Edgar Jin Christie felt a rising, sorrowful absurdity.
Yet it was also a helpless despair within a hopeless world.
His homeland—the legendary apocalyptic demon passed down through the ages, the metallic underground creation that consumed life and blood, the unknown entity that plunged the world into a century of panic and sorrow.
It was, in fact, a gift from another fallen civilization.
“…, I understand now. ” Captain Horne gripped his wounded hand, staring at the figure in the orange glow before him.
“So we have been living on such land all along. “
Across from them, Sigurd tilted his head slightly.
“Indeed, sometimes I also wonder why this land is so prone to giving birth to calamities. “
“But there haven’t been any major disasters on land, so why treat our civilization like this! “
“My job is only maintenance. What our equipment protects, also, is ensuring that the civilization on our land is not affected by extinction-level disasters. “
“You! ” Captain Horne was finally left speechless.
“Equipment Maintainer ” Sigurd, his body covered in armor, did not intend to pursue this topic further. The others could also tell; he really was just a maintenance foreman here.
Sigurd walked towards the bloody area.
With a wave of his hand, that retro-mechanical machine beside him—perhaps powered by an unknown force, or perhaps it was a strange creature from an ancient precursor civilization—took a step to the side.
The furrow in Yang Zicang’s brow was a sign of deep thought. After exchanging a few quiet words with two companions beside him, his brow relaxed as he turned to face them solemnly.
“Honorable sir, have you read these stone tablets? “
“I have read them, ” the other replied, not even lifting his head, his gaze fixed on the material of cabinets gleaming from within the metal vines.
“The last time I was awakened by a visitor, I read the inscriptions they left behind. “
“The last time? ” Yang Zicang pondered, lowering his head. He looked up and continued,
“Do you know what the cold wind that can extinguish the Campfires is? “
Sigurd turned his armored head to look over.
“Cold wind? ” He pondered for a moment, reflecting on the records of several large-scale storage events over the past few hundred years that he had examined since waking up.
“No wonder, based on the several batches of ‘Life Stairs’ I’ve received, they have appeared intermittently over the last millennium, capable of resisting the extreme glacial cold. It turns out the Ice Age has not truly arrived yet. “
Yang Zicang, jolted back to his senses by these words, turned his head and noticed.
Pag, Edgar Jin Christie, Kevin holding the little princess Lulu, and the wounded Captain Horne were all frozen in place by this information, dumbfounded.
“Glacial extreme cold? “
“What exactly is going on? Can you tell us? ” Pag asked.
The Equipment Maintainer turned to face them solemnly.
“Humans. First and foremost, our mission is to preserve the steps of our civilization. Everything else comes second. “
The Equipment Maintainer’s words drew everyone’s attention except Yang Zicang’s.
Yang Zicang, deep in thought, glanced over at their somewhat agitated expressions.
As the genomic data emerged, a growing look of doubt appeared on his face.
Mori’s death involuntarily surfaced in his mind, followed by another—the image of Lina’s father appearing as well.
He looked up at the dense crowd of faces around him.
Yet, based on his knowledge of this era, which surpassed its own time, cloning a body did not equate to true resurrection.
With this thought, he cast a glance tinged with regret towards the figure beside him—Clyster, who had been filled with a sense of sacred reverence since they entered this place. He really didn’t want to shatter the hopes welling inside his heart.
He also didn’t want to ponder those thoughts and expose other things.
Clad in his red robe, Clyster took a step forward and said nervously:
“Excuse me, Maintainer, sir, what exactly happened to your world? Glacial extreme cold, what does that mean? Has our world already fallen into such danger?“
The Equipment Maintainer “Sigurd ” spoke:
“A long, long time ago, before my first awakening, the landbound civilization of that time was met with an extreme cold that could freeze the entire planet.“
An Ice Age predating the first awakening? Yang Zicang finally lifted his head to gaze at this figure, setting aside for a moment the assumptions about the “DNA ” project being hinted at.
At the same time, a vague thought stirred within him. Could it be that the “latest project is DNA ” which Mori once related to him stemmed from this, requiring a similar device…
The voice of the other continued to come through this empty space.
“Based on the data I have acquired since awakening and my subsequent analysis, it was understood at the time—by observing traces of our planet’s ancient glacial history—that the era we were about to enter should have been a post-glacial period lasting up to roughly one hundred and twenty thousand years.“
“Post-glacial period?” Sword Thirteen immediately asked with concern, “And what is that? Is there also a pre-glacial period?“
“Yes.“
Sigurd slowly nodded.
