The Record of Unusual Creatures
chapter-121

Chapter 121: A Long Way from Home

Living room. Home.

Nangong Wuyue and Y’zaks were standing on Hao Ren’s left and right respectively like the sentries at the Tower of London. Vivian and Lily checked their luggage for the last time to make sure that everything was in order. Everyone looked dead serious like the crew at a space shuttle launchpad.

“Two sets of clothes—checked. Biscuits—checked. Mineral water—checked. Dry food—checked. Tools—…” Like a competent daughter-in-law, Vivian checked Hao Ren’s suitcase—just a small one, an overly large suitcase would be too cumbersome. And she rechecked everything that Lily had checked before. “Just give me a buzz when you get there. Your MDT has that messaging function, isn’t it? Okay, be safe. Don’t touch anything that looks weird, it might be poisonous. Come back as soon as you finish the job. While you’re out there…”

“Okay, okay.” Hao Ren was overwhelmed by the fervent concern from the oldest vampire on Earth. “Why do you sound like my mom?”

Vivian raised her leg to kick him. “I’m just trying to give some treats to the hands that feed me. Do you really think that any Tom, Dick, and Harry would get such a special treatment from me? I just want to make sure that I can keep staying here and won’t have to worry about where I’m going to get my next meal. If you’re dead I’ll have no where to go.”

Nangong Wuyue looked at their interaction with amazement, thinking they were sort of an interesting ‘family’.

“I feel sorry about this, lady. I mean you’ve just arrived and before you can even settle in, we have to go on a mission.” Hao Ren thought that the siren was getting impatient as her eyes were darting around. “You know how Raven’s temperament has always been. When she wants it, she wants it right then. Normally, it isn’t as busy as this but you’ll have to put up with it this time.”

“No, it’s all good!” Nangong Wuyue waved her hands frantically. “Actually, I’m happy to be able to go out there, traveling and seeing places. No problem at all. I’d love to live a life like that given the chance. I think I made the right choice coming here. You people are so interesting and everything is so fascinating here—I never imagined that I would be traveling to places 800 light-years away. It’s simply beyond any sirens’ dream!”

It seemed like the siren was a real travel freak. She did not resent the sudden errand that was thrown at her at all. It was good of her.

“It’s 9.30. It’s time to go.” Lily inspected her watch as she finished checking the luggage. “Have a pleasant journey, my dear landlord. Don’t forget to get me some nice food on your way back…”

Hao Ren waved goodbye to Lily and Vivian as he gave an order to the MDT: Begin teleportation.

A blinding white light enveloped the three of them as the space around them started to warp and rolled up into a crystal sphere. Seconds later, they were gone and everything returned to normal.

“They’ve finally gone…,” Lily said. Her ears appeared lackadaisical. “…and left me alone here.”

“Next time, baby.” Vivian tried to comfort her. “What do you say I make you some noodles in the afternoon? Well, speaking of which, why am I feeling like I’m your nanny lately? Like we’re friends now?”

“Stop the crap. In case you haven’t realized, I’m the one who’s going out to find the money to feed you while our landlord’s away!” Lily’s tail almost stiffened up. “Go and find the money yourself if you can. Now, go and feed the kittie while I go inside to do some write up…”

“Are you trying to tell me that you’re in charge here? Don’t forget, I’m the only one who can actually cook here! You can’t even cook a packet of damn instant noodles properly!”

“Alright, my bad. I’ll feed Rollie but could you do me a favor by accompanying me? I’m afraid of Rollie—he might scratch me.”

Vivian was at a lost for words.

It would have been interesting to know how the two super chicks got along with each other while their landlord was away. However, as always, time was a good healer; they would turn out just fine. So, let us move away from here and see what has happened to the trio who just left.

When the white light subsided, Hao Ren woke up in a daze and found himself standing in an enormous space just like Raven 12345 had described—the place was nothing like the depiction in Hollywood movies—it was awesome on an entirely new level.

