Chapter 137 The Great Transfer

Even after the ancient sage Odin awoke, the Steam Council's reason for existence would not disappear. Although Odin was the supreme leader of the city, the true rulers would still be those high-ranking councilors. They had managed the city for thousands of years and understood the workings of its institutions and the social problems of the Twilight Remnants like the back of their hands. If the planned great transfer were to proceed, the Steam Council's power was indispensable.

For Hao Ren, Steam Council Chairwoman Lavinia was a complete stranger. However, judging by Angelica's attitude and Wendell's few words, this stern-faced woman was trustworthy. She was just, dignified, capable, and a staunch “Rite Follower” who held great loyalty to the "ancient sage." This was why she remained the Steam Council's chief spokesperson even after Odin's awakening: everyone trusted her implicitly.

Hao Ren's sudden statement was difficult for others to understand, packed with enough information to leave them pondering for ages before exclaiming in shock. But Lavinia merely nodded calmly upon hearing it.

Of course, there was still some doubt in her eyes.

"Your ancient sage will tell you the specifics in person," Hao Ren said, spreading his hands. "We're on our way to see him now. Also, get rid of this messy welcoming party. It's useless. Look at these guys covered in bandages. They're just making things worse."

The last time the group went to Odin's Iron Throne, they stirred up a storm, attracting the hatred of the entire city and causing earthquakes along the way. But this time, no one stopped them from reaching the Iron Throne. On the contrary, the Steam Council's chairwoman and several high-ranking councilors personally accompanied them to the lower city. In the sanctuary's throne hall, Odin remained seated on his Iron Throne, awaiting good news from Nibelungen.

"The corruption has been resolved," Hao Ren told him bluntly, then raised his hand to point at the white light floating above the hall. "This is the World Tree's soul, Yggdrasil... Little White. I brought him out of the Chaos Dream."

Odin's reaction was largely as expected. First, he was surprised that the World Tree's soul had a separate name, and that it was Little White... Of course, he quickly stopped being surprised when Vivian told him that the World Tree also had a schizophrenic personality named Little Black, and that these names had only been given half an hour earlier…

In truth, Odin wasn't unfamiliar with Yggdrasil's soul. Although he hadn't actually seen it, he had contacted the World Tree many times in his Chaos Dream. One was an old alien sealed in crystal, weakened and decaying; the other was a demigod guardian corrupted by an ancient curse, his soul and body on the verge of collapse. These two drowsy, neurasthenic, slow-thinking individuals had somehow become kindred spirits through dreams, their relationship as literary as if they'd sent two messages in a bottle across the Pacific Ocean and become bosom buddies. Just as Hao Ren was about to introduce them, Odin interrupted, "No need for introductions. We've known each other spiritually for a long time, a long time..."

Hao Ren felt that there was probably no one else in the world who could use "known each other spiritually for a long time" as aptly as Odin.

"Your exploits in Nibelungen deserve to be recorded in history," Odin said. He wasn't entirely sure how Hao Ren had solved the World Tree's corruption problem, but in his normal worldview, he figured it must have been an earth-shattering battle against evil, at the very least involving two sides throwing ball lightning at each other for half an hour. So, the old man immediately placed Hao Ren's journey on the level of an epic hero. "The World Tree Yggdrasil will be reborn because of your great deeds, and this world is finally saved."

Hao Ren immediately recalled the surgical procedure of him holding the 'Stabbing People Layman' and poking holes in Little Black's head. Being called a "great deed" made him feel a little embarrassed, so he quickly changed the subject. "Ahem... We can talk about that later. The key now is how to quickly transfer the people of Twilight City. We've already discussed it with Yggdrasil. He'll start purifying the environment of the Midgard space in a moment. He'll try to reshape an ecological zone in the heart of this continent, around Twilight City. Then, I'll have to trouble you to move the city's residents out."

