Chapter 2215: Chapter 2215
The tower keeper's emotions seemed to be getting the better of him, as if he'd finally found a chance to pour out his heart. But he wasn't really speaking to Jenkins; he was gazing outside, perhaps talking more to himself.
"So, what are you thinking now?"
"If only I could go back thirty years, how wonderful that would be."
His gaze was distant, the alcohol clearly taking hold.
"No, I mean, what are your more realistic plans?"
Jenkins gently corrected him, though he thought it might be better to let the man wallow in his drunken haze.
"Realistic... I'm planning to quit this job before winter arrives. The pay's been meager over the years, but my expenses were low too, so I've managed to save a little. Enough for a trip. I've already informed the City Public Works Committee. The moment they find a replacement, I'm gone. I don't know how many years I have left, so while I can still get around, I must go out and see the world, see this age we live in..."
The reality, however, was that the keeper never left before the Difference Engine destroyed this very clock tower. Whether it was because a replacement was never found, or because he himself had a change of heart and grew anxious about an uncertain future, remained a mystery.
"You've made up your mind to leave?"
"Yes. This place has been my prison for a lifetime, and I think it's finally time to leave. To leave completely and never return. I have to get out and see... see all that I've missed, even if it means dying in some foreign land. I'm nearly fifty years old, and my entire life has been spent standing here, watching other people, watching everything change. I want to be a part of it all, even if it crushes me. Oh, God, why did you let me make this choice when I was young? Why imprison me here for thirty years?"
The alcohol had truly taken hold, and he began to weep, heedless of his dignity. A weathered old man's tears were not a pretty sight, so Jenkins decided against telling him that the choice had been his own, that God had nothing to do with it. The Almighty hardly concerned Himself with such trivialities.
"Get out, and see. See the magnificent ocean, the towering snow-capped mountains, the bustling, vibrant cities. See the civilization our steam has created."
He spoke as if in a trance. Though he wasn't a man of high education, his words were surprisingly eloquent. Jenkins wondered how many years those sentences had been polished in the silence of his heart.
Jenkins could certainly understand the tower keeper's desire. It was much like his own experience upon discovering the existence of supernatural powers; once you've seen something so fascinating, you can't possibly turn your back on it. The keeper's yearning was the same. For countless days and nights, he had stood at the small tower window, a silent observer of others' joys and sorrows, watching the era rush forward without him. That he had managed to hold on for thirty years before deciding to leave was, in itself, remarkable. It was hard to say whether he was a man of immense responsibility or one who was simply terrified of change. But regardless, while Jenkins sympathized, he knew his mission was to persuade the man to stay. He didn't believe he was doing anything wrong. On one hand, at the keeper's age, staying was truly the better option for him. Jenkins knew he shouldn't impose his own subjective views on another, but it was simply a fact. On the other hand, even without his intervention, Jenkins knew the keeper never left in the end. Therefore, what he was doing was merely aligning with history, with the keeper's own eventual decision. By staying, the man would face countless troubles over the next year, but he would ultimately survive. If he left now, with the end of the epoch looming, the chances of him meeting with disaster on the road were anything but small. If he truly wanted to go out and see the world, he could do so after Jenkins defeated the Difference Engine. The aftermath of the cataclysm would still be felt, but it would be far, far safer.
"Actually, you can experience the life you envy even by staying here."
Jenkins said, not giving the keeper a chance to ask, then continued: Orıginal content can be found at NoveI(F)ire.net
"Is the work of a tower keeper so demanding? You have so much free time every day, what is there that you can't do? You live right here in Nolan. Just take a little time each day to walk around the city, chat with strangers, see the latest happenings at the factories, the docks, the mining districts. What's so hard about that?
The way I see it, if you don't hate the job itself, then there's no need to leave Nolan. Wouldn't it be just as good to take more walks when you have the time? The era is right here. You don't have to go chasing after it. As long as you aren't deliberately hiding from it, you are already living within this magnificent age."
"How could that work? What I want is..."
The tower keeper trailed off, unable to finish.
"What is it you want? Thrilling adventures? Dueling ghosts to the death in some dungeon? Battling dragons on a mountaintop? Or perhaps cleansing dangerous sewers of monsters?"
