The Master of the Strange Realm

"No, I mean, do you have any more realistic plans?"

Jenkins corrected softly, thinking it might be better to let the other person indulge in drunkenness.

"Be realistic... I plan to quit this job before winter comes. Although I have earned little over the years, my expenses have also been small. I have also saved enough money to support a trip. I I have explained the situation to the City Public Facilities Committee and I will leave as soon as they can find a successor. I don’t know how old I will be. I must go out and see the world while I can still move around. Look at our times..."

The reality is that until the clock tower was destroyed by the difference machine, the caretaker could not leave. I just don’t know if it’s because he hasn’t found a successor for a long time, or if he has changed his mind and is worried about the uncertain future.

"Are you determined to leave?"

Jenkins' voice grew softer.

"Yes, I have been imprisoned here all my life. I think it is finally time to leave. Leave completely and never come back again. Even if I die in a foreign country, I will go out and see... .Look at what I missed. I am almost fifty years old, and I have just stood here and watched all the changes in my life. I want to participate, even if I am crushed for it. , God, why did you let me make this choice when I was young, and why did you imprison me here for thirty years.”

Because he was so drunk, he started to cry regardless of his image. It is not beautiful at all for an old man to shed tears, so Jenkins is not going to tell him that his decision is his own choice and has nothing to do with God, who does not care about such small things.

"Go out and have a look. Look at the majestic sea, the towering snow-capped mountains, the bustling and noisy cities, and our civilization created by steam."

He almost babbled. Although his education level was not high, his sentences were quite good. He didn't know how long he had been polishing these words in his heart.

Jenkins couldn't understand the thoughts of the tower guard. For example, when he came to this world and knew that extraordinary power existed, it was impossible not to choose to become an extraordinary person. When you see something so interesting, it's impossible to ignore it. This is probably the thought of the tower guard. For many days and nights, he stood in front of the small window on the top of the tower and looked out, watching the joys and sorrows of others, and watching the rapid progress of the times. It is remarkable that he could persist for thirty years before planning to leave.

I don’t know whether I should call him a very responsible person or a person who is afraid of change.

But in short, although he understood, Jenkins also knew that his task was to persuade him to stay. He didn't think he was doing something wrong. On the one hand, at the tower keeper's age, it was actually best for him to stay. Although Jenkins also knows that he cannot impose his subjective ideas on others, this is the fact. On the other hand, even if Jenkins did not appear, the Tower Keeper did not leave in the end. Therefore, what he did was just conforming to history. This was also the Tower Keeper's final arrangement for himself in the future.

If he stayed, although he would encounter countless accidents in the next year, the tower guardian would survive in the end. And leaving here, according to the trend of the end of the era, the probability of him encountering an accident on the way is not small at all.

If you want to leave here and take a look outside, you can go after Jenkins defeats the Difference Machine. Although the impact of the disaster was still there, at least it was much safer.

"Actually, if you stay here, you can experience the kind of life you envy."

Jenkins said, without giving the tower guard a chance to ask, and then said:

"Isn't the work of guarding the tower very complicated? You have so much free time every day, what can't you do? You live in Nolan, take some time to walk around the city every day, chat with strangers, What's so difficult about going to factories, docks, and mining areas to see what's new?

In my opinion, since the reason you want to leave is not that you hate this job, then you don’t have to leave Nolan at all. Wouldn’t it be nice to have time to travel more? The era is here, and you don’t need to take the initiative to go there. As long as you don’t deliberately escape, you are actually in this magnificent era. "

"How can this work? What I want is..."

The tower guard suddenly got stuck.

"What do you want? Is it an exciting adventure, fighting ghosts in dungeons, fighting dragons on mountains, or clearing monsters in dangerous sewers?"

When Jenkins questioned him like this, the tower guard's face, which had returned to normal due to the evening breeze, now turned red again:

"How is that possible? I'm not a madman. I just want a different life. I'm not stupid enough to believe in the stories in knight novels, and I won't make fun of my own life."

"Then why leave? If you just want to participate in the story of this era, then staying in Nolan is the best choice. This city has everything, good and bad, noble and humble, happy and unfortunate. , whatever you want to participate in, you can find it here. Even if you are a hermit who longs for tranquility, you can find a secluded place like the Bell Tower in this noisy city.”

