Embers Ad Infinitum

Flora answered Shang Jianyao's question. "The Kalendarium, of course. The exact punishment depends on what's on 'Their' mind during that period."

Shang Jianyao looked enlightened. "Then, what reasons are there if there's no punishment for leaked secrets?"

Liu Chuan glanced at him. "There's only one possibility—the Kalendarium have tacitly approved of it."

"Could it be that the information transmitted is encrypted and that the Kalendarium can't understand it at all?" Shang Jianyao asked.

Flora smiled and shook her head. "There's no such possibility. The Master Zhuang domain has Thought Extraction, and the Last Man domain has the ability to read memories. When you transmit information, some Kalendarium can know your goal by checking what you're thinking."

"What if it's because one hasn't been marked because they haven't prayed to any Kalendaria after coming here?" Shang Jianyao persisted.

Flora and Barnard looked at each other and shook their heads again. "Although this makes sense, the entire New World was built by the Kalendarium. There's definitely a filter for the information transmitted across the barrier. The Kalendarium can locate you by tracking in reverse."

Clap! Clap! Clap!

Shang Jianyao clapped. "As expected of the Orange Company's former director. The analogy is filled with a technological sense."

Orange Company was a famous high-tech faction in the Ashlands, just like Future Intelligence. Compared to them, Pangu Biology—which was only good at biology, medicine, and bionic artificial intelligence armor—appeared slightly inept.

Shang Jianyao then said, "Maybe the Kalendarium take turns to wield authority over the sun—no, the moon. It just so happens that Last Man and Master Zhuang aren't in charge when the information is transmitted."

"Master Zhuang represents the entire year," Flora reminded. " 'He' is always present."

Being of Red River ethnicity, she didn't have the concept of leap months.

Shang Jianyao was just about to reply, "Master Zhuang is my good friend. It's no wonder I wasn't punished for leaking the secret." However, he suddenly raised his right hand and covered his mouth.

"Alright." Shang Jianyao lowered his palm and replied in disappointment.

At this moment, Flora kindly asked, "You just said that there are some things you want to deal with before the chaos begins. What are they? Maybe we can help you resolve them."

Shang Jianyao looked around and said, "Do you know that Ashlandic compound? The one where there's often slight activity."

"Yes," Flora and Barnard replied in unison.

"It seems very dangerous there," emphasized the trembling Barnard on the left.

A New World powerhouse—who was listening to their discussion—smiled and said, "This is just a rumor. I've been there before and wasn't affected at all. There's something strange about that place, but just like this building, there's no danger."

The current building in the New World was also very special. It seemed like it was the only one with a basement.

The person who spoke was Ashlandic, but he spoke the Red River language rather fluently. His accent was similar to Flora's.

He was of average height, and his short black hair had natural curls. The corners of his eyes drooped slightly, and his nose bridge wasn't tall. The wrinkles by his mouth were relatively obvious, and he looked to be in his forties.

"You've entered that compound?" Shang Jianyao asked in surprise.

In the previous round of greetings, he had already learned this person's name—Chen Wen.

Upon seeing everyone look at him, Chen Wen frankly replied, "What's there to be surprised about? Back then, I had just entered the New World and met a few friends. I still didn't understand the relatively dangerous situations in those strange places. When I passed by there, I heard a slight commotion in the compound, so I went in to take a look. However, there were no negative effects."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Shang Jianyao agreed deeply. He then asked, "Did you hear a woman crying softly?"

"I heard her." Chen Wen didn't find the information valuable and replied frankly, "I also heard her say that eternal life means eternal pain."

"Anything else?" Shang Jianyao had an expectant expression.

Chen Wen recalled for a moment before saying, "When I was about to leave, I heard her whisper that she hoped to quickly wake up from this nightmare. The source of the pain is buried by death."

"That's it?" Shang Jianyao confirmed.

"That's it." Chen Wen shook his head firmly.

"Sigh…" Shang Jianyao sighed in disappointment.

After hearing their conversation, Flora kindly reminded them, "Most of those slightly strange buildings are very dangerous. This is something many Awakened learned through blood and tears. Among them, there are indeed a few that are fine. For example, this building with a basement and that compound. However, these are ultimately the minority. If we rashly enter without knowing the situation, there's a high chance that we will suffer serious damage."

