I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Even though teenagers are considered adults in the wilderness, it seems that the limitations of the human body still exist.

Teenagers are easily fooled by a few words.

The college, located between the oasis and the pyramid, is a square building.

Although it's called an academy, the main part is actually a library. Moreover, no classes are taught here. Only explorers who go out to explore the ruins will bring the items they collect here for appraisal, collection, and analysis.

As Lu Ban walked along the road, he saw some remnants of modern technology, but most of these products were not originally intended for any purpose.

The "dish lid" that received the signal actually became a dish lid, filled with miscellaneous items; car wheels were mounted on a horse-drawn carriage; and tablets and mobile phones were used as mirrors.

I've heard that inside those pyramids, there are refrigerators and washing machines, which can only be operated by the power of a saint.

This is probably a common phenomenon in the wasteland: people use high-tech things, but they can't manufacture them.

The purpose of excavating ruins is to restore the level of technology that was once available.

Along the way, Lu Ban also saw some campaign slogans, such as "The Quicksand Council will make Utopia great again," "Your loyal guardians, the Wild Wolf Guard," and "You can always trust the Yellow Sand Brotherhood."

Lu Ban also saw the academy's slogan.

Humanity's future lies deep in the desert.

Well, it's quite in line with the college's pragmatic style.

It's just not very persuasive.

Following the tactics Lu Ban learned from the candidates on Earth, regardless of whether one could actually do it, the first thing to do was to exaggerate and paint a rosy picture, so as not to lose in terms of momentum and thus win votes.

As for tactics like attacking competitors, sabotaging them behind their backs, or bribing them, let's not even go there; using those in Utopia would be considered a sin against the gods.

As Lu Ban entered the academy, he saw a group of people studying a bicycle intently, pondering its operating principles, while another group of people were racking their brains over an aircraft engine, trying to disassemble its engine cover.

The three of them quickly arrived at the second floor of the academy, where a large number of books were displayed. Lu Ban glanced at them and found that the vast majority of them were literary and entertainment works, with very few involving science and technology.

It seems that the old era has come to an end, and people have given up on development and survival, and most of them are addicted to entertainment and unable to extricate themselves.

Among the bookshelves, Lu Ban spotted the familiar woman. She was browsing through books with two other women. Noticing the commotion, the woman looked up.

"Poet... Hmm? It's you?"

Chapter 857 Idealists

Shuangxin never imagined that she would see Lu Ban again.

She had assumed that Lu Ban had died in the storm of insects, since surviving an attack by those insects was unimaginable.

But now, Lu Ban was standing right in front of him, alive and well!

Unbelievable!

"Mr. Lu..."

In the brief pause between her reflections, Shuangxin quickly came up with a possibility.

This is a fake!

It is possible that people from other city-states disguised themselves as Lu Ban to gain Shuang Xin's trust and attempt to conquer Utopia from within.

But then she thought again, only the three of them knew of Lu Ban's existence. She had only told the Senate's higher-ups, including the Sage, about Lu Ban. Even if they knew the name Lu Ban, they couldn't possibly know what Lu Ban looked like.

"It seems you're doing quite well."

Lu Ban was unaware of Shuang Xin's thoughts; he looked around.

"I thought you had also perished in the swarm's attack, but it seems you escaped."

Hearing Lu Ban's words, Shuang Xin felt a little relieved.

She didn't know how Lu Ban survived, but according to Mr. Du, Lu Ban must be someone with some special power, just like him.

So, looking back now, it's quite normal that Lu Ban was able to survive such a predicament.

"...So, you really know each other?"

The poet looked at the two men and they seemed quite familiar with each other.

"Yes, poet, let me introduce you to Lu Ban, the one who led us to the Promised Land."

Shuangxin then looked at Feng Yu, who was standing next to Lu Ban.

She really didn't recognize this person.

"I am Feng Yu."

Feng Yu noticed the other person's confusion and introduced himself.

"Hello."

Shuangxin greeted him politely, then looked at Lu Ban.

"You've come at the right time. We were preparing to organize an expedition to explore the Promised Land, which has been altered by the continuous torrential rains. However, the Senate does not agree to our departure."

She didn't hide anything and said it directly.

