บท 16: Visit in the outskirts
A poor man, still in his teens, was wandering on the streets of the outskirts. He was wearing isolating clothes made of synthetic threads made specifically for the purpose of preventing suffering from the chilly winds. Cold is dangerous these days. He didn't wash the clothes for quite a bit. For that he needed relatively clean water, and the only water he could use was coming from his filter. If he used his filter for something as trivial as washing clothes, it wouldn't last long.
He spent many years living in bad conditions, but it wasn't always like this. People usually don't live in the outskirts, because they were born there. They are put there when there's no place for them in the main city. Or rather he would believe that if not for the fact there are also whole social classes of people that not only live in much better condition, but are met with all kinds of luxuries that shouldn't exist if the goal was to provide living for everyone.
Resource management was a convenient lie. Higher classes were still living unreasonably wasteful lifes. Why lie to him? Because in the Government's regard he's unworthy of the truth! They feared that if he learned that the Government doesn't want to provide him a good living, he would be angry. And indeed, he is angry, but also utterly helpless so he would take it.
After all, there's nowhere else to go. If you don't like this government, there's no other. The whole world is united. Even if he tried to make it to the Domains, and try to make a living there, he can't travel that far. Chances are rather that he would die on the way to another city. So he was stuck. Not only that. Most of the resources that could sustain his misery were coming from the industries possessed by the Government or the clans. If he wanted money to pay for something, the best place was the factory. The working conditions were far from easy, but the payment could let him delay the harrowing specter of hunger.
He was eating poorly. Thin figure, significant lack of muscles, and fat, faintly outlined bones, all were signs of that. Often he didn't even feel like wanting to eat. Bland crackers, and muddy synthpaste couldn't whet much appetite. But hunger still could. Usually he would forget about such things like taste, and texture, because eating could at least make him satiate some hunger.
He wasn't living alone. He had a good brother, and some flatmates. While they were poor, and desperate they still had each other. His parents passed away many years ago leaving them as teenagers. His uncles, and cousins still lived there behind the walls of the main city, but somehow they had long forgotten about them.
Today he was with his brother on the way to the park. Some rumors his brother got from his friend, which he got from his friend, which... he learned from a bizarre chain of rumors, said there's someone issuing soup, a rare sight these days, but he was compelled to see this, and if it was a joke... For now hope was that, if things went right, they could eat quite a meal that actually has some taste. It couldn't be right to pass on that.
They were walking silently trying to not bring too much attention, and sneaking to hide from the sight of local inhabitants, and gangs, or the police, making sure most of them didn't even see them while those who saw didn't have time to process the fact.
The closer they were to the park the more formalized structures appeared. The park was a remnant of the time, when the authorities of the city still were trying to build environmental protections over all settlements. The same could be said about some unfinished domes. Unfinished construction marked the sudden change of priorities, which were apparently somewhere else.
Only recently he could see some change, workers resuming the construction, and some segments of the slums being demolished in order to build a new district. He could only guess that the resident will be expelled, and forced to live somewhere else, while the new buildings would be taken by those from Antarctica.
Walking around was also a risk of it's own. Basically everything was poisoned. Water, earth, air, and because of that fire also was polluted due to things that were burned to generate some heat. During the winter things like that were forming muddy ice that accumulated. As the spring was nearing close the ice started to melt, which in turn released accumulated pollution to the streets. One could deteriorate his own health simply by breathing or so he though shortly before the arrival.
He's brother said:
"We're close."
"Let's hope it's really here."
The park was in the line of sight, and with it there was gradual change of the atmosphere. He didn't know why, but the air around seemed to be cleaner. It couldn't be due to any air filters. Filters worked in isolated spaces.
Perhaps it would be a profound influence of plants some fantasists believe in, but there were barely any plants here. Not only because of the pollution. Due to early spring the trees had yet to give any leaves. Considering his own recollections even in the middle of summer the wind here wouldn't be any better.
