Overturned Tower

"Let's not talk about that."

Delphinium imitated Russell's previous appearance, propping her chin with her left hand, while her dexterous right hand twirled the stainless steel fork like a pen, letting it circle and dance between her five fingers.

She stopped eating altogether and focused on feeding Russell.

Every time before Russell finished eating, another piece of meat was sent in.

"You can eat yours...it will be cold if you don't eat it. I'd better do it myself."

After being fed half of the steak by the delphinium continuously, Russell couldn't help but reach out and reject the delphinium.Because the continuation of delphinium visible to the naked eye is getting faster and faster, Russell's cheeks can hardly hold it anymore.

While filling his mouth with iced Coke, he picked up a pair of chopsticks from the side of the table and brought one of the fried eggs in front of Delphinium to himself.

"By the way, this is the first time for me to take an airship."

The delphinium was not in a hurry to eat, but just spun the fork quickly.The stainless steel fork spun like a silver moon disk in her hand, which made Russell, who was sitting opposite her, feel a little nervous.

"You mean a private airship?"

"No, it's an empty boat. I've never been in an ordinary airship... Is there food sold on an ordinary airship?"

"Yes, but not much. Not only is it expensive, but it's also not good. Not even first class food...

"It's not that the food is not fresh enough, but because the most expensive thing is the human cost... Or, 'people who can be absolutely trusted and absolutely loyal to their work'. If you bribe the cook and carry out poisoning on the airship, think They cannot be rescued even if they are rescued. Therefore, the food on the airship is cooked by machines and then automatically delivered to each room."

Russell shook his head: "In the end, airships can't fly very far. The longest journey is five or six hours. Unless you are very hungry, it's not a problem to eat one or two hours late.

"That is to say, in this kind of private airship, only cooks of this level are kept, and the highest-level ingredients are stored without regard to waste. Because this is actually the cook raised by the directors themselves."

This kind of private airship, which is not usually used, can only be dispatched with the permission of the board of directors.He is generally not used to transport elf directors, but to transport ordinary "elves" - those who cannot be reborn through the mother tree, the highest level talents in this world.

Their brains are the treasures left by this dying world.Their near-immortal bodies are nothing more than display racks for storing these minds.The elf transformation ceremony is also just to keep them from getting sick or going crazy for a long time.

Compared with their own lives, the directors value these living specimens they "collected" more.

This is like a game - the character you control can die, the battle can be lost, because everything can be repeated countless times.But the collected gear and trinkets must never drop or shatter... because that's what they did.

From this point of view, Russell and Delphinium can already be called "elf reserve".

Although there is no decent power, it is much higher than the status of human directors.

At least it has been upgraded from a "tool" to a "pet"...to the extent that death will make the owner feel heartbroken.

Yes, tools—

For these famous elves who have survived from the previous generation, human beings cannot be regarded as their kindred, but only as a tool.It is only a few people who are dizzy that they regard human beings as beings of the same level as themselves.

Modern human beings are all created by the "healer" of ampoule biomedicine.Although in this manufacturing process, the embryos conceived by the old humans were used, but after they landed, they became "new humans" with beast signs.Later, it was precisely because of those 84 "Last Heirs of Civilization" who sympathized with their existence, and relying on the giant dragon who also recognized them as "human beings", that the new generation of human beings could obtain freedom and human rights.

——The evolution of all these is exactly the same as the synthetic humans born in this era.

The perspective of the old elves looking at the new humans is no different from the attitude of today's humans looking at the synths.

It is also because of this that Russell feels sad for those people in Tongshen Island.The more they emphasize that synthetic humans are just machines and tools, the more they emphasize that synthetic humans can only be vassals and slaves of human beings, the more they require the head office to legislate to restrict the thinking ability of synthetic humans and limit their scope of work...the more they will Let the directors show a mocking sneer.

After knowing the secret of "spiritual relatives", Russell immediately understood why Shenzhi Heavy Industry did not restrain or guide the public opinion of synthetic humans at all——

Those human beings who are chatting enthusiastically on the Internet are actually choosing their own attitudes for those elf directors.

And this is one of the reasons why Russell packed all the synthetics and brought them to the happy island where he can control public opinion.

You know, when Russell spoke to transport all the synthetic humans away, the board of directors of Shenzhi Heavy Industry did not respond at all.He neither agreed nor opposed, but helped Russell transfer the private airship that was only allocated when transporting important talents... At that time, Russell was already vaguely aware of their true attitude.

