Andre was curious about what Anton had been up to. Maybe he had been exploring Earth?
Andre, like the vast majority of people in the vast, starry sea, had never journeyed to Earth. In those days, many people lived their entire lives without having the opportunity to visit Earth. Even before the wars, most people couldn't afford the steep toll of the Stargate to Earth. However, that wasn't even the main obstacle preventing Earth travel. Andre recalled a statement from a psychologist at Antontas University. The psychologist said that humans inhabiting the ocean of stars might no longer wish to live on terrestrial surfaces. About three millennia ago, at the dawn of the Great Navigation Era, those who ventured into the cosmos evolved into cosmic beings, no longer anchored by the gravitational force of planets. This psychologist pointed out that many people underestimate the impact of this era on human society and mentality. Drawing an analogy, he compared humanity's Great Navigation Era to when lobe-finned fish made their initial terrestrial journey about three hundred million years ago. Once these fish moved to land, they ceased to be fish. As eons passed, of the myriad species that evolved on land, only a minuscule number found their way back to the oceans.
Humans exhibited a similar pattern. Over just a few millennia, they had become so attuned to outer space that the thought of returning to Earth seemed less appealing. These feelings became deeply rooted in humans' subconscious, to the point where they shaped their collective behavior. Before the dawning of the Great Navigation Era, sci-fi writers had often envisioned a future where humans settled on foreign planets. Yet, no one could have ever imagined that the humans who ventured into the cosmos might not want to live under the influence of gravity wells ever again. This wasn't just baseless nonsense. Andre once read a research paper that showed that many people who lived in the ocean of stars, unbeknownst to themselves, exhibited a phobia of gravity wells. The psychologist's theory started to make sense to Andre. It explained why humans appeared disinterested in colonizing terrestrial planets. Way back before the Sacrum Chu Imperium, during the Gold Rush Era, humans had chanced upon the Garden Planet, which bore a great resemblance to Earth. However, neither the humans of the past nor the Sacrum Chu Imperium had ever undertaken large-scale development or terraforming of the Garden Planet. Humans discovered that terraforming a planet is much harder than they initially thought. Terraforming a terrestrial planet like the Garden Planet would take thousands of years. Other non-terrestrial planets would take even longer than that.
Humanity had at last understood a fundamental truth. The suitability of Earth for human habitation wasn't simply because of its ecological makeup. Earth, and its living inhabitants, had evolved together, symbiotically, for tens of billions of years. Without the presence of life, Earth could have been as desolate as Mars.
At that instant, the Garden Planet began to rise. Its enormous arc was lit up by sunlight and exuded a mesmerizing blue hue. At daybreak, the planet bears quite a striking resemblance to Earth, with its contrasting green and brown landmasses clearly visible.
"Green." A faint stir went through Andre's mind as he recalled Morian's words. "The steel jungles of Antontas are lush enough already. What we need is to give our children some greenery."
Andre quietly shook his head. No, Antontas has no green and doesn't require it. This metal metropolis is more than enough.
Drawing his eyes away from the Garden Planet, Andre gave the cold, austere expanse of Antontas one last look before deciding to leave. He felt he had stayed long enough for this evening. Out of the corner of his eye, however, he thought he saw a splash of green. Turning to get a better look, he realized he was right. It was a circular building at the edge of the vacant area, topped with a dome that shimmered with a subtle shade of green, which was easy to miss.
Andre knitted his eyebrows. There wasn't supposed to be any construction on that unplanned area, not even at its boundaries. On a whim, Andre raised his right hand, prompting the smart glass to spring into action. The glass pane transformed a part of its surface into a screen, offering a glimpse of the outside. As Andre maneuvered his hand, the screen rapidly zoomed in on the unusual structure. Now, at a closer perspective, the building's circular design and domed skylight were even more evident. From this angle, a trace of green was unmistakably visible on the inside walls.
A strong curiosity suddenly overwhelmed Andre. He thought about asking someone else at first. After a brief pause, he chose to explore it personally. He slipped into more casual attire and exited the Tower of Stars via the elevator.
The unusual circular structure stood to the northwest of the Tower of Stars. Exiting the tower, Andre hopped on a light orbital vehicle, setting course for the northwest.
Going by Antontas' time, the evening had already set in. The area outside was wide and open. The dome's artificial lights were switched off, but the ground wasn't engulfed in darkness just yet. Bright lights from the steel skyscrapers lit up the surrounding vicinity. Constructed using the latest Antonios technology, these skyscrapers had bases fitted with generic ion engines. At a moment's notice, each one could turn into a civilian spacecraft and soar away.
From time to time, civilian spacecraft, their tails ablaze with luminous flames, passed silently overhead. Ships continually entered and left the ring harbor, but the harbor was so far away that, to Andre, the roars of the engines were barely discernible hums.
Gazing out of the porthole, Andre curiously looked around. Numerous areas within Antontas City were either under construction or still in the planning phase. The land immediately surrounding the Tower of Stars used to be part of the Garden Planet Spaceport. When Antonios Consortium decided to build Antontas, this area was still owned by the Roland Imperial Shipyard. Naturally, the initial design of the Garden Star Spaceport was straightforward. It consisted of a ringed dock connected to several different layers.
The Carilion Group, a subsidiary of the Antonios Consortium, took over the Roland Shipyard and rebranded it as "Roland - Carilion Industries". It became the Carilion Group's new headquarters. The city of Antontas was constructed around the spaceship headquarters, a giant pillar located on the city's central axis. As the city continued to expand, a multi-layered, ringed area started to emerge around the pillar. Antonios' board, which originally had been crammed in with other administrative offices in one small section of the harbor, was able to spread out. Roland - Carilion Industries then moved its offices to the Caldwell Industrial District. The Antonios Board built the Tower of Stars, its new headquarters, on the western side of Naira Bystreet. However, the area immediately around the Tower (Carilion Boulevard) and the overall district in which it is located (Roland District) kept their original names.
After a short while, the orbital vehicle stopped. Andre exited the vehicle and walked down the enclosed, transparent walkway leading to the strange building. As expected, this structure was circular, about ten meters in diameter, and two to three stories tall. From the ground, Andre looked up. He couldn't see the skylight on the rooftop of this structure. As he walked around it, he found it had no windows. This was bizarre. However, it had a door: a south-facing, round door that was firmly shut.
Failing to find anything resembling a doorbell, Andre knocked on the door.
Just when Andre was about to turn away, the door suddenly opened to reveal an old man. He was somewhat frail, with silver hair, yet he exuded a youthful vitality. A surge of warm, damp, strange-smelling air washed over Andre. From the old man's bewildered gaze, Andre surmised that the old man didn't recognize him. It made sense since Andre had only recently taken over as president and hadn't made many public appearances yet. Looking beyond the old man, Andre's eyes widened as he saw a corridor with a rounded ceiling, its sides lined with an unexpected expanse of greenery.
"Good evening," said the old man, with a smile. "What can I help you with?"
"Good evening, sir." Snapping out of his brief distraction, Andre redirected his gaze with a somewhat apologetic smile and said, "I apologize for the unexpected visit. I was just walking by and noticed this building, which I've never seen here before."
"It happens quite often," the old man nodded. "Most people become blind to the mundane things that surround them." The old man moved aside, then smiled warmly. "Come on in. I don't have guests very often."
The old man proceeded down the hallway, with Andre trailing behind. As they were walking, the door softly shut itself.
