"We certainly know that traveling to the stratosphere is not an easy task. After all, even the legendary Lord of Wind could only reach the top of the troposphere, and reaching the stratosphere is not simple. However, Mr. Yue, you are different. You can control gravity and fly freely in the sky. This means that with your abilities, you can definitely reach the stratosphere with ease, and then our solution will be able to take effect!" these people said in a hurry.
"I can indeed reach the stratosphere, that is true, but how can I live up there? The stratosphere is full of strong winds, and surviving in it is not easy. Moreover, it is very cold up there. If I get frozen to death when I get there, it would be truly tragic." Now that Yue Hengyi heard that the matter was related to him, he immediately had the idea to refuse.
"Mr. Yue, you are truly the only one who can save the people now. If you do not step forward at this time, then countless people will suffer from hunger and cold for fourteen to fifteen years. However, according to our estimates, as long as this solution can take effect, we can supplement this solution every year. This way, it will only take four to five years to allow the volcanic ash to settle. Then, most areas on the surface of the Earth will be able to grow crops to some extent. Even if we can only grow beans, it is much better than being unable to grow anything." Seeing Yue Hengyi's refusal, these people quickly began to persuade him, wanting to change his attitude.
However, Yue Hengyi shook his head and said, "I really don't want to do this. Because I know that if I agree to this matter, I will probably be floating in the sky for the next few years. At that time, all I will do every day is sing 'Castle in the Sky,' and I won't have anything else to do. Moreover, the solution you mentioned has not been verified yet. I am worried that if it is useless, I will have wasted several years of floating!"
"Mr. Yue, we also know that it requires you to sacrifice several years of your time, which is a huge sacrifice. No one can endure loneliness, because everyone wants to communicate with others and does not want to live their lives in obscurity. But now, only you can change this world. It only takes 5 years for all the volcanic ash to settle. This is a tremendous contribution, and countless people will remember your contributions in the future!" everyone said quickly.
"Even if I agree to this matter, it will not be easy to accomplish. According to you, this solution must be prepared in large quantities, which requires chemical plants and large-scale spraying facilities. Then, I will be taken to the stratosphere and spray these solutions while floating. But now we do not have enough food to carry out these construction activities. Everyone is struggling to survive. How can you expect me to persuade others to agree to my plan? Who has enough food, or enough resources to support us in doing this?" Yue Hengyi was no longer the young man he used to be, so he saw things very clearly and immediately recognized the difficulty of executing this matter.
"According to our observations, there are at least 5 million people in the current Yan Jing and the Northeast region. With so many people, there should not be a lack of manpower. The only problem that needs to be solved is the food issue. I heard that you have a very good relationship with Lord of Wind. If you plead with him, he will definitely support us with a large amount of food, and then we can proceed with this plan, and you will also gain great fame. This is beneficial to everyone!" The method of these few people was very simple: they wanted Yue Hengyi to find Shen Feng and obtain support from Shen Feng.
"You make it sound so simple, as if I can get support and a large amount of food just by opening my mouth. How is that possible? Let alone anything else, he is currently worried because his youngest daughter is about to die. If I go to him at this time, he will probably drive me out!" Yue Hengyi said speechlessly.
Now Yue Hengyi had also realized that the feasibility of this plan was indeed very high. If the volcanic ash in the stratosphere could be quickly settled by spraying, then more sunlight would reach the ground, allowing humans to farm better and not have to rely solely on plastic greenhouses to grow crops.
It was a pity that the resources required to complete this plan were too vast, and ordinary people could not afford such consumption, especially at this critical juncture.
All regions of the world had immediately banned large-scale engineering construction and other activities that required food consumption, because everyone needed to tighten their belts to survive. If the food ran out, famine would occur locally.
Therefore, in this era, everyone was enduring the cold and hunger, and no one wanted to do too much. Even if a house leaked, they would just patch it up with leaves. If too much energy was consumed to repair the roof, it would not be cost-effective, so it was difficult to get support, especially for large engineering projects.
"Lord of Wind's youngest daughter is about to die? How is that possible? He has the most advanced medical team in the country, and they wouldn't let the child die for no reason! Even if the child has congenital deficiencies, she can be kept alive with various medical equipment!" Upon hearing this secret, these few people were all incredulous, as they could not believe it to be true.
"If you don't believe me, then so be it. Anyway, I'm telling you directly that this is true. If I go to him when he is so worried, won't it make him even more distressed?" Yue Hengyi said.
