#592 - New traditions in the north

"Look at the artistic conception of this historical imprint..."

Lu Yuan closed his eyes and meditated for three hours before he vaguely glimpsed a scene.

Three hundred and sixty mithril chandeliers were hung on the dome of the wide main hall. Each lampshade was made of the skull of a certain kind of fish, and the wick burned with the everlasting mermaid oil.

The small piece of mithril in his hand was part of the chandelier.

And at that banquet, there were cups clinking, flowers scattered all over the floor, melodious piano music and pleasant singing.

"The two families are connected, the newlyweds are like that, the beautiful woman and the talented man, a match made in heaven."

"Let us wish them a happy marriage!"

The voice in my ear is very vague, it seems to be the voice of the host?

Lu Yuan was not sure. He was enjoying the exotic customs and practices with great interest. He was somewhat puzzled as to why a wedding was qualified to be recorded in history.

"Wow, this meal is very rich, fish, shrimp, cakes, meat..."

"There are some foreigners... Hey, why are there dwarves? Pastries from the Eighth Age?"

Then he heard a "bang" and the sound of glass breaking came from the east, and the groom with a rosy face fell to the ground.

Panicked screams and wails rang out in the conference hall.

"Enemy attack, Glyph Bullet!"

"Protect the adults!"

The groom was shot in the back and blood spurted out like a fountain.

A guy in black clothes had a distorted face and roared with his teeth bared: "She is mine! Don't even think about it!!"

“Bang, bang, bang!”

With the sound of the gunshot, Lu Yuan was ejected from the "Mark of History" and was unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

He complained with a mixture of laughter and tears: "Hiss...it turned out to be a murder of passion."

Feeling something was wrong again, he took out a "crystal computer". This crystal computer was given to him by the dwarves and contained quite a lot of historical anecdotes.

[The Parthenon civilization is a civilization with great potential in the North during the Eighth Era.]

The second-level civilization has indeed reached a certain level.

[They built the Sky City, hoping to integrate the human races in the North and form a political and military alliance. The simplest way to do this is naturally a political marriage.]

【But for some reason, the whole plan completely failed. 】

"Oh, maybe it wasn't a murder of passion, but a political conspiracy?"

Lu Yuan shook his head and described the scene he had spied to Miss Conch.

"So you can create legendary equipment again?" The girl, who was not interested in politics, raised her curved eyebrows and said, "Can a historical mark create a legend?"

"No, I can't." Lu Yuan shook his head. "This kind of sentimental murder is too weird. I have no experience in this area of ​​life. What do you want me to create?"

"If we really experience a murder of passion, can we create something new?" Hai Luo said with a smile, "Or should we play with it in a dream?"

Lu Yuan was still very serious at this moment: "No. I can create a shelter because I have really had similar experiences. I have personally experienced how difficult life was before, and I have the ability to empathize with others."

"As for this piece of mithril's historical mark, I can only read a story at best."

“Even if you force yourself to create a work, its use will become very niche and it will be a waste of inspiration.”

He paused for a moment and put away the mithril: "However... it is still beneficial to collect more traces of history."

“Maybe it will be useful in the future?”

The two stayed in the Parthenon ruins for three days, and in the end they only found a small piece of "mithril", a few pieces of ore from rat holes, and a few stone tablets with ancient texts.

The rest is nothing.

But I am satisfied. It is better to gain something than nothing.

"Let's go to the next destination."

…

This kind of trip is very interesting for both of them, and it is like a long vacation from their long and busy lives.

There are not many dangers along the way. The "Greedy Demon" is too powerful. No matter it is a cold wave, a blizzard, avalanche, or highway robbery, it will not have much impact.

The only small risk was when Lu Yuan, in human form, encountered a hungry "unicorn bear".

The bear followed them for a long time.

In the end, Miss Conch fed it a few pieces of meat and then tamed it through the "Animal Affinity" ability.

"Ahhh!" the old wolf roared in dissatisfaction.

In the end, the two did not keep the "Unicorn Bear" as a pet, but released it into nature.

They even encountered an extreme cold wave. The Greedy Demon was freezing outside, while Lu Yuan and Hai Luo were eating hot pot in the space capsule and playing some adult games when they were bored.

"Let me tell you, bringing a nuclear power plant is good. Look at the abundant electricity."

