The thumping sounds getting closer appears from behind the door. The next second, his uncle and aunt come out.
"Hello, you are Schynn, right?" His uncle, Julian Rivers, exclaims cheerfully as he shakes Stairmount's hand excitedly. "You have arrived at Bracelet, it's so great! You come alone?"
Stairmount nods slightly. "Yes, Uncle. I come by myself." He makes that decision, he still pretends to act dumb in Saturnian language even towards his relatives. This is the instruction from Chrono regardless, and he doesn't wish to get his relatives into trouble for being so careless by leaking this trivial matter.
"You should have told us about your arrival, so that we can fetch you!"
"Don't mind it, Uncle. I shouldn't bother you. I am your cousin, it's me who has to come to you, and not the contradictory."
"Wow, amazing, you're really amazing! You've become an influential person, but you are still polite and respectful to the elders! But Schynn, we really have no trouble picking you up. So don't mind it, okay? Next time, you have to inform us first!" Uncle Julian pats Stairmount on the shoulder. "Let's come in! Have the talks inside!"
Uncle Julian is the younger brother of Stairmount's father, and also the only brother of him, that is why he is so excited to meet his only nephew. As for his aunt, she just watches him with a smile on her face. Stairmount guesses, she actually wants to talk with him, yet she is not fluent in Jupiterian language. But they appear to be very pleased with Stairmount's arrival, they even plan to take him into a restaurant.
"It's too much, Uncle!" Stairmount feels uncomfortable with such hyperbolic treatment.
"It's okay! We can't meet with each other very often, anyway. I'll call Sianne first. That kid should have gone home from college, but when she gets home, she is usually going to the library to search for her thesis data." Uncle Julian sends the telepathic message to her daughter. "Sianne should know that her cousin has come all the way from Jupiter and that he can't come and meet with her very often, so she should have time to spare to meet with her cousin today."
Long ago, when Stairmount was still in elementary school, his uncle and aunt showed a very different attitude towards him, as well as his father and mother. At that time, they even treated him indifferently. Uncle Julian was still quite kind towards him since he is the brother of his father, but his aunt obviously did not regard him. It seems that the phrase 'did not regard' sounds respectful since in fact she disdained him. At that time, his parents still didn't have their own well-developed shop. The reason why they had to go overseas, was because they lived in financial difficulty when they were still in Saturn. While Uncle Julian was an outstanding student, he graduated from a well-known university with excellent grades, and therefore managed to get a prestigious job with a high salary. Uncle Julian is considered to be the 'Most Outstanding Successor' of his big family since he inherites the Rivers family's legacy, which has been known for their brains for generation. The lives of Uncle Julian hence becomes much more secure than his father's, thanks to his cleverness and achievement. On the other side, Stairmount has not yet shown any extraordinary brilliance, and even more, he got a nickname; 'The Abnormal Boy'. Not only other people, more severely, even his own family humiliated him. It was the way how they treated him that made Stairmount less likely to admit that he is a Saturnian, and got determined to study hard in order to become a successful person. Now, when he has seemingly become a successful person, they inevitably show a completely different attitudes. Because nobody expects that the Rivers family's smart gene is sticking out from Stairmount's family. Stairmount thinks to himself, If only they know the true reason why I can achieve this level of success, I wonder what they will show as their attitudes towards me.
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Shortly after, his cousin Sianne returns home. Sianne is a 21-year-old young woman, only 2 years younger than Daphne. Her face type is quite similar to Stairmount's, as well as the color of her hair and eyes, but it is indeed because Unce Julian and Stairmount's father have similarities in their faces - and her character appearance is more or less similar with his - calm and quiet, yet Sianne looks even more introverted. Stairmount has never met Sianne, it is the first time for both of them to meet each other. When Sianne comes, she stares at Stairmount with a bizarre look, like she is embarrassed and clumsy at the same time. She also often turns her eyes to another area, or plays with her ultra-cyber minipad, in contrast to his uncle and aunt who welcome him enthusiastically.
"Greet your brother, Sianne! Don't just keep silent." Uncle Julian gives instructions.
"Dad... I can't speak Jupiterian..." Sianne answers sheepishly in Saturnian.
"Then it is the time to practice!"
Stairmount actually feels sorry for Sianne since he fully understands what Sianne is saying. But I have no choice, this is a dangerous affair with a super secret powerful organization. Wait until this is over, Sianne. Then we will have a free chat all in Saturnian language.
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Uncle Julian is now calling a restaurant and making reservations there. He seems to be very delighted, as if he has just got a high-ranking state guest.
"But you're indeed a state guest, aren't you?" Uncle Julian asks as they have been at the restaurant. Stairmount is certain that this restaurant must be categorized as the elite one in Nephrite. Even the dishes served are very luxurious.
"Ah, you make me feel uneasy, Uncle. We are all family after all," Stairmount says politely.
"My colleagues also ask so many questions about you. You know, the news about your arrival has become an uproar. Because it relates to regional cooperation between Saturn and Jupiter. They even ask me about the results of the meeting. I said, how do I know since I don't take participation in the meeting! Hahaha!" Uncle Julian takes a sip of his wine. "So, how is the meeting going, Schynn?"
"To tell the truth. It is... screwed up."
Copyright ©️ by boundless_universe