Embers Ad Infinitum

Translator: CKtalon

Having just enjoyed a ‘feast’ in the afternoon, the Old Task Force made do by eating some canned food, energy bars, and compressed biscuits in the evening. They didn’t bother with hunting or cooking.

Furthermore, it was not easy to find beasts in the mountains during winter.

Jiang Baimian sat by the fire and asked Jorgensen, who was working hard as a servant, “Do many people know about this place?”

Jorgensen glanced at his companions—who took turns guarding the area—and smiled obsequiously. “This is the last clean water source from Mount Chilar when heading southwest. If it weren’t winter, there would definitely be all kinds of caravans and Ruin Hunters camping here. We might encounter other humans if we aren’t careful.”

He paused and added, “We like to ambush people nearby. When we encounter people with plenty of firepower, we will pretend not to see them. If it were a small team consisting of four to five—uh, five to six people, we would rush out and rob them. Without such a place to provide a fixed source of income, our boss can’t afford to feed so many people.”

At this moment, the scarred bandit interrupted. “Later, the small caravans and Ruin Hunters learned their lesson. If they wish to draw water, they will gather a large group of people before coming.

“Sigh, there are also those who specially hire Ruin Hunters to wipe us out. Sometimes, we are forced to the point of not daring to ambush in such places. We can only barely survive by relying on the fields we plow in the mountains.”

Upon seeing that this fellow seemingly had the intention of snatching his role and replacing him, Jorgensen looked at him angrily and took the initiative to say, “Don’t listen to his nonsense. Mount Chilar is the main trade route from the Linhai Alliance to Tarnan. The things we snatch can be easily exchanged for food in Tarnan. The rotten fields in the mountains are mainly for our wives to kill time back home.”

Jiang Baimian was already accustomed to bandits who were part-time farmers or farmers who were part-time bandits. What amused her was that Jorgensen was clearly of Red River heritage, but he kept using Ashlandic phrases.

Even bandits have partners… Long Yuehong sighed silently.

Shang Jianyao took the opportunity to ask, “How’s the harvest?”

“Huh?” Jorgensen didn’t expect the other party to be concerned about this. This made him feel like they were two farmers who were chatting as they squatted by their doors.

If the other party had his hands in his sleeves, the imagery would be even more apt.

Jiang Baimian didn’t know how Shang Jianyao had learned to speak like an old farmer and amusedly skipped the topic. “Two to a team tonight. You will take turns being on night duty. Us too.”

She didn’t make Long Yuehong and the others give up their long-standing habits because of the ‘servant army.’

At this moment, Shang Jianyao and Bai Chen cast their gazes at the water source’s entrance at the same time.

This was a relatively sealed valley. Clear water flowed down the rock walls and ejected into a quiet pool. There was only one path that allowed vehicles passage.

Of course, if one didn’t drive, there were still plenty of paths one could take.

Before long, a dark-blue mountain car with steel plates installed drove into the valley. It had a relatively high chassis, large tires, and a tall frame.

“Cool!” Shang Jianyao whistled.

This was not a beauty but a hunk.

He reacted faster than Jiang Baimian. It wasn’t that his range had increased again, but he heard the engine’s roar.

As soon as the mountain car drove into the valley, the people inside discovered the cars parked on the other side of the pool and the newly pitched tent.

It immediately slowed down. The people inside seemed to have picked up their weapons and assumed a vigilant posture.

The mountain car slowly drove to the furthest spot from Shang Jianyao and the others. They looked at each other across the sizable pool.

The people in the car alighted in a seemingly natural and calm manner, but they were very careful. They were a team of three men and one woman.

One of them was in charge of getting water, and the other was in charge of finding firewood. The last two stood beside the mountain car and warily watched the Old Task Force and their ‘servant army.’

One could tell at a glance that Jorgensen and the other two bandits looked hideous. They exuded bandit vibes yet appeared timid in their actions.

Jiang Baimian and the others swept their gazes over, and one of them left a deep impression on them.

He stood beside the car hood at a height exceeding Jiang Baimian and was only slightly shorter than Shang Jianyao. A small half of his right head shimmered with a silver-white metallic luster as if it had been repaired with synthetic materials. On his left forehead was an irregular piece. For some reason, it hadn’t been removed. It had only flattened the protruding part.

This person wore a black coat and carried a straight knife on his back. In his hand was a sleek pistol.

