TSA Chapter 53

Early the next morning, Ran Qi and Gu Le arrived at the star port with their luggage. They were set to board an interstellar spaceship that would take them to Central City, located on the other hemisphere.

Capital Star was a full-sized planet, comparable in volume to Earth. Traveling from their school to Central City was akin to flying from Asia to Europe. However, interstellar spaceships were much faster and more spacious than airplanes, making the journey only three hours long. Passengers could even lie down and use their optical computers, making the trip highly convenient and comfortable.

Initially, Ran Qi had even scoffed at the speed, thinking it wasn’t much faster than Earth’s airplanes. It didn’t match the warp-speed, instantaneous travel through wormholes he had imagined. Later, he realized that the interstellar era did have those high-speed travel options—he just wasn’t physically fit enough to handle them. As a result, he could only take the slower but more stable interstellar spaceship…

The regional tournament wouldn’t begin until 2 p.m. the day after tomorrow, so they could have left the next morning and still made it in time, saving a night’s worth of hotel expenses. However, doing so would increase the likelihood of running into teachers and classmates from their school.

They had no desire to see Zhang Shuo, nor did they want to make excuses to their teachers about why they weren’t traveling with the school team. So, they deliberately left a day early. In any case, neither Ran Qi nor Gu Le was short on money, so they didn’t mind spending extra on a hotel night.

The hotel they booked was close to the competition venue and conveniently near a large gaming café, so they wouldn’t have to worry about missing out on gaming.

Even in the interstellar era, gaming cafés still existed, and they even had a fancy name: Star Gaming Lounges. Since gaming pods were expensive and not everyone could afford one, many people preferred paying a small fee to enjoy the experience at a gaming lounge. These places were also the go-to choice for gamers traveling for work or leisure—after all, they couldn’t exactly bring their gaming pods along on trips.

Ever since the official release of <Magic Realm>, business at gaming lounges had been booming, popping up everywhere.

Since their game accounts were bound to their biometric data, they could log in to their own accounts directly. The system also automatically cleared their information upon logout, eliminating the privacy concerns of traditional Earth gaming cafes.

Traveling light, Ran Qi and Gu Le each brought only a small suitcase containing a few sets of clothes. The hotel would provide anything else they needed, and if something was missing, they could just buy it later.

The starport functioned much like an airport. It was packed with passengers boarding interstellar flights, creating a sea of people. However, the boarding process was swift—at the entrance, all they needed to do was scan their optical computers and undergo a simultaneous security scan before they could enter. This streamlined process saved a lot of time and prevented long queues.

As soon as they reached the spaceship waiting area, their striking looks attracted quite a bit of attention—especially from the girls, who would glance their way every time they passed by.

Despite being a foodie, Gu Le had a well-proportioned physique. His cheerful and outgoing personality made him seem like a bright, sunny young man, which naturally drew people in.

Ran Qi, on the other hand, was younger, with delicate and beautiful features. Though he wasn’t wearing his school uniform today, he still carried a hint of youthful student charm. His freshly washed hair looked soft and fluffy, making him appear even more endearing.

Soft whispers of ‘so cute’ and ‘adorable’ could be heard in the background. Some people were even bold enough to approach them and ask for their contact information.

Oddly enough, it was mostly guys who tried to chat up Ran Qi, while Gu Le got approached by a few pretty young women. Even though Ran Qi had no interest in girls, the contrast in treatment still left him slightly annoyed.

Did he not look manly enough???

That was just unfair.

Finally, when it was time to board, they grabbed their luggage and boarded the spaceship, finally shaking off the relentless stares. They had booked luxury-class seats, located on the top floor of the spaceship in a private compartment. The room contained two reclining sofa seats that could be flattened into beds, resembling the first-class seats on old Earth airplanes.

However, the spaceship offered no real food or drinks—only nutrient fluids and purified water.

The anti-gravity system was exceptional, ensuring an incredibly smooth ride. It was so steady that there was no need to fasten seatbelts, and passengers could move around as if they were on solid ground.

Ran Qi originally planned to sleep during the flight, but after spending so much time lying down in the gaming pod, he found himself unable to drift off. Instead, he turned on his optical computer and started watching a movie.

He chose a horror film and watched it with great interest.

Meanwhile, Gu Le, unable to fall asleep either, decided to chat with Ran Qi. But the moment he leaned in, a terrifying, grotesque ghost face greeted him on the screen—causing him to nearly fall flat on his butt in shock.

