Chapter 698 - 329 Forward_2
After speaking, Maya walked to the front of the sign and quietly looked at the information on it. Lin Wu couldn’t read anything from her expression, but he could infer one thing from her prolonged stillness: this road was not Highway 99.
Maya rested one hand on the sign and closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the back of her hand. Lin Wu walked over, or rather, circled around, to Maya’s back.
The worst part of life is not the absence of hope, but being given a glimmer of it amidst despair.
Highway 77, 3500 kilometers to Star City—that was despair. Among the other destinations listed below, Lin Wu saw a familiar one: 1800 kilometers to Leimeng Town. Leimeng Town is 250 kilometers from Left County. Both Highway 77 and Highway 99 lead to Leimeng Town. The difference is that it’s only 750 kilometers from Fantasy City to Left County on Highway 99. Over 2000 kilometers are required to reach Left County from Highway 77.
Maya sat on the ground, knees hugged to her chest, leaning against the road sign in silence. As Lin Wu approached, Maya was the first to speak, "I just want some quiet time, alone, thank you."
Lin Wu silently left and returned to the ramp, sitting on the guardrail and allowing Wai to lie down on his lap. He also wanted some quiet.
Are 2000 kilometers a lot? If everything goes smoothly, not really. They had started on the first day of fall, and it had now been 45 days, with another 45 before winter. In the past 45 days, they had traveled from Technology City to Fantasy City, covering a distance of 1300 kilometers.
Strictly speaking, those 1300 kilometers were not traveled smoothly. Excluding the 15 days spent circumventing Fantasy City, and the 10 days total spent clearing Sentry Card and at the refinery, they covered 1300 kilometers in 20 days. Further deductions came from time wasted entering towns off the highway, staying in Cloud Dream tribe, being blocked by the river, and the harsh desert environment that led to inefficiencies in their march.
The average daily distance was roughly around 80 kilometers.
In theory, 2000 kilometers would take about 25 days. However, the experience of the 1300 kilometers told Lin Wu that the journey of 2000 kilometers would be anything but smooth.