Golden Age

After saying all that, Ms. Moly simply hung up the phone.

Hesta vaguely felt that there had been something deliberate in the other party's final words, but she did not understand why.

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

A flood of unfamiliar information washed over her. Her memo recorded more than forty unfamiliar terms she had never heard before, along with a great many technical terms whose spelling she did not even know, leaving her only able to form a rough impression of them in her mind.

Following Liz's advice, nearly all the courses Hesta chose for herself in her first year concerned survival, first aid, and physical training. These courses would span the next two full academic years.

It was said that most Quicksilver Needles' "Secondary Awakening Special Training" would be arranged during the break after the first academic year. Once they successfully awakened, they would occasionally receive external assignments and join active Quicksilver Needles in live combat.

Since one's basic physical condition directly affected the upper limit of one's abilities after Bullet Time was activated, it was well worth spending the entire first year on physically demanding courses. Conversely, trainees unwilling to go to the battlefield could also delay facing combat by choosing their courses, or even apply from the outset to transfer into clerical work or reserve medicine.

Under Liz's guidance, Hesta drafted her initial schedule:

Rapid Strength Project Group Training

Speed Project Group Training

Endurance Project Group Training

Basic Tactics

Overview of Basic Weapons

Basic Shooting Practicum

Basic Driving Practicum

Overview of Wilderness Survival

Applied Tactics and Terrain Mapping

"Can I submit it like this?"

"It feels like something's missing." Liz stared at the screen, then suddenly realized something and laughed. "Ha, you picked nothing but required courses!"

"The course limit for new trainees is twelve." Hesta glanced at the guidebook beside her. "I don't think I have the energy to study anything else."

"No, that's not what I mean. I'm not trying to make you study more things. I want you to choose something you can relax with..." Liz leaned over and opened the elective-course window. There were seven or eight broad categories, each with its own sub-list.

"Pick at least one. You'll like them." Liz folded her arms and spoke earnestly. "Everyone needs literature, or music."

"...What use is it?"

"No use at all," Liz said. "Other than Edgar, have you read any other novels before?"

"I've read some short stories. In the newspapers," Hesta answered.

"What did you think of them?"

"..."

Hesta sensed that Liz seemed to be expecting a certain answer from her, but she truly could not grasp what Liz meant—the short stories in those tabloids were mostly about men's romantic escapades or women's infidelity. It was hard for her to say what she could have gained from them, so she did not know how to answer Liz's question.

Seeing Hesta remain silent, Liz assumed she was pondering the question deeply, and a flood of emotions rose in her heart.

She sighed softly. "The atmosphere at the base is already tolerant enough. No matter what difficult situation you run into, you can find the right person to ask for a solution, but..."

"But?"

"But some things are always difficult to discuss openly, even difficult to voice to anyone else," Liz said quietly. "In a civilized society, there will always be things that are suppressed. Everyone has truths that are hard to tell others, but literature—or music—can help us ask about them.

"At the base, sometimes you'll be lonely enough to go mad, or anxious over something as though you're burning alive—at times like that, no one can help you. But if you happen to come across some unlucky soul in a novel who is in circumstances similar to yours, it feels like being caught in the rain on a sweltering summer day...

"No matter where you are or what hardships you face, as long as you are willing, literature will always leave you a place to belong, allowing you to keep some connection with this world—"

Hesta listened quietly as Liz spoke. She could see the bright delight in Liz's eyes at that moment. She felt as though she understood a little, but could not fully make sense of it.

"Then do you have any elective recommendations?" Hesta glanced over the list. "I'm not sure what would suit a newcomer like me."

"Of course—Golden Age Literature Appreciation. It's jointly taught by Paros and Singer. They're both proficient in cryptography, but they're also highly accomplished in literary appreciation."

"...Golden Age?"

At that question, Liz's gaze seemed to ignite completely, as though she had been waiting a long time for this opportunity.

"It's a broad term, Jane, referring to human civilization after the Industrial Revolution and before the Great Blackout Era," Liz answered with feeling. "I only love works from the Golden Age. Every retro trend after the Great Blackout Era is nothing but a clumsy imitation of that period.

"Can you believe it? During the Golden Age, as long as an ordinary person had money, they could board a giant ship and travel around the world. Every means of transportation—planes, ships, trains—was open to citizens. People could freely go anywhere in the world!

"During the Golden Age, theaters staged new productions every month. For the price of a meal, you could enjoy a wonderful musical or play. People displayed all kinds of books on store shelves, and books were frighteningly cheap. Printing presses produced new reading material every moment. New poetry, new commentary on the times, and popular science articles flowed forth without end. Everyone wrote, and everyone read...

"The technology of that era was astounding. Humanity even climbed among the stars. Mars was covered in transformed Habitable Zones. People used Ceres as a relay station and pushed the reach of manned spacecraft all the way to Pluto.

"Humanity's range of activity in the universe reached an astonishing 4.246 light-years—countless light-sail craft traveled through deep space at one-fifth the speed of light to Alpha Centauri. They photographed the oceans and mountains of Proxima b, and even left behind a flag representing Earth...

"But even so, humanity in the Golden Age never rested on its laurels. They always looked toward a farther, higher, deeper universe, forever planning new journeys... Whenever someone began celebrating civilization's arrival at its peak, someone else would soon bring a new dawn—this was not some shocking religious tale. It was something humanity truly accomplished on its own."

Liz sighed very softly.

"Compared to the people of the Golden Age, what are we in this era? Most people are trapped on the ground like caged birds, and no one cares about the stars anymore—or only cares whether they can guide them on tool-less nights. We can only place our hopes in the various remnants of the Golden Age, trying to glimpse the outline of that distant era within them."

Thanks to Xiaoyunyan, Xiashuixiangling, and LESTER for the tips and monthly votes~