Embers Ad Infinitum

That? Jiang Baimian suddenly had a feeling that things were going south. Could this be the beginning of an accident? Encountering a secret while having a meal?

From the fact that the hotel didn't provide food to the restaurants in Gesterbourg not having phones installed to the point of depleting rations and having to come out to search for food, she seemed to see her team walking deeper into a river step by step under the machinations of fate. However, they were helpless and unable to escape.

Bai Chen resisted the urge to glance at Long Yuehong.

Long Yuehong's heart palpitated as his mind was filled with: Can it not be so coincidental?

Shang Jianyao was delighted instead of being shocked. He looked around and suspiciously asked, "How many of that do you have? How much is it?"

The male waiter slowly took a deep breath and said, "It depends on which type you want. Cheap ones cost two Knight silver coins, while the good ones cost ten."

"That expensive?" Although Shang Jianyao suppressed his voice professionally, he didn't hide his surprise.

They had only paid a fee of two Knight silver coins when they entered the city. The suite they lived in only cost a Knight silver coin a night.

They had just ordered plenty of unmutated meat, and it only cost them three Knight silver coins.

"It's not expensive. You won't be able to buy it without spending that much money." The waiter seemed eager to facilitate the transaction.

Shang Jianyao stopped his riddles. "What is 'that' you are referring to?"

The waiter blurted out in surprise, "Alcohol! Otherwise, what do you think it is?"

Alcohol… Why does selling alcohol give off the feeling that it sells firearms and Paradise Island's latest products… Long Yuehong was a little stunned. He didn't expect that after being on edge all this while, the other party was only selling alcohol!

Shang Jianyao was disappointed. "I want to ask if you have Coke—the kind with ice."

The brown-haired waiter—who was about the same age as Shang Jianyao and had clearly undergone genetic enhancement—fell silent.

Jiang Baimian could tell that he wanted to curse, but he held back.

In order to mediate the mood and lay the groundwork for the subsequent investigations, she took the initiative to ask, "We come from the south. Who else can we go to for information in Gesterbourg other than the Hunter's Guild?"

The waiter exhaled and asked, "Are you Ruin Hunters?"

"Yes." Jiang Baimian nodded slightly.

The brown-haired waiter revealed an understanding expression. He first said to Shang Jianyao, "There's no Coke. If you really want to drink it, you can find it in the surrounding city ruins. However, I'm not sure how Coke tastes after decades. I can only tell you that I buy Coke cans and bottle caps—the metal kind. The price is determined by the number of cans. Don't worry; it's definitely fair. My dead grandfather was a knight."

While Shang Jianyao nodded and made terse acknowledgments, the waiter turned to Jiang Baimian and said, "You're early. In another month or two, you will be able to explore all kinds of city ruins in Icefield when it's summer. Due to the weather, almost nobody dares to go there in other seasons. Very few city ruins have been excavated, and a large number of supplies remain. Furthermore, they can hunt Icefield creatures—their fur is very valuable.

"Whether locals like us lead a good life every year depends on how much we can harvest during the summer. It's almost impossible for us to make a killing by working."

He was rather tolerant and enthusiastic toward beautiful ladies.

"Why?" Shang Jianyao didn't look at the other party's expression at all and asked, "Why can't you get rich by working hard?"

The brown-haired waiter smiled mockingly. "It's very simple. My dead grandfather was a knight, but my father was only a squire. If I go to the factory, I can at most be promoted to workshop manager. If I go to the tribunal, I can only be a court assistant and can't advance any further. I might as well be a waiter and be free. I can quit at any time and find a similar job when I return from my adventures."

"Why can't you become a high-ranking manager at the factory or be a judge at the tribunal?" Shang Jianyao asked.

The brown-haired waiter's expression sank. "Because knights have sons."

"…" Jiang Baimian, Long Yuehong, and the others deeply understood what it meant by the White Knights emphasizing hierarchy.

Under the White Knights' commander-in-chief were more than 20 Grand Knights. Some of them held different positions in the headquarters—they either contributed strength, intelligence, or experience. Some were the commanders and the highest-ranking civil officers in a particular knight order. For example, as an important border stronghold, industrial base, and mineral city, Gesterbourg was always guarded by a knight order.

It was currently the Courage Knights. The commander was the Grand Knight, Havel, who was also Gesterbourg's consul.

The Grand Knights formed the Grand Knight Council and decided the most important matters in the White Knights. Under them were the consul or feudal lords in the various non-strategic settlements or the Chevaliers who were Grand Knight aides. Under the Chevaliers were the Knights—they were divided into three ranks. The highest was the White Knight, the middle was the Purple Knight, and the lowest was the Red Knight.

Ranking below Knights were Squires, and they were also known as quasi-knights.

Beyond that were ordinary people.