"But I want to see the most advanced steam industry, I want to shuttle in the white steam, and see the greatest crystallization of this era."

The tower guard said immediately.

"Don't you have a steam factory in Nolan? As long as you say you don't want wages, but your working hours are not fixed every day, will those greedy factory owners who devour the flesh and blood of the poor still beg you not to work for them?"

Jenkins said mockingly, and added:

"Nolan is the city on the west coast of the mainland with the most developed steam industry. If you want to see steam, just stay here.

The tower guard was choked by him, thought for a moment and said:

"I also want to watch adventures and experience adventures. Oh, I'm not talking about the plot in knight novels. I'm not talking about wanting to survive in the wild and risk my life. You see, there are opportunities and opportunities everywhere in this era, and I also want to Go and give it a try. Whether it’s relying on your own diligence to gamble on important decisions, or walking through the streets and selling goods from afar, this is what I yearn for.”

"Where else can there be more opportunities than Nolan? Nolan is the city with the strongest economy in Fidicli. It can even be considered the city with the most economic vitality in contemporary steam civilization. If you want Take an adventure in the city, why not stay here? You don't have to quit your current job, but take advantage of the time to walk around the city, decide on your own "urban adventure" plan and plan, and wait for the time to come. Wouldn't it be better to prepare a plan for yourself and resign from your job as a tower guard? "

What Jenkins said made sense, so the tower guard couldn't refute it. This is not a debate, as long as what Jenkins says makes sense, he will listen... although sometimes Jenkins' logic is a bit strange.

"Not only that, I also want to go to the countryside and see the impact of this crazy era on the countryside. I can see from the tower that the influence of steam radiates from the center of the city to the surroundings. I can see it But I also want to know what the steam age has brought to those country people in the villages and farmhouses that I can't see. It will be very interesting. I lived in the country as a child. Being able to know what it was like there originally.”

The drunkenness went away as quickly as it came. He now speaks clearly and his complexion has returned to normal.

"You want to see this? Do you see the carriage over there?"

Jenkins pointed out the small window. On the edge of the Civic Square, three or four carriages gathered together waiting for business. It was the most crowded intersection near the square.

"Since you have savings, immediately bring your banknotes and a change of clothes and let the coachman take you out of the city. Step by step from Nolan, you can clearly see the dividing line between the city and the countryside, and you can clearly discover the differences. The influence of steam civilization in the area can even be used to predict how steam moved to the countryside step by step in time. Remember to bring change, the country people can't find 1 gold pound notes. If you set out now, And since I don’t plan to go on a summer outing, I’ll probably be back before dinner tomorrow.”

Jenkins retracted his outstretched hand, looked at him again and asked:

"Or maybe you're not just looking forward to seeing it, but you really want to live in the countryside. Think about it, there's no safe drinking water in the countryside, steam and gas are probably not available around the clock, and the streets are full of It’s the excrement of cattle and sheep. The uneducated villagers will be hostile to you as an outsider... You don’t really want to move to the countryside, do you?”

The tower guard's generous lips twitched. Of course he just wanted to see it, not live in the country. Even though he has been guarding the Nolan Clock Tower for 30 years, he is still a city dweller. He is used to the convenience of steam and gas pipelines and the prosperity of Nolan. He would never want to move to the countryside.

The beautification of the countryside in court novels had no appeal to the tower keepers. Large manors, lavender fields, and clear lakes all belong to wealthy farmers and rural aristocrats. For ordinary people, the environment in the countryside is extremely bad. No matter how confused the tower guard is, he will not fail to understand this.

Chapter 2210 Bright Light

"When you leave this tower, what else do you want to see besides what you just did?"

Jenkins asked again. The tower guard did not answer immediately this time, but thought for a while before saying:

"I want to go abroad and see what foreign countries look like. Whether it's the snow-capped mountains of the Kingdom of Hampavo or the natural scenery of the Kingdom of Chesland, you can't see these in Nolan. I will soon be too old to leave. I have moved, so I must take advantage of this age to go out and see. The world is so big, I shouldn’t be limited to this.”

Nolan really couldn't see these, and if he was persuading the other party to read them from the book, even Jenkins couldn't accept this reason.

