I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"You mean, these names themselves have power? But those are just names from Earth's mythology and history, nothing special."

Lu Ban tried to recall the name Achilles in his mind, but nothing unusual happened.

If the names of the ancient rulers could cause contamination, Lu Ban would think that was normal, but that was not the case now.

"Some names aren't taboo in our vocabulary, are they?"

Feng Yu glanced at Lu Ban.

"You think these names are not polluting because you've already adapted to them, but for the wasteland, these names, and the meanings they represent, are quite powerful pollution."

At this point, Feng Yu stopped. They were walking on a sand dune, and below that was a bustling desert market beyond an oasis.

There are many such oases scattered around the city, while within the city, there is a small lake and a large expanse of greenery.

"It's like, do you think there has ever been a person with a similar name in this world?"

Feng Yu said.

Lu Ban was taken aback.

Indeed, he himself knew about Utopia and Achilles, considering them normal names and their deeds common knowledge.

But the wasteland is a foreign land.

In the history of the wasteland, the names of these saints may not even exist.

Therefore, the origin of these names is highly questionable.

Perhaps it was when a chosen one of the gods had just rebuilt the wasteland.

The knowledge that is spread may be the ramblings of some great being that are casually passed into people's ears on a whim.

In short, these names, which did not originate from the wasteland, gained power here. Their legends formed the foundation of the saints and became the cornerstone of the wasteland city-state.

Rounding up or down is a good thing.

It's hard to say whether Lu Ban could have survived until now if the wasteland hadn't had the guidance of the sage and hadn't been able to establish these city-states. At least, in a world that has become the end of the world, supernatural power is always useful.

The two arrived at the city gate. The guards here did not conduct a strict inspection. The cities in the wasteland were extremely far apart. Most of the people who could reach this place were merchants and travelers. They traveled through the desert with its endless yellow sand, trading the specialties of different city-states and making profits.

As Lu Ban entered the city, he saw low-rise houses and street vendors on both sides of the simple and unadorned main road.

The items sold by these vendors were quite peculiar, mostly canned goods, spoons, and other metal products, with the occasional stone carving. As for food or clothing, they were almost nonexistent.

This is understandable. The wasteland is essentially a desert with scarce resources. Apart from the relics from the previous era that explorers found in the ruins, everything else should be centrally allocated, and there would be no surplus food for sale.

By the roadside, someone was eating something in a broken tin can. The can contained a brownish semi-solid substance that looked like paste. He drank it down in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and looked quite satisfied.

Lu Ban remembered that insects were a major food source in the wasteland, but now it seems there are other crops as well.

"Please support our Yellow Sand Brotherhood! Lord Iron Serpent will lead us to a better life!"

Lu Ban heard shouts not far away, and a lot of people were gathered there. Lu Ban and Feng Yu exchanged a glance and followed.

They discovered that in the center of the crowd were several young men and a large pot containing a brownish paste. They were shouting and distributing food to others, which caused the area to be so crowded.

Thinking of this, Lu Ban pulled out a bowl from somewhere and went over to it.

Chapter 854 Utopia

Although the city's buildings look severely eroded and dilapidated, the residents are all quite well-behaved, queuing in an orderly fashion, round and round.

Most people were banging on their bowls, waiting to get some food, and very few were actually listening to what the young people were saying.

Lu Ban listened attentively while waiting in line.

"For many years, our Yellow Sand Brotherhood has maintained the security around Utopia, fought against bandits in the desert, and escorted merchants. Our leader, Lord Iron Serpent, is a man of strong leadership and will lead Utopia to explore a new world and acquire more resources!"

"The reason we are having such a hard time right now is because there are so many resources that no one is exploring. Now that the Promised Land has been revealed, we should go and claim our share!"

"The truth of history has been widely proclaimed, but we have done nothing wrong. Are you willing to be tormented by illness and die young? We should seek ways to cure our own diseases!"

Their words were very persuasive, and their goal was clear: to leave utopia and explore the unknown new world.

But clearly, in any era, there are not many people who truly care about politics.

Some people believe that their will is insignificant, and even if they have any thoughts on the election of a saint, it is irrelevant to the overall situation. Others are so uncertain that they cannot even decide what to eat the next day, let alone consider the more distant future.

They mostly just stood in line blankly, waiting to finish eating, because at least they needed to be full to survive.

Lu Ban waited in line for more than ten minutes before finally getting his turn.

A spoonful of the thick, brown liquid emitted an aroma that was hard to describe, enough to kill the appetite of most people.

