Embers Ad Infinitum
chapter-835

Fifty Grand Knight gold coins were enough for the Old Task Force to live in Gesterbourg for extended periods. They could pay the corresponding electricity bill, have good meals every day, and replenish the supplies they needed with plenty to spare.

One Grand Knight gold coin could be exchanged for 100 Knight silver coins, and one Knight silver coin could be exchanged for 100 Squire coins. An ordinary worker in Gesterbourg had no hope of saving up 50 Grand Knight gold coins, even if they survived to their fifties.

Jiang Baimian—who had just been wistful about the lack of money and supplies—couldn’t help but be a little tempted. Therefore, she closed one eye when she saw Shang Jianyao ignore the Subhuti figurine and only cared about the bounty.

“That’s right.” Genava moved his metal neck up and down. “Besides, this mission isn’t only available in Gesterbourg—it’s available in many of the important White Knights settlements. The Ruin Hunters who were conversing on the streets came from elsewhere in pursuit of the handsome bounty.”

Jiang Baimian nodded in thought. “The table of people that mentioned Subhuti in the restaurant should also be here for the bounty. However, they seem more like outsiders.”

Bai Chen confirmed her team leader’s guess. “It’s very normal for missions that don’t involve the various large factions to appear in places like First City.”

Shang Jianyao eagerly asked, “Then, should we take it? By pulling it off, we don’t have to save up money to buy supplies. Furthermore, we can also deal with the Hunter’s Guild and gather information openly.”

Pulling it off… You make it sound like you’re carrying out a heist… Long Yuehong muttered.

Jiang Baimian nodded slightly. “Sure.”

The next second, she smiled. “But we have to wait until all the high-performance batteries are charged.”

The electric load that the hotel room could undertake was undoubtedly limited. Once it was overloaded, it would trigger the circuit breaker. It was impossible for the Old Task Force to charge all the high-performance batteries in one go—they could only do at most three a time.

It took hours to charge one up.

“That will take another two days.” Shang Jianyao had a look that said: I’m worried sick for the team. “When the time comes, the Subhuti figurine might’ve already been found by others. This opportunity can’t be missed!”

The honest Genava quickly explained, “This mission has been released for almost two months. Nobody has found any useful clues so far.”

Jiang Baimian then said to Shang Jianyao, “See? It’s been a month or two, so it doesn’t matter if we spend another two to three days recharging.”

Upon seeing Shang Jianyao’s disappointment, she slowly exhaled and said, “However, we can visit the Hunter’s Guild tomorrow. We can first accept the mission and obtain the corresponding information. When we return, we can make good use of the two to three days to read through it and set a direction.”

“Team Leader…” Long Yuehong wasn’t agreeable. What happened to staying in the hotel peacefully and only going out at regular times for our meals? What happened to not causing trouble or accidents?

The Hunter’s Guild had always been a place of trouble and accidents!

Jiang Baimian smiled and said, “Gesterbourg has already become so lively, and the matter clearly involves Buddhism and Subhuti. It might be pointless for us to avoid matters in search of stability. It might instead cause more trouble in a more alarming manner. When the time comes, we won’t even have time to devise a plan.

“Yes, it’s not like we have to take the initiative to jump into the vortex now. We haven’t stocked up on electricity and supplies. I mean, under the premise that stability is most important, we should understand this matter appropriately and obtain the corresponding information to lay the foundation for our subsequent plans.”

“That’s true.” Bai Chen nodded slightly.

Long Yuehong no longer objected.

Shang Jianyao had long become excited and asked, “Shall we go now or tomorrow morning?”

The Hunter’s Guild didn’t close that early.

“Let’s do it tomorrow morning.” Jiang Baimian looked at the night sky and the lights outside. “We’ve been traveling for days. Get some rest tonight.”

There were many power plants in Gesterbourg, and most of the factories had already knocked off. Therefore, the entire settlement had plenty of electricity, and the price was relatively low. An ordinary family could also turn on an electric lamp to dispel the darkness and bring light.

This made the night scene in Gesterbourg not inferior to First City’s Red Wolf Street and other places. At a glance, the lights were dazzling and dreamy like the galaxy flowing over the ground.

In a sense, Jiang Baimian felt that this might be a symbol of civilization. The only bad thing was that there was plenty of dust dancing in the area illuminated by the lights.

“Okay.” Shang Jianyao indicated that he understood. He then asked, “Then, can I explore the rooms in the Mind Corridor tonight?”

“Get some rest,” Jiang Baimian repeated.

Slightly disappointed, Shang Jianyao didn’t object.

