Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

The howling wind caressed the curtains, bringing with it the hot breath of the wastelands along with the scent of dried grass and desiccation. Despite the heat, the swift movement of the air still provided a refreshing coolness to the body.

Once again on the high-speed train to another district, Hexia looked out of the window at the landscape. The desolate earth reflected the white light of the scorching sun, with gray Gobi and rubble stretching off into the distance. Only at the horizon could she make out the faint outline of tall mountains, stacking up like giant steps upon the land.

Every time she traveled afar, she was awed by the majestic scenes of this planet. The girl couldn't help but shake her head, reflecting that Payin City was ultimately just a small place.

As this was a train heading to Northern Second District, there were few passengers in the carriage. There was nobody sitting beside Hexia, nor in the seats in front or behind her, with only the occasional gust of wind stirring the curtains and the fabric on the chair backs, creating a rustling sound.

She looked around her; the train must have been in operation for several decades, with a strong industrial and rugged style. The interior exposed some of the steel rivet structures, and even the flooring was made of diagonally patterned steel.

A lot of the structure was made of steel, bypassing some complex and cosmetic decorations, which significantly reduced manufacturing costs and time. As for the comfort of the passengers, the use of soft sponge cushioning was the greatest act of mercy and consideration.

The stainless steel tabletop felt warm to the touch under the hot wind and sunshine. The girl rifled through her shoulder bag beside her and pulled out a brochure introducing Jielou City, which she had acquired from a travel agency in Payin City. She didn't join a tour group for her trip, because that would have restricted her freedom too much.

The train sped past the vast wilderness, advancing steadily northward. The hot breeze by the window gradually cooled, as the intense heat of summer slowly receded.

Afterwards, the train climbed the increasingly high mountain steps, seemingly getting closer to the sky. The world ahead grew brighter and brighter, while the earth behind became distant and seemed to shrink, as if standing on a skyscraper and looking down at the ground below.

In just a few moments, the train's head leveled off, no longer climbing upwards, and the view ahead was a vast wilderness. Within it, towering buildings stood tall like mountains on the ground, the low ones measuring dozens of meters and the high ones several hundred meters, with their tops disappearing into the clouds, faint and unclear.

[We are about to arrive at Northern Second District, Jielou City Station. Passengers, please prepare to disembark.]

The sound of the AI's announcement echoed throughout the carriage, and two semicircular Autonomous Units rolled through the aisle, checking for any passengers who were asleep or feeling unwell.

As the train traveled among these mountain-like skyscrapers, the sky seemed to darken overhead, and the train's motion-sensing lights came on in a timely manner, with bright yellow V-shaped guide icons appearing on the floor.

Sitting in the carriage, Hexia looked up at the towering buildings they passed, almost all of which had been abandoned. One could see the peeling exterior walls and the exposed structural elements, with some windows and terraces for airship access overgrown with moss and plants, streaked with rust-like water stains.

What were once gracefully layered gilded eaves were now gray and dusty. Some of the tiles had come loose, revealing the concrete and steel structures underneath. On the vast windows there remained fragments of broken, bluish glass, reflecting the bright light of the sky, making them appear exceedingly lonely.

The train passed slowly under the shadow of these high-rise buildings, only to be met by a sudden, immense dry riverbed. The river had long since dried up, leaving a bed several kilometers wide, cracked and broken. A long track rose from the riverbed, crossing over to an ancient city on the opposite bank, where buildings looked like sails.

As the train descended down the slope, Hexia saw through the windows on the opposite side a massive broken bridge. Nearly 300 meters high and immensely wide, it stretched out from Jielou City, fracturing mid-span over the river, exposing the ferocious skeletal steel rebars within. The other half of the bridge had already collapsed, with a wreckage of steel and concrete scattered across the riverbed. Their shape and presence evoked the thought of a Giant Dragon's severed head, leaving only half of its body forlornly standing on the dry riverbed.

Crossing the extensive riverbed, the train began to climb again, rising from the bottom of the river and entering the plains within Jielou City.

Compared to the utterly desolate world outside, there were slightly more signs of life inside. The girl could see people living inside some of the damaged and abandoned buildings. They had covered the windows with simple plastic and nailed up wooden boards, leaving only tiny ventilation openings. Through the gaps between the plastic and wood, one could see the clutter of items hanging in the rooms.

Gradually, on the ruin-like streets, she could also see some vendors pushing carts, selling simple food to the residents. Most of these foods were homemade, mainly fried in oil, with only the occasional steamed snack vendor.

Because it was a high plateau, water boiled at only about 85°C here, so boiling wasn't very effective for heating food, making frying more prevalent.

The train slowly entered into the heart of the city, its speed also slowing down, weaving through a forest of high-rise buildings, with the brightness and shadow shifting in the windows on both sides of the carriage. Until at last, it came to a gentle stop.

[Jielou City]

[Arrival]

[Jielou City]

...

The carriage's yellow display board kept alternating between these two lines of conspicuous text. Then steam dispersed, and the doors slowly opened. A few passengers disembarked.

Stepping onto the slightly cool ground, Hexia felt the air was a bit chilly, not nearly as hot as in Payin City.

Soon enough, groups from various travel agencies began to gather in front of the station. Hexia followed the crowd, intending to briefly learn about their general itinerary and direction.

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