Jiang Baimian hadn't expected the other party to ask such a simple question and answered after a moment's thought:
“If you take the normal route, it'll take two or three days. If you encounter the Fury Lake overflowing and need to detour, it might take more than a week.”
These people don't sound like they've been to Redstone Town before… What are they doing there? Buying various smuggled goods? Long Yuehong, who was listening in, extracted the key points from the conversation.
Without waiting for a response, Jiang Baimian said in a joking tone:
“Didn't you hire a guide?”
“We did.” The younger man's expression changed slightly. “He's not a good person…”
The older, square-faced man glanced at his companion, stopping him from continuing.
He chuckled and said:
“We're not very familiar with this area. The guide we hired isn't very reliable; he almost got us lost.”
He admitted that his team wasn't familiar with this area, as that could easily be deduced from their question about how long it would take to get to Redstone Town.
The guide isn't a good person? Jiang Baimian repeated the young man's words in her mind.
This gave her a guess:
Was the attack last night caused by that guide?
After being hired by this team, he took advantage of the fact that they were outsiders, colluded with a bandit gang, left markings, and planned to work with them from the inside to make a fortune?
“You're not lost,” Shang Jianyao, honest as ever, pointed out the loophole in their words. “You're on the right road now.”
The older man glanced at Shang Jianyao and explained with a smile:
“I meant we were about to be. In reality, we already don't know which direction to go next, so we had to come and ask you for help.”
Shang Jianyao hurriedly pointed in the direction they had come from:
“First, eliminate that one.”
No need to tell us; normal humans know that… uh, except for the team leader, who's a road idiot… Long Yuehong muttered to himself but didn't dare say it out loud.
In order to prevent Shang Jianyao from continuing to “embarrass himself,” Jiang Baimian raised her right hand, intending to point the way.
Wait! Team Leader, don't you have any self-awareness? Long Yuehong tried to stop her but couldn't bring himself to speak.
What's the difference between this and a blind person giving directions?
While Shang Jianyao's face showed an expression of “horror,” Bai Chen spoke before Jiang Baimian could:
“Keep going in this direction until you see Fury Lake, then follow the lakeside south until you find a large city ruin.”
The route she provided was clear, with distinct landmarks and no twists or turns, making it easy to understand and seemingly without any problems.
The older man sketched a map in his mind and asked:
“Are there no other city ruins along the way?”
The reason Redstone Town was difficult to find was that Fury Lake and its surrounding area had a vast cluster of cities in the Old World.
“There are before Fury Lake, but none to the south,” Bai Chen explained simply.
This had all been confirmed by the Old Task Force beforehand.
“In other words, Redstone Town isn't far away… No wonder you said it would take two or three days if you're fast.” The older man smiled in relief. “You're regulars at Redstone Town.”
Otherwise, they wouldn't be so familiar with the roads.
“Been there twice,” Jiang Baimian said, telling the absolute truth.
Of course, she didn't mention that in just two visits, the Old Task Force had turned Redstone Town upside down, and the power structure had changed dramatically.
The older man nodded and didn't ask any more questions:
“What kind of reward do we need to pay?”
Jiang Baimian saw Shang Jianyao lost in thought, unsure of what request he would make, and quickly smiled:
“Just a few cans will do.”
“Alright.” The older man turned his head and said to his companion beside him, “Go get eight cans from the car.”
His voice was deep and had a natural authority.
The younger man immediately turned around and walked toward the dark-colored off-road vehicle parked ten meters away.
Taking advantage of this free time, the older man continued to ask:
“What things should we pay attention to in Redstone Town?”
“Learn to play hide-and-seek.” Shang Jianyao's expression was sincere and serious.
The older man was silent for a few seconds, then asked thoughtfully:
“Do the people there mainly believe in 'Yougu'?”
“Yes.” Shang Jianyao raised his hands, crossed them in front of his chest, and took a step back. “Distance is our friend!”
“Do you also believe in 'Yougu'?” The older man asked with slight interest.
Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said:
“It depends.”
With your level of piety, the Calamity Grade entities haven't struck you dead with lightning, definitely because they haven't decided who should make the move… Jiang Baimian muttered silently.
