Long Yuehong and Bai Chen couldn't answer, but Shang Jianyao, the Pudu Zen Master, looked as if he was used to it.
He raised his left palm and chanted a Buddhist prayer:
"Namo Anutpāda-dharmakṣānti, we generally call this a 'previous life's wisdom.'"
"Perhaps Montis's previous or previous-previous life was a Buddhist, trapped in the sea of suffering, reincarnating again and again. When he awakened, he slowly remembered his past and present lives."
Although knowing that this guy was just talking nonsense, Jiang Baimian, in the spirit of seeking truth from facts, thought seriously for a moment and said:
"I don't rule out the possibility you mentioned, but it's very small.
"So far, only 'Predestination' has shown the potential to complete such things, but it doesn't have the aspect of eliminating its own memories and waiting to be awakened.
"Unless the 'Bodhi' domain still possesses abilities similar to 'Predestination' but with different details, otherwise..."
Jiang Baimian didn't continue:
"The two feasible directions are:
"First, finish reading the remaining books, which will be done tomorrow morning; second, enter the Iron Mountain Ruins to see if there are any clues left.
"If we have time tomorrow, we can also visit the bishop of the 'Vigilant Church' and the local Hunter's Guild to see if they have collected more information about the Iron Mountain Ruins.
"It's never a bad thing to prepare more in this regard.
"Okay, go back to sleep and stay energetic."
............
The next morning, two modified vehicles drove into Redstone Town.
"Why can't I see anyone here?" Bai Chen's former companion, Chu Ge, poked his head out of the car window, looking at the collapsed or abandoned buildings around.
At a glance, he felt like he had come to ruins that had been unexplored for a long time, not a well-known smuggling node with considerable strength. The only thing that felt alive here were the plants that were raising new green leaves in the spring.
"This is the characteristic of the Vigilant Church. It seems that the residents of Redstone Town have integrated their faith into their lives," said the old man sitting next to the young man in the floral shirt, Shao Liang, with a smile.
He was also a person from the Greylands. His hair had thinned to the point where his oily scalp could be seen. The wrinkles on his face weren't too exaggerated, and he always had a smile on his face, looking kind and amiable.
"Archbishop, do you mean..." Chu Ge asked respectfully but not obsequiously.
Although he also believed in "You Gu," he didn't really understand the Vigilant Church or the Fear Cult. If he hadn't recently thought of coming south to preach, promoting the importance of friendliness and trust, and it just happened to be on the way, he wouldn't have wanted to attend the inexplicable Preaching Conference.
Before Chu Ge finished speaking, he suddenly sensed something, turned his head sharply, and cast his gaze at a relatively intact high-rise building.
"There's someone there." He acted as if he had met a friendly neighbor while taking a walk, a little surprised, but mostly joyful.
The old man, who was called Archbishop, nodded, indicating that Chu Ge's discovery was correct.
"I'll go say hello and ask for directions." Chu Ge confidently opened the car door and walked down.
——The woman with smoky makeup, Mu Chi, parked the vehicle on the side of the road as soon as Chu Ge said that there was someone nearby.
"Hi, friends in the building, we're here to..." Chu Ge waved his right hand as he walked towards the high-rise building and climbed the steps leading to the gate.
Just then, a dark black hand grenade was thrown out.
Chu Ge's pupils dilated instantly.
Relying on his rich experience, he suddenly lunged to the side, flew off the steps, and shrank to a place with cover.
Boom!
In the sound of the explosion, Chu Ge felt the wall of the steps he was leaning against shaking violently.
Then, he realized that the person inside the building had escaped from his perception in the opposite direction, fleeing far away.
"We don't have any malicious intent! Hey, we're here to make friends!" Chu Ge shouted a few times, but there was no response.
He had no choice but to walk back to the modified vehicle and leaned down to look at the old man:
"Archbishop, why didn't you stop him?
"He shouldn't have run out of your perception range yet."
The Archbishop shook his head and smiled:
"That's not polite enough.
"The first thing we need to do is show our friendliness. Believe that emotions can be shared.
"The Grand Astrologer said, trust each other."
His conversation with Chu Ge didn't have that particularly strong sense of hierarchy.
Chu Ge nodded in understanding after hearing this:
"Suspicion is not the New World.
"Then let's continue forward and ask other residents for directions, using sincerity to dispel their excessive vigilance?"
Ever since he joined the "Friendly Hand," he had gotten used to his kindness being mistaken for ill intent. After all, people like them were considered anomalies in the Greylands.
The Archbishop nodded with satisfaction.
While opening the car door and sitting back in the passenger seat, Chu Ge pondered and said:
"We might as well detour to the lakeside and find the farmland reclaimed by Redstone Town.
"It's the season for sowing and cultivating. There must be people there, and it's not easy to hide."
Mu Chi and Shao Liang agreed with his suggestion.
After an unknown amount of time, the two vehicles finally detoured to the near-lake area northwest of Redstone Town and saw a large amount of farmland reclaimed here.
There were several figures busily working in the fields.
After discovering Chu Ge and the others approaching, they gathered in a disciplined manner to the predetermined location, some hiding behind simple fortifications, and some standing outside, bravely observing the subsequent changes, putting on a posture that they were open to communication.
