It seems that nothing can be found from Justus' temporary base.
He also saw this kind of double-story building that looked like a round cake and a crown in the coal barrens more than ten years later.
This is called a "stronghold house". It is a very popular architectural form in underground cities.
The entrance on the first floor is the front desk and lounge. The lounge has seven doors, leading directly to the kitchen. It occupies two storage rooms, a power room and four living rooms. After going up the circular stairs on both sides, there are eight more rooms upstairs.
, a total of twelve housing units.
Generally, this type of stronghold will be laid out first in a wasteland where it is unclear whether a city will be built or whether anyone will come.
This kind of building with complex functions will not be demolished first anywhere, and can be placed anywhere. Even if there are more residents behind it, it can be converted into a bar, hotel, shop, warehouse, dormitory or security
Room.
This can be regarded as the initial "population building".
Five or six shots in a row are enough to accommodate the use in the pioneering stage.
Generally speaking, the higher the proportion of stronghold housing in a city, the lower the city's development level.
After Annan followed Justus and left the stronghold room, he saw the extremely desolate streets.
Compared with the coal barrens more than ten years later, this place is probably not even one-tenth the area. It is more like a settlement in the wilderness than a city... just like the one in a western movie
A dilapidated town.
Even the sky is not that bright. This is because the bodies of light ants here are not too thick and have not formed a layer of light ants that can emit light for a long time.
The ground here is dark brown after the lava has dried. There are only three streets, two horizontal and one vertical. The number of buildings can almost be counted with two hands.
At this moment, the streets were empty. There was nothing except Annan and the two - no people, no insects, no monsters... not even wind, it was extremely quiet.
"Looking at the furnishings in your room, you must have been here not long ago."
Annan raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Justus: "Is the Cinder Barrens usually so quiet?"
"How can it be."
Justus frowned: "Before this place was flooded by lava, it was a famous gold mine and coal mine. Later it was flooded by lava and the city was destroyed. It was also because of workers' mistakes in digging out the veins.
"You may not know that right above here...is the Hearth Mountain in the Province of St. Felix."
"I remember Lushan is an active volcano."
Annan raised his eyebrows.
Of course he knows the name.
As a winter person, Frederick should also know.
Lushan Mountain is one of the few mountains in the Principality of Winter that is not completely covered by snow. It is also a gambling place for those who were expelled from the city - if you are lucky, you can dig through a thin layer of snow and find your predecessors.
The windproof cave left behind.
The cave in Lushan has natural floor heating, and can also heat the snow to obtain fresh water. It can also barbecue and boil water, so it can survive safely even in winter. In good years, Lushan is a famous hot spring area in the Duchy of Winter.
.
The only problem is... Lushan Mountain is not an extinct volcano, but an active volcano that has always been active. This is why there are no cities near Lushan Mountain.
"Usually when Lushan is about to erupt, the Storm Tower is responsible for suppressing it. But this only delays the eruption and provides nearby town residents with time to evacuate... Lushan still maintains an eruption every fifteen to twenty years.
the rules.”
Justus sneered: "But where do you think...the magma pressed down by the Storm Tower went?
"——This is how the Cinder Barrens was destroyed."
"But it's been rebuilt now."
Annan said calmly.
He and Justus walked slowly and cautiously down the street, never straying too far from their reliable teammate.
Justus' eyes like a falcon were scanning around.
While looking for abnormalities around him, he sneered: "Who made it produce gold?
"Compared to human life, diggers and wise men obviously believe that the gold here is more valuable. Therefore, an investigation report appeared... The report showed that the probability of another eruption of the volcano near the Coal Barrens is extremely low, and it is recommended to resume prospecting operations.
.”
"Extremely low?"
"Extremely low - of course extremely low. Before it was called the 'Cinder Barrens', when it was called the 'Black Gold Field', the last safety report was simply 'safe'. In fact, if it weren't for the Storm Tower,
It is indeed impossible for it to cause an accident...but who can say clearly about this kind of thing?"
Justus laughed, took out the wine bottle from his waist and took another sip.
He muttered in a low voice: "When the volcano is about to erupt, it is impossible for the Winter people to inform us in advance, 'The volcano is about to erupt, and we have to let the Storm Tower take action.'"
"They don't have the time."
Annan said softly.
Justus sneered silently: "Even if the Winter people had this time, the Council of Wise Men would not inform us. Wise men have no feelings.
"——Because the cost of disaster relief is too high.
"If they knew that this place could be destroyed at any time, they would not be able to send a mercenary group in and lead the residents to evacuate... because it is illegal to hide this kind of information, and if they disclose this kind of information to the mercenary group, they will have to pay more.
"No one knows what the scale of this disaster will be. Will the ley lines collapse? Will the mining areas be destroyed? Will lava flow in, and if so, how much, will it destroy towns?
Or will it just fill up the ground? Or will it submerge the city altogether?
"If they rescue, they can only rescue together. The cost is too high...At the same time, if the disaster is not serious in the end, the mine owners and miners will be the first to complain about the 'big fuss'."
"Because the evacuation seriously delayed their work progress... it may even cause their equipment to be stolen, vandalized, or damaged due to disasters.
"Those smart people in the Council of Wise Men will not do this. If the Winter People really issue a warning, they will not pass it on... they may even send mercenaries to reincarnate those who have escaped - especially the mine owners.
go back.
"In this case, the 'mining license' sold by this city can be sold again; because the mine owner is also dead, there will be no compensation. Everything is just an accident... Then no one can sue
, things will end here.”
Justus complained incessantly.
His words were full of sarcasm...and subtle hatred.
Annan paused.
He was going to take a risk.
So Annan spoke slowly: "You still can't forget Ingrid."
Hearing this, Justus turned around and stared at Annan behind him.
Annan did not look at him.
Instead, he continued to move forward with an expressionless face.
Because Justus was much taller than Frederick, Annan's hood pulled down covered most of his expressions. This made his emotions difficult to understand.