The elevator slid open as Asher stepped into the living room.
"Maybe staying up for two nights straight was not so good," he mused, shaking off the remaining traces of sleep from his eyes.
He had expected to see Silas, but he was not there.
Even Howard was nowhere to be found.
"Don't tell me they left me," he muttered, still walking towards the chair.
He fell into it, his body embracing the comfort.
Before long, he fell asleep again.
...
In the plane, Silas stared at Howard as he skillfully drove.
"Can you drive all vehicles?" Silas could not help but ask.
Howard nodded slowly.
"To become eligible for selection as a seed candidate's driver, there are lots of vehicles you need to learn how to use."
Howard's mind seemed to wander off.
"Maybe all vehicles, in fact."
Silas smiled.
"Do you think it is okay to leave Asher alone?" Howard suddenly asked Silas without turning back.
"Yes, he needed that sleep. I only told him he was accompanying me so he would sleep," Silas replied with a carefree tone.
His eyes were looking at the world below.
The clouds were pristinely white, something that felt almost impossible to achieve in their era.
"We would be getting to Point Piper, Sydney soon," Howard said after a few minutes.
Silas looked away from the window slowly.
"Okay. Rion, send a message to Auranova. Tell her I would be there soon."
Soon, a response came.
[Stop at Wolsey. I will be there soon.]
Silas furrowed his brows.
He had thought she was inviting him to her house, but it seemed not.
"How far away are we from Wolsey?" Silas asked.
Howard checked the live map on his board.
"About 40 seconds away," he replied.
"So close?" Silas mused.
But he said nothing more.
He continued looking down.
Just then, something struck him.
Previously, he had thought it was the natural terrain of Australia, but seeing that some of it was shaped like hills, he could not help but wonder.
"What are those white things on the ground?" he asked.
Howard took a quick peek out of the window, then settled back in his seat with a smile.
"Snow. It would stop soon though, since September is already coming to an end," Howard replied.
"It looks captivating," Silas muttered.
Howard smiled, not replying to Silas's words.
"Funny thing is that snow did not always fall here, at least not until a few years back."
Silas looked away from the window.
"What caused it?" He asked.
Just then, Howard spoke.
"We are at Wolsey already."
Silas stopped the question, looking down towards the restaurant.
"I will begin descent now," Howard added.
The plane began to drop from its height.
"Are you sure we would be able to land there?" Silas asked, looking at the tiny space Howard was trying to squeeze the plane into.
Although the plane was not too big — maybe the size of a truck at most — looking at the little space beneath, Silas could not help but wonder.
"Don't worry about that," Howard grinned, tapping a button.
Silas felt something shift.
He could not place his finger on what it was exactly, but he knew something had changed.
"Why does the outside world look so much bigger?" he mused.
That was when it hit him.
"Did the plane shrink?" he asked calmly.
Such things were not enough to surprise him.
He only asked for confirmation.
"Yes," Howard nodded.
The plane landed on the ground gently, without making a single sound.
It was as though nothing had crossed there in the first place.
"Call me when you are done so I can come pick you up," Howard called from the driver's seat as he waved at Silas.
Silas waved back, although lazily.
"Rion, time?" he asked.
[6:58]
Silas nodded, then wrapped his arms around himself.
"The cold is too much," he whispered, rubbing his palms together to generate some heat.
But it did not seem to be working.
The cold was just too much.
The snow he had called captivating earlier now seemed far less appealing.
"Here," he heard a voice from the side.
Silas turned to the person who had spoken.
It was Auranova, draped in an oversized sweater that covered everything but her face.
"I should have warned you about the extreme weather beforehand," she said, still stretching the black sweater towards Silas.
Silas took it.
"Thank you."
Without saying much more, both of them walked into the restaurant, Silas wearing the sweater as he followed behind.
No sooner had they sat down at a table in the corner than a waiter came to their side.
"Lady Auranova, the usual?" He asked with a bow.
Auranova sighed, then nodded.
The waiter presented Silas with the menu, letting him choose what he wanted.
Silas stared at the menu for what felt like an eternity.
"Just make it a full course meal," Auranova said, pulling the menu out of Silas's hand and handing it to the waiter.
The waiter bowed as he walked away.
Silas's gaze traced the waiter, then he looked back at Auranova.
"You seem like a regular customer here," he said.
"This is the only place I eat, so that's to be expected," she said.
Silas did not comment on what she said.
He needed to at least taste the food before he could tell if it was worth coming to every day.
There was silence between both of them, one that stretched so long it had begun to become awkward.
"Here, Master Sebastian asked me to give these to you," Auranova said, four packets appearing in her palm.
Silas looked at the packets, his eyes wide with surprise tinged with joy.
"He also asked me to tell you that he saw how much you stressed yourself finding out about it, and in the future, if you ever want more, you can always request it from him."
Silas nodded.
"Thank you."
He placed the packets of cigars in his AI space.
Just then, the waiter also pulled the trolley towards their table.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter