Chapter 155: Open for Tourism
Chapter 155: Open for Tourism
“From Huaxin News Agency.”
“As the foundation of mutual trust between Human Civilization and Stuo Civilization deepened, exchanges and interactions in fields like technology, culture, history, and philosophy have become increasingly frequent.”
“To further promote mutual trust and friendly exchanges between both civilizations, and to satisfy the vast public anticipation,”
“After multiple communications between both civilizations, the formal decision is made:”
“Effective upon the publication of this announcement, Stuo Civilization will open certain designated areas within its Planetary Fortress, and Stellar Fortresses One and Two, to the public of Human Civilization and the HCC for visitation and tourism…”
“Similarly, the HCC will open designated regions on Earth, Mars, and Jupiter’s moon Io to the public of Stuo Civilization, accepting a set number of Stuo tourists.”
“Specific information on the areas open to tourists in both civilizations, as well as other details, can be viewed on the respective official websites.”
“Click here, or contact your city’s Urban Intelligent Management System, to apply directly for ‘Tour Registration’.”
Once again, Huaxin News Agency, authorized by the HCC, released this announcement.
Immediately after, within the territories of Human Civilization, public excitement boiled over and was maintained.
“…Wait, did I read that correctly? Tourism to Stuo Civilization? Oh my god?!”
“You saw right. But don’t bother signing up. While you just stood there stunned, the spots for the first batch traveling to Stuo Civilization were already filled.”
“??? I just looked. The registration says the first tour slots will be drawn from applicants. What do you mean ‘filled’?”
“Aww… guys, please stop applying! I zoned out for just a moment, and bam, tens of millions applied already. Isn’t that insane?”
“What’s insane… our total population is over twenty billion now. If just one in a hundred people wants to go, that’s already over two hundred million. Sigh, I feel like my chances of getting picked are super slim.”
“Those who do get picked, please stream live! I guarantee I’ll watch the whole thing. I’m so incredibly curious about what’s really inside Stuo Civilization.”
“Haven’t the news reports already shown a lot about Stuo Civilization?”
“Is that anywhere close to the same?”
For this temporary neighbor of Human Civilization,
people were already brimming with curiosity.
Although Huaxin News Agency had reported on Stuo Civilization many times,
watching news reports or online videos was simply not the same as seeing it with your own eyes, or being there yourself.
Naturally,
as soon as this news broke, people became excited and energized.
Furthermore, at this time, it was exceptionally easy for most people to carve out time for a trip to Stuo Civilization.
Just put your research project on hold for a few days. If you’re still in the education system, well, just take your teaching robot along.
So, even before the lucky tourists were decided,
many people were already feeling hopeful and eagerly anticipating.
Just what was Stuo Civilization like?
In that completely alien world, so different from Human Civilization, how did individual Stuo beings live?
For Human Civilization, it presented a world thoroughly divergent and strange.
People always felt wonder and curiosity toward a completely new world.
“HCC rocks! Negentropy Research Institute rocks! Always wanted to see inside Stuo Civilization! Can’t believe we can actually go sightseeing?!”
“It’s been decades since Stuo Civilization came to the Solar System. Having some civilian exchange between civilizations makes sense… but still, HCC rocks!”
“Oh damn… I doubt I’ll win a spot in the first draw. Only tens of thousands of spots in the first tourism batch, and within moments, applicants numbered in the hundreds of millions… Please, release the next batch sign-up soon!”
“It’s okay. If I don’t get picked, I’ll just go see the Stuo visitors touring our civilization. Same thing.”
Amidst this fervent excitement and waiting,
The names for the first batch of tourists to Stuo Civilization were drawn,
And then it was time for those who secured the travel passes to depart.
…
Yinghuo City, Mars.
A young man was making his way towards the Stellar Port.
He was just an ordinary person born at the Social Upbringing Bureau in Yinghuo City. Just over forty years old, he had recently graduated from university.
For this era, he was still young, and his completion of the educational system was perfectly average.
But this time, luck was with him. He’d been chosen in the first draw for tourism access to Stuo Civilization.
Now, he was rushing to board the starship bound for the Stuo homeworld.
Coordinated by the city’s Urban Intelligent Management System,
the smart vehicle he was in drove directly inside Yinghuo City’s Stellar Port.
In this era, before he even boarded the smart car,
his flight itinerary and travel qualification status were already verified. So there were no check-in gates or tickets.
The security scan was also performed automatically within the smart vehicle he rode in.
After getting out of the car, he stood right before the ‘ascent vehicle’.
This was essentially a type of starship, typically used to ferry people to and from large, deep-space starships that didn’t land on the planet’s surface.
At the same time, while the entire Stellar Port was immense — hosting not only the ascent vehicle the young man faced, but also others ascending or descending from synchronous orbit, plus electric propulsion craft bound for other Stellar Cities on Mars —
None of this concerned the young man.
No matter how vast the port, different sections handled different tasks without interfering with each other.
Boarding the ascent vehicle with fellow passengers,
it ascended fully loaded and docked with the starship ‘Azure Blue V,’ currently parked in Mars’s synchronous orbit.
The AR glasses he wore promptly showed him the path to his cabin on the massive starship.
Holding back his excitement about the impending trip, the young man boarded Azure Blue V.
Due to the sheer size of the Azure Blue V, the ship actually contained internal roads and smart transport.
Seeing his cabin wasn’t too far ahead though, and wanting to see the sights inside the starship, he chose to walk.
On the way to his cabin, he encountered fellow passengers.
“Young man, first time on an ‘Azure-class’ starship?”
“Yes. Are you folks heading to Stuo Civilization for tourism too?”
“We weren’t that lucky! We’re bound for the Civilization Exchange Zone. This Azure Blue V isn’t just carrying the first tourist batch to Stuo Civ; it also has Researchers heading for rotation in the Exchange Zone to collaborate with Stuo Researchers. The Azure Blue V will make a ‘stopover’ at the Exchange Zone before reaching the position of the Stuo Civilization Interstellar Fleet and its planetary fortress.”
“So, impressive, isn’t it? The Azure Blue V… carries our civilization’s most advanced DT04-1 Electric Propulsion System. Genuinely represents the pinnacle of our civilization’s current technology and Smart Industrial Cluster capability.”
“Its scale isn’t much different from the old Spark Space City.”
The young man felt awestruck, even before truly reaching Stuo Civilization.