Orange and red lanterns hung in the air, fish-shaped Autonomous Units swam through the sky above the night market, playing festive music, as the Autumn Moon Festival had drawn a large crowd of tourists to the commercial district, where each storefront was packed with people.
"This one's for Tilan."
Yilin squeezed through the crowd, holding two stick of freshly bought ice candied hawthorn, and handed one to the young girl.
Standing at the entrance of the store waiting, Tilan accepted it. If it wasn't for Yilin's insistence, facing such a crowded shop, she wouldn't have thought of pushing her way in to buy it.
Watching Tilan take the ice candied hawthorn, nibbling it in small bites in her hand, Yilin couldn't help but want to laugh, finding it quite adorable.
Tilan was the same as before, though she really liked eating, she also hated hassle. If getting snacks was too much of a trouble, she often wouldn't bother.
Back in elementary school, teachers often lured them with delicious ice cream to participate in activities and complete tasks. Tilan was like that—if it was simple, she might give it a try, but if it was too much of a hassle, she would avoid it altogether.
Walking in the street, the two held hands, eating their ice candied hawthorns while talking about the airships and fish-shaped lanterns flying overhead, and discussing the new experiences they've encountered since coming to the Central Star Domain.
The hard sugar shell snapped as it was bitten into, followed by the red haws inside. The haws were quite sour, hard to eat on their own after a few bites, but with the sweetness of the sugar coating, they became deliciously sweet and sour, changing in taste, very appetizing.
"There are many impressive people in the Central Star Domain. In my class, everyone is at least Sequence 4. To reach Sequence 4 by high school graduation in the Four-leaf Crystal Star Domain, you would be in the top three percent of the population," Yilin said. She was also Sequence 4, but her strength was only average for that level and not outstanding.
"How's the Golden Flame Flower Academy you're attending, Tilan? It's the Federation's top school, the competition must be fierce, right?" Yilin asked with curiosity.
"The competition? It doesn't seem that fierce," Tilan replied, pressing her finger to her chin as she reminisced.
"The new students are all in the excitement of getting to know each other, and the seniors are busy with their own passionate endeavors, so they are quite occupied, but the pressure isn't that great." Being a Songstress, she could easily sense the status of others, and indeed the students in the academy rarely exhibited the same anxiety and insecurity as those in high school.
"It's probably because the educational method of the school is different. In college, students are encouraged to pursue their interests and passionate goals, and they receive awards for each of their progressions and advancements," she recalled what Ailu Kelu had said about imitating game mechanics.
"Is that so?" Yilin replied, half-understanding. Maybe there was a big difference in the styles of both schools.
Her own university specialized in business and was focused on training company managers, where such competitively inclined professions would naturally be more prone to anxiety and internal struggles. On the other hand, Golden Flame Flower Academy, being the Federation's number one university, was clearly more idealistic. Besides, as students of the Golden Flame Flower Academy, they were all top-tier talents and rarely had to worry about their livelihoods later in life, thus their mindset was entirely different.
It was already great for an average university graduate to reach Sequence 5, but students of the Golden Flame Flower Academy often graduated with Sequence 7, making them sought-after talents wherever they went, naturally not having to compromise their ideals for livelihood.
"I'm so envious," Yilin couldn't help but sigh after hearing Tilan's account.
"Yilin can do it too."
Tilan's words weren't just meant as comfort. In her eyes, although Yilin wasn't among the top in talent cultivation, her attitude had always been good. Despite coming from a well-off family, she remained diligent and had her own ideas and convictions, so her future achievements wouldn't be disappointing.
"It's okay, I'm just reflecting a bit," Yilin replied with a smile, having gotten used to this over the past few years. After all, there weren't many Songstresses in the entire Federation, and it was only normal to have a gap when compared to Tilan.
"There's a cold drink shop over there; shall we sit for a while? I'm really tired," she said, pointing to a sign not far away.
Tilan nodded, and they made their way through the crowd towards the shop.
When they arrived under the sign, they found the shop on the third floor. After climbing the stairs and seeing that the place was crowded with tourists, with tables cluttered with unrinsed drinks and food plates.
In the noisy crowd, Yilin leaned near Tilan's ear and said, "How about you wait for me downstairs, and I'll come down after I've made the purchase."
The air here was stuffy, and she knew Tilan disliked standing around being gawked at, hence she suggested she wait downstairs.
After a moment of thought, Tilan nodded and told Yilin not to buy too much.
After watching Tilan go down the stairs, Yilin looked at the line of about a dozen people ahead and walked over to join the queue.
Come to think of it, Tilan was still much the same as she had been two years ago—even her height had stayed around that of a 16-17-year-old. Yilin watched Tilan descending the staircase, feeling as if she was looking at a younger sister.
Tilan had always been shy since she was a child, disliking the bustle of crowded places. Now, even though her strength was unquestionable, her personality and habits hadn't changed, which made Yilin feel an inexplicable sense of warmth and amusement.
If she could always remain this way, that would be wonderful. Although it carried the hint of not growing up, such a Tilan was especially cute and endearing.
As Yilin was waiting in line, Tilan had also come out of the staircase, finding a quiet corner on the street to wait. Here, close to a small side road, there were far fewer people.
Leaning against a nearby lamppost, Tilan lightly lifted her heel to rest it on the pedestal, then raised her gaze towards the colorful laser beams sweeping across the night sky and the large airships drifting by.