A Chemist's Interstellar Saga

Chapter 34: New Roommates
Chapter 34: New Roommates

There are a total of 11 buildings in the dormitory area of the training base, including one for the instructors.

Each of the five military academies has exactly two buildings, with one for male and one for female students.

Arix followed the signs to the girls’ dorm. After scanning her surroundings, she stepped into the dorm building. Using the number on her bracelet, she found the room next to the door marked with her number.

The room was small, and the only furniture was three metal bunk beds and a large cabinet with six doors. It was so simple that even Arix was a bit shocked.

Arix stared at the dorm room, almost overwhelmed. She had not expected that in the interstellar era, military dormitories would still be as rundown as before.

She had imagined that the training dorms of the interstellar era would be high-tech individual rooms for everyone, each with a completely private sleeping pod. But the current setup seemed reasonable, after all, this was military training, not a holiday trip.

She had a guess that this place was a relic from a previous era, now just used as a temporary training site.

By the time she arrived, there were already four girls in the dorm. They were all grudgingly wiping their metal bunk beds, so engrossed in their task that they nearly didn’t notice Arix come in.

Arix walked to her assigned bunk bed, which was the lower one near the window. Because the window was open, there was more dust on her bed than elsewhere.

”Hello, I’m Maya Byrne. You haven’t picked up your supplies yet, right? You need to go to the bedmaker to get them, otherwise you can’t clean,” Maya said kindly, smiling at Arix.

Arix turned to the owner of the voice. This girl had a gentle and delicate appearance, though her clothes were washed to the point of fading white. Her life might be tough. However, her difficult circumstances seemed not to affect her at all; she still maintained kindness towards everyone.

Arix liked this girl. She smiled back and said, ”Yeah, thank you. I’ll go get the supplies now.”

”No problem, I haven’t finished getting mine either, I’ll come with you,” Maya replied to Arix and then turned to the other three roommates and asked, ”Rei, do you guys need anything else? I can bring it up.”

”No, we got everything,” Rei shook her head, and the other two also indicated they had nothing left to get.

”Okay, got it,” Maya said. She led Arix to the end of the corridor on the first floor, where they started to line up outside a room.

Arix didn’t ask further and quietly lined up behind Maya. She watched as new students entered the room; a few came out with blankets, but most left empty-handed.

After puzzling for a moment, Arix looked carefully and finally understood why some students were leaving the room empty-handed, while others carried bedding and such.

Those entering without a Space Button in hand left with one, whereas those carrying training supplies apparently couldn’t afford to buy a Space Button.

A square Space Button costs 100,000 astrocredits. Most of the new students at the Hecaris Military Academy came from Planet Waste. For them, 100,000 astrocredits was like asking an ordinary person to buy a sports car—not something everyone could afford.

As the line slowly shortened, it was soon Arix and Maya’s turn. Maya reported her name and number to the bedmaker and requested two sets of training uniforms before stepping outside to wait for Arix.

”Name and number?” the bedmaker asked in a procedural manner.

”Arix, number 69,” Arix replied. She stood quietly, waiting for the bedmaker to verify her information on the opticomputer.

The bedmaker quickly confirmed her details and took out a Space Button from a box nearby and handed it to Arix.

”Whatever you store in the Space Button will only be returned after training,” the bedmaker said with a serious, expressionless face.

”Okay, thank you,” Arix replied, putting the Space Button on her finger before leaving the room. She and Maya then returned to their dormitory.

Upon returning, Arix saw that another person had joined them—looks like the last roommate had also arrived. But seeing who it was, Arix couldn’t help but be amused.

”Is it really you?!” Calista was even more surprised than Arix, her doe-like eyes wide open.

”Ah, I didn’t expect it to be you either. Seems like we’re meant to be,” Arix couldn’t help laughing, finding it funny to end up in the same dorm as Drexel’s little fan.

Although surprised, Calista shyly nodded her head in a polite greeting.

Maya, with her big sister vibe, smiled warmly, ”Now that everyone’s here, let’s introduce ourselves. I’ll start. My name is Maya, from the Department of Combat, Planet Zythera. My psychic power is at Planet Class, and my physical strength is at Subgiant Class. Nice to meet you all.”

Everyone had a good impression of Maya and exchanged pleasantries.

”My name is Rei Ishihara, from the Department of Combat. I come from the same planet as Maya. My psychic power is at Planet Class and my physical power at Subgiant Class. Please take care of me,” Rei was bright and cheerful, resembling a superhero from a comic book.

”My name is Leyla Öztürk, from the Psychic Ware department. My psychic power is at Subgiant Class, and my physical strength at Star Class. I’m delighted to meet you all,” Leyla said with a gentle smile, carrying an ethereal aura.

Leyla was arguably the most beautiful among them, with an elegant demeanor.

”I’m Lilou Chevalier, from the Department of Combat. My psychic power is at Star Class, and my physical condition is also at Subgiant Class. Pleased to meet you all,” Lilou said. She was wearing glasses and appearing somewhat aloof, giving off a loner genius vibe.

”I’m Calista, from the Department of Chemistry. My psychic power is currently at Star-Class, and my physical strength is also at Star Class. I’m very happy to meet all of you,” Calista said, sneakily glancing at Arix but quickly looking away.

Arix noticed Calista’s fleeting look and couldn’t help but smile. She found this girl named Calista genuinely adorable. She seemed like an innocent deer in the forest, terrified yet unable to resist peeking out to observe others.

Arix chuckled at her own thoughts and began her introduction, ”My name is Arix Kering, and I’m a student in the Department of Manufacture. My psychic power is at Supergiant Class, and my physical power is at Planet Class. Nice to meet you all.”

After finishing her introduction, Arix winked at Calista, causing her to shyly lower her head in embarrassment.