At the end of the last Lu Era, the Council of Scientific Vein was born, encasing the invaluable technology of that age in a Secret Box, inscribed in a foreign language.
Entrusting it to its guardians, who crossed oceans and arrived in this new world…
Inside the tent, a motley group of people—varied in stature, attire, temperament, and build—gathered together in this cramped refuge by the disaster, listening to the old gentleman recount these events from the twilight of the last Lu Era.
For four hundred years, these special nobles, known as the “Honor Families, ” had silently guarded the secrets from the bygone Lu Era. Until many ceased to notice them, and even some of these families themselves forgot the mission they were sworn to carry on.
“The birth of the Council of Scientific Vein sealed the era’s technology. It was meant to be unsealed someday, when the menace of nightmares had been utterly vanquished, and the pieces could be reassembled into the civilization that once was. “
Inside the tent, those hearing this for the first time—shelter-seekers, even Zorro himself—felt a weight in their hearts, mingled with awe and reverence for the sacrifices made by those who, under the threat of technologically-fueled terrors, managed to snatch these scientific relics from the jaws of the changing times.
“And so, from that moment on, our family has been the guardian of a Scientific Secret Box. “
…..
After finishing his narration, the gentle-faced old scientist fixed his hopeful gaze on Yang Zicang.
“Mr. Buchen, do you understand this urgent wish of ours? “
“We also want to pass down the technology of this era. ” said the materials researcher beside him.
Yang Zicang hadn’t expected to be standing here, in the flesh, alongside these seemingly ordinary yet extraordinary people, listening to them discuss what sounded like an uncertain consultation.
The others stopped their murmuring and looked over, and two somewhat down-and-out individuals spoke up:
“Something this important—if we leave it all to Mr. Yang alone, it might be asking too much of him. “
“We should gather more minds from the scientific community for this. Mr. Renlai. “
They turned to look at the man, who appeared to be a senior scientist from some country and had just happened to pass through the central dispatch station for a transfer last night.
The old scientist’s military bodyguard spoke up at that moment:
“No, convening a council like this on our end is certainly out of reach. Trust me—once the turning point for the continuation of continental civilization emerges, there will bound to be nations vying to organize this. “
“Then what exactly are we doing here? ” A man with an afro and an open shirt said, throwing up his hands in frustration.
The elderly Mr. Renlai looked at him calmly:
“Because the amount of technology that can be passed down is limited. “
“This… “
At those words, everyone fell silent, as if struck speechless.
The soldier said solemnly to Yang Zicang, “According to the family records handed down by Mr. Ren Lai, to ensure these scientific legacies are preserved safely through the ages, we need the help of the finest ladies and gentlemen from Mist Continent, who will undertake a special, precious form of investment.“
He placed his hand over his chest, performing a unique knightly military salute. “We would like to ask you to make this investment on our behalf.“
-｛Distributor February. Di’an watches my current life experience with anticipation.｝
From the side of the crowd, Zorro looked at Yang Zicang in surprise, then turned to his calm companion and said in a low voice, “You knew?“
Dereiano hesitated for a moment. “I’ve only heard about the Secret Box thing. As for the details, those brothers never really talked much about it.“
Zorro understood that these so-called ‘Free-Forward’ folks might not even recognize each other in usual times. Unless there was a large operation, they almost never kept in regular contact—let alone chatted about things like that.
At that moment, both of them, having just learned about the Secret Box, started thinking it over. This was clearly another standard ‘Heroic Flash’-level operation. But the so-called special, precious investment from this scientist…
They exchanged a glance, silently confirming the implications in his words.
Suddenly, the crowd outside the tent started clamoring again, and a chorus of voices came through.
Yang Zicang, who had been silent for a while, glanced outside and asked in a low voice,
“What are your plans now? I mean, what kind of scientific data do you want to preserve and take to the next Arkland?“
-｛Distributor February. Di’an have raised my in-creation nascent glory overture by 500%.｝
Yang Zicang ignored the necklace’s transmitted inner voice and continued:
“This should be determined after collective discussion to avoid duplicates and must include data critical to the reinitiation of civilization—is that not right? “
This remark immediately stirred another buzz of hushed debate within the tent.
“Absolutely, but I have been preparing for this day for quite some time. “
Renlai gestured toward the material scientist beside him, who was leaning on a staff. “We have meticulously curated key technological evolutionary processes to enshrine them for preservation. “
As he finished, one researcher among the crowd shook his head and sighed:
“To be honest, I’ve also heard whispers about the Secret Boxes. From what I’ve gathered, quite a number have been destroyed over these centuries due to one cause or another. “
Yang Zicang was fully aware that the exact calamity they spoke of was transpiring across the continent.
Those accursed fools had gone so far as to treat such a precious legacy as nothing but a mere key to enter the next continent, even going to the lengths of hunting down the scions of the science-honored families who had guarded them for centuries.
“Can we, perhaps, mutually protect the core data guarded by each other’s families? “
This suggestion revived the tent’s mood; some voices chimed in:
“Right. Sometimes the inspiration for a scientific breakthrough can be just a single sentence, the logical progression of a mathematical proof, a mere fragment recording a spark of genius. It wouldn’t take up much paper. “
Renlai shook his head.