“A glacier era during a major ice age can last from tens of millions to one hundred million years. Within that, roughly every hundred thousand years or so, there are alternating periods of glacial retreat lasting up to thirty thousand years or as short as ten thousand years—these are the mild periods suitable for biological proliferation. “
It said in a low, sighing tone: “The civilization that built this facility in our world was at the very end of such a thirty-thousand-year warm period. “
Captain Horne murmured, “To think there are such terrifying anomalous regions… truly beyond comprehension. “
Jinx Crystal with emotional agitation said: “So that’s why there’s this device that can store the ‘Life Stairs’ and revive every life lost during the glacier periods, right? “
Sigurd replied: “Precisely. “
The little girl who had been listening to the conversation slowly stopped crying and turned to look at the human faces nearby. “Revive? ” At that moment, despite her tender age, she flinched as if an electric shock had run through her.
Only then did she come to understand the incredible thing those words implied.
The figure across the wide field said:
_”Human life is brief and fleeting. Though seventy to a hundred thousand years from now, the world will again enter a warm period lasting up to thirty thousand years, suitable for the propagation of new life.
“But how many long years would it take then for humans to evolve from scratch? So we preserved the ‘Life Stairs’ for every person on this planet, except for livestock, along with most of the biological species needed to ensure biodiversity. “
The little girl, having stopped her sobbing, immediately unfolded a smile that restored her nearly frozen heart. She perked up a bit and looked towards the maintenance worker in the distance, her face switching several times between belief and doubt.
Vanderloo, covered in wounds, endured the pain as Pag simply bandaged him with hemostatic ointment and gauze. He walked over, his gaze stern, fixing on the young girl. She turned her head away.
The Equipment Maintainer slowly recounted some records about the alternating glacial periods of antiquity.
The few of them were awestruck by the origin of this colossal underground creation.
Right after, apart from the four natives, the other four involuntarily widened their eyes once more. “Ancient… ” Kevin started to speak, then immediately clamped his mouth shut, using his free left hand to cover his quivering lips.
“My god. Chairman Yang… “
The murmurs were subconscious; they did not want to interrupt the maintainer’s ongoing narration.
But the other party had already stopped.
A few crab-like metal objects scurried over from the ground with ashua-shuasound, waving their antenna-like appendages in a quivering motion. Sigurd glanced at them, then turned back and said:
“Since you are the investigation team dispatched by this cycle’s civilization, I can take you to other molten reservoir storage areas to see the ‘Life Stairs’ recently preserved from the surface. “
“Really? We can? “
“Is it far? ” Yang Zicang asked.
Sigurd pointed at the metal bodies on the wall, each as large as a millstone. “As long as we ride these Mechanical Guardians, it won’t take much time. “
Seeing that terrifying metal monster that had just leaped down, Kim·Clyster, whose heart was still churning with emotions and worried about the raging wind that had extinguished the campfire on the ground, was stunned for a moment.
…
Before long, a group of people were wrapped into pillar-like supports by metal vines, each secured onto the back of a crab-shaped mechanicalworker. As the Phoenix-Perching Tree illuminated the wall and flew slowly, they moved across the wall’s surface as if walking on level ground, heading deep into the cave.
A large crowd of similar Mechanical Guardians followed majestically before and behind them.
Any one of the larger Mechanical workers here was the same black-shelled type that could single-handedly kill several visitors in an instant. Thus, they all almost did not refuse and readily accepted this invitation.
“Mister Maintainer, could you tell us more stories about your world? ” Kevin asked.
As the group made of metal moved, the “Equipment Maintainer, ” who was also moving on a Mechanical worker ahead of them, heard this and spoke:
“Apart from my scope of work, I rarely dabble in other matters. Moreover, due to confidentiality principles, I won’t share excessive content. However, if it’s just casual chat, there are also many stories I can tell. “
Yang Zicang, tied securely to one of the machines, felt the bumps and vibrations as he asked:
“Your technology is so advanced, so how is it that you have not realized that the civilization of this world has been in constant terror because of the existence of your kind of iron vines? “
“My job is maintenance. The newly arrived human civilization is still in the primitive period of technological accumulation, unaware that the world may be on the verge of a long winter at any moment. “
Saying this, the Equipment Maintainer’s tone shifted slightly. “To preserve the spark of human civilization, the storage device has its own system for recognizing civilization and climate. So far, it hasn’t made a mistake. However, I suppose I truly haven’t sought the opinions of the current inhabitants of this world. “
The group fell silent for a moment.
