The next day, Tianyang left his bedroom, ready to apologize, only to find that his mother had gone out. A simple breakfast sat on the table: nutritious oatmeal in an insulated flask and a fresh egg.
There were livestock farms in the fortress, but eggs were still a luxury in the Lower City.
That single egg might have cost his mother a day's wages.
Looking at it, Tianyang felt even more like a bastard.
The boy drank the oatmeal but couldn't bring himself to eat the egg. He carefully cut open the white and removed the yolk. When his mother returned, he could steam it briefly to warm it up for her.
He ate the white in a few bites, then looked around. Dust had already begun to gather on the floor. Apparently, his mother hadn't had time to clean lately, so he found a broom and started sweeping the house.
He came to his mother's room.
Nanfei's bedroom was very tidy. There was even a small potted plant on the window bars, and a photo frame stood on a wall shelf beside the bed.
It held a photograph of her and Tianyang, though he was still a baby in the picture, cradled in Nanfei's arms.
The photograph had clearly been trimmed. Judging by the image, someone else must have been standing beside Nanfei.
Could it have been Father?
Why had she cut him out?
Tianyang picked up the frame and stared at it, lost in thought.
A sudden knock at the door brought the boy back to his senses. He thought his mother had returned.
He hurried to put the frame back, but in his haste, he dropped it. It hit the floor and broke apart!
"Excuse me, does Mr. Tianyang live here?" A nasal voice sounded outside the door.
Tianyang glanced at the frame on the floor. Relieved that it wasn't his mother, he hurried out of the bedroom.
When he opened the door, he found a tall, thin man outside. His slightly graying hair was neatly combed, and his uniform didn't quite fit. He tried hard to look serious, but the result was rather comical.
"Who are you?" Tianyang didn't know the man at all.
The man smiled. "I'm from the Upper City Household Registration Office. Congratulations, Mr. Tianyang. Your household registration in the Upper City has been completed. Under the fortress's regulations, you may add two more people to your household registration, though they must be direct blood relatives. The office sent me here to help you register them."
"Also, procedure requires me to read you the rights and obligations of an Upper Citizen, although you may already know them."
Tianyang could only invite him inside. After looking around, the man cleared his throat and began reading. "Under the laws of the fortress, Upper Citizens, particularly Ascenders with Upper Citizen status, possess the following rights."
"First is the right to reside in the Upper City, where you may enjoy all the public services the fortress provides."
"Next is the right to select a spouse. Please do not confuse this with the right to marry, which all citizens possess. The right to select a spouse is reserved for Ascenders. It allows you to choose any woman you like to marry, and she has no right to refuse. Unless she is willing to leave Skyhold, even a woman from an Upper Citizen family cannot refuse. Still, I doubt anyone would turn down such a wonderful opportunity. Ha."
"Of course, you may select only one spouse. After all, the fortress's marriage laws stipulate that each man may have only one wife."
Tianyang gave a strained laugh. "I'm not planning to get married just yet."
"In addition, every Ascender possesses the right to take partners, with no limit on their number. This right remains in effect even after marriage. This is intended to improve the gene pool. As you know, the descendants of Ascenders are very likely to become Ascenders themselves."
"If your accumulated contributions to the fortress exceed one hundred thousand points, you will also gain Clan-Founding Rights. You may choose a surname for yourself and pass it down to your descendants. The first three generations of this family may unconditionally inherit your surname, along with your Upper Citizen status, property, rights, and so on..."
The man read through the various provisions for more than ten minutes, nearly putting Tianyang to sleep. Just as the boy was considering throwing him out, he finally finished.
At last, he placed an electronic key on the table.
"What's this?" Tianyang looked at the key.
"This is for the vehicle the fortress has issued you: an Electromagnetic Unicycle. It's just outside, and its travel permissions have already been unlocked for most areas. I hope you enjoy it."