"The sage is about to step down, and such explorations must be put on hold until a new sage is chosen. Furthermore, according to the intelligence the academy has obtained so far, the other competing forces do not want to explore the Promised Land."

Shuangxin briefly explained the major powers currently supported by the Senate of Utopia.

First and foremost is the academy. As the main force for exploration, it requires a lot of resources and has a natural conflict with other forces.

The Wild Wolf Guard is responsible for maintaining order in the city. They are the army of Utopia. The Wild Wolf Guard's main strategy is to develop agriculture, strengthen defenses, and live their own lives.

The Yellow Sand Brotherhood was composed of wealthy merchants who advocated for the development of trade routes and friendly exchanges with other city-states.

The Council of Shifting Sands sounds like a legitimate organization, but it is actually an organization of young people under the Council of Elders. Most of them are people with extraordinary abilities, but their views are extremely hardline. They want to wage war against other city-states and seize more resources.

Of the various factions, only the Shifting Sands Council maintained a neutral stance in the exploration of the Promised Land and was willing to push the Academy to send people to explore it after taking power.

This is easy to understand. For the Wild Wolf Guard, their base is in Utopia. If they were to explore the Promised Land and develop a second Utopia there, the Wild Wolf Guard's power would be weakened. In fact, due to the resources and rain of the Promised Land, that place might be more developed than the original Utopia, which is unacceptable to them.

The Sand Brotherhood is primarily driven by the interests of merchants, so naturally they want to develop travel-based commerce. However, the resources that might be obtained from exploring the Promised Land could render some of their goods worthless, which would be a huge loss for them.

The Council of Shifting Sands needs to expand its military strength through the excavation of the Promised Land in order to have a chance to fight against external enemies.

"So, all you're thinking about is exploring that city, nothing else?"

After listening, Feng Yu asked in return.

"What else?"

Shuangxin was puzzled.

"For example, exploring the city to obtain resources can improve the lives of citizens; those facilities can develop productivity; abundant rainfall can grow more crops... and so on?"

Feng Yu said tentatively.

"These things have nothing to do with us."

Shuangxin replied.

She genuinely doesn't seem to care about these things.

"Then why do you go to explore those ruins?"

Feng Yu couldn't help but ask.

"Initially, it was to solve the Zerg swarm problem. Now that the Zerg swarm problem has been solved, the desire is to learn more about the old era and gain more knowledge."

Shuang said matter-of-factly.

It's as if exploring ruins and seeking knowledge is an instinct like eating and drinking.

"That's why you don't have much support..."

Feng Yu commented.

Lu Ban quickly understood.

This group of scholars only thought about exploring the world, but had no intention of changing their own living environment.

Simply put, they are a group of people who, upon seeing a math problem, will instinctively try to solve it without first considering the purpose of the problem.

They are not pragmatists, but more like a group of idealists.

Such a person, of course, cannot gain the understanding of most people.

In the wilderness, the citizens of Utopia worry about what to eat tonight, what to eat tomorrow, and how long they can live, while these scholars study the origin of the world and the stars in the sky.

Imagine you can't even keep your job and don't know where your next meal will come from. If someone talks to you about the stars and the sea, you'd probably think they're crazy and wouldn't bother with them.

That's how it is in academies.

Whether they are detached from the masses or immersed in their own world, they are just that kind of people.

Feng Yu glanced at Lu Ban.

"These people seem unlikely to succeed; if you have a choice, it's best not to choose them."

She said in a low voice.

For Lu Ban's mission, the academy is obviously a rather difficult option to win. At any time, humans can only see the immediate benefits. Although exploring ruins can yield ten or a hundred times the profit, most people can only see the small harvest in front of them.

This is also related to the average life expectancy in the wasteland. For these people, let alone thirty years from now, even ten years from now is unimaginable. They prefer to live in the present.

The Vegetable-Growing Skeleton's Expansion into a Foreign Land

"Haha, Mr. Du said something similar to us. We are also working on improving our approach and finding something that can convince everyone, but it's not that easy."

Shuangxin said.

"Mr. Du?"

Lu Ban knew that ordinary people in the wasteland used their abilities as code names, and there would be no name like his.

So, this Mr. Du...

"Yes, speaking of which, you might know him."

Shuangxin seemed to remember something and pointed to a room.

“He’s right here, Mr. Du Danping.”

Chapter 858 Democracy