“Rhine… Sky City?”
Lin Xian paused as the boy hurried toward the bustling lights, the name “Rhine” resonating in his mind. He looked up at the colossal floating city above, supported by glowing blue ion engines, and let his thoughts wander through countless possibilities.
“Could this Rhine be the same Rhine Company I founded today?” he mused, almost amused by the idea.
Establishing Rhine Company had been a spontaneous decision for Lin Xian, driven by a need to secure funding for his ambitious future projects. He hadn’t envisioned building an empire or dominating the global stage. In fact, he was already considering stepping back from daily operations even before the company had truly taken off.
And yet, there it was—his fledgling startup, somehow linked to a massive Sky City floating 600 years in the future?
For Lin Xian, the founder of this nascent enterprise, the idea was nearly unfathomable. But the evidence floated right before his eyes.
His journey to this revelation had begun last night with a dream about his life in Old Donghai, followed by his entrance into this new, surreal dream world. Clearly, today marked a pivotal shift in his dream sequence.
The significant event of the day was his departure from MX Company and, spurred by encouragement from Zhao Ying Jun, his bold decision to launch Rhine Company.
It seemed almost certain that the Sky City suspended above was a future manifestation or evolution of his company, 600 years later.
In essence, this Sky City bore similarities to the New Donghai City constructed by MX Company.
But why had Rhine Company built this Sky City? Was it part of some grand future plan he was destined to conceive?
Was he the mastermind behind this monumental project?
Or perhaps, over the centuries, had he lost control of Rhine Company, with it changing hands multiple times, now barely resembling his initial vision, except in name?
The situation was a maze—600 years is an unimaginably long time.
Lin Xian continued his walk, distancing himself from the immense Sky City, and glanced upward at the thousands of blue ion engines he had earlier mistaken for stars.
This spectacle reminded him of the film “The Wandering Earth.” In the film, humanity constructs thousands of planetary engines to move Earth to a new orbit, escaping the impending doom caused by the sun’s decay.
Lin Xian vividly recalled the moment in the film when those engines roared to life, similar to the blue ion beams currently elevating Sky City. The underlying technology was likely akin.
According to Lin Xian’s hypothesis, these blue engines utilized controlled nuclear fusion. Only the intense, pure energy from atomic nuclei fusion could sustain such an enormous city across centuries.
No other energy source could have such a profound, lasting impact.
“This indicates that the level of scientific advancement in this third dream world has significantly surpassed that of the second dream world,” he pondered.
In his second dream world, New Donghai City had managed only to develop miniaturized nuclear batteries, far from achieving controlled nuclear fusion.
But now, in this third dream world, technology had leapt forward tremendously…
Was this surge in nuclear fusion technology somehow spurred by Rhine Company’s influence over the past 600 years?
Lin Xian quickened his pace, moving further from the blue engines to gain a clearer view of Sky City’s architectural marvels.
From his vantage point, he estimated that Sky City floated approximately two to three thousand meters above ground—though this was merely a rough guess based on his current perspective.
From what he could discern, Sky City’s technological prowess far exceeded that of New Donghai City from his second dream, showcasing a more futuristic, cyberpunk aesthetic.
Then, his thoughts drifted to the earlier unpleasant odor of sewage and waste that had plummeted from above…
Clearly, this refuse was jettisoned from Sky City.
How archaic was that practice?
Did the inhabitants of Sky City simply discard their waste onto the surface below, transforming the ground into a makeshift landfill?
“If I were in charge, such practices would be unthinkable. It’s downright inhumane,” he muttered to himself.
Lin Xian continued on, mulling over whether, as the CEO of Rhine, he would ever permit such careless disposal.
Absolutely not.
Whether it concerned the imposing structure of Sky City or the reckless dumping of waste, neither aligned with his vision.
If it were up to him, he would steer Rhine towards bolstering humanity’s future, not embodying a heartless corporate behemoth.
Yet, 600 years is a vast expanse of time. Who could assure continuity over such a duration?
“If only I could be reborn in Sky City, I could unravel so much firsthand.”
