The endless wilderness is filled with low red rocks and thriving wild grasses. The small town under the clear sky is like a black seal nestled in the wilderness.
The crash site of the Morning Star was near this small town called Ashton. Right now, everyone is resting in a coffee shop in the town. Servais ordered herself a large glass of iced chocolate. While enjoying the cold drink, she pouted and pointed at the road that ran through the town.
"Did you see that road? There are no trains or planes in this town. It relies entirely on roads and buses to connect with the outside world. Every time I come here, I have to ask the warehouse owner over there for help, otherwise I won't even have a place to park my boat. .”
Qin Qianbai also ordered a glass of iced chocolate, and a large dollop of tempting cream was added to her cup.
"I thought the cities and towns in Hezhong were just like those in the movies, with row upon row of high-rise buildings, single-person aircraft and giant projections occupying the sky."
"Caishi City is that kind of city." You Xia said, "But Fangshi Town is another kind of city, you know? This place is very big, and every town is different. There are always rich places and poor places."
As she spoke, she quietly tapped Qin Qianbai's wrist with her fingers, wanting to avenge the previous poke. Qin Qianbai used his little finger to parry the ranger's sneak attack, and the two sides fought for thirty seconds to once again prove the difference in their skills. Gongsun Ce watched the girls fight and felt relaxed and happy.
After the magnetic turbulence subsided, the signal was finally restored. Father Vincent has been using his large mobile phone to confirm the situation. Gongsun Ce speculated from the conversation that this man and Principal Onowell have a fairly good relationship with each other. Only then did he press the phone and smile apologetically.
"I really didn't expect it! I am a low-level priest and I never care about family affairs. What I need to do is the small church I am responsible for, so I don't know your actions at all... Is there anything you need my help with?"
Gongsun Ce scratched his head: "Actually, there is. To be honest, I am very confused about your country's history and culture - I mean the ones inside. For example, I really didn't know about your country before I came here. You are a part-time clergy member of the Impermanent Law, you hid it well enough, I didn’t notice it at all.”
"The Law of Impermanence?" Father Vincent smiled, "I don't understand the Law of Impermanence at all. I am an ordinary priest, just like the people you can see in every church."
"...?"
Islandia explained to the confused entourage: "In Ustes, clergy are the warriors who are at the forefront when defending their country. The 'Ustes Catholic Church' founded by the legendary saint has no regard for clergy." There are very high requirements for combat effectiveness, and every official priest has the qualities of a single soldier to suppress small-scale rebellions, so that he can protect the safety of the people in a chaotic world and promote the glory of the Supreme God."
"In other words, the priests and sisters are guaranteed to be skilled warriors?"
Vincent and Servais nodded naturally. The former picked up the small cross on his chest: "This is the standard weapon of our church. It uses metal folding technology. People with little strength cannot use it."
Qiluo raised her hand weakly: "Um...how many priests like you are there in total?"
"I'm really not sure." Vincent said, "There are priests stationed in every church. A small town like this only needs one priest, while a big city like Caishi City has many churches. It will also be managed by higher-level chief priests, monastic priests, etc. So we often say that God’s associates are all over the land, and everyone can be illuminated by the holy light.”
Gongsun Ce couldn't hold back anymore: "Sorry, the word you just used was 'associate'?"
"Is there any problem?" the old man asked strangely.
"It's okay, it's okay." Gongsun Ce took a sip of ice tea and said, "Please tell us about the history of the church. I can't wait to hear the story."
"I'm very happy!" Father Vincent smiled harmoniously, "You know, this is the priest's duty..."
The long history has turned a page in the old man's narration, and the story starts with the word Usters.
·
The United States of Usters is a fairly young country.
A long time ago, the Northern Continent was still a chaotic situation divided by various heroes. The diverse landforms brought about by the dragon phenomenon make people in various regions have different customs and traditions. Leaving a familiar environment to travel long distances often means death. It is almost impossible to establish a unified political power. The ancestors of the northern continent formed a primitive clan civilization, and they struggled to survive in this barbaric condition. Each primitive tribe is divided into one party and only unites to fight against the dragon phenomenon.
