Mysteries: Arcana Wars

Even with the help of an adult man, it was still too difficult for a boy of thirteen or fourteen to treat an unconscious adult.

After staggering all the way to send people into the white tents, Rad staggered out, fell to the ground and gasped for breath, his hands and feet were sore and numb.

"Thank you so much for today, Rad."

Alan Friedman also came over and sat next to Rad, his tone soft and friendly, and every word of thanks came from the heart.

The boy did not respond to him. He just raised his distinct blue and white eyes and looked at Alan, breathing heavily.

Alan looked at the crowd on the ground, as if muttering to himself, or as if answering the questions in Rad's eyes.

“A week ago, [Laundry Alley] collapsed.”

Rad was stunned for a moment, then calmed down and looked at the wriggling gray area in the square like Alan.

【collapse】

A word that is very close to Rad but has never felt real.

Living in the underground city, Rad always hears news about "collapse". He heard that a cargo tunnel collapsed somewhere, and the price of energy bars will increase; he heard that the unlucky underground city above collapsed, and all the people inside were crushed to death; he heard that the underground city next to him was an underground parking lot that sank hundreds of years ago, and the pillars and beams are all crooked, and it may collapse in a few years...

But in fact, perhaps because Banyan Street is not deep and the structure is relatively "new", the "collapse", a disaster unique to underground cities, did not happen to Rad.

“‘Collapse’ is like a curse hanging over every dungeon.

"These layers of underground cities are nothing more than countless snake sheds that Backlund has shed over the past thousand years. Generation after generation, it has been reborn, and generation after generation, it has given useless and dilapidated things to those who have nowhere else to live, allowing them to survive.

“Buildings that can be called ‘underground cities’ were also part of the aboveground world hundreds of years ago. However, they were abandoned by the aboveground society because of various problems they encountered. As time and the influence of the earth, they sank downwards.

"Most of the problems that cause these buildings to be abandoned are not solved over time, but become more and more serious as time accumulates, until finally this time bomb is detonated and buries everyone underground.

“Although most underground cities have reinforced their original structures like Banyan Street, the original decay has already rotted into the bones of the building.

"On the other hand, even if we continue to build these underground cities for generations, the might of nature will punish us. Geological disasters are also a major cause of the collapse of underground cities. As for the society on the ground, they use enough technology to protect the underground parking lots they are currently using, but most underground cities do not have such advanced technology to resist it.

“So the tragedy of [Laundry Lane] happened.”

Rad had almost recovered. He glanced at Alan. This passage was a bit profound, and he seemed to understand it, but not quite. He was a little confused.

"Oh, maybe you haven't heard of this place called [Laundry Lane]."

Alan smiled apologetically and spoke to the little boy in a gentle and compassionate manner.

"【Laundry Lane】 is far away from Banyan Street, and is more than 500 meters deeper than Banyan Street. According to everyone's classification of underground cities, 【Laundry Lane】 should be considered a mid-level underground city.

"The collapse happened a week ago. The good news is that the collapse of [Laundry Lane] was a slow process. The uncontrolled mud flattened the houses in [Laundry Lane] one by one, instead of turning all the buildings into ruins in an instant. We have about ten days to evacuate the victims, and it is already the seventh day."

Everything seemed to make sense all of a sudden. Because of the collapse, the survivors of [Laundry Alley] were moved to this square by the exiles. Some of the more healthy survivors entered the factory and became Rad's colleagues. That's how the new acquaintance Atala came to be.

"But why do you want to transfer... 'disaster victims'?" This term was unfamiliar to Rad. Lacking basic education, he didn't have many advanced vocabulary. "Why do you want to help them?"

This does not seem to conform to the common sense of survival in the underground city. In the underground city, few people are so selfless and organized to help another group of people. Even if there is mutual assistance, it is limited to small groups. At least in Rad's memory, Banyan Street is like this.

As a shallow underground layer, Banyan Street has the isolation of an underground city, but it is still subject to interference from the society above ground, so there is another stone pressing on them. In the midst of turmoil, lower-class families like Rad will only think about how to survive for themselves and their families first, and even the monument under the goddess of night is very simple.

