The Furnace of the Ancestors, the massive and ancient machine was groaning in pain. Its surface was pitch black, and almost all of its heat dissipation grids and light signals were dim, and a low, strange sound came from deep within, like the wail of some monster before its death. There were still traces of the explosion on the weathered outer shell. A glaring crack extended diagonally from the top of the reactor shell down, and almost went through a third of the Furnace of the Ancestors. Smoke and small sparks were still coming out of the crack, and it seemed like something was still operating. But under such circumstances, it was better for the thing to shut down than to linger on its last breath. Hao Ren was worried if it would explode again.
"The nuclear core should have shut down." The MDT quickly scanned the energy readings inside the Furnace of the Ancestors, and gave a reassuring conclusion. "There seems to be some residual electricity in the buffer layer, and it won't explode anytime soon."
Hao Ren breathed a sigh of relief. He smelled a thick, burnt smell in the air, and at first he thought it was the smell of the Steelbeast's engine finally giving out, but later he realized that it was the fumes from the previous explosion. There was just too much gas leaking from the reactor accident, and the old purifying pumps on the walls of the shelters could not handle it, and now the entire city was filled with the acrid smell of burnt chemicals.
Under the lead of Willy and a group of royal soldiers, they arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Highspire. The royal city was much grander than Hearthfire, and unlike the junkyard city-states, this royal city was clearly built by many craftsmen. It stood right next to the Furnace of the Ancestors, and around it was an ancient antenna broadcast tower or some other tower. Around the tower, the craftsmen used cement and steel to build a seven-storey, hexagonal castle. Bright flags fluttered on the castle, and knights in bright armor stood guard. Hundreds of glass windows shone brightly under the light, and around the castle were neatly organized residences and wide streets. Some of these houses were slightly remodeled from the original buildings in the sanctuary city, and some were simply built from scratch by the craftsmen. After getting rid of the problem of using trash to decorate the walls, these houses looked beautiful and imposing.
At least compared to the other city-states.
King's City was surrounded by a tall city wall, which was also built with new materials — the "new materials" here referred to anything other than garbage. No one knew where the craftsmen who built the King's City got so much cement and brand-new steel plates. They built the city walls strong and beautiful, completely unlike the materials collected from the ruins of the fallout shelter. Perhaps Tower Worker Wang was lucky enough to occupy a warehouse of ancient building materials that had yet to dry up?
In any case, the construction of the Royal City would undoubtedly consume a huge amount of wealth, especially in a refuge like this.
The capital of the Highspire was densely populated, far more prosperous than the other cities in the ark. There were well-dressed citizens and spirited knights, people walking on the streets, all sorts of peddlers selling all sorts of strange goods — mainly utensils, food, cloth, and unrusted metal plates. The degree of prosperity here was a little surprising, it was almost like a normal and prosperous medieval city-state, there was no sign of a starship shelter at all — unless you looked up at the sky, there was another city hanging upside down.
The "Steelbeast Chariot" that Hao Ren and the rest rode on, and the "Skeletal Chariot" of the Eisenstadt were stopped outside the city. Those loud and dirty machines were not allowed into the city, just like how some countries on ancient Earth did not allow rural mules into the city.
"Among the four kingdoms, only the capital of the Kingdom of Highspire is so close to the Furnace of the Ancestors." Willy proudly introduced the capital of his homeland to Hao Ren. "Legend has it that the Furnace of the Highspire was the first human city-state at the birth of the world. God created humans here, and allowed them to live in the city. The watchtower at the top of the Furnace is level with the first ring of the Furnace of the Ancestors. That is the stairway to the spirit of the ancestors. Everyone who dies in this world has to pass through the first ring to enter the furnace and be reborn as a part of the world. And because the Kingdom of Highspire owns that tower, it is the place closest to the laws of the world. No matter how fierce the war between the four kingdoms, this great city has never fallen. "
The tower that Willy was referring to was the spire at the top of the castle in the center of the city. It had an antenna transmitter that was tens of thousands of years old, and the name of the Kingdom of Highspire probably came from this tower. And the so-called "first ring" was the outermost ring of the core reactor's steel structure. That should be the reactor's condensation component, and in the eyes of the locals, this complicated and intricate ring had a special meaning.
