Chapter 129 - Winter to Spring
It had been some time since Xia Fei saw Ye Xiaohan, yet she still had that cold look on her face. Xia Fei did not think that there was much to talk about with her, so the two of them walked side by side in the hallway in total silence.
Out of nowhere, Ye Xiaohan said while smiling, “It’s great that you’re back; I thought that you were dead for sure.”
Someone who never smiled actually smiling for once was an incredibly awkward situation to deal with. Xia Fei was completely weirded out by Ye Xiaohan’s actions. Her smile was perfect, and there was even a hint of softness in her tone, yet it felt completely fake.
Xia Fei felt a burst of chill entering him, and he unconsciously shivered before saying lightly, “It wasn’t much; I was just lucky.”
“Why didn’t you agree to the contract? Many have the dream of joining the core departments of the Union, you know.” Ye Xiaohan continued to ask with a smile.
After half an hour or so, Xia Fei let out a sigh of relief once he finally parted ways with the lady, who had become really weird, muttering, “That’s scary. I’d rather not see her smile.”
Xia Fei got himself to the dining hall after doing some quick unpacking.
Slowly but surely, Qin Mang gave Xia Fei more and more books, and the latter would spend a lot of time going through them back in the dorm, just like doing homework. Qin Mang would often ask Xia Fei for his thoughts the next day, and sometimes he would even ask questions mentioned in the book.
Two months later, Xia Fei finally understood that Qin Mang was teaching him how to read books; the old man would give him basic books initially, but as time went on and Xia Fei’s reading capacity increased, the latter would assign him books that were more complex.
Other than the abundant information about combat, Qin Mang would let Xia Fei read the forbidden tomes on the second floor.
These forbidden tomes contained information about the ancient civilization, and Xia Fei absorbed their contents in the most correct way possible under Qin Mang’s guidance. The moment he got to reading the technological information left behind by the ancient civilization, he was shocked by his ability to understand the obscure codes and formulas presented in the tomes.
This was absolutely a big step for Xia Fei. He could never have learned this useful information in school, so he was comparable to a blank piece of paper, but in just a few month’s time, Xia Fei’s notes were filled with writings, and these writings became more and more deep and complicated.
Xia Fei never forgot to chat with Avril, either, but because of his studies, they often spent less time chatting. Of course, Avril had something to say about that, but whenever Xia Fei talked about his studies to her, the girl’s eyes would be filled with a glow of approval.
At first, Avril could still understand some of it, but as his reading skills improved and what he was reading got ever more complicated, Avril began to think that the knowledge he was sharing with her did not exist in this realm as it was barely intelligible.
Eventually, Avril stopped trying to understand what Xia Fei was saying, focusing instead on how Xia Fei looked as he talked.
Although Chen Dong and Moon Song were in the internal division with Xia Fei, the three of them seldom saw one another, for those two had been devoting their days in the Stygian Training Center to train.
Moon Song would sometimes get Xia Fei out to have a meal together for a chat, but Chen Dong had become a training machine. Xia Fei had not seen him for the entirety of last week, and even if they did meet, it would often be a quick ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ before Chen Dong would hurry to leave.
Xia Fei did not have much to say about this as everyone desired different things. He wanted to be as balanced and well-rounded as possible, whereas Moon Song and Chen Dong wished to be stronger. These were their choices, and it was not up to anyone to say what they should do.
Quantum Holdings had finally assembled its first fleet and even managed to perform a few deliveries, selling products to other planets. Although the profits were not high, it was still a start.
As the products increased in variety and quantity, profits would be sure to follow. They had already survived the worst stage, and Xia Fei was glad for that.
The people of the Federation were incredibly enthusiastic about Earth’s first space fleet, too. The name of Quantum Holdings quickly spread around, and many companies fought with one another for a chance to work with Quantum Holdings, even if they had to pay funds in advance.
The merchants had been very much looking forward to interstellar trade for a long time, and being able to work together with the only company in the Federation that had access to interstellar trade was something they viewed with pride. Even an ordinary staff of that company would feel proud of themselves while walking down the streets.
In the blink of an eye, winter turned to spring, and willow trees began sprouting their tender leaves. Thus, Xia Fei’s first journey to ancient ruins had begun.