19 Ruminations on the Future

Steven was reading over the list of the new witches that had been found. The orphanages were still being kept operational, and they have become a useful source of new witches to recruit. For the time being, most of the church's new witches would have to come from there because many newly awakened witches would still be too afraid to reveal themselves, despite being told they wouldn't be hunted.

In time, that fear would probably fade and eventually they could go public and they could be provided with the proper resources to nurture them, Eventually, Steven planned to have witch academies set up - Steven was suddenly amused by the thought that this world was starting to sound like an anime. At the moment, trying to gather up all of the witches would be a bad idea as they would probably think it was a plot to capture all of them.

As Steven reviewed the list, he found several that seemed like they would have high potential. One of them, named Rachel, had the ability to cause objects nearby to vibrate and this ability could be used on many small objects at the same time. He already had it tested on some sand. To an ordinary person, it seemed to be quite useless. However, Steven could see many uses for this. It could be used to create sound if the vibration is done at a correct frequency. If the ability could apply on an atomic level, it could precisely control temperature as temperature is actually a measure of how fast particles are moving.

Another witch named Jill had the ability to separate out collections of objects along a precise boundary. This simple description is insufficient to truly describe her ability though. She can't filter out specific particles - if there was a mixture of sand and gravel, it would merely be divided into two piles of mixtures of sand and gravel. It could also separate out entangled objects like strings. Most importantly, it could also separate objects stuck together. Steven tested it with balls of clay. However, once the balls were stuck together enough, the object no longer appeared as a grouping of separate parts and Jill was no longer able to separate it. He was convinced that such a limitation was only psychological and once Jill learned about atoms she would be able to see the world as just a collection of discrete units and thus can cut anything. Since she could control the shape of the cut, he could see this being used for precision cutting.

Steven decided to take a break from his work to go outside. He was atop the wall, looking out at the city of Hermes. Already there were pillars of smoke rising into the sky as the hallmarks of industry made themselves clear. While nowhere near as expansive as Neverwinter's, there was a sizable amount of industry now built up in Hermes. They were beginning production on guns and ammunition and the first guns produced were being used to train the first regiment of new soldiers.

Steven heard footsteps behind him before someone placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Zero standing over him.

"So what are you looking at?", asked Zero.

"I am looking at the products of technology", said Steven. "The stacks of smoke from the factories rising into the sky - it is a symbol of advancement and growth. There are some that might even describe it as beauty." Steven then let out a sigh.

"Oh? And you do not agree with them?", said Zero looking curious.

Steven looked back out toward the factories. "I don't see how anyone could see the exhaust and the pollution of the factories as beauty. While industry does bring with it great benefits, it also brings harm. At best, one can only call what see see before us a necessary evil. I am not saying that industry is bad, it is most definitely beneficial and we will need it to strengthen humanity. It's just that it isn't all sunshines and rainbows. Excessive pollution from the factories, those thick clouds of smoke, can create smog that causes health issues."

"And you are still such a proponent of this?", asked Zero.

"We need it", said Steven. "We need the industry, we need the pollution as we do not have the time or resources to avoid it. We need to defeat the demons and there is little time to do so. As much as it pains me to say it, we need to think of the now and not the future, for if we all die here then there is no future."

Steven appeared solemn as he continued to speak. "In the far long term we will see the impacts of climate change. The world's temperature is balanced by the amount of heat entering and the amount of heat leaving. All objects emit radiation, and the higher the temperature the more energy it emits. Our world loses energy when the ground releases infrared radiation. The hotter it is, the more energy it emits and thus the temperature of our world will be reduced because we will start losing more energy than we gain. Carbon dioxide absorbs these infrared rays and emits some of it back down to the surface. So, if there is more carbon dioxide, we will need a warmer surface to ensure the same amount of heat will leave the world. Thus, our constant emission of carbon dioxide will cause the temperature of the world to increase."

Zero thought about what Steven was saying and asked, "when will these effects become apparent? Is it going to be a problem for us?"

"It will take a very long time. At least hundreds of years before it becomes a huge issue", said Steven. "We don't have to worry about pollution before we defeat the demons, and we shouldn't. Right now we need to focus entirely on our goal. It is the future however, that should be a concern."

"People are short sighted", he sighed. "Rarely will they confront problems that extend beyond their lifetime. And the lifetime of people is short, and problems such as climate change will not start affecting us until we are long dead. As a result, many people will not care."

Steven turned and looked at Zero. "But you are different. You will continue to live for a very long time. Long enough that you will care about what happens hundreds of years from now. Once we defeat the demons it will be up to you to set the path of the future. You must be the one to protect the world from ourselves. You can safeguard the world for future generations. I only hope that you will do your best." Steven looked back out toward the distance. "I will help you as much as I can, but I will not live forever. I just hope that in time, you will be able to do what is necessary."

Zero smiled and told him, "I'm surprised to hear that you have so many hopes for me. It seems that you are quite committed to this." Zero paused for a moment. "But don't think you are going to be getting away from me anytime soon. We still have a lot to do."

Steven chuckled. "It seems that I will just have to be your helper."

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