Seeing that Russell was eating so deliciously, delphinium didn't touch the fork very much.

Instead, he put his arms on the window and looked at the sea under the sunlight outside the window.It was like the clearest aquamarine.

"... So, is the sea so beautiful?"

Delphinium lost his mind for a moment.

When Russell heard the words, he also cast his gaze over.

He also looked at the empty sea, the sporadic islands in the distance, and the flag of the "Hudson Ocean Mining Company" erected high on it, and sighed lazily: "If there is no gray dome, it will still be there." more beautiful.

"At that time, the sea will be brighter and more colorful, instead of this kind of deep color. Under the shining sun, it will sparkle with sparkling waves. It is like countless silver mirrors breaking and breaking, and its most distant The other end—it’s there. It will blend with the dark blue or sky blue sky, and it’s not easy to see the boundary at a glance. The sun is scorching hot on the body, so dazzling that you can’t look directly at it with your eyes .”

"It sounds wonderful."

Delphinium murmured softly: "It's a pity that I can't see...that is a beauty that only belongs to the past and is out of print."

Russell also put down his fork and sighed: "You will see."

Even under today's bright sunlight, the sea outside the window did not shine with dazzling brilliance.

But at this moment, Delphinium suddenly turned around.

Her blue pupils were like the sky high above the sun: "Didn't you say that the sky should be ultramarine blue?"

"In ancient times, ultramarine was a noble color. It was once more precious than gold."

Russell said softly: "A painter named Raphael mixed it with 'white' to get a brilliant and pure sky blue...and another painter named Vincent used it to describe the night sky... …

"Although it is an industrially synthesized ultramarine color, it is no longer noble, but it is still as beautiful. He used it to describe the most beautiful starry sky, and mortals will dream as long as they see it. It is a burning life, an illusion fate."

"...It's a pity that I can't see that painting either." Delphinium lamented softly.

"You really won't see it. Because in that painting there are bright stars and moon, deep blue sky, naturally growing cypress trees, and a peaceful village under the night. That is a beauty that will no longer appear in this era... ..."

When Russell said this, he suddenly realized...why he seemed to resonate when he heard the word "ultramarine", and why he subconsciously thought that the sky should be ultramarine.

That may be because, when he thought of taking off this gray dome, what he missed was the stars and moon in the middle of the night.

That is also his despair and loneliness.

Although the painting depicts stars, moon, and night, what it paints can only be given to human beings who, despite being small and humble, still do not bow their heads to fate.

"There is a fire in everyone's heart, but people passing by can only see the smoke."

Russell read softly: "But there is always someone... there is always someone who can see this fire, and then come over and accompany me... It starts with your name. After that, everything happens."

"Is this also a poem from the past?"

Delphinium propped her face and asked softly.

Russell turned his face and said with a smile, "It's a letter written by that artist."

"It sounds like he's lonely."

"...It's true."

Russell nodded slowly.

But he can only feel sad.

"I don't remember many things anymore. The brain from this era does not store the memory of that world... because they are all fragments stored in the demon in the 'God's Vessel'. I can draw it, but I will never dream of the blue night sky again."

"Then draw it."

Delphinium replied without hesitation.

"……what?"

"If it's an illusion that only exists in your memory, make it a reality. Even if it is an illusion that does not exist in reality, as long as you draw it...you can dream it.

"It will also allow us to see it...Ultramarine."

Russell couldn't tell whether Delphinium's last address was calling his own code name, or the name of the paint, or referring to the painting.

But he just let out a breath, feeling a burst of warmth from the bottom of his heart.

really.There is always someone who can see this fire...

With a slight smile, Russell got up from his seat and walked behind the delphinium amidst the delphinium's complaint of "don't waste food".

He put one hand on Delphinium's shoulder, and with the other he pointed to the French window in front of Delphinium.That's the part that was originally blocked by Russell.

"Look over there...that's Sogo Island."

Russell pointed to the distance, breathed in the fragrance of delphinium hair, and said softly: "That is my hometown."

Delphinium couldn't help but widen her eyes, and murmured in a low voice: "It's so beautiful..."

Where Russell pointed, it was not so much an island as it was a white sky-high tower.

Among the seven empty islands, only Sogo Island is a tall tower "standing upright".

Below it, like other empty islands, there is a deep resource well that leads to the seabed like an elevator.But it is not wrapped inside the Mage Tower, but stands alone outside.From this distance, it can't even detect its existence.

