Golden Gallon Port.
A heavy rain washed away the dust on the street, and a faint mist rose from the dark red square bricks, making the port, which had not yet fully illuminated by the sun, become hazy in the mist.
On the cargo ship at the dock, sailors were cleaning the deck, and businessmen in silk robes were checking with the port officer the goods that needed to be delivered to the warehouse.
After a brief vacuum of order, order in the port has been restored, at least in the port area.
Institutions including security bureaus, fire stations, port authorities, clinics, courts and other institutions have resumed their work under the coercive means of the "iron men" who use both kindness and power.
After all, having a job that can be done and a salary that can be paid is much more comfortable than squatting in a warehouse without even a bed.
The nuclear-powered submarine "Dolphin" docked at the dock again. This time it not only brought supplies from the French Fries Port, but also researchers from the scientific expedition team.
Players of the Burning Legion previously seized a large number of relics from the Prosperity Era in the Governor's Mansion that needed to be appraised, and the Scientific Expedition Corps was the only unit that was interested in these "holy relics" and could legally purchase them from players.
.
Sometimes Fang Chang can't help but wonder with malicious intent, whether these guys will deliberately lower the price by relying on their "franchise rights".
But even if he lowers the price, there's really nothing he can do.
These trophies are submitted as "mission props" and are not freely bought and sold goods.
No matter how little the offer was, he would have no choice but to accept it.
However, the quotation given by this broad-minded researcher did not disappoint him, and was even higher than he expected.
"...a total of 9.17 million silver coins."
Finally completing the photo registration of the last trophy, the researcher stretched out his index finger and clicked twice on the unfolded holographic screen to archive the collected data.
"hiss……"
Fang Chang, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but take a breath of moist air when he heard it. The researcher happened to hear it and cast an inquiring look at him.
"What's wrong?"
Hiding the secret joy on his face, Fang Chang talked nonsense seriously.
"Nothing...I mean, this is too little. We spent a lot of effort to get these things. Can we have more?"
The researcher said teasingly.
"We have a strict calculation formula and audit process for unplanned recycling projects. No matter how hard you try, it will not affect their added value. I advise you to give up."
"OK."
Fang Chang gave up decisively.
This person's name is Han Mingyue, and he is a small popsicle recovered from the ruins of the desert by the Thorn Corps stationed in the Kaifeng City area.
The reason why she is called a little popsicle has nothing to do with her age, but the time displayed on the dormant cabin is 81 years which is less than a century.
The background information about her is five pages long on the official website, and is mainly compiled by players active in the Kaoru City area.
Fang Chang took a brief look and extracted about three lines of key information——
She was a former resident of the abandoned Vault 288.
Specializing in data repair and file organization.
Probably influenced by Rama, the leader of the Thorn Corps, she is currently mainly engaged in sociological research in Borneo Province.
Both the "Borneo Province" and the "sociological direction" itself are relatively unpopular fields among scientific expedition groups.
However, it is precisely for this reason that as one of the few talents in this field who is worthy of important responsibilities, Yin Fang still sent her here even though her qualifications are still relatively low.
Turning her attention back to the trophies that filled half the warehouse in front of her, Han Mingyue stretched out her gloved right hand and picked up a silver-gray memory card from the shelf.
That memory card is only about the size of your thumb.
Her eyes sparkled with interest.
"...but to be honest, I didn't expect you to find this thing."
Fang Chang glanced at her fingertips. The thing looked like a memory card, placed together with other game cards with colorful covers.
"Is there anything special about this card?"
"It's more than special!" Han Mingyue said happily, "Let's put it this way, the project I am researching is just missing one piece of the puzzle...about the origin of thousands of races and gods."
The origin of Thousands of Races and Thousands of Gods?!
Fang Chang's eyes suddenly showed intense interest, and he said immediately.
"Appreciate further details."
Han Mingyue did not speak, but took out a holographic computer pen, connected it to the expandable interface, and inserted the old memory card into it.
Staring at the blue holographic beam with expectation, Fang Chang originally thought he would see something surprising, but unexpectedly, what caught his eye was a strong yak.
The yak was running, its strong muscles pumping the breath of life, with billowing smoke and dust floating around it, but the ground beneath its feet could not be seen.
