Talulah, I'm still a child.

"Ms. Christine, I love you!"

"Get out of here! Ms. Seria and Ms. Christen are a perfect match!"

"What did you say?! Mrs. Himer and Ifrit are about to cry!"

The cheers, screams, and whistles seemed to have something strange mixed in, making Saria almost clench her fists and go down to beat someone up.

However, Christensen didn't care about any of this. She reached out and pressed down, signaling everyone to quiet down. Today, apart from tourists and reporters, more than seventy out of every hundred people were scientists. Everyone was a very rational person, and they quickly quieted down.

They admired Christen, even to the point of envy and jealousy. From this day forward, Christen's name will surely be etched in the history of Terra, becoming one of the most shining stars in the history of Terra.

If, for thousands of years to come, people dance among the stars, they will surely sing her name, Christine, for she will be the navigator of the stars.

And they will witness history, witness the rise of this star of Rhine Life.

“Ever since I was a child, when I flew with my parents for the first time and looked up at the clear sky, I have been imagining the world beyond the sky.”

"One night, the power went out in my city. The light from the electrified glass tubes faded from my eyes, but my world was not dark. I looked up and saw the brilliant stars and the bright moon in the night sky. The seed of the starry sky that belonged to me deep in my heart sprouted."

As Christen finished speaking, all the lights around them were turned off, and the surroundings suddenly became dark. However, everyone became even quieter than before, and even the flashlights were turned off.

The night was dark, but not so dark. The bright moonlight shone down from the night sky, shrouding everyone in a thin veil. Some of them couldn't help but look up. The weather was beautiful tonight, with not a cloud in the sky, and the stars surrounding the moon, dazzling and captivating.

"We meet in this city known for its progress, under this dazzling night sky, at a time of change and challenge, an era where knowledge and ignorance coexist."

"We are proud of our achievements, the ever-evolving scientific research of Colombia, the brilliant and inclusive ancient civilization of Dayan, the mysterious history of Kazdel... With the establishment of the first Terra United Council, we finally put aside our disputes and for the first time tried to understand each other from a non-war perspective."

"The Sarkaz can be on friendly terms with the Sarkaz, the Qazimirs can communicate with the Ursus on equal terms. We've said it, and this is a brand new era!"

Seria hadn't seen Christen like this in a long time. In fact, as Rhine Life grew stronger, Christen gradually became the kind of person she disliked. The last time Christen spoke so passionately was when the two of them discussed the future of Rhine Life all night on the balcony.

"I wonder if any of you have ever thought about what makes us who we are today?"

"From a biological perspective, it's a cell; but what about from another perspective?"

“Our blood contains trace elements such as iron, zinc, and copper, which cannot be produced naturally in the land of Terra.”

Christen changed the subject, seemingly starting to talk about something cryptic, yet she successfully stirred the passion in everyone's hearts, even though they were all trying their best to keep quiet.

"Brilliant supernova explosions brought us iron,"

"The dust ejected into space after the two neutron star collisions became the zinc in our blood."

"That trace amount of copper must have witnessed the death of a white dwarf, and even the most insignificant cobalt comes from nebulae billions of light-years away."

These were reports published in various Colombian journals a year earlier. When the Terrans turned their gaze to the stars, they suddenly realized that they were also part of these stars. Research on the stars progressed rapidly over the years until finally, they recognized their other identity.

"Some people are curious as to why I am so obsessed with the sky and so determined to set sail towards the stars."

"Why choose to head towards an unknown goal that has been considered unattainable since ancient times? Why ask me why I chose the moon as my first target instead of going into space?"

"We yearn to witness the limits of the galaxy and the ocean, for we are children of the stars!"

The lights were lit again, and even without any other lights, the crowd cheered once more, with applause and cheers sweeping in like waves.

Seria suddenly began to doubt whether the person standing in front of her was still the Christen she knew. She had never seen Christen so excited. Even though Christen's expression was serious, Seria, as her confidante, could feel Christen's immense excitement.

Even though she wasn't there in person, just watching the TV broadcast made countless viewers cheer. Ifrit sat in front of the TV, with her best friends like Rosemary by her side, but Lily of the Valley wasn't there; for some reason, she said she had something to do.

The little ones didn't understand the meaning behind the speech, nor did they need to. Ifrit just wanted to see Saria, who stood behind Christen like a statue, yet exuded an undeniable pressure.

Why? Because Saria wasn't holding a shield; perhaps she wanted to play more freely.

"Go all out" is not just a descriptive phrase when applied to Saria; it means she's going all out, and when Saria goes all out, few can stand against her.

