Hao Ren was very curious about the social situation in this twilight city.
After working in the position of inspector for three years—even though this work experience is nothing compared to old-fashioned inspectors like Galazore and Anthony, Hao Ren has cultivated a certain degree of professionalism. The only change is that he is now full of curiosity about various forms of civilization and worldview, and can observe them with a more objective and professional perspective instead of just watching. He was curious about how order was maintained in the Twilight City, curious about the ability of the Steam Council to control the city, curious about the relationship between the Steam Council and the Light Seekers, and even more curious about how a city operated in a completely closed state. What kind of attitude will a city that has been developing for two thousand years face a group of foreigners coming from outside the barrier.
When a society with all internal organs is confined in a city (although the city is huge) for two thousand years, and has been struggling with the deadly environment outside, many things can no longer be deduced by common sense.
Wendell and Borken had a lively conversation, exchanging information about the light-seeking journey and recent changes in the city, and finally Borken arranged for everyone a train that could go directly to the upper city.
"There's a locomotive leaving in a minute," Borken said as he quickly wrote a note. "An honest old driver will take you uptown. I can't get away now, but Wendell, you should have a way."
He sealed the written note into a delicate little cylinder and stuffed it into a copper tube next to his desk—a dozen of these tubes lined up next to his desk. Accompanied by a slight sound of airflow, the cylinder was sent to a long distance along the pipe, and Borken picked up a long-handled microphone with wiring, and inserted the plug into a corresponding socket next to the copper pipe: "Kos Tove, receive an emergency pass and add it to your schedule before departure."
A quarter of an hour later, Hao Ren and his party boarded the steam locomotive heading for Shangcheng District.
As the special guests personally arranged (or blocked) by the administrator Borken, they certainly don’t have to squeeze together with the ore in the carriage. The group of people are arranged in a clean compartment at the front of the car. It is a rest area for drivers and apprentices, but the locomotive will only run at full capacity when driving in the dark wilderness. When returning to the upper city, the control personnel only need less than half, and this rest area is just vacant.
In view of the huge size of the motorcycle, the lounge seemed quite spacious, and Hao Ren and his party didn't feel cramped at all when they stayed in it. Lily happily lay on the car window looking at the cityscape speeding by outside, shouting happily no matter what she saw, and Elizabeth joined her together, but the little devil's attention was obviously more focused on this car. on the locomotive itself. The closest to these two live treasures is Nangong Wuyue, and the sea demon girl is much calmer. She is as warm as water and expresses that she has no fluctuations in her heart, and even feels like spitting bubbles...
The dishwashing liquid in May's belly has not been digested yet.
Hao Ren got out of his seat, went to the gate at the end of the lounge and looked inside. Through a dirty glass window, he could see the situation in the opposite cab. He saw complex pipes, valves, pressure gauges and control wrenches everywhere in the cab. Two strong apprentices were adding fuel to the fuel bucket, while an old man with gray hair was busy between the wrenches and the valves. Standing and carefully controlling the locomotive, the old man is "Kostov" in Borken's mouth. It is said that he has been driving this kind of machine for forty years, running back and forth between the dark field and the twilight city countless times, and is still in good health: quite an achievement for the crew on the machine.
You should know that although drivers and apprentices don't have to work in the dark wilderness for a long time like miners, their exposure to the magic energy environment is only during the period when the locomotive is running outside the barrier, and there are also very thick protective shells and The protection of the pipes studded with runes, but they also work under the night after all, the pervasive magic energy radiation can always bypass the most stringent protection, even the equipment of the light seekers may not be able to protect people well, but This Kostov has lived healthy and healthy until now. When his colleagues all entered the incinerator early and turned into steam power, he was still on this post, turning those heavy wrenches and valves, his body Surprisingly tough.
"Did you see anything?" Vivienne also came over, glanced through the glass window, and said something seemingly casually.
Hao Ren nodded slightly: "It doesn't look like a pure-blooded human, I think his spiritual power is very strong."
"Weak werewolf blood. There were a lot of werewolves in the Nordic region back then. Some werewolves and their human servants gave birth to mixed offspring. The proud and arrogant aliens did not recognize this kind of mixed offspring, so the mixed offspring would be thrown into the human race." In the midst—the "illegitimate children" who are powerful and brave in mythology but are always disliked by the gods are probably like this. The blood of this half-breed is already quite thin, and his ancestors may be a legendary hero in Norse mythology , or Beowulf, or someone else...but now he's just a little stronger, a little longer-lived, and more resistant to magic than the average human being."