The area of ​​Sogo Island, which is close to the sea, is only about a quarter of that of Happy Island.However, in the very center of the island stands a tall white tower like a spiral spear, reflecting the sacred brilliance under the sun.

The original high tower was just the center - countless buildings were developed around the original "Mage Tower".

Some distance away from the spiral tower in the middle, there are three buildings bent like "claws", clustered around the tower.Their skins use many reflective walls such as mirrors, which reflect the dazzling rainbow light to the outside, and make the white tower in the middle as the "core" shine with silvery white brilliance.It looks like the tower is activating some kind of facility.

Under the tower, there are countless tall buildings that are as solemn and solemn as temples.They are evenly distributed on the empty island like a disc, and one can feel the beauty of order when viewed from a distance.

It is an overwhelming main color of "white", with a small amount of gold, and a small amount of blue as the color scheme... a building complex that shines with "SOGO".

Chapter 7 Silent Praise

——If you want to ask, what kind of impression does Delphinium have on Sogo Island when they met for the first time.

Well, her answer is "sacred solemnity".

When Delphinium followed Russell out of the private airship, they were actually mentally prepared to be surrounded by layers of reporters.

This is not an exaggeration.She can even be [-]% sure that if "mysterious private airships from other empty islands suddenly landed at the airport" happened on Happy Island, then at least seven newspapers would use their own methods to catch up with the incident before the airships landed. to the airport.

And no matter which newspaper office arrived first... When the reporters from Tianen Daily arrived in a helicopter gunship, they had to reluctantly give way to their surroundings.

Immediately afterwards, as long as you get off the airship, you can see the flashing lights covering your face, and then your face will enter the live broadcast room of Tianen Daily; a bunch of journalists have to watch the live broadcast room of Tianen Daily to extract key information Information, while starting to make up quickly... Before the live broadcast is over, the news feeds from major media will be directly photographed on the faces of the viewers who are watching the live broadcast.

The coolest thing is that the news details of each company are not exactly the same.Highlight a blooming flower.

However, when they left the airship, Delphinium did not see any reporter appearing in front of her.

Accompanied by the melodious and low-pitched hymns that sounded in the airport, two gray-haired old men with long beards were waiting for them at the door of the airship with solemn faces.

They all wore steel-colored, helmet-like eye patches on their faces.

There are three lenses at about the position of the eyes, two small and one large... the small one is at the position of the eyes, and the big one is between the eyebrows.And the lenses are glowing... one face is glowing bright yellow, the other is glowing red.

It is precisely because they are all emitting light, so if you look in from the outside, you can't see their eyes through these lights.

And they were wearing long-sleeved white robes that covered their hands and feet, and silky white gloves.On their chests, there is a similar but subtly different logo belonging to the Sogo Group—it is a pentagram at least the size of a head, and it also shines with the same color as their eyepatch.One is bright yellow, the other is red... and as they breathe, the light on their chests flickers on and off.

Delphinium's first reaction was: Is this some kind of RGB cultist?

It also has a breathing light effect...

Seeing Russell and Delphinium, they bowed their heads at the same time, drew a pentagram on their chests along the light path, and then clasped their hands together: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Ultramarine and Ms. Delphinium?"

"—yes, parishioner."

Seeing the delphinium still a little dazed, Russell approached from behind the delphinium.

He reached out and touched his brow lightly, and then tapped on the largest lens on their foreheads.

Delphinium suddenly felt hesitant.

It seemed like some kind of ritual, but Russell didn't tell himself what to do on the way...

Just when she was hesitating whether she should learn from Russell to do it together, she saw Russell reached out and gently supported her shoulder.So the delphinium immediately understood that it meant not to move.

Seeing Russell's return gift, the two old men nodded in a friendly manner.

The "golden" old man introduced himself to Russell: "I'm offended, fellow believer. I can feel your sincere spiritual power...May God bless you.

"Introduce yourself, you can call me the 'prefrontal cortex'. This is the 'insula'."

"The two doctors came to see me, what's the matter?"

Russell asked softly.

"It's nothing, kid. Don't be nervous... The elf entrusted us to take a look. We should take care of the wanderer when he returns home."

Dr. "Brain Insula" made a gentle and kind voice when he heard this—it was only then that Delphinium realized that this old man with a shaved head and a flat figure was actually an old woman.

"Prefrontal Cortex" nodded: "I heard that you haven't been back for a long time... Chongguang Island has not been peaceful recently."

"What happened?"

Russell asked with some vigilance.

The prefrontal cortex was about to explain, but the insula stopped him.