The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 100 - 76 Knowledge is Power_2

Chapter 100: Chapter 76 Knowledge is Power_2

"You have electric trams?" Rod blurted out.

Nightwing said disdainfully, "It’s just another strange contraption from the Mechanical Research Institute. They always waste money on trivial matters instead of allocating more budget to us. Exploring the history of the Royal City is a hundred times better than those unreliable inventions they come up with!"

"Um, it seems like the Mechanical Research Institute does have some research on science... And aren’t the Crystal Balls and detection devices they made very useful?"

Nightwing sneered, "Every single Spiritual Energy and Soul Trait detection device in use today was cobbled together from relics brought back from ruins and restored. They can’t even grasp the principles, let alone manufacture them from scratch."

"As for their studies on steam, electric power, thermal dynamics, levers – what good have they done so far? Have they killed a monster? Created a rare weapon? Or trained a High-Rank Combatant? The most ridiculous part is their overconfidence. One idiot even claimed that with a stick and a fulcrum, he could pry open the Dead Ash Mountain Range... Why doesn’t he just split the earth apart and release all the devils from the Abyss?"

Nightwing seemed to harbor a strong bias against the Mechanical Research Institute, with his language laced with barbed sarcasm.

"I’m telling you, there’s nothing more reliable than history in this world. History hides endless knowledge. History doesn’t lie. Through it, we can see the rise and fall of kingdoms, the birth and destruction of civilizations, the struggles and efforts of humanity. We can summarize countless lessons, unearth the dark truths, the secrets of the Black Fog, and find the path to the ultimate light."

He spread his arms wide, declaring aloud,

"The Embers of history have warmth. They can heat our cold bodies, fend off the invasion of the Black Fog, and guide us in the right direction."

"The Supreme Council should increase our funding by another five hundred thousand silver coins!"

The red-haired girl Molly murmured, "Nightwing, we already have a lot of funding. There are many schools bigger than us but receive less than we do."

Nightwing snorted, "Isn’t that as it should be? We’re so outstanding, producing so many results every year..."

Suddenly, the car without license plates came to a stop.

Nightwing poked his head out to see a jam of Spirit Cars up ahead and immediately cursed,

"A bunch of idiots! The Spiritual Transportation Management has malfunctioned again! They spend so much money every year, yet the navigation function breaks down every couple of days! Every time it’s rush hour, do the controllers’ pig brains just overheat or what?"

Rod asked surprisingly, "The Royal City has rush hour too?"

Nightwing gave him a glance, "Your tone is strange. What do you mean even has rush hour? Are all special students like this? You’re pampered too nicely in the college greenhouse, ignorant of the residents’ lives. If they don’t go to factories, workshops, or mines, what will they eat? What do we use? Without the Spirit Car, are they supposed to walk? It’s not Fire Day, what if they encounter danger on their way?"

"Aren’t there Floating Spirit Cars?"

Nightwing scoffed, "You really are the typical academic. Floating Spirit Cars cost ten silver coins per person; which ordinary residents can afford that? Only the green skin cars, which cost one silver coin for ten tickets, are the only option for them."

Before long, the Spirit Car started moving again.

At that moment, a stretch Spirit Car zoomed past to the front.

Nightwing cursed, "Are you in such a hurry to go get reincarnated or something?"

Stop talking about it, it’s really bad luck.

During the last stretch of the journey, Nightwing continued to rail against all the irrationalities in the Royal City, the epitome of an angry young man.

Professor Bins didn’t say a word, and Molly sometimes whispered words of comfort, but that only seemed to fuel Nightwing’s anger even more.

He directly targeted the seven major families in the Royal City who called themselves "the Elect of Fire," condemning them as rotten parasites and malignant tumors on the kingdom. The King was far too merciful; he should have arrested them all and given all their wealth to the Ash Excavation School as budget funds.

Rod listened silently. Nightwing truly lived up to the reputation of an intellectual, possessing extensive knowledge.

From his words, Rod roughly understood the structure of the Trolian Kingdom was centered around a monarchial system with the Supreme Council at its core.

The King was elected by the upper echelon of elders and his position only extended to his spouse, not his children.

In other words, there were no Princes or Princesses.

A similar status was that of the King Candidate.

The main duty of the only legal Church in Trolian, the Holy Church, was to soothe the populace, heal the diseased and wounded, perform public prayers and sacrifices, and it did not involve itself in governance. Its Pope was also the King, and the Church’s armed forces were under the jurisdiction of the Military War Department.

In other words, royal authority completely overwhelmed divine authority.

This was a very rare phenomenon.

In such an environment, where there’s a clear object of worship, religion should have complete dominance, but the Trolian Kingdom harbored notably open and tolerant advanced ideas. Apart from explicit prohibitions related to fire, there were no other religious practices, and residents were not even allowed to engage in worshipping, praying, preaching, or other religious activities.

However, due to a long history, some aristocratic families, known as "Elect of Fire," still emerged in the Royal City. They held a significant amount of resources. Although their power had been continuously weakened and restricted since the new King’s accession, Nightwing still thought the King was too kind-hearted and soft.

Amidst incessant complaints, Molly whispered to Rod, "Don’t mind him; Nightwing just thinks we could do better. Twenty years ago, the settlement farthest from the Royal City was only three hundred miles away. The Outer City District was rife with Black Fog and Ghost Domains, even combatants couldn’t get enough to eat, and clean water was the most precious resource. The idea of getting hot water simply by turning a handle was unthinkable. The King has already done well enough; he is the person I admire most."

Rod nodded, "I know, if there were no hope, he probably wouldn’t be complaining here either."

Molly covered her mouth and chuckled, "Nightwing always feels that if he were the King, he would have led everyone to defeat the indescribable horrors in the Black Fog and spread the light of fire to the other side of Ghost Spirit Lake a long time ago."

The two laughed together.

And so, amidst lively discussions and whispered conversations, the horseless carriage came to a stop.

After disembarking, Rod realized they had arrived at the foot of a massive mountain range. The towering grey rocks rose into the clouds like a giant wall connecting heaven and earth.

Rod exclaimed in surprise, "Where is this?"

Nightwing said with dissatisfaction, "Were you sleeping in class every day? This is the Dead Ash Mountain Range. The Royal City was built leaning against it, with the Upper City halfway up the mountain. The plains to the north and east of it are the Red Soil Plain, our main territory."

"Weren’t we supposed to go to the sewers?"

Nightwing said dismissively, "The sewers of the Outer City District have been retrofitted, expanded, or newly excavated. The ones we’re going to are the oldest, originally constructed by Giants."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Of course, it’s dangerous! Many unknown places have never been explored! Who knows what’s in there! I’m telling you, once we go in, you must listen to me. Do as I say. My experience is very extensive..."

As Nightwing rambled on, he moved aside a manhole cover and placed bright yellow markers around it.

Afterward, the four of them climbed down a long iron ladder and entered the sewers of the Inner City District.

After that, Nightwing spoke much less, and Professor Bins took over as the leader of the team, guiding them in the right direction.

"This way."

"Let’s go through here."

Along the way, Rod finally understood why they respected Professor Bins so much, even though he was just an ordinary human.

Indeed, knowledge is power.

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