Hanshuo City, the North Wind Government's main base.
"Sir, Wind Erosion Town has fallen!" A soldier dressed differently from the Kangbu Revolutionary Army appeared in the base. The man before him seemed to be a high-ranking official.
"Sure enough, the president succeeded after all." The official smiled, then turned to the soldier. "Any other news?"
"One soldier disappeared for no apparent reason. His whereabouts are unknown. The temperature at the scene was very high, and we don't know what happened." The official shook his head. "Looks like there's a new variable..."
The scene shifted back to Hanxing.
"Here's the problem: how are we going to eat?" Hanxing raised the practical question. Firefly merely shook her head. "This place has been cut off from the outside world for a long time. It's hard to exchange Credits for local currency. Even if there were places that did, they've probably gone out of business because there was nowhere to spend the money."
"We're well and truly in a financial crisis..." Hanxing sighed helplessly, but Yan Bai walked over from the side. "What are you two talking about?" "Do you have any advice on living here?" Yan Bai smiled. "I see. Let me give you the details."
"The main currency here is the Cloud Amber Coin. A loaf of bread costs about five coins," Yan Bai explained. "The local specialties are all kinds of... fruit. And watch out for scorpions in the wild. They're everywhere. That's about it. As for eating utensils... people generally use chopsticks." Hanxing breathed a sigh of relief. He at least knew how to use chopsticks. He had just been worried that things would get interesting if people here ate with their hands.
"Then did you bring any money?" After a long pause, Hanxing asked the question. "Bro, give me a break. My allowance really isn't much..." Yan Bai's expression shifted several times before he spoke again. "I've got sixty-eight here. Spend it sparingly..." He handed all the money he had to Hanxing. "Once you've made it out into the stars, I'll definitely pay you back!" Yan Bai smiled and shook his head. "We can talk about that when the time comes..."
"You two carry on. I'll be going." Yan Bai looked at the two of them, then took the hint and left. "Anything you want to buy?" Hanxing looked at Firefly. "Forget it. We borrowed the money, so we'd better be careful with it..."
"Looks like it's getting dark." Hanxing watched the setting sun. Its light came from behind Firefly, leaving a breathtakingly beautiful face. "Let's find a restaurant first..." He took Firefly's hand and led her toward a restaurant.
Firefly didn't resist, letting Hanxing lead her inside. Hanxing waved. "Boss, two bowls of rice and a plate of red-braised pork!" Firefly turned to look at him. "Why did you think to order that?" "I had it in Belobog before..." Hanxing answered absentmindedly. In truth, he thought Firefly would probably like sweet food, and the dish was at least a little sweet.
"Have a seat!" the owner called from the front counter, then came over. "If you order two bottles of liquor, you'll get twenty percent off the whole meal." "Liquor?" Hanxing frowned. Though he had lost his memory, he still believed he could hold his liquor. But Firefly, beside him... no matter how he looked at her, she didn't seem like someone who could drink.
"Then bring it." Firefly answered before Hanxing could. He didn't know whether she was trying to save money or what. The food arrived quickly. Hanxing picked up a piece of red-braised pork with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, but it tasted nothing like the dish he remembered. It was as if the soy sauce had cost nothing, while there was no sweetness at all. Hanxing soon figured out why: this godforsaken place had no surface water, so cane sugar was out of the question. Other sugars were either expensive or required an industrial base. It was only natural that there was no sugar.
Before long, the two of them had finished eating. But both tacitly left the two bottles of liquor on the table untouched. "How about... we take them back to drink?" Hanxing looked at Firefly. He was also worried that he might make a fool of himself if he got drunk here. Firefly nodded. "Sure! Let's go." Firefly probably had much the same idea as Hanxing. She knew how much she could drink.
"Come again!" the owner called from behind them, his voice fading once they were outside. The two walked all the way back to the inn and opened the door. Then they opened the liquor. "How... much can you drink?" Hanxing looked at Firefly, panic stirring in his heart. "Don't worry about me, I can handle it!" Firefly waved her hands repeatedly, then opened a bottle and gulped it down.
Hanxing watched Firefly drink and merely shook his head. He opened a bottle of his own and took a few swigs. The burning liquor passed through his stomach and filled him with a touch of warmth.
"Hmm... where-is this?" Hearing her, Hanxing lifted his head in alarm and looked at Firefly. After just that one gulp, she was already acting strangely. He reached out and snatched the bottle away. "If you can't drink, forget it. Don't force yourself!" But Firefly reached out and snatched it back. "Who says-I... I can't drink?" She took another gulp, and somehow finished the entire bottle in just two.
Hanxing shook his head. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you..." He finished his own bottle in one gulp, then pushed Firefly toward the bathroom. "Take a bath first. Once you're done, get to bed."
Soon, the sound of splashing water came from the bathroom. Hanxing sat alone on the bed, thinking over everything that had happened so far, and even more about the future. If he really learned where he came from one day, would he choose to go back or stay here? He thought of Firefly. He could hardly get her out of his head anymore...
Soon, Firefly came out of the bathroom and collapsed limply onto the bed. Hanxing shook his head and covered her with a blanket. Then he took a bath himself and sat on the bed. A warm breath brushed past his ear. "Guess why I drank so much, even though I knew how much I could handle?"
Hanxing thought it over and came up with a frightening possibility, but Firefly pulled him down. "Figured it out? Sorry, even if you have, it's too late!"
Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night~