Sonia Servia

Outside Sword and Rose Sorcerer University in Gala City, capital of Star Country.

With summer approaching, the Shining Stars in the Sky Curtain had increased from two in spring to two and a half. If one looked closely, they could see a tiny Shining Star overhead. Gala City's temperature had risen accordingly, and the radiance was just right—walk a few steps, and a thin layer of sweat would form.

Sonia took small, quick steps outside and saw her mother, Martha, standing beneath the Shining Stars, drenched in sweat. Feeling a pang of heartache, she pulled her beneath the shade of a nearby tree. "Mother, why were you standing out there like a fool? Didn't you know to come into the school's tree-lined paths and hide from the sun...?"

Martha grinned foolishly. "I was afraid you wouldn't see me, Linda..."

"How many times have I told you? Call me Sonia, not Linda!"

Sonia suddenly lost her temper. Martha nodded submissively again and again. "Sorry, sorry, I forgot again. Oh, right, I brought your favorite soufflé too..."

Seeing Martha's pleading expression, Sonia began to feel guilty again. Taking her hand, she led her outside. "I'm not eating it. I'm trying to lose weight lately, so I can't eat things this sweet."

"You're already so thin. Why are you losing weight? I'm afraid a gust of wind might blow you over. Do you remember Uncle Elmer? His son got terribly sick and never recovered. He was so light he looked like a scarecrow in a field. You're even thinner than him..."

Martha had spotted Sonia's figure from afar, scarcely thicker than a branch, and her heart had ached terribly. She had been a Middle-Aged Peasant Woman in an Agricultural Town in Star Country all her life. She simply could not appreciate the big city's idea of slender beauty and sincerely wished her daughter were stronger.

Sonia did not interrupt her mother's endless chatter. Only after Martha stopped did she say, "It's rare for you to come to Gala City. I'll take you around the capital..."

"No, no!" Martha hurriedly waved her hands and shook her head. "Don't waste money. When I walked here, I saw a park over there..."

"You walked here!?" Sonia's voice rose several octaves. "Didn't I tell you to take the tram after getting off the Train? The station is so far from the university—"

"It's fine, it's fine. I arrived early and had plenty of time. A little walking counts as exercise. I'm not that old yet. Walking a bit is no problem..."

Only then did Sonia notice that both of Martha's sleeves had darkened. The sun was bright today, and the temperature was not low. The students on campus were all dressed for summer, but Martha had taken the Train to Gala City last night. Back home, it was already a cool autumn, so she had naturally worn several layers. After walking for a while, sweat had seeped from her forehead, and she had unconsciously wiped it with her sleeves, staining them through.

She wanted to tell her not to save such a small amount of money, but when the words reached her lips, they became, "I'll take you to buy some clothes."

Martha instinctively shook her head. "There are plenty of clothes at home..."

"Listen to me today!"

Sonia Servia came from an impoverished village in Star Country whose name could not even be found on a map. To take a Train to the capital, Gala City, she first had to walk a day through mountain roads to the nearest town where trains stopped.

Among the children of that village, over the past twenty years, Sonia alone had used the Miracle Bracelet freely Gifted by the country to complete the Basic Education courses it offered. Before reaching the age limit, she had taken Star Country's unified online entrance examination for higher education institutions and successfully entered Sword and Rose Sorcerer University in Gala City—Sword Flower University for short.

Her father had drunk himself to death when she was very young. In her memories, he was nothing but a useless man who threw tantrums whenever he got drunk. Martha had raised her all by herself.

That was precisely why Sonia had been able to temporarily escape labor and devote herself to studying, rather than, like the other children her age, working in factories by day and watching the Meteor Channel—the only channel the village could receive—at night, muddling through an entire lifetime in that little town.

On her first day in Gala City, her eyes reflected clean streets, towering buildings, luxury cars flowing like a Torrent, polite and refined civilized people, and giant Light Screens playing promotional shorts day and night. In that moment, she knew that even if she died, she had to die in this city.

That hometown where she had lived for more than ten years was not even worthy of serving as her graveyard.

So she changed her name to Sonia, rather than Linda, a name any random waiter might call out;

In a short time, she learned makeup and clothing coordination, and corrected her accent within a month of enrolling;

With her outstanding looks, she found several part-time jobs without falling behind in her studies. Using scholarships and part-time wages, she expanded her social circle and attended all sorts of events... Combined with serving as the host for numerous campus events last year, she had gained ample exposure and was already quietly regarded by many as the Sword Flower of the 67th Cohort.

So many people in this world could find happiness. Why couldn't I?

That whole afternoon, Sonia took Martha around Gala City. At Sonia's insistence, Martha reluctantly accompanied her into a clothing store that looked expensive at first glance to try on clothes.

Without her daughter, the female clerk's smile, faintly tinged with contempt, would have been enough to make Martha shrink away and leave.

But in exchange for buying clothes, Sonia did not spend another coin that afternoon. Martha had even filled her Water Kettle with water beforehand.

"This is clean water provided by the Train station. I can drink this. Don't buy those colorful drinks. I'm not used to them," Martha said.

Even for dinner, Martha said she still had Bread left from home. It would be wasteful not to eat it. Sonia knew that taking her mother into those high-class Dining Halls would only make Martha suffer, so she sat with her in the park and ate Bread.

Before six o'clock, Sonia escorted Martha to the Train station.

The return ticket had been bought long ago and bound to Martha's Wristband. She only needed to have the Wristband scanned when passing through the checkpoint.

As they neared the checkpoint, Sonia suddenly said, "How about staying for the night? I don't have classes tomorrow either. I can spend another day with you."

Martha stared blankly at Sonia. Her lips moved, but in the end, she still shook her head, her eyes narrowing into thin slits. "No. Refunding the ticket would waste money, and I'm not used to living here. I can't understand what people say. I need to hurry back and feed the chickens at home... Oh, look at my memory. I almost forgot..."

She pulled a small, tightly hidden pouch from her clothes. Without opening it, she stuffed it directly into Sonia's hand. "There are three Silver Coins inside..."

"Mother, I—"

"I know you don't lack money, but I can't spend it at home anyway."

Martha tightly clasped Sonia's hand. "Mother is useless. I can't help you with anything. But don't worry, Linda. Mother won't drag you down. You can live peacefully here in the capital. I'm doing very well back home, and the neighbors will help if anything happens. Just remember to write home, but don't send money. Keep it for yourself, and besides, the post office might steal it..."

This time, Sonia did not correct Martha for calling her by her childhood name, "Linda," again. She quietly listened to the end of her rambling and suddenly understood why her mother had not waited for her inside the university. Once Martha finished, she calmly said, "One day, I'll bring you to Gala City and let you live like a rich person."

Martha smiled and nodded. "Mother believes in you. But you must remember, no matter what happens, Mother will be back home with food ready, waiting for you. Big cities are too complicated. Wouldn't it be nice to go home and live a quiet, proper life..."

Sonia watched her mother's slightly stooped figure walk farther and farther away until it finally disappeared into the crowd.

Suddenly, she slid sharply to the right, avoiding a man who was about to collide with her. Surprise flashed in the man's eyes. He muttered something under his breath, then turned and hurried away.

"It's true. Big cities are too complicated," Sonia murmured softly. "But I'm exactly the kind of person who belongs in that complexity."

She turned and left the Train station, striding with her head held high back into Gala City, the dazzling City That Never Sleeps.