liz's eyes seemed to ignite, as if she had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time.

"It's a general term, Jane, referring to human civilization after the Industrial Revolution and before the Great Blackout Era," Liz replied with deep emotion. "I only cherish works from the Golden Age. All the retro trends after the Great Blackout Era are just clumsy imitations of that period.

"Can you believe it? In the Golden Age, an ordinary person could travel the world on a giant ship if they had money. All modes of transportation—planes, ships, trains—were open to citizens, and people could freely go anywhere in the world!

"In the Golden Age, theaters staged new plays every month. For the price of a meal, you could enjoy a beautiful song and dance drama. People displayed all sorts of books on store shelves, and books were astonishingly cheap. Printing presses churned out new reading material every moment. New poems, new era commentaries, or popular science articles flowed endlessly. Everyone was writing, everyone was reading...

"The technological level of that era was astounding; humanity even reached the stars. Mars was covered with terraformed Habitable Zones, people used Ceres as a relay station, and manned spacecraft ventured as far as Pluto.

"Humanity's reach in the universe extended an astonishing 4.246 light-years—in deep space, countless light sail craft reached Alpha Centauri at one-fifth the speed of light. They captured images of oceans and mountains on Proxima Centauri b, and even left a flag symbolizing Earth there...

"But even so, the humans of the Golden Age did not rest on their laurels. They always looked further, higher, and into the deeper universe, constantly planning new journeys... Every time someone started celebrating that civilization had reached its peak, someone else would soon bring forth a new dawn—this wasn't some terrifying religious story, but something humanity truly accomplished on its own."

Liz sighed very softly.

"Compared to the humans of the Golden Age, what is our era? Most people are trapped on the ground like caged birds, and no one cares about the stars anymore—or only cares if they can guide them on a tool-less night. We can only place our hopes on the various legacies of the Golden Age, trying to glimpse a silhouette of that distant era from them."

Thanks to Xiao Yunyan, Xia Shui Xiangling, and LESTER for the tips and monthly passes~