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

"Ahhh!" The old wolf kept barking at the new little white mouse.

"You're jealous, you bastard."

After the cold wave, the Greedy Demon Huang continued to move. It only took one or two days to reach the next civilization, and the time spent on the road was not long.

Spend a day or two sightseeing in the local area, give some small gifts, show off your talents, or taste the local food and trade some small items.

It would be best if we could find extraordinary items with "historical imprints".

If not, that's ok.

As the reputation of mankind gradually spread, most civilizations treated the two of them politely. Occasionally, some uncivilized races would point fingers at them in private with curious and greedy eyes, but they did not dare to take action.

There was even one time when we encountered a group of wandering green-skinned goblins!

The goblins are a species known for their amazing reproductive capacity. Their cities cannot support too many people, so they have evolved this wandering pattern.

Lu Yuan was not polite either. He held the gift in one hand and a machine gun in the other, with a row of Gatling bullet magazines hanging on his body.

"You can sell anything, you can buy anything! Do you want this machine gun?"

“Thump, thump, thump!”

The bullets hit the snow, scaring the goblins so much that they fled in panic.

…

…

So after a simple journey through eight civilizations, Lu Yuan once again came to a very interesting social conclusion.

"Civilizations with special products and stable output are usually not too powerful. For example, the Snow Sheep Clan and the Yak Clan... all have special products, but they live in poverty."

"On the contrary, a civilization without any special products has a higher chance of becoming a powerful race."

This is a very strange thing they discovered. Is it possible that there is also a "resource curse" for civilization?

Miss Conch added: "But places that are too remote and too barren are not good either. The lack of inherent resources brings too many constraints."

"It seems that the environment cannot be too good, nor too bad, and the specialty cannot be too good, but it cannot be absent. Is it likely that such a civilization will become a strong one?"

A key word appeared in Lu Yuan’s mind - "moderation".

Moderation is not mediocrity.

The Golden Mean is the spiral image of the snowflakes falling from the sky, always following the pattern of the hexagonal star, impartial.

Among the ruins of ancient times, the spacing between the pillars follows the golden ratio.

In the microscopic world of quantum mechanics, the movement trajectories of particles always dance in the superposition state of waves and particles.

These seemingly contradictory perfect balances are the world’s most profound interpretation of “moderation”—it is not a mediocre compromise, but the universal wisdom of the world.

"What a pity! How difficult is it to be impartial?"

Just like that, after a two-month journey, the Greedy Demon gradually arrived at the northern continent.

The weather became increasingly cold, and the number of civilizations decreased significantly.

In the end, only the thick-furred Tenggers lived in the last geothermal area.

This is a very hardworking species that has slowly become wealthy by collecting "mushrooms" that grow in methane lakes.

Their thick fur and peculiar appearance make them look like 2-meter-tall giant pandas!

Of course, there are still some differences between the extraordinary world and the normal world.

Their broad paws and well-developed muscles give them amazing jumping ability, so they are called the "leaping clan".

"This is... Grandmaster Lu?! How did he get here?" The Tengyue clan is considered a relatively powerful civilization and is well-informed.

After experiencing so many civilizations, Lu Yuan was finally recognized.

"Really?" After comparing his appearance, these nobles were so surprised that their eyes almost popped out of their heads!

"I'm definitely not mistaken."

He hurried out the door and greeted them in person.

"Don't be nervous, everyone. We have been traveling for two months and have passed through eight civilizations. Just think of us as ordinary merchants."

Merchant, how is that possible? If you have any accident, humans might come to kill you the next day!

The panda looked at Ms. Conch and stared at the small grass ring on her head for a long time: "Who is this?"

"This is my wife. I took her to travel around and look for inspiration from craftsmen. I came to visit her when I passed by here."

As a result, the Panda people were even more frightened. Isn’t this the legendary Queen of Green?

It's cute and looks very young - even from a bear's perspective.

"Thank you very much for coming to receive me in person. Here are the gifts for you." Lu Yuan bowed and handed out two pomegranates and three pears.

"No, no, Mr. Lu is such a free and easy person. In pursuit of inspiration, he does things that ordinary people dare not do." The elder who led the Tengyue clan accepted the gifts very politely.

"Uh, where are you going? Do you need soldiers to escort you? Our leader is still in the Green Market... He is enjoying himself so much that he doesn't even want to come back."

