The howling wind blew the curtains, and the hot wind in the wilderness brought with it the smell of dead grass and dryness. Even with the heat, the rapid flow of air kept the body refreshed.
Taking the high-speed train to other districts again, Heshia looked at the scenery outside the window. The desolate land reflected white light in the scorching sun, and the gray Gobi and gravel stretched into the distance. Only the faint mountains could be seen on the horizon. It's like a giant staircase on land, stacked one on top of another.
Every time she travels far away, she will be shocked by the majestic scenery on this planet. The girl can't help but shake her head and lament that Payin City is a small place after all.
Because it was a train bound for the North Second District, there were very few passengers in the carriage. There was no one beside or in front of Heshia. Only the wind rolled the curtains and the cloth on the back of the chair from time to time, making a whirring sound.
She looked up and looked around. This train must have been running for decades. It had a strong industrial and rough style. Some steel rivet structures could be seen directly inside, and the ground was also made of diagonal steel structure.
A large number of structures are made of steel, which eliminates the need for some complicated and beautifying decorations, greatly reducing the cost and time-consuming of manufacturing. As for the perception of the passengers sitting in the car, using soft sponge cloth cushions is already the greatest kindness and consideration. .
The stainless steel tabletop felt warm to the touch under the hot wind and sunlight. The girl flipped through the bag next to her and found an atlas introducing Jilou City. She got it from a travel agency in Payin City, but she didn't have it. Travel in a group, because then you won’t be free in many things.
The train drove through the vast wilderness and headed north. The hot wind blowing by the window gradually became cooler, and the scorching heat gradually receded.
Afterwards, the train drove towards the rising mountain steps, as if it was getting closer and closer to the sky, the front was getting brighter and brighter, while the land behind became distant and low, as if standing on a tall building overlooking the ground below.
After a few breaths, the front of the car gradually flattened and stopped climbing upwards. Then there was a vast wilderness in front of it. In this wilderness, towering tall buildings stood on the ground like mountains, ranging from tens of meters low to hundreds of high. meters, the top is deep into the clouds and mist, faintly visible.
[We are about to arrive at Jieloucheng Station, North Second District, please be careful when getting off. ]
The sound of AI broadcasting came from the carriage, and two semicircular autonomous units also drove through the carriage passage to check whether there were any sleeping or uncomfortable passengers.
When the car drove into the huge mountain-like tall buildings, the sky seemed to darken, the sensor lights in the car were turned on in time, and a bright yellow V-shaped guidance icon appeared on the ground.
Sitting in the carriage, Heshia looked up at the tall buildings passing by. Almost all of them were abandoned. You could see that the outer walls were peeling off and exposed. Some windows and rooftop spaceship entrances were also covered with moss and had a rust-like appearance. Water marks.
The originally beautiful layers of golden and green cornices were gray and dusty, and some tiles were peeling off, exposing the concrete and steel structures inside. Broken and broken blue-colored glass could be seen on the huge windows, reflecting the bright light of the sky. It seemed extremely lonely.
The train passed slowly under the shadow of the tall buildings, and then a huge riverbank suddenly appeared in front of it. The river had dried up long ago, and the river bottom, which was about several kilometers wide, was cracked and broken. A long track undulated through the river bottom. Arrive at the ancient city on the other side with its floors like sails.
When the train passed by at a downward angle, Heshia saw a huge broken bridge from the window on the opposite side. The bridge was nearly 300 meters high and extremely wide. It stretched out from the side of Jilou City and crossed it in the air. When the river is full, the middle breaks, exposing the ferocious steel bars that look like skeletons inside. The bridge at the other end has long since collapsed, and the ruins of steel and concrete are all over the river bottom. Its shape and temperament are reminiscent of the broken head of a giant dragon, leaving only The lower half of his body stood alone on the dry river.
After passing through the long river bottom, the train climbed up again, got up from the river bottom, and entered the plain inside Jilou City.
Compared to the desolate world outside, there were slightly more people inside. The girl could see that there were still people living in some abandoned and damaged buildings. They covered the windows with simple plastic and nailed wooden boards, leaving only small There are air vents, and through the gaps between plastic and wooden boards, you can see the messy things hanging in the room.
Gradually, some vendors with pushcarts can be seen in the ruined streets, selling simple food to residents. Most of these foods are made by themselves and are mainly fried in oil. Occasionally, one or two are heated with steam. Snack vendors.
Because it is located on a plateau, the boiling point of water here is only about 85°C. Ordinary boiling cannot heat food very well, so frying is more common.
The train slowly drove into the city, and its speed gradually slowed down. It shuttled through the forest-like high-rise city, and the windows on both sides of the carriage changed in light and dark. Until it finally stopped.
