After Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, and Genaava left the current room, Jiang Baimian said to Shang Jianyao:
“The matter of Room '506' should be more or less concluded. We should have squeezed out all the information we could. Even if there are still some secrets, they're probably not well understood by the room's owner or haven't been deeply investigated. Once you touch them, you might directly face a Ruling God.”
“That's what I think too.” This was the calm and rational Shang Jianyao.
Jiang Baimian nodded slightly:
“You can explore other rooms next, searching for the door to the 'New World.' Hmm, don't let it affect your daily tasks.”
She felt that, based on the information they had gathered so far, the root of most problems lay in the 'New World.' Without understanding the specific situation there, it would be difficult to make accurate judgments and effectively and substantially solve the corresponding 'stubborn problems.'
And within the 'Old Task Force,' the one with the best chance of finding the 'New World' door was undoubtedly Shang Jianyao.
Of course, if he really found it, Jiang Baimian wouldn't agree to Shang Jianyao going in directly. Instead, she planned to gather more relevant information, have some contingency plans in place, and wait for an opportune moment.
Shang Jianyao replied eagerly:
“Okay!”
“Rest tonight and recover your energy.” Jiang Baimian saw through his intentions.
“Alright.” Shang Jianyao walked disappointedly towards his bed.
The next morning, the 'Old Task Force' once again drove away from Cliff Village and headed to Shanao Town.
The bloody smell of butchered sheep and cattle still permeated the air here. Although the stains on the streets had been washed relatively clean with water brought from the stream, they still attracted some tiny creatures to hover and linger.
These weren't the familiar flies and mosquitoes to Long Yuehong. At this time of year, near the ice field, these two types of creatures normally wouldn't be present.
As for what they were, Long Yuehong couldn't recognize them at all, only suspecting that they were some cold-resistant flying insects created by aberration.
Shang Jianyao skillfully weaved between the vehicles parked in the small square and the surrounding streets, peering around to find Lao He.
“It smells so good…” Suddenly, he blurted out.
Long Yuehong subconsciously twitched his nose and indeed distinguished the aroma of roasted meat in the faint bloody smell.
“Eating something so greasy so early in the morning is no good!” Shang Jianyao looked to the side with a pained expression.
There, several people from Suimo City were using the remaining embers from last night to roast several strips of pork belly.
They didn't have many seasonings, only salt and a type of plant powder unique to the valley, but the fat from the pork belly itself was particularly enticing when roasted, stimulating the appetite.
Shang Jianyao approached, looking like he was about to criticize this unhealthy diet.
“What can I exchange for a piece?” he asked.
“Clothes!” “Energy bars.” “Weapons.” The three young people from Suimo City gave different answers.
Although they produced furs, the valley's climate was warm. Except for winter, it was mostly similar to the south, and they didn't need to wear anything too heavy.
Shang Jianyao readily took out two energy bars and exchanged them for a large strip of roasted pork belly.
He stood there, munching away, eating until his mouth was full of oil.
Long Yuehong couldn't help but swallow his saliva as he watched, turning his head to look at Bai Chen and asking:
“Do you want to eat some?”
“I just finished breakfast not long ago.” Bai Chen indicated that she didn't want to eat any, and then she added, “You can exchange for a strip yourself and taste it.”
“No need.” Long Yuehong shook his head. “We've had roast meat for the past few meals.”
Finally, Shang Jianyao finished gnawing on the strip of pork belly and took the opportunity to ask:
“Where's Lao He?”
The young man who had taken his energy bars pointed to a vehicle on the inner side of the square:
“Lao He is doing his morning prayer. Those who believe in 'Truth' are just troublesome. Unlike us, except for the grand Mass on the last day of each year, you can do whatever you want at other times. Do it or don't, do it whenever you want.”
Very much in line with the boss's attitude towards believers… Long Yuehong inexplicably felt a sense of closeness.
Before Shang Jianyao could speak, Jiang Baimian pointed at him:
“My companion also believes in 'Fate,' but it seems a bit different from you.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Shang Jianyao said with great interest, “We hold a full moon ceremony when a newborn is born and a funeral when someone dies. At other times, everything is simplified. We just need to thank the Ruling God for letting us live every morning when we wake up. Also, every fixed period of time, the guide will gather us for a sermon and a communion.”
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and wiped his mouth.
He didn't seem worried at all about being reprimanded as a heretic.
The young man who had answered earlier, with messy hair, fair skin, and light brown eyes, revealed an envious expression:
“We only have communion during the grand Mass.”
“What's your communion?” Shang Jianyao asked impatiently.
