"It's truly a wonderful night."
Night had fallen imperceptibly. Countless stars adorned the sky, hosting their own gala. With not a single cloud in sight, it was a night when the celestial party could be particularly well observed from the ground. The trio was walking up a hill near the beach.
Despite it being nighttime, the streetlights were well-placed, making it comfortable for the three to walk together. Well, to be precise, only two of them were walking. Remi was still being carried by Jun. Due to the dropping temperature, everyone wore outer layers, making Remi feel more comfortable.
From the moment Remi and Eda won at beach volleyball, laughter never left Remi's lips. Except for when eating or going to the restroom, she spent the entire day being carried on Jun's back, having everything taken care of.
"Remi, Jun must be tired by now. Maybe you should come down..."
As Eda expressed concern for Jun, trying to persuade Remi to come down, Jun interjected.
"No, it's okay. As an Oceaner, I can't complain about the consequences of the match...!"
"That's right. There's no way Jun would get tired by this."
Remi seemed pleased with Jun's response, patting his shoulder with a grin. Seeing that, Eda sighed as if to say it couldn't be helped, turning her head to look toward the hillside.
"Um... by the way, it's higher than I thought."
The destination of the group was a towering lighthouse on top of the hill. In the past, it had served as a guiding light for ships during the night, but in the age of radar and space travel, it now stood as a relic of the past, functioning primarily as a tourist attraction.
The lighthouse they were heading to had been renovated to serve as an astronomical observatory as well, and while it typically required an entrance fee, today there seemed to be no such requirement.
Even in an era where traveling to space was as commonplace as going next door, ground-based celestial observations retained their unique charm and served as tourist attractions. With the sky clear without a single cloud, and having come this far, they thought it would be nice to take a look.
"Still, we're almost there. Just five more minutes."
When Jun responded to Eda's words, Remi chimed in with a sympathetic tone.
"When we're inside, I'll walk on my own two feet too. It might be narrow and a bit dangerous in there."
"Yeah, I really appreciate that..."
While chatting and walking, they soon found themselves at the entrance of the lighthouse. Despite maintaining its classical appearance, it was evident that everything had been renovated to prevent safety issues. Jun, upon reaching a locked door, rummaged through his pockets.
"Hmm, the key is here... Found it."
Using a dedicated key for the electronic door lock, Jun unlocked the entrance. Remi, synchronized with the timing, hopped down from his back.
Beep-beep.
As the door lock released, Jun grabbed the handle and opened the door. Simultaneously, lights automatically turned on, revealing a foyer, an empty souvenir shop for now, a vending machine, and a circular staircase leading upwards at the center.
"They say they'll decorate this place more later, but it looks a bit plain now. Let's go up. Be careful not to trip."
Leading the way, Jun ascended the circular staircase. Following in order, Remi and Eda climbed up after him. Clunk, clunk. The sound of sandals on the metal stairs echoed inside the lighthouse.
"Wouldn't it be a bit creepy if the lights suddenly went out here?" Remi mentioned when they were halfway up.
"Remi, you're talking nonsense," Eda replied.
"No, seriously, think about it. Since this lighthouse was built, there might have been someone who fell from here. Maybe if the lights go out, and if you concentrate, the Lumen spirits of them might appear, saying it's unfair to be alone like this...," Remi continued with a mischievous tone.
Thump!
Eda lightly flicked Remi's forehead. Remi teared up a bit and turned away.
"Ouch..."
"I told you not to say weird things," Eda sternly said, but her voice couldn't hide a slight tremor, revealing that Remi's words had made her uneasy. Jun turned to look at them and said,
"Don't fool around on the stairs; it can be dangerous. You might get into serious trouble."
"Sorry..."
/
As they reached the top of the stairs, a space covered by a 5-meter (approximately 16-feet) dome appeared. Various telescopes, both large and small, were set up around, and there were plenty of chairs for relaxation. Particularly eye-catching was a massive astronomical telescope occupying nearly 30% of the space alone. In one corner, there was a door with a sign saying, "Control Room."
"From here, you can either completely lower the dome or lower only a part of it. To use that large telescope over there, you'll need to lower quite a bit," Jun explained as he entered the control room and manipulated the equipment. The dome made a whirring sound as it folded itself down, revealing the majestic appearance of the giant telescope under the starlight.
"Wow... it's amazing, isn't it?" Remi exclaimed, clenching her fist in excitement. While it might not match the clarity of observing stars directly from space, the grandeur of such a colossal telescope still had an appeal that stirred human instincts.
"Can I try it first?" Remi asked.
"Sure."
Remi excitedly rushed to the telescope, grabbing onto the panel attached to its side and starting to adjust it. The telescope made a grinding sound as it slowly rotated.
