《Finding Stardust》Chapter 23 - Ibukun Valley
Advertisement
"What did you find?" Haoran asked when he saw Emma's face beam. He narrowed his eyes and reminded Emma. "Be careful when walking while checking your phone."
Right after saying that, he pulled Emma's hand, so she wouldn't trip while walking down the stairs.
"Ahh... right... Thank you," Emma replied. She started to pay attention to where she's walking. In her heart though, she grumbled. If she didn't have to hide her abilities from other people, it'd be so much easier for her to just fly. She wouldn't have to worry about tripping over something.
"Did you find anything interesting?" Haoran asked again.
Emma looked back at Haoran and thought for a moment. Should she share what she found with Haoran or not?
Finally, she handed her cellphone to him. Haoran put on his sunglasses and read the news on Emma's phone. The article quickly grabbed his attention; he even paused to read its contents.
"Wow, it really did happen. Can the news source be trusted?" Haoran asked enthusiastically. He didn't wait for Emma's answer because he scrolled up her phone and checked the name of the media who wrote the article and found it's legit. "This is a well-known media, that should mean this news was accurate. Whoa! It's great that something like this happened. It turns out there's really someone like that. The government should have given them a medal for what they did."
Emma was struck by Haoran's enthusiasm. "You think so?"
"Yeah. I'm sure there'll be many companies in the world who would want to get their inventions. Imagine how many starving people in the world would be fed if this technology was made public," Haoran said excitedly.
When she heard Haoran's words, Emma's chest suddenly felt tight. For some reason, she thought she had heard those words before. But why did her chest feel tight?
Advertisement
"Hey, are you okay?" Haoran asked again. "You look like you just saw a ghost."
Emma shook her head. "I'm okay. I feel like I've heard the same thing you just said."
"Of course, right? If there really are people who could boost farming in such a way, they'll be able to feed so many people. There'll be no more hunger in this world," Haoran said and Emma nodded. Haoran handed Emma's cellphone back to the girl. "This is very interesting. Let's walk faster. Our friends have gone far ahead of us."
Haoran and Emma refocused their minds and tried to catch up with their schoolmates. Emma stored the phone in her bag and held back the urge to check more articles. She felt that if she kept browsing, then she wouldn't be able to stop. She didn't want to be called out by Madame Delaval.
"All right, kids. We've arrived at the second garden. You may now sit on the grass and enjoy your lunch. We have such a beautiful view to accompany our meal and half an hour to finish our lunch and rest. After that, we'll enter the Palace of Versailles to see its splendor," Madame Delaval said. She waved to the students with her yellow umbrella so that they would gather in a grassy field near a beautiful fountain.
Madame Delaval's timing was great. The moment they entered the second garden, the sun wasn't too hot. The wind's cool breeze blew as the forty-four students delightfully searched for pleasant shades to sit and open their lunch bags. Haoran and Alex sat next to Emma because they walked the slowest, so they were behind everybody else.
While munching on her croissant, Emma couldn't help but think about the mysterious harvest in Limoges fifteen years ago. Indeed, with her father's ability to control plants, he should be able to eradicate famine throughout the world. She then thought about her parents time in West Africa and how they had worked together to bring rain and grow plants to make the entire desert valley green.
Advertisement
But she was stumped as to why didn't her father reveal his power to the government? The government would surely be pleased to have someone with that kind of ability. Anyone who could succeed in eradicating hunger on earth would be considered a hero. They'd be adored and praised by all humans, Emma thought to herself.
But why didn't her father do that? Did her mother and father were trying to avoid attention?
"Hey, look at this," Haoran tapped Emma's shoulder gently. Apparently, he was also thinking about the same thing when eating his lunch. Haoran had taken out his cellphone and typed in some keywords about bio-hackers and the mysterious harvest.
"What's wrong?" asked Emma, breaking out of her thoughts.
"I was searching for more articles online using the keywords bio-hacker and mysterious harvest. You know what, I've found some interesting articles a few years prior," he said to her, showing his cellphone to Emma. The girl examined Haoran's cellphone screen and skimmed its contents.
[The Ibukun[1] Valley in West Africa is a miracle phenomenon by nature. The hungry people's prayers were finally answered...]
