While the content of the flyers allowed one to imagine that the religion's name might be ridiculous, perhaps even containing typos, Jiang Baimian never expected them to so blatantly wave the "Anti-Intellectual" banner, giving the impression that they were happily bragging about being morons.
"Why is it called that?" Jiang Baimian asked, suppressing her laughter with a serious expression.
Shang Jianyao jumped in front of O'Dick to answer:
"If they lower everyone's IQ, they'll become smarter."
O'Dick glanced at the nonsense spouting fellow, unsure whether he was joking or if he was more suited to join the "Anti-Intellectual Church."
Slowly exhaling, O'Dick explained simply:
"Like many people believe, the Anti-Intellectual Church also believes that the Old World was destroyed because people back then were conducting research in various forbidden areas, bringing about a catastrophe.
"However, they go a step further, feeling that it was because humans were too smart and mastered too much. If the people of the Old World hadn't thought so much, hadn't increased their intelligence, hadn't read books, hadn't learned knowledge, it would have been impossible for them to explore forbidden areas, and the apocalypse wouldn't have been triggered.
"They also believe that the appearance of 'Mindless Disease' and the existence of 'Mindless Ones' are not only a disaster, but also an enlightenment given by the Arbiter of Fate: as long as humans regress to the intelligence level of 'Mindless Ones,' the New World will descend, opening its gates.
"Therefore, the Anti-Intellectual Church preaches that thinking is a trap and knowledge is poison, hoping to burn all books, eradicate all places that provide education, and let people live solely on instinct and the experience passed down by their parents.
"As for exploring the future, they believe that one should follow the guidance of the Arbiter of Fate and listen to the commands of a small number of God-chosen ones.
"To them, thinking is a sin."
Hearing this, Shang Jianyao nodded and judged with anticipation:
"Then they must be very easy to deceive."
"In the Ashlands, everyone has too much to worry about. Giving up thinking might really be a happy thing," Jiang Baimian said with a tone of irony and感慨.
Finally, she asked again:
"Which Arbiter of Fate does the Anti-Intellectual Church worship?"
O'Dick pondered for a moment and said:
"'The Last Man,' the 'Last Man' who governs March."
"The Last Man… I remember this term from philosophical works of the Old World. It refers to people who are lowly, muddleheaded, mediocre, and full of slavishness," Jiang Baimian said thoughtfully. (Note 1)
O'Dick was immediately a little surprised, looked at Jiang Baimian, and didn't say anything.
He didn't know that "The Last Man" had such a meaning. Before today, he felt that it was full of mystery and worthy of being the title of an Arbiter of Fate.
After a few seconds of silence, O'Dick looked around and said:
"That's about it. I hope there will be opportunities to exchange information later."
Jiang Baimian came back to her senses and asked with a smile:
"Why did you allow us to ask so many questions?
"We only gave one clue."
"The value of your clue is above the information I provided," O'Dick said frankly.
Jiang Baimian nodded lightly and didn't ask any further.
At this moment, Shang Jianyao suddenly said:
"Which of your parents is an Ashlander?"
O'Dick was a little confused by this question, not understanding how it had shifted in this direction.
However, this wasn't something that needed to be kept secret, so he casually replied:
"My father."
"What's his surname?" Shang Jianyao asked excitedly.
O'Dick became even more confused about what the other party was trying to do, took a step back, and said in a low voice:
"O."
He was always more vigilant about this kind of abnormal situation because he had encountered quite a few Awakened ones and understood that sometimes danger was hidden in ordinary words and phrases.
"Pfft…" Jiang Baimian laughed, "So your name…"
Was O'Dick, with O as the surname and Dick as the given name, which, when put together, had a Red River language feel to it.
"Just as I thought." Shang Jianyao clenched his right fist and hit his left palm, striking a pose as if to say he had guessed correctly.
"…" O'Dick looked back and forth between Jiang Baimian and Shang Jianyao with the eyes of someone looking at a mental patient. In the end, he said nothing and turned to walk back into the Hunter's Guild hall.
Jiang Baimian watched him leave without turning her head and asked:
"You didn't try to 'befriend' him."
"He answered too much already," Shang Jianyao sighed.
"Yeah," Jiang Baimian nodded and said, "There still needs to be a bottom line when using abilities. When you 'befriended' Team Leader Fei Lin, you didn't try to pry into his secrets. It was mainly to make cooperation more convenient and ensure your own safety, so there wasn't any problem. But O'Dick has already said everything he could say. 'Befriending' him would only be to find out if he's an Awakened, what his three abilities are, and what the cost is. If he hasn't shown any hostility, let's just forget it and try not to harm innocent people."
She was taking the opportunity to teach Shang Jianyao and help him establish the right values.
This was the team leader's responsibility.
Shang Jianyao replied with three words:
"Wang Bei Cheng."
"…" Jiang Baimian was first annoyed and then realized, "I was just making a hypothetical situation, and I didn't actually hit him!"
Shang Jianyao glanced at Jiang Baimian's raised left hand and turned his gaze towards Wild Wolf Alley:
"I wonder when those bars will open?"
"You want to ask door to door, confirm Lin Feifei's whereabouts? And dance in every one of them while you're at it?" Jiang Baimian retorted sharply.