Then, she reminded the other party:
“When you get to Redstone Town, you need to find a town resident in the city ruins and have them lead the way to your destination.
“This is their local custom. People who have been there can't tell others the specific location of Redstone Town.”
The older man didn't show a troubled expression, just nodded:
“Thank you.”
At this time, his companion came back with eight cans.
Sardine cans, pork knuckle cans… Long Yuehong glanced over and found that the varieties were somewhat different from what he usually ate.
After Jiang Baimian took the cans, the older man said goodbye.
He took his companion back to the car and drove towards where the main group was located.
Throughout the whole process, they had basic defenses, but they weren't particularly vigilant.
“They have a certain confidence in their strength…” Jiang Baimian said with emotion after watching the dark-colored off-road vehicle drive away.
She looked down at the cans in her hand and suddenly smiled:
“Guess where these people are from?”
Bai Chen recalled the conversation just now and said unhurriedly:
“Although they are trying their best to control their accents, they still revealed a little something.
“They should be from the northeastern part of the Greylands, or they often deal with people from there.”
Hearing about the northeastern part of the continent, plus the fact that the team was made up of Greylanders, Long Yuehong immediately had a guess:
“People from the 'Savior Army'?”
The area east of the 'White Knights' and 'First City' belongs to the 'Savior Army'.
Jiang Baimian chuckled softly:
“Anyway, the varieties of these cans seem to be from that side.
“Moreover, their behavior is decisive and efficient, and their overall order is orderly, like soldiers rather than bandits or hunters.”
Perhaps for smuggling purposes, the cans in Jiang Baimian's hand were not printed with the manufacturer.
Shang Jianyao was immediately excited, put his right hand on his left chest, and gave a straight bow to the rest of the team:
“For all of humanity!”
He looked like he was about to go over and “reminisce” with those people!
Jiang Baimian stopped him:
“Let's talk about it when we get to Redstone Town.
“I don't know why they came to Fury Lake…”
The “Savior Army” is separated from the Fury Lake area by the “First City,” and its influence can hardly penetrate here. Usually, few of their people operate here.
“To develop a smuggling route?” Bai Chen guessed.
Jiang Baimian nodded lightly and said, weighing her words:
“After the turmoil in 'First City,' there is a tendency to shift the conflict outward, and the 'Savior Army' is the first to bear the brunt.
“In this case, it is normal for them to plan in many ways and reserve resources.”
In the dark-colored off-road vehicle returning to the main force, the young man in the driving area glanced at the older companion next to him and said respectfully:
“Commissioner Xu, the most active man in that team just now should be an Awakened, but it is not certain whether he is at the 'Mind Corridor' level.
“There may be other Awakeners among them.”
The older man, called Commissioner Xu, nodded lightly:
“His price currently seems to be poor self-control, which belongs to the 'Terminal Era Human' field.
“But there are many other prices with similar manifestations, so we cannot be sure for the time being.”
……
After the team suspected to be from the “Savior Army” left the river and headed in the direction Bai Chen pointed, the members of the “Old Task Force” leisurely finished lunch and got into the jeep.
Jiang Baimian glanced at Shang Jianyao in the back row:
“You can take a nap and go into that psychological shadow again to see if there is anything unusual.”
Shang Jianyao had been eager to try for a long time.
…………
“Mind Corridor,” Room “912”.
After entering, Shang Jianyao thought he would appear at the dock, which was the starting point of this psychological shadow, but he found himself directly in the cruise ship cabin.
“Can I save here?” Shang Jianyao was pleasantly surprised.
This way, he wouldn't have to go back to the beginning and start all over again every time!
He looked around and raised his hand to rub his chin:
“This is another unusual point.
“Also, before we boarded the cruise ship, it wasn't completely dark, but now there is a bright moon hanging outside.”
At this time, a dark cloud flowed over, blocking the moon.
Relying on the lighting from the aisle wall lamps, Shang Jianyao pushed open a door next to him.
This was the room he had been in last time, and he wanted to see how the people inside were doing now.
The next second, Shang Jianyao saw the couple who had been fighting fiercely before again.
But now, one was standing by the bed, constantly thrusting his waist forward, hitting the air, and the other was holding his chest, constantly pacing back and forth near the door area, as if he was lost in such a small place.