They then chatted for a while and watched some Old World entertainment. Following that, they entered their corresponding rooms, washed up, and slept, leaving Genava alone in the living room.

The night passed uneventfully and peacefully. However, the sound of some factories operating in the distance intermittently sounded.

The next morning, Shang Jianyao woke up early, woke Jiang Baimian up, and knocked on Long Yuehong and Bai Chen’s door, waking them up.

“Breakfast time! Breakfast time! We’ll head to the Hunter’s Guild after that,” he urged.

“You have to give us time to wash our faces and brush our teeth!” Jiang Baimian replied angrily.

Just as she said that, the bell in the castle rang again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Gesterbourg instantly woke up from the foggy and gray weather. Different families switched on their lights, and the streets quickly became noisy.

After the Old Task Force washed up and prepared to leave, a large number of humans began to head to the factory area.

To Long Yuehong and the other Pangu Biology employees, such a scene exuded an indescribable sense of familiarity and intimacy.

In the underground building, the street lamps lit up at 6:30 every day, informing the employees that it was time to get up and go to work.

“What should I eat…” As Shang Jianyao muttered, the four Old Task Force members—excluding Genava—went down to the hotel lobby.

The receptionist on duty was a woman. Her honey-colored hair was casually tied up, revealing her long neck. Her head bobbed up and down, making one worry that it would smash onto the table’s surface the next second.

If it weren’t for the fact that she was sitting, she would’ve already fallen because she couldn’t stand firmly.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Shang Jianyao ran over before Jiang Baimian could stop him. He bent his finger and rapped the table’s surface.

The woman sat up straight and looked at the fellow in front of her with drowsy eyes.

“How many rooms do you want?” she blurted out a question.

This woman was in her twenties. At first glance, she looked rather beautiful. But on careful inspection, her skin was rough, and her facial features were relatively stiff.

Jiang Baimian suspected that she might not have drunk an A series genetic enhancement agent. It was all natural.

“I’m here to greet you. Good morning!” Shang Jianyao replied with a beaming smile. “Besides, more and more people are appearing on the streets. There will be guests coming to the hotel at any moment.”

The female receptionist’s lips quivered a few times, but she ultimately didn’t open them.

Shang Jianyao asked without realizing her reaction, “Did you not rest at night? You should be able to sleep on night duty.”

For the hotels he had stayed in, the receptionist could sleep in the corresponding duty room when there were no guests checking in at night. However, they had to be prepared to be woken up at all times and resolve matters like resetting the circuit breakers or fixing their flushing system.

“How?” the female receptionist replied weakly. “Three batches of guests came last night.”

“There were people checking in so late?” Shang Jianyao chatted.

The female receptionist sized him up. “Not everyone is as rich as you guys who don’t care about the difference in the cost of day and night train tickets.”

“Oh, oh.” Shang Jianyao had an ‘I completely understand’ expression.

At this moment, the male receptionist from yesterday entered the lobby and waved at his colleague. “Gitis, I’ll swap with you after using the bathroom.”

The female receptionist, Gitis, was a little surprised. “Spant, you’re actually so punctual today.”

Spant chuckled. “I’m not like you, who’s always late.”

The Old Task Force didn’t participate in their conversation. They left the lobby and found a café nearby for breakfast.

Perhaps it was because it was too far north, and the White Knights’ exchange with the outside world was mainly to obtain food, firearms, and other supplies, but there was no coffee in the café. The reason it was still called a café was a habit left behind from the Old Era.

After breakfast made of oatmeal, toast, and other food, the Old Task Force came to the Hunter’s Guild near the ancient castle. It was located in a grayish-black building that resembled a large bunker.

As soon as Jiang Baimian and the others entered, they noticed a message displayed on the large screen.

It was the mission to find the Subhuti figurine.

According to the introduction, the Subhuti figurine was lost three years ago. Back then, an ascetic monk brought it to Gesterbourg. In the end, he was found dead sitting beside a steel furnace in the factory area, and the Subhuti figurine was missing.

Long Yuehong suppressed his voice and muttered, “They only issued a search mission after losing it for three years?”

Isn’t this too much of a delay?

Jiang Baimian nodded. “In the Ashlands, communication between two nearby settlements is often difficult, much less those very far away. Maybe the faction that the ascetic monk belongs to only recently figured out his whereabouts and learned that he died in Gesterbourg.”

As she spoke, Jiang Baimian read the item’s description.

The Subhuti figurine was 50 centimeters tall and made of pure wood. It was brown in color, and it had benevolent eyebrows and a bitter expression.