After about half an hour of climbing, the carriage finally drove off the steep mountain road.
The wheels rolled over a broad, stone-paved road that would lead the crowds to the city of Zion.
It is worth noting that
There are black lamp posts at equal intervals on both sides of the road. They are not kerosene lamps, but electric lamps.
"There's actually a light here?"
Ever since coming to this world, Yi Chen has been curious about the era he lives in.
The cabin in the cemetery is equipped with an old-fashioned telephone, which can only be used to contact the administrator. There are no other electrical appliances... This makes Yi Chen speculate that this world is in the era not long after the Second Industrial Revolution.
But as he left the cemetery,
No electrical equipment was seen outside.
People use kerosene lamps and candles to get light.
Even the vehicles sent by the organization were horse-drawn carriages, not cars powered by internal combustion engines.
This made Yi Chen even more confused.
Currently, electricity-related facilities have reappeared on the road leading to the city of Zion, making him a little confused about what is going on.
"Could it be that, due to the disease, some backward areas have not been able to keep up with the development and have remained in the pre-industrial revolution? That's not right. If they were, the telephone would not appear in the cemetery.
Could it be a phone that the manager brought from the organization? 』
"Gray area."
Little Grape suddenly interrupted Yi Chen's thoughts and gave a key word.
"What do you mean?"
"According to the memories that I have put together in my head,
The human beings here once entered the electrical age for a period of time, replacing steam energy with extremely efficient and convenient electricity... Unfortunately, due to the influence of disease, electricity was not able to develop in an all-round way and was "divided and restricted".
Because the gray area is spread all over the world, it is spreading and growing every moment.
Any material in the gray area will be affected, even electricity is no exception.
When electric wires pass through the gray area, the electric current flowing in it will be affected and become a pathogenic medium.
A light bulb lit by electric current will affect the individual's skin through light radiation.
Affected telephones will also emit strange noises and whispers from the receiver, gradually affecting people's thinking.
There are even some blurry and strange images in the TV room, spreading the disease through visual means.
therefore,
The development of electric energy was completely curbed, and human technology was forced to regress to the steam age.
However, in some relatively safe large cities, such as the city of Zion where you are about to arrive, there must be power plants inside to maintain the power supply in the city and the development of related technologies.
That's probably it. 』
"Even electricity can be affected by disease? What exactly is the so-called disease and what is its origin?"
"My memory is incomplete, so I can't answer this question... And, even among you humans, I'm afraid no one can answer it. You should be able to find out slowly through exploration and seeking knowledge in the future."
Just as Yi Chen's doubts grew and he wanted to continue chatting with Xiao Pu Tao,
The carriage stopped.
Edmund's voice came:
"Mr. William, don't take a nap~ We have arrived at the city of Zion.
The next step is the important assessment and awarding process, which is related to whether we can officially join the organization and the corresponding treatment in the future. "
"OK."
When I stepped off the carriage, I didn't see the city gate as I expected.
Instead, two dark, tall towers with Gothic spires stood in front of them, with vertical ribs outlined on their surfaces.
There is a long, narrow, dark passage between the towers.
This is also the only road leading into the city.
On both sides of the tower are endless black high walls, mainly with spires and vertical structures.
Gargoyle-like statues are set at regular intervals on the top of the wall, adding an eerie feeling to the already dark exterior structure.
Rather than being a city wall, it is more like a Gothic city wall with military characteristics.
"William, come quickly!
We still have to pass through this doorway used for isolation, testing, and purification before we can officially reach the interior of the city of Zion.”
"Um."
A total of 19 examinees were sent here.
Everyone lined up in a relatively orderly manner and entered the narrow doorway between the towers.
The doorway uses a barrel vault and arch rib frame, and the surfaces of the vertical columns on both sides are equipped with classically decorated wall lamps.
Not far.
A man dressed as a gentleman, holding a bent cane and wearing a white mask blocked the road.
A secret passage appeared on each side of the wall beside him.
A mature and heavy voice came from under the mask.
“I am very pleased that so many newcomers have passed this relatively difficult assessment.
However, before you set foot in Zion, you must undergo a thorough physical disinfection.
Men to the right,
Madam, turn left.
After arriving at the disinfection room, please take off all clothes within a short period of time.
If after the disinfection is completed, if it is still detected that there are pathogenic substances exceeding the standard on your body, or if you have symptoms of infection, you will be cleared directly. "
Yi Chen followed the end of the men's team and arrived at an enclosed space.
Blond Edmund was the first to strip completely naked.
When Yi Chen was taking off his clothes, he unexpectedly discovered that his body, William Behrens, was quite good.
Although slightly thin,
But the four abdominal muscles are faintly visible, and the body fat percentage is also controlled within the normal range.
About half a minute passed.
A jet-type pipe extends from the front, back, and sides of everyone, and even from the lower parts of their bodies and the walls above their heads.
An extremely pungent pale yellow liquid was ejected at high pressure.
It directly washed over everyone's bodies, and some of the seriously injured examinees were even sprayed and rolled around several times.
Yi Chen tried his best to keep his body steady.
"Chlorine water? It seems to be mixed with something else..."
The flushing is over.
A strange feeling of voyeurism quickly swept over everyone's body, as if detecting something.
Buzz! There was only a slight vibration in the air, and a young man sitting against the wall disappeared.
"Disappear directly? What kind of method is this?"
Yi Chen was quite surprised. He was concentrating... but he didn't see anything just now.
Everyone put on their clothes and returned to the previous entrance and corridor.
After the disinfection phase, the number of people was reduced to 17.
Everyone continued to follow the gentleman wearing the white mask towards the exit of the doorway.
When you step out of the door,
The glow of the morning sun instantly shines on everyone.
At the same time, it presents a special city full of Gothic Revival atmosphere and beyond the conventional construction style to everyone.
Zion
Streets that cross each other, have multiple layers and are connected by arch bridges.
Various rugged and winding, undulating neighborhood paths,
There are also churches, guild buildings or aristocratic mansions that are built in mid-air through special architectural methods, such as columns, spiral staircases or large stairs.
In terms of certain architectural aspects, it has surpassed the world in which Yi Chen lived.
The gentleman leading the way put his tall hat on his chest and bowed slightly to the crowd.
"Welcome to Zion, G&D's headquarters and our sanctuary on earth.
I'm your temporary guide, Jeff Peterson.
Please continue to follow me to the God Skin Residence. Depending on your performance in the assessment, you will receive different levels of "Gentleman's Skin (Skiry)".
Please do not leave the team and go to other places during the journey, otherwise it will be regarded as voluntarily giving up the "skin gift". "
When I heard this special word,
Blond Edmund and most of the examinees showed eager eyes and became excited... It seemed that all the dangers they experienced along the way were worth it.
Although Yi Chen had no expression on his face,
But his heart was gradually agitated, and he really wanted to know what kind of return his "big gamble" would get.