Chapter 947 The So-Called Royal City
The Ancestral Furnace - this huge and ancient giant machine is groaning in pain. Its surface is dark, almost all the heat dissipation grids and light signals are dim, and waves of low strange noises are constantly coming from its depths. It sounded like the death cry of some kind of monster. There are still traces of the previous explosion on the weathered shell: a striking crack extends diagonally from the top of the main reactor shell, almost through one-third of the main body of the Ancestral Furnace, and in the crack There were still smoke and small-scale electric sparks coming out, and it seemed that something was still running there. However, in this case, it was more reassuring that the thing could stop completely than linger on: Hao Ren was very worried about whether it would produce The next explosion.
"The core should have been shut down." The data terminal quickly scanned the energy readings inside the Ancestral Furnace and gave a slightly reassuring conclusion. "There is still some current surge in the suspected buffer layer. In a short period of time, It won’t explode.”
Hao Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He smelled a strong burnt smell lingering in the air. At first, he thought it was the smell of the "Steel Beast Chariot"'s engine finally being scrapped. Later, he realized that it was the smoke left over from the previous explosion. gas. There was so much gas leaked during the giant reactor accident that the purification pumps on the nearby shelter bulkheads, which were in serious disrepair, could not cope with the incident. Now the entire city was filled with the pungent smell of burning chemicals.
Led by Willy and a group of Royal City soldiers, everyone arrived at the capital of the Tower Kingdom. This royal city is indeed much grander and more solemn than the Hearth City, and unlike the distant city-states that are like garbage dumps, this royal city was obviously carefully built by many craftsmen - it stands next to the "Ancestral Furnace", with an ancient An antenna broadcasting tower or other high tower is the core. Around the tower, craftsmen built a seven-story, hexagonal classical castle with cement and steel. There are bright flags flying on the castle and knights in bright armor standing guard. Hundreds of complete glass windows shine in the light, and around the castle are neat residences and spacious streets. Some of these houses are slightly modified based on the original buildings of the shelter city, and some are simply built from scratch by craftsmen. After getting rid of the problem of using garbage and scraps to decorate the walls, these houses look beautiful and elegant.
At least compared to other city-states.
There is a high city wall around the royal city. This wall is also built with new materials - the "new materials" here refer to things other than garbage and waste. The craftsmen who built the royal city didn't know where they got so much cement and brand-new steel plates. They built the city wall so strong and beautiful that it didn't look like they were materials collected from the ruins of a shelter. Perhaps the tower king was lucky enough to occupy a warehouse of ancient building materials that had not yet been exhausted?
Regardless, building a royal city would undoubtedly consume a huge amount of wealth, especially in a sanctuary like this.
The Tower King City is densely populated, far more prosperous than other city-states in the Ark. There are well-dressed citizens and spirited knights here. People are walking on the streets, and various merchants and vendors are selling strange products in the streets and alleys—— Mainly utensils, food, cloth, and rust-free metal sheets. The level of prosperity here is a bit surprising. It almost looks like a normal and prosperous medieval city-state, with no trace of a starship shelter at all - unless you look up at the sky, where another city hangs upside down.
The "Steel Beast Chariot" that Hao Ren and the others rode when they arrived and the Iron City State's "Skeleton Chariot" were blocked outside the city. Those loud and dirty machines were not allowed to enter the city, just like some of the ancient machines on earth. The country does not allow mules from the countryside to enter the royal city.
"Among the four kingdoms in the world, only the capital of the High Tower Kingdom is so close to the ancestral furnace." Willy proudly introduced the capital of his homeland to Hao Ren. "In the legend, the High Tower Capital' Hongforge is the first human city-state at the birth of the world. God created humans here and allowed humans to survive in the city. The watchtower on the top of Hongforge is exactly flush with the first ring of the ancestral Forge. That is the staircase leading to the spirits of the ancestors. Everyone who dies in this world must enter the oven through that first ring and be reborn as a part of the world. And because the Tower Kingdom owns that tower, it is The place closest to the principle of world cycle. No matter how fierce the conflict between the four kings is, this great city has never fallen."
