Chapter 187: Chapter 185: Children First
"Children first."
The Researcher began to state his proposal, stammering slightly:
"First, children’s minds are pure and innocent. They hold no malice, they don’t lie, and they are more easily accepted by the Little Elf than adults."
"Second, the current shortage of relics is mainly due to the growing population. Letting these children who lack relics obtain them early—even if the relics are of poor quality—would allow them to familiarize themselves with the Abyss ahead of time."
"These children will grow up, and these relics will eventually become part of their combat strength, protecting them in the Abyss and ensuring the safety of all of Oasis City."
"Furthermore, the price of the Wishing Spring is forgetting one’s wish. As you know, a child’s wishes change daily. Today it’s candy, tomorrow it’s a toy. Even if they forget, they might have the same wish again in a few days. It wouldn’t have a major impact on their personality."
"They might even remember their original wish right after leaving the spring. Compared to adults, children’s attachments aren’t as deep, so the memory loss of the wish would be less severe."
"Finally, if we have children make the wishes, even if there are dire consequences, it won’t affect our current combat forces..."
The Researcher spoke more and more fluently, growing in confidence and losing his initial timidity.
But someone could not listen any longer.
"Enough!" The middle-aged Noncommissioned Officer slammed his hand on the table. "You’re gambling with our next generation!"
The furious shout silenced the Researcher and plunged the conference hall into silence.
A moment later, the elder was the first to break the silence, asking the Noncommissioned Officer in a serious tone, "What is the relic-possession rate among the younger generation of soldiers?"
"Much lower than in our day," the Noncommissioned Officer replied reluctantly. "Most of them were born in Oasis City and never had the chance to acquire relics. They also don’t have the same reckless drive we had, rushing into ruins the moment we saw them."
"However, their equipment and weaponry are far more advanced now. Many problems that used to require relics can now be solved with technology. And they’re much better at using all sorts of high-tech weapons than us old-timers..."
After hearing the Noncommissioned Officer’s explanation, the elder nodded and asked again, "Do you think possessing a relic would increase their chances of survival?"
Hearing this, the Noncommissioned Officer clenched his fists. He largely understood what the elder was implying. He forced a single word through his gritted teeth: "Yes."
Another long silence fell over the conference room.
No one spoke; everyone was silently weighing the options.
But the elder did not seem to want them to deliberate for too long. His slightly hoarse voice rang out, interrupting their thoughts.
"All in favor of the research institute’s proposal, raise your hand."
As he spoke, the elder raised his own hand.
Seeing this, many others slowly raised their hands as well.
The Researcher, who had been standing the whole time, looked around for a moment before raising his hand too.
Only the middle-aged Noncommissioned Officer kept his hand pressed firmly on the table, not saying a word.
He didn’t look at the others in the room. He just kept his head down, staring quietly at the tabletop, as if he had already anticipated the outcome of the vote.
"Alright, the ayes have it. Starting from this year’s eruption period, we will allow age-appropriate children to enter the Wishing Spring to acquire relics. The research institute will be in charge of this matter. We will convene another meeting to arrange the specific details..."
"That’s all for today. Meeting adjourned."
After slowly giving his instructions, the elder pushed back his chair, stood up, and walked past the middle-aged Noncommissioned Officer to leave the conference room.
The others in the room filed out one by one, leaving only the Noncommissioned Officer behind.
He remained in the same position, sitting at the table for a long, long time...
Mo Ling floated by the window, silently watching it all unfold.
’This must have been ten years ago. This is how the decision to open the Wishing Spring was made in a high-level meeting, and when the rule about children making wishes was established.’
’Old Xu’s life also began to change course then. He has held firm to his stance for ten years because of this.’
Mo Ling sighed with emotion.
After witnessing the meeting that decided the fate of Oasis City, Mo Ling didn’t know who was right and who was wrong.
The elder, the Researcher, and the Noncommissioned Officer were all thinking of what was best for Oasis City, yet their reasoning and choices were completely different.
Seeing the Noncommissioned Officer’s reaction, Mo Ling understood why the other soldiers tacitly approved of Old Xu’s actions, and even secretly protected him.
Mo Ling had originally thought that the decision by Oasis City’s leadership to open the Wishing Spring was incredibly thoughtless, but he hadn’t expected them to have gone through the same difficult struggle.
The peace of Oasis City had to be supported by great power, and relics were the simplest way to obtain it.
’Peace also comes at a price.’
Mo Ling floated in mid-air, looking at the Oasis City of ten years ago.
At this time, Oasis City wasn’t nearly as prosperous. There were only a few tall towers, and the facilities were incomplete.
The expressions of the pedestrians on the streets were not yet so relaxed; most people wore grave looks and hurried as they walked.
Not only that, but some buildings were also under frantic construction.
His vision was limited, so Mo Ling couldn’t see into the distance, but he could still sense a huge gap between the Oasis City of now and the one ten years later.
As Mo Ling observed his surroundings, he saw a patch of curved, iridescent light appear not far away, just like the one he had passed through to get here.
’Can I go back if I pass through that?’ Mo Ling wondered as he drifted closer to the iridescent light.
It was that familiar feeling again. After a dazzling flash, Mo Ling found himself hovering over a patch of empty, earthen ground.
’Where am I now?’
It seemed he had arrived at an even earlier time.
There were no tall towers, no paved roads, and no various facilities—only simple buildings that looked like they were constructed from sheet metal.
But although these buildings were simple, they were all very clean and neatly planned out.
There were no more pedestrians in suits, only Hunters in old combat uniforms coming and going.
They were either carrying huge packs or holding various tools. Everyone was extremely busy.
’This must be an even earlier version of Oasis City, or rather, back when it was still the Oasis Monitoring Station.’ Mo Ling quickly figured out the situation.
He hadn’t expected the mirage to be recreating an illusion of this period.
At this point, he had already experienced three different eras, all connected by that curved, iridescent light. As long as he crossed through the light, he could arrive in another era.
’It seems that mirages in different areas recreate different eras.’
Perhaps the different concentrations of the mirage led to this result.
The strange airflow at the boundary of the iridescent light seemed more like a division caused by differing concentrations.
’It doesn’t seem man-made.’
Mo Ling guessed that because the strange earthquake in Oasis City had occurred within a small area, the resulting mirage only covered the region near the ground fissures.
This led to completely different mirage concentrations in different areas, which in turn presented illusions of different eras.
And at the boundary between two mirages, that strange iridescent light was formed, constantly stirred by the airflow and unable to coalesce into an illusion.
Mo Ling flew toward a patch of the iridescent light to observe it more closely.
Although the light was dazzling, Mo Ling could still see wisps of the mirage swirling within it, which further confirmed his suspicions.
Just as Mo Ling was observing intently, a white bird suddenly shot out from the iridescent light.
It charged straight for the Block.
Mo Ling was already on high alert. Startled by this, he immediately threw a can out of the Block, positioning it in the bird’s path.
But he never expected that this can, a product of the future, would actually smash right into the bird’s head...
