Spaceship
"They brought HB inside, unable to close their mouths as they looked at the interior of the airplane that appeared so futuristic yet simple. But it didn't hide its grandeur.
"Ship - I mean, this airplane looks... So beautiful," Sheila praised, then touched its surface. "So smooth, without any imperfections. With beautiful white color, just like its owner."
Zent looked over there, finding Sheila smiling meaningfully and making his face turn red.
"Wow... Look at those lights!" Rayven ran towards the lights on each side of the exterior, in warm yellow hues, "This... This is so different from magic. What... What is this?" He asked curiously as he touched it, feeling the smoothness of the glass surface.
"This is the future, Rayven. At least, the future of my previous world. And Sheila, we don't refer to this as an airplane. But, a spaceship."
Their eyes widened, surprised to hear that.
Rayven ran closer, appearing so excited that it was as if flames were igniting from his body, "Spaceship? You mean, this ship can fly to outer space?"
Zent smiled, snapped his fingers, opened the top side of the ship revealing a large window, allowing them to directly see the still bright sky. "Of course. We can go to outer space if you want. Unfortunately, it's still early in the day, so we won't be able to see the stars through that window.
Once night falls, it will be one of the most beautiful sights you've ever seen. Much more beautiful than seeing it from the surface."
They looked over, observing the clear blue sky, imagining how that sky would turn into a deep blue, adorned with beautiful stars. Their eyes sparkled as they pictured it. Even Ryssa, who was now smiling joyfully like a little child.
Zent snapped his fingers once again, closing the window and continuing to walk towards the control room. Here, they had to pass through a central area that featured a bar, several TVs with VR setups, PlayStations, and a few PCs at the end of the room.
There was also a vending machine fully stocked with various snacks, cold drinks, including sodas.
"This is the rest and play area. If you get bored, you can play games while enjoying snacks and soda. Or you can make whatever you want at the bar over there," he explained while extending his hand.
Rayven looked left and right, ran up to the vending machine, and tried to press the button corresponding to the number on the row of snacks. When the snack was pushed out, he jerked back in surprise, thinking he had broken it.
Only after Zent retrieved the snack from below, did Rayven breathe a sigh of relief. Zent tossed the snack to him, asking Rayven to try his favorite snack.
Once he managed to open the packaging and put it in his mouth, Rayven's eyes widened instantly from the burst of new flavors. He felt like he was stepping into a world he had never imagined existed.
"What is this?" he asked, still floating in the air.
"My friend, that's called chocolate. It's my favorite snack that can also be in the form of a drink."
Seeing Rayven experiencing what seemed like the most delicious food, they became curious and wanted to try it too. Sheila and Ryssa took one each, while Celine, Sarah, and Rio asked Rayven for some.
They had similar reactions.
Ryssa...
She took three more and kept them away from the others.
"You said there's also a drink version?" Celine asked curiously.
Zent's smile widened, knowing what he had to do next. "Please enter the room in front, sit quietly, and don't touch anything. I will make something for you."
"Are you saying you'll make something for... us?" Sheila asked, her face turning red.
"Why not? Just consider it a welcome gesture to this spacecraft. A ship that will be a part of our lives from now on."
With that, they entered the next room, surprised to see a control room that was vastly different from what they had seen on Clockheart's and Alfcity's flying ships.
Everything was made of black glass set within beautiful curve white panels. There were numerous inscriptions and simple animations there, mesmerizing them and tempting them to touch one.
Fortunately, they managed to restrain themselves. If not, this spaceship might have taken off uncontrollably.
Zent entered shortly after, carrying a tray with seven large glasses filled with pale brown liquid topped with a white cream. The glasses felt quite cold to the touch, startling Rayven who almost spilled his drink.
"Use those pipe-shaped plastic pieces to drink it," Zent instructed.
Knowing that Zent wouldn't do anything harmful or deceive them, they followed suit, even though it felt a bit strange at first. The liquid entered their mouths, offering them a new sensation - a mix of cold, sweetness, smoothness, with tiny bits that they could bite into.
They couldn't stop sipping on it.
"That's called chocolate milkshake. There are many other flavors of milkshakes too. But for a start, I'm giving you one that's widely enjoyed. You can also ask to increase or decrease the sweetness. Or if you prefer something slightly bitter but still carries the same feeling."
Zent was acting like someone advertising a product in front of them, standing while holding his own milkshake.
"Ah... I've really missed this."
"Zent, this is the best thing you've ever given us," Rio replied. "I can't wait to see what's next."
"Oh, you don't need to ask. I'll teach you about life in my previous world. There are so many different things that I'm sure will widen your eyes just like they are now."
After finishing their drinks, Zent put the tray aside, sat in the front seat, and pressed the control panel.
The spaceship suddenly came to life, surprising them, especially because of the robotic female voice, "Where is our destination today, Captain?"
"Have you finished scanning this world?"
"Of course, Captain. I've gathered various information about the culture, communities, government, and many other things in Alterra."
"Great job, V. Please take us to Lightheart Academy at low speed."
"Understood, Captain."
The spaceship began to hover in the air, taking them high into the sky before heading towards the academy, which was situated quite far away.
Zent stretched his arm, stood up from his seat, and was surprised to find the displeased faces of the four women staring at him sharply. He sighed deeply, unsure of how to explain the AI to them.
"I know what you're thinking, but it's not like that. She's an artificial intelligence. Something that's not alive and functions to assist us, nothing more. V also doesn't have emotions," he explained softly, hoping they could understand.
"Artificial intelligence?" Sheila repeated incredulously. "Something like that really exists?"
"Didn't I already mention that this ship can take us to outer space? Such things aren't surprising. Even in my previous world, many people used them. Although they weren't as advanced as V."
"You can create life?" Rio asked, confused.
"No..." Zent shook his head weakly. As he suspected, he shouldn't have used AI, or questions like this would come up. "The point is, she isn't alive, doesn't have a soul. She truly is just something we've created to help."
"Help with what?" Celine asked suspiciously.
"Turning things on and off, checking the time, checking schedules, making schedules, contacting someone. What else?"
"So basically, you guys are lazy people," Ryssa retorted.
Zent's smile grew. "Not wrong. But that's what drives us forward, Ryssa. Because we're too lazy to do all that, we find more practical ways. Just like how you designed an aircraft to explore distant places."
Ryssa felt offended by being equated with them. Even though it was clear that Clockheart did it to save time and energy. "We did it to save time and energy-"
"We did too."
Ryssa wanted to retort again, but eventually chose to stay silent. She knew she would never win against Zent, who somehow always found a way to leave her speechless.
"I won't deny it. We are lazy. However, if you think about it, it's the lazy people who drive the world forward. You don't realize that you're sitting comfortably here instead of exploring down there, do you?" Zent's smile grew, knowing he had won.
"Welcome to my world."