Chapter 235 — Stirrings at the Door
Blade of Dawn · Page 1 of 4
Hearing Gao Song's answer, Till blinked. She said nothing, but gestured for Gao Yang to continue.
After all, she did not know the human world very well either. Though the sea-folk seemed to observe conditions on the continent from time to time, so their information was hardly closed off, Till herself was plainly not the sort to take an interest in news of other races.
"You should know what happened on this continent seven hundred years ago," Gao Yang sighed, beginning with a rough sketch of humanity's present technological gap. "The Gondor Empire of that time was the most advanced nation on the continent, but the great explosion at the Deep Blue Well sent our technology into steep decline—and because the Well cannot be reproduced, and because the old empire's entire upper echelon of talent was wiped out in a single stroke, the decline went far deeper than you can imagine. What we lost was not only technology, but our very social structures and the level of men's thinking. To this day, the nations of mankind remain at the stage you described: a few craftsmen, a few mages, turning out handmade goods in their own workshops or laboratories—of industrial mass production, the very idea is a blank."
He paused a moment, then went on: "And Cecil Territory is at present the only place trying to build an industrial system. I don't know whether you can understand the term 'industrial system'—I coined it myself in the common tongue of men—but in sum, I hope to establish an entirely new model of production and development. I hope to spread 'magic,' this convenient power, until it becomes a tool anyone can use rather than the privilege of a few. I hope on that foundation to achieve a vast advance in technology, and through that advance to transform our modes of production. I hope to use the power of tools and of intelligence to mass-produce industrial goods—like the runic substrates coming off these machine assembly lines before your eyes."
As he spoke, he watched for changes in Till's expression. The careless look on the sea-folk lady's face was at last fading; Till was listening in earnest now, her gaze grown unusually intent, and the tips of her lovely blue hair even gave off faintly glowing particles. Perhaps that was a sign she was in good spirits?
When Gao Yang had finished his piece for the moment, Till blinked and asked quite seriously, "And after that?"
"Abundant daily goods will change our society—the way people deal with one another, social relations, and upon that foundation the laws and the hierarchy of classes, all of it will shift," Gao Yang said frankly. "Make no mistake: that is what I am after."
"Interesting… you are more interesting than I imagined…" Till swayed her long serpent tail, circling Gao Yang in an arc (and honestly, if this salted-fish spirit could just walk without looking so disgraceful, her bearing would improve twofold), "Your thinking goes beyond your countrymen—beyond even the countrymen of that so-called 'advanced' empire of seven hundred years ago. I know a thing or two about that 'Gondor Empire.' It was indeed a powerful human empire, with highly developed magical arts, but it was only an illusion propped up by a natural reservoir of energy. All this while, every civilization on this continent—including the still-powerful Silver Elven civilization—has been unbelievably backward. The abundant resources and the convenient magical environment of this land nourished you, and also bound your minds severely. And yet… on this continent there has actually appeared an oddity like you…"