Challenged , the tower keeper's face, which had just begun to return to its normal color in the cool evening breeze, flushed crimson once more:
"Of course not! I'm not a madman. I just want a different kind of life. It's not that I'm foolish enough to believe in tales from knight novels, and I certainly wouldn't gamble with my own life."
"Then why leave? If all you want is to be part of this era's story, then staying in Nolan is your best choice. This city has everything: the good and the bad, the noble and the humble, the fortunate and the unfortunate. Whatever you wish to take part in, you can find it right here. Even if you were a hermit seeking tranquility, you could still find a sanctuary very clock tower right in the middle of this clamorous city."
"But I want to see the most advanced steam industry, to walk through the white steam, to see the greatest creation of this age."
The tower keeper shot back.
"Are there no steam factories in Nolan?" Jenkins said with a scoff. "Just tell them you don't want any wages, but that your hours will be irregular. Do you really think those greedy factory owners, who feast on the flesh and blood of the poor, wouldn't jump at the chance to have you work yourself to death for them?"
Jenkins added, "Nolan is the most developed city for steam industry on the entire west coast of the continent. If you want to see steam, you just need to stay right here.
The tower keeper was speechless. After a moment's thought, he said:
"I also want to see adventure, to have an adventure. Oh, I don't mean the sort of thing you read in knight novels—I have no desire to survive in the wilderness or risk my life. But look, this era is filled with chances and opportunities, and I want to take a shot at it. Whether it's making a life through hard work, gambling on crucial decisions, or even just peddling goods from distant lands through the streets and alleys... that's the kind of thing I long for."
"And where could you possibly find more opportunities than in Nolan? Nolan has the strongest economy in all of Fidektri. You could even say it's the most economically vibrant city in our entire steam-powered civilization. If you want a city adventure, why not stay right here? You don't have to quit your job. Instead, use your free time to explore the city and come up with a plan, a strategy for your ‘urban adventure.’ When the time is ripe, when you have a solid plan and a safety net in place, then you can resign as the tower keeper. Wouldn't that be a better way to do it?"
Jenkins was making a lot of sense, so the tower keeper found he couldn't argue. This wasn't a debate; as long as Jenkins's points were logical, he was willing to listen... even if his logic felt a little strange at times.
"It's more than that," the keeper countered. "I want to go out to the countryside and see what effect this crazy era is having on the villages. From up here in the tower, I can see the influence of steam radiating out from the city center, I can see the changes it brings. But I want to know what's happening in the distant places I can't see—in the towns, on the farmsteads. What has the Steam Age brought to the people in the countryside? It would be fascinating to find out. I lived in the country when I was a boy, so I remember how things used to be."
The effects of the alcohol seemed to recede as quickly as they had arrived. He was now speaking with perfect clarity, and the color had returned to his face.
"You want to see that? See those carriages over there?"
Jenkins pointed out the small window. On the edge of the public square, three or four carriages were gathered, waiting for fares at the intersection with the heaviest foot traffic.
"Since you have savings, grab your cash and a change of clothes right now, and tell one of those drivers to take you out of the city. As you travel away from Nolan, you'll see the boundary between city and country with your own eyes. You'll be able to observe, in distinct layers, the impact of steam civilization on the different zones. You might even be able to deduce, just from the changes in the land, how steam seeped into the countryside over time. Just remember to bring small change; the folks out there can't break a one-gold-pound banknote. If you leave right now and don't dally for a summer picnic, you can probably be back before supper tomorrow."
Jenkins retracted his outstretched hand and looked at him again, asking:
"Or is it that you're hoping for more than just a look? Do you actually want to live in the countryside? Think about it. There's no safe drinking water, steam and gas are hardly available twenty-four hours a day, and the streets are covered in manure from cattle and sheep. The uneducated villagers will be hostile to an outsider like you... You're not seriously thinking of moving to the country, are you?"
The tower keeper's full lips twitched. Of course, he only wanted to see the countryside, not live in it. Even after thirty years of guarding Nolan's clock tower, he was a city man through and through. He was accustomed to the convenience of steam and gas lines, accustomed to the bustle of Nolan. He would never dream of moving to the country.
The romanticized depictions of rural life in courtly novels held no sway over him. Grand estates, fields of lavender, crystal-clear lakes—those were for the wealthy landowners and country aristocrats. For an ordinary person, the countryside was an unforgiving place. As muddled as the tower keeper might be, he wasn't foolish enough to forget that.