"I will arrange it," Odin agreed. "But this恐怕 isn't something that can be completed in a short time, and... Twilight City has millions of citizens who have lived here for generations. It's not just their homes, but also their... technology and culture. Are these things to be abandoned?"

"Of course, we can't just make such a sweeping decision," Hao Ren said. What kind of person was he? A professional landlord who couldn't think of these things? "I've moved even larger-scale immigrants before, and I've never left their luggage behind... well, at least most of it. Don't worry, we'll arrange for large machinery to help with the city's relocation. Those steam engines and factory facilities will be cut and moved as a whole. We'll arrange for personnel to ensure that these devices can still be used after they're moved – we can't just let the people of Twilight City go out and graze on the prairie. Also, don't worry about intangible cultural heritage. We've estimated the damage the city might suffer during the extraction of the spaceship. Basically, only the central area will be affected. Actually, the main reason we're moving the city's residents out is for insurance. After all, the Twilight Barrier has been running for two thousand years. Turning it off suddenly is like slamming on the brakes in a car, which wears out the tires. Not to mention such a large ancient spaceship that's past its warranty period..."

Galia also frowned. "Actually, if there were other alternatives, we wouldn't want to move so many people. It's not only a huge project, but it's also difficult for many people to give up their homes. But we've calculated all the possible consequences. If we want to thoroughly study the spaceship underground, the best way is to move it out as a whole. Otherwise, if something goes wrong during the research process, Twilight City will be in even greater danger. So, it's still better to evacuate the people in advance. And to be honest... your city is really not habitable anymore."

Anthony nodded. "I checked the magic flow in the city. The gravity-reducing runes that are over a thousand years old have basically failed. The subsidence in the lower city is very serious, and the stability of the upper structure is almost at its limit. Moreover, some areas have serious toxic substance leaks. For the people in those areas, even living in the wilderness is safer than the current situation."

"I understand, I understand," Odin's voice came from all around. "Then, let us begin the next phase of work."

The order for the great evacuation was quickly transmitted to every corner of this ancient city.

Along with it came the news that the barrier was about to open and dawn was about to arrive.

This was an unprecedented order in the history of Twilight City, an event unheard of by the people living in this city. For ordinary people with limited lifespans, the world outside Twilight City was a realm no different from ancient legends, and the word "dawn" was merely a mysterious term repeatedly mentioned in scholars' books. People lived in this jungle-like, intricate steel fortress. Steam engines, large gears, workshop platforms, dark alleys, great underground caves… these were their entire lives and their entire world. But now, this small world was about to come to an end. The instructions from the Steam Council made everyone raise their heads in confusion from their busy and monotonous lives, looking bewilderedly at the familiar, turbid city dome:

Had the long night ended?

Noise began to appear in every corner of the city. Faced with the sudden prospect of "freedom," the first reaction of the millions of survivors who had lived in cages for so long was not elation, but helplessness. Few people could understand the true meaning of this order in the first moment. More people chose to pour into the streets and head towards the administrative organs of the Steam Council located in various parts of the city, wanting to figure out what was going on.

And the Steam Council lived up to expectations. Or rather, the earliest builders and rule-makers of this city (which of course included Odin) had never given up the possibility of leaving the sanctuary from the very beginning. Various response measures and systems regarding the "moment of dawn" had been drafted a long time ago. Before the chaos occurred, the Steam Council's constables and propagandists had already arrived in every densely populated area, starting to rectify social order and explain the transfer plan. Other personnel went to various important facilities deep in the city: large boilers, central gear sets, pressure pipeline control areas. In the name of the "Emergency State Management Regulations," they swiftly took over all the key organs, preparing for the next step.

While every task was being carried out in an orderly manner, Galia also had to return to her kingdom.

The Dragon Queen said that she had plenty of spare manpower to come and help. She was going back to her old home to call for some helpers so that Hao Ren wouldn't have to worry about how to transport the large equipment in Twilight City.