The brown-haired waiter clearly didn't want to waste his time with Shang Jianyao. He looked at the menu and reminded Jiang Baimian, "But don't go to the northeastern city ruin. It's very dangerous there—yes, it's called Ceningmis."

Jiang Baimian's eyes flickered. "How dangerous?"

"Nobody who's been there returns," the brown-haired waiter said chattily. "If it weren't for the fact that I know many people and often go to Icefield to adventure, I might've even said the wrong name. I remember that merchants often came from Ceningmis when I was young. Who knew…"

"It became a ruin a few years ago?" Shang Jianyao blurted out in surprise, acting very professionally.

The brown-haired waiter nodded. "They were destroyed because they followed the Devil."

"Devil?" Long Yuehong didn't hide his confusion.

"I heard it from someone." The brown-haired waiter shrugged. "Before I came of age, my elders liked to scare me with the idea of sending me to Ceningmis to feed the Devil."

"Was that before or after Ceningmis was destroyed?" Jiang Baimian tried to get confirmation.

"After." The brown-haired waiter was very certain.

Long Yuehong and the others were a little disappointed. They thought that there were rumors that Ceningmis had followed the Devil before the incident.

At this moment, the brown-haired waiter added, "When my grandfather was still alive, he instructed me not to approach Ceningmis as much as possible. Heh heh, he might've been afraid that I would be abducted."

There's something wrong with Ceningmis in the hearts of the older generation of knights? Jiang Baimian didn't continue the topic. She could tell that the other party was clearly not sure of the real reason behind his grandfather's exhortations.

After chatting for a while, the brown-haired waiter finally recalled what the Old Task Force had asked. He bent down and suppressed his voice. "What do you want to know?"

"Various things," Jiang Baimian replied vaguely.

The brown-haired waiter pointed at the Knight silver coin on the order menu. "I do know a well-informed person, but it won't come cheap. Do you need me to contact him later to see if he can meet you tonight?"

"Not for the time being." Jiang Baimian forced a smile. "We'll visit the Hunter's Guild tomorrow before deciding if we should acquire his services."

Having proven that things had been a false alarm, she didn't want to take the initiative to provoke another 'accident.' She only wanted to charge up the high-performance batteries and replenish her food before carrying out the investigation.

The brown-haired waiter was very understanding. "I understand."

After he sent in the order, Shang Jianyao looked at the table of guests eating the mutated beef in fear and curiously muttered, "Why don't the people here suspect that they are spies and simply believe that they are from a newly absorbed ranch in the south?"

Bai Chen said, "How can a real spy infiltrate the White Knights' sphere of influence without knowing common knowledge like mutated beef?"

"Yes, this is basic homework." Jiang Baimian nodded slightly.

Bai Chen then said, "However, they should also be foreigners. Like us, they came to Gesterbourg for other reasons."

"Why do you say that?" Long Yuehong was very supportive.

Bai Chen calmly replied, "I just recalled something I've heard in the past. The area ruled by the White Knights suffered considerable pollution when the Old World was destroyed. The creatures underwent nasty mutations, and only a few places and some rivers remained relatively normal. They became the current settlements that produced clean flour and meat.

"Old Ge previously said that this area isn't suitable for farming and herding in the Old World. In the early years, the White Knights used supplies and trade to exchange for food and meat. On the other hand, they had to hunt mutated creatures to maintain the survival of so many people.

"If not for the need to resist the pollution and mutation, the humans here wouldn't have accepted the genetic enhancement drugs so easily."

In the Ashlands, many people believed that genetic enhancement violated nature and had serious consequences.

"There's insufficient food production here and they rely on imports, so there's a ban on alcohol?" Jiang Baimian immediately understood why the waiter sold alcohol like he was selling firearms and Paradise Island's latest products.

Bai Chen pursed her lips and said, "This should also be related to the White Knights advocating simplicity."

As they conversed, dishes were served one after another.

Gesterbourg was close to Icefield. The climate was cold, but there was no lack of fuel. Food was mainly roasted and boiled, and sweet vegetable roots were widely used.

It was unique.

Considering the possibility of an 'accident' bumping into them and the fact that they had eaten canned food, energy bars, and compressed biscuits for too long, the Old Task Force finished their meal quickly. They only wanted to fill their stomachs and return to the hotel as soon as possible.

They soon had their fill, left their tables, and walked to the restaurant entrance.

Jiang Baimian touched her pocket and frowned. "We don't seem to have any money left…"

Their supplies were limited, and they didn't exchange much money with Smith's Rootless team. The remaining items in the jeep weren't suitable for trading.

Shang Jianyao excitedly said, "Shall we take on some missions at the Hunter's Guild tomorrow?"

As they spoke, they passed by the previous table of guests.

The sharp Bai Chen suddenly captured a word: Subhuti.