Chapter 55 – Awe
Our destination was close by in terms of distance. We appeared right outside the domes, which was also where I first started my journey to the unknown days ago. Suuru immediately let out another shriek of disorientation and confusion before falling to her knees, a hand in front of her mouth.
"Ugh…"
This was a classical effect of teleportation for people who weren't used to it. Fortunately, the distance was very small and the nausea shouldn't be that bad. She stayed in place for a minute, groaning uncomfortably, her eyes looking all around at the same time. Because of the current hour, there was very little light anymore. We were only saved due to it now being spring, with the sun setting later every day, allowing us not to be completely in the dark.
Eventually, Suuru stood up again. She came to me and enclosed my arm in hers, trembling in fear uncontrollably.
"W-what is this? Why am I feeling so bad? Where are we?"
"You're feeling bad because you're not used to teleporting. It'll get better over time. Look behind you."
She turned around and gaped at the scene. The immense dome was the same one she saw all the time, except that she was seeing it from the outside now.
"No way. Is that the dome? We… We're outside? I'm not dead? I'm not dreaming?"
"Correct. Your house is only a few hundred meters from here, on the other side."
"That can't be. I can't believe it."
"Amazing right? The outside is nothing special. Look up."
She did so and her face filled with surprise and fright.
"Is that the… sky? What are these dots? No, wait, are these stars?"
It seemed the inner world's education still covered these topics, even though the sky and the stars couldn't be seen from inside the dome.
"That's right. You're now seeing the world in its normal state. Beautiful, right?"
"…Yes. It's incredible."
She was finally relaxing a little, her grip on my arm losing its strength. After taking some deep breaths, she let go of me and stared all around, taking on the view the outside world offered. She waved her arms around as if feeling something in the air.
"The air feels strange, somehow."
"It's not the air. The density of sel is a lot higher here than inside the dome."
"Oh… Yes, you're right. That's what it is. So much sel…"
She then pointed to a patch of darkness on the opposite side of the dome.
"What's this?"
"It's hard to see with so little light but it's a forest."
"A forest… Trees? Wood? All of that?"
"Yep. Superb, right? So many resources, free for anyone to grab."
"Yes…"
"And that's not all. Let's move again before it gets completely dark. Are you ready for another teleportation?"
"…Can't we just go back home?"
"Come on, Suuru. Are you seriously saying that in this situation? Aren't curious to see more?"
"Huh… I don't know…"
"You're hopeless. Alright, give me your hand."
She hesitated for another long moment before extending her hand toward me. Without hesitation, I teleported us again, this time to the spot where I usually fetched my water from.
Once more, Suuru felt the nausea but recuperated slightly faster this time.
"Do you see this?"
She had been looking at the trees like she was mesmerized. Sue turned toward the way I indicated when pointing at the river.
"What is it?"
"It's a river. All of this is water. Drinkable water."
"What? Is that possible?"
"It is. Where do you think my water was coming from?"
"Ah… Oh… I see now. But that’s…"
"Exactly. That's infinite wealth in the inside world. That's exactly what I was trying to sell every day when I was going out to 82."
"Infinite water… How incredible is that? That would fix so many problems we have."
"As you say. But, most importantly, that means you don't need to work hard like usual. We won't have money problems anymore in our life."
She was lost in thoughts and wonder for a long time before she answered.
"But that's not our water."
"It doesn't belong to anyone. The outside world has so much water that its value is almost negligible."
"That's so hard to imagine."
"Right? Water is precious in the dome but here, it's easily accessible, without limits. We're rich, Suuru."
"Uh…"
It seemed the concept didn't register easily in her mind. I gave her my hand once more.
"Let's go. You haven't seen the best part yet."
"There's still more?"
"Oh yes. Try not to be too surprised. This one is the real shocker."
"…Can't you tell me before we go?"
"Of course not. Where's the fun in that? Ready?"
She swallowed hard, anxiety reappearing on her face. Yet, she still nodded and took my hand. I teleported us again.
This time, the destination was Geola's southern entrance, where I previously separated from my rhinoceros guide. This time, Suuru handled the after-effects better. However, her awe was on a completely different level, and I could understand her feelings.
Her mouth and eyes were opened so wide that the sight was quite comical. I wondered if I looked as dumb the first time I saw the city too and guessed that probably had been the case.
Suuru kept rotating her head in all directions, taking on the scenery offered by the sleepless city. There were lights everywhere, colored buildings of all types and sizes, and most importantly, the many species going on their way in front of us. She stuck to me once again, trembling in bewilderment and shock.
I let her be, for now, also taking on the sights offered by the species going around. Even though I was getting used to it, there still was a part of me that marveled at what I was watching. At the same time, the lecherous area of my brain kept whispering bad thoughts to me. For example, wondering how it would feel to have an intimate interaction with that species over there, that had eight legs and a torso on top of it. What about those small winged species, who were flying around the place as if the sky belonged to them? Or even the giant grounded ones, so tall their heights were probably double mine? I shouldn't forget about those who didn't even have any legs, slithering toward their destinations.
I still had a lot left to explore in the outer world.
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