On the Valoran continent, Evolution Day is a special holiday in Piltover.
The purpose is to commemorate the opening of the local sea gate "Gate of the Sun", which is a symbol of progress, innovation and wealth.
Inventors and apprentices present their research findings on this day, businessmen select promising projects for funding, and there are also many celebrations.
Of course, tracing the origin of this day is a complicated historical issue.
In New Piltover, there is no such thing as the Sungate, at least not yet.
The Evolution Day here happens to be the National Day, and the passage of time never stops.
Including the time spent on the road traveling to and from Punk Hazard, it is now 1495, exactly three years since Orlan established his own country here.
After all this time of continuous development, the country was completely back on track, and then there were formal celebrations.
The next day, in the temporary gathering place in District 4, Tricia opened her eyes.
She was originally a slave sold at auction in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Born in the North Sea, she had no ability and no desire to return to her hometown, because her hometown was also a chaotic and lawless place. So she followed Leliana and Oran to Piltover and was settled here.
Firefly Island will provide immigrants with interest-free loans sufficient for one month's living expenses, allowing them to settle down here.
The sun shone through the window onto her bed, its glare driving away her sleepiness. Life as a slave was difficult, and she hadn't seen the sun in the morning for who knows how long.
The people at the auction house don't treat slaves as human beings. Except for improving their quality of life a few days before the auction to make them look more energetic, on weekdays, it is enough as long as they don't starve to death.
Tricia was not a slave girl whose selling point was her beauty. She was usually required to do various odd jobs. In the eyes of the slave traders, every slave who was not sold meant a loss.
Although it was still early in the morning, it was very noisy outside the window. People of all kinds gathered together, as if they were going somewhere together.
She quickly got out of bed and put on a simple set of linen clothes.
She has not found a job yet, and the jobs she is good at are all housekeeping jobs.
However, there seems to be less demand for this on Firefly Island, and there are no nobles or merchants recruiting servants.
In order to plan for the long term, she plans to save as much of the relief money as possible.
She reached out and gently stroked the transparent glass, and her thickly calloused fingers could feel the warmth of the sun.
The streets outside seemed to have been transformed overnight, with brightly colored flags hanging between the buildings, and the narrow streets were filled with festive joy and auspiciousness.
A gold and red flag embroidered with gears and keys was flying on top of a tower in the distance. It was the flag of Piltover and also the new symbol of the place.
"Aren't you going with them? Today is Evolution Day."
When Tricia came downstairs and was about to make some simple food in the public kitchen to fill her stomach, the old man who was sweeping fallen leaves downstairs noticed her.
"What is Evolution Day?"
"I don't know either, old man, but I heard that it was the name of the anniversary set by His Majesty Oran.
Three years ago, this place was still a lawless zone ruled by pirates and gangs. It was His Majesty Oran and his Iron Guards who gave us new freedom."
When talking about this incident, the old man seemed a little sad. He had suffered a lot to survive in such a turbulent environment.
"I guess all the young people are going to the second district. Aren't you looking for a job? Maybe there's a new opportunity. You work so efficiently, maybe you can get a job as a maid in the palace."
His Majesty Orlan has never hired a maid before, so if you can succeed, it will be considered a precedent."
"So, what about you, old man? Why don't you go?"
"I'm old now, so I won't follow you young people to join in the fun. I'll just look around here."
The old man seemed to open up and started talking about the previous topic, from the old king of the previous generation to Oran, and even seemed to want to continue.
For the sake of her future livelihood, Tricia agreed with a few words, then returned to her room to freshen up, picked up the coarse cloth coat beside her and walked out of her temporary residence.
The coat was also temporarily distributed by Piltover. Compared with regular clothes, this coat was equipped with a set of sophisticated hooks and buckles, and the whole coat could be taken off with just a quick pull.
Tricia didn't understand the purpose of this design. In fact, it was a safety measure. This kind of clothing was mainly supplied as uniforms for factory workers.
If an accident occurs and your clothes catch fire, you can take them off immediately to ensure your safety.
Tricia arrived at the tram stop, imitated the person in front of her, bought a ticket, and then she stepped onto the tram for the first time.
It seemed that because it was Evolution Day, people were all moving in one direction and the tram seemed quite crowded.
"Sorry, excuse me."
Tricia accidentally bumped into someone who had red eyebrows, a gold chain as decoration above his lips and left earlobe, and a rather strange hat, which made Tricia feel very strange.
"It's okay. Are you going to Evolution Day too?"
"Yes, yes. I heard that there are suitable jobs there. I want to go and have a look. What about you?"
