"Cheers!"
It was the end of the SAIR entrance exam. It was surprising that there were only little things happening at the end of the exam, as the announcer only gave some short summaries about the exam. Of course, all of us, whether passed or not, would have to leave the complex. While others are leaving in droves, our group, along with Okuri, Jinlin, and Jinhui, had another plan.
"Ahh, we finally got a chance to take a look at the city proper of Niangkee," Tenka was stretching while looking at the scenery outside of Jinlin's car.
"Wait, Jinlin, did you say you can drive a truck as well as a bus?" Jun asked while sitting right beside Jinlin.
"Haha, of course. I have the M-3 and M-6 license with me. By the way, I'm also a certified operator of heavy machinery like forklifts." Jinlin is indeed someone not to be underestimated.
"So where are we heading to now?" I asked.
"Well, is this your first time in Niangkee?"
"Hmm, Araka and I have been here several times, and last time was like last fall."
"I've been here last year for something important," Sukeo said.
"Same for me, even though only like when I was in kindergarten," Tenka said.
"For me, I've been here once because of the archery championships, but it was really rushed, as I had to go back to Laese the next day," Okuri said.
"I see. Actually, we're first heading to the old capital district, which now becomes the CBD of the whole city. We will of course visit the Niangkee Skyneedle, which is the tallest building in the whole nation. After having lunch below the Skyneedle, we would take a tour of the Gudian Settlement and the Old City. Of course, there's a place I think is really worth visiting." If Jinlin said it's worth visiting, could it be -
"Ahh, I don't want to have any of these again!" Tenka seemed to still have that flashback in her hea.
"Oh don't worry Tenka-cha, it's not Hanyo we're talking about. What I referred to is a 150 years old independent workshop for customized festive clothings, with specialty for the upcoming Orange Flower Festival (橘花節)."
"Come on, why didn't you say that earlier-ah!?" Tenka seemed very interested in this.
"Wait, you're this excited for the clothing?" Okuri asked.
"Of course I do," Tenka said, "My mother recommended several pieces of clothing for that festival, but I don't like any of them. They either looked too big or too bland for me. Last year, I even borrowed my robe from a friend, which somehow also didn't look good on me."
"But would that be too expensive for us though?" Okuri said, "my grandpa told me that a well-made handmade robe from the north could cost hundreds of yaku. I know this might sound absurd for some of you, but to be honest I don't think I would buy something that I would occasionally wear only for the festival." Okuri indeed made a point, as it was clear that it was not something everyone could afford easily.
"Don't worry. This one is actually owned by one of my distant relatives. Just two days ago, he said that he wanted to thank all of you for helping Jinhui during the exam and even making her pass it. As such, he will make one for each of you for free and will mail it to you once it's ready. Not to mention we already planned to visit him even if Jinlin doesn't pass the exam, as Jinlin had special attachment with him."
"Thank you so much, Jinhui!" Tenka was even more excited than before.
"Of course it's our pleasure to meet you by chance," I said.
…
The first place we visited was the Skyneedle. As soon as got to the observation deck, everything looked different - the scenery of the tower was indeed stunning: the Niangkee Bay stretched all the way to the end of the horizon, with its blue color blended with the sky almost as if they were all one piece. Since the weather was better than the last time I visited the Skynail, I could even see the Kenzan peninsula from the top.
"So is that Ninju?" I pointed at the dot far in the horizon.
"That's right," Jinhui said with a smile, "that's my home." She had indeed recovered from the incident during the entrance exam.
While walking on the street, I could feel the buzzling cityscape that was entirely different from the ones in Bakju or even Zenju. Everything here looks cosmopolitan, perhaps because of its location as one of the busiest ports and the financial center of the whole nation.
"I haven't seen this much foreign style architecture before. It truly made this place different from other parts of the nation," Okuri commented.