"Wow... Oh! The performance is excellent! I can see this."
"What are you looking at?"
When Eda approached and asked, Remi replied, "Thousand Peaks. I can see Ignis and other planets, as well as space stations, just barely."
"What? You can see all that?"
Surprised, Eda asked, and Jun, who had just walked out of the control room, answered.
"Even though this place is relatively close to Thousand Peaks, this telescope is an exceptional piece of equipment. It utilizes the gravitational effects of Lumen to gather light from various wavelengths, converting it into images in the visible spectrum. I don't know the detailed principles, but anyway, that single telescope probably costs more than the combined land value around here.
Of course, we're 7 light-years away from Thousand Peaks, so what we see of Thousand Peaks through this telescope is from seven years ago. Come to think of it, seven years ago was when I first met Eda."
"Then, if we look carefully, we might see ourselves passing by on the Red Chamber..."
Remi said with a gleeful tone, but Jun shook his head.
"No matter what, we probably won't see that. You might barely identify out Lumen caves or space stations. Ah, for East Ocean, it might be more visible since it's closer."
"Ugh."
While grumbling, Remi continued adjusting the telescope and explored many things. Eda and Jun, turning around, also looked together.
Ignis, the star of Thousand Peaks, four planets, numerous space stations they visited.
Including the trade transfer station where they first met: Fortune 9, Guifang, a sturdy base, the Silk Oasis where they encountered Lamar and had Kay's space burial, the Trash mountain station where they obtained Eda's vocalizer battery and Jun officially became a Red Chamber crew member.
Mount Aurora where the Lumen Association headquarters was located, Ironwind, the largest and most visible through the telescope, the now-demolished Witching Tower, and even the Ironwind Border Patrol Station, which was their last stop in Thousand Peaks.
Eda, Jun, and Remi chatted about old stories throughout the night. Not all the tales were cheerful, as there were moments of sadness and pain, but they had grown enough to overcome those hardships and talk about them calmly.
Before they knew it, the three companions found themselves once again wandering Thousand Peaks aboard the Red Chamber. Eda's starsong guided the way, Remi safely led everyone there, and Jun explored during those times. Just like Lumen guided their journey, now memories were leading them.
The journey concluded as Remi, exhausted, drifted off into a peaceful sleep. Eda and Jun carefully led Remi back to the lighthouse. Jun carried Remi back to the resort, marking the end of the second day.
/
"Here it comes!"
"Whoa!"
Splash, splash.
On the third day, under the clear sunny sky, Eda and Remi were playing in the sea, splashing water on each other. Although they stumbled and got seawater in their mouths and noses a few times, it didn't matter much as the water wasn't too deep.
"Hey, catch this!"
Splash!
In fact, Remi actively turned herself into a human bomb, creating a large water explosion by throwing her body into the water. With her daring attacks, not sparing herself, Eda was continuously defeated.
At that moment, Jun was a bit further away, receiving surfing lessons in the sea. The place where Eda and Remi were coming in was still within his sight. Jun had a life jacket wrapped around his upper body, and next to him was a middle-aged female surfing instructor, guiding him. She was said to have once won a surfing competition on this planet.
"Splash!" Jun's gray surfboard, lying flat, rode the waves, swaying up and down as it moved forward. The instructor, leisurely standing on a surfboard beside him, remarked.
"You have a great sense of balance. I thought you might fall a few more times."
"Haha, I have confidence in using my body because of my experience as a Lumen searching crew runner."
"Oh, you're from the East Ocean, right? I've heard that many people from your region often become runners."
The instructor had no idea that Jun was the clan master of the clan that owned this beach. Jun had deliberately kept it low-key to avoid unnecessary attention. Of course, noticing that they seemed to have exclusive use of the beach, the instructor might have sensed there was something significant about their background.
As Jun watched Remi playfully attacking Eda from afar, making both of them fall into the water with a splash, he smiled contentedly. At that moment, the instructor asked him a question.
"Splash!" Remi and Eda continued to enjoy the water playfully, creating splashes all around. The instructor, deftly handling the approaching waves, asked Jun a question.
"What's your relationship with those people? It doesn't seem like family."
"Oh, the little one there is like my younger sister, and the one with black hair is..."
"Your girlfriend?"
"...Ye..."
As the instructor skillfully maneuvered through an incoming wave, he continued the conversation. However, at that moment, Jun, about to respond, lost his balance, and the surfboard flipped, causing him to gulp down some water. Fortunately, the life jacket did its job, and he managed to get back on the board unharmed.
"Oh, my bad. Our small talk got a bit long. Shall we start again?"
"Cough. Yes, let's start over."
And so, while Eda and Remi continued their water antics, and Jun learned to surf, the evening of the third day arrived. And with it, Jun's awaited D-day.