"A friend of mine asked me out, and I came to keep the appointment."
This person was naturally Redfield. Looking at the people on the bus, he was in a surprisingly good mood. After all, he could no longer hear the noisy inner thoughts of these people.
That almost passive mind-reading ability is not completely uncontrollable. For Redfield, mind-reading is as easy as breathing.
If you don't restrain yourself at all times, you will inadvertently read the other person's mind.
Over time, Redfield's dirty heart made him unable to look people in the eye, and he would even inadvertently choose to read their minds during communication. This had become his instinct, and he was unable to socialize normally.
Now with this helmet, everything is much better.
[We've arrived at Star Avenue Station. Passengers heading to District 2, please get off here. Today is Evolution Day. Wishing everyone a happy Evolution Day.]
An announcement rang out over the train's loudspeaker. District Two was now Piltover's most prosperous district. Adjacent to the Royal City, it was the largest population center and economic hub, and also the main venue for this Evolution Day.
The buildings here are mainly divided into two categories. One category is special white rock, which is the main building material of the royal city.
The other is built of limestone bricks and chamfered wood, with bronze and brass forming special decorations, which reflect the sunlight together with the glass on the building.
After getting off the car, Redfield disappeared, and Tricia didn't even notice how he disappeared.
But Tricia didn't take it to heart and just treated Redfield as a special passenger.
"Keep your hands to yourself! Don't cause trouble for others today!"
There are also members of the security team patrolling the streets, scolding potential thieves and reminding people participating in Evolution Day to take care of their belongings.
It's okay for those who already have a sense of right and wrong before the chaotic era comes. When order is restored, they support and maintain this order from the bottom of their hearts.
The most troublesome are those who were born during the period of pirate rule. These people will do anything to survive and lack a certain respect for rules.
The more serious cases have been put in prison for reform, but petty theft still exists outside. To put an end to this kind of thing and build a country where no one picks up things on the streets is an exaggerated project.
That cannot be achieved in just a few years. If we want them to change fundamentally, it will take at least a generation of effort.
Tricia covered the pocket containing her wallet to protect her meager living expenses. Apart from these, she had nothing else worth stealing.
The shops on the street were emitting bursts of fragrant aroma, and gear-shaped honey bread was also displayed on the shelves.
"Want one? Today is Evolution Day, and these are free items, but limit one per person."
Today's celebration is seen as an opportunity by many people, and there are some people who want to take advantage of this opportunity to increase the popularity of their own stores.
Although the sweet bread was attractive, Tricia's eyes stayed on the job advertisement.
"Um. Are you hiring handymen? Can I try?"
"Hmm? Of course. Mistress Ginny, Mistress Bear, hello."
Before the woman finished speaking, her gaze shifted to behind Tricia. Ginny and Xiong also came to the Evolution Day venue together.
"Hello, business is booming."
The bear greeted the other party enthusiastically, but Ginny only responded with actions. Her mouth was full of food, and it seemed that she could not make any effective response.
If we were in Valoran, today's greeting would be "May the haze not enter your home", because the twin cities there are a foreshadowing of development problems.
Correspondingly, if you want to curse someone, you can also say "May the haze enter your house."
"They smell good. How much are these?"
"No money, these are free gifts. If you want, just pack a few more, Mistress Ginny."
The woman turned around to look for some paper bags. The man in front of her was a rare big shot, one of the few high-ranking officials in Piltover.
After so much time had passed, everyone on the island knew that the royal city had a great demand for food, especially desserts.
If we can get the dessert order from the royal city, we will be able to make a profit regardless of the market conditions.
The excited woman was a little flustered for a moment, but Tricia quickly handed over the paper bag she had placed aside and stuffed a few more breads into the bag as the woman had said before.
"No, how can I not pay? Wouldn't that be considered robbery? But your cooking skills are really good. I will come again next time."
Ginny took out a few coins and placed them on the table, then she and Bear walked towards the stall in front. To Ginny, Evolution Day seemed like a food festival.
Tricia successfully found a job with her cleverness and her life became stable. Redfield, who had been riding the same tram with her, also began to appreciate this rare bustle.
He was now bargaining with a fruit vendor, which made Redfield very amused.
Because of his ability to read minds, he would usually know what the other person's limit price was at the very beginning of the conversation, and then he would not give in no matter what the other person said.
This process may seem troublesome to others, but Redfield can appreciate the fun of it.
At the same time, Orlan himself was serving as a temporary instructor in the hospital.
Being sick doesn't happen at any particular time. Every once in a while, he would come here to deal with some problems for the people here.
