No matter how suspicious they were, everyone still had some doubts in their hearts. After all, only Alex had seen Edmund. Now that he was back in the wasteland, there was a chance to find him again.
In the afternoon, Jean took people to a nearby empty ticket station and bought tickets to the ruins from there. The nobles themselves are encouraging the exploration of the ruins, and the discount privileges enjoyed by Heike are also applicable here. Let's get a group bus ticket at an extremely low price, and Dacapo's operation speed is indeed as they advertised. So fast, within ten seconds of using the ticket, a green double-decker bus stopped next to me.
"Let's go." Yan Rong was the first to get into the car. There was no one in the car, not even a driver - technology like self-driving was nothing to the aristocrats, and because this car led to the ruins, normally no one would sit in it, so it was normal for it to be empty.
The seats in the car looked a little old, but they were all clean. Lu Ning could smell the smell of wood and leather soaked in time. She walked to the second floor. It was no different from the first floor, but the perspective was higher. Some. After everyone was seated and fastened their seat belts, the bus started immediately. Lu Ning did not feel the effect of inertia, but the scenery outside the window suddenly became blurry, and the vehicle rushed across the front in a way that completely ignored all obstacles. Everything, this speed is even faster than the previous horse-drawn carriage - it seems natural that the bus is faster than the horse-drawn carriage?
Lu Ning couldn't see exactly what was passing outside the window. The blurry blocks of color formed by the buildings seemed to have turned into a distorted projection. For a moment, she didn't even think that the car would stop...
Immediately, the car stopped.
Everything outside the window became clear again. The car was parked in front of a deserted park. Two iron gates were tightly locked together with several large locks. Through the fence of the iron gate, one could see that the park was already desolate and full of weeds. The roots of some trees even broke through the paved masonry ground. The humus accumulated over the years covered the area that was supposed to be a lawn. Occasionally, some small beasts could be seen passing by.
Everyone who got off the car came to the closed iron gate. There was an iron sign beside the door, like an entry instruction.
[The glorious, far-sighted and wise king built a park here to commemorate his achievements in religious research.
With reverence, please search here for the knowledge that the King left us.
General Garden: 117 steps to the right.
Natural Theology Park: 82 steps to the left.
Garden of Religious Texts: Steps 7 and 6.
The Garden of Religious Theory: Step 662.
Garden of Faith: 709 steps to the right.
Church Ministry Garden: 1, 2, 4, 8 steps to the right.
Secular Theological Academy: Step 1,186.
Religious History Garden: 599 steps to the left.
Branch sect garden: 903 steps to the left.
Pan-Religious Garden: Around the tail end square.
You should be prepared to be thirsty for knowledge and pay a certain price for those proud wisdom, including your life. 】
"Well, it seems that this man... no, the king, is highly respected, isn't he?" Yuan Jie said helplessly after reading the iron plate, "Even if he leaves such a park, he is treated like this."
"You have to admit, if that book in school is just one of the many achievements in his life, then he is indeed quite powerful." Zhu Qinyuan put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the iron gate, "This is the ruins... …There really is no danger at all from the outside.”
It's normal to not see it from the outside. The king's relics are always different, and there are only a few that can be seen as dangerous at a glance. After all, the original purpose of the king is to leave some things to his people.
"According to the intelligence, the central part has been searched the most. Few people go to both sides. The two gardens of religious classics and religious theories have basically been searched. If it were me, I would suggest starting from both sides. Choose a park.”
"What is natural theology?" Yan Rong asked.
"About God, the concept and nature of God, the relationship between God and humans, including some connections between science and religion... and so on." Lu Ning said, "I don't really like to go to that kind of place. I always feel that I will be exposed to some strange things. Something that makes people unhappy.”
"You seem to know a lot about this..." Lian Bisheng glanced at Lu Ning sideways, "Then if you have any recommendations, why don't you tell me."
