Chapter 777: Tianshu Domain

Clang, clang!

Inside the Tianshu Domain station, a staff member cleaning the platform heard a train whistle in the distance and looked up in confusion.

Thick smoke billowed from the end of the tracks into the sky as a domain train slowly approached. As the signal light changed, the station staff returned to their positions one by one, preparing to welcome the incoming train.

"What's going on? This must be the fourth train to arrive today, right?" the cleaner asked, puzzled. "There weren't many trains coming in the past few days, were there? Why are there suddenly so many today?"

"I don't know... Perhaps the higher-ups have some arrangements? Otherwise, they wouldn't suddenly add so many trains," a nearby conductor said, equally bewildered. "Who cares? Anyway, we just need to follow instructions and manage the arrivals."

As many staff members watched in confusion, the domain train slowly pulled into the platform. With a creak of opening doors, one figure after another emerged from the carriages. A dense crowd almost filled the entire platform!

"So many people?? The carriages must have been almost full, right?""More than that... It feels like quite a few people were standing as well?""Since when do domain trains have standing tickets?""Speaking of which, the last train also had this many people... Where is this one coming from?""Nanhai Domain, it seems.""And it's different from the last one... Four trains in one day, all from different domains, and all full?""It looks like something big is about to happen... Hey, could it be related to the news in this morning's newspaper?""Are they going to war with Wuji Domain?""It shouldn't be that; these people don't seem very old, and looking at their belongings, they don't seem like they're going to war."

Nearly a hundred figures disembarked from the carriages one by one. They appeared to be under thirty, carrying bags of various sizes, and curiously surveying their surroundings, seemingly full of wonder about Tianshu Domain.

They didn't wait long on the platform before specialists stepped forward and led them away in an orderly fashion.

"Buddy, what's going on?" A particularly curious staff member tugged at the specialist's sleeve and quietly asked, "What happened? Why are there so many people today?"

The person smiled, "This is 'many'? In the next few days, there will only be more and more people."

"Is something big happening?"

"It is indeed something big..." The person mysteriously leaned closer and whispered, "In short, for the next month, our Tianshu Domain... will be quite lively."

Having said that, he led the group towards the exit without looking back.

"Tianshu Domain is unlike all other domains.""Both geographically and spiritually, it is the center of humanity's nine great domains...""Lord Tianshu was once the leader of the Nine Lords, the core figure who connected them. Tianshu Domain is the origin of the domain trains and the central station connecting humanity's nine great domains.""Seventy percent of the technology currently used by humans, including domain trains and domain signal towers, was designed and manufactured by the 'Tower of Heaven.' The Ancient Repository of Ingenuity is also one of the most developed divine ancient repositories for humanity..."

Spade 9 continued his introduction as he stopped at a crossroads. The traffic lights beside him blinked continuously, eventually changing from green to red.

As a prompt sounded, seven or eight lightweight trains, resembling miniature domain trains, slowly advanced along the tracks laid in the middle of the road. There were no cars or pedestrians on these roads, only several parallel tracks and vehicles that looked like pre-cataclysm ground trains, moving in an orderly fashion.

As Spade 9 spoke, a train even whizzed overhead from beneath a bridge, moving incredibly fast.

Chen Ling watched this scene, and the shock in his eyes grew even stronger. Chen Ling had traveled through many domains and seen a lot, but this was the first time in this era that he felt a sense of "order." Although these trains weren't fast and looked like old trains from the Republic of China era, this absolute "order" was something utterly absent in other domains.

"The roads here are all tracks... Don't you use cars?" Chen Ling couldn't help but ask.

"Cars are prohibited in Tianshu Domain," Spade 9 said calmly. "Lord Tianshu once said that as the era regresses, the propulsion principles of cars would also regress, eventually emitting black smoke like soot. This disorderly and independent exhaust method would affect people's health, and if these black fumes accumulated over the city, they would obscure the stars."

"But aren't the propulsion principles of trains similar to cars? Aren't they all steam-powered now?"

"The Tower of Heaven designed a 'chain power transmission' mechanism that integrates the power of all trains within Tianshu Domain, allowing for unified power allocation and exhaust management. The exhaust outlets lead to the Grey Realm. This means that all trains on the roads will have their emissions collected and channeled together to pollute the sky of the Grey Realm, while Tianshu Domain itself remains unaffected."

Spade 9 looked up and pointed to the sky. "Haven't you noticed? The sky in Tianshu Domain is exceptionally clear."

Chen Ling looked up, and indeed, as Spade 9 said, the sky was exceptionally blue. The last time Chen Ling saw a sky this clear was in the Aurora Domain, but that wasn't because of good emission control there; it was simply because it was too cold, and very few people could use cars for transportation.

"So, what exactly is the origin of this Tower of Heaven?"

"The Tower of Heaven is the dwelling place of the ingenious craftsmen of the Way of Ingenuity. The 'Way of Ingenuity' itself contains all man-made material civilization since the development of human civilization, including architecture, mechanisms, precision devices, industrialization, mechanization, and so on... The place in the world that preserves the most of this material civilization is, firstly, the Ancient Repository of Ingenuity, and secondly, the 'Tower of Heaven' personally built by Tianshu Domain."

"...So, the Tower of Heaven is the crystallization of human material civilization?"

"Not precisely. The crystallization of material civilization is in the Ancient Repository of Ingenuity; what the Tower of Heaven represents is the future of human material civilization..." Spade 9 stated solemnly. "Our Twilight Society has done a lot, but the Tower of Heaven is the only place we have never touched... That place is sacred."

Chen Ling looked up and saw, beneath the azure sky, an immense white tower rising prominently from the dense cluster of buildings, like an unstoppable sword piercing straight into the clouds.