Lin Xian’s mind wandered to Miyazaki’s animations and the floating Columbia Sky City from video games. Could a statue of himself stand in the heart of Sky City, commemorating him as the founder?
Such a thought was strangely amusing.
“Oh right, what about the Genius Club?” Lin Xian suddenly recalled his original motive for observing the sky—to check if the Genius Club’s emblem was still etched on the moon’s surface.
Now, gazing upward, the moon was nowhere in sight, likely obscured by the vast expanse of Sky City.
He shifted his stance, aligning himself with the stars and time to pinpoint the moon’s probable location, adjusting his gaze accordingly.
At last, amidst the towering structures of Sky City, the moon timidly peeked out. It was as glowing and round as ever.
For humans, 600 years represented a significant chapter in history, but for the moon, which had witnessed over two billion years, 600 years was merely a fleeting moment.
Despite the profound transformations on Earth, the moon had merely blinked, slumbered briefly, and resumed its eternal cycle.
It continued to rise from the east, set in the west, and traverse its phases, ever the constant celestial companion to Earth—unchanged.
Lin Xian observed the moon, recognizing the familiar dark silhouette darting across its surface. The bold emblem of the Genius Club on the moon, with its defiant finger pointing skyward, still taunted humanity’s frailties and unaltered destiny.
“Alright,” he sighed, resigned.
It seemed that the Genius Club still thrived in this futuristic world of the third dream. This revelation added another layer of intrigue to Sky City.
What was its true purpose?
If its sole aim was to segregate people within its confines, monopolize technology, and perpetuate a technological divide, then surely New Donghai City would suffice. So, why construct a Sky City?
Or was Sky City intended to conceal something more? And from whom? From the Genius Club? Or…
“From myself?”
Lin Xian halted, his gaze fixed on the grandiose Sky City overhead.
Perhaps… it was plausible!
If Sky City was indeed intertwined with his plans, then the future version of himself would be aware of his capacity to traverse dreams to August 28, 2624.
So… could it be that his future self was anticipating his arrival in Sky City?
Because he knew he would eventually come searching!
And all he needed was to endure these 600 years, possibly through cryogenic sleep or some similar means.
Would the Lin Xian of 600 years later meet the Lin Xian from today…
Could such an encounter truly transpire?
Lin Xian felt a shiver of goosebumps. His emotions were a whirlwind—partly terror, partly thrill.
“Maybe I’m overthinking this. The future me might have long perished.”
“But, if I were to leave a crucial message for my past self, Sky City would undoubtedly be the perfect repository.”
Lin Xian endeavored to think like his future self because no one understood him better.
Assuming Sky City was indeed connected to him, the sole rationale for its existence would be to relay a message to his younger self!
“Got it…” Lin Xian experienced a moment of clarity.
In the second dream, while he and CC meddled with the safe at Time Bank, he had contemplated using the safe to transport items from the past to the future once Time Bank materialized by the end of 2023 or early 2024.
This concept embodied the past aiding the future. So, by reversing this notion… Could the future also assist the past?
Initially, Lin Xian deemed this idea implausible, given the unidirectional nature of time. However, now it seemed that human ingenuity was limitless. If his future self had indeed left behind information, materials, clues, or even his own presence in Sky City, wouldn’t that fulfill the objective of the future aiding the past?
The more Lin Xian pondered, the more lucid his thoughts became.
If he possessed the capability, he would certainly undertake such a task! It made perfect sense!
Thus, Rhine Company and Sky City served a profound purpose!
“Looks like I must ascend to Sky City,” he resolved and looked up at the vast city buoyed by thousands of controlled nuclear fusion engines.
Despite all his speculative musings, he believed the name Rhine, the genesis of it all, the most enduring legacy of 600 years, harbored special significance.
Whether he was correct or mistaken, whether his future self awaited him or not, whether Sky City concealed messages for him or not, he had to explore it personally to unearth the truths!
“If Sky City was indeed constructed for me…” Lin Xian smiled at the monumental edifice.
“There must be some backdoors left for me, right?”
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation