Chapter 1035: Unexpected Visitor

Chapter 1035: An Unexpected Visitor

The next morning at dawn.

The Dolphin slipped quietly out of the port of Golden Galleon, just as it had arrived.

Though Dora was rather interested in staying a few more days to look around, the sheer number of people here made it impossible.

Thanks to the media’s sensational coverage, almost everyone in Golden Galleon knew about this guest from Nandimen.

Including psychic energy.

Although the Alliance had never hinted at any connection between this spiritual power and religious faith, Dora could still feel the surging tide of fervor.

Ever since the major evening newspapers published the relevant information, they were blocked wherever they went.

Even as the group was leaving Golden Galleon, a spectacle of pilgrimage erupted at the port, nearly causing a stampede.

“Honored... Lady Dora, my left eyelid has been twitching lately. I humbly beg you to deign to cast a fortune for me.”

“You... you can see the dead, can’t you? Please, could you take a look at my father...”

“Milord! I-I-I am a rat-man! I burn incense to the Rat God every day, but after twenty years of worship, I haven’t gotten rich. Could you check if the Rat God is still there? Or... is the Silver Moon Goddess more powerful?”

“By the Tree of Insov! Grant me peace!”

Though most were just curious onlookers, and only a small fraction were truly “devout,” it was still terrifying enough.

Given the population base of Golden Galleon, the surging crowd nearly pushed the guards maintaining order into the sea.

The sight of that unified worship startled Dora, leaving her at a loss for what to do.

Fortune-telling?

What was that?

The locals’ own Tree of Insov?

But no matter how hard she tried, all she saw was the shadow of a single person...

The cargo submarine slowly descended, switching to cruise mode.

Only when the crowd disappeared from sight did Dora, standing before the floor-to-ceiling window of the bridge, speak with lingering fear.

“The people here are too enthusiastic...”

Night Ten, standing nearby, teased.

“Now you know what it feels like to be asked like you’re a ‘Why Encyclopedia,’ huh?”

Dora blushed and said apologetically, “S-sorry.”

She indeed had many things she didn’t know and wanted to understand; she hadn’t meant to cause trouble for others.

Including what exactly that “Why Encyclopedia” was—she still hadn’t figured it out, but was too embarrassed to ask.

Night Ten cleared his throat and said, “...I was just making a casual remark. It’s not to the point where you need to apologize. If there’s something you really don’t understand, it’s better to ask.”

Actually, this experience was good.

Before, she had too strong an idol filter for the “Progenitor,” treating everyone with excessive caution.

That kind of interaction was exhausting.

Because one person’s idol filter meant another person’s idol burden.

Not everyone enjoyed that “pleasure.”

And now she should have realized that even the “heaven” where the “Progenitor” lived wasn’t the flawless paradise she had imagined.

The cargo submarine traveled north along the east coast of the Bolo Province and docked at the harbor of Mammoth City.

The situation here was completely different from the cyberpunk-style hodgepodge of Golden Galleon.

Beyond the port, rows of concrete grid buildings with high floor-area ratios stood, while the core port area featured elegantly decorated, clean churches.

The two distinct zones formed a stark contrast, like a cow’s head on a horse’s body.

However, due to the high degree of secularization among the local Protestants and the fact that the original Mammoth tribe’s beliefs were not deeply rooted—leaning more toward “practicality”—the two sides got along fairly well.

Thanks to the vast wealth brought by Silver Moon Bay immigrants and the abundant local labor resources, this settlement, once submerged by floods, had risen from the ashes. Riding several waves of the times, it had become one of the few production bases with heavy industry heritage along the Bolo Sea coast.

This was also one of the political legacies left by Rasi.

Seeing the port reappear on the floor-to-ceiling window, Dora looked curiously at Night Ten and asked, “Are we at Silver Moon Bay?”

Night Ten smiled and said, “Almost there. This is Mammoth City, not far from Silver Moon Bay. Both this place and Golden Galleon are survivor settlements in the Bolo Province. The port area here is somewhat similar to Silver Moon Bay. We don’t plan to stop here—just take a look from afar.”

Dora nodded, half-understanding, and turned her gaze to the window. “Similar...? But I feel the atmosphere here is so heavy. Is it because of famine?”

Night Ten wasn’t very familiar with the situation here, so he looked at Han Mingyue.

Due to her professional field and her students having taught in this area, she had heard something about the local conditions.

