Just as everything turned to white, Cael shot up in his bed, overwhelmed by what had ensued.
He even started tapping down his body incredulously; he couldn’t believe that whole scenery wasn’t real. It most certainly felt that way.
He could literally see the intricacies of the scientist as he looked through the window, along with the heavily armoured soldiers that chased after him.
Upon landing on the empty road, he could feel the coarse tarmac ground beneath him.
What he knew for now was that he had to find this supposed Canedo Avenue as fast as he could. Luckily, there were impressive forms of transportation to travel across a planet so there were resources that Cael could rely on.
Firstly, he’d have to complete ample research to save himself time.
Therefore, he ventured onto the internet once again and started searching Zarcona and the entire Lapra Colony for this Canedo Avenue that he had seen in his dream.
Just as he expected, there were numerous streets with that name but with the assistance of images, Cael could rely on the memories he had from his dream to identify the correct place.
Searching, though, he was annoyed to find that there were over 20 streets with this name, which seemed to be quite the common name on the planet. However, with so many people living on this planet, it made sense.
It didn’t take long before he felt that he had the street right on.
Canedo Avenue. He’d found it.
The image that he found displayed the residential street that resembled the last street he arrived at before he was returned to full on consciousness.
Cael was certain he had found the right place, which was located in a small city called Pinalejo. It had a population of 400,000 and was a beautiful tropical settlement on the planet. From the reviews of the place, he could see that it was even a regular holiday for people from Oseron.
The clear, gleaming waters and the soothing warmth were all qualities that drew people to the area, and Cael assumed that the creator felt drawn by these qualities as well.
Along with that, staying on a small colony of the Soburg Empire, where policing was renowned for being less intensive than other places, were definitely extra variables that attracted him here.
and so, was on his way. During the weekends, the students would be allowed to freely roam the city and the planet for that matter. They were prohibited from leaving the planet, but could go anywhere in the Lapra Colony as long as they met their 11pm curfew.
Leaving at around 9am, Cael wanted to give himself as much time as possible. He didn’t really have much time to go to an airport to get to the place fast enough.
On a major continent of the planet, it would still take him hours to reach his destination using the global metro system of this colony. Unlike Saevis, the metro system was decades behind in terms of technology.
It just couldn’t match the level of speed of the trains that Cael was used to back on Saevis, but it would have to do.
He swiftly took a train journey straight to the scene and followed his holographic map journey straight to the target area.
Looking around vigilantly, he constantly remained attentive to see if he’d arrived at his destination. He absorbed the breath-taking ocean view, and the soothing warmth.
Waves powerfully crashed along the shore, where numerous individuals basked in the abundant sunshine.
Several marketmen traversed the streets in three-wheeled air vehicles, pulling along floating wooden stalls that sold various items like trinkets, gadgets and fish.
Suddenly, looking at the road more closely, he looked up to his right to see a barred off building.
It was made of a dark oak, and looked like a haunted building. There was graffiti littered across such building but what he was glued toward was a window opening that was barred off by metal.
Looking at where this window was on the whole building, he felt like that was the right place. Yes, this was the right place.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Now, being in the right location, he had to play his cards right to get the correct information.
Time was of the essence here; he didn’t have much time on this planet to locate this device. He could always come back after returning to Carlo City, but that would be a nuisance.
With a business he had to run and his training toward joining the military or some form of combat institution, his time was getting taken up by that more as well.
Cael was nearing 18 and only had a year or so at the very maximum at Carlo City’s institute. If he could prove himself, he’d be ushered toward an institution before that point.
“You alright there son?” A croaky, middle-aged voice called out from his left.
Cael turned to see where this was coming from, and ahead of him stood a scrawny, short old man with a straw hat. His skin was of a bronze, tanned complexion and he was immediately hit with the strong smell of smoke upon taking a look at him.
In his mouth was a smoking cigarette as he smiled at him.
“I was just wondering what this whole building is about? It looks so out of place compared to the others.” Cael fibbed.
Well, it was partially the truth. The building was of a dark oak colour, while the surrounding structures looked more like a pale white and soothing pastel tone.