"Meixue, do you think she can succeed?"

As a competent writer, Avdoga could sense that Christen was serious about doing this.

However, there must be a price to pay behind this. Columbia must have already figured out which piece of the pie to take, and Da Yan must have made the most thorough preparations. Casimir will launch corresponding products and TV series soon, no, maybe even tonight, with all sorts of overwhelming advertisements.

Since ancient times, people have had a great deal of curiosity about the world they live in and the starry sky above them, but few people have been able to maintain this curiosity.

The Great Yan Dynasty had a theory that the heavens were round and the earth was square. Although the fox spirit later flew to outer space to prove that this was false, now, how could it not be exciting to try to understand the world beneath our feet by relying on the Terrans' own theories? Yet, how could it not come at a high price?

The little fox seemed to be in a daze, but he snapped out of it after hearing Avdoga's voice. He had been trying to continue adjusting the new world, and Christen's words had made him very happy.

"Failure is the mother of success, but no matter how many times you fail, you will eventually succeed."

Something was different. Mei Xue had transformed into a somewhat unfamiliar version of Afudojia, no longer the innocent child she had been before. It was clear that the little fox was now in adult mode.

Regarding Mei Xue's adult mode, Afudojia had heard Shuiyue and others mention it before. It was a state that Mei Xue herself didn't particularly like. The longer one lives and the more one sees, the deeper one's experience and knowledge become, and the more mature one becomes.

However, maturity means a lack of freedom. Living too long—no, Mei Xue doesn't have the concept of being alive. Only when someone dies can he say that he is alive. Mei Xue simply exists here.

So in a life with no end in sight, Mei Xue needs to maintain his curiosity about the world and be a cute, obedient child who is interested in everything. He actually hates himself as an adult, but sometimes he has to admit that he is necessary because adults are more "thoughtful" in their actions.

"Thank you, Sister Aphrodite. I'm almost done with my work now."

Mei Xue closed her eyes, but was still listening to Christen's speech. In that instant, Mei Xue's true form also woke up, and the two began to adjust in sync.

The starry sky? Yes, the starry sky. Mei Xue remembers what the starry sky looks like every single one over the past trillions of years, regardless of whether it's a new world or an old world, or even this world or that world. The starry sky is always the same. The young lady from years ago was right to say that Mei Xue didn't belong to this world.

The world of Terra cannot give birth to Meixue, just as a fountain in nature cannot rise higher than its source. Compared to this world, Meixue is far too large.

This enormous size is not in a physical sense, but it can indeed be explained in this way: how can a monster more than fifty meters tall enter a small sandbox, and even need to be careful to avoid accidentally destroying it?

When Mei Xue was creating the new world, he saw his "home." In fact, he should have seen it long ago, the place where everything originated. He was like a dandelion seed, just happened to be blown here, and then, by some twist of fate, became the destiny of this world. In Mei Xue's mind, the only memory of home was the starry sky.

Christen's speech continued, and Seria looked at her as if she were watching a twinkling star, or as if she were watching a candle about to burn out emitting its most dazzling light.

Millions of years ago, people formed tribes, then tribes formed clans, and clans formed nations!

"As times change, I believe that one day in the future, we will no longer call ourselves Casimirians, Colombians, or even Da Yan, Ursus, or Sargon?"

"Just as we once took our race, our tribe, and our nation as our place of belonging!"

"Someday in the future, when we join hands, when we step into the starry sky and look back at our homeland, we will say this."

"We are Terrans!"

For many years, countless days and nights, Christen had imagined what it would be like to appear here. She had considered that someone else might take this step before her, and she would become one of the many spectators in the audience or in front of the television.

Yet, in those days and nights, when she scorned those ridiculous power struggles, she would prepare her day's script in this way.

These words are filled with emotion. Since Kristen Wright was a child, she had dreamed of this day and began preparing her speech for today.

The dreams of childhood, the passion of youth, and the determination of maturity—these three intertwine, much like how Mei Xue used the choices of Cecilia, Theresa, and Precys to construct her future. Christensen has blended these three stages of herself together to create this speech.

"In space, there are no intrigues or power struggles. When our first artificial satellite transmitted back a panoramic view of Terra, we discovered that there are no borders in this world!"

"Now, let me answer that question. Before this speech, someone asked me why I chose to go to the moon, since we have never even been to space."

"Just as mountain climbers will always move towards the mountain, we chose to go to the moon not to gain greater benefits, more wealth, or fame."

"The mountain is there, waiting for people to climb it; the moon is in our starry sky, above our heads, waiting for us to set foot on its land!"

