Chapter 1072: Chapter 41: Lonely Ones
If we simply divide the factions into surrenderists and resistors, the Barren Lands led by Midnight City is undoubtedly the surrenderist faction, while the Main Affinity Continent led by Vena Ice-Free Port is undoubtedly the resistor faction.
But extremes never truly exist, black and white are always interwoven with shades of gray.
Whether it’s the “surrenderist” Midnight City or the “resistor” Vena Ice-Free Port, they all belong to the human faction, just one is dark gray and the other light gray, one is radical, the other is moderate. One is pure, the other inclusive.
Vita’s warning unveils the brutal truth: the weird can’t be resisted.
Evil spirits, evil gods, anomalies, ghosts and monsters, Evil God’s Followers, Ancient God’s followers, Weird Cult, Inner World layers, Mist Monster, Clan Nests, Weird Town, Deep Space Shadow…
Their outlines are scattered across the scarred land.
Whether resisting or surrendering, humans will ultimately become part of the world, become… anomalous.
Just like what Lu Li witnessed in the outer city.
Just like Vita’s ancestors.
Whether Vita’s story is true or false, the future it speaks of is real.
“I have another perspective on ‘existence.'” However, Lu Li wasn’t pessimistic, whether about the past or the future: “For instance, your race might be lost, but not extinct.”
“What… do you mean?”
Vita couldn’t think of or understand Lu Li’s words.
“Lions weren’t born with claws and fangs. Our weapons are the civilization and wisdom accrued throughout history. You still remember history, the civilization of your race still flows within you, awaiting the moment of rebuilding.”
Vita’s dark eyes froze, uncertain whether it was due to Lu Li’s narrative or the fact that the rumored cold Exorcist would say such words.
“A friend once told me a story.”
“A person lost in another world. He built homes, dug canals and farmland, recreated books and artifacts from the past. Alone, he was rebuilding the civilization of his race.”
“You remember the history of your race, indicating your race has not perished, even if you are the last.”
The Old Era, the Weird Times, the Dark Era—these civilization-characteristic names represent that humanity has never abandoned history.
Perhaps after a long time, humans will be assimilated by the anomaly. No matter what form they take, as long as history and civilization remain, they will still be human.
A ship that continuously replaces its planks is still the original ship.
Lu Li left the pondering Vita and walked out of the museum toward the outer city.
He passed through bustling and crowded streets. It was still during the time wrapped in Silent Moments, with the Lady of Midnight protecting people from disturbance.
Because his stay at Vita’s was shorter than expected, when Lu Li returned to camp, it was still four or five hours before dusk. With nothing to do, he watched the teams wearing the tree-shaped badge coming in and out of the camp.
In the first hour, fourteen teams left the camp, eight teams returned. In the second hour, three teams left, ten teams returned. In the third hour, Lu Li stopped counting the comings and goings of the teams.
With large fluctuations in the number of teams entering and leaving the camp by the hour, it can vaguely be deduced that at least 100 teams leave the camp each day.
This means that a hundred strange incidents occur in the outer city every day—
A terrifying frequency, but distributed among nearly a million people in Midnight City, it seems almost negligible.
Lu Li’s gaze left the dazzling light ball atop the core district tower illuminating Midnight City, and fell on Kiluat and others emerging on a distant street.
Seeing Lu Li waiting, they quickened their pace back to the camp.
“Were you waiting long?”
“Yes.”
“Sorry, Naxi’s parents were too enthusiastic… This is for you.” Kiluat apologized with a smile, taking out a warm piece of food wrapped in leather paper.
“A specialty of Midnight City, it tastes like yam bean but is sweet like a pastry.”
Lu Li accepted the food, retrieved his weird notebook stored at the camp, and stepped onto the lift.
The light ball atop the tower illuminating Midnight City was slightly dimmer than when they first arrived. The slowly ascending lift carried the Holy Light Squad away from Midnight City.
“This time, we resolved the root cause of the mission, and the reward should be an additional 1 academic credit and 1 squad point,” Kiluat raised the source notebook wrapped in the alchemy blanket. “Aside from the regular and bonus rewards, we also have the accidental gain… this notebook itself. Shall we study its power or destroy it?”
As students of Giant Tree Academy, they obviously wouldn’t avoid discussing anomalies like ordinary people. Pollutants are like beasts, they can harm oneself… but they can also harm others.
Naxi safely chose destruction, Lu Li and Yege chose to study, and Kiluat, holding the deciding vote, shook his head like Naxi: “It seems this time the Holy Light Squad chose adventure.”
Returning to the trunk layer, Kiluat and Lu Li parted at the rest area, proceeding to the mission hall to submit and allocate rewards, Lu Li and others returned to the lounge to make arrangements.
Protection Potions, Revealing Potions, and the Roaring Potion that spreads sound over a 100-meter diameter.
Unexpected incidents due to teams privately bringing back pollutants for research in the trunk layer were not uncommon. Although usually, thanks to the Gatekeeper’s timely arrival, there wouldn’t be serious consequences or disasters, precautions had to be taken to avoid incidents, deducting credits and squad points if they occurred.
Ten minutes later, Kiluat brought back the mission rewards: a basic 1 credit, 1 squad point, and an additional 1 credit, 1 squad point.
However, the mission rewards’ credits weren’t added to each member individually—they were a total, distributed by the leader.
Kiluat chose to allocate 1 credit to Lu Li, dividing the remaining 1 credit equally among herself, Yege, and Naxi.
Lu Li needed the credits more than they did. If one member receiving credits couldn’t exceed 50% of the total, Kiluat would have given more to Lu Li, perhaps even the entirety.
Yege and Naxi had no objections. They had two months left to rank up and only less than 20 credits short of meeting the 100 credit requirement, enough to meet the criteria.
Though it was just an ordinary rank-up.
Kiluat placed the wrapped notebook, isolated from contamination, on the round table, signaling everyone to prepare to take the Protection Potion.
At the same time, Merchant Anthony suddenly appeared, nearly making Naxi spill the precious potion, bringing a letter scented with a perfumed fragrance.
This familiar aroma pervaded Professor Chris’s Alchemy Office.
[Dear Exorcist]
[What did you tell Vita? It left, saying it wants to save its race, and entrusted me to give you its treasures]
[——Tall and beautiful Chris]
The identity of the letter’s owner was unsurprising. Lu Li asked his teammates to wait a bit and replied to her: telling Vita that there is still hope.
Professor Chris’s reply quickly arrived, conveniently written below Lu Li’s response: [It does indeed sound like something you would do, but I didn’t expect even Vita would be influenced. Remember to come over when you have time, some interesting little things among the collection]
Lu Li didn’t reply again, returning to the round table.
“Let’s begin.”