"There is always a sense that the age of mythology is still continuing."
"That's right, the age of mythology is still continuing in this land," Vivian said in a low voice, "people on Earth have thrown mythology into the library, but people in this land are still telling stories about the past , but to be honest, I don’t want that era to continue in this form at all: it makes me feel very depressed.”
At this time, Dragon Queen Galazhuoer also came over, but she didn't talk about the city, but suddenly said something that didn't start and end: "The work attitude is good."
"Work attitude?" Hao Ren was taken aback, "Why does this suddenly involve work attitude?"
"Some novice inspectors will always make some impulsive mistakes, and their strength will make people forget their duties." Galazhuoer looked sideways at the scenery outside the car window, "Rampaging, straight to the target, so they often miss the target. There are many things besides, and these things are often quite valuable. You don't seem to be able to: you will be curious about everything on the journey, and you are willing to participate in the life of each civilization without compromising the ultimate goal. , Observing them and understanding them is invaluable. The examiner is an observer, observation and feedback—the kind of person who goes straight to the goal will not see the scenery along the way, and your mentality is just right."
Hao Ren was embarrassed by what the Dragon Queen had to say, and he was a little dizzy by the way: "Why is there such a high evaluation?"
"Of course, because that's why the gods need us," the Dragon Queen smiled. "They asked us to help with the affairs of the world, because we belong to the world and can blend into the world."
Hao Ren snorted, showing a thoughtful expression.
Galazhuoer looked at him with a smile, and didn't continue to say anything. There are some truths that I want to understand more profoundly than being told.
The steam locomotive roared, and the steel monster dragged a majestic white air column and flew over the Twilight Capital, and dense and weird buildings passed under and on both sides of the locomotive. The windows of some high-rise buildings were pushed open, and curious children lay on the window sills and watched the speeding locomotives. This is their happiest moment every day, and the adults of these children are not very good at stopping it, which is a bit dangerous move.
The steam locomotive, this rumbling noise monster has extraordinary significance in the city. It symbolizes the operation of the city, the surging power of the big boiler, and the fresh blood still surging in the barrier. Every person born in the twilight Citizens in the capital are well aware of the sacred meaning of the sound of the siren. When the air column gushes out from the boiler, a kind of pride and peace of mind will fill them. This kind of psychological orientation is even a part of education—young Children must learn to sense courage and pride from the sound of steam.
Because in this city that is only protected by a thin barrier, there is nothing that can give people a sense of security.
"The city is divided into three parts," Wendell said when the steam locomotive crossed a huge mechanical bridge. "The area we saw before belongs to the outer edge area, which is the area connected to the dark wilderness. Follow this ramp all the way up It is the upper city, most of the artisans and the Steam Council live in the upper city, and below here, you can look down, the dark and gloomy depths of the city, that is the lower city, the oldest part of the Twilight City."
Following Wendell's instructions, Hao Ren leaned on the car window and looked down. His eyes passed through the steel beams and roofs, and he saw the deepest part of the city. The Twilight City is like a weird ant nest piled up in the air. Newer buildings press older buildings. Relying on some ingenious construction rules, this seemingly precarious structure has been firmly supported until today. There is a deep darkness between the gaps in the city. The urban area hundreds or even thousands of years ago is quietly dormant under the dark abyss, lacking change and brilliance, as if forgotten by time.
But there is actually still life there, and a large number of people live in the lower city today. The oldest cornerstone of the city: the big steam furnace and part of the pressure pipe are also buried in that abyss, the huge and rusty Gears rumbled in the darkness, and the original cauldron known as the "Heart of Sturtle" was said to be still running. The people responsible for maintaining these devices have lived among those gears and pipes for generations, and even generations have never left the labyrinthine mechanical cabins.
They almost evolved into another species, a new species that hibernates in the dark, survives on heat and oil, and lives in symbiosis with pipes and steam valves. Some scholars even believe that these people who have maintained large boilers for generations have been in contact for a long time The "spirit of steam" has undergone a metamorphosis in the process, and is about to become a creature called a "deval".
A sheet of steam emerged from the dark abyss of the city, blocking the prying sight from top to bottom. Hao Ren looked away, and he saw that the locomotive was slowly approaching the platform in the upper city. (to be continued~^~)