After researching and resting in the room, Wen Qian recharged her energy. The next day, she woke up early and headed to the airport.
She carried a small bag on her back, with only a jacket inside to wear after getting off the plane, as the temperature there would be much lower than here.
After the plane took off, Wen Qian watched the ground become increasingly distant.
An City was a place where she had lived for a long time, but this time she didn't even go out for a walk.
During takeoff, Wen Qian imagined what would happen if the plane really had an accident - would her space explode like loot exploding in a game?
Fortunately, both the takeoff and landing went smoothly and safely, and Wen Qian arrived at the Xia City airport.
She put on her jacket. In Xia City, the temperature difference between day and night was significant. The highest temperature in summer was only around 20°C, and the ultraviolet rays were strong. The travel guide advised wearing long sleeves, long pants, and a hat, and using sun protection, otherwise one could easily get a few shades darker.
Wen Qian chose physical sun protection, covering every part of her body that could be covered, and also wore a mask on her face.
Before arriving, Wen Qian had already purchased oxygen tanks and oxygen-making materials, which would be delivered soon after she settled down.
Wen Qian's first stop in Xia Province was a youth hostel. Back in college, she had a classmate in the same major who would go backpacking everywhere during vacations, and even after graduation, her blog showed she was still doing the same.
Most people think traveling is expensive, but this classmate said otherwise and shared how affordable and decent youth hostels could be.
Her classmate came from a well-off family, but her parents didn't approve of her constantly traveling alone, so she had many money-saving tricks.
Wen Qian envied her back then. Even after graduation, the classmate would work for a year and then travel for a year, leading a carefree life.
Youth hostels are cheap but crowded, and their reviews vary. Wen Qian chose one that was said to have a decent environment, though she didn't know what the people there during her stay would be like.
After finding her accommodation, Wen Qian washed up and went straight to sleep. When she woke up, it was already 3 PM.
Those who didn't sleep stayed in the common area, so she wasn't disturbed during her rest.
After waking up, Wen Qian went out with her bag to familiarize herself with the surroundings. The water quality and soil are different in different places, so she needed to explore unfamiliar areas.
There's a difference between seeing videos and pictures online and actual on-site investigation.
Wen Qian had long dreamed of living alone in a sparsely populated area and imagined what kind of house she would build.
As a child, she had heard the story of the Three Little Pigs many times, so she had always longed for a house made of stone.
Now that she finally had the opportunity to build her own house, her first thought was to build a fortress-like house.
Not so much to protect against wild animals, but against people.
Coincidentally, in Xia Province, there were stone houses resembling fortresses called "tulous".
When researching, she saw them and felt a sense of security.
However, she worried that a stone house might be dangerous in an earthquake since she would be living alone.
So she had another plan to build a stone wall around her compound.
In any case, when it came to living alone in the future, her requirements for a house were sturdiness and safety.
Ultimately, she was influenced by the story of the Three Little Pigs.
There were other types of dwellings in Xia Province, such as yurt houses and cave dwellings.
However, Wen Qian felt that having a yurt as a mobile home would also be great, but if she were to settle down for the long term, her home would be made of stone.
The place Wen Qian went to explore was a city with a dense population, a concrete jungle like An City or other cities.
After resting in this place, she would go to scenic spots away from the city, and then to areas with even fewer people.
There were also many hiking and camping routes in the area that Wen Qian could try first. She had bought a tent before, so camping, making fires, and cooking outdoors were all possible.
Once she gradually adjusted to living outdoors, she would move further away from crowds.
She had also researched the main distribution areas of some threatening local wildlife in advance, as she didn't want to encounter them in the early stages.
For example, wolves had been spotted in protected areas and photographed by photographers.
Wolves were something she would avoid early on, and wolf packs were something she would never want to encounter in the future.
Transitioning from human society to nature wouldn't be easy for Wen Qian, and she knew she couldn't adapt quickly. She could only take it slow.
Actively adapting and being suddenly forced into the wild were different. The mere despair of the latter could cost someone their life.
Wen Qian had seen news about hikers entering restricted areas illegally, resulting in massive rescue efforts.
Among them were novices and experienced hikers alike, but nature is unpredictable. One never knows what might happen next.
Their willfulness or arrogance sometimes resulted in them paying the price, while other times it cost other people's lives.
Wen Qian had no intention of going to obviously dangerous places, but the wilderness always carried risks.
She didn't think she was stronger than professionals, but she also didn't intend to challenge nature. She just wanted to find a place to live in solitude, without disturbance or conflict, until her death.
She had also decided that if she ever got trapped, she would just live on the spot or die alone.
In times of peace, she wouldn't burden others.
Standing on a beautiful bridge over a raging river in the city, Wen Qian's thoughts drifted far away as she watched the water.
She finally had a real sense again of her quest to find a reclusive paradise.
Even if her dream didn't come true, she felt it wouldn't be bad to live alone and away from others, as her life path had long deviated from its original course.
The night came late, but the temperature had dropped.
Fearing she might catch a cold, Wen Qian returned early.
Although she had only taken transportation, she felt exhausted for some reason. After eating dinner from her space, she went straight to bed.
This time, she dreamed again - the same dream of heavy snowfall.
There was nothing new in the dream, only snow.
Wen Qian woke up in the middle of the night and felt a momentary unease upon finding herself in an unfamiliar place. She then sat up, leaning against the wall, listening to the breathing of the other people in the room.
Perhaps she had thoughts during the day that led to dreams at night.
It had been so long since her initial dream, and she hadn't recalled it for a long time.
Only during that brief stay back in An City did she repeatedly revisit her dream, trying to discover more about it.
So on the first night in this new place, she dreamed again.
What was the reason that made heavy snow the most prominent disaster scene in Wen Qian's dreams?
Wen Qian couldn't figure it out.