[Jielou City]
[arrival]
[Jielou City]
…
On the yellow display board in the carriage, these two lines of eye-catching writing appeared alternately. Then the steam overflowed, the door slowly opened, and a few passengers got out of the car.
Stepping on the slightly cold ground, Heshia felt that the air was slightly cool, not as hot as Payin City.
Soon, people from travel agencies gathered in front of the station, and Heshia also followed them, wanting to know their general itinerary and direction.
"In July and a half, the Flowing Fire Festival will last for seven days, and a grand parade will be held throughout Jielou City. It will go through seven processes: starting incense, shouting to the gods, circling the city, dancing in surprise, making a sound, surrendering, and withdrawing the troops... "The tour guide of the travel agency introduced the future plan to the tourists, and Heshia also listened to part of it.
After that, she left these tourist groups, left the station by herself, and walked into this vast steel jungle.
Many of the high-rise buildings along the road have been abandoned, but the bottom 1-3 floors are still in use. You can see many shops open for business. The floating and changing neon tube signs are particularly conspicuous and full of vitality in the surrounding gray cement and steel. .
There was misty rain in the sky. Although it was not heavy, it still made Heshia's hair slightly wet. She walked quickly through the spacious street and came to a shop opposite.
This small shop is filled with hand-carved ornaments, including jade, soapstone, agate stone, and even some special coal stones. There is only one owner in the shop, sitting in the corner still busy carving in his hands. When I heard the footsteps, I just shouted: "If you want to buy, see for yourself first, and then come to my place to pay the bill."
Then he continued with the unfinished jewelry in his hands without even raising his head.
Heshia looked around. In this small shop, which was less than 20 square meters, there were pendants hung with red ropes. They blew slightly and collided with each other, making crisp sounds.
There are animals, letters, planetary symbols, film and television characters, and short texts engraved on the pendant. It makes people feel that there are all kinds of kinds, and there seems to be no unsatisfied need.
Standing in this small shop, the girl watched carefully and occasionally felt the big spider moving slightly around her ankle. Fortunately, it did not show up and no one noticed it.
"How do you sell this?"
Although she didn't necessarily need to wear it, Heshia still wanted to buy some as a souvenir. She carefully took off a turquoise pendant with flowers and plants carved on it and walked inside.
The boss finally put down his work and high-gloss glasses, and then looked up at Hesia.
"This is 45 federal coins." The price is very cheap, and I can't even afford a delicious meal.
The girl was slightly surprised, and then asked how to pay.
"Pay, it seems you are not a local." He shook his head, then rummaged in the corner to find an old cash register box, and set the amount.
"If you use this, it's 100 federal coins." He explained and handed over the box.
"Why is it so expensive?" Hesia was puzzled, but the other party shook his head and was too lazy to explain.
Heshia, who had hit a soft spot, had to use this to pay. Although 100 federal coins was not a lot, she was still a little unhappy.
Seeing that the girl was about to leave after paying, the uncle said behind his back, "If you are traveling, you can find a local person to exchange for a local card. This will save you a lot of money."
After saying this, he waved his hand to Heshia not to disturb him anymore, and then continued to work on the work in hand.
Walking on the street, Heshia continued to look around at the shops and attractions. In addition to selling some daily necessities, there were also many local specialty shops that sold some jade jewelry, classical dresses, incense burners, fans, etc. Occasionally, girls You can also see some stores selling cold weapons.
In the interstellar era where automated weapons are popular, most cold weapons have lost their effect, but there are still many enthusiasts who will keep them. Some energy lightsabers or special weapons in the Federation are also based on cold weapons, so some people will use them. Here comes the practice.
Walking into each shop, Heshia saw many handmade things by local residents, ranging from wooden combs and folding fans to large furniture and statues. Some bamboo woven objects also attracted the attention of foreign tourists.
Looking at strange and familiar things, the girl remembered that her mother seemed to have tried to do this when she was a child. However, her mother was obviously raised in a pampered manner and was not good at this kind of handwork. She was laughed at by her father several times. Just don't do it.
Following the tourists who arrived in Jilou City, Heshia walked along the main street and walked through the cold and wet streets. Unknowingly, the time came to around 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and she was a little hungry.
Find a place to eat, she whispered, touching the big spider hiding with her ankle, and then walked towards a place that was obviously a restaurant.
There were vertical signboards pointing up to the street, with several large characters displayed in neon light, which looked very tacky. Signs like this were everywhere on both sides of the street and above.
