Ch.154The First Civilization. Jericania (2)

“Huh… This is so draining.”

I thought to myself as I placed my hand on my head.

My wife was diligently servicing me to satisfy my lower body, and as I lay on the bed, I stroked her hair, which was in a perfect position for caressing, while looking out the window.

Despite it being daytime, bright light leaked from countless buildings constructed in an architectural style that was visibly different from modern designs—structures clearly from a bygone era.

“City of Light…?”

It was a common nickname given to cities with vibrant nightlife.

Parcival, on the other hand, had been given the more poetic nickname “Western Pearl of Faerun.”

I wonder… when will I stop thinking about Parcival…

Even though it had been over a year since I left Parcival, I still used it as the standard for everything I saw, heard, felt, and thought.

Thinking about it now, I realized it might be impossible for me to stop thinking about Parcival.

One’s frame of reference is established at a certain point, and I was too old and mature to change it.

Whether I liked it or not, that place was my homeland.

My homeland with beautiful coastlines and horizons viewed from the cliffs. I had traveled a great distance from the west coast of the Faerun continent.

Though I feared I might never be able to return, I didn’t particularly regret it.

An adventurer lives with death as a constant companion. Those who set out on adventures more often returned to their homeland as corpses.

Of course, many did return triumphantly, but for one person’s successful homecoming, hundreds of bodies had to fill the village cemetery.

I, too, had seen many adventurers’ corpses brought back in coffins.

Preparing those bodies was the job of lowly, rootless people like me.

I can’t count how many times I vomited while handling bodies that were melted, crushed, sliced, chewed, and mangled.

But even more pitiful were the spirits resting in empty coffins.

Empty coffins for those who lost their lives in places where their bodies couldn’t be recovered, or those who became monsters’ food and dissolved in stomach acid…

The families of the dead would endlessly weep while clutching those empty coffins.

And I earned my daily wages stained with preservative fluids.

“Homeland…”

In the end, that city was my homeland.

The place where my body was formed and my mind was instilled.

The place where I had lived and where I had killed.

If I could complete this long pilgrimage, I would return to my homeland once more.

As I organized these thoughts, my wife finished her assault on my lower body and moved up to devour my upper half, bringing her face close to mine.

But why can’t I feel anything in my lower body?

*

“Alright. Where are we going today?”

Today, after yesterday’s semi-forced rest.

In response to Lucia’s question, I took a sip of chilled ale, unfolded a map, and pointed to three locations.

“Here’s the city’s first skyscraper. Here’s where construction of the city walls began. And here’s the central underground power plant that’s still supplying electricity.”

“Are we going to visit all of those?”

“That’s right.”

Being registered as one of the world’s 52 wonders as the first city, most related sites were connected to its “first” status.

According to the promotional brochure, it showcased architectural styles from the era without sunlight, though honestly, since that “architectural style” applied to the entire city, it wouldn’t be particularly impressive.

What I wanted to see most was the central underground power plant, the last on our list.

This power plant, a byproduct of attempts to create an artificial sun for this civilization’s former capital, continuously generated power through something resembling a small sun, and was one of the few originals that survived even the Eclipse Era.

“An artificial sun? There was much research on that in the pre-Imperial era.”

“Really?”

“Creating a self-illuminating entity could serve as propaganda for the triumph of the regime. The Dark Age was caused not only by the absence of light but also by the antagonism among humans scattered across the 13 continents.”

That explanation makes me want to see it even more!

As my desire to see a lower version of the being I follow gleamed in my eyes, my wife sighed and said:

“Why do men love heavy machinery so much…”

“…”

Damn.

As someone who once worked at construction sites just to see tower cranes, I couldn’t possibly refute that statement.

Feeling awkward, I closed the tourist guidebook and set off to see the skyscraper first.

*

“Hmm. It looks like a building made only of a skeleton.”

“That’s exactly what it is. Without the sun, they couldn’t cure concrete. So they built it using only steel frames, which don’t require light.”

