Not wanting to waste time and be left behind by the stargazer, Kuro steps inside the vehicle. He reaches out and touches the machine's screen.
The machine lights up, its screen transitioning from a "Welcome to Stargazer" pop-up to a list of options:
[Which Nation is your destination?]
Kuro lightly presses the
.....[B E E P]
[Please take your card and find your seat.]
[Thank you for riding Stargazer. Enjoy your ride.]
With his stargazer pass in hand, Kuro successfully enters the stargazer and begins walking towards his seat. While it would be easier to have the freedom to sit anywhere, the stargazer automatically assigns seats based on the distance and duration of the journey.
Inside the stargazer are separate compartments: the Star passenger seats compartment, the Shore passenger suite, and the Stellar Chamber. Restrooms are available in each compartment, along with refreshments in the Stellar Chamber's own compartment.
The Star passenger seats compartment features connected seats, like a long bench, placed only on the sides, leaving a wide open space in the middle for walking or standing. The seats themselves are neither soft nor hard, but comfortable enough.
Star passenger seats are typically assigned for shorter journeys. The stargazer does not provide seat numbers, only the compartment name: [Star Passenger Seats]. Passengers can sit anywhere that is empty.
The Shore passenger suite compartment offers individual seating with comfortable, soft reclining chairs that can be adjusted for comfort. Each chair has a table in front of it.
Shore passenger suites are usually assigned for journeys lasting between 6-8 hours. Each suite has a number displayed on its sliding door. The stargazer pass will indicate the seat or suite number, guiding passengers to their designated space.
The Stellar Chamber, Kuro's chosen accommodation, is a private compartment with its own bed, table, and chair. It also features a viewing window that can be opened and closed without disturbing others. This chamber is offered for journeys exceeding 12 hours. Similar to the Shore passenger suite, the Stargazer pass guides passengers to their designated chamber.
Kuro's journey from BaaL to Dystopia, costing 5,000 soulstones and lasting 20 hours, highlights the significant cost of inter-nation travel. This expense explains why many prefer to remain within their own nation.
...swwwiiesshh
The sound of a sliding door opening announces Kuro's arrival. He steps inside, and the door closes behind him. The interior, familiar yet luxurious, is the same as he remembers from his previous visit to Atlanta. This is his second time experiencing the Stellar Chamber.
Many aspects of his journey feel new and unfamiliar. Having secluded himself in his room, Kuro has missed out on recent news, innovations, and changes. The world has evolved significantly during his absence.
The changes he observes feel strange and disorienting. Familiar places have transformed, leaving him feeling lost and confused. It's as if everything has changed, except for him.
HOOOO-HOOOOO
The Stargazer's horn echoes, drawing Kuro's attention away from his contemplation. As the Stargazer begins its journey, Kuro settles into the provided chair and gazes out the window, watching the scenery blur past.
BaaL, a vibrant nation teeming with energetic devils, is renowned for its abundance of bars and restaurants. It seems as if the devils cannot live without a constant supply of culinary delights.
Despite its differences from Atlanta, BaaL was a worthwhile stop. Kuro is glad he chose to visit, especially since he was able to see Judivial again.
Next time...
Kuro smiles, unsure if it's for himself or for the experiences he gained in BaaL and Atlanta. He knows, however, that he will return to both nations.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
See you again next time, Nation of BaaL.
With a final farewell, the last glimpse of BaaL vanished, replaced by a disorienting darkness.
After a moment, the view outside the window shifted. Stargazer was now inside the gateway, revealing a magnificent sea of stars.
He had seen this view before, but witnessing it again still filled him with awe. It was beautiful, a sight rarely found in nature. He wondered how Stargazer was created and where exactly the gateway led. The stars seemed endless, stretching infinitely in every direction, completely surrounding the Stargazer.
This view was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. However, for some, this sea of stars had become a mundane part of their daily lives, unlike Kuro, who still found the stars new and magnificent.
Not many people traveled to other nations daily. In most cases, the Stargazer was only used for vacations and visits to other countries.
Even traveling via Stargazer was exhausting. The sheer distance between nations was staggering. The shortest journey between two relatively close nations still took four hours.
Stargazer offered little in the way of entertainment. A soft, calming melody played in the background, but it was too quiet to be truly distracting.
Most Stargazers featured a "Stellar Refreshment" compartment, where passengers could purchase snacks, drinks, and hot or cold meals.
Of course, nothing was free. Passengers, regardless of their ticket price or travel duration, still had to pay for anything they consumed. Nothing in this world came without a cost, not even life itself.
In any case, Kuro hadn't tried anything from the Stellar Refreshment yet. Perhaps he would visit later and sample some new items. Apparently, Stargazer even had its own merchandise—some sort of collectible that passengers could buy or receive with other purchases, Kuro guessed.
But today, Kuro is tired. He needs to rest, especially after such a long day.
With that in mind, Kuro went to the bed and created an opening between the blanket and the mattress. He removed his shoes, and the rustling of the blanket could be heard as he settled comfortably into bed.
He lay on his side, the blanket providing a warm comfort that made him drowsy.
As his eyes grew heavier, he began to think about his day. His mind wandered through memories, comparing the experience of being alone at home to the calming memory from Atlanta and the happy, comforting memory from BaaL.
The differences between the two new memories and the old one were truly significant.
....
■■■■ ■■■■ ■■
...? What was that...?
The ringing sound of Stargazer's horn roused Kuro from his sleep, but the sound was strange and didn't sound like Stargazer at all.
