Ye Xingyao patted the steering wheel with great satisfaction.
He had to admit, military vehicles built for the wasteland drove like a dream. With a full tank of gas and plenty of horsepower, they were equipped with everything from high-tech gadgets to down-to-earth simple conveniences.
Everything one could need, and Ye Xingyao couldn’t help but exclaim—
This thing’s got some muscle!
“Xingyao姐姐, what are you giggling about?”
Fumier hesitated repeatedly before finally voicing the question in her mind while looking at the sheer delight on Ye Xingyao’s face.
How had her Star Elf姐姐 suddenly turned into someone who looked this… not-so-bright?
“She’s… probably just happy about finding a fun new toy.”
Yi Shiyue raised her right hand to her forehead and sighed, completely done with this one’s antics.
But from what she remembered, Xiao Yao had never been this obsessed with cars. She’d merely passed her driver’s license test, that was all.
For the record, the vast majority of Satellite City residents had never even gotten their licenses, because daily commuting could be handled perfectly well by the railcars. Quite a few people had lived three or four decades without ever touching a steering wheel. The driver’s license had long since fallen off the “essential resident items” list.
So when Xiao Yao told her she’d gotten her license back then, she’d been genuinely shocked, thinking her sister, who’d raised her, was about to buy a car.
“Xiaoyue, Fumier, hurry up and get in. We’re heading out!”
Ye Xingyao called to the two girls excitedly, loading the luggage into the truck bed with them, then starting the engine under Old Chen’s watchful gaze.
Seeing that their military guest knew how to drive, Old Chen let go of the last thing he’d been worried about. Instead, he waved at them and headed back to his office area.
Once Yi Shiyue had taken the passenger seat and buckled her seatbelt, and Fumier had settled into the back with a serious expression, Ye Xingyao started the car.
“Here we go!”
The sand-colored mid-sized pickup kicked up a plume of yellow dust as it left the encampment, following the map’s direction toward their destination, “Shuoyue.”
After driving along the dirt road for over ten minutes, having basically taken in all the barren wasteland scenery there was to see, a patch of crops planted in the fields, resembling corn, gradually caught their attention.
“Huh? People actually grow crops out here?”
Ye Xingyao slowly eased off the accelerator, comparing the area to what was marked on the electronic map.
“I don’t really remember. I was so young back then, I don’t even know if I ever lived here.”
Yi Shiyue shook her head, also feeling curious about the farmland. In Satellite City, people ate food produced from crops cultivated by the Human Alliance’s official agricultural division, including plenty of fruits, meats, and even fresh produce and fermented goods.
The conveniences brought by technological advancement had long since benefited the people. Having lived in such a city for so long, the two of them were genuinely curious about this rustic, old-fashioned farmland.
After all, they didn’t get many chances to learn about such things. Aside from history books, this was the only real exposure they’d ever had.
The car kept going, passing from the roadside fields into the village. Plot after plot of land growing different crops opened the three girls’ eyes to a whole new world.
Following the dirt road a bit further, they could finally see the area where people lived.
People living in a Satellite City brimming with advanced technology and abundant resources would never imagine that anyone in this era still lived in brick-and-tile houses. A ridiculous chasm separated the two ways of life.
It was like they were people from two different worlds.
The noise of their vehicle still drew a crowd of villagers to come take a look. What was somewhat concerning was that among these villagers, there were few young and able-bodied folks. Instead, they were mostly people approaching fifty, or young children.
At the same time, a good number of those children had pointed ears.
It seemed the mixed offspring of these humans and elves were getting along rather well.
The villagers gradually surrounded the road, completely blocking the way, so Ye Xingyao had no choice but to stop the car and hop out with the two girls.
An elderly man with a weathered face hobbled over, leaning on a cane.
“Hello, uncle, we’re—” “You’re… looking for Yi Lin, aren’t you?”
The old man glanced at the pure white hair of the girl beside her and interrupted Ye Xingyao’s words in a slow, drawn-out manner.
Ye Xingyao didn’t show any particular reaction and simply nodded.
Yi Lin, the name of Yi Shiyue’s grandmother.
“Oh, oh, good, good. Alright folks, stop gawking. This here’s the Yi family’s business…”
After receiving Ye Xingyao’s confirmation, the hunched old man broke into a grin and playfully scolded the villagers behind him.
The villagers scattered in a flurry, leaving only a few young boys and girls who curiously sized up the golden-haired little girl following behind the two older sisters, one in black and one in white.
Feeling their gazes on her, Fumier turned her head and smiled at them.
“Ah, little miss, our village hasn’t had outsiders in a long time. The folks are just a bit curious. Hope it wasn’t too rude.”
“No worries, uncle.”
“What?”
The old man tilted his ear to the side, clearly not having caught what Ye Xingyao said.
“I said, no worries, uncle! And also, could you tell us where Yi Lin’s house is?”
Ye Xingyao pressed both hands to her mouth like a megaphone and raised her voice before the old man could barely make out what she was saying.
“Sigh, age gets us all. My ears are failing me too. Follow me, grab your things, and I’ll take you there.”
“Then—thank—you—uncle!”
“Heh, this little lass sure has a sweet tongue. A sight better than my own daughter.”
The old man looked at Ye Xingyao and nodded with satisfaction, giving her a thumbs up. She felt so embarrassed she wanted to disappear, so she scurried off to the truck bed, grabbed their luggage, turned off the car, and tucked the keys into the small utility pouch beneath her skirt.
“So you and Yi Lin are…”
Walking along the road to Yi Shiyue’s grandmother’s house, the old man curiously inquired about their relationship.
“Uncle, Yi Lin is my grandmother. My name is Yi Shiyue.”
Yi Shiyue held Ye Xingyao’s hand, walking half a step behind the old man.
“Oh, oh! It’s you! Your grandmother talks about you all the time, says you were such a well-behaved, sensible child when you were little! And now you’ve grown into such a beautiful woman!”
Hearing that, Yi Shiyue felt a bit flustered too, her pretty face flushing red as she didn’t know what to say.
“Oh, oh, so you two ladies are in that kind of relationship. Young as you are, and you already have a child. So today, you two brought your daughter along to visit?”
That one sentence instantly short-circuited all three girls’ brains.
Brought… brought their daughter?
Ye Xingyao and Yi Shiyue exchanged a glance, smiling wryly at the small golden figure on the other side.
Fumier poked her cheek with her index finger.
A daughter? Her Star Elf姐姐 and Moon Elf姐姐 had a daughter too?