Ming'er doesn't know how he'd started out wanting to search for the Crystal Cave in this world and ended up getting walked by a heavenly simp to a building for a research project that he's apparently supposed to help out in.
/How did I even end up here...?/
Ming'er follows Tian Gou as he leads him out of the food market-like place. The former doesn't miss the pairs of eyes staring at him as he makes his way out.
Rather than looking like they were in awe of being in the presence of a prince, the people who were staring at Ming'er appeared dumbfounded or weird out.
Ming'er folds his arms self-consciously and digs his fingers slightly into them.
Ming'er had come to realize that the people around him weren't covered up as much as he was.
Ming'er huffs internally.
/What's so wrong about putting on a few more layers?/
/Isn't it important to ensure and upkeep one's modesty?/
/These people should take a good look at themselves before they have the nerve to stare at me like that!/
Ming'er shudders internally as he notices just how little the girls in this universe were wearing.
Some of them were clad in tops without sleeves, while others were dressed in pants or skirts that were so short that they barely covered their bottoms.
Ming'er immediately feels like he's looking at something that he shouldn't be looking at and turns his head away quickly.
He feels like he's committing some of sin, akin to watching a maiden preparing for a bath in her most private moment, her most vulnerable state...
Ming'er turns red all over again as he imagines the palace maids and the girls back in his world clad in these sorts of outfit.
/Scandalous...!/
/Scandalous, scandalous, scandalous...!/
Ming'er chides himself for picturing the girls back in his world in these kinds of outfit. He chants the word in his head as though he was reciting a mantra.
Ming'er didn't approve of the guys, either. He wrinkled his nose at their short hair.
/The guys here aren't any better, either...!/
/Why do all of the guys here seem to like keeping their hair short...?!/
/Don't they have any respect for their parents, the very people who'd birthed them...?!?!/
(A/N: The ancient Chinese, both men and women, had a tradition of uncut hair, because the Chinese believed that cutting your hair is just like cutting off a part of your parents since they considered our bodies to have been given to us by our parents. As such, ancient Chinese men tied their hair into a bun or topknot. Untied hair was considered barbaric.)
Ming'er also didn't like the fact that some of them were wearing either tops without sleeves or with short sleeves, as well as the fact that some of them were clad in pants that were shorter than he would've liked.
/Their clothes are really sloppy, too...!/
/Did they all make a pact to alter their hanfus (traditional Chinese clothing) in the same ugly kind of style or something...?!/
Ming'er frowns at the goofy Mickey Mouse design on some random guy's singlet, the Star Wars graphic design on another guy's T-shirt, and the "Anti Social Social Club" words (that he couldn't read) at the back of some guy's jumper.
/What's up with that ugly-looking rat on that guy's top...?!/
/That guy's top looks like someone inhaled a few bottles of paint before throwing up all over it...!/
/Don't even get me started on that guy's top...even though it has long sleeves, I really don't get the weird-looking words scribbled all over the back of it...!/
Just then, Ming'er unconsciously glances at Tian Gou, who was walking in front of him as he lead him out of the food market-like place.
Ming'er notes that Tian Gou is dressed in a plain hoodie and a pair of long pants.
Ming'er purses his lips.
/Surprisingly, with all things considered, Tian Gou seems to be dressed the most appropriately amongst everyone here./
Ming'er huffs internally.
/Except for me, of course...!/
After what felt like forever finding the exit of the food court, Ming'er and Tian Gou were finally out.
Ming'er doesn't even get the chance to sigh a breath of relief when something big and bulky flashes past him like a bolt of lightning.
"Ah!"
Ming'er yelps in surprise as he instinctively takes a step back.
"Careful!" Tian Gou cautions as he lifts his arm protectively over Ming'er, but makes sure not to touch him. "The traffic light hasn't turned green yet."
Ming'er furrows his brows at this.
/Traffic light?/
/What's that?/
/And why does it turning green matter?/
Ming'er furrows at the pole with lights that had been erected beside the street, the one that Tian Gou had referred to as a 'traffic light'.
The traffic light seemed to be able to turn into three different colors.
Tian Gou mentioned that they've got to wait for it to turn green, but the traffic light is currently red.
Ming'er squints at it.
/So red means that we have to wait, and green means that we can go...?/
/I guess the colors carry different meanings...red means stop, green means go, and.../
/What's the third color, anyway...?/
It's only at this moment does Ming'er become aware of the fact that he and Tian Gou were waiting in front of some kind of road.
Several of the big and bulky things are whizzing past them so quickly that they might be even faster than the arrows that Ming'er shoots at target practice.
Ming'er widens his eyes in amazement when he realizes that there are people inside of these big and bulky things.
/Oh...!/
/They're carrying people inside...!/
/Are they some kind of horse...?/
Ming'er also notes that these big and bulky things have not one, not two, but four wheels beneath them.
It appears to be some sort of weird but powerful combination of a top-quality horse and a carriage.
/It's like...l
/...a horse with wheels.../
/A horse and a carriage all in one...!/
Ming'er gapes in amazement.
/That's actually pretty sick...!/
"The cars are going pretty fast," Tian Gou suddenly states, not noticing Ming'er's visible fascination, "You should step back a little bit more."
/Cars?/
/Is that what they're called?/
"Car..." Ming'er murmurs under his breath to test out the new word that he'd just learned.
/I guess these 'car' things are the equivalent to horses back in my world...!/
Ming'er doesn't understand why Tian Gou doesn't seem to be as impressed as he was.
Ming'er was literally internally freaking out as his new discovery.
/This is awesome...!/
/Did the people here modify horses to become 'cars' just like they altered and modified their clothes...?/
/Not to mention the mysterious-looking box thing that I still don't know the name of...it seems like one of their inventions too.../
Ming'er doesn't say it out loud, but as strange and peculiar that the people in this world seemed, he's got to admit that they have some pretty cool inventions.
/Just imagine if we had these 'car' things back in my world...!/
/Travelling to and from the Imperial Palace and Qilin Academy would take just minutes instead of hours...!/
Just then, the pole with lights that had been erected beside the street which Tian Gou had referred to as a 'traffic light' turned from red to amber.
The cars start to slow down as soon as the traffic light had turned amber.
/Oh, so the third color is amber...!/
Ming'er muses.
/And I guess it means.../
/...that the car things have to slow down and get ready to stop...?/
Sure enough, the cars stop when the traffic light changes from red to amber.
"C'mon, let's go," Tian Gou prompts as he leads Ming'er to cross the road.
As they cross the road, Ming'er mulls over his experience in this world thus far.
/First, a mysterious-looking box.../
/Then, questionable-looking modified hanfus.../
/And now, horses with wheels.../
Ming'er forgets all about the fact that he's running late for a research project that he'd only just found out that he was involved in and marvels over his discoveries in this strange but interesting world thus far.