At this time, the camera began to zoom out in front of it, gradually revealing the cattle behind it and the vast expanse of grassland.
Then, a powerful, low and convincing voice began to sound.
"On the grasslands beside the Yongliu River, the most deadly thing is not the claws of hyenas and the teeth of lions, but the running cattle. Even the most ferocious beasts have to retreat when they encounter them..."
One thing to say, as a documentary, these short shots are quite shocking, and the narration is quite satisfactory.
Especially considering that these images may have been displayed by immersive virtual reality equipment two hundred years ago, the actual expression may be more shocking than the holographic projection from the third-person perspective.
But……
What does this have to do with thousands of races and gods?
Fang Chang was a little confused.
Standing next to him, Han Mingyue stared directly at the flickering holographic light and shadow, as if staring at a cultural relic.
"The original images of "The Mystery of Nature: Yak"... Although the data is still somewhat lost, it is already the most complete memory card we can find so far. It's a shame that it can be saved so well! Please try your best in the future.
Go look for similar places more often.”
"I will, if conditions permit..." Fang Chang couldn't help but asked, shocked by the name of the documentary, "It's just that I don't quite understand... this 'animal world' and thousands of races
What does God have to do with it?”
Han Mingyue narrowed her eyes slightly and said with a smile
"The cattle running under the hot sun...don't you think this looks familiar?"
Fang Chang was stunned for a moment, then blurted out.
"...the sacred cow that carries the sun."
Han Mingyue gave him an approving look.
"You are very enlightened."
What the fuck?!
Fang Chang was completely dumbfounded.
"But……"
Seeing his hesitant expression, Han Mingyue could guess what he was thinking without asking, so she smiled and said.
"You want to ask how the popular science documentary became The Origin of Thousands of Races and Thousands of Gods, right?"
Fang Chang nodded with a strange expression.
"Maybe my imagination is not enough. I really can't fully imagine this process..."
"This is actually not difficult to understand. You can understand it by abstracting things like 'holographic cassettes' into 'things that cannot be explained by knowledge and experience.'"
Looking at Fang Chang, who still had confusion written on his face, she paused for a moment and continued.
"In ancient times, a forest fire or a flash of lightning was enough to make an ape with superior intelligence or good luck become a prophet or priest of the tribe. But as people gradually mastered the ability to make fire, they lost their respect for the flames that burn all things.
, prophets, priests, fire keepers, etc... These professions endowed with sacred meanings slowly moved out of the center of the historical stage."
Fang Chang frowned slightly, thought for a moment and said.
"You are saying that some people have used these popular science images, such as blue coats and so on... They have packaged themselves as priests or prophets to confuse the survivors on this land."
It's not surprising that he would think so, Han Mingyue said in a gentle tone.
"This is a relatively utilitarian interpretation. Of course, this possibility is not ruled out, but the existing evidence is more inclined to another completely opposite explanation."
"...What explanation."
"This is not something someone did deliberately, but was formed spontaneously by the group unconscious in the long-term social evolution process."
Fang Chang was slightly stunned.
"Spontaneous formation?"
"That's right."
Han Mingyue nodded slowly, looked at the holographic image that played intermittently, and continued.
"A work of art can be completed by one person or several people, but culture that is widely recognized by people is usually formed spontaneously in the process of social evolution. If you want to understand the origin of the 'thousands of peoples and gods' in Borneo, you must
Starting from the survivors who first fled to this land."
Fang Chang asked in confusion.
“Are there no native survivors in this land?”
Han Mingyue was stunned for a moment and looked at him strangely.
"Are you kidding? This was an ecological reserve during the Era of Prosperity... How could there be such a thing as native survivors except for a small number of tourism practitioners and scientific researchers? Do you want to sleep with lions and bison?"
Fang Chang: "...?"
Looking at the clueless Fang Chang, Han Mingyue sighed, turned off the "Animal World" that was being shown, and spoke slowly.
"It seems that I have to start with you from the most basic part..."
…
The biggest difference between the prosperous era and the old era is not only reflected in the generational difference in science and technology, but also in everything from the way of production and life to the ideas of thought and culture. Earth-shaking changes that were unimaginable in the old era have taken place.
