"So Shu is doing all this... just to make sure he doesn't hurt us?
"No, I don't believe that! I know Shu would never do anything to hurt us! Even if some Herrscher is messing with his head, he would never..."
"I have never doubted my brother's self-control, and neither do you. But trust requires capital: identity, power, understanding, cognition, and even the ability to believe in the concept of trust itself.
"My brother possesses all of these things—except the ability to trust himself."
"How could he do this?! That idiot—"
"..."
"What's... what's with that look?"
"Kiana Kaslana, if you could see the bitter end of your own ultimate failure with a single glance, and that failure was something so agonizing you simply could not accept it... what would you do?
"What would you do to stop it?"
...
The sheer luxury of the buildings at the summit caught Shu completely off guard.
Even though Kiana had practically hauled him up the entire second half of the mountain, Shu was still completely dead on his feet by the time they reached the top.
That feeling—where your brain is totally devoid of energy to process anything else, hyper-fixated solely on making the physical exhaustion stop—was thoroughly miserable.
It was especially jarring when, in that state, you suddenly look up, try to survey your surroundings to figure out where the hell you are, and get hit with total disorientation.
It felt as though the entire world had abruptly refreshed, and you had just finished loading into the map.
That profound sense of detachment and unreality nearly made Shu's already racing heart skip a beat.
Fortunately, the wind at the summit was still biting cold, the wooden trekking pole in his hand still felt solid, and the lingering phantom sensation of the grip dragging him upward was undeniably real. None of this felt fake to him.
It was just that the summit felt a bit too modernized.
Shu had always imagined that reaching the absolute peak of a mountain meant looking down upon the world, a grand, sweeping vista of nature. He certainly hadn't expected the summit to be crowded with massive buildings completely blocking the view.
Well, to be fair, the modern structures and historical temples didn't totally ruin the scenery. Judging solely by the architecture, Shu could only marvel at the sheer scale of human ingenuity and the brilliance of civilization.
However, he absolutely refused to extend that same grace to the massive hordes of tourists. The entire summit was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people who had come just for the clout—some even climbing onto precariously balanced rocks or leaning over the abyss, all for the sake of a "check-in" selfie.
Is this sunrise really worth it?
Standing before the suffocating crowd at the peak, Shu's breathing grew even more ragged.
His psychological aversion began triggering physical symptoms. The urge to immediately turn around and go back down the mountain grew overwhelming. His innate distaste for dense crowds only amplified the crushing discomfort of his already exhausted body.
"Shu?"
It was Kiana's voice.
Shu jolted, and the chaotic noise ringing in his ears instantly receded like a retreating tide.
"Yeah?" He turned to look at Kiana, his expression completely normal. He gave a relaxed hum, acting as if nothing was wrong.
And truthfully, he did relax, even if it hadn't been that way a second ago.
"Are you okay?" Kiana wasn't about to ignore the brief spike of distress she had clearly sensed from him. "You felt really off just now."
"Just tired, I guess..." Shu shrugged nonchalantly, subtly stretching out his stiff muscles.
He looked toward the sky, which was just beginning to turn a hazy, bruised red. He took a deep breath, but the crisp mountain air didn't taste quite right to him.
"How exactly are we getting down?" Shu asked the question with utmost gravity.
"The same way we came up," Kiana blinked innocently, stating it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Shu's legs instantly turned to jelly.
Getting up here had already cost him half his lifespan! Was he supposed to pay the remaining half on the descent?!
Shu's utter despair was plastered all over his face. Kiana read him like an open book, thoroughly enjoying his reaction. Satisfied, she took his hand and gave it a gentle swing.
"I'm kidding~ We'll take the cable car down, okay?"
"Deal." Shu recovered in exactly one second. The speed of his 180-degree turn made Kiana realize she was the one who had just been played.
Wow, this guy totally baited me into using that baby-talk voice!
Noted!
Stars shined in Kiana's eyes. She mentally filed away this tactic, determined to use it on Mei the moment she got the chance.
Just imagining Mei using that kindergarten-teacher voice... hehehe...
—
If the ancient temples symbolized the brilliant legacy of human civilization, and the sprawling snack stalls everywhere represented the unstoppable vitality of commerce...
Then the cable car strung between the peaks was the ultimate symbol of modern civilization's "conquest" over nature.
Traveling was often like this. Whether it was an outdoor scenic spot or an indoor attraction, a museum or an aquarium, a majestic mountain or a tranquil forest...
Strip away the superficial details, and they were fundamentally the exact same thing.
So what actually made the difference?
It was the people who went to see them.
If a wanderer stumbled upon a place by chance, was moved by the scenery, composed a timeless poem on the spot, sang a classic song, or captured a perfectly framed photograph...
Or, if after leaving, they sought out their friends and passionately described everything they saw, felt, and experienced, making others yearn to see it too...
Then that place was undoubtedly a good place.
If a traveler came specifically because they longed for the heights and stood at the base of the mountain, or yearned for the sea and walked its shores, or sought tranquility and ventured into the woods...
Then regardless of whether the mountain was truly majestic, or the sea as vast as they imagined, or the forest as quiet as they'd hoped...
Then that place, too, was a good place.
So, traveler, why are you here?
What do you mean you only came because "everyone else was going"? What do you mean you came because "it popped up on your feed"?
Then why are you here?
Just to stare at something inherently poetic and beautiful and mutter, "Bro, honestly kinda mid compared to [X]"?
What are you actually doing with your life?
There was a profound saying: Even the most ordinary people have the right to savor their bland, unremarkable lives. To them, it is still their one and only, utterly unique experience.
But you have to actually savor it, right?
—
Kiana dragged Shu onto the cable car. Along the steel ropes strung up by their predecessors, the cabin lurched with a mechanical shudder and began its descent.
In the end, neither of them was particularly obsessed with seeing the actual sunrise. Faced with the suffocating crowd at the viewing point, Shu completely abandoned the idea of fighting for a good spot, and Kiana didn't even care to try.
They had simply come to climb the mountain. The sunrise itself wasn't what mattered to them.
Yet the sunrise still found its way to them, and that was what mattered.
The brilliant light of dawn pierced through the cable car window, bathing Kiana—who was still buzzing with energy—and Shu, who was utterly spent. Despite being in completely opposite states, they both turned to look out the window at the exact same moment.
"Wow..." Kiana let out a long, drawn-out sigh of wonder.
This is so nice...
Shu looked at her face, illuminated by the very first rays of the morning sun, and let out a soft, relaxed chuckle.
Yeah...
This is really nice.