Embers Ad Infinitum

The Old Task Force ultimately didn't take advantage of the hotel; they chose an ordinary suite that calculated the electricity bill separately. After all, Shang Jianyao clamored to save all of humanity. He definitely couldn't allow his team to do such a thing.

Sometimes, Jiang Baimian would sigh with emotion inwardly. This fellow was really the conscience of the Old Task Force.

After entering the suite, Shang Jianyao looked at the evening sky and eagerly said, "Does it mean we can head out to investigate once Old Ge is done recharging?"

"Let's not cause any trouble for the next few days." Jiang Baimian scoffed.

She had also dyed her hair flaxen. She didn't retain pure black like in First City because although the people were of the Red River ethnicity, the White Knights basically didn't have black hair.

As for contact lenses, she also didn't wear the pair from before. Instead, she had gotten the company's technical personnel to help her manufacture a pair using biological materials before heading out for the mission. Of course, it was still blue.

"Why?" Shang Jianyao felt like he had been struck in the head.

He wore green contact lenses.

Jiang Baimian quietly rolled her eyes. "Our first priority now is to charge all the batteries. Before that, we should try our best not to go out or investigate. This is to prevent us from being forced to leave Gesterbourg early due to any clues we find that might bring us trouble. When the time comes, it won't be easy to find a place to charge."

She had a sufficient understanding of her team's troublemaking abilities and often had lingering fears. She suspected that if they were unlucky, they would find something by tonight if they investigated the Eighth Research Institute or the team Shang Jianyao's father was part of. They would then escalate the conflict and have it snowball. Finally, they would be forced to escape Gesterbourg before dawn.

If that happened, how many high-performance batteries would they have charged?

What would they do next?

Considering the realistic possibility of such a development, Jiang Baimian decided to err on the side of caution. She planned on locking her team members in the hotel and waiting until all the backup batteries were charged up before doing the investigation.

Shang Jianyao understood Jiang Baimian's meaning and glanced at Long Yuehong. "She's talking about you!"

Long Yuehong was peeved and amused. "You make it sound like you haven't discovered any clues before?"

He used another hair dye, and his hair was dyed brown. His contact lenses were yellow.

Bai Chen matched hers with his.

As the two of them argued, Genava walked to a corner of the suite's living room and charged himself. He then sat in the armchair beside him.

He looked comfortable, like a carbon-based human taking a hot bath after a busy day and lying in bed in extreme relaxation.

Bai Chen found another socket and charged another high-performance battery.

After looking around, Jiang Baimian took off her tactical backpack and walked to the window in the living room.

She was no stranger to the White Knights. Although she had never been here, she had read a lot of information and had come into contact with some members of the White Knights or humans who had once come to this large faction.

The White Knights were established in the early Chaotic Era after the Old World was destroyed. Back then, some people advocated the chivalry found in ancient times and had gathered the survivors of a few religious organizations in the Old World, attempting to lead people out of the chaos and restore order.

Back then, there was no talk of the Kalendarium. The deities advocated by the Old World's religions didn't appear, nor did they give humans any revelations. Therefore, the corresponding religions collapsed.

Under the counseling of their companions, the survivors filled their hearts with chivalry, producing the White Knights.

In the Chaotic Era, the Knights emphasized on and abided by the creed of simplicity, thriftiness, restraint, pity, humility, heroism, and fairness. They established settlements, gathered a large number of citizens, and worked together to tide through the difficulties.

The Salvation Army also admired the Knights' actions. Although they didn't approve of their excessive emphasis on hierarchy, submission, and lower statuses of females, they didn't provoke them.

Therefore, despite sharing a long border, the Salvation Army kept heading southwest, wanting to save the humans in First City while coexisting peacefully with the White Knights. Neither side interfered with each other.

In terms of faith, the White Knights didn't worship any deities on the surface. They extolled chivalry as the highest standard, but Jiang Baimian wasn't sure about the truth. They might be like the Salvation Army—who had never been affected by the Kalendarium—or they might be like First City, where several Kalendarium were behind them.

"I really want to visit the Grand Knight of Gesterbourg." Before Jiang Baimian could walk to the window, Shang Jianyao voiced his thoughts again.