In his heart, he thought that humans were too bold to let the Grand Master run around! He also let the Queen of Green out!

It's simply a psychotic civilization.

What if you are kidnapped by those bandits? Those robbers are too lazy to investigate your identity.

He even couldn't help but have the thought of "locking the other person up in a small dark room and giving him a good beating."

Earning 1,000 spiritual energy from a legendary item is not a small number.

However, as soon as this idea sprouted, it was forcibly suppressed.

Are you kidding? How can people come here without any protection?

If someone dares to kidnap someone, he might take out the mythical weapon in the next second.

"Come, this way please! The weather here is too cold, haha, please don't be offended."

As the northernmost city, Tengyue Clan has a geothermal area with a year-round temperature of nearly minus 50 degrees Celsius, and the ground is as hard as steel.

In order to resist the severe cold, the panda people dug huge pits, buried the buildings deep underground, and relied on geothermal energy for heating.

The popularity here is quite high. Lu Yuan looked around and saw a simple trading market. There were representatives of more than a dozen races drinking, negotiating and chatting in the tavern.

The video in the light and shadow stone was projected onto the screen, showing the scene of the gambling fight that day. The little mirage dragon fought against the Yinlin beast, which was really a sight to behold.

There are still people playing on their phones?! (Actually they can’t access the internet)

Everyone was wearing thick clothes, wrapped up like dumplings.

Most of what they sell are food, leather, plush and other daily necessities, while the trade of extraordinary items is relatively rare - this is normal, as most races are now considering the issue of survival, and only by solving the problem of survival can they develop.

There are even some technological products that are shipped over from humans!

The Tengyue Clan acted as middlemen, and it was obvious that human carbon nanosuits and solar panels were very popular here.

When some craftsmen heard about Lu Yuan's arrival, they hurried over to witness the grand master's demeanor. These guys were like star-chasers, extremely fanatical.

"Grandmaster, it's really you!"

"We have seen your image in the Light and Shadow Stone."

“A legendary masterpiece… One day I will go and see it in person!”

Following the basic etiquette of communication among craftsmen, they presented their proudest forged items and asked Lu Yuan for his comments.

Logically speaking, the level difference is so big that guiding a novice is a waste of time.

In Lu Yuan's view, these items are useless except for enthusiasm.

But since they were already here, Lu Yuan arranged a time with them to communicate for a few hours: "It doesn't matter what race or number of people you are, just find a place. It's getting late today, so let's do it tomorrow."

The panda people were immediately overjoyed, and they were all eager to learn something.

The conch whispered in telepathy: "Are you very vain now? You don't mind being recognized by others?"

"Hey, we took the leave, we didn't sneak out."

"In this world...reputation is very important." Lu Yuan replied, "The Greedy Demon God cannot be easily exposed. But it doesn't matter if I, Lu Yuan, am a little more famous. In the future, I won't be easily obliterated by concepts."

"That's true." Conch agreed.

Seeing that the two of them were silent, the nobleman started chatting to himself: "Many races here are relatively weak and do not have the ability to cross tens of thousands of kilometers to your trading market."

"So we became middlemen for a while, and we didn't make much, only about 20% profit."

"You know what, it's quite popular, haha..." He patted his broad bear paws.

"It's not a big problem." Lu Yuan said with a smile, "If the scale of your transaction can be expanded, you can actually apply for a 'strategic partnership'. We will specially send a floating fortress to deliver supplies regularly. We can also help build communication equipment."

"We have reached a strategic partnership with the Dwarf Tribe, the Elephant Tribe, and the Longhair Tribe. The world is so big, and common development is the way to make the pie bigger."

"You are really broad-minded... and are willing to give the profits to us." The panda said in surprise.

"Not really. On our former planet... this route has proven to be feasible."

Humans do not reject other races acting as middlemen to make money.

This is like the major groups on the planet. For large companies like Coca-Cola, the volume of direct sales from manufacturers to consumers is not much.

The small supermarkets and small shops that exist everywhere are the real moats, because each small shop often represents a network of acquaintances and private domain traffic.

The situation in the North is similar. Once people get used to human products, it is not easy to change them. Once people use human industrial standards and various software and hardware, it is extremely difficult to change them.

Therefore, when there are insufficient floating fortresses, the best thing for humans to do is to select a few peace-loving races to establish trade channels and quickly promote the goods.