For many people here, they simply don't have the ability to care any more about a stranger they don't even know.

Rad suddenly felt a little dazed. It was like the exiles picking up the victims of the laundry lane, just like he picked up his sister named Luna two months ago.

"You seem to have read a lot of books and know a lot of knowledge. You can read and you can teach others to read. You can definitely find a good job on earth. There are so many of you, you can directly form a gang, or even rob a dungeon, and live a good life with fresh vegetables every day."

"But, child, I came out of the underground city."

Alan sighed. He rubbed the dark circles under his eyes and gradually opened up to the boy.

"I did rely on luck and hard work to make it all the way up to Backlund on the ground, and gained the knowledge and life I had always dreamed of. But every time I think back to the past, there is always a voice in my mind reminding me: there are so many people who will never get out of the underground city in their entire lives.

"Every time I think of this, I feel an inexplicable panic, as if I were a traitor, a deserter, a bastard who abandoned everyone to enjoy himself.

"Yeah, why is it that among people who all come from the same underground city, some can finally go to Backlund on the surface, while others have to stay in the dark underground city for their entire lives?"

The conversation was suddenly interrupted.

A group of exiles came over with supplies, signaled to mentor Allen, and then left in a hurry. They looked very embarrassed, and although their wounds had been bandaged, their red robes were tattered and even had dried blood stains.

The interaction between Alan and these exiles is very simple. In fact, Alan knows all the experiences of these exiles. As long as one exile sees it, all the exiles see it.

This was the wealth that had just been looted from the attack on the Cotton Lane Exchange. Now, they would serve as an important source of funds to help the exiles rescue the victims of the Laundry Lane and even help them build new homes.

Of course, this is a huge fortune, and its role goes far beyond that.

But Rad knew none of this.

"The money just now was taken from some rich people."

Allen did not hide the "channel" of the money in front of Rad, which surprised Rad a little.

"You can't imagine how much money those rich people have. They have huge houses, many servants, and more money than they can spend in several lifetimes. But they use this money to build those black factories and black banks. We work in their factories, but the more we work, the less money we have, while the rich people have more and more money."

Mentor Allen suddenly stood up, he became a little serious, but very firm, making people unable to help but believe him. He began to use some easy-to-understand words and phrases, the words were simple and even the logic was rough, but these words were highly inflammatory to the poorly educated residents of the underground city, enough to leave a deep mark in their small world.

This is a highly targeted means of incitement. One-sided statements and simple and crude opinions are often the most powerful.

"Why? Why can they eat sumptuous meals on high buildings, while we have to starve in the dirt? Why can they have endless gold pounds, while we can't even take a single note out of our pockets? Why are they born 'rich', while we are born 'poor'?

"Why do they have everything, but we have nothing?"

This series of questions hit Rad's mind like cannonballs, and he was completely stunned.

"Are you surprised? That's why we call ourselves 'exiles' because our ideas are unorthodox and not accepted by mainstream society. At the same time, we are 'poor people', dust that is not accepted by the city."

Alan adjusted his clothes solemnly.

"So is there a possibility that we can also go above the ground and become a 'rich man'... so that we can all become 'them'?

"In other words, we will kill the rich. When the 'rich' disappear from this world, there will no longer be any 'poor'. We are all exactly the same. You become me, and I become you. We are the 'rich' and the 'poor', we are the 'rich' and we are the 'workers'. We are ourselves, and we are any brother or sister. Putting on this red robe, we will no longer be different from each other. We will have unprecedented equality and unprecedented unity.

“You’ll be able to [be] whatever you want to be.”

Alan held out his hand to Rad.

"So, will you join us?"

A series of shocks caused Rad's brain to crash, and he sat there not knowing what to do. He instinctively wanted to believe and reach out to grab Alan, but Luna's words of advice came to his mind. The two thoughts entangled in Rad's mind.

"It's okay, kid, you don't have to make a decision now."

Alan smiled, straightened his robe and walked away.

"If you are interested, come to my classroom for grammar class in the future."