A hundred meters in radius, the oval hall was more like an indoor piazza. The walls were actually hexagonal with six silver surfaces. The hall itself was divided into two sections; one section was where they were standing at. The floor was covered with glowing blue circles which were so orderly arranged. Hao Ren was standing right on top one of them. The other section was completely empty except for a few pillars which rose from the floor to the dome, more than 10 meters above the ground. As Hao Ren’s eyes climbed the pillars, he saw 1000 streams of blue light on the dome. He recalled having seen such a thing before in Raven 12345’s mansion—a Crystalline Conduit System used in large structures for energy conduction.

It was the very first thing he saw since his arrival at Kuiper Station.

“Are we in… outside the earth?” For some reason, Hao Ren could not cough up the words for where they were. He just could not believe his eyes and he jumped for joy. “It feels earth-like here—the gravity, the air, the temperature and everything’s just so familiar. Except, the air is fresher than back home.”

“Stop acting like a bumpkin.” The MDT sounded in his mind. “Come on, you’re an inspector, servant of a goddess and the ambassador of an empire. You’re the face that’s representing a high and mighty civilization. If you keep jumping like that, you’re going to drop me out of your pocket.”

Hao Ren knew that the MDT was only concerned about that last part. The rest was just crap.

“The empire’s standard environmental parameters apply here. Most species from the empire have no problems adapting to this atmospheric environment. There are a small number of exceptions who must undergo temporary, physical alterations or carry a small atmospheric device. “Not forgetting its duty, the MDT explained everything patiently. “It’s okay if you can’t grasp the idea. Just think of it this way: most people on Earth have no problem staying in this temperate region but, people from Africa for example, would have to wear wadded jackets all the time if they’re here, sort of.”

“… It’s idiot-proof. I’m speechless.”

“Artificial gravity, artificial atmosphere and a self-sustaining ecosystem are what the space port needs.” The MDT sneaked out from Hao Ren’s pocket and led them using a holographic arrow. “Although it’s just a transit point, this space port is enormous. After all, God placed a teleportation point on earth. This place is undoubtedly heaven’s communication room. Now, follow the arrow and leave the teleportation platform. If you guys hog it or sway into the other one, it’ll put unnecessary pressure on the diversion host computer. While it may not cause any major problems, you have to lead by example. Be civilized. And do not hog the system. Everyone here is looking up to you.”

Hao Ren felt a little pressure because the PDA sounded dead serious. “Am I really that important?”

“Well, yes and no,” the MDT replied. “In the eyes of normal species, an inspector is special, dependable, respected, resented, feared or of any other qualities. Sometime you would be treated like a savior. Other times, you would be cursed to hell, with every single intelligent being within the vicinity of a few hundred light-years wishing you dead—you really don’t know what you’ll get into. But, don’t worry about that. All you got to do is mind your own business. Being the inspector you are now, I bet you won’t be meeting them.”

Hao Ren nodded continuously as he listened. Nearby, Nangong Wuyue had no idea what was going on. She did not care as she was captivated by the strange and silver, white hall. Despite being a little amazed, Y’zaks was totally cool. Obviously, he had seen all these things before. Due to this, he had a more thorough observation than Nangong Wuyue could have. The trio left the teleportation platform. As they moved on, Hao Ren noticed that the circles around them would occasionally glow brighter. The cylindrical space within the circles would warp for a very brief moment and then, some blurry images would flash across the illuminated circles. However, no-one appeared from it. He was curious and asked, “What’s that?”

“It’s teleportation transit,” the MDT replied. “The sole relay node between the Dan-Dwyn Civilization Sphere and Morbec Civilization Sphere. It’s also a relay circuit to World’s Gate Starfield. This relay node lessens the load on the teleportation equipment and eases the workload of the Space Administration. Many travelers transit through this place in a flash, like what you’ve just seen. You three may be the only travelers to transit in-station today. In fact this space port is rather deserted. Despite it’s enormous scale, most zones run on automated systems. In fact, the volume of traffic here isn’t low in any sense. Most are just in-transit or on short-stops. Few crew are needed here. Don’t be surprise if you can’t see anyone here. As massive as this space port is, all it needs is just a few hundred personnel and all of them are situated in the central control tower.”

Hao Ren tried to wrap his head around it but, he understood none of it.