"No matter if it takes ten, twenty, or hundreds of years, we will eventually move towards the stars and the sea!"

After a brilliant speech, Mei Xue exhaled and opened her eyes again. Having hidden in Aphrodite's territory for so long, she had finally managed to curb the spread of the contradictions in the new world and had begun the reverse repair work. If she hadn't been able to escape from Rhodes Island earlier, the little fox's workload would have probably tripled if she had been entangled there.

In that case, Mei Xue would have to leave this new world early and return to her true self to make adjustments, which would be very difficult and would worry Talulah and Suzuran.

Well, even though they are worried now, Mei Xue's hasty escape has made Talulah a little flustered. She knows that the little fox must have her own plans, but she is not at ease without Mei Xue by her side, so she is eager to find Mei Xue, even without any clues.

"I have to go now, sister."

Mei Xue got up and picked up the apple that was still uneaten on the table.

Aren't you going to eat dinner?

"Next time, when we get to the new world, we'll have plenty of opportunities."

"...I hope what you're saying is true."

Afdoga seemed to have another hidden meaning, but Meixue simply wagged her tail and didn't reply.

New World 39. Plum Blossom's Invitation

Where is Mei Xue?

Talulah questioned herself, just as she had in that dream before.

Since her memories returned, even if it's only been a year, Talulah occasionally feels that tension, as if in a daze, her most important thing will disappear. And what is her most important thing? Do I need to say it again?

Mei Xue seemed somewhat lonely, and Talulah could tell that this was something Mei Xue hadn't experienced before. Because her memories hadn't fully returned, Talulah didn't know what Mei Xue had gone through after that.

When the little fox met Mei Xue again, he said that he had lost an older sister forever. Now, thinking back carefully, besides the relief in Mei Xue's eyes at that time, there was also a deep loneliness hidden in the deepest part of her eyes, a profound loneliness that could not be erased.

Then Talulah remembered the look in Suzuran's eyes back then. That look made her finally understand why Suzuran had looked at her that way. That blonde nine-tailed girl didn't just know Mei Xue. She and... no, she remembered more than Talulah did, knew more than Talulah did.

Now she understood the deeper meaning behind Linglan Da's gaze when she looked at her back then.

How far can you accompany him? A hundred years, a thousand years, or even ten thousand years? Can you be the one who stays by his side the longest?

"Wow, Ms. Christensen is so cool, she's flying!"

"It's quite a grand affair, but I wonder how long it will take."

"Oh dear, you can't even see the stars in Lungmen."

People were discussing the performance they had just witnessed. Talulah only glanced at it briefly, paying no attention to the content of the speech, as she was simply looking for Mei Xue.

Talulah walked through the crowd, not knowing where Meixue was, not seeing any familiar faces. She wandered aimlessly, the lamplight lengthening her shadow.

No one noticed Talulah's unusual behavior. After all, people's lives were always in a rush. They were excitedly discussing how much change Christen's speech would bring to the world, just like how the first Terran conference successfully eased most of the world's disputes, and there hadn't been a war for many years.

But Talulah didn't care. She was exhausted from running and almost fell. She didn't know where she had ended up, but it was clear that it was a relatively secluded place. Apart from a few cars passing by occasionally, there were no pedestrians and many fallen leaves on the roadside.

For a moment, Talulah thought she had found herself in a place that didn't belong to Lungmen. She had never imagined that such a quiet, even somewhat desolate place would exist in the bustling city of Lungmen. This place should be considered the suburbs, and the only transportation options besides public buses are cars, so the housing prices in this area are relatively cheap.

(Perhaps one day in the future, it would be nice to live here with Meixue.)

Talulah is certain that the little fox loves quiet, so this place must be perfect for the little fox to live in, right?

Thinking of this, Talulah took a deep breath. She suddenly realized that she might have lost control of her emotions just now. Normally, she should have asked Chen Huijie to pull up all the surveillance footage and analyze the route and direction the little fox escaped.

However, at that time, she only had one thought in mind: to keep up with Mei Xue, and now she has…

Well, it seems she wasn't out of control at the time, but rather acting on some kind of intuition.

The lights in the secluded area weren't very bright, perhaps due to a lack of maintenance. The already dim lights flickered a few times, but this light seemed to be telling Talulah: Look this way.

A deserted bench stands in the quiet aisle, and sitting on it is a person who is not deserted at all. Mei Xue's tail is draped over him, and the little fox holds an apple in its hands. He glances at Talulah, pats his thigh, and has a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Talulah's eyes flashed with a variety of emotions: doubt, curiosity, relief and relaxation, and a little joy, but not anger or displeasure.