Was another vehicle passing by alongside Stargazer? But why did it sound so weird, even oddly creepy?
Kuro opened his eyes to try and see, but his body felt incredibly heavy. He couldn't move, and no matter how hard he tried to flutter his eyes open, it was as if something were taping them shut.
He managed to flutter his eyes open slightly, struggling to keep them wide, but he could only squint.
His vision was blurry, but he could tell that whatever was happening, whether something was passing by or not, it reflected a deep, vibrant red color.
The color reflected throughout the entire room and seemed to be moving quickly, judging by the reflection it cast.
Kuro felt himself growing even heavier. The eyes he had forced open became harder to keep open. As his sight slowly faded to darkness, he heard the sound of something metallic sliding down. Before the darkness completely swallowed his sight, Kuro saw the deep, vibrant red disappear as whatever was sliding down completely blocked its reflection.
....
...
"Mngh... Mmm...?"
Kuro woke up, able to move his body again.
Wait, again? Did something happen?
Kuro pushed himself up, leaning on his right elbow as his blurry vision slowly adjusted to the same room he remembered before falling asleep. Everything was the same.
He lightly rubbed his eyes before taking a second look around the room. It was still the same.
His face twisted in confusion, certain that he recalled a bizarre event. It evoked a profound, heavy feeling within him, and the color red was intensely vivid.
He struggled to sit up, his gaze drawn to the window behind him. Nothing obstructed it, and the stargazer window blocker slid down silently, without the metallic sound he expected. The view outside was the same sea of stars he remembered, lacking any trace of the deep, vibrant red from his memory.
"Was... was that just a dream?"
Kuro raised his hand to his face, running it across his forehead as he attempted to recall more about the strange experience. But no matter how hard he tried, it was as if the event had never occurred.
"How could that be a dream?" he wondered. "It felt so strange... so real... and the vibrant red was too specific."
Kuro, his mind a fog, yet the heavy drowsiness had lifted, pushed himself up from the bed. A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he steadied himself against the wall, waiting for it to pass. Once the room stopped spinning, he turned back to the bed, meticulously straightening the sheets and blankets before slipping his shoes back on.
The sound of the compartment door sliding open, then closed, echoed in the now-empty space.
He sighed, the sleep he'd gotten feeling insufficient, leaving him more tired than before. Yet, he couldn't bring himself to return to bed, not after the unsettling experience he'd had.
Now that he considered it, he seemed to be the only passenger. He was the only one who had boarded the Stargazer, and he hadn't encountered anyone else on board.
He wished he hadn't thought about it. The realization that he was alone on the Stargazer sent a shiver down his spine. He desperately hoped there were other passengers, simply resting.
[Stargazer's. We are now approaching the nation Alvisos. Repeating, We are now...]
A monotonous voice echoed through the compartments, the announcement of their imminent arrival at the next nation crackling from the speakers.
"Alvisos... If it's Alvisos, then I was asleep for eight hours...?" Kuro mumbled to himself.
He wasn't sure anymore.
Forget about it.
Kuro pushed aside the confusing thoughts and started walking towards the refreshment area. He needed to clear his head, to try and decipher whether what he'd experienced was a dream, an overactive imagination, or something more.
A short walk later, the compartment doors parted, revealing the Stellar refreshment area.
Kuro inhaled deeply, detecting the lingering scent of a recent meal. Someone had been here just moments before he'd left his chamber.
His eyes wandered around the compartment, eventually settling on a peculiar device resting on one of the tables. Intrigued, Kuro approached and silently took a seat.
His gaze remained fixed on the device, which resembled an Astral but appeared larger. Curiosity piqued, Kuro tapped the screen, causing it to light up.
Instead of a greeting, however, he was presented with the Stargazer's menu. At the top, a large banner read [STARGAZER'S REFRESHMENT], and below it were various options such as [All Menu, Hot meals, Cold meals, Pastas, Drinks], and so on.
The sight was fascinating. Even restaurant menus had been transformed into devices, replacing the traditional paper versions. Everything had truly changed.
His hand glided across the screen, sliding and tapping to explore the options. There were numerous choices, and it seemed that multiple orders could be placed, with a maximum of five dishes per order.
He took a moment to familiarize himself with the new device before deciding to stop experimenting and actually order some food. He wondered how he would receive and pay for it. Did Stargazer even have any employees? It seemed to function entirely autonomously.
The order was placed, and now he waited. The screen transitioned from the menu to a [Meal is being prepared] waiting screen. He couldn't help but wonder how this would all work.
.....
Kuro sighed contentedly, setting down the tissue. A pleasant fullness settled in his stomach, a stark contrast to the weariness he'd felt moments before. The "Forestheart Stew," a rich concoction of vegetables and mushrooms, had worked wonders. He'd washed it down with "Moonlit Elixir," a fruity tea infused with… lunar something or other. He wasn't quite sure what lunar meant, but it tasted delightful.
The meal had set him back 650 soulstones. A hefty price, perhaps, but the taste and generous portion size rivaled, and possibly surpassed, some of the finest restaurants he'd encountered.
The service, however, was an experience in itself. A sleek, advanced mechanical robot had delivered his meal, accompanied by another mechanical contraption that efficiently processed payments and dispensed change. It was interesting, to say the least. Weird, even. Very weird.
With hours to spare before reaching Dystopia, Kuro considered his options. Perhaps he'd sample some of the desserts on offer. After all, he had time to kill, and a newfound energy to burn.