Meeting Dora’s curious gaze, she thought for a moment and said, “No, there’s no famine here. But it has experienced some upheavals. Including war, internal strife, and so on... In short, many people died. And strict laws might also be a factor. It’s certainly not as free as Golden Galleon.”

“Are the laws different within the same province?” Dora asked, puzzled. “Do they have different... chieftains?”

“Not just different chieftains—the overall social currents are worlds apart, like between you and the Qiu people. You believe in spiritualism; the Qiu believe in materialism. Golden Galleon... for now, it’s like us, egalitarian, at least on the surface. Mammoth State is the other end of the scale, leaning toward authoritarianism. Even if they seem closer to us, we must recognize that.”

Pausing for a moment, Han Mingyue curled her lips and continued, “As for the laws, the differences are huge. In Golden Galleon, committing a mistake at most gets you locked in a small dark room. But here, you might not only be locked up but also get your bottom spanked.”

Dora shrank her neck. “Then let’s not go...”

She worried about offending the locals due to unfamiliar customs.

Seeing her nervousness, Han Mingyue burst out laughing and said teasingly, “No need to worry that much. As long as you act like a normal person, you won’t have to worry about getting spanked.”

“The architecture here is quite interesting—not as chaotic as Golden Galleon.”

Little Koala was taking a photo from afar in front of the floor-to-ceiling window and storing the data in its database.

After half an hour, it spoke in an electronic voice tinged with anticipation. “I’m starting to get curious about what Silver Moon Bay looks like.”

...

As Night Ten had said, Silver Moon Bay was on the other side of the Zhuobar Mountains, not far from Mammoth. This semi-arc-shaped port resembled a crescent moon at night.

Just like in Golden Galleon, as soon as they disembarked, they were warmly welcomed by the locals.

Although many had already seen photographs in the newspapers, most locals still yearned to behold with their own eyes the elegance of that guest from Nanmen Er.

Fortunately, the population here was not as vast as in Golden Harbor; though the port was crowded for a time, it did not bring traffic to a standstill across several streets as it had when they first left Golden Harbor.

With the experience from Golden Harbor behind her, Dora was much more composed this time, merely smiling and waving to the people in a gesture of goodwill, no longer showing any signs of unease.

The group boarded a special car at the port bound for the train station.

Shortly after arriving at the station, they even encountered members of the Silver Moon Bay Municipal Council, and envoys sent by the King of the Hump Kingdom.

Watching the group alight at the station entrance, the bearded envoy, from afar, spread his arms with a smile and warmly approached, offering the greetings of the Hump Kingdom to all.

Especially when facing Ye Shi, after a warm embrace, he solemnly grasped his hand.

"Respected Mr. Ye Shi, on behalf of the King of the Hump Kingdom, I extend to you the highest esteem! Thank you for thwarting the Celestials' plan and saving our tottering world."

This flattery pleased Ye Shi quite a bit.

Yet he was no longer the brash youth of before; his vision and insight had grown considerably.

Faced with the envoy's praise, he merely chuckled inwardly, maintaining a humble smile as he spoke.

"That was not my achievement alone; it was the result of everyone uniting together."

Seeming somewhat surprised that his composure differed from the intelligence, the envoy's expression flickered with slight astonishment, but he quickly picked up the conversation.

After exchanging pleasantries, he courteously laid out the royal invitation.

"...May I have the honor of inviting you and your traveling companions to Hump City? Our sovereign wishes to host you for a few days."

Ye Shi replied with polite grace.

"Please convey to your sovereign that we appreciate his kindness, but our journey has already been delayed too long. To keep to the agenda of the Sticky Commonwealth, we must hasten our trip to Dawn City... I fear we can only visit another time."

"That... is truly a pity."

The envoy wore a regretful expression but said no more, merely nodding respectfully.

"Please carry the greetings of the Hump Kingdom's survivors to Dawn City. We are forever your friends, and friends of the survivors of Nanmen Er. May the Spirit of the Sand Sea be with you, and may your journey be safe, to the ends of the universe."

"Thank you for your blessings; I shall bring them back to my homeland."

Ye Shi smiled and nodded, bidding farewell to the king's envoy.

Having finally dealt with all the social obligations, the group proceeded to the station's VIP waiting room.

This station was also one of the assets of the Niu Ma Group.

The railways across the entire Luoxia Province were largely built by several collectively held enterprises of the Alliance, merely entrusted to locally registered companies for operation.

