After finishing the formalities, Elena didn’t hesitate to hire workers to repair and re-paint the house.
It would take at least two weeks before they could move in and that was just fine with her.
By the end of two weeks she would’ve earned roughly 40 Luni daily, so in total, 560 Luni.
Yes, she was capable of earning more than her family’s savings in a mere two weeks.
But even she was surprised by the efficiency of it all.
If not for a series of coincidences, it would’ve been impossible.
But she didn’t seem to pay it any mind.
She even forgot about Ethan and how he was indirectly helping her.
She had no idea Paula was his subordinate and only knew that they knew each other.
The novel hadn’t focused much on Ethan Cole, just that he failed to compete with Elena and then didn’t compete with Lily and later died in his line of duty.
Yes, he too joined the military in the original novel.
So, Elena was surprised to see him in town, but that was it.
Maybe it was the butterfly effect of her transmigration and she was a bit happy.
No matter how much rivalry existed between the two, they were the only ones who understood each other and did care for each other in their own ways.
Though neither of them would admit it.
Textbook tsunderes.
Talking about Ethan, he too was busy setting up a restaurant, preparing a menu, altering it and teaching it to the chefs he hired.
It was all a hassle but he decided to do it before going to National Capital University.
Anyways, he didn’t have much time left in town or the city either.
So he was in a hurry that he taught the chefs day and night, exhausting himself before he left for the National Capital University.
The train arrived in the Capital just after sunrise.
Ethan had been awake for nearly an hour.
He had spent most of that time looking out of the window.
At first, there had been nothing particularly impressive.
Fields.
Villages.
Occasional factories.
Then the landscape slowly began to change.
The houses became more numerous.
The roads became wider.
The number of people increased.
And then, the Capital appeared.
Ethan leaned closer to the window.
He had been to cities before.
He had even visited the Capital once when he was younger.
But he had been too young then to understand what he was seeing.
Now, standing on the threshold of university life, everything felt different.
The train rolled past rows of buildings, warehouses, factories, and residential neighborhoods.
Bicycles were everywhere.
Thousands of them.
People rode to work in groups, some carrying bags from the market, others wearing work clothes and heading toward factories.
Buses moved slowly along the roads.
Cars existed, of course.
But there were far fewer of them than Ethan had expected.
The bicycles seemed to own the streets.
He watched one intersection for several seconds.
A bus passed.
Then another.
Then a stream of bicycles swept through the crossing.
Bell after bell rang.
Someone shouted.
Someone else rang their bell in response.
Ethan stared, impressed but not stunned.
"So this is the Capital," he mumbled.
He had imagined something more impressive.
He had expected towering buildings reaching into the sky.
Instead, much of what he saw was old.
Brick buildings.
Trees lining the roads.
Wide streets.
Crowds of people.
And bicycles.
Yet somehow, the city felt bigger than any place he had ever been.
Not because every building was enormous.
Because everything seemed to be moving.
The Capital was alive.
His father had told him before he left.
"Don’t embarrass the Cole family."
His mother had packed enough food for several days despite Ethan repeatedly telling her that he could buy things there.
His grandfather had only given him one piece of advice.
"Study properly."
His elder brother Victor had laughed.
"Try not to get into fights."
Ethan had replied that he didn’t get into fights.
Victor had stared at him.
Ethan had stared back.
Neither of them believed that statement.
And then there was Elena.
Ethan looked away from the window.
That girl had been the biggest nuisance of his life.
Although he had no idea she had beaten him by two points, he was still wondering about her.
He himself didn’t seem to understand why.
But in retrospect, it all made sense.
He had spent years competing with Elena Shaw.
Running.
Climbing.
Studying.
Chess.
Bicycles.
Even eating competitions when they were children.
And somehow, they had always managed to turn everything into a competition.
Now they were finally going separate ways.
Ethan was coming to the Capital.
National Capital University.
The country’s most prestigious university.
He had worked hard for this.
He should be thinking about his future.
Not Elena.
Definitely not Elena.
Shaking off his thoughts, he grabbed his luggage and continued onwards.
The thing that struck him the most was the noise.
People everywhere.
Passengers carrying bags.
Porters pushing carts.
Families saying goodbye.
Students carrying luggage and bedding.
The air smelled different too.
Smoke.
Food.
Coal.
Dust.
And something else he couldn’t identify.
Ethan adjusted the bag on his shoulder.
He suddenly realized something.
He was alone.
Not truly alone.
There were thousands of people around him.
But none of them were his family.
For the first time in his life, Ethan had left home without his parents, grandfather, or brother nearby.
He stood there for a moment.
Then he smiled.
Finally.
Freedom.
Getting to National Capital University took longer than Ethan expected.
The Capital was enormous.
The further they traveled, the more Ethan understood why people called it the heart of Moon Nation.
Government buildings stood along some of the grandest roads.
Old neighborhoods stretched behind them.
Trees lined long avenues.
Shops crowded the streets.
Buses stopped frequently.
Bicycles moved in endless streams.
Students seemed to be everywhere.
Some wore simple shirts and trousers.
Some carried books under their arms.
Others rode bicycles with bags tied to the back.
Ethan kept looking around.
He saw workers eating breakfast beside small food stalls.
He saw elderly people sitting beneath trees.
He saw children running along narrow streets.
He saw modern buildings rising beside older ones.
The Capital seemed to be caught between two worlds.
One foot in the past.
One foot in the future.
And Ethan suddenly understood why everyone wanted to come here.
The Capital was changing.
Fast.
A/N: Currency changed to Luni. 1 Luni=100 cents