Everything was so novel.
But her gaze always returned to those Flamestriders.
She saw a black Flamestrider roar past her; the rider wore a leather jacket and sunglasses, looking incredibly cool.
She saw a red Flamestrider stop at a red light, its streamlined body gleaming in the Sun.
She saw a group of young people gathered on the street corner riding various modified Flamestriders, laughing and talking loudly as the engines roared from time to time.
Each one made Mavuika's heart race; those designs, those sounds, and that feeling of wind-like speed were exactly like the Flamestriders in her memory.
After looking around, Mavuika finally couldn't suppress the impulse in her heart.
She walked toward the group of motorcycle-chatting youths and gave a friendly smile.
"Excuse me," her English carried a hint of an ancient accent but was clear and fluent; in her nearly thousand years on Earth, she had learned almost all of Earth's major languages.
"Pardon me, where can I buy these Flamestriders?"
The youths turned their heads and were momentarily stunned to see a stunningly beautiful woman with extraordinary golden-red hair standing before them.
Then, one of the young men with dyed blue hair whistled.
"Whoa, beautiful, you like motorcycles too?" he said with a grin. "If you want to buy one, there's a great dealer on the east side of the city. Want me to take you?"
Mavuika blinked: "Dealer?"
So they are called motorcycles here...
"It's a place that sells bikes," another more stable-looking youth explained, while glaring at the blue-haired youth.
"Ignore him, he just wants to hit on you. If you really want to buy a motorcycle, there are a few good shops in Brooklyn and Queens, depending on what type you want."
Mavuika thought for a moment: "I want... the fastest, the most agile, the kind that makes me feel like I'm flying."
The youths looked at each other and laughed.
"Then you should check out sport motorcycles," the stable youth said. "Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha... Japanese sport bikes are good, or the Italian Ducati—a bit expensive, but really great."
"Where is it?" Mavuika pressed.
The blue-haired youth immediately gave an address: "In Manhattan, not far from here. Need me to lead the way?"
Mavuika shook her head: "No need, thank you. I roughly know the direction."
She turned and left, leaving the group of youths whispering behind her.
"Did you see her eyes? Amber, like the Sun, so beautiful..."
"And she said 'like flying'—wow, this girl knows her stuff."
Mavuika ignored the chatter behind her and navigated through the streets of New York following the direction the youths indicated.
She didn't use flight or magic; she just walked like an ordinary person, feeling the pulse of the city.
She walked through the busy Times Square, where giant electronic screens played various advertisements and the crowds surged like a tide.
She crossed Central Park, where the autumn leaves were golden and fiery red, and people were sunbathing, running, and walking dogs on the grass.
She passed shop after shop, where windows displayed everything of this era: televisions, tape recorders, personal computers, fashionable clothes...
Everything told her that the World had completely changed.
Finally, she found the motorcycle shop.
Behind huge glass windows, over a dozen brand-new motorcycles gleamed under the lights, each like a warhorse waiting for its rider.
Mavuika stood outside the window, her eyes almost pressed against the glass as she looked over the vehicles one by one.
She saw a silver-blue one with a streamlined body like a cheetah ready to strike, and a red one with exposed engine parts revealing a mechanical beauty...
Every single one made her heart flutter.
Taking a deep breath, Mavuika pushed open the shop door and walked in.
The shop was filled with the unique scent of new vehicles—a mixture of rubber, leather, lubricant, and cleaner.
Several salesmen were attending to customers; seeing Mavuika enter, a young salesman immediately came forward.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. Are you here to look at motorcycles?" he asked enthusiastically. "Is there any particular model you're interested in?"
Mavuika pointed to the red one in the window: "That one, may I see it?"
"Of course!" The salesman's eyes lit up. "The Ducati 851 Strada, this year's new model, 105 horsepower, a leader among sport motorcycles. Would you like to try sitting on it?"
Mavuika nodded.
The salesman unlocked the display and rolled the motorcycle out.
Mavuika walked to the bike, her fingers lightly brushing over the cool body, feeling the texture of the metal and the precision of the mechanical parts...
Then she straddled it—the height of the seat, the position of the handlebars, the feel of the pedals...
Everything was so familiar yet so fresh.
She felt as if she had returned to the deserts of Natlan, back to those days of chasing sunsets on a Flamestrider.
"How does it feel?" the salesman asked with a smile.
"Very good," Mavuika said softly, her eyes shining slightly. "Very good indeed."
She got off the bike and turned to the salesman: "I want this one. How much is it?"
The salesman quoted a figure.
Mavuika nodded and began searching through her pockets.
She pulled out the small wallet the Ancient One had prepared for her and opened it; inside were some gold and silver coins, all antique currency from hundreds of years ago.
The salesman was stunned when he saw the coins.
"Uh... ma'am," he said cautiously.
"Are these... antiques? We only accept U.S. dollars or credit cards here."
Mavuika blinked: "U.S. dollars?"
"Yes, U.S. dollars." The salesman took a green banknote from the register: "Like this."
Mavuika looked at the banknote, then at the gold coins in her hand, and fell silent.
She realized a problem: she had stayed in Kamar-Taj for too long, and some of the coins she carried were from a century ago.
Now, the World had switched to a new currency system.
"I don't have... U.S. dollars," she said honestly.
The salesman's expression became a bit awkward: "What about a credit card? A check?"
Mavuika shook her head.
The atmosphere became a bit tense for a moment.
The salesman looked at Mavuika and then at the obviously valuable antique gold coins, saying hesitantly, "Perhaps... you could go to an antique shop and exchange these gold coins for U.S. dollars? They look quite valuable."
Mavuika thought for a moment and nodded: "Good idea, thank you."
She put away the gold coins, took one last look at the red Ducati, and turned to leave the shop.
Walking on the street, Mavuika's mood was somewhat complex.
On one hand, she had finally found something that could replace the Flamestrider, and that sense of excitement was beyond words.
On the other hand, she found herself stumped by the most basic problem... money.
As the sun goddess of Asgard, the conqueror of the Nine Realms, and the wielder of the Eternal Flame, she could easily destroy a city, travel across interstellar space, and fight alongside the God-King...
But without money... she seemed unable to do much on Earth.
"I should have known to ask the Ancient One to get me some before leaving Kamar-Taj," she muttered to herself, feeling a bit annoyed.