The three of them collected the dishes and garbage on the table, and went to Liz's room like last time. Liz took out an old but well-preserved map from her drawer.
She carefully laid the map on the bed and showed it to Hesta and Turan.
This is a map of the Askia Wasteland. It is claimed to be the largest wasteland in the third district. It is as big as three Tanyi. Whether it is the largest in terms of land area remains to be verified, but it was indeed a very prosperous city-state. , in its heyday it was even comparable to some livable places far away from the core city.
Askia fell on a vast plain. Although transportation was extremely convenient, there was no danger to defend it.
There are five areas in Askia. Liz's home is located at the corner of an artificial river in the east city. There is a small park not far from there, where many residents with dogs play Frisbee with their pets on weekends.
Liz knew every street in the neighborhood, and she could even name the shops and their owners on a certain street from memory.
"The area restrictions in the wasteland are not that strict," Liz said softly, "For example, Askia and Veluchinsky, although one is in the north-central part of District 3 and the other is in the easternmost part of District 14, if If you are willing, you can still move there - it seems that the first group of people to go to Vilyuchinsky also included my family's elders, but the time gap is too far, and the two sides have long lost contact."
Turan slightly estimated the distance between the two in his mind.
"So far... so dangerous."
"The number of people that a piece of land can support is always limited. If you want to survive, someone must be a pioneer." Liz said softly, "Besides, this way east is not always a no-man's land. There are often areas separated by some distance. When encountering different towns, everyone is very wary of strangers and won’t let outsiders in easily.”
"Then what should I do if I want to settle down?"
"Larger wastelands generally have their own dedicated contact stations and isolation zones, most of which are built under the leadership of Mercury Needle. The general process is to first submit an application, submit materials, and after the review is approved, cerebrospinal fluid will be extracted for testing, and it will be placed in a special isolation Staying in the institute for three months... it's very troublesome anyway.
"Smaller wastelands are less strict, and anything can be done. After all, before the chelate wave broke out in Askia, no one had seen chelates for decades - in this case, all It is almost impossible for people to consciously follow a set of rules that are extremely troublesome.”
Hestad had also heard Arnold mention this. Askia in 4620 and Hecla in 4621 are the only two chelate tides in the third area in recent years. Most of the 67 reserves in the base come from the villages surrounding these two wastelands. As residents of the center of a flashpoint, it's almost a miracle that brothers Lizzie and Gringoire survived.
Liz looked at the map, "The two chelate waves should be considered a wake-up call for people in habitable areas and other wastelands."
"It's hard to say, but if we could really sound the alarm, two chelates wouldn't have slipped into the city of Katra." Turan was lying on his side. "Before, the municipal government's fortifications outside the city were only half-heartedly repaired. The Ministry of Public Security We also failed to carry out our duties of patrolling the isolation zone every night. Everyone felt that the Hecla Wasteland was far away from Katla City. Even if something happened, it would not be our turn for the time being... If we don't really see blood, who can remember the lesson? ?”
The three of them lay on the bed, each thinking of some past events, and fell silent for a moment.
Liz suddenly looked sideways, "Jane, what kind of place is Short Call Alley?"
Hesta did not expect the sudden turn of the topic, and could only utter a soft and slow "Hmm..." for a moment.
"Are there really criminals everywhere?" Turan asked.
"Probably... yes? But it's not that scary," Hesta recalled, "After all, if you want to find enough food, clean water, necessary medicine... you have to make deals together. So in most cases Next, everyone will take the initiative to avoid some meaningless disputes. Many people only regard Short Ming Lane as a temporary place to stay, and eventually they will have to find a way to settle down somewhere else."
Liz nodded thoughtfully, "It does sound a bit similar to the situation over at Hekla."
"Where does it look like?"
"There is a small town of about 40 square kilometers in the center of the Hekla Wasteland called the Oasis. Have you heard of it?"
Hesta shook her head.
Liz continued: "There are underground trading stations, hospitals, pharmacies and some purchasing points there...except for the trafficking of humans, arms and drugs, it is no different from other wastelands.
"The oasis is a 'truce' agreed upon by all Hecla people, because the locals also need a place where they can save lives and collect intelligence. So no matter what the dispute is, when entering the oasis, both parties must temporarily put aside their disputes."
Hesta tilted her head, "It's like a sanctuary in a church."
"Really?" Liz blinked.
"Well, a nun once told me that before the blackout era, the church had the 'right of asylum.' No matter who it was, no matter what sins he committed, as long as he stepped into the church and rang the confession bell, then He will be protected immediately."
"...The police can't go in and arrest them?"
Hesta nodded, "Yes, the bishop, priest or foreman nun will grant them an asylum period ranging from half a month to forty days depending on the situation, after which they will either be permanently deported or undergo trial by a secular court - or Not getting away with it.”
Turan was suddenly startled: "Katra also has a place like this. There will be a shelter relatively close to the church - it is used for these things."
"Perhaps some of the habits in this land have been inherited from the Golden Age? Although they may have changed their appearance..."
Turan laughed.
"Then, even though more than eight hundred years have passed, we are still remnants of the Golden Age."
Among the three, only Liz's expression suddenly became complicated.
She got up, went to the wall, and took down her bayan accordion.
"'White Ship' is a folk song passed down from the golden age. It was taught to me by my grandmother," Liz's voice was very soft. "She also taught me another song. Do you want to hear it?"
…
The same night, the same song, is echoing in Chiba's office at this moment.
The analog record player she placed under the window sill was spinning, and the metal-coated stylus was continuously reading passages in an unfamiliar language.
Chiba hummed the melody of this song. She once took the record case and asked Mrs. Daria of White Ship for its title.
Those short sentences made up of mottled characters mean: I want to die young