“Sir, how thick is the crust in your world? ” Amid the dense metallic clatter, Yang Zicang changed the subject and asked.
The figure ahead replied:
“The civilization that left me with their records existed too long ago. Nor do I know if there have been any demon invasions, as rumored among the surface dwellers. Many of the remaining records are inaccurate. For the safety of the current world, I’ve already modified some conflicting data. The original data indicated a thickness of just over thirty kilometers, but based on what I know, the unit is likely missing a zero, at the very least. “
Yang Zicang scratched his chin, unable to recall the specific details from geography books.
“I have a question, honorable Guardian. ” On the seemingly endless, winding iron wall of the cave, Princess Desige zu Hone, carried on the back of a smaller mechanical worker, asked curiously:
“How have you survived until now? From what you said, isn’t the last great freeze supposed to have already passed—tens of thousands of years ago? “
“It may have been seventy or eighty thousand years… As for me, I believe that since my job is to maintain the equipment, I have the right to live until now. “
……
The group arrived in a relatively clean hall, with a flat entrance.
When the metallic mechanical swarm set them down, with a heavy thud, the several magma-colored great lamps in this hall lit up, illuminating the ceiling walls that rose as towering as cliffs.
On both sides of the passage, the endless high curved ceilings were obscured by drifting dust and mist.
Within countless inclined lattice crystals, the faces of humans coalesced within the orange liquid like shifting sand paintings.
“As representatives of your civilization, you have investigated the truth and come this far—I truly admire you for that. “
Sigurd turned around and said, “If you have lost loved ones or friends, you may search here to see if their Life Stairs have been recorded by us. “
“What do you mean? ” The few fixated on the crystals turned their gazes toward this figure.
Captain Horne immediately asked in shock, “Do you mean… that we can revive some people and bring them out right now? “
Yang Zicang also looked at him.
“Not exactly. ” Sigurd’s tone remained calm.
“At the very least, the conditions for civilization to thrive must be met before they can reappear on the surface. Moreover, I feel that some other preparations are still needed for this to truly restore the ‘staircases’ that preserve every individual of this civilization… “
He walked toward the side of the large passage. “Please, follow me. “
The group shuffled forward in a scattered manner. A little girl, wearing a white dress and white long pants embroidered with immortal patterns, kept rubbing her small arm as she walked with the others along the passageway.
A massive doorframe appeared on the side of the passage ahead, and the group approached it.
She turned to look at the Equipment Maintainer walking at the very rear. After a moment of thought, she slowed her pace.
Approaching the slowly opening doorway, Princess Desige zu Hone stopped at the doorframe, looked up at the Equipment Maintainer beside her, blinked, and said:
“Honorable sir, I have a request. I beg you to grant it for the sake of the people of our world. Will you? “
The Equipment Maintainer looked down at her upon hearing this, “Speak, please. “
Vanderloo, who had already stepped a few paces into the room, heard the little girl’s voice and immediately tensed up, turning back and moving his feet anxiously.
The little girl revealed a gentle smile:
“On behalf of the people of our world, I implore you to make some changes to the world’s climate monitoring. I have already endured ten winters, and I am certain it does not need to be that ‘sensitive.’ “
She was suddenly scooped up into someone’s arms.
“Put me down! ” she said angrily.
The Equipment Maintainer watched her in silence, unmoving.
Vanderloo turned sharply and strode quickly towards the massive control panel as if fleeing from a demon. As he walked, he patted her lightly on the back and said in a very hushed voice, “Princess, as long as hordes of people don’t start dying suddenly, everything will be fine. “
Looking back from over the man’s shoulder, the girl shouted indignantly, “But people were living just fine! The vines are committing crimes now, my brother says… ” Her mouth was covered.
Pagner walked over with Captain Horne. “Mr. Maintainer, actually, what she said made some sense. It would be good if the storage sensitivity could be changed. For instance, after the human body has lost its life… “
“The extracted cells have activity requirements. “
Sigurd turned his head to glance at the grids:
“But in our world, the only land still within perception is this single piece. The storage isn’t infinite, so I will adopt your suggestion to attempt a modification. “
……
On a dark highland, in this deserted place, stood a building that appeared somewhat run-down, yet had been patched up by someone.
The Old General, standing in the wind, supported himself with a walking cane, looking ahead at the palace. Behind him were three sedans, and beside him stood four attendants in uniforms. Each appeared vigorous and, even in the wind, felt little discomfort as they naturally accompanied him at his side.
