I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

"This city has rules that must be followed..."

After the other party left, Lu Ban and Feng Yu discussed it.

"This seems a bit eerie. I wonder what the consequences will be for breaking the rules?"

Why don't you give it a try?

Feng Yu suggested.

"Let's learn about the rules first."

Lu Ban didn't risk his life. If it were just being struck by lightning or something, that would be fine. But if he were directly expelled from Utopia, it would be detrimental to completing the mission.

He thought about it and felt that the guy next door was a nice person who would remind him, so he decided to ask him later.

Before that, Lu Ban still needs to gather as much information as possible on the street to avoid being misled by one side's story.

After getting ready with Feng Yu, Lu Ban went out onto the street and quickly noticed that many people were heading towards a building near the pyramid.

The building is circular, supported by thick columns, resembling a circular plaza.

The steps of the square served as seats, and people, regardless of gender or age, sat in their seats in accordance with the rules, waiting for something.

These people were dressed much better than the ones Lu Ban had first encountered; it seemed that the people he had initially met were migrants living on the outermost edge of the city.

Lu Ban and Feng Yu found a good spot to sit down and saw two people walking towards them from the center of the circular plaza.

The two men were dressed like scholars from ancient Greece, with crystals on their necks and legs. They glanced at the audience, and one of them spoke.

"Everyone, welcome to witness this debate. We will discuss the future development direction of Utopia. The Wild Wolf Guard, which I represent, and the Academy, which Mr. Bladefoot represents, will be debating. The only difference between us is our viewpoints; we share the same desire for Utopia to prosper."

The two introduced themselves and then began their debate.

After listening for a while, Lu Ban roughly figured out the identities of the two people.

The Wild Wolf Guard is a military organization in Utopia responsible for maintaining order within the city. Contrary to its name, the Academy is an organization that studies ruins and ancient civilizations, and is responsible for exploring external ruins.

These two camps are clearly also vying for the position of Utopia Saint.

The Wild Wolf Guard's doctrine was to protect the city-state and take advantage of the period of great change in the world to develop its own military strength, believing that internal stability was the prerequisite for external defense.

The academy, on the other hand, wanted to send out more people as quickly as possible to gain an advantage, discover more relics, and obtain resources.

The two have inherently contradictory needs for resources, and each has its own rationale.

As Lu Ban listened, he noticed something.

In this world, the insect swarm seems to have truly disappeared.

The timeline here should be after his last visit to the wasteland, when he shattered the passage connecting the Old Ones to the wasteland.

Frostheart, Moment, and the Singer must have returned to Utopia and shared the relevant information, which led to a major change in Utopia. In this era of impending upheaval, people are seeking their future direction, hence this debate.

The debate square is where people from different camps express their views during this time.

Every day, people from different camps clash here, and the citizens with voting rights listen to their opinions to decide which side to vote for in the next election.

Lu Ban understood why the person he met during the day thought the method of distributing food was "crooked"—because it was equivalent to using money to win over citizens, especially those on the fringes, those who were not doing well. For the utopians who liked to determine who was superior through the clash of opinions, this was indeed not a normal method.

As for the rules, Lu Ban listened to their debate while observing the other citizens, and roughly figured out the extraordinary nature of Utopia.

The city is called Utopia because the saint who founded it was named Plato, a name that has been passed down through generations.

The rules in Utopia are not man-made, but determined by the extraordinary abilities of the saint Plato. In Utopia, everyone has the right to decide the master of the city and can choose to participate in the election to become the master of the city. Every election is completely open, and the succession of the saint is determined by the will of the people. When the saint loses the hearts of the people and is not accepted by the people, he will also lose his corresponding extraordinary abilities.

At the same time, all property in Utopia is public property. Everyone pursues justice. If anyone bullies the weak, steals, or commits fraud, they will be punished. At best, they will be expelled; at worst, they may die on the spot.

As for the specific rules, although some people have summarized some of them, no one knows what the real rules are. All that is known is that if you live in a correct, fair and selfless way, you are unlikely to violate the rules.

Or rather, in utopia, any righteous act will be protected.

However, if an unjust act occurs, even a saint will be punished.

Rather than saying that the city is ruled by saints, it would be more accurate to say that the saints here are ruled by the city.

"So that's what they call crooked and evil ways, is that it...?"

Lu Ban thought to himself.

If the Sand Brotherhood had directly bribed voters, they would certainly have been punished by Utopia. So they took a shortcut and used the pretext of distributing food, which was clearly in accordance with the rules and was just.

In this way, the Yellow Sand Brotherhood effectively bribed voters but would not be punished by the utopia.

"It seems that even with rules, people will find loopholes."

In this situation, Lu Ban probably wouldn't be able to use his "last words" to alter other people's thoughts and achieve victory. He would either have to win fair and square by using his excellent viewpoints and actions to conquer others, or he would have to find another way and exploit loopholes in the rules to achieve victory.