"So when the scholars of the four kingdoms discuss about the Furnace of the Ancestors, they have to gather in the capital of the Kingdom of Highspire?" Vivian was in disbelief. "Aren't you all enemies? People from the other three kingdoms come to the enemy's capital for a meeting? And you're even letting them in? "
"This is an ancient sacred covenant," Willy said solemnly. "No one dares to violate it under the Furnace of the Ancestors. During the truce, no one is to kill or bleed in the Furnace."
Master Orrow explained the issue from a historical perspective. "The Kingdom of Highspire is the descendant of the first dynasty of the ancient era. While that dynasty has fallen, the bloodline of the royal family is unquestionable. The Kingdom of Highspire is the rightful ruler of this world, and the other three kingdoms are just people who have lost their way due to a curse. When a crisis that concerns the very foundation of the world arises, all kingdoms must put aside their disputes and reconvene before the throne of the One True King to discuss matters. This is a must. "
Lily was especially interested in such gossip. "The Kingdom of Highspire is the rightful descendant of the first dynasty? What about the other kingdoms? "
"The ancestors of the Eisenstadt are machinists, the Free City-States are descended from commoners, merchants and craftsmen, and the Starhold are descended from a group of scholars." Master Orrow said slowly. "That's what the history books say."
"What a strange society." Wuyue stuck out her tongue. She saw a group of people dressed in fancy clothes, with painted faces and faux leather strapped to their backs as they walked noisily from the other side of the street. She could not help but be surprised. "Aren't these the 'refugees' we saw on the road? Are they in the city too? "
"No, they are the scholars and soldiers of the Free City-States." Master Orrow explained. "The people of the Free City-States do look a little like the nomads in the wilderness. In fact, people often confuse the two because they have an ambiguous relationship. But the Free City-States are still one of the four kingdoms. Their capital is built on the other side of the world, the Burong Highlands. Half of the leather and cloth in this world are produced from the factories there. "
Even though the Kingdom of Highspire occupied the 'God-given Land' next to the Furnace of the Ancestors, the other three kingdoms had their own unshakable positions. The capital of the Free City-States was on the other side of the world, controlling the lifeblood of the cold. The capital of the Eisenstadt was known as the 'Mechanical Core', and from Orrow's description, Hao Ren guessed that it was probably the recycling hub of the city within the ship. The Starhold was the smallest of the four kingdoms, but it was the location of the Tower of Learning. It nurtured generations of intellectuals, and represented the mysteries and wisdom of this world. In the conflict between the four kingdoms, the Starhold could almost rely on this to maintain a neutral position.
The four kingdoms were crammed into a hundred-kilometer-long enclosed world. They were intertwined with each other, and their factions were entangled, forming a strange and complicated situation. It was hard to explain how they came to be in this state over hundreds to thousands of years, but Hao Ren believed that any intelligent sociologist who came to this refugee ark would be at a loss. There was a crazy social model here, and logic and common sense were almost non-existent.
"So, what should we do?" Nangong Sanba asked curiously. "When do you plan to investigate the situation of the Furnace of the Ancestors?"
"All scholars have to go to the castle to meet the king to discuss the matter." Master Orrow pointed at the castle in the distance. "You can wait in the castle. Willy knows where to go."
A few royal knights came from the direction of the castle. They were here to receive the scholars who had gathered from all over the world. Orrow left under the guidance of the knights, leaving Hao Ren's party and Willy behind.
"I know where the guest hall is." Willy waved a small tag hanging on his chest. "The emblem of Hearthfire will give us a room each. Let's rest for the night. It's too late today, and the scholars might only return tomorrow. "
Vivian suddenly looked up at the Furnace of the Ancestors. She looked at the dimmed radiating grids and coils, and her brows furrowed.
Hao Ren noticed that. "What is it?"
"I suddenly heard …" Vivian's brows furrowed. "Something was calling me."
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