The young man pointed to the small amount of cattle, sheep, and pigs that hadn't been traded yet:
“It's just slaughtering various livestock, representing their eventual return to Fate. Then, we use their various parts to make different dishes. The most precious of these are all kinds of dishes related to blood. Alas, we traded away our blood sausages in the south this time, or else I could have let you have a taste.”
He didn't show hostility towards Shang Jianyao, who also believed in 'Fate,' and was quite enthusiastic.
“Blood sausage, I feel like I've heard of it somewhere…” Jiang Baimian muttered to herself.
Genaava wanted to give an answer, but considering that his identity as an intelligent robot couldn't be exposed here, he promptly interrupted the operation of his voice synthesizer.
Jiang Baimian quickly remembered:
“I heard about it in Tarnan. It's a specialty of Chairman Gu's hometown, and he brought the recipe to Tarnan.”
“That's right, and there's also Suancai Pork!” Shang Jianyao clapped his right fist into his left palm with a snap. “Zhou Guan is still owing us a meal of Suancai Pork.”
He hadn't forgotten about it.
“It's not she who owes it.” Jiang Baimian corrected again.
The young man from Suimo City listened in slight confusion and suddenly realized:
“We also have Suancai Pork at our grand Mass.
“The Chairman Gu you mentioned should be from a certain area in the northern part of the Old World, or their descendants. There are many such people in our Suimo City.”
As for which area it was, he couldn't say. First, he wasn't a descendant of those people himself, and second, the current ice field had already swallowed up the corresponding places, and it was impossible to form a good comparison with the Old World's map.
“What's your name?” Shang Jianyao's eyes lit up when he heard about Suancai Pork. “I'll visit you in Suimo City sometime to attend your grand Mass. We're all believers of 'Fate,' so we definitely can't be strangers.”
He didn't use Thought Guidance for the time being, following Jiang Baimian's advice, wanting to see what he could normally ask.
The young man from Suimo City felt the genuine enthusiasm and replied with a smile:
“My name is Li Bingliang, meaning 'of pure and good character.'
“Uh, we don't receive outsiders in Suimo City, to avoid revealing our specific location, unless you can get an invitation from an elder.”
“Oh…” Shang Jianyao was quite disappointed. “Is Lao He an elder?”
“No.” Li Bingliang shook his head.
At this time, he remembered to answer the question of why their rituals and communion were so different even though they both believed in 'Fate':
“Our Suimo City was established mainly by the Suimo Order. You should belong to other sects that believe in the Ruling Gods.
“The Long Night Order, the Sunset Sect, or the 'Life Sacrifice'?”
“'Life Sacrifice,'” Shang Jianyao answered without hesitation.
Li Bingliang indicated that he knew it.
After chatting for a few more sentences, the 'Old Task Force' walked deeper into the square and arrived at Lao He's military vehicle.
Lao He was wrapped in a bearskin coat, sitting in the passenger seat, holding a book, his head slightly lowered, reciting silently.
Jiang Baimian and the others exchanged glances and nodded almost imperceptibly.
They were starting to lean towards the hypothesis that 'Truth' wasn't a 'Doomsday.' (末人)
Because the 'Anti-intellectual Sect' had always advocated that 'knowledge is poison, and thinking is a trap,' how would they let believers recite scriptures during morning prayer?
Even if this belonged to another sect of the 'Doomsday,' they shouldn't be so diametrically opposed using similar symbols.
The 'Old Task Force' waited for a while, until Lao He finished his morning prayer and closed the book.
Jiang Baimian curiously glanced at it and saw the four words "University Physics."
University Physics… Jiang Baimian was knowledgeable and didn't let her expression change.
“Physics?” Shang Jianyao asked in a questioning voice.
Lao He replied with a smile:
“Physics is the reason for things, the truth of this world, the embodiment of my lord.
“Of course, the physics written by humans is only close to the truth, not equal to the truth. It always has certain omissions and is often overturned and corrected.
“Like before, I was reading a physics review that said…”
Long Yuehong immediately recalled the feeling of helplessness when he took physics classes in college, while Shang Jianyao interrupted Lao He:
“That's not like the human figure on your pendant.
“It has no facial features, representing not seeing, not hearing, not smelling, not asking, only obeying orders, being a Doomsday.”
Lao He replied a little angrily:
“That's the interpretation of the heretics!
“The real meaning of this symbol is that human eyes, noses, ears, mouths, and eyebrows are not as important as the brain!”
He then got out of the car and stretched out a finger from each hand, pressing them against the sides of his head.
Immediately after, Lao He said:
“Truth is in our minds!”