Genius Club-Chapter 596 - 21 I Have Been Here Before (Combined Chapter)

The far-off sea water, as it swept over the sun, extinguished this giant that had burned for billions of years.

Twilight descended upon the world.

The Amalienborg Palace and the statue of Frederick V were also draped with a layer of pitch-black sheer.

Denmark, known as the Fairy Tale Kingdom, officially entered the prologue of the night.

All around, everything darkened.

The only thing that lit up...

...were the azure, glass-like glimmers in Huang Que’s eyes, which seemed to reignite with brightness.

Like an owl on the hunt, she gazed at the Dark Forest of the Fairy Tale Kingdom.

But.

She was clearly just here to travel.

What was she here to hunt?

...

After leaving the Amalienborg Palace, the two of them had some local delicacies and then proceeded to their hotel for rest and accommodation.

Their luggage had already been taken by the hotel’s airport shuttle bus, a very considerate service.

It’s just that... Lin Xian had originally wanted to book the best hotel room in the center of Copenhagen, but Huang Que pointed to a location on the outskirts of the city, insisting on booking a hotel there.

"That place is a bit far off, though."

Lin Xian explained at the time:

"Even though it’s still Copenhagen, it’s more like a county town within the city. Although the capital’s county towns surely won’t be too shabby, the living conditions and surrounding environment... definitely won’t be as good as the first hotel I chose."

But Huang Que still shook her head:

"This area is just fine. I never liked places that are too busy. Just picking a decent hotel around here will do."

Seeing her persist, Lin Xian didn’t say much more.

Huang Que did give off the impression of someone who liked to be alone and disliked bustling places. Although that wasn’t false, but... does it really matter so much with the location of the hotel?

He couldn’t understand.

But whatever she said goes.

So, Lin Xian chose a hotel that was, to say the least, passable, located on the western outskirts of Copenhagen, and booked two suites.

Before long.

The taxi stopped in front of the hotel. Lin Xian paid the fare and he and Huang Que together pulled open the right-side door to get out.

Upon exiting, they looked around.

They found that the architectural style here, as well as the sense of age it exuded, really was just like the streets in European films from the last century.

There were no tall buildings. Everything was quaint and full of the marks of time, with a strong atmosphere of life. There were various small shops, couples strolling together, and spouses carrying little parcels and children.

"Is this... perhaps, an old town district?"

Lin Xian asked while looking at the surrounding buildings.

Huang Que didn’t confirm nor deny with a shake of her head:

"Not sure about that, but Copenhagen probably doesn’t really have what you’d call an old town. This city has been quite renowned since the dawn of the industrial age, and it’s been the venue for many important global conferences."

"So... the development of this city started quite early and caught the wave of the Industrial Revolution. Unlike many cities in China, where many places only began to industrialize and urbanize when the world’s third information revolution began, hence the emergence of old districts as incompatible byproducts of rapid development."

...

Indeed.

Lin Xian also thought Huang Que’s reasoning made sense.

He’d visited many cities within the country and inevitably encountered the so-called old districts, typically left behind due to the cities’ rapid development.

The roads are always crowded, and the widest they get is just two lanes. In fact, many narrow alleys could only be described as tight winding paths.

The residential areas lack underground parking. Cars are parked bumper to bumper on the surface, causing an entire neighborhood to play a round of "Huarong Road" whenever the innermost car needs to get out.

The marketplace, breakfast streets, and morning markets seem to be standard features of these old districts.

Just as Huang Que said.

In the face of rapid urban growth, indeed there was neither the capacity nor the funds to completely renew the old districts. It’s more troublesome and difficult to deal with relocation and resettlement; it was easier to simply plan a new district as a central area, which not only offered convenience but also drove the surrounding economy. This tactic never fails in cities across China.

In contrast, looking at this quaint suburban area of Copenhagen.

Perhaps it has always looked this way for many years: aged, with depth and full of the smoke of mundane life.

"It seems we’ve accidentally chosen a pretty good place."

Lin Xian said as he opened the hotel’s main door for Huang Que and they both entered.

After completing the check-in process, they each took their room card and took the elevator to their respective rooms to rest.

Updat𝓮d from frёewebnoѵēl.com.

The hotel wasn’t big, only six stories high.

Room types like suites, which are relatively large and feature-rich, were mostly on the sixth floor.

The two took the elevator to the sixth floor and found their room numbers.

They were right next to each other, one 606 and the other 608.

Lin Xian and Huang Que swiped their cards to open their respective doors. Lin Xian, looking at Huang Que, said:

"We also wandered around for a day today, so let’s have a good rest. But today was just casual touring. Plus, we only toured the sights nearby. The more famous museums, art galleries, and theaters in the city center... we can take a look around those tomorrow."

"Also, if there’s anywhere else you want to see, you can look it up online."

Huang Que nodded, pushed open her door somewhat wearily, and walked in.

Thud, thud.

Two doors closed.

Lin Xian and Huang Que entered their adjacent suites, each separated by one wall, began to wash up and prepared to rest.