Embers Ad Infinitum

Has he gone completely crazy from an extreme mental breakdown? Jiang Baimian was just about to squeeze in closer when she realized that the crowd had dispersed.

Two robot guards in dark-green uniforms appeared. They were about the same height as Genava, and their eyes emitted a blue glow. This made Jiang Baimian—who believed she could recognize any face—unable to tell who they were. After all, the most likely different additional modules were covered by clothes.

The two robot guards quickly picked up a man in the middle of the road and walked to the other end of the street.

The man wore a relatively loose blue-white cotton shirt. His black hair hung messily, and there was green stubble by his mouth. His eyes revealed a hysterical look.

As he was dragged forward, he constantly shouted, “Dead! They’re all dead!”

The originally lively street fell silent. It was only when the man was taken elsewhere by the robot guards and disappeared in front of everyone that everyone recovered and discussed the matter regarding the Superior Heartless in the southwest mountains.

Although it was called the southwest mountains, it was actually northeast to Tarnan. However, people here were accustomed to using the Mount Chilar range’s main peak as a standard.

Jiang Baimian swept her gaze over and realized that the pedestrians on the street didn’t have any fear or worry. They seemed to think that this was a trivial matter that the robot guards could easily resolve.

Mechanical Paradise gives them a very strong sense of security… Jiang Baimian sighed silently and continued tailing Shang Jianyao in secret.

…

At 10 p.m., in Serene Dream Hotel’s Room 221, the four Old Task Force members—who had been out on missions—gathered together again.

Jiang Baimian scanned the area and smiled. “Not bad; all of you are back in one piece.”

The main point of her sentence was to praise Long Yuehong.

Without giving Long Yuehong a chance to make a humble comment, she directly added, “Let’s share what we learned. Let’s start with—uh, Little White.”

Although Bai Chen had been watching Long Yuehong, this didn’t stop her from using her observation skills and the time Long Yuehong took when questioning others to gather some information.

“There are two bars in Tarnan, but they only sell fruit wine and are limited in quantity. The situation inside is similar to the company’s Rec Center. It’s mainly filled with local residents during their downtime, Ruin Hunters who don’t dare to take risks in winter, and personnel from the various caravans taking breaks to play cards, chat, sing, and dance…”

It was obvious that Tarnan’s food production couldn’t support the brewery industry. Even if it had any excess, it definitely had no lack of demand. Foreign caravans would choose to make more valuable transactions. Nobody would cross mountains just to transport ten to twenty barrels of alcohol over. In the Ashlands, there were very few places that had alcohol-based beverages like Weed City. Most of them had insufficient food.

Therefore, to Tarnan’s residents, only seasonal wild fruits—which weren’t too delicious and had short preservation periods—could be used to make wine.

Upon seeing Shang Jianyao’s eyes light up, Jiang Baimian laughed. “There’s quite a variety of entertainment here. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be any radio programs.”

In Pangu Biology, the Rec Center organized special activities every rest day, including but not limited to social dances, basketball games, and tug-of-war competitions to enrich the employees mentally.

Long Yuehong added, “But there’s the Old World entertainment material. I realized that many townsfolk here have portable computers. There’s more or less Old World entertainment material stored inside.”

Even Pangu Biology couldn’t compare to such a situation. Which ordinary employee had a computer at home?

“Electronic products are indeed not worth much here. In Weed City, some nobles might not even have portable computers,” Jiang Baimian commented.

Of course, considering Weed City’s relationship with Mechanical Paradise, the nobles didn’t have computers mainly because they felt that computers were useless.

Could those help with farming?

After Bai Chen finished recounting the information she had gathered, Jiang Baimian asked Shang Jianyao, “What did you gather?”

Don’t tell me you had a happy time dancing, were satisfied from singing, and that the fried chicken wing was delicious… Just as she finished her sentence, Jiang Baimian added inwardly.

Shang Jianyao replied seriously, “The religion that organizes people to sing along the street is the Clam Dragon Church. They worship November’s Kalendaria, Shattered Mirror. They believe that the current world is only a large illusion and that the Kalendaria, Shattered Mirror, is using it to test humans. This God of Illusions’ true body is an ancient mythical clam dragon. Only by pleasing ‘Him’ in various ways can one escape the painful illusion and wake up from the dream to see the real, beautiful world—which is also the New World… They call the believers who obtained Shattered Mirror’s favor ‘Dragonkin…'”

Whoa, not bad. You didn’t forget your mission when you were singing, dancing, and eating the fried chicken wing… Jiang Baimian suddenly felt that something was amiss and quickly asked, “Don’t you care what the Clam Dragon Church’s Holy Communion is?”

Shang Jianyao frankly replied, “I’m afraid I’ll hesitate.”

Jiang Baimian clicked her tongue. “Actually, there might not be a need to worry. Think about it. They all believe that the current world is a huge illusion, so why do they need Holy Communion? It’s all fake and illusory anyway.”