“Things are not as simple as you think. Preserving a legacy from an era when civilization was still a barren desert to a technologically advanced age still requires scholars to use various instruments and materials to identify and study it. What we take for granted today may be as incomprehensible as a book from a bygone era in future millennia. “
“Moreover, the data and objects we preserve are like snipping a few fragmentary phrases from the pages of civilization’s book. When the time comes, how can the precious content guarded by each family using their own internal language be understood by future generations who may have already changed their language? Therefore, every piece of our data must simultaneously record key contexts of the related disciplines above and below it. It must be able to form a system unto itself. “
The soldier then said: “And we dare not make unnecessary attempts against the strangeness of the Nightmares; judging from several hundred years of experience, if a Secret Box preserves too much content, it will act like a domino bomb-reading one piece of technical information will trigger the entire box, causing the loss of all data. “
Lianna… Upon hearing those words, Yang Zicang couldn’t help but think of that despairing maiden who, under the threat of thugs, shouted the core contents of her family’s Secret Box.
Yang Zicang’s gaze turned resolute.
“When do you plan to do this? “
“This—does that mean you agree? “
Ren Lai’s face beamed with genuine delight. “We plan to wait until this council is convened, submit my memorandum on scientific legacies, and as soon as it passes review, we’ll begin immediately. Don’t worry, I’m confident I’ll be selected, because my family has already… made thorough preparations. “
“I… ” Yang Zicang pursed his lips, but figured he had to be clear.
The old man, his body trembling with excitement, was helped onto a small wooden stool by his armed bodyguard.
Yang Zicang rubbed his face. “If I can contribute to something like this, I naturally agree. But as for which specific scientific legacy to invest in… I’ll need to take another look. “
Having said that, he awkwardly averted his gaze.
“Oh goodness! ” The gentle-natured elderly man almost slapped his own thigh.
“Dean… Teacher Ren Lai, you know that for the Fogfolk, so-called investment objects are priceless treasures. Acting cautiously is a form of responsibility toward this matter. “
“Er, there’s something I’d like to confirm. ” Suddenly, a short young man with a camera slung around his neck, a pen in his hand, and a worker’s cap on his head interjected from among them.
“Since even you yourself said that a leak of one piece of data could blow open the entire secret box, and you’re already a guardian bloodline—two generations of guardians speaking the same family language monitoring two secret boxes from different eras—wouldn’t that be an awful big gamble? “
The old man shot him a startled look, as if had never before given this question any genuine thought.
“Who are you? “
“I’m a reporter. “
“How did you get in? Get out! “
“We can’t let him report what we said! ” The people around immediately grabbed the man trying to flee, tore two pages from his notebook. “This matter is of grave importance. Don’t you dare make it public! “
“I have a question. ” In the chaos, Zorro, little noticed at the edge of the crowd, raised his hand. After they hustled the infiltrator out, everyone pulled back the tent curtain and turned to scrutinize this so-called “diplomatic officer ” from Havenczik.
This guy looked nothing like a diplomat.
“Go ahead, please. ” Renlai hesitated, weighed down by thoughts of family language issues, his expression stiff as he spoke.
“I want to know, approximately when do such councils convene? And how can people like Mr. Buchen, a Fogfolk, participate in these meetings? “
“Hmm, I’m not quite clear on that yet. Because the matter of Fogfolk is very, very… very, ” Renlai found it awkward to explain, but everyone understood.
“Anyway, confirming eligibility is a rather troublesome affair. Perhaps the organizer of the council assembly will come up with a solution. “
……
After lunch, a group of medical students arrived in the afternoon to provide emergency treatment to those in the field who were coughing, sneezing, and even beginning to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea.
They all suspected that a plague might have broken out here.
Little Machao remained silent, quietly lingering for most of the day behind these powerful individuals.
After Yang Zicang and Zorro returned, the demon train couldn’t wait and blurted out:
{This place is so uncomfortable. You’ve been here so long, is there somewhere else you can stay? }
“Well, well, you’re learning the ways of the world now. “
After a moment of silence, Little Machao spoke.
{Yes, I want to go back. }
Zorro smiled bitterly on the side. Seeing him like this, Little Machao’s big, lamp-like eyes shifted to look at him.
{Is this your new friend? He seems unhappy. You should care more about him. }
“… ” Yang Zicang frowned suspiciously. “Who have you been with lately? I have this feeling… “
{It’s Ning Jiajia. She said I need to be gentler and more gentlemanly so that she will summon the other train over from that tranquil grassland I can’t go to myself. }
The demon-train got lost in its thoughts, speaking somewhat intoxicatedly:
{She said in that place, there are many, many quiet kindreds who are a perfect match for me. }
Yang Zicang’s brows shot up in alert: “You moron! Do you even know what that thing is? That’s your own shadow, don’t you get it?! “
{Huh? } The train-turned-nightmare looked at him blankly, as if incapable of comprehending a single word of this.
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