Embers Ad Infinitum

Chapter 599: Another Bunch of People

Translator: CKtalon

The Friendly Hand archbishop led Chu Ge, Shao Liang, Mu Chi, and the others to meet the local bishop, Antonella, under the Vigilance Sacred Emblem.

This relatively bald but muscular clergyman—who was more than 1.8 meters tall and wore a black cloak and an extremely simple mask—raised his arms, crossed them, and took a step back. “Wariness is a hint from the Goddess. Archbishop Delro, your rooms have been prepared.”

The thin-haired Archbishop Delro wanted to give Antonella a hug according to the Friendly Hand’s most formal and sincere etiquette. However, he could only turn around and show his back to Antonella when he saw the latter’s undisguised vigilance. He then said in the Red River language, “Be friendly; trust one another.”

The differences between the two religions were obvious. Furthermore, this was different from the Vigilance Church and the Terror Church’s disparate emphasis on the teachings. The Friendly Hand was diametrically opposite, having nothing similar to the other two.

The only thing in common was that Friendly Hand also believed in October’s Kalendaria, Eidolon Nun.

If the Vigilance Church and the Terror Church stemmed from the same source, Friendly Hand was akin to a child picked up from the streets.

In a sense, this was also equivalent to the truth. In the Chaotic Era, Friendly Hand originated from people who needed to unite to resist the Heartless and various mutated creatures. Those people relied on watching each other and cooperation before they barely carved out a bloody path and established different settlements to spread their faith in Eidolon Nun.

Friendly Hand’s philosophy and the Salvation Army essentially had something in common. Both parties did share a long and close partnership.

It was only in the tenth year of the New Calendar that Friendly Hand regularly sent people to participate in the parish assembly between the Vigilance Church and the Terror Church due to Eidolon Nun’s oracle.

It was precisely because of their existence that the murderous fighting between the Vigilance Church and the Terror Church didn’t repeat.

In Chu Ge’s self-deprecating words: the Kalendaria couldn’t bear to see ‘Her’ believers suffer unnecessary casualties because of a little religious dispute, so ‘She’ specially sent people from the Friendly Hand to mediate.

After the personnel following him turned around in unison and bowed at the Vigilance Church’s bishop, Antonella, Delro spoke in a relaxed and amiable tone. “I once came to Redstone Collection and made contact with the one in the Underground Ark. We can be considered old friends. I wonder how he is now. Can I visit him?”

Antonella wore an extremely simple white mask and said in a deep voice, “DiMarco is already dead, and the Underground Ark has changed owners.”

“You guys did this?” Delro acted as if this was the first time he had heard of this.

Antonella shook his head. “No. Five foreigners.”

“Are they also the Kalendaria’s believers?” Delro asked in ‘surprise.’

Antonella shook his head again. “I’m not sure about their faith, but they definitely aren’t believers of the Kalendaria. They don’t usually live in Redstone Collection and only come occasionally. Actually, you should’ve met them just now. They happened to leave the hall and return underground when you entered the cathedral.”

“…” Chu Ge seriously thought for a moment before realizing that Bishop Antonella was likely referring to Bai Chen and the others. Them? They killed an Awakened that Archbishop Delro believes is stronger than him? When did Bai Chen become so powerful? Although her companions look like they come from a large faction, they can’t be that strong, right? They are too young…

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Chu Ge instinctively suspected something and asked, “Your Excellency, didn’t you say that five people killed the Underground Ark’s original owner? We only saw four…”

Antonella didn’t hide anything. “The other one is a smart bot. He didn’t come this time.”

Bai Chen’s smart bot? Chu Ge felt that things finally matched up, but he was still unwilling to believe it. It has only been a few years, yet Bai Chen has grown to a level that I have to look up to. Furthermore, she has joined a team with unfathomable strength? In addition, it’s not like I haven’t gained anything over the years. There is already a world of difference between the current me and the past me.

Archbishop Delro deliberated for a moment and asked, “The main force was that smart bot?”

That’s right. Smart bots are very resistant to Awakened in certain domains, even if the other party has already entered the Mind Corridor… Upon recalling this, Chu Ge subconsciously heaved a sigh of relief and found it reasonable.

