Hao Ren was quite curious about the social structure of Twilight City.
After working as an inspector for three years—though that amount of experience was nothing compared to old hands like Galadriel and Anthony—Hao Ren had still developed a certain degree of professional competence. The biggest change was that he had become deeply curious about all kinds of civilizations and worldviews, and could now observe them with a relatively objective and professional eye instead of merely watching for the spectacle. He was curious about how order was maintained in Twilight City, how much control the Steam Council had over the city, and what relationship existed between the Steam Council and the Light Seeker organization. More than anything, he wanted to know how a city that had operated in complete isolation for two thousand years while continuing to develop would regard a group of foreigners who had come from beyond the barrier.
When a fully developed society was confined to a single city for two thousand years—even if that city was unimaginably vast—and had spent all that time battling the lethal environment outside, there were many things that could no longer be judged by common sense.
Wendell and Boken talked animatedly for a while, exchanging information about the current Light Seeker expedition and the recent changes in the city. In the end, Boken arranged a train that could take everyone directly to the upper city.
"A locomotive will depart in fifteen minutes," Boken said as he rapidly scribbled a note. "An honest and reliable old engineer will take you to the upper city. I can't get away right now, but Wendell, you should have a way to handle it."
He sealed the note inside a delicate little cylinder and shoved it into one of the copper tubes beside his desk—more than