The tower that Willy refers to is the spire at the top of the castle in the center of the royal city. There is also an antenna transmitter with a history of tens of thousands of years hanging on it. The name of the Tower Kingdom may be derived from this tower. , and the so-called "first ring" is the outermost steel structure of the core reactor, which should be the condensation component of the reactor. In the eyes of locals, this complex and exquisite ring has an extraordinary significance.
"So the bachelors from the Four Kingdoms all come to the Royal Capital of the Tower Kingdom to gather when discussing issues related to the Ancestral Furnace?" Vivian found this unbelievable. "Aren't you all enemies of each other? People from the other three countries are Come to the capital of an enemy country for a meeting like this? And you let them in?"
"This is an ancient sacred covenant," Willy said seriously. "No one dares to break the oath under the Forge of the Forefathers. During the truce, no one is allowed to kill or shed blood in the Forge."
Bachelor Oro explained this issue from a historical perspective: "The High Tower Kingdom is the royal descendant of the first dynasty in ancient times. Although that dynasty has fallen apart, the blood of the royal descendants cannot be doubted. The High Tower Kingdom has always been the orthodoxy of this world, and The other three kingdoms are just lost people who were separated due to the curse. When a fundamental crisis involving the world arises, all kingdoms must shelve their disputes and discuss things again before the throne of the only true king. This is a must."
Lily was particularly interested in such gossip: "Is the High Tower Kingdom the descendant of the original orthodox royal family? How many other countries are there?"
"The ancestors of the Iron City State are mechanics, the Free City State is inherited from civilians, merchants and craftsmen, and the Star Castle is the descendant of a group of scholars," Bachelor Oro said slowly, "This is what is recorded in the history books."
"It's such a weird society," Nangong Wuyue stuck out her tongue. She couldn't help but be a little surprised when she saw a group of people dressed in fancy clothes, with their faces painted and carrying artificial leather on their backs noisily walking over from the other end of the street. "Aren't these the 'refugees' we saw on the road before? They have also entered the city?"
"No, they are bachelors and soldiers of the Free City," Bachelor Oro explained. "The people of the Free City do look a bit like the wanderers in the wilderness. In fact, some people often confuse the two: because they are really related. Ambiguous. But the Free City State is still one of the Four Kingdoms after all. Their capital is built on the Bronn Highlands on the other side of the world. Half of the leather and cloth in the world are produced in the synthetic factories there."
Although the High Tower Kingdom occupies a "god-given land" next to the ancestral furnace, the capitals of the other three kingdoms also have their own unshakable status. The capital of the Free City State controls the lifeblood of things that keep out the cold on the other side of the world, while the capital of the Iron City State is a key hub called the "Mechanical Core." From Oro's description, Hao Ren judged that it was probably an in-ship city. The hub of material recycling and recycling, Star Castle is the smallest of the Four Kingdoms, but it is the location of the Tower of Knowledge. It cultivates generations of intellectuals and represents the mysteries and wisdom of this world. In the dispute between the four kings, Star Castle This can almost be used to maintain the neutral status of the local area.
The four kingdoms are so crowded and crammed into a closed world a hundred kilometers long. They are intertwined with each other and their forces are entangled, forming a weird and complicated situation. It is difficult to explain how they came into being over hundreds to a thousand years. This is a situation, but Hao Ren believes that any smart sociologist will be blinded after coming to this refuge ark: there is a crazy social model here, and logic and common sense are almost gone.
"Then what should we do?" Nangong Sanba asked curiously, "When do you plan to investigate the situation of Ancestor Honglu?"
"All bachelors must go to the castle to meet with the king and discuss issues," Bachelor Oro pointed to the castle in the distance. "You can wait in the city. Willy knows where to go."
Some knights from the royal city came over from the direction of the castle. They were specially designed to receive the bachelors who gathered from all over the world. Oro left under the leadership of these soldiers, leaving Hao Ren and his party and Willy to stay where they were.
"I know where the hotel is." Willy shook a small sign hanging on his chest. "The emblem of Hearth City can allow us to each be assigned a room. Let's rest for the night first. It's too late today. I’m afraid the maester won’t be back until tomorrow.”
Vivian suddenly looked up at the Ancestral Furnace, looking at the dimmed heat dissipation grids and coil ducts, and her brows gradually wrinkled.
Hao Ren noticed this: "What's wrong?"
"I just suddenly heard..." Vivian continued to frown, "There seemed to be something calling me over there."