Shang Jianyao looked shocked:
"You can dance in bars?"
"Don't pretend. It's not like you didn't hear the music last night," Jiang Baimian ruthlessly exposed Shang Jianyao's pretense.
Although the company's basic education wouldn't mention what else you can do at a bar besides drink, the music from West Street didn't completely stop until two or three in the morning. Anyone with a brain would make certain associations.
Before Shang Jianyao could say anything, Jiang Baimian hummed:
"We need Little White to do this. She's familiar with the underground market scene here and knows who to ask."
"Yeah," Shang Jianyao said regretfully, but he also agreed that Bai Chen was the most suitable candidate for this task.
"Let's go. There's no need to wait at the Guild. There won't be any new clues for a while," Jiang Baimian took the lead and headed towards Central Plaza, preparing to do "Wild Grass City Folklore Survey."
This was her self-assigned extracurricular assignment.
As they walked, Jiang Baimian suddenly laughed:
"Everyone in our team except you has a color in their name. Big White, Little White, and Little Red. You're the only one who doesn't fit in."
"I'm the color of sunshine," Shang Jianyao replied immediately.
Jiang Baimian hummed:
"That's true. Yao has the meaning of sunshine…"
…………
In the evening, Bai Chen, wearing a dusty scarf, led Long Yuehong into Wild Wolf Alley.
Compared to the morning, it was very lively here, with music coming from everywhere, weaving into a dynamic melody.
Many Relic Hunters who lacked ties to the world risked their lives, never knowing if they would have a tomorrow. Once they had a little extra money or resources, they couldn't help but think about coming here to indulge themselves.
Whether it was alcohol or the warm embrace of women and men, they could temporarily forget the cruelty of life and not have to think about what mission to take tomorrow, where to adventure, or whether they could survive.
In Wild Grass City, where the Hunter's Guild was unusually powerful, this led to the abnormal prosperity of the local bar and nightclub industry.
At a time when many wanderer settlements in the Ashlands didn't have enough food, they could still squeeze out some grain and fruit to brew alcohol.
At the same time, the Wild Grass City municipal departments were very cooperative in giving the green light, designating this street outside the residential area, so there was no power outage even in winter.
With flashing lights, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong entered a nightclub called "Today," bypassed the dance floor where many people were frantically swaying, and came to the front of the bar.
Bai Chen bent her finger and tapped the bar seven times in a row, saying in a normal tone:
"Two glasses of Golden Aure.
This was a distilled wine, called Golden Aure because it was very popular in Initial City, just like the "Aure" paper currency.
The bartender wiping the glasses looked up and sized Bai Chen up:
"I have a better recommendation."
"What is it?" Bai Chen asked cooperatively.
The bartender smiled:
"Wheat.
You can go to the back to taste it directly."
He pointed to a wooden door on the other side of the bar that seemed to lead to the kitchen.
"Okay." Bai Chen turned her body.
At this time, the bartender also tapped the surface of the bar, a total of eight times, spaced four long and three short, alternating.
Bai Chen didn't look back, knowing that the bartender was telling her: the agreed-upon password had changed, and she would have to use this one next time.
After pushing open the door that seemed to be the kitchen, Bai Chen and Long Yuehong passed through a room filled with clutter and a narrow corridor, and saw two black-clothed strongmen holding submachine guns.
After repeating the password again, they were let in and entered the basement along the stairs.
There was a large hall here, with tables, chairs, and benches, and dozens of people were sitting in different places, chatting and laughing with their friends in the light of the fluorescent lights.
This looked like a place to hold a private gathering, not the so-called underground market, completely different from what Long Yuehong had imagined.
Bai Chen turned her gaze around, looking for someone suitable to ask if they had seen Lin Feifei in the bar area.
Suddenly, her gaze froze.
A man stood up on a dark red long sofa.
He was of average height, about 1.7 meters, but his arms were thick and his body was strong. It was clear at a glance that he had a lot of strength.
In the cold winter, this man was only wearing a short-sleeved black cotton t-shirt and a pair of brightly colored loose shorts, lacking enough respect for the temperature.
He had a shaved head with a cyan-black wolf symbol representing Initial City tattooed on it, and his face was full of横肉. He was the kind of person who could scare a child into tears just by standing there.
Two bodyguard-like men in black stood behind him, their waists bulging, clearly hiding weapons.
This man, whose age was hard to discern, walked towards Bai Chen step by step, revealing a teasing smile:
"You really escaped?
"You really dare to come back here?"
His eyes were icy cold, without a hint of a smile.
Bai Chen's body trembled slightly, and she lost her usual composure and steadiness.
Long Yuehong, witnessing this scene, felt a bit scared in his heart, but he also felt that he couldn't just watch.
The Team Leader said that we must protect each other… Long Yuehong gritted his teeth, took a few steps forward, and stood in front of Bai Chen.
His body was also trembling slightly, but he still looked at the bald-headed villain and did not back down.
Uh… actually, I'm not too short either… Looking at the height of the person opposite him, he suddenly flashed such a realization.
Note 1: From Friedrich Nietzsche, a concept opposed to "Übermensch" (Superman).