As soon as Emma read the first sentence, her chest immediately pounded. This article must be about what her father and mother did at that time. Emma remembered when she was a little kid, they were in West Africa and Arreya Stardust brought down rain while Kaoshin Stardust grew plants on the entire desert valley.
"This is amazing!" exclaimed Haoran. "Come on, keep reading. You'll be amazed by the contents."
[On a typical hot day in 2042, an area in West Africa had experienced heavy rain after five years of drought due to global warming. When the rain stopped several hours later, the people living around the valley reported a miracle. The whole deserted valley had grown trees and food crops seemingly overnight throughout the entire valley.]
[The valley remains green to this day and has become a source of natural spring that gives life to so many people, as well as animals, around it. Now, the valley has been declared a natural reserve by West Africa's government and has been called the Ibukun Valley by the people ever since.]
"The valley is still there..." Emma murmured. "This is good."
"Right? I'll try to persuade my father to allow me to travel to Africa if you want to go there," Haoran said out of the blue.
"To Africa? Why'd you want to go there?" Emma asked in surprise.
"I said, I'll go to Africa if you want to go there,"—Haoran smiled meaningfully,—"or to Limoges. Whichever you want."
Emma looked at the young man with a surprised look. She didn't expect Haoran to say this kind of thing. Why would Haoran want to accompany her to Limoges or West Africa? Was Haoran suspecting something?
.
.
[1] Ibukun = Blessing (Yoruba)
Advertisement
- In Serial52 Chapters
Lost Genesis: Lied
Lied cannot remember his past. As the sole bearer of the Adam's Apple, an ancient item capable of granting people's wishes, he's targeted by a mysterious organization while desperately trying to reclaim his memories. Through his perilous quest in search of the lost truth, Lied realizes there's more to everything than meets the eye... including himself. How will Lied survive, and what will he find at his destination? Work originally written in Portuguese. Cover art by Yaya Chan. The Webtoon adaptation is now available on WEBTOON CANVAS! You can keep up to date with the latest updates by following me on social media. Facebook Twitter Instagram Discord
8 182 - In Serial18 Chapters
The Joker, The Trickster, and the Magician
Wolfram Sakimoto, an infamous criminal, was about to be executed in a secret military facility only to survive by a sudden earthquake that struck the whole world and turned it upside down. With the appearance of strange and absurdly powerful monsters, humans started their final struggle to survive this tragic calamity. Wolfram, however, found joy and not despair in this drastic change. A lunatic on the loose, without any morals to uphold, only his thirst to battle the strongest. PS: This story has a relation with RE;Hell Gate and Once Human, Now a Parasite. The Protagonist is eccentric, to say the least, so don't expect any heroic dude. He can be a madman and a hypocrite, if that is not to your taste, then this isn't a story for you.
8 175 - In Serial22 Chapters
Man of Earth
Magic is a terrifying force. Logic itself is subject to this energy, which is (logically speaking) impossible for us to comprehend. Every universe requires some version of magic to exist. That is, all but one. Our world functiouns based on a powerful and intricate net of laws that act independently from magical interference. The most notable of these is the human brain, which is capable of even more than its creator had thought possible. Naturally, this prompted the question: "How would a human fare in a world of magic?" Soon, there was a bet. Next, a human was selected. Finally, an odd young man with a strange black hat was introduced to his new world, and all restraints were removed.
8 73 - In Serial7 Chapters
Shifter
Wrote this two years ago and edited it last night. A man receives a parcel with a strange creature inside. He raises it and discovers its potency for death.
8 205 - In Serial9 Chapters
MY STORY, AFTER REINCARNATION
A regular man ends up dying and miraculously reincarnates into Highschool DxD! A world of magic, swords, monsters, devils, and gods! With all the knowledge he has in his back pocket will he change the plot or use it to his advantage? The possibilities are endless! Though there is one small problem, he's about many years before canon and oh yeah he's human. And also no-op mc, no sacred gear. Let the show begin!
8 105 - In Serial25 Chapters
Trumpets |Percabeth AU|
He was a boy with a leather jacket. She was a girl with a camera in her hand. He was in a band. She was a audience member.The first look they exchanged their hearts.Now they can't get them back.
8 120