This situation lasted until the 180th year of the Yongguang calendar. They encountered the army of the Yongguang Empire during a southward expansion. It was the first exchange between the two civilizations. The exchanges between the two continents began with war and ended abruptly with the arrival of the dragon disaster.
After this war, the patriarchs of the Northern Continent came into contact with the system of the Yongguang Empire and understood that there was such a social form as a "country". What made them ecstatic was that their neighbors to the south decided to share the Impermanence Method with them, a magical technique for defeating dragon disasters.
The empire at that time was ruled by Xing'an Emperor Chi Yuhuang, and this heroic leader also had his own plans. The empire declares that the Technique of Impermanence is a technology that is difficult to control and cannot be handed over to every one of your forces. Only the strongest clans can be qualified to learn the Technique of Impermanence. Please tell the Empire who is the strongest among you.
Although the clans are barbaric, they are not stupid. They know that if their strength fails to learn how to fight among themselves first, then the empire will quietly do something, and then support a second-in-command to fight among themselves. Sooner or later, the clan leaders will be controlled by them. control. So the seven most powerful clans at the time got together, took advantage of the situation, and came up with a crude yet ingenious idea.
They gathered the most trustworthy elites of the seven clans together and made up a resounding name called "Usters", claiming that this was the strongest clan in the northern continent. After all, this was the first negotiation between the two parties, and due to the language barrier, the Imperial people saw that everyone in the clan was in high spirits and mighty, but they really didn't notice this little trick and actually believed it.
In this way, the "Usters" clan was recognized by the empire and qualified to learn the law of impermanence. The chiefs of the seven major clans celebrated each other and felt proud that they had deceived the civilized people in the south, thinking that they could use this magical power to conquer all directions and unify the world.
...However, don’t civilized people know how to play tricks?
Facts have proved that the Imperial people also have their own plans. They didn't tell the people in the north that the Impermanence Method can make people change. Therefore, in the process of learning the law of impermanence, members of the Ustus clan came into contact with the concepts of "righteousness" and "propriety". People who have righteousness and propriety are no longer barbarians. They begin to think independently about what they should do with their power.
Therefore, when the "Usters" who went to study returned, the patriarchs were surprised to find that some of the familiar people had become strangers. Ancient parchments describe them as follows: They became "as paranoid as a madman", "with the fanatical eyes of a demon possessed", and "acted as if they were daydreaming". And these people who have changed the most are the best among the lucky ones who have been selected to study. These people truly believe that the so-called "Usts" should continue to exist, that they should unite as a nation to defeat the Dragonscourge, and that the power of the Impermanence exists for this purpose.
The two parties who disagreed naturally broke up. Fortunately, there are more practitioners who retain their precious original aspirations. They returned to the clan and inherited the position of clan leader, assuming the heavy responsibility of the new leader. Those rebellious madmen left the clan and began to act as an independent organization, doing what they thought was right.
The seven clans that produced Usters were later called the "original families". Those madmen who left the family often used mithril weapons to fight, and they called themselves "mithril pillars".
·
"Sorry to interrupt." Gongsun Ce's tone was particularly weird, "So at the very beginning, Usters was a shell company used for fraud, and Mithril Pillar was a... non-governmental organization?"
"You can be honest, anti-government organization." Servais took a mouthful of frozen chocolate. "In the early years, the two sides often went to war. The Mithril Pillar said that the Siyuan family had no ambition and was selfish, and the Siyuan family scolded the secrets. The silver pillar is ungrateful and deceives the master and destroys the ancestors."
Rei Shigure looked at the natural expressions of the two locals and felt a little strange: "Don't you feel embarrassed to have such an origin?"
"What's the point? That was nearly two thousand years ago. How could our ancestors who didn't even have enough to eat know anything about morality and justice?" Father Vincent was very open-minded. "It's nonsense to say that our ancestors were all perfect." No nonsense. According to current standards, whose ancestors or elders have never done anything immoral."
"That's true..." Shigure Reishen felt the same way. Gongsun Ce secretly took a bite of Qin Qianbai's chocolate and asked, "What happens next?"
