Unusual Fate Records

Chapter 356, Section 48: The Talks (Part 3)

"Huh~"

In the video, the wind hitting the microphone made a slightly noisy sound.

"Xing Tong! Xing Tong, look over here!"

Chen Ruolan's face occupied a small portion of the video space, peeking out and looking around with her eyes darting around; behind her was Chen Xingtong with an awkward expression.

"I am Chen Ruolan!" The woman's voice was full of energy.

"I, Chen Xingtong..." The person behind him squinted, his face filled with shame and reluctance.

"We are sisters of cattle and horses!"

("We are sisters of cattle and horses...")
"Speak louder! You think you can operate a warship with this little noise?" Chen Ruolan shouted.

"We are! The Ox and Horse Sisters!"

Chen Xingtong seemed to have completely given up struggling, and cried out in a mournful voice.

……

The screen is off.

Fu Xun touched his forehead, overwhelmed with mixed feelings:

"Another crazy one."

A red dot appeared on the computer next to Jin Ziyue, and the four-sided frame was locked. He pressed Enter and said, "We've found the source of the cloud video data."

Fu Xun approached. The location was where Zuojingdu bordered the neighboring cities of Fukui and Shiga. Zuojingdu was a basin surrounded by mountains on three sides. This location was in the northeast, hidden among the uneven mountains.

"How come Chen Ruolan still has time to post videos?"

Fu asked.

Because of the constant fighting, communication devices such as mobile phones could be damaged at any time, so Jin Ziyue, Chen Ruolan, and Fu Xun all set up data to be uploaded to a specific cloud space. Once one party uploads information, the others can also discover it.

Natural encryption methods are indispensable.

Chen Ruolan's video provides a lot of information. First, she wants to convey that she is safe at this moment. Second, the surrounding environment, small houses, fields and construction sites make it easy to pinpoint her location.

Third, Qi Tongshan, no, Chen Xingtong, is a friend she acknowledges.

She may have just posted the video on the spur of the moment, but Jin Ziyue has already uncovered more clues.

"lets go."

Jin Ziyue stood up.

"Don't we need to prepare anything further?"

Fu asked.

Jin Ziyue switched screens, and the view jumped to a metal-themed webpage.

The English name was clearly written on it.

『United League of Armed Mercenaries』

"Armed Mercenary Alliance".

"We're almost ready. We don't need to wait until tomorrow. Let's go to them ourselves."

He grabbed the trench coat draped over the chair, stretched out his hands, and reached into the sleeves. With black leather covering his body, his demeanor suddenly changed.

……

Just after noon.

A small truck was driving on a suburban highway. The old monk in the driver's seat kept rambling on about things like "gasoline prices have gone up again" and "even the trainee novice monks have to pay for social insurance and housing fund."

Jin Ziyue and Fu Xun sat quietly in the car, gazing at the undulating mountains in the distance.

The location of the "Tongmenghui" was in the northeast of Zuojingdu, while Fuling Temple was in the north, about ten kilometers apart. Jin Ziyue immediately thought of this old driver and charlatan.

“Repairing temples also costs money.”

He sighed deeply and unconsciously pressed the accelerator a few inches deeper.

We soon entered the mountainous area.

"Abbot, have you heard of the 'Armed Mercenary Alliance'?" Jin Ziyue asked.

The old monk suddenly slowed down the car.

"You're going to cause trouble again, aren't you?" Abbot Longyi sighed leisurely.

"So you know that?" Fu Xun asked.

"Hmph, kid, how could I not know him from the next mountain?" Abbot Longyi snorted. "He's just getting old, his mind isn't so sharp anymore."

The sound of coins clattering rang out promptly, and Abbot Long's voice quickened:

"Don't underestimate the old man's memory! About seven or eight years ago, the human experts in District 16 were besieged by the White Walkers. Some died, some fled, and the 'Alliance' of District 16 was practically extinct."

"It wasn't until the last two years, when other 'alliance organizations' in other places stepped in and offered friendly assistance, that we were able to gain a small foothold on that mountain."

"Won't the White Walkers target them?" Jin Ziyue asked.

"White Walkers? When have White Walkers ever been merciful?" Abbot Longyi shouted. "If it weren't for the gods protecting that place, would the White Walkers let them run rampant right under our noses?"

"Gods?" Jin Ziyue was taken aback. "Can gods guarantee the safety of the 'Tongmenghui'?"

“There are shrines there that worship gods,” Abbot Longyi said lazily. “The incense offerings there are better than at my Fuling Temple. The older the Others are, the more they believe in the gods. They occasionally go to pay homage to the gods, which is a way of giving the gods some face, so that no blood is shed in the gods’ territory.”

"You still believe in these things?" Fu Xun asked.

"Don't ask me, I'll believe whoever pays me," Abbot Longyi said irritably.

"Logically speaking, wouldn't shrines with good incense offerings usually have their roads repaired by worshippers? Why is it still in the mountains?" Fu Xun asked.

“The goddess prefers tranquility and does not wish to be too involved in worldly culture. The mundane world is still too superfluous for a deity who is pure of heart and desires,” Abbot Longyi said.

"But she has more worshippers than my family's lucky spirit! People aren't superstitious about the good fortune in the lottery anymore!" he said indignantly.

"Let's get back to the goddess," Jin Ziyue interrupted.

"Oh, speaking of which, the shrine of the goddess is actually called the Goddess Palace. It is said to be the residence of the goddess of the capital city for thousands of years."

"You know, the Left Capital used to be the imperial capital, and its cultural heritage was much greater than that of the Right Capital."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that Ukyoto is now a world-class financial center. To trace the roots of the Kazuki people, we still have to start from Ukyoto."

"Legend has it that whenever Kyoto is about to fall, the goddess will always descend with divine miracles to save the world from suffering. Among these miracles, she has stopped many White Walker kings from conquering the land."

"To express their gratitude to the goddess, people built the 'Jinjo-gu' shrine at the site of the miracle. Originally, 'Jinjo-gu' was the name of a shrine for the representatives of the divine authority throughout history, but an exception was made for the goddess. She is more like the master of this ancient city than the royal family, which changes every few centuries."

"But the goddess hasn't performed any miracles for hundreds of years."

"After the Industrial Revolution and the Meiji Restoration, Kyoto changed too quickly. The Enlightenment and industrialization transformed most of the believers in the goddess from farmers into workers. The workers didn't believe in these things; they trusted boilers, spinning machines, generators—basically anything that brought them wealth, they believed in!"

The wind somewhat drowned out the old monk's voice. Abbot Longyi cheered, then said indignantly, "Damn it, the lottery is outdated now. Am I supposed to worship the god of stocks and funds?!"

"Ahem." Fu Xun coughed.

"Oh, so the Goddess Palace declined from its peak at that time. In addition, the natural resources of District 16 are scarce, and the authorities are reluctant to over-develop it. So they let those mountains and the Goddess enjoy the tranquility away from the secular world, and another hundred years have passed."

Jin Ziyue remained silent.

He gazed at the approaching mountains, their verdant slopes dotting the winding path, and his heart, which had been calm for so long, began to swell and undulate unconsciously.

This feeling of trepidation bothered him somewhat.

It was as if something was quietly waiting there, without a sound.

(End of this chapter)