Zyx's Road Trip: Day Three

Looking at the map, I'd say that my pixy friend Zyx Flux is making good time on her journey. Her report indicates she flew for a bit of time so that might explain it.

Started on the Bbang - Salgu border (SLurl) and proceeded North on Route 9.

Found a nameless parkland in Salgu (SLurl), across the road from the shopping area in my last report (didn't realize I was in Salgu for that part of the trip nor did I see the large Christian church on the grounds of the retreat ... I'll have to stop back for a look at another time). There are grasses, flowers, trees, and large rune stones of some sort — and a crude (in a couple senses of the word) statue that might offend some girls. Or not. But it wasn't for me. Despite the lack of name and any clear purpose, I enjoyed my visit. Any time I find a nice meadow or park land, I have to stop and investigate. I am a gardner, after all.

After passing into the Caeshu region I came across a young lady just sitting — well, floating, actually — on some abandoned land (SLurl). What struck me is that she had a "Movie Star" group tag. I'd seen two others in a similar situation, one on each of my previous two days. I can't say for sure if it was the same girl or not, but her look today wasn't familiar. She didn't reply to my greetings, however, so maybe she was one of those "land bots" I've heard about. Otherwise, Casehu is a dull place filled with ban lines and games of chance along the roadside. Much of this trip was a battle with ban lines, I'm sad to say.

In Doomaekkot nothing much happened for the whole 2 minutes I was there except the road bent Westward to the Dacham region, both filled with ban lines, too. But in the latter sim I came across another so-tagged Movie Star, and I hadn't seen her before, either!  These girls are becoming as regular as those mysterious purple crystals I've been seeing. This one, too, was just sitting on the ground, ignoring everything. Quickly I composed a message on some parchment I had and stuck it to her with some slime from Shelly, my pack snail.

[16:53] Zyx Flux: Hello! I'm a traveller along Route 9 here on the mainland and I keep coming across attractive young ladies like yourself, simply sitting on the ground and seeming oblivious to everything. Each of you has the "Movie Star" name tag but the group isn't listed in your Profiles. May I ask, are you some sort of 'Land Bot' or other automaton? I'm very curious :D Thank you for your time and have a great day!

I also took a pic for my Profile Feed and gave her the URL. Hopefully she'll reply sometime.

Having dismounted from my pack snail, I flew on to the Bam region and into the Mandu region having told Shelly to catch up when she could (with the cab fare I had given her with her lunch). The map showed these regions to be filled with an urban landscape and I felt flying around would be best. The crystals that I've seen the whole trip thus far were here, too, and looked out of place even amongst the eclectic architecture styles. An automated note card giver told me that the buildings are part of a complex for the "Occupied Squares Project" (and that they have a Web page).

The goal of the "occupied squares" project is to enable social media, and the use of the Internet, in such a way that we can create an actual virtual-world governing and policy making institution that is transnational, non-hierarchical, and barrier-free to all participants.

Sounds verbosely noble to me, but I was more fascinated as to how they fit all the buildings around the Linden-owned road. Everything appeared to be laid out by professional planners and architects with a mix of well-made prefabs beside amateurishly-made custom builds. On the whole, though, it was quite impressive. I used the ultra wide lens on my camera for this shot:

Some really cool architecture is "spoiled" by well-laid out but not-so-well-executed water features. I'm tempted to offer my services as gardener — I can probably carry off some nice water works.

Eventually I wound up in Maeshil I where I found a delightful little gazebo on some land called "Ikaika's Place" (SLurl). There I tended a few pretty plants in need of some love and waited for Shelly to catch up. This is one of those comforting spots along the roadside that just beg travelers to drop in and share the owner's space, if only for a short time. I rather wish the land I call my home (and share with this blog's owner, Uccello, plus her brother) was on the roadside for just this purpose. Shelly eventually arrived (with change left over to handsomely tip the cab driver) and we decided to spend the night. So after supper and a (very slow) game of Tag (that she won) in the tall grasses, we bedded down to pen this report and fell asleep under a warm blankie.