With this in mind, Lu Ban quickly came up with a plan.

Although he was unfamiliar with the place and people in Utopia and didn't know which camp was reliable, since Utopia had undergone such changes because of the discovery by Shuangxin and others, it meant that Shuangxin and others must be in the city.

Lu Ban only needs to find them and reveal his identity to gain their trust, and even become a hero among the citizens of Utopia.

At that point, it would be perfectly reasonable for Lu Ban to become the saint himself, let alone help others in their elections.

The debate ended in victory for the Wild Wolf Guard. Compared to exploring the outside world, most citizens were probably more focused on their current lives. After all, in this era, gazing at the stars is a luxury.

Lu Ban saw the debater representing the academy leave dejectedly, and he followed him.

Chapter 856 I, the Promised Land, Send Money

The poet was somewhat dejected; he had just lost the debate, and it was clear that the audience applauded much more enthusiastically when the other side was speaking.

He reflected on his shortcomings.

"Indeed, for these citizens, solving the immediate inconveniences in their lives is more tangible and more important. However, our exploration can actually solve these problems, but for many people, the initial investment is not acceptable..."

"The Wild Man Guard's plan does sound more reliable, but the resources around Utopia are limited. Even if they can meet the needs for a while, they will eventually be exhausted, leading to endless internal strife..."

"He truly lives up to his reputation as a warrior; he's incredibly aggressive and exudes a powerful aura. I couldn't gain the upper hand in the debate. Many times, even though what I said made more sense, I lost in terms of sheer force of will..."

"While loudest voices don't necessarily win a debate, loudest voices can be very intimidating..."

He muttered to himself, completely unaware that there were two people standing in front of him.

"Hello."

The poet only looked up when the other person greeted him.

The other party was a man and a woman, both very handsome, which made the poet's first reaction wonder if there were such handsome people in the city before he stopped in his tracks.

Who are you?

The poet looked at the two suspiciously. Recently, many strangers had come to Utopia because of the Promised Land, including spies from other city-states. He remained vigilant and was ready to flee at any time.

"We're looking for some people. Do you know Shuangxin?"

Lu Ban didn't try to hide anything; instead, he was open and honest, asking directly.

"Frostheart...you mean Lady Frostheart, the one who brought back news from the Promised Land?"

The poet pondered the name for a moment before it suddenly came to mind.

"The Promised Land..."

It seems they regarded that experimental zone of the old civilization as the promised land of the new civilization.

Today, with the threat of insect swarms largely eliminated, the area is indeed rich in resources. Even if most of the stored food may be expired and inedible, there may still be some frozen seeds or animal embryos remaining. Even if there is nothing else, there is plenty of steel to eat.

Not to mention the vast amount of data from the old era. Even without electricity, with the efforts of extraordinary individuals like saints, there would always be a way to extract it.

From this perspective, the title of the Promised Land is indeed well-deserved.

Compared to a paradise flowing with milk and honey, modern technology is the real milk and honey for the people of the wasteland today.

"Yes, we are Frostheart's friends. We want to find her and provide her with some information about the Promised Land."

Lu Ban immediately said.

His biggest flaw in life was his honesty.

"You? Friends of Lady Frostheart?"

The poet looked at Lu Ban warily.

"Don't try to fool me."

"?"

Lu Ban looked at the other person's behavior and a question mark appeared above his head.

“During this time, countless people have come up with the pretext of knowing Lady Frostheart. Some say they know Lady Frostheart and can provide the location of the Promised Land, while others say they need money to explore the Promised Land. You are clearly not locals, how could you possibly know Lady Frostheart!”

The poet remarked that these days, the threshold for becoming a con artist is far too low. If these two knew Lady Frostheart, they would have already been taken to the academy to enjoy themselves; there would be no need for them to block him on the road.

"You'll definitely claim to know extra information about the Promised Land, then trick me into keeping it all for yourself, and run away with all my possessions, right?"

He seems to know a lot about how to scam people.

“We do know additional information about the Promised Land.”

Lu Ban spoke the truth.

"See? I knew you couldn't fool me!"

Hearing the poet and Lu Ban's discussion, Feng Yu sighed and then spoke.

"How about this, you take us to the academy and confront Lady Frostheart face to face. That way, if we are liars, you can arrest us on the spot. If we know her, then you've done us a favor."

Upon hearing Feng Yu's words, the poet fell into thought, and after a moment, he nodded.

"You make a very good point."

The poet replied.

"I'll take you to Lady Frostheart, don't even think about running away."

Then he led the way.

Lu Ban followed behind him and glanced at Feng Yu.

"That's impressive."

"..."

Feng Yu remained silent, looking at Lu Ban with the gaze one would give a simpleton.