"Wait a moment, I think I might know why this child is dying. If even a large medical team cannot determine the cause of the child's illness, then in my opinion, there can only be one problem: the air she inhales is problematic. Therefore, as long as the air problem is solved, this child can live normally! If this is the case, I believe Lord of Wind will agree to support our action, right?" Suddenly, a younger-looking person said something like this.
"Don't talk nonsense. This matter has a very wide impact. If you mess with me, I won't let you off. If this matter of mine is true, then I can try!" Yue Hengyi said.
He was now a father himself, so he could understand Shen Feng's feelings. Watching his daughter die would undoubtedly be a very painful experience, especially watching the child gradually lose signs of life. It was incredibly tormenting, especially seeing the daughter's pitiful gaze, wanting to be saved, wanting to survive in this world, yet being unable to do anything. Ultimately, such immense mental pressure could even cause an adult to collapse.
Setting aside other matters for now, Yue Hengyi wanted to help Shen Feng and ensure his child could survive healthily.
"How can I talk nonsense about this matter? In my opinion, as long as the air pollution problem is solved, all diseases will be solved easily, especially for children. Adults may not feel it because their lungs are already very healthy. For some fine dust in the air, after filtering through a mask, these fine dust particles will not have too much impact on the lungs. However, children's lungs are very fragile. As soon as they inhale a little particulate matter, they will be severely damaged, and eventually the child will die in pain. And this process is very uncomfortable!" This young man analyzed the reason carefully.
"Since you have all said it to this extent, it would be a disservice to your efforts if I don't try. In any case, you should all leave this prison with me now. I won't let you starve next. Although I can't provide you with delicacies, I can at least offer better treatment, and you can resume your identities as scientists. Don't call yourselves 'second-hand scientists' anymore. If you want to live in seclusion, you don't need to be so formal!" Yue Hengyi said afterward.
Originally, when he came to the prison, he had the intention of amusement, wanting to see what kind of attitude these people who were looking for him, whether they were crazy or scammers, would have. However, when he arrived here, he realized that these people actually had some skills and could actually propose some solutions to the great ice age. It seemed that the saying "masters are among the common people" was indeed true.
"City Lord, I went to find those lunatics, and after communicating with them, I discovered one thing: they are not bragging, but they genuinely have a perfect plan to solve the great ice age, and then we can end this cold winter early. While it cannot completely eliminate the cold, it will at least allow for cultivation in many places, so everyone can get a chance to breathe. However, the prerequisite is that a large amount of manpower and food support is needed to build a large mechanical facility!" Yue Hengyi found He Qiuan and explained his purpose, revealing that he wanted to support this plan.
However, when He Qiuan heard this, he said, "If you want my support, then I naturally welcome it very much, because if this matter is completed, our Northeast and Yan Jing will gain great prestige, and then we can be considered to be on par with Shen Feng. However, if you want manpower, I can provide it. If you want food, then I don't have any, because our current food is sent from Yu Zhou. However, if this food is diverted to build large engineering facilities, then a large number of people will starve to death. So, if you want food, you should find Shen Feng yourself and ask him for help!"
He Qiuan was not a fool. He clearly knew that if the great ice age could be ended early, the prestige he would gain would be immense. However, he could not directly agree to this plan because he needed to consider the consequences.
He Qiuan had produced a large amount of food while he was recuperating. However, after he led his soldiers into Shan Hai Pass, everything changed, because a large amount of accumulated food was used to support the construction of Yan Jing. After several years of effort, Yan Jing had finally been completely renovated, transforming from ruins into a prosperous city. It could be said that vitality had been rekindled. However, the food in his hands had also been almost depleted, and now he needed to obtain food from Yu Zhou to maintain his power.
Therefore, facing Yue Hengyi's request, he could not give a direct answer.
Yue Hengyi then said, "As long as you are willing to provide manpower, I will figure out the food problem. I will go to Yu Zhou now and, no matter what, I must get Shen Feng to agree to my request."
After saying this, he immediately rode a stone lion and flew into the sky, flying continuously towards the southwest. After more than a day of flight, he finally arrived here. This time, he had sent a message in advance, so the people here were not too nervous.
Shen Feng had been very troubled recently. While the external situation was going smoothly, his family matters were causing him great distress. This was because his youngest daughter's health was failing. She was now so weak that she could barely cough, and her lungs were beginning to fail. If this continued, the child would surely die.