"Secular theology." Lu Ning said decisively, "Religious things are always related to many strange things. Only secular theology is better, involving things like religious festivals, architecture, decoration, public worship, Things like preaching are all about people. I would rather deal with a hundred people than a possible God."
"I don't think it's that exaggerated... But since you think so, let's go to Secular Theological Academy." Yan Rong certainly supported Lu Ning's decision.
The rest of the people also agreed. After all, not everyone has done in-depth research on this part. Lu Ning doesn't know much, but compared to others, he at least knows what these things are.
You can only climb over the wall to enter the park. This is not a big problem. After everyone fell into the park, Lu Ning immediately felt that her feet were soft. Even the stone pavement was covered with a lot of humus. If she didn't pay attention, she would step on it. arrive.
"This place doesn't look like someone comes here often." Zhu Qinyuan looked around.
"Almost all religions in the outer city are cults. It's normal for people who grew up in this environment not to come to a place like this. The fact that the floor hasn't completely turned into mud is proof that someone will come." Lian Bisheng used a weapon. He poked the ground.
When walking inside, there will be some scattered signs indicating the direction. The flooded road does not belong to any park. It can be seen from the overgrown bushes that can barely distinguish all previous plans. Still designed with care.
But after walking about fifty meters, bones began to be seen.
Some of them were still white and had obviously died not long ago, while others had turned yellow and had some holes hollowed out. On the way, Yuan Jie stabbed a huge rat with a flying knife. Its eyes were bright red, showing its ferocity.
"I've probably eaten human flesh." Yuan Jie stepped on the mouse and killed it. "Ordinary animals are not so unafraid of people."
"This is close to the first park. Someone must have died here. There are many types of treasures, and no one knows what kind of danger they will encounter." Zhu Qinyuan looked ahead and saw a building covered with moss. A high stone platform with some sculptures and the like.
"Go around, secular theology is at the end." Lu Ning didn't look at it at all. He knew what the religious books included. From the comparison of the cleanliness, he could tell that this place must be the most visited place.
The Supreme Apostle... This name was probably decided by the nobles. In that case, there must be some meaning in it.
Continuing to walk along the vaguely visible gravel road, passing through a lush boulevard and passing the Religious Theory Park, everyone finally saw their destination not far away.
"Does it take so long to walk more than 1,100 steps?" Yuan Jie turned his head and glanced behind him in confusion, "I feel like almost half an hour has passed."
"The number of steps has been exceeded for a long time. It is probably not a measurement of stride length, or the stride length is abnormal." Lian Bisheng said slowly, "But it is a good thing to be able to see the target."
There are many miniature architectural models in this place. Since they are all made of stone, most of the appearance is still retained. Stepping into the mini street is like walking into an exhibition of religious buildings. There are some stone tablets behind each building. The incomplete words on them describe the origin of the building, religious connotation, related religious activities and some of the clothing decorations of the preachers.
"It looks like an abandoned landscape park... I originally thought the ruins were a weirder place."
Lu Ning walked around a building model. Although it was a model, religious buildings were always majestic and tall after all. Even after being scaled down, they were not too small. They were close to three meters in height, and many details were restored very well. Exquisite.
The breeze blew by, and the rustling in my ears disappeared.
She glanced at the stone tablet next to the building and slowly put her hand on the handle of the knife. The situation was not very clear, but it was still expected. After getting ready, Lu Ning quickly turned around. There was no one behind him. He turned around and walked a few steps. His companions who were supposed to be looking at the building behind him had disappeared.
Taking another step was like crossing a dividing line. The overgrown and yellow weeds suddenly became much more vivid, the sky turned into a deep blue color, the refreshing wind blew across the face, and the stone road returned to order. Orderly.
Lu Ning suddenly turned around and saw the pedestrians and tourists. She was in a lively atmosphere. People were chatting loudly and shuttled between the landscapes, discussing the origins, legends and related great figures of each building. Their clothes and accents vary, but everyone looks full of enthusiasm and vitality, regardless of age or gender.
