As a guest who had lent a helping hand, Hao Ren and the rest were well received in Hearthfire. While the viceroy of the castle looked like a stern man, he was not lacking in manners when it came to entertaining guests. However, due to the state of this world, even the best hospitality would not have been comfortable. Hao Ren and the rest were led by Willy to the castle, which was the bottom floor of the old factory. Along the outer wall were rows of small rooms for guests. These rooms were enclosed with metal sheets and molded boards. There was some simple furniture in the room, it was shabby and had a strange smell to it, but it was already one of the better guest rooms in Hearthfire.
Just by looking at the holes on the metal sheds in the civilian district, Hao Ren knew that they had been treated with a high standard of hospitality.
This also showed that even though the viceroy treated Willy harshly, he still valued his son. Otherwise, he wouldn't have treated the person who saved his son with such sincerity.
Willy went to invite the famous Master Orrow, while Hao Ren and the rest squeezed into a room, exchanging their opinions. After seeing the bizarre state of the city, everyone had their own guesses and thoughts, and they needed to have a discussion.
"Anyway, their legacy is clearly broken." Vivian said as she looked out the window. From there, she could see the scene in the square. On the streets made of scrap metal and plastic, a group of dirty children were running around. "Civilization has regressed back to the age of cold weapons."
Wuyue mumbled, "Society has gone back to the feudal era."
"Society hasn't really changed much. Based on what we found on the Terra Firma, the inhabitants of the ark were a monarchy during the technological era." Hao Ren waved his hand. "What I'm curious about is what could have happened to cause society to regress so neatly. These people don't seem to know the concept of a spaceship, and they don't even know what a malfunctioning gravity system means. MDT, analyze it. "
The MDT was hiding in Hao Ren's pocket, but it transmitted its voice directly into everyone's mind. "A massive decrease in population, or a complete collapse of the industrial base could cause civilization to regress, but it shouldn't be as complete as this. Even if technology is broken, people should at least know that their ancestors were once rich. Their current situation is that they have no concept of their own world, like … "
Lily could not hold back her curiosity. "Like what?"
"It's like the death of an entire generation," the MDT said faintly. "Unless their entire generation is disconnected at the same time, resulting in the next generation receiving no systematic education or very little education, it may lead to the rupture of civilization. Or it could be a memory wipe, where everyone's knowledge disappears at the same time, and they can't find a way to fix it. "
"As far as we know, the ark fleet had many breakdowns in the second half of the voyage. The ships had to rely on patchwork methods to continue operating, but this kind of crisis wouldn't have led to the situation we're seeing here." Vivian rubbed her forehead. She was knowledgeable, but her knowledge was of no use at this point. "The breakdowns and accidents of the ark are gradual processes. They wouldn't have wiped out an entire generation."
Hao Ren pondered in silence. His eyes swept across the window, and he saw three men in coarse robes maintaining the street lights in a dirty alley outside. One of the men, who looked slightly older, climbed up the lamppost and carefully removed the broken light and replaced it with a new one. He then came down from the lamppost and bowed to the lights and wiring with the other two. They then turned on the switch. The moment the new light bulb lit up, the children nearby cheered. Some even started singing, praising the 'electric genie' who brought light.
"They still have electricity, and new light bulbs to replace. These people even know how to install these things, even if they don't know the theory behind it." Hao Ren pointed out the window. "Some of the ark's functions are still working, like the generators and factories. Since these factories are still working, it means that it wasn't the life-support system that caused the end of civilization."
"It wasn't the ship's fault?" Nangong Sanba frowned. "Could it be just a civil war? Forcefully turning from a spaceship civilization into a primitive feudal one? "
At that moment, a soft creak came from the door. Willy pushed it open. "Err … Sorry, I should've knocked, but the door wasn't locked. I've brought Master Orrow here. "
A hunchbacked old man walked in from behind Willy. He looked at least eighty years old. His white hair had fallen off, leaving only a circle around his head, and the wrinkles on his face almost extended to his neck. The old man wore a dirty, thick robe, and on the chest area of the robe was a series of colorful rings. Each ring had a small metallic object hanging on it. Hao Ren looked at it and realized that the ornaments were actually capacitors, fuses, copper connectors and the like. The master had used these electronic components as decorations on his robe.
Lily was the first to stand up and greet the old man enthusiastically. "How are you, old man! Have you eaten? "
The unusual greeting stunned the old man for a moment before he laughed and spoke in a loud voice. "What a spirited lass. I heard that a group of wandering warriors had saved Willy, and I thought they were as rough as the warriors in the castle. I didn't expect a lady with manners."
Willy helped the old maester to a creaking chair by the door, and though he was the viceroy's son, he was as respectful as an apprentice. "Master," he said, "these people are very interested in your wisdom, and would like to hear the stories you have told me."
"Oh? Oh … Yes, the old stories. "A look of surprise flashed across the old man's face. He had yet to hear more about Hao Ren and his party from Willy, and thought that these people were just wanderers from a faraway place. Only then did he widen his murky eyes to take a closer look. He noticed that while these people were dressed strangely, they were clean and tidy, completely different from the wretched wanderers." You're interested in such things? These days, aside from scholars, there are very few people who specialize in such boring legends. "
"Coincidentally, we're interested." Hao Ren smiled. "'Winter is coming'. There were signs many years ago, and now it's time to pay attention to the warnings of the elders."
"Winter, winter is really coming …" The old man subconsciously tightened his robe. When he heard the cold word, his expression turned serious. "It's been five years. It's been five years since the Furnace of the Ancestors was extinguished. This is much longer than the last time it was in hibernation. This world is getting colder by the day. The giant's nose that blows hot air at the end of the world has already frozen, and the land of Luthweitan has been covered in snow since last year … Winter, it's really a harsh winter. "
Hao Ren was almost certain that the 'Furnace of the Ancestors' that the locals were talking about was the giant reactor and its control system at the end of this enclosed space — the central control station. As he was hurrying along the Kingdom Main Street, he could see that the reactor was not in a good state. Even though it was still running and seemed to be more energetic than the reactor on Terra Firma, more than half of its grids were dark and lifeless.
The ark's life support system seemed to have reached its limit, and its power source was about to shut down.
"How many times has winter come?" Nangong Sanba asked curiously.
"How many times? Oh … Many times … It happens once or twice every century. Sometimes it only lasts for a year, and sometimes it lasts for more than ten years. "The old scholar's head bobbed up and down." A year of winter will only bring some shock, but a decade of low temperature can kill a third of the people. When there are too many dead, the recycling furnace will even be stuffed full. It's a hell of nightmares, it's really chilling. "
"But this winter doesn't seem to be that hard to endure," Willy suddenly interrupted. "It's not that cold. Up until now, we've been able to keep warm just by wrapping ourselves in a leather coat."
"That's because you're in the warmest place in the world." The old scholar gave Willy a reproachful look. "And the real cold is far from here. The milder the winter, the scarier it is, because a slow cooling means an even slower warming, and the winter will last for a very, very long time. "
The locals used their own understanding to explain the changes in the environment of the city after the core reactor malfunctioned. Their theories were also logical and self-explanatory, but they were far from the truth of this world. With their limited knowledge, it was impossible for people to understand that their world was supported by a huge machine.
(I'm out on business today, and only have the morning at home, so I've updated earlier.)
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