Finding Stardust

Along the way to Merridell Botanical Park, Emma really enjoyed the view of the charming town of Innstad. The town felt so serene and peaceful compared to the hustle and bustle of Winstad, the Akkadian capital. The historic buildings were one of the main charms of this city.

They walked leisurely for ten minutes to the west and finally arrived in front of a giant gate decorated with hanging plants with pretty flowers around it. This gate reminded Emma of the rose gates which were often used as decoration at weddings.

The difference was that this gate was covered with a variety of flowers that were far prettier than roses, and its enormous size made Emma feel as if she was about to enter the gate to a giant's house.

"This place is magnificent," she said excitedly. "Do we have to pay for the tickets?"

Therius shook his head. "No, we don't. All parks in Akkadia are managed by the forestry and parks department in each city. People do not need to pay admission fees that would be used as a source of income for park management. But we have to register there, so that management can track whoever comes in here. "

Therius pointed to a small building by the gate and took Emma's hand to walk towards it. When they arrived at the building, Emma saw that there was no one, only a glass window in the middle of the building.

"How do I register? There's nothing here ..." Emma said in surprise.

"We just have to face the window and our faces will be recorded by the computer. After registration, then we can enter and explore the park," Therius explained.

"Why do computer records visitors' faces?" asked Emma. She could guess the reason, but she wanted to hear from Therius himself.

"Hmmm ... the park management wants to make sure that no visitor will commit illegal acts in this park such as stealing plants, committing immoral acts, or other crimes. Many crimes that occur in gardens can be solved by camera footage. .. "

"Oh ... "Emma nodded in understanding. Her guess was correct. "I understand."

Therius pulled Emma toward the registration window. After hearing a click, it was his turn to face the window. Once they were both registered, Therius invited Emma to explore the garden.

Therius was right, Emma really liked Merridell Botanical Garden. Despite its enormous size, Emma felt that the name 'Botanical Garden' was very apt. She felt like she was walking across a giant garden filled with extraordinary flowers and other plants.

"How big is this botanical garden, by the way?" Emma asked Therius as they strolled casually through the garden.

"So big ..." Emma said in an amazed voice. "But there's no way people can explore it on foot. It could take days. It's like a forest ... vast."

"Of course not," said Therius. "Most people will only explore a small part of it. I think only researchers and special people who had a penchant for plants who would come here to explore everything."

Emma nodded. She was eager to explore Merridell in every corner. What she saw now, even if it was only a little, made her very interested.

Just look, to the left there was a very beautiful arrangement of plant species similar to cactus. Then, to her right, were various blue flowers of all sizes and shapes. In front of her, she saw that there were many giant trees with a very unique shape that reminded her of the Baboa trees from Africa.

"Are there no transportation options in this park for people to explore the park without having to walk?" asked Emma.

"Yes there is. Later, after we pass the giant trees in front, there will be a small station where visitors could take the tram that passes important parts of the park. There are approximately 100 stations that can be visited."

"Wow! That's a lot !! This park has a very complete transportation route ..." said Emma.

"You can say that," said Therius with a smile. He loved hearing the enthusiasm in Emma's voice. Ah, so he was right. Emma would love to visit Merridell.

They walked casually chatting and discussing various unique plants that they passed and Emma did not know the name. Minutes later, their steps arrived at a small station that reads Merridell Gate Station.

There were several other visitors who also seemed to be waiting for the tram to arrive. They all turned to look at Emma and Therius, who were walking hand in hand, and suddenly the people became jealous.

This young couple looked very affectionate, they thought to themselves. Emma's face was very beautiful and Therius looked handsome and dashing. He made the women in the station unable to take their eyes off him.

The girls seemed to like Therius and hoped he would look at them even if it was just a glance, but unfortunately the man never seemed to take his eyes off Emma. As with the male visitors, they were all impressed by Emma's beauty and wished that she had come to the park alone.

Seeing her walking hand in hand with a dashing man who seemed very possessive to her, the men at the station could only swallow and bury their desire to find out who was this extraordinarily beautiful girl who had just arrived. 

Meanwhile, Emma and Therius could only cough a little when they realized what those around them were thinking about. Inwardly, Therius was annoyed that the men there admired Emma, ​​and at the same time proud that the beautiful girl in his arm was his and his alone.

Emma glanced at Therius and smiled faintly. She had read the minds of the girls at the station and knew they liked her husband. Therius returned Emma's glance with a faint smile.

'I am yours. Forever,' he said with telemancy. 'And you are mine.'

Emma really liked the fact that she and Therius were telemancers who could communicate without talking. She was actually a little surprised because even though they had been married for five months, she still couldn't read Therius's mind.

She knew this must be because Therius had not let her read his mind. As a mage of a much higher level than Emma, ​​Therius could protect himself so that his thoughts cannot be read by lower-level telemancers.

However, Emma never protested and asked Therius to open his mind to Emma. She already had an advantage over Therius. Her husband also couldn't read her mind because Therius loved her. 

If Emma allowed Therius to read her mind, then Therius could do it at any time. Just like Kaoshin allowed Arreya to read his mind, they could communicate at any time using telemancy.

However, because Emma had not allowed Therius to read her mind until now, they still could not read what was on each other's minds, unlike with Arreya and Kaoshin.

This actually made Emma feel more comfortable. She was not fully open to her husband yet and she didn't want Therius to know everything that was on her heart and mind.

She didn't want Therius to be sad when he heard Emma's thoughts because sometimes she still missed Haoran or thought about Xion who left. Had Therius been able to read her, the man might feel really jealous.

Emma felt that their life now was better and like normal couples in general who couldn't read their significant other's minds. Even your loved one didn't have to know everything, right? There must be a secret their heart should keep for themselves.

The awaited tram finally came. Therius and Emma got on the tram together with the other passengers. Once everyone was on board, the tram moved at a leisurely speed.

On the way, Emma kept gasping in admiration when she saw the type of plants and the colors. She was like a small child in a candy store. 

"Soon, we will arrive at the second station. That section has a really cool collection of carnivorous plants," Therius explained. "Then, we will see a collection of flowers that only bloomed once in a century."

"Wow.. sounds interesting," said Emma.