"Past? Memories?" Lu Ning quickly ran through several possibilities in her mind. At this moment, someone came towards her. It was a young man wearing a blue noble dress with complicated but not complicated patterns. Not messy. The young man had a warm smile on his face, which made people feel quite fond of him.
"Madam, may I ask...what are you looking for?"
Being able to communicate with the people here may add something to the guessing.
Lu Ning was multitasking, thinking about the current situation while communicating with young people to try to get more information.
"Sorry, I just can't bear to see it."
"Are you a tourist from afar? Indeed, your clothes are not customary for people in the royal capital." The young man said politely, "If you have any obvious preferences, then I may be able to serve as a tour guide for you temporarily. Fan?"
"Are all the people in the capital so enthusiastic?" Lu Ning smiled, "That would be troublesome. I would like to know about the affairs related to the mainstream religion in the capital now."
The young man immediately nodded: "No problem! I can lead you now! Introduce yourself, my name is Leslie, what about you?"
Lu Ning held his outstretched hand: "Lu Ning."
Leslie was an excellent tour guide and knew the place like the back of his hand. He quotes scriptures and can come up with many historical allusions to things like theology, religion, and spirituality. Even if Lu Ning is not interested in the development of religion here, he still enjoys it.
The sky was getting dark, and Lu Ning didn't notice any other unusual changes, so she thought Leslie said that she should leave, and Leslie immediately said goodbye to her politely.
"He should be the main person here, but what kind of treasure is this?" Lu Ning started to walk towards the gate of the park. At this time, there were still many tourists stopping in all the parks. Some people even prayed on the high platform. Some religious figures He also loudly promotes his doctrinal ideas here, which does not sound like a cult.
"If this is the past, why are you showing me this?"
Lu Ning walked out of the iron gate, stood still, and turned around again.
The scenery changed again - brilliant red clouds dyed the sky red, but since there were no celestial bodies here, it was difficult to tell whether it was dawn or dusk. Leslie stood at the door. He had obviously grown up a little, and even grew a short beard, and his clothes also had some more decorations and badges. When he saw Lu Ning, his low mood became high again.
"Lu Ning? I really didn't expect to see you again after so many years. You... really haven't changed much."
"Yeah, it's been a long time. I forgot how many years it was. Leslie, how are you doing recently? You don't look very happy."
"I can't say I'm unhappy, I just feel... a little tired. Since I took on other positions, there haven't been many people managing here - no, I'm not saying that being appreciated by the king is a bad thing, After all, it is my honor to serve His Majesty the King. However, this park is also an important place for the King, and I cannot let it go..."
"You can entrust someone else to take care of this place. If one person can't do it, find a few more." Lu Ning gave him an idea.
"Of course I tried, but it didn't work. Just look at the situation now. There are fewer and fewer tourists, and those church members are not very willing to come. The several administrators sent are not good, and it is not that they have neglected their duties. , I haven't figured out the problem yet." Leslie was a little depressed, "But it's always a joy to see a friend again."
"Leslie, you know so much about theology, but you don't seem to have the habits of a clergyman in your words?" Lu Ning asked him.
"Of course, I am a non-religious person. I am very fascinated by theology and have conducted in-depth research. But you have to know that if you have faith, you will not be able to conduct objective and fair research. This is not the path I should take. , I am carefully avoiding.”
Lu Ning followed Leslie into the park again. There were not many changes here. The changes in the trees and vegetation could only be said to be minimal. Maybe the collection was richer, but - this is a park after all, not a collection of books or an exhibition hall. How could anyone come consistently to such a place?
The gray color gradually swallowed up the red clouds in the sky, and the scenery returned to a withered state. Leslie's body slowly became a little stooped, and his hair gradually turned gray. The clothes on his body slowly changed color, from bright blue to bright blue. Turning into a deep blue, he turned his head, his wrinkled face showed an apologetic smile to Lu Ning, and then disappeared into the air.