His black hair was extremely short, and his right eye seemed to have been modified. His iris reflected a strange purplish-red color, and there was an inconspicuous mole under his left eye.

“Mechanical modification?” Long Yuehong asked Shang Jianyao softly.

Shang Jianyao tersely acknowledged it and solemnly replied, “I can only see the modifications for the time being, but I don’t see any machinery.”

Not all metals could be described as machinery.

The woman—who was responsible for drawing water opposite them—was in her late twenties. She had long black hair and a gentle and intellectual bearing. She didn’t look like a Ruin Hunter who had been out adventuring for extended periods.

An antiquarian? A historian? A natural scientist? She hired a relatively powerful Ruin Hunter team to protect her for her venture deep into the Mount Chilar area? When Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze, guesses flashed through her mind.

The Ruin Hunter team didn’t seem to have any intention of coming over to communicate. Jiang Baimian also didn’t send Shang Jianyao over to agitate the other party. The two parties remained vigilant and maintained peace.

This was the norm when caravans and Ruin Hunters encountered each other at a water source. They weren’t related, nor did they have anything in common. There was no need to communicate unless they were gathered for a particular matter or someone was in a rush to ask for directions and information.

After the other party started a fire and had dinner, Jiang Baimian arranged for Long Yuehong and Bai Chen to take turns to be on duty. She and Shang Jianyao were in charge of the most dangerous period when people were most prone to lowering their guard.

Shang Jianyao got into the jeep and didn’t say anything. He massaged his temples and fell asleep.

…

Back when he had just familiarized himself with his abilities and had yet to leave Redstone Collection, he had wandered around the Sea of Origins again and headed for the next island.

In the shimmering illusory sea, Shang Jianyao rotated between all kinds of poses to entertain himself to tide through the boring ‘journey.’

He swam freestyle at times, switching to backstroke or doggy paddle at other times. He would trace out an S-shape as he aimlessly moved forward.

After an unknown period of time, an island appeared in front of him.

This island had mountains, water bodies, and vegetation. Compared to the previous two islands, it was like heaven.

Shang Jianyao had just climbed up when he assumed a posture to take on any possible attacks. However, nothing happened after a while.

He looked around and didn’t discover any monsters that were manifestations of fear.

After some thought, Shang Jianyao sat down cross-legged and decided to compete on patience.

Basking in the warm sunlight and taking in the gentle breeze made him feel a little sleepy, but it wasn’t to the extent that he couldn’t control himself.

This abnormal state continued until he began to tire.

Therefore, Shang Jianyao naturally left the Sea of Origins and returned to the real world.

He suddenly opened his eyes, looked at the front seat of the jeep, and opened his mouth.

After hesitating for a moment, Shang Jianyao shut his mouth and closed his eyes again.

This time, he really fell asleep.

…

Jiang Baimian stayed on duty until dawn. She instructed her team members and the ‘servant army’ to pack their items and prepare to leave.

As they slowly drove to the valley entrance, the man opposite them—who seemed to have undergone mechanical modification—hesitated for a few seconds before shouting, “Are you heading southwest?”

“Yes!” Shang Jianyao rolled down the window and answered—looking as though he would answer any posed question.

The man touched the cold metal on the right side of his face and said loudly, “Then, it’s best to circle around. A Superior Heartless appeared in the southwestern mountains.”

Superior Heartless? Jiang Baimian rolled down the passenger window and asked curiously, “When was this?”

Miens and the others had just come out of Tarnan and passed through the area to return to the Linhai Alliance.

The man—who had replaced half of his skull with silver-white metal—replied, “Just recently. He wasn’t there originally; he just entered the mountainous area yesterday.”

Jiang Baimian came to a realization and asked, “Did the Heartless mutate, or did an Awakened contract the Heartless disease?”

“I don’t know. This is information I obtained from several Ruin Hunter teams that suffered tragic casualties,” replied the other party.

They didn’t seem open to say anything more.

Jiang Baimian exhaled and didn’t continue pestering him. She loudly said, “Thank you!”

“Thank you!” Shang Jianyao also expressed his thoughts.

After leaving the valley, and before Jiang Baimian could stop Jorgensen’s car to ask about a possible detour route, Shang Jianyao suddenly said, “I discovered the third island last night, but it’s strange.”

Why didn’t you say so earlier? This thought subconsciously flashed through Jiang Baimian’s mind before she gently asked, “What’s strange about it?”