Chapter 438: The Giants of the Fairytale

Though York had anticipated it, the sudden shift to such a peaceful period still felt a bit unfamiliar to him.

Perhaps this was the bliss of ignorance.

For York, it was just a slight feeling of discomfort, nothing more.

The next day, with a wave of his hand, York led his entire team on a local tour.

First, they took an electric sightseeing car around the area.

They visited the glacier museum, where they engaged with interactive exhibits and films about the formation and movement of glaciers.

They tasted the traditional natural foods of the Sognefjord area, including high-quality fruits, berries, lamb, game, highland salmon, and goat cheese.

Even the so-called viewing platforms were included in their itinerary.

This jaunt gave them some insights into Flam, the small town they would be living in for a while.

Finally, they boarded a small train, ready to embark on the journey along the Flam high mountain railway.

The train's exterior was a finely designed green shell, and surprisingly, the interior was styled with nostalgic furniture, which York found quite appealing.

Seeing something different from the usual modernities piqued his interest.

The seats were for four. Sitting next to him was Alesia, and across from him were Hannah and Eileen.

Sitting together with the three women, he certainly drew the gaze of passing tourists.

Even though he had taken off his clerical robe and was dressed in simple winter clothing, many still stole glances at him. Perhaps the onlookers thought they were being discreet, but for York, as soon as their gaze lingered on him, he could feel it.

York pretended not to notice the covert looks coming from a neighboring quartet of seats and glanced back.

In the rear seats, John Wick and Hili were sitting together, gazing out at the landscape.

"Hili, hand me a book."

He had grown tired of beautiful scenery, no matter how magnificent.

The real purpose of this trip was to approach the world rift, so he might as well study something.

After returning from the rift, he realized how inadequate his knowledge was, even compared to Hili, who seemed like an ordinary person to him.

However, this was advantageous because, with Hili around, he could target his learning towards the world of particles, precise and to the point.

"Sure." Hili reached into his backpack and pulled out a thick book. Ever since York expressed interest in particle physics, he had specifically selected books on the subject. The knowledge contained in this book was obscure and profound, challenging even for graduate students to digest alone.

Hili had initially thought York was just amusing himself and might not understand it, but remembering what Eileen had described and his own understanding of York, he suspected the bishop could indeed comprehend it. After all, for him, York wasn't just a man but an angel sent by God to Earth.

Unaware of Hili's thoughts, York took the heavy book, his eyes sparkling with a thirst for knowledge.

Ignoring the surprised looks from nearby passengers, York casually flipped open the book.

The next scene, however, caused everyone but Alesia and Eileen, including Hannah and even the nosy neighbors, to be dumbfounded.

York, as if playing, pinched one side of the book and started flipping through the pages at a breakneck pace, barely pausing for two seconds per page, faster than the blink of an eye.

"Father, is this how you usually read?" Hannah asked quietly.

"Are you sure you're reading, not just playing?"

She doubted the speed at which York was flipping the pages.

Though she knew Father had some superhuman qualities—he had worn her out after all—the spectacle before her seemed exaggerated.

York paused, glanced at Hannah who looked somewhat disdainful, and then passed the book to her.

"Pick any page, just show it to me for a second."

This statement piqued the curiosity of not only the observant Alesia but also Eileen sitting next to Hannah, who had always wanted to ask her bishop if he could really absorb information this way but had never voiced it due to her trust in him.

"Playing tricks, I don't believe you can follow," Hannah muttered under her breath. Under everyone's watchful eyes, she randomly flipped open a page.

"A second is up!"

After just a second, she covered half of the page with her hand and looked at York.

"Father, what does the covered part say?"

Hannah raised an eyebrow, almost seeing York's embarrassed face after a supposed failure.

Seeing the charmingly sexy Hannah, York just smiled and softly said,

"Particles might involve 'collapse of the wave function,' 'quantum excitation of the field,' 'irreducible representation of the Poincaré group,' 'vibrating strings,' 'transformation of quantum bits.'

For any other object, its properties depend on its physical composition—in essence, on its constituent particles.

But the properties of these particles don

't stem from their own components but from mathematical models. As a nexus between mathematics and reality, particles straddle two worlds with an uncertain footing."

With each statement, Hannah, comparing it to the text she covered, opened her mouth slightly in astonishment.

Eileen, discerning the outcome from Hannah's expression, sneakily glanced at York and then turned to look out the window, feeling a mix of pride and admiration for her bishop, and an array of unspoken emotions.

As for Alesia, sitting next to York, she raised her eyebrows, looking at the stunned Hannah with a 'I knew it' expression.

"Humph! Underestimating Uncle York leads to destruction," she thought smugly.

"Wake up!"

York, seeing the dazed Hannah, lightly tapped her forehead, then took the book from her hands, continuing to read.

But unexpectedly, Hannah, coming to her senses and clutching her forehead, accused him.

"Ouch! Father, you're a monster, aren't you? No, you must have memorized it beforehand!"

York twitched his mouth, uninterested in arguing with someone who always had a sharp tongue, even when in tears, and resumed his reading journey.

However, the discussions about him from the neighboring seats never ceased.

Interestingly, the people next to him were none other than the three Chinese girls he had encountered yesterday, the ones he had met last night.

