Chapter 26: Picking Up the Leavings

Chapter 26: A Fortuitous Find

A few minutes later, aboard the steamship.

By trading the meager resources they had on hand, the group managed to conceal their gear and board smoothly, securing a cabin at the stern.

From the conversation between Xu Lie and the ship's owner, Chen Jian gained a new understanding of the rivalry between the Machine God Cult and the Holy Blood Hall.

Clearly, they were not wholly opposed.

On the contrary, the two forces coexist in a blend of cooperation and confrontation; though there are tensions, they have not yet escalated to an irreconcilable, all‑out war.

Especially among the lower‑rank members, their relations are even quite amicable.

This explains why Xu Lie earlier claimed he could send his pistol to the Machine God Cult to 'appease the machine spirits,' and also why they could trek all the way from Jinling to Chuansha just to slay a fourth‑tier monster.

They do not rely solely on legs; the Machine God Cult operates transport ships on the river and steam trucks on land, few in number but sufficient if planned well.

Though the world lies shattered, its formidable vitality still drives it to lurch forward with astonishing resilience.

When the whistle blew over the river, carved by ten thousand years of flow, Chen Jian seemed to hear a hymn.

——

It was not merely seeming.

The Machine God Cult's crew were truly singing.

"In the name of holy power, loudly praise the Trinity; all glory belongs to the God of Myriad Machines!"

"May loyal gears never rust; may holy powder never decay!"

"One whistle blast! Push the lever, engage the pistons and pumps!"

"Two whistle blasts! Turn the rudder, ignite the engine, infuse life!"

"Three whistle blasts! Sing in unison, acclaim the God of Myriad Machines!"

"From confusion and ignorance, the Holy Trinity saves us!"

"From the desolation of ruins, steel shields us!"

"From the claws of monsters, powder protects us!"

"From the lure of mutation, steam purifies us!"

"From this life's rotting cage, the Machine God sets us free!"

"Trinity! Trinity!"

"We exalt the name of the saint!"

Chen Jian, the more he listened, the more uneasy he felt; he turned to Shen Yue beside him and asked:

‘The Trinity they’re singing—could it be the same Trinity I’m thinking of?’

Shen Yue fiddled with the single‑shot rifled rifle seized from the villagers of Xia Ma Town, clicking his tongue twice, and said:

‘I’d guess it’s exactly that Trinity.’

‘Why don’t they sing about Xugong or Yizhong instead? Are those two not worthy enough?’

‘They probably just haven’t seen them.’

Chen Jian, forehead creased in thought, continued:

‘Most likely the founder of the Machine God Cult saw a gantry crane from Sany Heavy Industry somewhere and was stunned by that colossal machinery.’

‘Or perhaps this group already had some connection to the Trinity, passed down generation after generation; what began as an ordinary name gradually acquired religious significance.’

‘This is rather funny. You don’t think the Holy Blood Hall’s saint would be called Tan Jiazhen, do you?’

Leijie opposite him gave a mysterious smile and replied:

‘Following their logic, I think it should be called Dolly.’

‘A cloned sheep? How abstract.’

Chen Jian turned his head toward Xu Lie not far away and asked:

‘Hey, does the Holy Blood Hall have a saint?’

‘Of course not.’

Xu Lie answered at once:

‘Didn’t I say that already? We are an enterprising sect; we would never deem those ancient strongmen as saints.’

‘We will only be stronger than they were!’

‘Good, very spirited!’

Chen Jian gave him a thumbs‑up; Xu Lie, thinking it was genuine praise, instantly broke into a smile.

‘Of course we’re spirited; the Holy Blood Hall is the true beacon of the wasteland, we’

‘Knock knock knock!’

His words were cut short when the cabin door was suddenly rapped.

Chen Jian warily moved his hand toward the pistol hidden beneath his clothing, while Xu Lie made a gesture indicating he need not be overly tense.

‘They must have come to trade.’

‘This ship isn’t carrying only our batch of passengers; some civilians also hitch a ride’

Speaking thus, Xu Lie opened the door.

And sure enough, the visitor was merely a man with a little girl. The man’s demeanor was respectful; upon seeing Xu Lie he immediately bowed his head and said:

‘Honored sir, we heard you have food to trade.’

‘I have some fine‑quality metal and gears; would you be willing to trade with us?’

Xu Lie did not answer right away, but said:

‘Let me first see what you have.’

The man hastily reached into his pocket behind him and carefully pulled out its contents.

A heap of gears, stainless steel flashing silver, a bit of brass, and a few aluminum sheets.

At first glance it looked like a pile of junk, even to a local like Xu Lie.

‘We don’t need any of this.’

‘But if you need food, we can share some with you—remember, this is a gift from the Holy Blood Hall!’

‘Praise the Holy Blood Hall!’

The man beamed with joy, while the girl hiding behind him blinked her eyes, eyeing Xu Lie with curiosity.

She had certainly heard the name of the Holy Blood Hall before, but perhaps she could not yet grasp its meaning.

Xu Lie took out a few packets of the wheat‑flour dry rations that Chen Jian had already eaten, handed them to the girl, and gently stroked her head, playing out the ‘God loves mankind’ act to the fullest.

Chen Jian found it amusing, yet he refrained from voicing any mockery.

After all, this is the law of this land; as an outsider, what right does he have to question it?

The man who had obtained the food was preparing to leave with the girl, but at the very moment she turned around, Chen Jian suddenly noticed that she was fiddling with something in her hand.

It was a pure black metal cube, with an LCD screen on its front.

Whenever the girl pressed the sole button on its side, the screen would briefly display a string of characters.

Chen Jian could not discern the exact information of the characters, but he instinctively felt that this object was not ordinary.

“Wait a moment!”

Chen Jian called out to them, then immediately asked:

“Little one, could you let uncle have a look at your toy?”

The little girl glanced up at her father, and after he nodded, she hesitantly handed the object over to Chen Jian.

Chen Jian took it, glanced at it, and decisively said:

“We want this; name your price.”

The man froze for a moment, seemingly realizing the item's value and wanting to raise the price, but after glancing at Xu Lie and the others nearby, who watched him like tigers eyeing prey, he swallowed the words he had been about to say.

“It’s just a little toy. If you want it, take it.”

Chen Jian nodded, then said to Xu Lie:

“Give him some gold, deduct it from my reward.”

“How much?”

Xu Lie hesitated not, and immediately complied.

“About the worth of several dozen pistol rounds, you decide.”

“Understood.”

Xu Lie immediately reached into his pocket, pulled out several dozen gold grains, selected one of appropriate size, and handed it to the man.

The man was overjoyed; he never imagined he could sell this thing for such a high price without even having to haggle.

The gold grain Xu Lie gave him was at least over forty grams, enough to buy him two months’ worth of food.

He hastily took the gold grain, thanked them profusely, and left.

As soon as he departed, Xu Lie immediately stepped forward and asked:

“What is this thing? Why is it worth so much money?”

Chen Jian stowed the item away without changing expression, and replied:

“It is a ballistic calculator; it can compute a firearm’s trajectory, used to calibrate the weapon.”

“I see.”

Xu Lie suddenly understood, then boredly wandered off.

——

He had no need for this device, for the Saint Blooded fought only in close-quarters melee; perhaps only the Machine God Cult and these few God-Chosen would require such a thing.

But he did not know that, after he turned away, Chen Jian quietly made a few gestures behind his back.

Accompanied by lip movements, it was the simplest sign language.

And this sign language means:

“Code breaker.”

“A code breaker with coordinates!”

(End of chapter)