Chapter 17: The Reason Behind the Distortion

The school Lu Xiao Na attended was called the Neo Aonan Ability School—the only ability school in Neo Aonan.
Luo Yan estimated that its scale was comparable to a key university in her previous life.

The students here were mostly between the ages of 12 and 18, and they came from all races and ethnicities—this was something she had already confirmed with Lu Xiao Na.

Neo Aonan was indeed an independent city composed of multiple countries and cultural groups.
Most of the population were immigrants from the Republic of Asia and their descendants, followed by people from the Europa Union and the British Isles.

It was worth noting that while the major countries and cities of this world differed greatly from her original world in terms of territory and names, in culture, history, and social structure, they still corresponded to certain nations from her previous life.
This discovery made Luo Yan feel increasingly certain: this world must be a parallel world.
Something had happened—a major accident or anomaly—that caused the development of the original world line to deviate drastically, altering the entire historical trajectory.

Of course, this was still just her speculation.
The specific details required further investigation.

That was part of her reason for coming to the library today.

The library was located in the northwest corner of the school.
On the way there, Luo Yan quickly realized just how much attention she was drawing.

Previously, whenever she’d gone out in Neo Aonan, she’d always been in a car.
Now that she was walking in an open environment with people coming and going, she finally experienced what it felt like to be the center of attention.

As she walked across campus, she could feel countless gazes on her.
If she focused a little, she could even catch whispers:

“Who is that?”
“That girl is so beautiful.”
“As expected—beautiful girls hang out with other beautiful girls. Lu Xiao Na is already super cute, but the girl next to her is even more stunning.”

Even as Luo Yan looked at the library in the distance, she could still sense some fiery gazes locked onto her chest, which swayed slightly with each step.

At that moment, Luo Yan suddenly realized something.

In her previous life, he would sometimes be drawn in by some irresistible scene of beauty.
Back then, he had thought his gaze was discreet—but now, in this body, she realized everything had probably been noticed.

Thinking of this, Luo Yan felt a delayed wave of embarrassment.
But it didn’t really matter. After all—what’s wrong with a man being a little lecherous?

So although she felt a little uncomfortable and unnatural, she could also understand the stares she was receiving.

“We’re at the library, Big Sister Luo Yan.”

Lu Xiao Na stopped and pointed to the large, irregularly shaped building ahead. Its surface shimmered with a metallic sheen.

“I’ll have Atlanta accompany you inside. I need to go to class. I’ll come find you after.”

Luo Yan nodded.
“Go ahead. Don’t be late.”

After Lu Xiao Na left, Atlanta made a polite gesture with her hand.

“Miss Luo Yan, this way, please.”

The two of them easily passed the security inspection at the entrance.

Inside, Luo Yan found that compared to the exterior design, the interior of the library was far more imaginative.

Layers of white staircases spread out in wave-like patterns, with bookshelves shaped like matching waves placed along the steps.
Standing in the space felt like being inside a futuristic science fiction scene.

Atlanta introduced,
“This is a famous design in Neo Aonan called the Sea of Books. The library was also designed by Chén·Aureon. He’s a graduate of the Neo Aonan Ability School, so whenever he has a new idea, he always prioritizes his alma mater.”

“How long has this library been here? When did Chén·Aureon graduate?” Luo Yan asked.

In truth, she was more curious about this Transcendent-level ability user named Chén Aureon.

Atlanta seemed to read her mind and smiled softly.
“It was built eight years ago. Back then, Chén·Aureon was only 23 years old, and his ability level was still Luminous. Six years later—when he was 29—he broke through the genetic limit and became a Transcendent-level ability user. That same year, he designed the Inverse-Yuan Corridor for the school.”

“You remember so clearly.”

By now, the two of them had entered the reading area.
Luo Yan muttered this quietly to herself.

Atlanta replied in a low voice,
“Transcendent-level ability users are extremely rare in Neo Aonan, and Chén·Aureon isn’t exactly low-key. Knowing basic information about him isn’t difficult. Besides… with your talent and strength, Miss Luo Yan, if you stay in Neo Aonan long enough, you might even get the chance to meet him.”

The library was silent.

Even though this was an ability school, when it came to studying, the atmosphere was no different from a normal academic environment.
Everyone was focused on their reading—there was no sign of flashy powers or supernatural antics.

Atlanta gestured toward the shelves.
“To the left is the humanities and history section. Here is ability theory. The right side is for genetic science. I won’t accompany you further. Please feel free to browse at your leisure. If you need anything, you can find me at the entrance or ask a nearby staff member.”

The blonde bodyguard in a neutral suit smiled softly.

Luo Yan nodded. She didn’t object—she actually preferred having some private space.
Having someone hover over her while she read would just make her uncomfortable.

She first went to the humanities and history section and picked up a book called The Light of Civilization.
It covered the overall evolution of this world’s civilization.

Cuneiform… Stone Age… Feudal monarchs… Age of Discovery…
As expected, this matches the information I found online yesterday. The history of this world overlaps heavily with my previous life…Blue Star, so this planet is called Blue Star. It’s slightly different from my previous life, but in a sense, it’s even more fitting.

Compared to online sources, the historical materials here were richer in detail.
Luo Yan found more events that corresponded to her previous world, such as the great unification of Asia in ancient times and the eastern expeditions of European countries.

The specifics were a bit different, but the general timelines and end results were surprisingly consistent.

Even the geographical map of Blue Star—though different—still bore a certain resemblance to the world she came from.

All of this strengthened Luo Yan’s conviction in her parallel world theory.

However, there was still one lingering question:

If the historical processes were so similar, why did the two world lines diverge so drastically?

Her brows furrowed slightly as she quickened the pace of her reading.

Then, finally—on a certain page—her slender hand paused.

“I found it. The reason is here.”

The year 2000 in the Western calendar.

This year was called the Millennium Anomaly by historians.
Also known as the Century Mutation.