Witnessing this scene, Chu Ge was so moved that he almost wiped his eyes.
This is the normal level of vigilance!
The person in the city ruins earlier was simply extreme to the point of being mentally ill!
Well, the only question is, do you all need to wear masks?
"We want to ask for directions." Chu Ge waved his hand, indicating his intention.
Learning from the previous lesson, he shortened the sentences and quickly said them once each in Grey Tongue and Red River Language.
Among the group of "farmers," a man wearing an indigo-blue theatrical mask plucked up his courage, took a few steps forward, and asked in Red River Language:
"Where do you want to go?"
"Vigilant Church." Chu Ge replied loudly.
The man immediately breathed a sigh of relief, not surprised that strangers were looking for the Vigilant Church.
He pointed in a southeastern direction and said:
"Go straight along this road, and you'll see the church when you're about to enter the ruins.
"If you accidentally take the wrong path, look around the farmland. There are still many of us working there who can correct your route."
"Thank you!" Chu Ge made a horn shape with his hands and placed them next to his mouth.
He then asked:
"How many forces are there in Redstone Town now?"
"The original Grey Speakers, Red River people, and the people from our 'Underground Ark.'
"But everyone believes in 'You Gu' and follows the church's orders."
Chu Ge revealed a gratified smile.
He suddenly turned his body, with his back facing the group of "Underground Ark" people, and praised piously:
"The individual is weak, the group is strong."
This was the etiquette of the "Friendly Hand," indicating trust in the other party, willing to entrust even their back to them.
After asking what the "Underground Ark" was, Chu Ge waved goodbye to the group and walked back to the car.
The Archbishop in the back row retracted his gaze from looking outside, and said with emotion:
"The one inside the 'Underground Ark' is not a simple character."
The young man in the floral shirt, Shao Liang, laughed:
"Can he be more powerful than you, Archbishop?"
The Archbishop was silent for a few seconds and said:
"It's very possible.
"It's just that his state isn't quite right."
Mu Chi, who was driving, didn't expect the owner of the "Underground Ark" to be so powerful, and blurted out:
"Is he a member of the Vigilant Church, a Fear Bishop?"
"No, he's just an ordinary believer of the Grand Astrologer," the Archbishop replied simply.
Hearing this, Chu Ge turned his head:
"Archbishop, you seem very familiar with the 'Underground Ark'..."
The Archbishop smiled amiably:
"When I was young, I heard about the Ark's owner from the then 'Hand of God' and specifically ran over here and stayed for a while."
"Then you must know where the Vigilant Church is..." Chu Ge said in astonishment.
He didn't need to specifically ask for directions at all!
The Archbishop smiled:
"That was all forty or fifty years ago. I'm such an old man, how can I remember the specific roads clearly?"
During the exchange, the two modified vehicles drove towards the location of the Vigilant Church.
After driving for a while, they saw that some of the original barren fields in the suburbs had been reclaimed, and many people were working there.
Upon seeing this, the Archbishop thought for a moment and instructed Chu Ge:
"Go ask about the 'Underground Ark' in detail.
"Oh, I wonder how that old friend is now..."
Chu Ge immediately agreed. As soon as the vehicle came to a stop, he opened the door and went out, finding a girl wearing a demon mask nearby.
Considering that the other party was a member of the Vigilant Church, he deliberately maintained a sufficient distance and asked in a loud voice:
"Are you from the 'Underground Ark'?"
"Yes." The girl didn't deliberately raise her voice, and Chu Ge could barely hear her clearly.
Because the other party was using Grey Tongue, he switched back to his mother tongue and continued to ask:
"Who is the current owner of the Ark?"
"Owner?" The girl asked in confusion, "There is no owner. It is currently managed by the Management Committee."
Ah... Chu Ge almost doubted his ears and couldn't help but take two steps forward, scaring the girl into retreating repeatedly, scaring the surrounding "farmers" into quickly supporting them, drawing out guns from different places.
Chu Ge raised his hands without regard for his image:
"Did the original owner of the Ark die without heirs?"
"He was overthrown and died at the hands of our five chairmen." The girl's voice carried a bit of pride.
Chu Ge's eyes flickered slightly, and he suppressed the urge to ask further and returned to the car.
He repeated the information he had just learned.
"The owner of the Ark was actually killed..." The Archbishop was obviously a little shocked.
The young man in the floral shirt, Shao Liang, didn't have a clear concept of how strong the original owner of the Ark was, but he just sneered:
"Did the Vigilant Church just stand by and watch those five people deal with their own church members?"
"Well, this matter seems a bit complicated. Let's ask carefully when we get to the Vigilant Church." The Archbishop had already restrained his superfluous expressions.
The vehicles continued forward, and not long after, Chu Ge and the others finally arrived at the Vigilant Church.
Under the gaze of pairs of eyes hidden in the shadows, they walked into the blood-red hall mixed with some gold.
"This color scheme is too..." As a believer of "You Gu," the young man in the floral shirt, Shao Liang, barely suppressed his mockery of the aesthetics of the fellow religious sect.
Chu Ge, on the other hand, saw four familiar figures.
They happened to be entering the elevator and going down.
"Bai Chen and the others?" Chu Ge stared for a while, and nodded slightly.
He planned to say hello later, if they returned to the hall.