"Then it's the equivalent of traveling abroad."

Jenkins confirmed.

"Yes."

"So are you planning to settle abroad?"

"I don't have this idea for the time being. After all, I don't understand foreign languages ​​and I don't have any relatives abroad."

"Okay, that is to say, what you are looking forward to is just a trip. So why do you want to quit this job? Isn't the point of traveling just to take a look outside your home and come back when you are satisfied? Since you don't If you plan to settle in a foreign country, then this is just a long-distance trip that lasts for several months. Sooner or later, you will have to come back. Therefore, you don’t need to quit your job. You only need to report it to your employer and find someone to temporarily replace you. Then when you come back. There are still familiar places waiting for you.”

What Jenkins said made sense, and the tower guard couldn't find any loopholes in his words. But what he originally expected was to completely let go of everything and go outside for a walk. But after Jenkins said this, it turned into a simple trip. Although both can realize his ideas, they seem to be very different...

"How about it? After what I said, do you feel that there is no need to resign from the clock tower? Everything you hope for can be realized in Nolan. What Nolan cannot realize for the time being does not require you to completely You have to leave to get it.”

"this......"

The tower guard mused, what Jenkins said really makes sense.

"Besides, you have lived here for 30 years, are you really willing to leave? You said it yourself, this clock tower has been transformed into this little by little in the past 30 years. This is equivalent to you being here to witness After the growth of Nolan Bell Tower, are you willing to hand it over to others?”

If those words just now shook the heart of the tower guard, then this sentence completely changed his mind.

"You said you stood on the clock tower and watched the changes of the times through this small window, but didn't you realize? The clock tower itself is one of the products of the times. Don't think about seeing it, go and feel it. The wheels of time are rolling in, and you can't escape even if you try to hide them. How can you think that you are outside this era? "

Jenkins said, pointing out the window again, but this time with no specific target:

"Look at everything, look at Nolan, look at these lights of thousands of families. You stand here looking at all this, from thirty years ago to now, and you actually dare to say that you are outside the era. Oh, Have you never thought about how many people can be as lucky as you?"

"Lucky?"

The tower keeper didn't quite understand this idea.

"Everything is changing, the familiar will become unfamiliar, and the unfamiliar will become even stranger. But few people can stop and look at it all, and witness the process with their own eyes. People generally walk It’s so fast that I don’t have time to see the changes around me. When I look up occasionally, the world has become something we don’t recognize.”

Listening to Jenkins' words, the tower keepers looked outside with him. It was completely dark at this time. Although there were no street lights, the houses in front of us were already lit up.

The tower guard's eyes were not as good as Jenkins'. He couldn't see the buildings clearly. He could only see clusters of lights floating in front of him, which together formed the outline of the city.

"It's an experience in itself for all of us, coming and seeing it."

Those clusters of lights are civilization, human beings, a corner of this era, but they are also all of this era.

"Life is too short. We should feel lucky when we come to this world. Take a good look at your eyes and experience your life. Even if your life is only a short year, you should feel happy that you are in this world."

"Sir, are you talking about me?"

The tower guard asked, and Jenkins, who was holding the cat, smiled and shook his head at him:

"My view of life may be different from yours. In your view, you have to experience a different kind of life for yourself. But for me, even if I just stand there and watch, I am satisfied. You see, I am young and my life in this world is short, but I have almost never considered leaving this city. I am very satisfied with this place, I love this period of my life, and I am happy with it all.

Walking through the streets and alleys, whether you are stopping in front of the street-facing apartment buildings covered with steam pipes, or taking a rest in front of the Westminster River where steamships shuttle, whether you are taking a rest or watching the prayers in the church of the righteous Gods. The crowds, or going to the factory door to watch the workers dragging their tired bodies; whether it's breathing the choking air here, or accompanying aristocratic girls on outings in the countryside... I like the life here, I love it here everything of. It was all very short-lived, but I was very satisfied. Even though it changed my original life, even though it was a completely foreign place to me, I liked it here.

I'm probably the kind of person who takes things as they come... I hope you can understand this way of describing me. "

"Although I don't quite understand it, it's definitely not what was said to me."

"It doesn't matter, this is what I told myself."

