Ch.153The First Civilization. Jericania (1)

“Finally, we’ve arrived…”

I looked up at the city walls from atop my horse.

These massive and dignified walls seem to be continuously maintained and repaired using technology from before the Imperial era, deliberately preserving their cultural value.

“This is Jericania, the first capital of the Thirteen Continents. It’s a legacy from the time before the sun rose… when there was nothing but darkness.”

“Before the sun…”

The history of the world is broadly divided into five eras.

First was the Earth Era.

Humanity began to explore hot and cold spheres while squabbling inside strange round orbs called planets and stars, and eventually perished when their desire for self-destruction created evil gods.

Next came the Age of Darkness.

The survivors from Earth (those from Mars and Venus were never found, they say) flowed into the Thirteen Continents, and civilization began to stir once more.

Naturally, without sun or moon, eternal darkness and cold dominated each continent. Indigenous monsters, suddenly robbed of their territories, constantly threatened human settlements in a life-or-death struggle.

Then came the Imperial Era.

The sun and moon that I serve rose, and concepts of normal time—day, night, and seasons—once again came into being.

Humanity, scattered across thirteen continents, reunited under the authority of the sun and achieved tremendous development under Imperial rule.

However, even the furthest expeditions of the Imperial Era failed to discover any continents beyond the thirteen. The farthest expedition traveled an astonishing 1,300 light-years.

Despite traveling such distances and finding nothing, the Empire concluded that either no other continents existed beyond the thirteen, or if they did, they were unreachable.

Then came the Eclipse Era.

A period of indescribable destruction, when both social and religious authorities that unified human society collapsed. The emerging Four Great Gods faith rose amid religious frenzy and fanaticism. Various voices that had been suppressed under Imperial rule exploded forth, and humanity once again faced not just extinction but annihilation.

Though this era supposedly lasted 50,000 years, the severe regression of civilization primarily occurred during the first 10,000 years. The remaining 40,000 years were more accurately described as a chaotic period of conflict between Imperial loyalists and warlords following the Four Great Gods.

The academic definition marks the end of the Eclipse Era as “when the last Imperial remnant fell,” and no scholars disputed this.

Finally… there is our current Resurrection Era.

The calendar system called the Extinction Calendar, marking the complete eradication of the Empire’s existence, began during this time. It is both the shortest and most peaceful period in humanity’s tumultuous history.

“How will future generations evaluate the era we lived in?”

“I don’t know. During the Imperial Era, no one thought the Empire would fall.”

“Then those of us living after the Extinction will end the Resurrection Era by creating something new.”

“Nothing could be better than that. Ending an era through creation is the highest honor.”

I nodded.

Just as the old pass everything to the new and transform into anemone flowers on graves, the end of an era should rightfully conclude not in destruction but in creation.

With these thoughts, we approached the entrance to Jericania.

*

“Welcome to Jericania. We hope you create wonderful memories in the first capital!”

As we entered Jericania, people who appeared to be civil servants greeted us with bright smiles.

Jericania seemed less like a city and more like a theme park, with buildings brightly illuminated by lamps even in broad daylight.

“Ow, my eyes hurt… Why are all the lights on even during the day?”

“Historical reasons. Before the sun rose, this was a world of eternal darkness, so bright lights were needed to signal the presence of a city.”

“Hmm… it doesn’t seem particularly bright to me…”

While others complained about the blinding lights, I didn’t find them especially bright.

If anything, they seemed slightly dim?

The place seemed filled with the dusky glow of old incandescent bulbs.

“Is that because you’re a Knight of the Sun?”

“Ah. Could be?”

I suppose it makes sense. No matter how brightly humans illuminate something, it would still be less than the sun.

That explanation makes sense.

But does that mean I’m also immune to fire attributes? It doesn’t block acid…

As I pondered this, I felt my party members staring at me.

Oh dear, I just realized I was absentmindedly sitting on my horse in the middle of the street.

“Well… let’s find an inn first. This city is vast. We can’t see everything in just a day or two.”

“I agree.”

And so, our Iron Walker party set out to find lodging, which had become almost routine for us.

Of course, we’d explore what we could before that.

*

“There are fewer people than I expected…”

“Well, even as a tourist city, this is more like a museum than an amusement park…”

“And even with historical reasons, all these bright lights would make it hard to sleep, right?”

“The electricity bill must be enormous.”

I’ve heard that people living near tourist attractions suffer greatly, but add light pollution to that, and it must be truly… difficult for ordinary residents.

“No wonder housing prices near the harbor are cheap.”

Property values are generally fluid, but areas near harbors tend to be cheaper even in Parcifal, given the stress of dealing with immigrants and rough sailors.

Some novelists and artists deliberately stay in coastal residences to experience exotic atmospheres… but that’s far removed from my reality.

“So where are we going now?”

“Let’s head to the city hall first. It’s called a city hall, but back then, it was the capital of a nation. It can’t be compared to an ordinary city hall.”

“I see.”

After the Empire was established and heart cities were built at the center of each continent, the old capitals lost some of their luster, but until then, they were the dominant cities of each continent.

Of course, everything was destroyed by fire during the Eclipse Era, but in the Extinction Era, most cities were rebuilt according to their original designs.

Though using old construction methods and materials somewhat reduced durability, you couldn’t use new materials if you wanted to preserve the atmosphere of the old era.

We rode toward the city hall, and before long, we were greeted by an elegant and majestic structure that could rival even the heart cities.

“Wow… it’s really huge.”

“The mayor of Parcifal would be insanely jealous if he saw this.”

“That one was a mayor, but this was a king. We’re now looking at a place where a king once fought back the darkness.”

“A royal palace…”

I wonder how a king felt when demoted to a mere mayor?

It couldn’t have been pleasant, but they had little choice.

When humanity finally united under a single empire after the sun and moon rose, ending thousands of years of darkness, anyone who objected might have brought disaster not just upon their nine generations of family, but eighteen.

Besides… they must have witnessed it.

The magnificent radiance of the great sun, driving away the darkness and bringing light to the world…

“We can’t go inside, can we?”

“Probably not. It still functions as a city hall. Being a historical artifact doesn’t make it useless.”

“True.”

If artifacts had no use, ancient ruins wouldn’t still attract crowds.

I mean, we dig up room-temperature superconductors—how could anyone dismiss artifacts?

Looking at the city hall, I thought of Parcifal’s city hall.

Though I hadn’t seen it much, I remember it being quite large, thick, and imposing.

But compared to the one before me now, it would seem shabby, making me realize that the saying “the world is vast” wasn’t just empty words.

Who was it that said:

If the world is too big, make yourself bigger.

They were right.

To my younger self, Parcifal was the entire world.

A small world I couldn’t leave and couldn’t even imagine leaving.

But look at me now.

Beyond Parcifal, beyond the Faerun continent, here I stand in Jericania of Miriam.

The world is vast, and I am small.

Then shouldn’t I at least grow larger?

The stronger I become, the further I go, the smaller the world will become before me.