“That’s true…” Shang Jianyao seemed to be convinced. However, he then asked, “Doesn’t that mean they don’t even have to eat? Wouldn’t it be better to wake up from their hunger early?”

Jiang Baimian almost couldn’t answer this question. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and had a good imagination. “Didn’t we encounter the Nightmare Horse before? Starving to death in our dreams will have it reflected in real life.”

Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and punched his left palm. “I got it.”

He then talked about the Glorious Scale.

As for the Furnace Church, everyone had heard Miens mention it before, so he didn’t repeat it.

After Shang Jianyao was Long Yuehong. He recounted the information he had obtained from a few local elderly men and women.

“Maximian? Mechanical Paradise actually placed a bounty on a human for so many years… What did he do? Or is it related to an important research project in the Old World?” Jiang Baimian made a guess based on the fact that Maximian was suspected to be a scientist.

“Possibly,” Long Yuehong suggested. “Team Leader, I want to visit the local president of the Hunter’s Guild, Gu Bo, tomorrow. He should know a lot.”

He didn’t figure out where Gu Bo’s home was.

“Good.” Jiang Baimian praised him in relief. “Not bad; you’re becoming more and more proactive. This means that your confidence has increased. Yes, form a team with Little White tomorrow and visit President Gu Bo. Shang Jianyao and I will go to the Furnace Church and meet the Dedicator, Li Zhe.”

Since they had Miens’s letter, it would be a waste not to take the opportunity to build a relationship and obtain some information!

Finally, Jiang Baimian told him about the crazy survivor and other things she had seen.

…

The next morning, the Old Task Force split into two groups after a simple breakfast and headed for their respective destinations.

The Furnace Church’s cathedral was at the southernmost end of the street from last night. It seemed to have been modified from a small Old World factory.

It stood independently; its outer walls were iron-black, and the door was painted a fiery red. At a glance, it really looked like a strange ‘furnace.’

Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao only saw the road sign when they arrived. They learned the current street’s name from its mottled surface: “Riverfront Avenue.”

The door to the Furnace Cathedral was tightly shut as if nobody was allowed in. However, Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao had heard Miens mention that this was mainly to simulate the sense of a furnace and not to stop anyone from entering.

Jiang Baimian stretched out her left hand and pushed open the door. She felt a heatwave gush toward her.

This formed a sharp contrast with the chilly wind outside.

Jiang Baimian looked up and realized that the dome was very high. Grayish-white or iron-black pipes extended along the pillars and walls in different places.

“It’s producing heat.” Shang Jianyao placed his palm on an iron-black pipe by the door.

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and made a judgment. “Hot water should be flowing inside. How extravagant!”

She believed that this was an imitation of the Old World’s heating system. According to this inference, there was likely a large boiler behind the cathedral and a pile of coal.

Although it felt strange to associate the cathedral with these things due to its magical industrial vibe, Jiang Baimian found it understandable when she thought of the Church’s name—Furnace.

“Please close the door behind you.” A voice sounded from the prayer hall.

Yes, we can’t let too much of the heat dissipate. That would be a waste of energy… Jiang Baimian gained a new understanding of why the Furnace Church kept its doors closed.

As Shang Jianyao closed the door, he curiously asked, “If it were summer, would there still be heating here?”

Jiang Baimian imagined the scene and suddenly felt burning hot.

The person in front of the prayer hall explained, “We don’t provide heat. The architectural design here can ensure that the summer heat stays inside and directly creates the feeling of a furnace.”

He was in his forties, and he wore a fiery-red robe. He was a typical Ashlandic; his skin was slightly tanned, and his cheekbones were relatively high. His hair was wet, and his forehead was covered in sweat.

Jiang Baimian approached and asked politely, “May I ask if His Excellency Li Zhe is around?”

The red-robed man exhaled and said, “I’m Li Zhe, the cathedral’s Dedicator.”

“Are you very hot?” Shang Jianyao asked curiously.

Li Zhe nodded. “It’s very hot, but it’s also very comfortable and relaxing. I feel like the impurities in my body have been calcined by the furnace.”

Upon seeing that Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao were a little confused, Li Zhe pointed at a door to the side. “I just hosted Mass. That’s our Mass Room.”

“You hold Mass in a special room?” Jiang Baimian didn’t hide her confusion and curiosity.

Li Zhe smiled and said, “Yes, our Mass ritual has relatively high requirements. We need to water the red-hot stone in a relatively well-sealed room and watch the steam spread. Ah, this is the aura of a deity. ‘He’ is bathing us. It will seep into our clothes, drill into our skin, and expel the uncleanness and fatigue in our bodies…

“After every Mass, everyone will feel very relaxed and energized after changing their clothes. This is a gift from God, just like how we feel after enjoying Holy Communion during the summer.”

“…” Jiang Baimian’s expression became stranger the more she listened. She wanted to ask if their religion had a sanctuary in the Old World. If it did, was it called a ‘sauna?’

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