The most typical one is administrative division.
Thanks to the free migration of the population, the extensive development of outer space and the integration of ethnic groups around the world, people's feelings for the land are no longer as strong as in the old days. They identify more with the identity of "people" than their own blood, and even begin to study
Whether to give the honor of "being born as a human" to AI with "social attributes".
The people living on this planet are fully prepared to face the future, and only one FTL engine is left to step towards the stars.
Against this background, out of the pursuit of efficiency in allocating land resources, the People's Federation abolished the administrative divisions of the old era in the early prosperity era and replaced them with large-scale divisions that were more tailored to local conditions.
For example, Luoxia Province was the product of this "land enclosure movement".
What was once a vast desert has been transformed by seawater liquefaction devices and endless energy into farmland that can satisfy the stomachs and taste buds of most people in the world.
The situation in Borneo Province is similar, except that its planning direction is completely opposite to that of Luoxia Province, which was once a no-man's land.
In the old days before the People's Federation was established, the largest slum in the world was located there, and the gap between rich and poor was the largest in the world.
If Luoxia Province is an uncultivated wasteland, then Borneo Province is a rotten land that has been spoiled by the locals.
It is precisely for this reason that when the People's Federation was finally established after many twists and turns, and the construction of the four major industrial zones and the space elevator project in the central part of Central Continent began, the region immediately set off a long-lasting and unprecedented "great population migration" movement.
A large number of poor people left their impoverished homes in pursuit of a better life. They took maglev trains across the Zhuobar Mountains one after another and headed for the dreamland in the middle of the continent. Together with immigrants from other administrative divisions, they completed the People's Union
A miracle in history—a super-large city cluster built around a space elevator.
In contrast, the province of Borneo, where people are emptying out of buildings, has ushered in a vigorous "de-urbanization" movement under the influence of the population siphon effect.
In fact, similar situations do not only occur in Borneo Province, but the performance here looks even more shocking in terms of macro data due to many historical problems.
According to available data, as of the middle of the Prosperous Era, the population of the entire Borneo Province was only 3% of that at the end of the old era, and there are still a large number of "urban agglomerations that can produce positive economic effects" in the eastern and western provinces.
A sharp contrast.
Considering that instead of paying high operation and maintenance costs for local public facilities with extremely low usage and letting local people live in "priceless broken houses", it is better to give them a sum of money and a ticket to move to central cities.
Enjoy life together.
The People's League authorities simply set up Borneo Province as an "ecological reserve", and under the banner of "We not only want to build a paradise for humans, but also a paradise for animals", they took the initiative to turn this unprecedented scale of events under the intervention of administrative power.
Fast forward to the end of the deurbanization movement.
By the mid-to-late period of the Prosperity Era, the de-urbanization movement in Borneo had ended early due to the active intervention of the People's Federation. There were less than 50,000 people left on the three million square kilometers of land, and they were mainly tourism practitioners and
Mainly researchers.
After demolishing most of the old urban buildings and shacks, the People's Federation returned this feng shui treasure land spanning three temperature zones of the tropics, subtropics and north temperate zone to nature, leaving only a few cultural sites, sightseeing areas and self-driving tour routes.
and scientific research facilities.
The maglev tracks that were once built for population migration were gradually dismantled as the population migration goals were completed, leaving only a small number of underground lines that do not hinder the migration of wild animals.
It's like a large wildlife park here.
Long before entering the Wasteland Era, this place had been demolished...
After briefly summarizing what happened on this land during the Prosperity Era, Han Mingyue paused for a moment and continued.
"...I don't need to tell you what happened next. The three-year war broke out, the space elevator collapsed, and the good life was shattered. The super city cluster located in the middle of Middle-earth became a city that even the post-war reconstruction committee was helpless to do anything about.
hell on earth.”
"A large number of survivors flocked from the four major industrial areas to the surrounding administrative divisions, such as Luxha Province, such as Borneo Province... Due to the status of Borneo Province's 'ecological reserve' area, this land became the only one left in that war.
Survivors, even if a brood nest fell in Luoxia Province, there is not one in this land of three million square kilometers."
Fang Chang looked at her in surprise,
"Not one?!"
