As soon as the Human Emperor Banner came out, I became the Lord of the Old Ones

Chapter 182 Incomprehensible Changes

Xu Yan was slightly stunned.

It's not surprising that Xiong Tieshan was a radical and unconventional figure in his youth.

Instead, she was confused as to why he was telling her all this.

Xiong Tieshan, however, was lost in the distant past, his eyes seemingly filled with endless sandstorms. He said to himself, "Back then, Dawn City was just a nascent mining site. Dawn Heavy Industry was just a desperate but audacious mining team. The high walls that once blocked the invasion of the past had not yet been erected, but the ground contained veins with astonishing reserves. With just a shovel, you could dig out crystal-clear stones that contained the remnants of ancient souls."

"Because the crystal mineral resources here are so abundant."

“The air is filled with the menacing remnants of the past.”

“The miners’ minds are constantly disturbed by demons and monsters. Every night they are plunged into deep and real nightmares, and during the day they are also shrouded in visual and auditory hallucinations, unable to distinguish whether they are in a nightmare or reality.”

"People's sealing cards often fail, either because the heroic spirits sealed within are contaminated by wild remnant souls, becoming impulsive, irritable, and restless, or because the spiritual link between the heroic spirit and the spirit master is broken, greatly increasing the chances of the spirit master suffering from spirit erosion syndrome."

"Especially when a large crystal mine is excavated, the visible spiritual flames, like burning phosphorescent fire, gush out from the ground, and almost all the sealing cards will instantly become ineffective."

"Given the harsh conditions, Dawn Heavy Industries had no choice but to hire a group of cardless cultivators who did not use sealing cards to ensure safety in this special environment."

"This is why I came to Dawn City."

"However, at that time we did not regard the complex magnetic environment as normal."

"We believe this is just a temporary difficulty, and we will overcome it."

"With the establishment of a complete magnetic stabilization device, the construction of an impregnable fortress with embedded lead plates to prevent the infiltration of remnants of the past, and the construction of buffer zones such as Rolling Stone Fortress outside Dawn City, the conditions in the city have greatly improved, and the sealing cards can be used normally again."

"I thought my mission had come to an end."

"Then we can focus on how to improve the cardless streaming problem."

"In the process of fighting my way up, I have met many friends who have been through thick and thin with me. Many of them are masters of single-card and multi-card strategies, including the founders of the Shattered Star Club, the Glorious Club, and the Pentium Club. I have learned a lot from them and I firmly believe that they are all tough and courageous men who are willing to sacrifice everything for Dawn City—our common cause—without batting an eye."

"Even the four major card manufacturers at that time had a very positive image in the eyes of me and my friends."

"We firmly believe that the series of powerful cards launched by the four major companies can help our civilization expand its territory, enable us to save more compatriots who are drowning in wilderness and polluted areas, defend the homeland we have worked so hard to build, and create an incomparably better tomorrow."

"Yes, even as a practitioner of the Cardless Flow, I firmly believed in this back then. I couldn't understand why the old guys of the Cardless Flow and the fanatics of the Absolute God Path were still so stubborn after a whole thousand years, unwilling to progress with the times!"

"later……"

Xiong Tieshan paused, a look of confusion appearing on his face.

It's as if I've spent decades thinking about it, but I still can't figure out what's going on.

"Later, everything changed. In some ways, it got better."

"Dawn Heavy Industries is thriving, and Dawn City has a solid guarantee and a long-term livelihood. People no longer have to fight for their lives with shovels and old monsters in dark and cramped mines, but can enjoy hot tea and tranquility in spacious and bright buildings."

"But on the other hand, the worries and stress do not seem to have decreased as conditions have improved; on the contrary, they have increased."

"The first thing to be affected is the sealing card."

"When Dawn City was just starting out, the sealing cards and card readers people used were relatively simple, sturdy, and durable, just like my 'War God-2'. It didn't have many fancy functions, but it was the most reliable partner for us when facing the gaping maws of ancient monsters in extremely harsh environments."

"Most importantly, it is cheap relative to its role in a crisis, and ordinary miners can afford both the purchase price and the subsequent maintenance costs."

“In daily life, we don’t use sealed cards that many times. In all aspects of life, people are still used to doing things themselves. It’s not as exaggerated as it is today that even flushing a toilet requires a sealed card to use.”

"I don't know when it started, but the functions of the sealing cards have become more and more complex and advanced, and the price has become more and more expensive."

"People are using sealed cards more and more in their daily lives. When they go out, it's almost impossible to get around without carrying three or five cards with them."

"If the problems of food, clothing, shelter and transportation can be overcome, then how can those ordinary, honest miners who earn meager wages overcome the problem of using more and more complex sealing cards in their work?"

"The work cards they used in the past were classic cards that had been tested over a hundred years, were sturdy and durable, and were inexpensive."

"During the difficult early days of Dawn City's establishment, with its incredibly complex magnetic environment and the presence of ancient monsters all around, these assignment cards rarely failed to work."

"After Dawn Heavy Industry gradually embarked on the path of standardization, large-scale operation, and group-based development, the mining environment was clearly greatly improved. However, they still had to be extremely vigilant and put in extra effort to adapt to the new sealing cards, which were said to come from a more profound ancient era and used various high-tech methods. I simply cannot understand why this was done."

"Times are changing."

Xu Yan thought for a moment and said, "It's only natural that the sealing cards are becoming more and more advanced."

"But as society develops, shouldn't people live more easily and freely?"

Xiong Tieshan said, "As the sealing cards become more and more advanced, shouldn't they reduce the pressure on everyone's lives?"
“Ayan, it was your idea to start the ‘re-employment training class’. These days you must have also met a lot of old miners who have contributed their blood and sweat to Liming Heavy Industry for decades. Do you think that their life pressure has become less and less as the sealing card continues to upgrade?”

Xu Yan shrugged.

"At least Dawn Heavy Industries' mining efficiency must have improved significantly, right?"

"That's true."

Xiong Tieshan grinned, "Unfortunately, even if Liming Heavy Industry raises its mining efficiency to the sky, it still can't escape the predicament of continuous losses and being on the verge of bankruptcy!"

(End of this chapter)