blogombal Chapter 365 City of Clockwork
Chapter 365 City of Clockwork
Chapter 365 City of Clockwork
Riju, Parliament City.
Leo came here not only because it is the center of the Federation.
Although it is not as prosperous as Daman City, Daman City is indeed the face of the Far East continent.
Almost every ship attempting to cross the Windless Sea uses the Gate City as its starting point or destination, or at least as a transit point.
As a result, that city is economically prosperous and more fashionable.
It is said that things popular in the Far East all originated from the Great Gate City.
Therefore, in terms of wealth, the City of Parliament is naturally incomparable to the City of the Gate.
However, given its cultural and strategic value, Gate City naturally cannot afford to mess with Council City.
It is said that the city of Parliament was the capital of nine dynasties, and it certainly has a strategic location.
No matter which direction they want to control, they can quickly send troops there.
At the same time, the people here love to wear traditional clothing.
A type of clothing with a simple design, basically only one color, yet unique in style.
Therefore, Leo experienced an exotic atmosphere here.
At the same time, there is a stronger religious atmosphere.
However, the people do not seem to have a single religious belief.
In the city of Parliament, you can easily find temples to various gods.
The moon goddess, the wise old man, the benevolent venerable one—and of course, God himself.
The people of the Federation are exceptionally open to religion, and they will not forcibly interfere with whichever god a citizen chooses to worship.
But this also means that religious people cannot obtain special status in this country.
To the Federation, priests are just ordinary citizens.
This surprised Leo, as even in the kingdom, noble lords had to give the local priests some face.
But upon closer reflection, this situation is quite normal.
Religion can constrain people's beliefs, and people in the Far East place great importance on wisdom and technology.
Parliament City, on the other hand, is a hub of technology.
One of the few remaining alchemy academies in the world is located in Parliament City.
The two universities with the highest academic influence in the federal government are also located in this city.
Technology has brought convenience to people.
This was what surprised Leo the most.
He saw metal dolls moving about in the street, their brass gears at their joints constantly turning in Leo's eyes.
The trivial, chain-like "clattering" sound also echoed in the Leo.
Leo had heard this sound elsewhere as well.
It was something they called a clock.
Leo was in the reception room of a chamber of commerce, the kind of place that's simple.
Something resembling a large box was placed against the wall, and inside a transparent cover, a pendulum was swinging back and forth.
Inside the round box on top of the box, there are three needles spinning.
It took Leo a while to learn how to read a clock.
He was amazed that such a precise method of recording time existed in the world.
He was equally astonished by the Federation people's brilliant minds and skillful hands.
They even made this amazing object into a size that could be carried around.
A small, round box, about the size of the palm of your hand.
There is a button on the box; pressing it will open the lid and reveal the "clock" inside.
They called this a pocket watch, a clock that could be hidden in one's pocket.
They either put it directly in their shirt pockets or wear it around their necks with a chain.
The tallest building in the city is a giant clock.
The huge clock face on the rooftop is clearly visible even from dozens of blocks away.
It also makes a sound every hour on the hour to tell people the time.
magical!
It's amazing!
What's even more amazing are these puppets in front of us.
They should have a structure similar to clocks, and the huge keyholes on their backs prove Leo's idea.
The people here say that's a wind-up lock.
You need to wind up an item with a wind-up key for it to move.
This is the power source for wind-up items.
However, it is said that a technology is being researched that can use supernatural powers to drive clockwork objects.
The main research direction at present is the use of explosives.
The concept of "controlled explosion" seems very cutting-edge, aiming to slowly release supernatural power to power clockwork items.
Although Leo could only understand half of what he heard, he thought that whoever came up with these ideas was absolutely a genius!
However, a clockwork mechanism cannot give a soul. Just like the doll in front of us, it is still under development and can only move according to the designer's predetermined route.
Leo could foresee that the clockwork dolls could do much more complex things, and no one on this land would be a match for the Federation.
Although the Federation currently has no rivals, it seems to be at war and has the intention of annexing the entire Far East continent.
