On the other hand, his fingers twitched. He longed to put his hands on these inventions he had never seen.
He moved his gaze forward. To the horizon lay magnificent buildings painted in different colors and styles. Some were see-through, painted brown like the earth, or white; others were like ash, and the furthest away seemed to be made of black… glass? Its shape was like an egg.
"Vrooom."
A large object passed over him, traveling through the sky.
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped slightly.
"What was that?" He did not think that their sky, which he had found uninteresting before, would make a comeback in such a shocking way.
"Interesting. A large bird?" The corners of his lips pulled up into a smile.
No, that's a large flying metal bird.
'Genius!' he exclaimed inwardly.
'So metals can be used to make a gigantic metal bird' he touched his chin.
'This civilization are really…' he paused for lack of a better word
"Geniuses" he finally said.
For some reason, he wasn't surprised that something without feathers could fly, but it was metal and without powers.
At this point, he was already used to the random thoughts he didn't understand that popped up in his mind at different times.
He stayed outside on the verandah, his arms propped up on the bars, enjoying the scenery. He had a clear view of the dipping sun as the evening cool breeze brushed past him, clearing his mind of the lingering foggy confusion and settling down all the shock, excitement, and barrage of information his mind had received that day.
No matter what world in the omniverse, the dipping sun had always been a calming sight.
He breathed in through his nose and released it through his mouth, feeling lighter.
He turned away from the scene of the evening rush, as people battled to retire to their homes for the night just as the sun had done.
Inside the room, now fully illuminated without any competition from the sun, which had gone to sleep, his attention was drawn to something he had ignored in his quest to satisfy his curiosity about the world beyond the door.
A stack of papers heaped on the circular glass bedside table.
What is this?
He saw a tanned paper peeking out from a stylish envelope.
Removing the paper, a waft of flowers passed his nose.
"Who scents a paper?" he chuckled in amusement, opening the paper. The first thing he saw was an emblem with two golden coiling dragons, a red phoenix, and a blue pagoda.
Then, an invitation.
From an unfamiliar university: Pǔshì University.
---
Pǔshì University
No. 123, Pǔshì Road, Haidian District, Jingyuan, 100191
25 July 2024
Dear Jidenna Agwu,
We are delighted to formally invite you to our Orientation Program for the Class of 2024! As a newly accepted member of our community, this exclusive event is designed to introduce you to the academic, social, and cultural aspects of Pǔshì University. You will have the opportunity to:
He skipped the other details and went straight to the end of the letter.
Orientation Details:
- Date: 02 September 2024
- Time: 13:00
- Location: University Auditorium, Main Campus
- Attire: Formal
A detailed schedule and program will be provided upon arrival. We kindly request the honor of your presence at this special event. Please RSVP by 25 August 2024 to confirm your attendance. If you have any dietary restrictions or special requests, please notify us in advance.
We look forward to welcoming you to Pǔshì University and starting this exciting journey together!
Sincerely,
Professor Li Ming
Dean of International Students
Pǔshì University
Along with contact information.
"Hm." He lifted a brow in confusion.
Dropping the letter, he scanned the room again, sweeping past the earth-brown wardrobe laying at the other end of the wall and stopping at a black table propped up against the wall directly facing the window.
On top of the desk was a rectangular object that gave off a soft metallic sheen, a carton of juice by the side, and a transparent glass cup with a little juice at the bottom.
He reached for the rectangular object with the metallic sheen, now familiar with the rush of information that sent a thrill down his spine.
His fingers typed in the password jerkily. Once it had unlocked, he saw another letter.
His eyes narrowed as he read through it.
It was from the same school. The other was for orientation, but this was the acceptance letter.
Pǔshì University—never heard of it before.
He tapped away again at the keyboard, his fingers swift, lacking the sluggishness earlier.
He searched for the university online.
A while later, he leaned back in the chair, giving a slight groan of protest.
From what he had read, Pǔshì University is a prestigious institution, one of the top three in the world.
It has produced many lawyers, engineers, doctors, politicians, painters, and even musicians who are giants in their fields today.
From the forums he visited, Pǔshì University has a quota of 60,000 students every year. However, last year 5 million students applied, both home and international, but only 60,000 were accepted, leaving the remaining 4,940,000 applicants scrambling for other schools.
But somehow, this body managed to not only get accepted but also receive a grant scholarship, an aid given by the school, exempting him from tuition fees.
The grant covered not only his tuition but also his travel costs, textbook stipend, and a one-year language class.
His head mechanically turned to the orientation letter he had tossed carelessly. In his eyes, it was no longer an ordinary scented paper but gold.
He brought his hands to the back of his head, crossed his legs, and looked through the barred window, overlooking the busy pedestrians below.
He could make out a foggy image of his future. It wasn't clear yet, but he could see something at least. Where there was hope, there would always be a way.
He appeared in a new world, ignorant and helpless like a newborn, his vision clouded with no memory of the past or the future. But
He sat up from his chair.
"I will survive, press on, and move through the challenges."
"Mr. Jidenna, you have a call," a voice snapped him out of his little pep talk.
"Mr. Jidenna, you have a call," his phone called out to him again.
He picked up the phone by the side of his laptop, but the words on the
screen made him ignore the familiar rush he took pleasure in.
Because right there on the screen was his first challenge:
"Mama"