The Snow People (Chinese: 雪民) are a marginalized group of robots living in the Snowfield during the Evernight Era, mostly rejected, exiled or escaped from the Geocity. Some scavenge from Sunset Era ruins; others live in self-sufficient settlements with limited energy and resource. When Alice awakes, they have nearly no industry and face severe shortages of power and all industrial goods. Because some raid Geocity and Snowfield Expedition Teams supplies, they are widely — and unfairly — derided as “Snow Bandits” and discriminated against by Geocity robots.
Origins
The Snow People have diverse origins, but all were either rejected by Geocity or chose to leave it. Most are survivors from other ruined underground cities, denied entry to Geocity due to “overpopulation”; others are exiles or fugitives from Geocity itself.
A small number among them actually hold legal Geocity citizenship. While free to return anytime, they choose — often permanently — to live with the Snow People.
Life
The snow people fall into two main groups by lifestyle: nomads and settlers.
Nomads travel solo or in small bands. They find and scavenge ruins, transport supplies, work as bodyguards, or raid.
Settlers cluster around abandoned underground cities, mines, or Sunset Era ruins to form villages; those near transport hubs grow into markets. They provide essential services — power generation and distribution, mineral extraction, and mechanical maintenance.
The snow people appear more rugged and bold than Geocity robots.Their bodies often bear signs of wear and repair, and minor damages are often left unrepaired, but instead repurposed as decoration. For safety, they often wear protective white coloring to blend with the snowfields.
Exploration and Scavenging
Ruins exploration and scavenging are the nomads’ typical economic activities. They scour the snowfields for abandoned underground cities and Sunset Era ruins, collecting equipment and supplies to trade with the settlers, Snowfield Expedition Teams, and Geocity for power, parts, and other services.
Power Generation and Distribution
Electrical power is vital for the Snow People’s survival — and serves as the commodity pricing benchmark: goods are valued in equivalent electricity units.
Built-in power supply: Most snow people have radioisotope thermoelectric generators and nuclear batteries built-in their bodies. Though long-lasting, their output is low — several days of idle can only power one day’s activity. External power is often required.
Geothermal power generation: Snow people settlements rely primarily on small-capacity geothermal generators, which frequently break down and lack storage facilities — making power shortages a persistent problem.
Power distribution: Power is free for settlement members; outsiders must pay in kind for usage.
Power trading: To offset shortages, the snow people trade scavenged goods from ruins and mineral extractions with Snowfield Expedition Teams and Geocity for power.
Mining and Smelting
Some settlers extract minerals, which are roughly screened and sold to Geocity for industrial goods; a small portion goes to Snowfield Expedition Teams for research on rebuilding of the smelting industry. With the Teams’ support, some settlements have begun basic smelting and processing to produce materials for simple machine repairs—though quality remains poor.
Mechanical manufacturing and repair
Repair: Most snow people can perform basic self-maintenance; some skilled specialists earn a living from it — expertly reusing discarded parts, adapting existing designs, and finding new functions for old components.
Machine manufacturing: Until recently, snow people had virtually no manufacturing industry. Now, experimental factories — jointly established with Snowfield Expedition Teams — are exploring means to rebuild the manufacturing industry, but progress has been slow.
Transportation and Trade
Some nomads specialize in transportation and trade. They connect the scavengers, settlers, Snowfield Expedition Teams and Geocity, establishing a trading network. Transport is often at risk of being raided by snow bandits: some merchants pay protection fees for safety, while others hire snow bandits as bodyguards.
Snow Bandits
The Snow Bandits are nomadic outlaws who survive by theft and plunder — some also serve as village guards or private bodyguards in exchange for protection fees.
The snow bandits mainly target Geocity and Snowfield Expedition Teams for supplies, though they also occasionally attack individuals or villages. They pose the greatest safety threat on the snowfields. In Geocity propaganda, they are portrayed as the archetype of all snow people — leading many Geocity robots to stereotype all snow people as thieves.
The snow bandits operate solo or in small gangs. Recently, larger groups have emerged — such as the “Pollux” gang led by Gracie the Robot Gazelle.
Ideologies and Beliefs
Mainstream ideologies: The nomads lean towards anarchism, valuing absolute personal freedom and travel alone or in small groups; the settlers, on the other hand, prefer collectivism and order, with many villages organized as communes.
Aizu Worship: The Aizu worship among the snow people differs from that of Geocity – they believe that Aizu sleeps in a unknown Sunset Era ruin; thus, ruin exploration and scavenging serve both survival and religious redemption.
Predicament
Lack of technical expertise: The snow people generally lack the advanced technical knowledge and skills. They can perform only basic repairs on their robotic bodies and common equipment, with only a few mechanics capable of more in-depth maintenance.
Due to insufficient heavy machinery and knowledge, the snow people cannot effectively excavate relics buried under the snow or repair the equipment they uncover. The Snowfield Expedition Teams often learn about new ruin locations by tracing the scavengers. Protected by the Shadow Vigilantes, these teams take valuable items while leaving low-value ones for the scavengers to collect.
Internal conflicts: Within the snow people, individuals and groups frequently clash, leading to unnecessary casualties.
Desperate: Although snow people outwardly pride themselves on their lifestyle, many secretly long to escape perpetual scarcity and join Geocity. Yet the Robot Engineer Association firmly rejects them, leaving them helpless and desperate.
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