Tianshu Domain
Clank— Clank—
Inside the station of Tianshu Domain, a staff member responsible for cleaning the platform heard the whistle coming from afar and looked up doubtfully.
Billowing thick smoke rose to the clouds from the end of the railway tracks. A Realm train slowly drove over from a distance. As the signal lights changed, the Train Stewardesses in the station also returned to their respective positions one after another, preparing to welcome the train entering the station.
"What's going on? This is already the fourth train entering the station today, right?" The cleaner spoke doubtfully. "In the past few days, weren't there hardly any trains driving over? Why are there suddenly so many today?"
"I don't know... Should be some arrangement from the higher-ups? Otherwise, they shouldn't temporarily add so many train numbers." The Train Stewardess at the side was equally blank,
"Whatever it is. Anyway, we just need to follow the instructions from above and arrange for them to enter the station."
Under the doubtful gazes of numerous staff members, the Realm train slowly pulled up to the platform... Along with a creaking sound of doors opening, figures walked out of the carriages one after another. The densely packed figures almost filled the entire platform!
"So many people?? The carriages were almost full, right?"
"Since when did Realm trains have standing tickets?"
"Speaking of which, there were also this many people in the previous schedule... Where did this schedule come from this time?"
"Seems to be South Sea Domain."
"Then it's still different from the previous schedule... Four schedules a day, all coming from different Domains, and all fully packed?"
"Looks like there's going to be some big movement... Eh, could it be related to that news in the morning newspaper?"
"Could it be that we're going to war with Wuji Domain?"
"Shouldn't be. These people don't seem very old. Looking at the things they brought, it doesn't look like they are going to participate in a war either."
"..."
Nearly a hundred figures successively alighted from the carriages, looking to be under thirty years old. Carrying large and small bags of luggage, they curiously sized up their surroundings, seemingly full of curiosity about Tianshu Domain.
They didn't wait on the platform for too long before dedicated personnel stepped forward to lead them away from the platform, orderly and systematic.
"Bro, what's the situation here?" A staff member with extremely heavy curiosity pulled the corner of a dedicated personnel's clothes and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Why did so many people come today?"
That person smiled. "Is this a lot? In the next few days, the people will only increase more and more."
"Is there some major event?"
"It is indeed a major event..." That person leaned close to his ear mysteriously. "In short, for this coming month, our Tianshu Domain... will be quite lively."
After saying that, he led this batch of people and walked towards the exit without looking back.
...
"Tianshu Domain is different from all other Domains."
"Whether geographically or spiritually, this is the center of the Nine Great Human Realms..."
"Lord of Tianshu was the former leader of the Nine Monarchs, the core figure connecting the Nine Monarchs together; Tianshu Domain is the origin of the Realm trains, and also the core station connecting the Nine Great Human Realms together."
"70% of the technologies currently used by humans, including Realm trains and Realm signal towers, were designed and manufactured by the 'Tower to Heaven'. The Divine Archive of Craft is also one of the God Path Ancient Vaults with the highest degree of human development currently..."
9 of Spades introduced while stopping at the Crossroads. The traffic signal light constantly flickered beside him, eventually turning from green to red.
With a beep, seven or eight light trains looking like miniature Realm trains slowly advanced along the railway tracks paved in the middle of the road... There were no cars or pedestrians on the roads here, only several parallel railway tracks, and transportation vehicles resembling surface metros from before the Great Cataclysm orderly traveling through.
While 9 of Spades was speaking, there was even a train hung under the bridge howling past right above Chen Ling's head, its speed incomparably fast.
Chen Ling watched this scene, the shock in his eyes becoming increasingly rich.
Chen Ling could be considered to have traveled through many Domains and seen quite a bit of the world, but this was his first time feeling the aura of "order" in this era... Although these trains weren't fast, and their appearance looked like old trains from the Republican Era, this kind of absolute "order" would absolutely not appear in other Domains.
"The roads here are all railway tracks... don't you run cars?" Chen Ling couldn't help asking.
"Cars are forbidden to appear in Tianshu Domain." 9 of Spades spoke faintly. "Back then, Lord of Tianshu said that as the era regresses, the power principles of cars will also constantly regress. Eventually, what is emitted will be black gas like soot. This kind of disorderly and independent exhaust method will affect people's health, and if these black gases gather above the city, they will cover the starry sky."
"But the power principle of trains is similar to cars, right? Aren't they all steam-driven now?"
"The Tower to Heaven designed a 'chain power conduction' mechanism, able to integrate the power of all trains within Tianshu Domain, unifying power allocation and unifying exhaust... And the exhaust vents are connected to the Gray World. That is to say, all the running trains on the road, the exhaust gas they release will be gathered together to pollute the sky of the Gray World. Tianshu Domain itself will not be subjected to any influence."
9 of Spades raised his head and pointed at the sky. "Haven't you noticed? The sky in Tianshu Domain is especially clear."
Chen Ling looked up, and indeed as 9 of Spades said, the sky was exceptionally blue... The last time Chen Ling saw a sky of this degree was in Aurora Domain. However, that wasn't because Aurora Domain's exhaust emissions were done well, but simply because it was too cold there, and the people who could drive cars to travel were very few.
"So, what is the background of this Tower to Heaven?"
"The Tower to Heaven is the gathering place of Path of the Artisan craftsmen. The 'Path of the Artisan' itself contains all man-made material civilization since the development of human civilization, including architecture, mechanisms, precision devices, industrialization, mechanization, etc... And the ones preserving the most of these material civilizations in the world, the first is the Divine Archive of Craft, and the second is the 'Tower to Heaven' built single-handedly by Tianshu Domain."
"... So speaking of which, the Tower to Heaven is the crystallization of human material civilization?"
"Not rigorous enough. The crystallization of material civilization is in the Divine Archive of Craft; what the Tower to Heaven represents is the future of human material civilization..." 9 of Spades spoke solemnly. "Our Dusk Society has done a lot of things, but solely the Tower to Heaven, we have never laid hands on it... That place is sacred."
Chen Ling looked up, only to see under the azure sky, an incomparably massive white tall tower standing out from the densely packed building complex, piercing straight into the clouds like an unstoppable sword.