"Yes," Han Mingyue nodded, "Obviously the residents of the colony do not feel the need to pay special attention to this zoo. What's more, there is no concrete building as a petri dish, and it is not suitable for the rapid reproduction of slime mold."
After a pause, she continued.
"Because they did not receive special care from the Brood, and the climate was relatively comfortable, many survivors chose this place as their first choice to escape... According to my research, at least nearly 100 million people must have successfully escaped here at that time."
"Obviously, this de-urbanized land cannot sustain such a large population. Food, medicine, energy, housing and even security have become in short supply. In order to compete for survival opportunities, people have begun to imitate the practices of this land. Wild beasts, in their hunger, throw away the restraints of civilized people."
"At first it was just poaching, and later it was robbery, and even cannibalism... I may be speaking euphemistically, but based on the information I collected in the desert, it may be better than the eastern and western provinces under the care of the War and Construction Committee. Enter the completely chaotic wasteland earlier."
Fang Chang swallowed unconsciously as he could imagine the scene of the end of the world.
"Where is the local garrison?"
Han Mingyue said concisely and concisely.
"The People's Federation's army was established in a very short period of time. There are places that need to fight fires everywhere, and they have to maintain a front five light years away. You can only imagine how many of them can be allocated to this 'zoo'... According to my research, the Awami League has some troops entering the area, but the order it can maintain is limited to a few mild-climate areas on the east and west coasts of Borneo."
"And due to the loss of organization and supplies, their own survival has become a problem. You can't expect those people to be able to hold the balance of order all the time. They themselves are on the balance. It would be good if they can crush it a little slower. Already."
After a pause, she continued.
"What the army did at that time is not the focus of my research. Going back to what I just said, these three million square kilometers of land may have entered the wasteland earlier, and completed the transformation from an disorderly society to an organized society earlier. The evolution of an orderly society, and in this process large and small settlements were born. These settlements were distributed along the Yongliu River in the form of tribes, and gradually expanded outward..."
"Due to the barriers of the Zhuobar Mountains and the Borneo Sea, mutants and most alien species have not been able to migrate to this area, and aquatic mutants have also stopped east of the Baiyue Strait. The pressure faced by local survivors is mainly some wild animals. Animals and a small number of exotic species.”
"Although civilization has undergone a systematic regression, there is still a lot of experience and technology from the old era here. This group of survivors with low literacy rates but rich survival skills expanded their territory faster than the primitive people. Much like the survivors of Luoxia Province, they soon formed various large and small feudal kingdoms."
"And in this process, not only did their population expand rapidly, but they also found something to place their souls..."
With that said, Han Mingyue took off the memory card from the computer pen and waved it in front of Fang Chang's eyes.
"Belief."
"Whether it is an abstract god or a dogma that is worshiped, in the classical period before the Enlightenment, it was almost the only tool to unite the ignorant majority, and it could temporarily give up the doubts about 'who am I' and 'where do I come from' "Thinking about these three things, 'Where to go', restrains primitive instincts, and maintains the operation of a huge system like gears."
The square Adam's apple moved.
Although that was something he had expected, he still felt a bit shocked when he heard the professionals peeling it off.
"So Thousand Races and Thousand Gods is a lie?"
Han Mingyue said in a relaxed tone.
"It can't be regarded as a lie, more like an accident... There are a large number of holographic projection equipment left here, mainly to introduce tourists to the wild animals of Borneo. With the energy storage equipment, they are likely to survive in the early wasteland era."
It has been running for fifty years, which is a long time. It is understandable that the second and third generation survivors who have been in the wasteland as soon as they open their eyes regard it as a miracle. After all, the only ones who can explain it to them over and over again are their parents.
The average life expectancy is less than thirty years.”
"You might as well try to put yourself into the situation of a survivor at that time. You are a survivor who has lived in a world of ice and snow since the day you were born. You are huddled at the ticket gate of a certain cultural center to avoid the snowstorm with your father's relics."
"At this time, the AI recognized your existence, and the endless warm grassland appeared in front of you, and then the majestic voice began to tell you the past. In the past, Borneo Province was a fertile place where even mice could live.
Tasty heaven..."