"Everyone, pay attention and listen carefully. The Navy Headquarters wants me to give a lecture, and the minimum fee is 200 million berries.
Not only do you not have to pay me for attending classes here, I even pay you a salary. Don't you think you're making a killing when you think about it?"
Orlan seemed very relaxed and even joked with the doctors beside him to ease their anxiety.
Redfield's idea of seeing what kind of person Orlan is on Evolution Day was thus dashed. At least in the short term, Redfield would not be able to meet Orlan.
Today, Redfield is walking on the streets of Piltover according to the coordinates left to him by Frankenstein.
The buildings here are much more magnificent than the area where Tricia is temporarily staying. There are many buildings built with granite and wrought iron pillars along the street. The biggest difference is the neatly arranged street lights.
However, the street lights have already been turned off at this time. At night, the scenery here will be completely different.
And here on the streets, Redfield discovered something else.
For example, a couple walking on the street nearby had some very special decorations on them. Their glasses and hair accessories on their heads were connected together to form something that looked like a mask.
This is a new aesthetic on the island. As the person who spread prosthetic technology to the entire ocean, Firefly Island, as the territory of Oran, naturally has a large number of prosthetics.
Some of the members who come here to conduct underground transactions have also undergone prosthetic transplant surgery outside.
After all, the surgical procedure is not complicated, and Orlan has long since made it available for a fee. As long as there is a suitable prosthesis, the doctors can perform the transplant and modification.
Of course, military prostheses are sold separately to the navy, but some scrapped products still flow into the sea through various channels. Those people have made some magical modifications to make those scrapped prostheses useful again.
This also brings about some special aesthetics. Some people on Firefly Island use decorations to pretend to be prosthetics, making them look like they have undergone similar transformations.
Redfield crossed the square and finally arrived at the place where he had agreed to meet Frankenstein. This time, Redfield could really see what Frankenstein had been carrying with him.
It turned out to be a war hammer.
When he had seen Frankenstein before, Frankenstein's hammer was stuck in the ground nearby. At first, Redfield thought it was just a sprinkler system or something.
But this time Frankenstein carried it on his back, and the shape of the hammer was much more obvious.
"It was a good experience, and it was my first time to experience this kind of gathering.
And this helmet, I like it very much, it's a pity that I didn't meet your father."
Recalling the various scenes he saw on Evolution Day, Redfield admitted that with the help of the shielding helmet, he experienced feelings he had never experienced before.
"Father is in the hospital, busy with something."
"Is that so?"
It's not that Redfield knew nothing, he just didn't understand what kind of person Orlan was. After all, you can't really understand a person from the news in the newspaper.
But basic information is still available, such as the winners of the Ibel Prize in Medicine, and Redfield still knows this information.
"Although it's unlikely, I still want to ask, are you interested in going out to sea with me as a pirate? I can give you the position of vice-captain."
Redfield suddenly asked a rather unusual question, but Frankenstein's answer was firm: "Not interested. I want to stay with my father. He needs my strength."
"I knew this would be the answer. What a shame! It's so rare to meet someone who can be a partner."
Even with this helmet, it doesn't mean that Redfield will immediately change his mind.
This helmet only changed some of his lifestyle. It was impossible to make Redfield change his personality immediately and start recruiting subordinates, but it also gave Redfield a new goal.
He planned to start a new voyage to see if he would meet someone else who suited his taste on the sea.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes, I am a pirate. Pirates yearn for freedom, but I can't be trapped on an island just because of my friends.
Maybe in a few years, when I get tired of sailing, I will come here to live in seclusion.
I hope you will still welcome me then, and I will tell you more interesting stories then, my friend."
Redfield had no intention of staying here directly, which was also within Oran's expectations. Such a lone ranger could not be won over by just a few words.
Leaving such a good relationship is already a good result.
"Um."
"You're still so frugal with words. Just keep this. If you need anything in the future, just call me and I'll come back to help you."
Redfield handed Frankenstein a string of numbers, which was undoubtedly his Den Den Mushi number.
Judging from the trademark of the brand that records the number, these Den Den Mushi were just bought on Firefly Island.
After all, before this, Redfield had no need for Den Den Mushi at all, and he had no one to contact.
"Why?"
"Why? Because we're friends. Friends don't need a reason to help each other. Unless in your heart, you don't consider me a friend."
Frankenstein shook his head, and Redfield also caught the idea he wanted from this action.
"Goodbye, then, my friend."
Redfield left at a speed no Frankenstein could have noticed.
As for Oran's situation, Redfield treated it as a suspense and planned to go and see how special his friend's father was when he returned here next time.
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