As we made our way to the Old City, the scenery changed once again, with high rises replaced with old housings made from bricks, wood, and with the iconic dark blue roof. Even though it may not have the same historical feel compared to the old city of Bakju, the busy vibe and unique blend of the smell of snack stands, fumes, trees, and brick road moss gave this place an unique character. The old city was known for its private gardens and traditional craftsmen shops due to its historical significance. Closer to the sea, the Linhai Palace (鈴海宮), the former imperial palace of Emperor Anton (安通帝) and various rulers of the city stood right above a hill. Right beneath the hill was where the workshop is located. The place looked quite unassuming - rather than having a storefront, the place looked like a typical residence, with the front gate painted with dark blue paint.
"Good afternoon, uncle and aunt. This is Jinlin and Jinhui. I brought the guest with us as well," Jinlin rang the doorbell and talked to the owner of the place via the caller.
As the door opened, the workshop revealed its interior - it was as traditional as the other gardens we saw in the old city, yet it also had modern features like paved roads. It was more of a secret pavilion rather than being simply a "workshop".
As we made our way into the workshop, we finally met Mary the owner - a middle aged couple in, of course, traditional clothings - along with several fellow workers.
"Welcome," the woman greeted us, "please make this place like your home."
The couple gave us a tour around the workshop. While it had a traditional facade, within the building we saw all kinds of modern equipments for tailoring and cloths making. The owners said that while important steps such as cutting and decorating were still handmade, there had been some automation within the process, especially for the extraction of tailoring data. It was said that one robe could take two weeks to make if it was made with extradelicate fabrics, as all the steps would be handmake.
After the tour and measurements for the clothes, we had a tea conversation with the owner. It was revealed that the couple was very surprised that Jinhui could actually pass the exam. It was also surprising that turned out Jinhui turned out initially stated in the workshop for two years after she lost contact with her parents in an accident that she lost most of her memories about, and she was eventually adopted by Jinlin's family. That's why she was so different from her sister, I thought.
"I know I have mom and dad, but I have no idea where I was born, nor what they look like," Jinlin said, "the only memory I have was that I was picked up by an old man from what seemed to be a raft."
"That's true," Jinlin said, "she didn't even have a proper name at that time as there was no certificate of birth. It was until she was adopted by my family that she was known as 'Jinhui'."
"And the reason I wanted to join the SAIR, was actually because I want to know where my parents are right now. At least, I want to know if they were alive," Jinhui said, "and of course, I want to stay with my Big Sis all the time."
After saying goodbye with the owners and the Jinlin siblings, we made our final step back to our home - boarding the train back.
"What an eventful three days adventure. It's really nice to meet all of ya," Okuri said.
"You're welcome. By the way, feel free to visit Bakju and even our place if you want to. We'll always be there," Jun said.
"And also I hope I would also see you again maybe in the upcoming archery tournament," Sukeo said.
"Definitely!"
While between me and Tenka, we're also having our own conversation.
"Sara-cha, I will definitely miss you!" Tenka hugged me while saying out loud.
"Hey hey, don't worry Tenka. We're in the same city, right?"
"But I'm still going to miss you, even one minute after we dismiss at the station, since it's unfortunate that we're not classmates," Tenka said while putting her hands on my chins.
"That's okay, since you had the contact with me, you can reach me anytime you want. By the way, you can definitely meet me at the fall track-and-field competition later this year. I'm pretty sure Donzen will be in the event, since the athletes from your school are also quite good."
As Jun and I finally made our way home, since both our parents were still on business trip, we had to wait for them coming back the next day.
As the night fell, I grabbed my blanket and hugged my body pillow, looking at the certificate and the letter I placed on the desk.
"Welcome home, Provisional Agent Peni Sara of the SAIR Central."
While lying on the bed, I couldn't help thinking about what type of adventure and experience was waiting for me - Would that be exciting? Would that be challenging? So much uncertainty yet so much excitement. I couldn't wait for the upcoming first session.
And that concluded the beginning of my journey in the SAIR.