The Household Registration Office official finally left. Tianyang went outside and found a unicycle parked there, just as promised. He couldn't help letting out a quiet cheer.
This type of unicycle used an electromagnetic engine and could recharge at the electromagnetic charging plates found throughout the city streets.
The vehicle used a gyroscopic stabilization system, allowing even a beginner to ride it anywhere. Its top speed was only sixty kilometers per hour, but that was sufficient within the fortress.
After he entered his biometric data, Tianyang's information appeared in the owner field. Although he wanted to take it out for a ride right away, the boy returned to Nanfei's bedroom instead.
He still hadn't dealt with the broken frame. His mother treasured it. If she came home and found it broken, there would probably be another storm.
Tianyang picked up the pieces, intending to find some glue or something to repair the frame. Suddenly, he noticed a receipt.
It had been tucked behind the photograph. If the frame hadn't broken, Tianyang probably would never have discovered it in his lifetime.
The boy unfolded it. It was a receipt from the Skyhold Upper City Storage Bank, stating that someone had anonymously deposited an item there.
The storage period was fifty years, and the fees had already been paid in advance.
When he checked the date of issue, he found that it was from seventeen years ago!
"Seventeen years ago—that was when I was born, wasn't it? Who left something at the Storage Bank? Could it have been Mom?"
"What did they leave there? Why hasn't anyone collected it after all this time?"
As Tianyang looked at the receipt, a bold idea suddenly came to him.
Could the stored item have something to do with Father?
Once that thought surfaced, he couldn't get it out of his head.
Tianyang quickly glued the frame back together and returned it to its original place, then went out with the receipt.
The Electromagnetic Motorcycle had a built-in navigation system. Though Tianyang had never visited the Upper City before, he managed to find the Storage Bank shortly before noon.
As he entered the Storage Bank, a simply dressed woman greeted him with a practiced smile. Her eyes filled with surprise and disdain when she saw Tianyang.
Her surprise came from Tianyang's clothes. He didn't look like an Upper City resident, but rather a Lower Citizen from the bottom of society. It was certainly surprising that a Lower Citizen could make it all the way here.
Her disdain was also due to his apparent status as a Lower Citizen. After all, the Storage Bank primarily served Upper Citizens. Besides, could Lower Citizens, who struggled to feed themselves, even afford the storage fees?
Though she was only a common citizen, she was still far above these Lower Citizens.
A sense of superiority welled up within her.
"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?" However superior she felt, the woman was clearly there to serve customers, and she wasn't foolish enough to drive Tianyang away.
Tianyang took out the receipt. "I'm here to collect something."
The woman took it and glanced over it, then asked unhurriedly, "Could you show me your personal identity card?"
Tianyang nodded and took out the new identity card Lin Yang had given him.
The woman accepted it and gently placed it against an electronic scanner on her wrist. The chip in an identity card allowed her to access information on most of the city's residents.
When the word "Ascender" appeared beneath Tianyang's name on the device's screen, she was so startled that she nearly dropped the card.
To ordinary people, Ascenders were lofty figures far beyond their reach. Not only common citizens, but even Upper Citizens had to treat them with the utmost respect.
What the woman couldn't understand was why someone so important would come in person. Surely he could simply have sent someone to collect his belongings?
And this esteemed Ascender seemed rather too young. His clothes were also far too... well, too plain!
Fortunately, she hadn't said anything wrong earlier. Otherwise, she would have been done for.
The woman's attitude changed completely. She warmly linked her arm through the boy's. "This way, Mr. Tianyang. The item you wish to collect has been here for some time, so we need to verify and inspect it. Please come with me. I'll take you to the lounge to wait. If you need anything at all, just ask."
The mature woman's full breasts pressed against his arm, making Tianyang indescribably uncomfortable. He wasn't used to being so close to the opposite sex. He quickly pulled his arm free and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fifteen minutes later, a combination-lock case was placed before him. Once opened, it revealed only a single item.
A diary!
Before you continue