Jenkins looked at the lights outside the window and sighed, then asked the tower guard:

"So, do you still want to leave now?"

The tower guard lowered his eyes and placed his right hand on the edge of the window, but did not touch the bottle of wine again:

"Although there are definitely problems in your words, you are right. The exciting life I imagined is actually just my own imagination. After talking with you, I also understand that sometimes reality is completely different from imagination. It’s probably impossible to leave here completely.”

But the diamond hasn't surfaced yet, so the tower guardian must still have some ideas. So Jenkins said again:

"So after talking to me so much, are you still dissatisfied with your current life?"

"I am not a dissatisfied person, but after guarding the tower here for 30 years, I always feel that my life has been wasted. There is no color, no change. Even if you persuade me to stay, this is one of the few Be dissatisfied."

"But isn't this the case for everyone? Some people spend their whole lives paying off debts, and some people work all their lives to survive. How many people can live a colorful life?"

"Those nobles, those factory owners."

The tower guard said very realistically.

"Yes, their lives are indeed 'colorful,' but you are not them."

"So I have to accept my fate?"

"Accept fate? No, what is fate? Neither you nor I understand, and no one understands it, so do your own thing and look up at the road ahead. If you have time, read more books, know your position, and know the meaning of your life. , know what things you must do..."

"I feel like you're not talking to me anymore."

The tower guard said, and then smiled freely:

"Actually, it doesn't matter. At least I know what you said makes sense. In fact, I can't make up my mind about whether to leave. After all, I have been with this tower for so many years... Then If I don’t leave, if I spend some time drinking and getting drunk and go to Nolan to have a look, wouldn’t I also be stepping into this era?”

"Yes, when we enter this era, we look at thousands of households and see the joys and sorrows."

The tower guard shook his head, picked up the wine glass and bottle on the window sill, and prepared to return to the bell tower to rest. Jenkins grabbed the newly appeared Silmaril, and then called to the tower guard who turned around:

"In about a year or so, I will find a way to rebuild this kind of bell tower. I'm sorry to ask you to wait a few more months in the cemetery."

"Sorry, maybe I didn't hear clearly. What did you just say?"

The tower guard asked confusedly, but this time it was Jenkins' turn to be silent. He just shook his head. So the tower guard did not continue to ask, but dragged heavy steps into the darkness of the clock tower and left here along the ladder.

The moonlight shone on Jenkins' face through the small window and also on his hands, making the small diamond sparkle slightly. This is the seventh and last one. It is the smallest of all the heart-shaped diamonds, which means that the tower guardian does not actually have much calmness and indifference.

If it were a normal treacherous situation, the size of these diamonds would determine the value of the treasures that Jenkins obtained when he left, but this is no longer important to him now.

"Sometimes I will perform some meaningless calculations, purely to test the limits of my computing power. For example, I wonder what if Jenkins Redemption Williamsont did not become a benefactor, but became an ordinary person , then what will happen to the world?"

The gear man in the shadow spoke.

"I don't know about this kind of thing."

Jenkins looked at the Gear Man standing in the shadow at the edge of the moonlight. Because the window of the clock tower was extremely small, only a small area around the window could be illuminated.

"I thought you were going to say something like, there would be someone else without Jenkins."

"No, although history is full of inevitability, in this idealistic world, I can only stand in this position."

The diamond was played with one hand by him, reflecting the two-color moonlight, and the light was particularly bright.

Chapter 2211 Jenkins’ trump card

"But even if I were an ordinary person, someone would definitely stop you."

Jenkins expressed his sigh.

"I'm glad that you are standing here. If it were anyone else, there would be no chance to talk to me about these issues. William, you are the only one who understands me best in this world. I can feel your presence. What a gift the world has given me.”

Someone said not long ago that the emergence of Jenkins is a gift from the world to everyone.

"But your question is very interesting. I have also thought about what would happen if I had been an ordinary person since I came to this world."

Jenkins stood sideways in front of the window, with most of his body in the darkness beside the window. Because of the backlight, his face seemed to be shrouded in shadow. Even the cat held by him with one hand couldn't clearly see his expression at the moment.

"Will he be the same as the tower guard just now? He longs for the extraordinary and is unwilling to be trapped in one place."