'Something's going on here.'
That was wondrous. There could be a great breakthrough in spelltech that could make air clean without isolating the flow of air. But if there's something like that, why are there domes in construction? He was probably somehow mistaken about the new technology. He decided to ignore those thoughts, because they were leading him nowhere.
There was a number of people there. A few hundred at least. Most were standing in a circle around something. Others... he could spot them eating.
"You were right. Let's get some."
It was hard to spot the end of the queue. They had to go closer, and break through the dense crow of people, many chatting, making a chaotic noise consisting of all things people are able to talk about spontaneously. Excluding that, people were very well-behaved here. Suspiciously no one dared to trash around.
The air was even cleaner now. The familiar acrylic scent that irritated his respiration organs was much more thin, though still present. Something was definitely off here.
When they finally found out where the long queue started they realized they were wrong. There were actually two queues: One for soup, and one... for water. The one for soup that was divided into four. The soup was being poured by four people, seemingly beautiful men. The second one leading was simple, and was leading to a water tank. Its size seemed to be a cubic meter. People were filling their bottles one by one.
'One cubic meter is one thousand liters. If there's more than a few hundred people here, then it means a liter, two liters per person.'
However, it seemed that reality didn't care about his reasoning or rather there was something wrong with the premises. With how many people were there, and how much time had to pass before he arrived, at least a hundred people used that tank. And the tank was pretty transparent so he could see how much water remained in it. It was still at full capacity!
'How does it work?'
The man thought rubbing his temple.
Spelltech often worked outside what he could consider common physics. It had something to do with awakened powers. With them being involved many things were, generally speaking, unpredictable, and wacky.
With him being close the fragrance finally reached him. The scent was salty. He couldn't tell exactly what he felt, because there's barely anything to compare with. Except for that synthpaste, and crackers. He did know the soup was made of something else for it lacked that earthy scent typical for the synthpaste. There were several large pots filled with some kind of liquid, warm in color alone.
The men that were handling the pot looked incredibly healthy, and the strength they have had to be enormous. The realization struck him.
'They are Awakened! Who would send Awakened?'
While the number of Awakened recently increased. For that to happen there had to be at least a legacy clan involved. Only those were able to send Awakened to such a mundane task. Which could only raise a question why.
But soon he realized it was one of few ways to keep the crowd in check. Facing the Awakened they couldn't afford to do something really foolish. If they wanted, these few could kill them all with bare hands. Whoever sent them was afraid that they would cause a mess.
They didn't split. Taking into account that the water tank was probably refilling itself. He, and his brother could make it to the tank at any time before the end, while the soup was probably very finite. Otherwise they wouldn't bring so many pots with them.
When they finally got the soup, and found a place for themselves to eat it was hard to endure it anymore. Many things stimulated his hunger. The soup also looked substantial. He could spot even meat in it. It wouldn't last long regretfully.
Everyone tried to eat possibly slowly wrestling with the urge. They all heard about or saw by himself when someone did something bad to their health simply by eating too fast after enduring long hunger. Often animals eat quickly their meals only to throw it up moments later. They're not animals. No one wanted to ruin it like that. It was also delicious like nothing they've tasted since... he could not even remember anymore. It would be a waste to eat it too fast, and wait for another disregard of costs from some rich man.
They were chatting for some time after eating, and filling their bottles with the water from the tank. It wasn't long before the everyone was silenced or rather they couldn't hear people around talking. It was as if something didn't let their voices pass with the air. When people noticed something was wrong, someone started talking.
"Ladies, and gentleman."
...
"Good morning, the dwellers of this place. I'm glad to see you many here. I'm Sunless. In need to be formal people address me as Master Sunless."
Sunny appeared from the shadows in using Shadow Step on top of a small tower, a little structure that appeared out of nowhere with him. He was wearing a suit, a black tall top hat, and a red bow tie. The clothes chosen for him by Aiko. She said it would be more adequate for the situation.
