Large black smoke spewed out from the chimney of the steam locomotive and merged into the gloomy sky. The steam train started slowly in front of the crowded platform.
Tesla stood behind the door with a crutch. When the door closed and the steam train left the platform, he lowered his head and returned to the warm luxury carriage covered with blankets.
As the regional director and one of the biggest contributors to the Shadow Town incident, they are qualified to sit in the first-class carriage.
"The Council of Elders has suspended steam trains since the Night Disaster, but now is a special period. People are flocking to ports with long-distance travel capabilities to take refuge in the Lennon Islands."
He sat across from Lu Li, took off his wide-brimmed hat and hung it on the coat hook by the window, and smiled kindly at Qiaoqiao and Fran, who were looking curiously at the seats next to him.
They already know each other.
"It will take us to Belfast, but before arriving we will enter Allenbedshire and walk along the northern coastline of the Allen Peninsula."
What was Lu Li thinking: "Will we pass by Zernst?"
"Yes... that city has been abandoned."
Lu Li did not stay on the train for too long and asked: "Is the thing about the Lennon Islands true?"
"Absolutely." Tesla picked up the coffee pot and poured two cups of coffee, one of which was hot and pushed it in front of Lu Li. "Drink something hot to warm up. The weirdness of the Lennon Islands is indeed better than that of Allen's Desolate Island.
There are much fewer of them in these three places on earth. We haven’t found the reason yet. It may be that they are too fragmented and isolated from the world, and the weirdness cannot be touched.”
Lu Li, who had taken a bath in the shower room not long ago, sat across from him with a blanket wrapped around his head. His black hair was still damp: "Do you have today's newspaper?"
Tesla called the waiter and asked him to bring him a copy of the day's newspaper.
Before the waiter came back, Tesla asked: "Did the Swamp Mother win in the end?"
They observed that the followers of the Swamp Mother retreated into the jungle, while the followers of the unknown evil god disappeared without a trace.
"Um."
Lu Li answered briefly.
Tesla continued to ask: "Do you know who the unknown evil god is?"
"Also the mother of swamps."
Tesla, who leaned back on his seat and glanced at the scenery with part of his peripheral vision outside the car window, looked at Lu Li in surprise.
"Wait for the merchant to come."
As I said before, the story was too long and Lu Li didn't have the energy to tell it a second time.
"Okay, but my curiosity has indeed been aroused." Tesla smiled helplessly, looking away and looking at the waiter who came back from the noisy car next door.
"Thanks."
Taking the two newspapers from the waiter, Lu Li staggered them to reveal the headlines of their respective first pages.
[Lennon Islands Immigration Boom]
【People are flocking to Lennon Islands!】
The contents of the two news are similar. Due to the endless emergence of strange things, more and more inaccessible areas have become dangerous. The number of towns and villages that have been wiped off the map has increased. People are panicked. The restless nobles and many middle classes are looking for safe places.
At this time, the Lennon Islands came into view, which are strange and rare. The scattered islands make them naturally isolated from the mainland. With the Queen's solicitation and the exorcist's recommendation, the Lennon Islands have become the most popular immigration area.
Due to the heat wave and the dangerous deep sea, the ticket for a long voyage to the Lennon Islands has been raised to 1,500 shillings, and that's only for first-class cabins.
This is destined to be an expensive means of transportation that can only be afforded by the middle class or ordinary people who have sold their houses alone.
In addition to the Lennon Islands, deserted areas have also become relatively popular.
The deserted land is sparsely populated, and most of the locals gather in a few coastal cities. Perhaps it is because the crowds are concentrated that it is difficult to find the weird things scattered in the deserted land, or maybe it is because there are really few weird things, and it is rare to hear of weird things raging there.
Therefore, the desolate land has become the second choice for people who want to take refuge but have insufficient money. Some people may have the idea of using the desolate land as a springboard to sneak across to the Lennon Islands.
This is why steam trains are taking the risk to restart.
A large number of people from the Allen Peninsula flocked to the port, preparing to leave here.
"What do you think?"
After Lu Li put down the newspaper, Tesla asked with a smile.
"The food problem hasn't been solved yet," Lu Li replied.
After the plants stop growing, it is unknown whether the Lennon Islands can support a large population.
"Don't worry, the Lennon Islands are not suitable for planting. The fishing industry is almost as strong as Belfast."
Lu Li asked rhetorically, not showing the same optimism as Tesla: "What if the fish are gone."
"So far, fish and some carrion-eating animals are our only stable food sources." Tesla helplessly replied to Lu Li: "If the fish disappears like you said, we won't be very big wherever we are.
meaning.”
What is invisible is more despairing than what is visible.
There are far fewer people who die of weird things than people who die of starvation.
"Hasn't the reason why the plants stopped growing been investigated yet?" Lu Li asked.
After a moment of silence, Tesla replied to Lu Li: "The investigation has been completed."
Tesla's expression said that was not a wonderful result.
The silence lasted for more than ten seconds, and was broken by Qiaoqiao sitting on the other side of the carriage.
"Should we avoid it?"
She felt that what she said next was not suitable for outsiders like herself and Fran to hear.
Tesla said nonchalantly: "No, but are you sure you want to know the cruel truth?"
Before Qiaoqiao and Fran answered, Lu Li said: "They lost their last relatives and survived in Shadow Town for a day."
Lu Li's direct words may make the person involved feel uncomfortable, but this is also his personal style.
Tesla apologized and bowed slightly to Jojo and Fran, who hurriedly waved their hands to express that it was okay: "I'm very sorry, I was being rigid."
After apologizing, Tesla told Lu Li, who was waiting for an answer.
"It's an evil spirit."
Tesla picked up the coffee cup and blew away the rising heat but did not drink it. He just said slowly: "The Agricultural Research Department of the Imperial College of Mainland China cannot find the source of the problem. They just confirmed that the seeds can be grown indoors."
For growth, the more sealed the environment is, the better the seeds will grow."
"Then the Demon Slayer Association joined the investigation, and they detected contaminants, or the breath of the other world, in the withered plants. Subsequent investigations allowed them to find the same breath in all plants. They named this evil spirit that invaded all plants.
It’s the beginning of extinction.”
"A pessimistic naming." Lu Li said.
Tesla was noncommittal and continued: "Now the demon slayers are tracing the origin of the pollution, and the original place of origin is probably where the evil spirit's body is. But it may also be the worst case scenario - this evil spirit has no true body."
As the words fell, the hustle and bustle broke the tranquility of the first-class carriage.
Tesla looked sideways, looked at the tall figure who lowered his head and walked into the car, smiled and said: "It seems that I can know what happened in Shadow Town."