This naturally included the Silver Moon Bay section.

Thus, even before the group disembarked, the Alliance had already coordinated to temporarily close the VIP waiting room.

After all, the foot traffic here was considerable, and any commotion or accident could arise.

Sitting in the waiting room, Dora eagerly turned to Ye Shi and asked.

"Why the Spirit of the Sand Sea? Don't the locals worship the Silver Moon Goddess?"

"That touches on the peculiarities of this place."

Gazing at the bustling platform outside the waiting room window, Ye Shi recalled the official lore database and spoke in a casual tone.

"The locals originally worshipped the Spirit of the Sand Sea, including its eschatology and the nostalgic attachment to the desert. But as time passed, the apocalypse never came, and even the coastal corner of Luoxia Province could maintain its lush scenery without relying on pre-war oasis systems. Naturally, the old narrative became outdated."

"So, some discontented with feudal traditions, having gained some power, made secular reforms to the faith's inexplicable aspects, blending them with real-life needs."

"For instance, one need not live on the desert for generations; a handful of sand from the homeland in one's pocket suffices. Or, believers born outside Luoxia Province don't even need sand—just a weekly prayer, and charity can substitute for worship."

Come to think of it, that last tenet was added by the Alliance's players.

Ye Shi recalled it started when a cat-eared player was seen by locals as an incarnation of the Silver Moon Goddess. Later, due to her and three companions' lively deeds there, the Silver Moon legend gained a few more pages promoting kindness.

From then on, the Silver Moon sect's followers had another mission.

Beyond trade and building churches, they gradually took up relief for the afflicted, teaching literacy, spreading knowledge, and such endeavors.

Even the pastor named Melchior, whom they had heard of in Golden Harbor, was a faithful practitioner of this doctrine.

In a sense, it was a kind of 'passing the torch.'

"I see..." Dora nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly spoke. "So, given enough time, could our theory of the 'Insof Tree' undergo new changes?"

"Pretty much," Ye Shi said casually. "As long as your society doesn't reject the birth of new things... Haven't you noticed? I think I mentioned it before—your faith in the Insof Tree is itself a reform based on our 'Dimension Theory.'"

The Insof Tree was first discovered by the crew of the Gemini. At that time, the Gaians were not yet divided into Forest Folk and Qiu Folk but lived like primitive tribes scattered in the woods, completely unenlightened.

After the Gemini crew imparted their discovery to the Gaians, it served as an enlightenment for the latter.

Yet they could not grasp concepts like ecological maintenance systems or higher dimensions, so they used their own wisdom to interpret higher-dimensional existence as deities.

It was actually a clever approach; the Forest Folk who devised it could be called geniuses.

But later, Tun Nan's self-importance was rather laughable—though that's another topic.

After hearing his answer, Dora seemed to understand something and finally let go of certain matters.

Before this journey, she had harbored the idea of persuading the 'Progenitors' to let her people join their world.

Or rather—

To have the Progenitors descend upon that backward, benighted planet, leading its people to a glorious evolution.

But now, she had finally relinquished that stubborn, somewhat naive fantasy.

Perhaps the Progenitors were right.

Maintaining a certain distance was the greatest kindness.

Even if someone pulled them into the sky, it didn't mean her kind could ascend to paradise.

That was a completely different concept from taking one or two individuals away. Freed from gravity's shackles, they would face, as a whole civilization, problems never encountered before.

And those harder, more complex issues might be ones they, still unable to walk, could never solve...

Unless they utterly abandoned their own civilization.

...

The train arrived.

The group was about to board.

Just then, on the platform before the train, they encountered a 'strange man.'

His face was wrapped in white cloth, his whole body swathed like a mummy.

Even in a place like Silver Moon Bay, such an outfit was avant-garde.

Yet surprisingly, the locals did not cast odd glances at him; rather, their looks carried a hint of respect.

And this respect even surpassed that for the king's envoy.

The man stared unblinkingly at Dora.

She, noticing his gaze, returned it with a curious look.

Ye Shi initially did not notice his presence.

Until he noticed Dora greeting someone in the crowd, and following her gaze, he spotted that strange fellow.

How did a guy dressed like that get through security?

He thought to himself, just wondering who that person was, when he saw the man reach up and untie the bandages from his face.

Looking at that pockmarked face, ugly to the very depths of the soul, Ye Shi was first stunned by its ugliness, then immediately recognized him.

"...White Dove?!"