After hearing what Lu Yuan said, the nobles were obviously relieved, and they silently thought about the pros and cons of the "strategic partnership".

"By the way, this is our latest crystal-energy TV, given to you as a gift."

The TV was naturally a good thing, and these long-legged bears accepted it with great joy.

Another delicious meal was served. In addition to mushrooms, this place is also rich in cold-water fish.

There is an ocean full of icebergs nearby, and life will always find its own way out.

The bottom of that deep sea is a huge hotspot, so there are many kinds of fish.

It is the same as "live by the mountain, eat by the mountain; live by the water, eat by the water".

"The days here seem very long." Lu Yuan took a bite of the fish. The burnt fragrance of the fish skin formed a perfect contrast with the tenderness of the fish meat. The skin was slightly crispy and made a slight "crunch" sound when bitten.

He pointed at the slanting sun and asked, "Could it be that there is also a phenomenon of midnight day and silent night in the north?"

"Yes, it is quite different from other places." the noble replied.

"There are about 20 hours of daylight and 4 hours of darkness in a day. The further north you go, the longer the days get until there is complete daylight."

"But at a certain critical point, the daylight hours will slowly decrease. Whether there will be polar night in the north is not something we can detect."

"In short, even if the sunlight is weak, solar energy is still relatively stable. Thanks to your civilization, we have been able to grow high-yield plants stably through solar lamps, greenhouses, and spiritual planting fields."

"Within two years, the food problems of most of the surrounding races will be solved!"

These guys were very excited when they talked about this.

"By the way, how long do you want to stay here? Do you need to gather the leaders of the surrounding races? We have been operating for many years and have some popularity."

"Don't bother. We are here to travel. We don't want to talk too much about politics." Lu Yuan waved his hand quickly. "We also want to go to the farther north. It is said that the environment there is extremely dangerous and the scenery is unique."

“Excuse me, do you have a corresponding geographical map here?”

These furry guys were all a little disappointed.

It would be a good thing for them if Lu Yuan stayed here for one more second.

As for the map, even though it was the result of their many years of exploration, they had to give the Grand Master face.

After careful discussion, they came up with a relatively simple map.

Various geographical markers are drawn on it, including mountains, canyons, places prone to avalanches, and the famous methane lakes!

"Three thousand kilometers further north, there is a huge mountain range called the Northern Plateau. That is the limit of the freezing we can endure."

“That one mountain range actually blocks a lot of the cold air, so once you get to that mountain range, you can’t go any further.”

"This communicator is given to you. If anything happens, you can call us at any time."

They warned him again and again, fearing that the great master might sacrifice his life in pursuit of inspiration.

When humans declare war on them, we will be in big trouble!

Lu Yuan also saw what they were thinking, and said with a smile: "Thank you for your hospitality. I will stay here for a while and communicate with the craftsmen."

…

…

Lu Yuan stayed for a total of seven days, five days longer than expected.

He was quite fond of these gentle furry creatures - perhaps appearance is the world's number one productive force. These chubby bears feed on vegetarian food and fish, and they really look like giant pandas!

He stayed a little longer to teach local craftsmen.

Unfortunately, "field industrialization" is too difficult. Even if he does his best to guide, no one can reach the threshold of the "spiritual plant field".

"Hey, you should go to the Artisan University for further training... the difference is too big..."

But no matter what, the craftsmen are grateful enough...at least they have seen how the most cutting-edge craftsmen think about problems and how they pursue the road ahead.

Especially when Lu Yuan was about to go to the "Northern Langma", the craftsmen all felt a sense of following him - in order to pursue inspiration, a grand master with such high attainments would actually risk his life to challenge the dangerous places in nature!

In comparison, these small fry are still staying in the base camp, enjoying a life of luxury!

This spirit of great adventure is worth promoting!

Lu Yuan's visit to the site created a tradition: when many craftsmen are short of inspiration, they will go to climb the harsh "Northern Langma"!

"When we brave the cold wind and frost, avoid the catastrophic avalanches, and climb to the highest peak step by step, we can see the sky farther away." Occasionally, the older generation of craftsmen will tell the new generation of craftsmen their own fabricated stories.

Thus, this tradition was passed down from generation to generation, and "Northern Langma" gradually became a place of pilgrimage for craftsmen.