The air quality on The Blue was excellent, with vast stretches of vegetation blending seamlessly with the entire city.
Following Firefly out of their hideout, Sylvia found herself seeing this kind of cityscape for the first time since arriving in this world—one brimming with a sense of technology yet imbued with a rich, natural atmosphere.
Compared to this, the overall environment of the port planet they had passed through earlier was far inferior, its architectural style a rough, haphazard mix.
And while the Xianzhou was itself a massive starship, its skies were simulated projections, which naturally left something to be desired.
It was clear the administrators of this planet had put considerable thought into its design.
And, it seemed, they had also expended much effort in currying favor with Herta.
Because Sylvia even spotted a remarkably tall statue of Herta serving as the city's landmark.
Noticing Sylvia's gaze, Firefly followed it and then explained with a smile, "They say most cities on The Blue feature a statue, portrait, or some iconic representation of Lady Herta. And the areas around them are usually quite lively. Want to go take a look?"
"Sure."
Listening to Firefly's easy chatter, Sylvia nodded with a smile.
Inwardly, she marveled, 'Did Firefly do some sort of research beforehand?'
Otherwise, how could she so smoothly lead them out onto the streets like this?
Sylvia glanced at her hand, still held in Firefly's grip. Firefly walked half a step ahead, allowing Sylvia a clear view of her delicate profile.
Looking more closely, Sylvia realized Firefly was actually wearing makeup.
And it was the kind that, at first glance, looked like a fresh, makeup-free face, all the more accentuating Firefly's charm.
When they'd met in the game before, she'd never seen Firefly wear makeup.
Besides, Firefly usually spent her days inside SAM. Being able to wear regular clothes was impressive enough—how could she possibly find the time and effort to put on makeup?
Perhaps already feeling a bit self-conscious about the makeup, and now under Sylvia's intense scrutiny,
Firefly's face slowly flushed. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes meeting Sylvia's, the subtly upturned corners of her eyes appearing particularly alluring.
"What's wrong? Is there something strange about my face… This is my first time wearing makeup. Kafka taught me, hands-on."
"To look this good on your first try—it feels like it highlights all your best features. You're amazing, Firefly."
"It's mostly Kafka being amazing. But I'm glad it doesn't look strange. I was worried it might seem weird."
Praised, Firefly scratched her cheek bashfully.
"Not at all. It's very beautiful."
Sylvia didn't hold back her compliments, and within moments had Firefly blushing again.
Flustered, Firefly instinctively quickened her pace toward a vehicle parked by the roadside.
--+--
Public transportation on The Blue was very convenient.
Small public flyers for two or three passengers could be found parked along the streets at any time.
Firefly still seemed somewhat unaccustomed to this kind of public transport, leading Sylvia aboard and seating her with a touch of clumsiness.
After fastening her seatbelt, Sylvia watched Firefly settle into the pilot's seat and asked curiously, "Firefly, do you have any experience driving this kind of small flyer?"
"Hmm…"
Hearing the question, Firefly turned her head, blinking at Sylvia. "Does piloting a medical pod count?"
"…That definitely doesn't count, right?"
Sylvia found it amusing. Was Firefly the type to crack jokes like this?
But it was rather cute.
"…"
"…"
Sylvia didn't speak, simply watching Firefly, waiting for her to start the vehicle.
For some reason, Firefly also stopped moving, staring back at Sylvia with what seemed like a hint of expectation, blinking her eyes.
For a moment, silence fell inside the cabin.
"?"
Sylvia tilted her head in confusion, only for Firefly to look back at her, equally puzzled.
After a pause, as if realizing Sylvia truly had no intention of speaking, Firefly finally came to her senses and said, somewhat sheepishly, "Why aren't you commenting on me not having a driver's license?"
"Pfft… So you wanted me to tease you about that."
Hearing Firefly's soft complaint, Sylvia couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Mmm…"
Firefly's cheeks puffed out slightly, her gaze seeming to reproach Sylvia for not only failing to play along but also laughing at her.
Sylvia's face flushed deep red as she forcibly stifled her laughter, then raised a hand in surrender.
"Okay, okay, I won't laugh. So, can this thing be driven without a license, then?"
Although the topic was finally picked up, Firefly felt it might have been better left alone.
She turned her head away, not looking at Sylvia beside her, but answered softly, "Not for autopilot. You need a license for manual operation."
As she spoke, Firefly manually entered their destination.
Then, with a futuristic beep and whir, the control panel lit up, and the flyer smoothly pulled out from its parking spot.
Watching the traffic flow outside the window, Sylvia leaned back into the comfortable seat and suddenly spoke up.
"How's the effect of the cake roll?"
The sudden topic change caught Firefly slightly off guard, but after considering SAM's test results from that morning, she said, "Stronger than expected. The active substances have barely been excreted through metabolism. We're just not sure exactly how long it will last."
The effective medicinal components and that unknown power had remained in her body far longer than Firefly had anticipated.
It seemed that after spreading throughout her body via blood circulation, it had simply detached from normal cellular life processes.
After one night, the depletion was minimal.
This meant Firefly could stay active outside for longer than she had initially projected.
Thinking of this, Firefly looked at Sylvia again and couldn't help saying, "Thank you, truly. You've given me the chance to go out like this without any worries."
"You've thanked me more than once already. You don't need to say it every time."
Sylvia hurriedly waved her hands, feeling a bit uncomfortable with such direct, solemn gratitude.
Firefly smiled gently. The more Sylvia acted without seeking anything in return, the more Firefly wanted to repay her.
At the same time, she increasingly felt that the mission Elio had assigned—the first one she was carrying out with such eagerness—was all the more meaningful.
--+--
The small flyer was fast. It didn't take long before Sylvia saw the enormous Herta statue, standing a hundred meters tall.
"How many more statues like this are there on this planet?"
Sylvia gazed up at the colossal sculpture, its base obscured by some utilitarian structure whose purpose was unclear.
Beside her, Firefly was also looking up at the statue. She shook her head with a smile. "…I don't know."
Looking at Herta's pensive pose captured in the sculpture, Sylvia was curious.
When Herta found out about this, wouldn't she feel embarrassed?
But then again, considering how old Herta probably was, and the fact she was someone who could narcissistically admire her own portraits, she likely wouldn't feel embarrassed at all.
In fact, she'd probably be quite pleased that so many people came to admire her beauty.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.