Chapter 224 The Amazing Laputa Civilization
The cloud wall gradually dissipated, and sunlight streamed down from the sky, dispelling the fog.
When Mu En was the first to step off the gangway and onto the stone ruins located in the center of the city, he was deeply shocked.
It was a shock that was hard to describe in words. Underfoot were stone slabs that had withstood a thousand years of wind and rain yet remained sturdy. All around were ancient building complexes that stretched in all directions, and sunlight cast shadows on the damaged city.
No one who comes here in person can help but be awestruck by the grandeur of Laputa and its godlike technology.
That's right, comparable to the gods.
Weather technology keeps the city perpetually shrouded in a mild climate, gravity technology keeps it perpetually suspended tens of thousands of meters in the air, artificial intelligence technology keeps those ancient robots still functioning, and there's that legendary weapon capable of destroying a continent—
If the Laputa civilization hadn't ultimately failed to leave this planet, Mu En believes their achievements might have surpassed those of the Giant God Warrior civilization.
The ancient civilization of the Valley of the Wind created near-divine biological weapons and spaceships capable of interstellar travel, seemingly far superior, but ultimately left behind overwhelming toxic pollution, causing harm for millennia.
Although the Laputa people also ruined themselves, at least they didn't harm their descendants, right?
The sound of orderly footsteps came from behind. Dola led two hundred soldiers and former members of the air pirate group down the gangway and lined up in the stone arcade, which was dozens of meters wide.
Although she tried to remain serious, her eyes couldn't help but dart around. The soldiers' eyes were also shining, and they were whispering about things like ruins and treasure.
"Reporting, sir! The entire exploration team is in position and ready to serve you!"
Dola couldn't possibly bring everyone down; a hundred people remained on Goliath to maintain its operation and keep an eye on the fifty-odd O'Hara Conglomerate prisoners.
Sheeta and Pazu quickly arrived at the front of the group, their eyes filled with vigilance as they looked at Dola, fearing that this female pirate with eyes practically bulging out of gold coins was up to something.
Mu En turned around; he knew what these people were thinking.
A lost ancient city, filled with treasures never seen before. Any one of these items could be exchanged for several years' worth of military pay. However, due to his imposing presence, no one dared to rush in and loot it.
" Dola."
"Exist!"
"Lead the soldiers to begin work. All cultural relics must be registered and cataloged. Each item must be wrapped in bubble wrap for protection before being classified and registered. After the work is completed, you will receive your own reward."
Mu En paused for a moment, his face devoid of features yet exuding an undeniable majesty. The next moment, a powerful mental pressure erupted from him, pressing down on everyone as if it were a tangible force.
"However, it is absolutely forbidden to hoard or take away anything. Violators will be executed immediately as a warning to others."
The oppressive aura only lasted a few seconds before dissipating, but it left all the soldiers pale and weak-kneed, with even Dola taking a half-step back.
He had no choice but to do it.
He remembered clearly what kind of people the soldiers from the Northern Kingdom were like in the original work.
In their quest for treasure, they dared to disobey even General Muoro's orders, using explosives and gun butts to loot everything in sight. They smashed and carried away precious artifacts, and destroyed anything that couldn't be moved with explosives, scraping off a layer of walls from the ruins – a scene reminiscent of the Eight-Nation Alliance of the past.
(It must be said that Hayao Miyazaki's portrayal of Great Britain, who is utterly lacking in morality, is quite accurate.)
Now that he was here, he naturally had to use a protective excavation method. He absolutely would not allow any of his subordinates to disobey orders for the slightest bit of benefit.
Moreover, he has no interest in such vulgar things as gold and silver jewelry. At most, he will open a museum in the future and keep these things for future research on the history of Laputa, so that everyone can see the splendor of the ancient civilization.
For him, the real treasures were the technology hidden deep within the ruins, ancient knowledge that was infinitely more valuable than gold.
"Yes!" Dola answered loudly, turning to face the soldier.
"Did you all hear what the adults said? Take out what we trained us on before! Cameras, registration forms, bubble wrap, packing boxes, split into groups and move out!"
The soldiers responded in unison and quickly pulled out various tools from their backpacks.
Dola had been instructed on this matter by Mu En long ago, and naturally she had also provided the soldiers with the corresponding training. As the leader of the air pirates, if she didn't have some knowledge in this area, she wouldn't even know what treasures to steal.
The soldiers had initially harbored some ulterior motives, wondering if they could sneak something away later. But when they saw another creature—or rather, a colossal beast—walk down the gangway, all those thoughts vanished instantly.
boom!
The seven-meter-long Fallingstar Beast crashed to the ground, its massive body, made of black crystal, sending up clouds of dust.
It shook its head, opened its massive jaws and yawned, the harsh grinding sound sending chills down your spine.
"Stay here and protect their safety."
The Fallingstar Beast silently rolled its eyes. What happened to the promised food? Why does it have to work right away?
But it dared not speak its anger, and could only swish its tail twice to vent its dissatisfaction, then stare intently at the little people in green clothes with its huge single eye.
All the soldiers swallowed hard and immediately lowered their heads to work frantically.
"Alright, take your time, don't damage the artifacts." Mu En turned to Pazu and Sheeta, "You two come with me."
The two children exchanged a glance and quickly ran after him.
The three of them walked slowly along the wide arcade, their footsteps echoing crisply on the stone pavement.
Only by walking through these ancient ruins in person can one truly appreciate the scale of Laputa.
Before landing, Mu En estimated that the diameter of the top-floor temple plus the outer double-layered garden plaza alone exceeded one kilometer.
According to the setting materials I remembered seeing, the complete Laputa was much larger than this – what they were in now was only the core area; the entire city once had a much larger lower part.
Above is an arched dome, with faded paint remnants still faintly discernible as patterns of stars and birds. All around are layers upon layers of structures connected by wide staircases. Each layer is built from massive, polished stone bricks that fit together perfectly, remaining as smooth as ever despite a thousand years of wind and rain.
This wide passageway is located between the black core and the rooftop garden, with many well-preserved small doors on both sides, each with various ancient text reliefs carved on the doorway, which look like markings for warehouses or storerooms.
This place was once known as the " Sanctuary ".
This was once the residence of the Laputa royal family, who possessed all the technology and were regarded as "gods" by later generations.
As Mu En walked, he recalled the data; the complete Laputa once had a four-layer structure.
Besides the Sanctuary we are currently in, there is the Holy City where knights and nobles reside, below that is the Garden of Eden where grains and fruits are grown, and at the very bottom is the area where elites qualified to live in the royal capital reside.
Based on the scale, it is estimated that the complete Laputa was over 3,700 meters tall and almost the size of Mount Fuji, making it a true behemoth.
(The original Laputa manuscript shows that the white palace and brown walls at the top are the parts that remain today.)
The sheer brilliance of this civilization, capable of sending hundreds or even thousands of such creations into the air at altitudes of tens of thousands of meters, is simply unimaginable.
Pazu held the black-and-white camera he'd found at the town market, looking it over but unable to decide what to photograph with his precious film.
Seeing the empty ruins, he asked softly, " Mr. Tree, why do you think the Laputa people abandoned such a beautiful city?"
In his view, this place was isolated from the world and possessed advanced technology, so it was completely incomprehensible that the ancient Laputa people abandoned it and left.
"There may be many reasons, but even I can't be sure. These ruins might hold the answer."
Sheeta clutched the Volucite to her chest, gazing at the ancient buildings with complex emotions in her eyes.
This is clearly the place where her ancestors lived.
But why didn't she feel any sense of warmth or nostalgia?