"Could you give me a little more? Look how big my bowl is."

Lu Ban asked.

The person in charge of distributing the food glanced at Lu Ban but did not give him any extra food.

"Next one, don't dawdle."

The other party used a spoon to drive Lu Ban away.

Lu Ban could only slip away with the plate in his arms.

This is quite normal. In such situations, if someone is given too much food, others will definitely become envious and demand more, ultimately leading to chaos and competition.

While the young people were still giving their speeches, Lu Ban had already reached the edge of the street. He squatted down and, with obvious enjoyment, put the brown paste from the bowl into his mouth.

"This texture reminds me of some unpleasant things."

Feng Yu scoffed at the sight.

Lu Ban stopped drinking halfway through his drink.

Take a closer look: its viscous texture, its deep brown color, its peculiar smell…

"The taste is actually not bad, better than insects."

Lu Ban drank the contents of the bowl in one gulp.

"It seems the people here are quite good at elections; they even know how to use food to win people's hearts."

Lu Ban wiped his mouth, and the bowl in his hand had disappeared again.

"Unorthodox methods".

At this moment, perhaps having heard Lu Ban's words, a man in a trench coat standing next to him chuckled.

He spoke very softly, but Lu Ban still heard him.

Lu Ban noticed some tattoos on this person's arm, which, together with the crystals, formed a strange pattern, like the symbol of some kind of organization.

Do you think they did something wrong?

Lu Ban spoke up, causing the other person to look over.

The man's eyes showed some surprise, as if he was astonished that Lu Ban had heard all this.

But the other party quickly regained his composure, only giving Lu Ban a deep look to remember his appearance before turning and leaving.

"It seems the battle has already begun."

Feng Yu said meaningfully.

Lu Ban's goal is to choose a faction to help them become saints, so he must first understand the current factions and make his own choice.

Meanwhile, there will be other Chosen Ones as adversaries in this mission. Lu Ban believes that if he can find the opposing Chosen Ones in advance, it will be very helpful in choosing which faction to support.

After all, the faction chosen by the opposing chosen ones is definitely harmful to this world, so it can be considered a wrong choice.

"Let's find a place to stay first."

Feng Yu pointed to a cluster of low-lying houses in front of him.

Utopia has a large population, but the city itself is also very large, divided into several areas. The area closer to the oasis is inhabited by the city's administrators, explorers who often leave the city to explore the ruins in the desert, and so on.

Further away, surrounding the central pyramid-like building, are soldiers, administrators, and other personnel maintaining the city.

Further out, there are ordinary residents. Most of these residents have little wealth. Although they suffer from crystal nucleus disease, they have not awakened any strong superpowers and are unable to go out and explore.

On the outskirts of the city, there were many empty houses, which were intended for traveling merchants. What struck Lu Ban as odd was that although these empty houses looked like they could easily be occupied by criminals, when he actually arrived, he found that the houses were all clean and tidy, with no one taking over. Each house had only one person living in it, and there were no disputes among the residents.

He and Feng Yu found a house that looked decent, and as soon as they went in, a young man next to them called out to them.

"You'd better write your names on the sign."

The other person pointed to the sign at the entrance and the black stones next to it.

“If you don’t claim ownership of the house first, you might be considered thieves and robbers.”

Lu Ban was skeptical, but picked up the stone and wrote his and Feng Yu's names on a stone plaque by the door.

Something looks off.

Feng Yu glanced at them; the two names were on opposite sides of each other, making them look like a couple.

"Don't worry about the details."

Lu Ban threw the black stone back and then asked curiously.

"Is that all? Why do we need to sign our names first?"

"Hmm? Is this your first time in Utopia? No, even if it's your first time, you must have heard about it."

The man touched his stubble-covered chin. Although he looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, his full beard made him appear quite mature.

"Never mind, you two are so old, your memory probably isn't what it used to be."

He sized up Lu Ban and Feng Yu; to him, the two men in their twenties were indeed old men.

Due to the existence of crystal nucleus disease, most people in the wasteland do not live past the age of twenty-five, and they are already the backbone of society in their teens.

Being in your twenties is already considered the twilight of your life.

"This city is protected by a saint, and anyone who breaks the rules will be punished. The rule set by that saint is that anyone can own their own house. As long as you sign your name, you can obtain ownership."

He explained, pointing to his room.

"My name is Bull. If you have any questions, you can come and find me. I live there."

Chapter 855 Public Debate