As a relatively important border stronghold, mineral city, and industrial base of the White Knights, Gesterbourg was always guarded by a Grand Knight.

The ruling hierarchy of the White Knights was the Grand Knight Council, which was made up of Grand Knights. The supreme leader was the commander-in-chief, Goffrey. He was also known as the Chief Knight, the Supreme Master, and the Guardian.

According to the information the Old Task Force had obtained from Smith's Rootless team, the current Grand Knight in charge of Gesterbourg was named Havel.

Jiang Baimian turned around and looked at Shang Jianyao. "Why do you want to visit the Grand Knight here?"

"I want to discuss chivalry with him." Shang Jianyao spoke sincerely.

"I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." Bai Chen paused and said, "The current White Knights aren't the ones from decades ago."

She had heard many rumors at the borders of the White Knights and First City.

Jiang Baimian nodded. "Only the extreme environment back then could forge extreme purity. Decades that can be barely considered stable have made it unlikely that newborn knights are like the older generation. Even if there are exceptions, they will be in the minority. Most of the older generation have already passed away or changed their views out of pragmatism. The Salvation Army is an example."

Extreme despair in an environment would cause many things that corrupted human nature to happen. It would also create a large number of 'humanoid beasts.' However, it would also stimulate and induce a batch of relatively pure and tenacious idealists.

"Sigh…" Shang Jianyao sighed when he heard that. He then raised his right hand, pressed it to his left chest, and solemnly said, "For all of humanity!"

Jiang Baimian retracted her gaze and looked out the window.

The air was hazy, and the glass was stained. The windowsill outside was covered in dust, of which there was no lack of coal dust.

The pedestrians wore relatively simple clothes with relatively low-profile colors. This was the White Knights' style.

At this moment, a group of people came from the train station.

They were basically of Red River ethnicity. Most of their faces were pale, and their clothes were tattered. They trembled a little thanks to the cold weather in spring around Icefield, and a small number of them even had mutations like warts.

They were equivalent to half-Subhumans.

The leader—wrapped in a fur coat and holding a loudspeaker—said loudly, "Look around. I'm not lying to you, right? Here, you will have job opportunities. Work can be used to exchange for bread and meat, for clothes like mine, and for a warm residence! This place isn't suitable for farming, and the conditions for herding aren't good. However, countless salt, meat, and flour are transported here by train to exchange for coal, steel, and various metals before being transported away.

"Here, you can buy and obtain anything as long as you work hard! This is heaven, the New World in the real sense!"

The Red River people looked excited when they heard that. The people passing by were also a little infected, and their expressions were excited.

This settlement—which was considered a mine and industrial settlement—had always been lively.

As the coal dust fell, the group of people was led to the factory behind the ancient castle.

"Although the industrial pollution here is a little serious, people are filled with hope…" Long Yuehong also came to the window and sighed sincerely. "The White Knights seem to treat the workers well. At the very least, they don't get discriminated against."

Jiang Baimian tersely acknowledged it. "Pity and fairness are part of their creed. Even if things aren't as they used to be, they still need to keep up the act on the surface."

"The White Knights will occasionally send food to the poor." Bai Chen spoke of the rumors she had heard in First City. Back then, she was rather envious.

"Not bad, not bad." Shang Jianyao nodded in satisfaction like the White Knights' commander-in-chief who had come to inspect.

After chatting for a while, they found their seats and relaxed after a few days of traveling.

Time quickly passed in the peaceful atmosphere.

Upon seeing that evening was approaching, Long Yuehong casually asked, "Team Leader, where should we investigate next?"

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and said, "Let's start with the Old Task Force from before. Although more than ten years have passed, very few Ashlandics come here. If they didn't disguise themselves back then, it should've left a deep impression on many people. Yes, the premise is that they had really been here."

After a pause, Jiang Baimian added, "Ask the Hunter's Guild. If outsiders like them want to obtain information, the first choice is often the local Hunter's Guild."

"Alright!" Shang Jianyao replied with gusto.

Just as he said that, a bell suddenly sounded outside.

Clang! Clang! Clang!