This is undoubtedly a good thing for Leo.
He was a businessman, and once the Far East was unified, it would be easier for him to manage the spice trade there.
At that moment, Leo saw a group of people digging into the ground.
The road surface is perfectly smooth, so why are these people digging up the floor?
Just then, Leo saw that a long pit had been dug behind them.
The pit was about six feet wide, enough for a tall adult to lie down in.
On the other side of the pit, Leo saw another group of people busy at work.
He squinted and looked out, and saw that the group of people were trying to insert thick metal strips into the pits they had just dug.
Leo immediately realized that this must be some kind of project.
So he went up to the people working there and asked them:
"What are you doing?"
During this month, Leo diligently studied the lunar language. Although he was still not fluent, he could still communicate with some difficulty.
The miner looked up at Leo warily, took the towel hanging around his neck, wiped the large beads of sweat from his face, and said irritably:
"Can't you tell? I've dug a hole!"
Leo immediately understood what to do.
Instead of replying immediately, he found a vendor on the street and bought a bottle of sparkling water in a glass bottle from them.
Leo drank that stuff, and it was delicious.
At first, he thought it was sparkling wheat beer from the Plains of Lorraine.
But this stuff doesn't smell of alcohol at all; it tastes sweet and doesn't make you drunk.
Leo immediately became enamored with the drink.
But he wasn't buying it for himself; he was giving it to the person from earlier.
There's only one reason why the other person is unwilling to answer Leo's question: he feels that replying to Leo is pointless.
Leo handed the glass bottle containing the sparkling sweet water to the other person.
The man's eyes lit up immediately, and he stared at Leo in surprise.
Leo smiled. "It's for you."
A sense of smug satisfaction, as if he'd gotten a good deal, flickered across the man's face: "How could I possibly accept this—"
"You've worked hard, don't mention it, haha."
"have to!"
The man said something in the local dialect, which should mean "good".
He uncapped the bottle and gulped down the sparkling sweet water in a few mouthfuls.
"Ha!" the man exclaimed after finishing his drink. "Awesome!"
After finishing his drink, he handed the bottle to Leo.
Leo could get a little money back if he returned the glass bottle, but he didn't care about such a small amount.
"It's yours."
"Alright! Sir, you're so generous. Then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Are you a foreigner, sir?"
Seeing that the other party had started talking, Leo knew he was in trouble.
"That's right. The Kingdom of Ancent."
"A kingdom?!" The man's eyes widened. "That's a long way off! I heard it's separated by several seas!"
"It's very far," Leo nodded.
"So, sir, what do you hope to find out from me by treating me so generously?"
Leo has already been polite; there's no need to be polite again.
"I want to ask you, what are you digging for?"
"track."
"track?"
"The tracks on which the car runs."
Leo was puzzled: "Why does a car need tracks? It actually limits the range of movement the car can make."
"You don't know this, but what's running on the tracks isn't a horse-drawn carriage or a rickshaw, but an automatic vehicle that can move forward on its own."
Upon hearing this, Leo immediately guessed what was going on:
"Could it be a wind-up car?"
"That's right!" The man grinned. "It's only been twenty years since the invention of clockwork technology, but it has developed quite rapidly. It's been a technological explosion. In the blink of an eye, clockwork is everywhere in this council city. It can be called Clockwork City."
Sure enough, that's what surprised Leo the most.
The Federation really is good at using wisdom to do anything.
Leo glanced at the underground tracks: "Could these two vehicles hold ten people?"
"Ten people?" Hanzi Shan chuckled. "I heard it can hold fifty, or even a hundred!"
Hundreds of people — "Can a clockwork mechanism really have that much power?"
"I don't know, it seems we'll need to set up a site."
"Site?"
"Yes, the wind-up car circles around Emblem City on the tracks, stopping at stations for passengers to get on and off. It also takes this opportunity to wind up the car again to ensure it can reach the next station."
Based on the man's description alone, Leo couldn't picture the scene.
But he was shocked.