“I’m not sure. I wasn’t involved, and there was no surveillance footage at the scene,” Antonella replied calmly.

Upon seeing this, the Friendly Hand archbishop, Delro, couldn’t help but feel puzzled. “They are foreigners, and they don’t believe in the Kalendaria. Did you just watch them break into the cathedral’s basement and kill the Ark’s owner? The Ark’s owner is a believer of the Kalendaria.”

Even their own religion—which was known for its friendliness—wouldn’t invite bandits in with an open door!

Antonella subconsciously lowered his voice a little. “The Kalendaria tacitly approved of it.”

Delro was shocked. He looked around and said, “The Kalendaria tacitly approved the murder of the Ark’s owner? Then, why didn’t you do it yourself? With your Church’s strength, it’s more than enough to complete this matter. It happened so suddenly that you didn’t have the time to request a Terror Bishop’s help?”

Antonella didn’t answer and only raised his hand again and bowed. “Wariness is a hint from the Goddess.”

…

In the afternoon, the Old Task Force followed another smuggling team deep into Iron Mountain.

They had already screened the remaining books in the Ark in the morning and didn’t find any valuable clues. In addition, they took the time to go to the Vigilance Cathedral and visit Harbinger Song He and Bishop Antonella to obtain some information on Iron Mountain City Ruin from them.

The Underground Ark Management Committee and the mountain monsters agreed to meet at a bend on a mountain road.

On one side was a rupe, and on the other was a cliff. The terrain was very precipitous.

For the mountain monsters, their companions hiding on the cliffs would push down the boulders and muddy the situation once the smugglers revealed their hostility. They would then rely on their talents to climb down the cliffs and disappear into the forest.

The four Old Task Force members alighted from the jeep one after another and waited by the car.

After about ten minutes, mountain monsters with blue skin and sharp teeth swung down from the cliff with the help of vines.

Like the merfolk, they were also sufficiently vigilant. After sizing them up, they realized that there were four more strangers.

Without waiting for them to speak, Shang Jianyao had already raised his blue and white loudspeaker and weakly shouted, “Don’t be nervous. You are humans, and so are we. You are here to trade resources, and so are we. So…”

In order to conserve energy, Shang Jianyao used the Inference Clowning that he was more familiar with.

The mountain monsters were instantly ‘convinced.’ They elected a representative and took the initiative to ask, “What resources do you want to trade?”

He spoke in a relatively dialectical Ashlandic.

Jiang Baimian took two steps forward and said, “We’ll use three boxes of flour to exchange for information regarding Iron Mountain City Ruin.”

They had exchanged these three boxes of flour from the Underground Ark with their excess firearms.

The mountain monster representative was stunned for a few seconds before saying, “Ask.”

Jiang Baimian first asked the simplest question. “Did your tribe explore Iron Mountain City Ruin in the Chaotic Era?”

“Not at first—that place was too dangerous. Our elders only tried to gather food from over there after many of the Heartless were eliminated,” the mountain monster representative replied skillfully.

Jiang Baimian immediately asked, “Did your elders encounter anything strange there? Did they gather any useful items or information?”

The mountain monster shook his head like a rattle. “All this while, we mainly searched for food, clothes, and blankets. The other items we occasionally brought back were sold once anyone came up to the mountain to trade. Uh… There were many powerful Heartless in Iron Mountain City Ruin back then. They had terrifying abilities, so we only dared to circle around them. There’s nothing strange elsewhere.”

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and asked, “Did you bring back any newspapers, magazines, or books?”

Normally speaking, it was very difficult to exchange such items unless one encountered scholars studying the Old World.

The mountain monster’s blue face revealed a slightly strange expression. “We did, but we used them for starting fires, plastering the walls, as mattresses, and as children textbooks. However, someone asked about this two days ago. They even read it on the spot without picking out any books.”

Someone asked? Just two days ago? Jiang Baimian’s eyes suddenly turned sharp. “Who are they?”

Shang Jianyao spoke as well. He was abnormally ‘shocked’ and felt pained. “Y-you guys aren’t vigilant enough! How can you bring strangers back to the tribe?”

The mountain monster fell silent at the same time as if he had only just realized that this was a very serious problem.