“This place is a palace built more than eighty years ago by some Fogfolk to commemorate someone codenamed ‘Divine Man’. “
“I know. It’s called the Warsaw Palace. ” The Old General spoke as a hint of contemplative expression emerged on his face. He then turned his head and asked, “Are you certain that there’s nothing recently left behind here? “
“No, General, ” said a man beside him wearing a black-and-azure Twin Lions Republic cloak.
“I think perhaps the ‘Godman of No Return’ does not refer to this place, but judging by our range of movement, the probability is minimal. Then the greatest remaining possibility is that the very existence of this place itself already contains all the information the Colonel intends to convey. “
“Hmm. ” The Old General responded slowly. “What else is here besides the Warsaw Palace? “
“There is a park behind the palace, built approximately seventy years ago. Additionally, fifty years ago, some Fogfolk of other races constructed a fountain there. The relevant architectural dimensions, window panes, and other detailed data are currently being compiled. “
The short-haired, disheveled Old General raised his walking stick and pointed it forward at the black silhouette building swaying in the wind. “Let’s go in and take a look first. “
The group proceeded along a grassy path paved with stone, walking amidst the swaying shadows of trees in the distance.
The closer they approached this silent, desolate palace, the more they felt a sense of loneliness emanating from the building itself. A few figures stood at its base, counting detailed elements such as windows, wall edges, and folds.
“This is the park built later. ” They headed to the rear and arrived at a lawn behind several rows of large trees.
The figures stood outside a vast garden. Inside, plants surrounding some of the structures grew largely in a natural state.
“We have relatively few sources of information about it, ” said a person among the group wearing long military boots.
“A lot of the records about this place were already damaged during the transfer. But I did ask a Fogfolk official back at the department, and he recalled that the real name of this place should also be ‘Wajing Base’. Apart from that, he had no idea what secrets it might hold. Because from my description, he said that this is not the complete Warsaw City, but merely two representative buildings that were constructed. He has never been here himself.“
“According to the Fogfolk people, their world’s Warsaw City was once destroyed in a large, multi-national war that covered an entire continent. In the decades after the ceasefire, it was gradually rebuilt brick by brick, restored to its original appearance.“
“I suggest this park should be given priority attention,” one person said.
Surrounded by several companions beside him, the Old General walked over to a building that sat in a gently curving arch within the park. The edges of its roof had already been partially damaged by time and wind.
The man in long army boots who had spoken earlier stepped forward, lifted his arm, and gestured towards the two fountains and the twelve statues of beast-headed human bodies standing on either side of them, then continued, “Additionally, this fountain was a memorial fountain built by the Fogfolk people in the subsequent decade. As far as I know, these creatures symbolize concepts related to time. Typically, they represent a cycle of twelve years.“
“Additionally, this fountain was a memorial fountain built by the Fogfolk people in the subsequent decade. As far as I know, these creatures symbolize concepts related to time—typically representing a cycle of twelve years.“
The Old General silently observed the shadowy outlines beneath the several projector lights.
This Colonel approached a sculpture and said,
“Fogfolk have a particular fondness for exceptionally old art statues. I think that’s also why they built these art sculptures. Additionally, these animal-headed human figures might represent meanings related to the hours of the day that they want to convey to us. For example, the first rat stands for one o’clock, and the second ox for two o’clock. We just don’t know more details.“
“Is it two in the morning or two in the afternoon?“
The man jumped down from the stairs, “Uh, sorry, I haven’t looked up the relevant information yet. Perhaps it stands for both times in the morning and the afternoon.“
One person looked up, glanced at the silent Older Man, and said quietly:
“Perhaps some plans can only be understood by their own people. Should we find a way to recruit a few Cloudmist natives?“
“Do you want the whole world to know?“
After letting out a cold snort in response, the Old General’s gaze paused on the shadows of over a dozen figures, passed over the damaged pool, and looked towards the slightly curved park building in the distance, speaking softly:
“You all are obviously supposed to be investigating that Honorary Chairman’s intelligence reports, yet you haven’t even compiled and summarized the background information related to this person.“
“We know a bit, but the associated materials are simply too vast and complex. Especially the fragmented information about the buildings and their truths and legends from the Cloudlands are too numerous.“
The Old General chuckled.
“But someone managed to do it, yet they couldn’t figure it out immediately. Hah, I don’t blame you for that either.“
He looked at these buildings, turned around, and said:
“Take all relevant materials back and compile them, no matter how much, to my side. I will personally search for what plans this Mr. Buchen has that warrant the use of the ‘Whisper of Silence.’ “
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