“Hooo…”

The skyscraper wasn’t particularly tall.

Maybe about 2km at most?

Looking at the tourist guidebook, it was listed as approximately 2,300m, which could be considered quite short for a skyscraper.

Of course, it was still tall enough to strain our necks as we stood close to it.

“I’ve seen pure concrete buildings before, but never a pure steel frame building. It’s like Gothic architecture on steroids.”

“Ha! An interesting metaphor!”

Other buildings were built similarly, but this skyscraper, formed by millions of straight steel bars extending upward, had a surreal quality like it had been sketched with pencil.

As if a sketch had been directly transferred into reality.

A child unfamiliar with the concept of steel frames might think this building was made of pencil lead.

“Unfortunately, it seems we can’t see the inside. It’s a residential building.”

“Well… just seeing this exterior is worth it, don’t you think?”

At my words, the elf sisters nodded in agreement.

Since none of us could say we hadn’t grown up seeing skyscrapers, how tall it was didn’t matter much; rather, how “unique” it was made a deeper impression.

“Let’s move on to the next place.”

*

“Huh. There’s even a shovel stuck in there.”

“It says not to touch it. I don’t sense any magical influence… it really seems like they just stuck a shovel there.”

“Really?”

Before us was a set recreating the construction process of the first section of the wall built to surround Jericania.

It seemed they had built this set roughly in the same location as the actual wall, probably because developing the real wall as a tourist attraction posed safety issues. Though slightly disappointing, I didn’t want to criticize something involving the city’s safety.

The set featured automatons shaped like workers, dressed in standard worker attire and equipment from the Dark Age, moving in designated patterns and continuously working.

Of course, being sophisticated mechanical devices, the materials they stacked would subtly lower, forcing them into eternal labor.

“It’s kind of sad. Having to work for their entire existence.”

“Well… they’re machines.”

While saying they’d work “eternally” might be slightly inaccurate since they’d need parts replaced when they broke down, seeing these lifeless machines being worn down in the name of “recreation” did evoke some pity.

In the era without sunlight, humanity must have lived like these machines, being consumed and gradually losing their humanity, becoming desolate.

If maintaining the status quo is the best one can hope for despite all struggles, wouldn’t it be better for individual prosperity to embrace the encroaching darkness?

Fortunately, the world had the sun, and now humanity enjoyed prosperity and peace under its supreme sacrifice.

As I was thinking this and preparing to move with my party members to our final destination, the power plant…

Zzzzzap!

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, all the lights in the city went out…

Zzzzzap!

Then the lights came back on.

“What was that?”

“Maybe a short circuit… Let’s head to the power plant anyway. If there’s a problem, they might need adventurers.”

“Hmm…”

*

When we arrived at the power plant, we could hear constant shouting.

“Why did the power suddenly go out?! I lost my entire dissertation—how are you going to take responsibility?!”

“What is the plant director doing?! Open the door!!!”

It seemed the recent power outage had caused significant damage, as hundreds of people were clamoring and banging on the door.

Actually, “banging on the door” isn’t quite accurate—the main entrance was surrounded by a thick barrier that dispersed physical impacts, flashing blue with each strike.

“Well… it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to see the power plant today…”

As Simon said this while crossing his arms, I sighed and approached the door.

I thought that if a knight approached, at least a guard might come out.

But then…

Bzzzzzz….

“Huh?”

“What’s that?”

Suddenly, as I approached, the barrier melted away like ice… and after I passed through, it reappeared!

“???”

As hundreds of people, including myself, stood frozen in confusion, the firmly closed main gate behind the barrier opened.

Clank!

“Oh! The guards!”

“Open this barrier! You opened it for that knight!”

“Uh….”

The citizen’s claim that the barrier had opened only for me was convincing.

As a knight, I was recognized as someone capable of rational persuasion.

“Please come with us.”

“What’s going on?”

“Please, I beg you. The survival of this city is at stake, so please follow us.”

“???”

What on earth is happening?!