"I understand." Chen Wen nodded and mocked himself. "It's mainly because I was too ignorant back then."

"The strangest thing is still the tower." Shang Jianyao's thoughts were always abnormal.

After chatting about this matter for a while, everyone found that they had nothing to do. The waiting process was always relatively tormenting.

Shang Jianyao pulled a chair over, sat down, and began chatting. "How did you guys enter the New World? Didn't you have any doubts about this place before entering?"

Flora pointed at her body with a slightly complicated smile. "As you can see, I'm worse than a serious paraplegic. The further I explored the Mind Corridor, the worse my physical condition became. Later, my mental state was also affected. Although I had some suspicions about the New World, I still hoped to enter quickly and escape that terrible situation. Who knew that it would be even worse here?"

Barnard took over the conversation. "I was half-willing and half-forced. As Linhai Alliance's former president, I led a pretty good life. Although I have severe hemiplegia, I can still maintain a certain level of quality of life with the help of various technological devices. Unfortunately, my plans to enjoy my later years were shattered by the conflict between the Alliance and United Industries. At the critical moment, I could only push open the door to the New World and enter to contribute to the Alliance."

1

Shang Jianyao expressed his understanding by clapping. He then turned to Liu Chuan. "What about you?"

"Me?" Liu Chuan pointed at himself. "I answered Truth's call to come to the New World."

Shang Jianyao then asked Chen Wen, "What about you then?"

"Because I yearned for this place." Chen Wen had an expression that said: 'How can there be so many reasons?' "Most people enter because they look forward to the New World, hoping to gain eternal life and see for themselves the absolute truth."

"Not me," Shang Jianyao said righteously. "I pushed open the door to resolve the problem of the New World!"

The atmosphere immediately turned a little awkward.

Shang Jianyao didn't notice anything and asked Flora and the others, "Aren't you worried that you will suffer the Kalendarium's divine punishment if we fail? Besides, even if we escape, the problem will remain with the Kalendarium still around. The future might be even crueler."

Flora fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I only know that I'll go crazy if I don't leave this place soon. I'll consider what the future holds when it comes."

She glanced at Shang Jianyao and didn't continue.

After a few seconds, Barnard helped her explain. "There are only so many people here. There are no natural sights, no changes in the weather, and no form of entertainment. Usually, we can only chat with each other or borrow some books from the library. Most of the time, we have to endure hunger.

"This is worse than being in jail! In such an environment, everyone's minds are on the brink of a mental breakdown after spending year after year in it. It's very normal for us to do anything irrational."

"If it weren't for the fact that I can find a reason to return to the Ashlands once or twice a year, I would've long gone crazy." Liu Chuan also sighed.

Shang Jianyao gave a terse acknowledgment. "I understand. I don't have to worry about such problems."

"Why?" Chen Wen asked in confusion.

With a beaming smile, Shang Jianyao replied, "I'm already crazy."

The atmosphere turned awkward again.

Shang Jianyao recalled something and said to Barnard, "Did you just mention a library?"

"Yes." Barnard nodded. "The only entertainment here is reading. There are many books in that library."

"Is there a relatively crazy fellow there who wants to attack anyone he sees?"

Liu Chuan tersely acknowledged it. "He's hungry. Recently, he finally couldn't hold on any longer and became food for the Kalendarium."

Shang Jianyao's thoughts kept jumping. "That shouldn't be the case. It's impossible for the New World to only have books and no games… Could it be because he hasn't returned?"

He was referring to Xiaochong.

Before Flora and the others could respond, the entire house suddenly shook.

A precursor to the chaos had appeared.

All the New World powerhouses present revealed fanatical expressions.

Upon seeing this, Shang Jianyao stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "The people here, including me, have actually been hypnotized by Truth?"

"Maybe." Chen Wen heard his whisper. This person's fanaticism wasn't serious, but there was a certain level of anticipation in his eyes.

Shang Jianyao sized up the New World powerhouses who had also entered the compound and curiously asked, "Which domain are you from?"

Chen Wen smiled and replied, "Shattered Mirror."