“Not sure, kiddo. It’s been there pretty much my whole adult life, and it’s looked the exact same.” He replied.
Upon hearing more from him, he could hear his strong accent. He was clearly a native here, from his accent and appearance.
The man did say he knew nothing about the building, but this was his best chance to get at least some form of information. Even if one did know the origin of the home, knowing of the creator wasn’t something that he’d think anyone would openly reveal.
“Did you ever hear of a scientist living here at some point in time?” Cael asked.
The man’s face suddenly became solemn, and the happiness in his face was washed away in a flash. The silence was deafening as they looked at each other.
Cael soon felt his heart racing and felt like he had revealed too much. It made sense; this creator guy was wanted by nations. Surely, people aware of his existence would be of at least a similar concern.
Damn it! Why had he been so reckless?! He cursed himself for immediately revealing his identity, but tried his best to still act calm.
“It’s fine, I heard some rumour about that from somebody here. I think my friend was just spouting nonsense.” Cael stated, beginning to walk past him with a slightly reddened face.
“No, kiddo. I don’t think that’s complete nonsense. Come along, I’ll tell you what I know.” The man said, before turning and beginning to walk off.
Cael was stunned about his sudden change in attitude, and felt a sense of relief wash over him. The man then slowed, turning back to the frozen student.
“Come on. Don’t you wanna hear more?”
“Oh, yes. S-Sorry..” Cael replied, awkwardly smiling of embarrassment before pacing after the walking man.
Cael walked along with the man at his pace, which was much slower than how he’d usually walk. It felt like he was remaining still as he crossed the streets, but he knew this was because he had mana and this person didn’t. Judging from his skinny physique, he was just an ordinary guy.
They walked past the larger, sleeker villa-like buildings near the waterfront, arriving at the working-class neighbourhoods that were built over the waters itself.
Standing on metal and wooden bases, there were wooden homes that had been built on them.
Cael was taken aback by the alien appearance of this neighbourhood. There were several small stalls being shown, selling fish that had been caught from the waters beneath them. Several autonomous bots were hard at work assisting these humans with manual labour and selling their caught items.
Many hawking sellers tried to catch their attention, but the old man seemed rather skilled at keeping his eyes forward and ignoring them.
After walking for some time, they arrived at a hut that Cael assumed was this man’s home. It was smaller than even Cael’s apartment, and had enough space for just a single bedroom.
On the exterior, it looked rather ancient and didn’t look to have the facilities for any sort of electricity, but looked significantly different on the inside.
The walls were a pristine white, and there was a short staircase at the head of this building, with a cosy living room environment to their left.
Just behind the man’s TV and sofas was a dark oak dining table, that the man pulled out a chair from.
“Please. Sit. Would you like some coffee?” The man politely offered, as he removed his cigarette.
“What kind do you have?” Cael asked, intrigued to see what was on offer for him.
“We call it Neo-Mocha here. It’s like a mocha but trust me, everything is just better about it.” He explained.
Cael laughed upon hearing this, and agreed to test out this treat. The, warm, steaming aromas of the coffee hit him as the man approached him, placing the cup on the table.
“So...” The man said, looking through the select few windows around them before continuing.
“Where did you hear about this scientist again?” He asked.
Cael decided to just take a sip of this hot coffee, taken aback by its overwhelming sweetness and delectability.
“Well, I heard it from somebody on the internet. He was talking about this place and I then saw this building that seemed barred off for a reason.” Cael replied.
His words were intertwined with falsehoods and the truth, which made it much easier for him to make his statement. It made his voice sound calmer and more genuine, which the man seemed fooled by.
“Ah. I’m guessing people felt like this guy was just a madman, right?” He asked.
Well, Cael couldn’t say that but he could see that it was on some backwater forum. The claims made by Veritas__Veritas clearly weren’t taken seriously by many.
“You could interpret it in that manner.” Cael then said.
“Well, that man isn’t as crazy as you think. Now, what I say to you absolutely must stay between us, do you understand? For the wellbeing of your life, you cannot go around revealing this information like that if you want to keep those around you including yourself safe.” The man claimed, now looking at him with a firmer, more serious gaze.