What a magnificent spectacle it would be to have a wind-up car that runs automatically.
Leo satisfied his curiosity and didn't bother the other party any longer.
He then took his leave and headed to his intended destination.
This time, Leo finally convinced the two green-eyed people to stop following him.
Actually, it was because the two of them were too scared to continue following Leo.
The mechanical objects in the city already had a severe impact on Leo, let alone those green-eyed people.
They worship the forest, believing that the primitive is the purest and most sacred thing in the world.
However, those machines were undoubtedly a desecration of their faith.
Therefore, given the opportunity to stay indoors, they naturally didn't want to follow Leo around.
It seems that even though they have a mission, they are not just machines that know how to execute tasks.
Perhaps this is their original way of being?
But Leo really doesn't need them today. He shouldn't be in any danger and doesn't need bodyguards.
Moreover, Leo himself possesses immense power.
He further refined the abilities that Mr. Mosley had given him.
Leo also realized that this was actually a kind of magic.
Despite his extraordinary abilities, he was now pursuing truth and technology.
Before me stood a city wall within the city.
Within the city walls lies one of the city's two best technical universities, Green Shade University.
This university specializes in medicine and life sciences.
They study the origins of humankind and the evolution of life.
Of course, I will also study other disciplines.
I've heard that Green Shade University also offers courses in mechanics and clockwork, but it's not considered one of the school's strongest disciplines.
In contrast, another university in Parliament City, Ouroboros University, which is equally renowned, has made clockwork technology its flagship major.
With the rise of mechanical and clockwork disciplines, Ouroboros University has recently shown a trend of even overtaking Green Shade University.
However, these were merely hearsay by Leo, without any thorough investigation.
But there is no doubt that when it comes to life-related technologies, no one can compare to Green Tree University.
This is why Leo came to visit the university.
Leo's goal, of course, was to cultivate spices.
Before setting off for the New World, Leo buried several spice fruits in the ground.
When Leo returned to Tongue Harbor, he found that the plant had died and there were no signs of human damage.
This means that spices are not plants that can grow in just any place.
But what are the conditions for cultivating spices, and can they only grow in the New World?
These are the questions that Leo is eager to explore.
If spices can be grown on the eastern side of the Sea of Despair, once the lords begin large-scale cultivation, the price of spices there will surely plummet.
Leo must ensure this possibility exists and prepare in advance.
For example, does he still sell raw spices, or only processed products?
Leo had already inquired about a professor here beforehand.
I heard that although she is young, she is quite talented and has achieved a lot.
Leo has already made initial contact with the professor through the Chamber of Commerce.
Upon hearing that Leo wanted to be her investor, the other party immediately expressed their willingness to meet with Leo.
Money makes the world go round; look, this is the best example!
Leo arrived at the gate of Green Shade University and informed the gatekeeper of his purpose.
After the other party went in to verify, they said to Leo:
"I've confirmed it with Professor Shirley, and it's true. I'll take you to see the professor."
Afterwards, Leo followed the gatekeeper and strolled through the campus.
The campus was filled with groups of young people.
They gathered together, gesturing wildly and making incessant noises with their lips, as if discussing something.
With such an academic atmosphere, it's no wonder this university has achieved such great success.
It is said that the investors in the University of the Grove and Ouroboros are Parliament Bank.
Leo doesn't mean that such a promising place is worth investing in by the federal government in the name of the nation.
Soon, Leo arrived at a huge, multi-story building.
In a kingdom, this would absolutely only be the residence of a nobleman.
He climbed up to the third floor, knocked on the door, and Leo, after receiving permission, pushed the door open and entered.
A woman dressed simply with her hair in a ponytail greeted Leo.
"You must be Mr. Leo! I've been waiting for you!"
"It was my fault for bothering you."
As he spoke, Leo noticed another man in the room.
"This is—"
"He is my boyfriend, and also a professor."
Shirley pulled the man in front of Leo.
"He's developing a project, Mr. Leo, one that you'll definitely find interesting—"