He tried to bring into the situation that the survivors faced at that time. Fang Chang thought about it for a while but still couldn't put it into perspective, and finally shook his head.
"...I will never think of myself as a descendant of mice."
A lion or a tiger is possible.
Han Mingyue laughed and joked.
"Of course, human ancestors cannot be animals, but it is entirely possible for you to worship them as something similar to the big-horned deer god... Don't overestimate yourself. The reason why you didn't do this is just because you are well-educated.
, and really understood what I learned.”
Unexplainable holographic light and shadow is just the beginning.
When a miracle becomes a reality, it is no longer just a miracle, but a prophecy sent by the gods.
What's more, the pictures in the holographic image did become reality later.
In the 50th year of the Wasteland Era, the cold winter ended, and the ecological environment of Borneo gradually changed back to what it was half a century ago.
For the survivors who lived by the Yongliu River at that time, this was undoubtedly the manifestation of the totem they worshiped.
Although the end of winter is just a normal climate change, it has nothing to do with their prayers...
"I know," Fang Chang said with emotion, "but then again, it turns out that the thousands of races and gods are really divided artificially."
After all, two hundred years is still too short a time for a group of people to form a new human race through natural evolution.
Unless it's pure black technology like the Vaillants or mutants.
Without the help of science, they would have needed at least a thousand years of racial segregation to form distinct differences in characteristics between the Japanese people and the Yue people.
As if she had obsessive-compulsive disorder, Han Mingyue corrected his loose statement and continued.
"To be precise, it is a limited range of self-identity formed under collective unconscious behavior. You can find that their skeletal characteristics are actually not much different from those of the survivors who fled to Luoxia Province. Excluding nutrition, air humidity, and the amount of light
It can be said that they are the same type of people."
Fang Chang nodded thoughtfully.
In fact, don't talk about other players.
It is the experience that he occasionally brings subjectively to the earth, but in fact, if he thinks about it carefully, he knows that reality and games are two completely different dimensions.
The wasteland of Borneo is probably considered a "classic start".
That is, without the interference of shelter residents, strategic weapons strikes, mutant slime mold nests, mutants and other supernatural forces, it is a typical wasteland formed purely by the collapse of order.
As for the Xilan Empire, it was a wave of ups and downs.
Without external interference, the survivors here may continue the tradition for hundreds or even thousands of years, until an accidental "Renaissance" or "historical discovery" of the past allows them to find new spiritual sustenance and replace it.
With the development of productive forces, the "Thousands of Races and Thousands of Gods" theory has gradually become outdated.
But it does not rule out the possibility of another extreme. The local survivors fell into another spiral in the long reincarnation. By constantly learning from the previous reincarnation, they used oak boards and nails to seal the loopholes that broke the reincarnation.
In this way, a set of "governance theory" with a more permanent structure and more rigorous logic will be established, so that the water of the Yongliu River will completely stop flowing.
There is no way of knowing which one is more likely.
After all, only history that has happened is inevitable in history.
And only people in the future will know what the future will be like.
In short, they are a good observation sample for the scientific expedition team.
Putting the memory card containing the "Original Scripture" into the storage box, Han Mingyue looked at the port outside the warehouse door and said energetically.
"...As expected, there should be traces of early survivor settlements or shelters nearby. This may help me complete a part of the subject that I have not covered before. The only remaining order during the three-year war was in Borneo Province.
The impact of social evolution in the wasteland.”
After hearing what Han Mingyue said, Fang Chang spoke subconsciously.
"You mean Camp Lowell?"
"Wait, Camp Lowell is actually here?!" Han Mingyue opened her eyes wide in surprise, and then said in surprise, "That's great, can you take me to see it?"
Fang Chang nodded.
"no problem."
Due to the advance of the second phase of the offensive, the camp is currently under their control. Before the emperor of the Xilan Empire takes serious action, they can probably enjoy a period of calm.
If you want to engage in scientific research activities, now is the most appropriate time.
Just when Fang Chang was about to call for a vehicle to take her there, the dog suddenly came over.
His steps were hurried, his face was full of seriousness, and he spoke quickly without waiting for a long question.
"Something happened at Camp Lowell!"
This chapter has been completed!