Ran Qi heard the commotion, turned his head, and couldn’t help but chuckle. Under Gu Le’s accusatory gaze, he quickly turned off the movie.

“You can’t blame me for this—you were the one who leaned over,” Ran Qi shrugged.

“Fine,” Gu Le pouted, accepting his misfortune, then brought up the question he originally wanted to ask. “Do you think Night Owl and the others have arrived yet?”

“No idea… They’re representing their school, so they must be traveling with the school’s team. They might not leave until tomorrow morning,” Ran Qi shook his head.

“Huh? Wait, we forgot to ask them which school they’re from! How are we supposed to find them at the venue tomorrow?” Panic suddenly struck Gu Le.

Seeing his reaction, Ran Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax… Once we check in at the hotel, we can head to Star Gaming Lounges. If they’re online, we can ask them there.”

“But the competition is tomorrow. Will they really still be playing games?” Gu Le asked hesitantly.

The answer was—yes.

For ordinary people, the day before a national-level competition would be spent training hard, hoping to achieve the best possible results. But normal standards couldn’t judge Night Owl and his team. As hardcore-level grinders, they would use every available moment to train.

As for the national competition… did they really need extra practice to secure first place?

After checking into their hotel, Ran Qi and Gu Le headed to the nearby Star Gaming Lounge and logged into the game. As soon as they went online, they saw that everyone on their friends list was active.

Night Owl clearly noticed them too and quickly sent a team invitation.

“Hahaha, guess where we are?” Gu Le teased in the team chat.

“You guys already arrived at Central City, right? I remember you said yesterday that you booked today’s tickets,” Sword at Fleeting Time replied. His sharp memory allowed him to guess immediately.

“Tch, you figured it out so fast…” Gu Le sounded slightly defeated. “Where are you guys? When are you coming over?”

Plume Ink replied, “We’re pretty close to Central City, just two hours away. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning.”

Just as Ran Qi predicted, they were still at their school and hadn’t set off yet.

“Got it. Oh, by the way, which school are you guys from? That way, we can plan our timing for tomorrow.” The regional competition had dozens of participating schools, with hundreds of contestants divided into groups. Even with multiple matches running simultaneously, it would still take an entire day to finish the first round.

Not everyone had the time to stay and watch the entire event. They could check the match schedule on the Star Network and, since they were staying near the venue, they could head over just in time for Night Owl’s match to cheer them on without waiting around all day.

Night Owl: “Imperial Star.”

“What? Imperial Star?!” Gu Le almost jumped out of his chair. “You guys are students at Imperial Star?! And you’re representing them in the competition? No wonder you’re all such big shots!”

“Not really, not really. You flatter us,” Soul Chaser replied, sounding humble but clearly pleased with himself.

“That’s insane! Ranran’s idol is from Imperial Star too!” Gu Le, in his excitement, accidentally spilled the beans.

“Huh? Does Brother Ran have an idol? Who is it?” Soul Chaser and the others immediately perked up and pressed for details.

“Don’t listen to him! That’s nonsense!” Ran Qi reacted quickly, slapping a hand over Gu Le’s mouth.

That embarrassing history of risking his life to challenge a mecha for the sake of an idol—only to nearly get himself killed—was something he would never bring up again! He wasn’t a fanboy! He refused to take that label!

“Okay, okay… if you say so,” the others responded, though they were already plotting to ask Gu Le about it in person later.

They might be known for being aloof, but who could resist a good piece of gossip?

“Alright, alright, I misspoke. Our Ranran has no idol!” Gu Le finally broke free from Ran Qi’s grasp and swiftly changed the subject. “How about we exchange contact numbers? It’ll be hard to find you guys in the crowd tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

The group exchanged communication numbers and added each other as friends.

“Wishing you guys a victorious start and the ultimate championship win!” Gu Le said enthusiastically. “Let us know when you’re about to go on stage tomorrow, and we’ll come cheer for you!”

“Hahaha, you guys aren’t going to cheer for your own school?” Soul Chaser asked in surprise.

“Pfft, most of our senior students have gone off for military internships, so the ones competing are all lower-year students. Hoping for a championship is unrealistic… Even making it into the top eight would be a blessing from the heavens,” Gu Le said matter-of-factly. He wasn’t trying to talk down his own school; he was just being realistic. Their school had never made it past the regional semifinals before.

Besides, among the ten students representing their school this time, there was that jerk Zhang Shuo and his two lackeys. They had absolutely no interest in cheering for people like that.

They’d rather spend their time grinding a few more mobs in the game!