Chapter 34: The Book

Jiang Hui hurriedly searched for the "Youth Edition" of her optical computer.

Fortunately, the communication software in this interstellar world was similar to that on Blue Star, and the youth section was a standard, commonly used feature, so she found the instructions with a quick search. However, because she was not yet proficient with the complex interface and functions of the optical computer, it took her quite a while to successfully switch from the adult version to the youth version.

Once the interface changed to the youth version, the entire screen became much cleaner and no longer as dizzying as before. It was neatly organized into several major categories, such as Recommendations, Education, Entertainment, and Professional, along with specialized modules unique to the interstellar era, like Mecha and Pharmacology, which she found quite novel.

Naturally, Jiang Hui first selected the "Introductory Guide," which, true to its name, provided tutorials for young people who had just received their first optical computer.

Because information in the interstellar era was exceptionally advanced, it was inevitable for young people to be exposed to various aspects of society from an early age. Having one's own optical computer at a young age was quite normal. However, being too young sometimes meant a lack of self-discipline, making it easy to go astray.

Of course, the Interstellar Government had effective measures in place to prevent youths from neglecting their studies and daily lives due to premature exposure to the optical computer. Generally, the earliest age across the interstellar region that a child was allowed to own an optical computer was around eight years old, upon entering primary academy.

To prevent children from being exposed to negative information too early, the specific modules they used were subject to information filtering—this was the so-called "Youth Edition." Without a special application from a parent or guardian, a youth could not bypass this boundary to enter the adult version.

The original owner was only about fifteen years old and, by rights, should have been restricted to the youth section. However, her situation was special: after turning fourteen, both her parents died, she was adopted by a branch of the family, and she lacked a specific legal guardian. She was classified by the government as a "semi-independent minor."

Such youths usually had no parents to teach them and no one to rely on. If their access to the optical computer and their paths to knowledge were restricted, there would be no one left to guide them. Therefore, families or local governments would typically apply for them to have access to the adult version—that is, full, unrestricted access to the optical computer.

Consequently, what Jiang Hui had seen at the beginning was the standard version used by adults, with no restrictions on information, communication, or functionality, and the same privacy rights afforded to adults. Unless in cases involving specific individuals required for governance or if she permitted it herself, no one could arbitrarily access her optical computer records.

She spent half the day reading, and this time, without any other distractions, Jiang Hui gained a solid understanding of many aspects of this world. Combined with the fragments of the original owner's memory, she had formed a general picture of the state of this interstellar era.

After reading for an afternoon, if nothing else, Jiang Hui's biggest takeaway was that this was truly an era of extreme information transparency; an individual was essentially an open book to the state machine. Of course, the Empire would not casually expose an individual's private information and had enacted a series of laws to strictly ensure the privacy and information security of every citizen.

Jiang Hui also learned that this world was a highly martial one. With frequent wars against alien races, the military-political system was highly developed, and the military held a very high status in the nation. Countless youths were willing to dedicate their lives to the Empire, stepping into the breach one after another to defend the borders.

However, most of these tumultuous events occurred in border regions or high-risk battle zones, and ordinary people were not greatly affected. The star system where she currently resided, as well as the interior star systems she had lived in previously, were relatively safe and stable, under the strict control and management of the Capital Star.

Barring any accidents, she would likely live a fairly stable life.

So, her previous thought of perhaps pursuing research into ancient Han languages might actually be viable. Since she had a foundation, she might even do quite well at it.

"Sigh, that’s thinking too far ahead." In any case, she didn't need to worry about such things for now. Jiang Hui felt as though she had vaguely forgotten something very important, but for some reason, she couldn't recall it, so she let it go.

Unknowingly, evening had fallen. It was indeed true that having something to do made the time pass more quickly. If she were left in the space she had dreamt of earlier, she would probably go mad before even a few days had passed.

After dinner and a quick wash, Jiang Hui returned to her room. Following her habits, it wasn't yet time for sleep. She didn't want to browse her optical computer, so she reached into a drawer and pulled out a leather-bound book to read before bed.

...She wondered why the book looked inexplicably familiar.

It was an object from the original owner's memory. She hadn't fully digested that part yet, so it hadn't registered immediately. However, after flipping through a few pages and seeing the content, Jiang Hui vaguely recalled some fragmented memories, which gradually shifted from blurry to clear.

In the interstellar era, the circulation of information had reached such a height that it could no longer be described merely as "advanced" or "explosive." The entire society had long since moved past the era of physical media into a highly electronic age.

Things like books were basically treated as data and sold in electronic form. Very few booksellers used traditional methods to print and sell physical books. After all, the raw materials and craftsmanship belonged to the ancient past, making the costs far higher, and they were inconvenient to carry. They were typically high-priced products bought only by those with academic research needs.

Jiang Hui's parents were low-ranking soldiers and not involved in academic research, so naturally, there were no such things in the house, but this particular book was the sole exception.

When Jiang’s father joined the military, it was during a time of war, and the entire interstellar situation was unstable, so he was assigned to the border defense forces for a long time. He was young then and didn't understand much; going to the battlefield, he was inevitably a bit flustered. It was thanks to a senior officer who took him under his wing and guided him through those difficult times that he managed to survive that chaotic conflict.

Later, Jiang’s father recorded what he had seen and heard during that period into a book, and he would add to it intermittently, turning it into a documentary of sorts. Even though he didn't have time to add more content later, he carried this booklet with him for the rest of his life. After he sacrificed his life, the book was collected by his comrades, passed through military inspection, and returned to the Jiang family, eventually ending up in Jiang Hui's hands.

Holding the book, memories long buried surfaced in Jiang Hui's mind. She couldn't help but stroke the leather cover, which had been touched countless times by both its original owner and his successor, feeling a wave of emotion.

She opened the book.