He had to add somewhere enchantments for suppressing his aura which made things complicated, but somehow he made it work. He didn't know what he needed a cane for, but his partner said it's an important part of his image.
He had some doubts about whether people could hear him well so he planted his new product. He decided to take some inspiration from [Bone Singer]. That bone flute had [Silenced] enchantment that could make a barrier that prevented his conversation from leaking out. The Memory was lost, but Sunny still could recreate it. One of his experiments led him to making a version that could lower voices of the crowd without cutting them off. He called it [Subordinary Rock]. He placed some around, and no one could see the difference between them, and normal rocks. He himself appeared outside the range of the rocks so his voice could be heard without problems.
"First of all I want to apologize. I'm not a man of charity – you see –, and what I'm doing here is also not charitable. The food was meant to buy your attention. Hope you enjoy the bait... I mean bite, of course. I don't like to talk in long speeches so I'll try to be frugal with words."
"I'm looking for people who will do some job for me. Not a one-time job. I mean a regular, very complicated job that requires a lot of dedication, and proficiency. For worse, no one, maybe except of me, knows how to do it, and no one has said proficiency. I hope to change that. So let me put things straight: I want you to become my apprentices. I'll show you how to do the thing, and I hope you'll learn from it.
On my side of things I can offer you three things. Air that is good to breathe. Water that is good to drink. Food that is good to eat. On top of that some things for comfort. That's before you succeed. If you do, if you learn something, I'll get you something better.
But be aware, I won't take too many of you. My resources, and time are limited. I can have a lot of resources as an Awakened, but the economy is very limited in what it can offer to me. If I spend all my resources to help you, prices will probably spike up. If humanity cannot procure more water, paying up more for water doesn't make it more. To make it sustainable I need your help, and sadly not everyone can."
"First my minimal requirements. If you know how to read, and are willing to learn a new language for that, go with me. If you don't know how to read or find yourself unable to learn a new language, don't even try before learning how to read fluently. If you have a good sight, you can follow. If you don't, you won't be able to help me. If you're able to spend many hours on figuring out something, you can go with me. If you don't have such patience, don't waste your time. If you're weak, it doesn't matter. That can be fixed, but I expect from you to have all limbs, and fingers intact. At least when it comes to arms. Legs are not that important.
I don't want to belittle you, but I'll give you a warning: Don't think too much about lying to me about your capabilities. I know people who can check if you lie, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to invite one to check on you. After that things can get unpleasant."
"After sorting that out I would also like to introduce some rules of preference... I mean who's going to be taken after meeting the requirements. For the start we have fifty slots for now. I'll try to make more. People who are good or at least have some experience with patching up clothes by hand, are able to comprehend some mathematics or physics, worked with making or fixing circuits, know a bit of runic language, weaved or stitched something, did anything that required much precision of movements, or finally possess knowledge of spelltech as engineers – despite that I doubt someone of this caliber would end up here –, you have a higher chance to be accepted."
"And some final words: Many of you probably hope that your life will get better when you reach one of the Domains. In a way that's true, there's more resources there, but that won't end your struggles. Dream Realm is not a place for mundanes. I can tell it from my experience. If you will appear in the Domains, you'll be stuck there, and let me tell you that while the Great Clans are in peace now one day they'll fight each other, and those who will side with the wrong one will fall, not to mention that in the Domain you'll be still poor, and you'll be still trash to the society."
"All that are willing to try, wait here a bit for my partner to set up interviews. For anyone else, you still can eat the soup. Help yourself."
He took out a cigar box, and produce one thick cigar. At first, he wanted to obtain or make a Memory that makes fire, but Aiko told him he shouldn't use it, and instead he should invoke a lighter. He burned the tip., and inhaled.
*cough* *cough*
Sunny turned away to not cough directly at his audience.
"People really burn this for pleasure? Incredible."
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