The tallest one seemed to be named Wan Yi.

This made him feel a sense of fate, as if something was bound to happen.

Their chattering about his relationship with Eileen, Hannah, and Alesia was mostly accurate.

They believed Hannah, with her height and sexy figure, blended with a mature yet cute appearance, was suited for him, and unanimously thought she was his woman.

They were right.

They guessed Eileen, with her serene demeanor and respectful attitude, might be his sister.

Wrong.

They thought Alesia, due to her overt dependence and attachment, was his daughter.

In a way, they were also right.

Listening to the Mandarin, so ingrained in his bones, York gradually felt more relaxed and comfortable.

The trio thought no foreigner could understand Mandarin, so they were particularly lively, never imagining that a foreigner with a Chinese soul could hear them.

What a strange and coincidental situation.

York's lips curled up, and he turned the page.

At that moment, the train's announcement over the bustling noise of the carriage began.

"Welcome aboard our wonderful scenic train journey! During this trip, we will take you through stunning landscapes, showcasing nature's masterpieces and rich cultural heritage.

Please ensure your seat and safety, as our train is about to depart. Make sure your luggage is securely stowed to prevent movement or falling during the journey, and please keep an eye on your personal safety..."

With the conductor's announcement, their journey on the Flam high mountain railway finally began.

The train shuddered and slowly started moving.

This train would travel from the fjord to the mountain top, a thrilling ride indeed.

The atmosphere in the carriage instantly lifted as the train began its ascent.

Even Hannah and Alesia, who had grown tired of the scenery, were infected with excitement.

York glanced at them, his gaze softening. He closed the book he had nearly finished in just a short time and, through the train window, appreciated the colorful fjord scenery.

If nothing else occurred, he would enjoy these views until they reached the next town, Mirta Town, where the world rift was located.

Apart from the rift, there was another destination he intended to visit there: an ancient church named Borgund Stave Church. According to records, Saint Olaf II Haraldsson, who was both a saint and a king of Norway, had once stayed there.

Not to mention this detail, Borgund Stave Church was also on his list because it was the best-preserved wooden church in Norway.

The scenery was monotonous, and after a while, York, along with Hannah, Alesia, and Eileen, lost interest in watching and reopened the book on the table.

But just then, as the train passed a continuous range of mountains, a conversation between a local and their child caught his attention.

"Honey, this is the legendary Giant's Ridge. Do you remember that fairy tale?" the man said.

"Dad, I don't believe in fairy tales anymore," the girl's voice sounded, seemingly annoyed that her father still thought of her as a child.

"Oh, I thought you liked that story," the man sounded surprised.

"You tell it every day, I'm sick of it," the girl responded. "And because of you, I remember it so clearly, I probably won't forget it in this lifetime."

Perhaps to lift her father's spirits, the girl continued:

"Well, a long time ago, giants held a grand wedding, but thirteen giants got drunk and fell asleep huddled together, forgetting the time. When the sun came up, the sunlight turned them into stone.

That's why

 there are thirteen peaks connected together."

Following the girl's voice, York stopped reading and instinctively looked out the window.

The continuous peaks tightly linked together. Although covered in snow and not very clear, the elevation differences did indeed suggest there were exactly thirteen peaks.

At the same time, the father's voice followed: "Honey, you should know that fairy tales often have a basis in reality."

The next second, the girl's rebuttal rang out.

"So you're saying these thirteen peaks are the legendary giants? To me, they just look like mountains."

"."

York watched as the scenery outside the window, due to the train's speed, quickly disappeared from view, and something clicked in his mind, his eyebrows slightly raising.

He saw what was beneath those peaks.

A group of people were down there, engaged in research, discussing something that seemed to be of great interest.

"Interesting."

Alesia noticed York's peculiar behavior and asked, looking up, "What's wrong, Uncle York?"

"Nothing, just thinking about some things," York shook his head, continuing to read the book in his hands.

—

The sightseeing train shuddered to a halt at a small station in a town.

York thanked the Chinese trio with a "thank you" and then led Alesia, Eileen, and Hannah, escorted by John Wick and Hili, off the train first.

"Wow, I've never seen such a polite foreigner before; his demeanor is really attractive! Makes me want to steal glances at him now and then!"

"I feel the same."

"."

Listening to the voices of the Chinese trio behind him, York maintained his smile, leading his team off the train to their destination, Mirta Town.

The sightseeing train was designed as a comprehensive tour route, continuously circling from end to end.

So, Mirta Town, like Flam, was also one of the attractions along this line.

It was an important town in the Sognefjord area, the starting point of the famous ancient Norwegian scenic route—the Snow Road. The mountainous path passed alongside a branch of the Sognefjord, winding and rugged, with significant altitude differences, offering a rich tapestry of landscapes from verdant forests to highland pastures.

Perfect for this winter season.

Even though it was winter, the number of tourists choosing to disembark at Mirta Town was quite substantial, including the Chinese trio behind them.

"Let's go." After glancing at the Chinese trio, who seemed to be discussing what to do first, York's gaze was already on some clergy waiting in a corner for them.

"Before we hit the mountain trails, let's visit Borgund Stave Church first."

"Yes," replied Eileen and the others.

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