Some small AI autonomous units are also suspended above the streets, transporting various small objects. These autonomous units look old, and the exterior paint is mainly orange and black. Some parts are directly exposed, and you can even see them. Structural turns and subtle sparks.
It is estimated that there are only so many small floating autonomous units in the above-ground cities. The girl compares the city with Arpeggio. Because it is underground and the space is tight, it is impossible to free up such a large space for these scattered autonomous units to fly around, which will block the There are passages for suspended vehicles, so express transportation in the city mostly uses vehicles or AI autonomous units running on the ground.
Walking towards the restaurant, Hesia was soon attracted by a snack bar on the street.
The pastry chef inside quickly turned the dough with a mechanical arm with one hand, and then continuously added various spices and condiments to the dough with the other hand. Then the dough was thrown up and landed on the chopping board. The mechanical arm on his right hand changed again and became Knife-shaped, cut continuously to divide the dough into uniform small pieces.
After the square and uniform pieces were formed, there was a burst of shouts inside and outside the store. Most of the onlookers were tourists from out of town. They looked at this ancient handicraft curiously and looked forward to the pastry chef's next move.
I saw the pastry chef's right robotic arm changing again, crushing and rolling out the dough in front of him, and then placing the dough on the big dark red toad that was burning beside him.
The back of this big toad made of special metal is covered with dough cakes, just like ancient coins. Then, due to the heat from the toad, the dough cakes quickly become cooked, slightly raised, and the edges are browned. The flour and sesame seeds in it exude an attractive flavor. Roasted aroma.
Then, relying on a mechanical arm that is not afraid of being burned, the pastry chef quickly removed the pastries one by one, stacked them on the table, and put a small sign on them.
[Golden toad noodle cake, 80 federal coins each]
Well, the price is not cheap, but considering that it is rare to travel, it is just a taste, so many tourists still pay to buy cakes.
Following the crowd, Hesia also queued up and squeezed in to buy a piece of bread.
After taking a small bite, the hot aroma emanating from it immediately filled her mouth. However, because the inside of the pancake was too hot, Heshia had to stick out her tongue to let it cool down quickly.
Because he was tired from walking, Heshia was not in a hurry to go to the restaurant now, so she found a relatively clean stone pier on the street and sat down. While eating the bread, she occasionally tore off small pieces and threw them to the shadow beside her. A gluttonous spider, it doesn't refuse anyone who comes, and it doesn't mind being a vegetarian.
In the gray sky, a low roar came, and a large spaceship was seen slowly falling from the cumulus clouds, slowly landing in Jilou City with smoke and water vapor. It should be carrying weapons from the outer star field. travelers.
The city gradually became lively, and distant bells came from a distance.
In a place that Heshia can't see, this is the center of Jilou City, with red flags hanging down and some kind of blessing words written in black writing on them. They are densely arranged and hung in the sky above the streets and alleys. The moist breeze blew by, like a red ocean swaying continuously.
Under the layers of red hanging flags, local residents, numbering about half a million, were standing. Each of them wore a tall hat, and there were long red ribbons fluttering on the top of the hat.
These local residents looked solemn, looking like countless concentric circles at the high altar in the middle. There were three big cauldrons in the high altar, with long incense sticks as thick as arms stuck in them. They were dressed in red, green and yellow clothes. Priests in black, white and five-color costumes knelt on the ground holding long silks filled with prayers and chanted loudly. Then the long silks slowly floated up, burned in the air, turned into specks of dust, and floated towards distance.
"It's time to start the fragrance!"
"drink!"
On the periphery of the high altar, 'divine generals' with flags behind their backs, brightly colored armor and green-red faces stood up from a squatting position. Some of them were holding halberds, some were holding broadswords, and some were holding broadswords. Waving his maces, when his body moves, the metal scales and pendants hanging on his body collide with each other, making a sound like the swaying of a wind chime.
A series of floating autonomous units guided and cleared the way in mid-air. These 'god generals' holding various weapons and wearing brightly colored armor protected the sedan covered with layers of red gauze and began to walk towards the main street.
Along the way, a small incense burner was placed in front of each house, and smoke curled up around the street. Some residents stood in front of their homes, and some stood in front of their windows, praying devoutly to the passing procession. And these faces The 'divine general' painted with green and red paint takes three steps at a time, like a formation of heavenly soldiers.
Thank you, Gokou Ruri, flag 12, pray for good luck__,
Remembering Autumn in the North, Fallen Maple Leaves, Blossoming Flowers and Smoky Clouds, Destroying Angel, Singing the Wind and Listening to the Snow, Li Lie, Salted Fish Cuisine, Archbishop Lilina and other book friends’ rewards~
(End of chapter)