The old priest clutched the cross on his chest: "After that, it will be the story of the saint."
·
The struggle between the Mithril Pillar and the Siyuan Family runs through the history of the Northern Continent. They sometimes cooperate and sometimes fight among themselves, leading the mortals to stumble around on the earth and use the power of impermanence to open up new homes. The Siyuan family had an advantage in the first expansion because most people cared more about family blood than ideals. The Siyuan family accumulated considerable wealth and power in the process of opening up the wasteland, and established a primitive political power, while the Mithril Pillar was retreating steadily and was hidden in the dark side of history.
The civilization of the Northern Continent has been stumbling along for hundreds of years. They once tried to establish an empire, and then the unified regime collapsed less than two hundred years later. By the end of the tenth century, kingdoms large and small occupied the land. Wars and battles often occur, civilians are still threatened by the natural environment, and life has not gotten better.
It was during this period that a mysterious traveler stepped onto the stage of history.
He possesses great power and performs various incredible miracles during his travels. He brings rain in the driest areas, lights bonfires in the coldest areas, lights lamps in the never-ending nights, and builds homes in dangerous places where the winds roar. He flew over the battlefield like a bird, causing astonished men to drop their weapons. Everyone asked him why he came, and time and time again he got surprising answers. His goal is not the wealth or status that ordinary people desire, but an illusory concept.
He is looking for God.
From time to time, civilians from small settlements begged the traveler to stay, and there were always countries in the war that extended an olive branch to him. Even the leaders of the Mithril Pillar and the Siyuan family came to invite him in person. And he always refused because he never found his god. He kept traveling across the land, seemingly finding nothing. Until one day, he disappeared from the northern continent.
When the traveler returned to the northern continent again, he claimed that he had found the gods.
Everything has changed since then, and travelers have embarked on a new journey with a very positive attitude. He used his power without reservation, mediating struggles on the battlefield and actively helping others among the people. Wherever he passes through, there will be no fighting and righteousness will be promoted. He does not ask for any return from people, declares that everything he does is a "miracle", and preaches to people the knowledge he obtained from the gods: high and high in the sky, there is a palace where the Supreme God lives. Tianlun, she is a kind and righteous god, no higher or lower than the people on earth. God said that anyone can become her partner, as long as there is goodwill in their heart.
Some disgruntled people ask why the gods are so indifferent to the suffering on earth.
The traveler replied, God never ignores the sufferings of the world, and it is her righteousness that inspired me to come to rescue.
Travelers never organized troops, and more and more people took the initiative to join his ranks, promoting God's righteousness and principles in the northern continent. He passed on knowledge to the people, teaching them to weave wind-proof coats to protect themselves and to forge sharp hand axes to ward off wild beasts. He invented a gun that could be filled with six bullets so that good people could use the weapon to defeat bad guys and protect themselves. The trench coat, hand axe, and revolver shone brightly during his travels and were reverently called the Three Sacred Artifacts.
People no longer called him Traveler, he was called "Saint". The Saint's actions moved the Mithril Pillar at that time, and this ancient organization decided that all members of the organization would follow in his footsteps and became the Saint's staunchest supporter. After a series of great adventures, even some members of the Siyuan family were impressed by his spirit. When the Saint stopped, there was no war on the land of the Northern Continent, and he began to convey a new divine will.
The saint declared that struggle stems from the insufficient distribution of resources. Rather than plundering the wealth of companions, the gods encourage people to use courage and wisdom to find resources in nature and create resources through labor.
Thus, the largest pioneering operation in the history of Ustus began. The saint and his followers cut through the wilderness and opened up a new habitat with their own power. Before the arrival of the Holy One, only 13 of the current 51 states were habitable. After this pioneering operation ended, the area available for people to live increased to 37 states, covering almost half of the United States.
Everyone has a viable land, which is the result of hard work with their hands and blood and sweat. The Northern Continent finally gained peace, and everyone planned to elect a saint as king, but he himself proposed an epoch-making idea: to allow people in each region to implement self-government, and to use the capable person elected by everyone as the leader of the entire region. The leader of the land.
Thus emerged the rudiment of the United States, and at the same time the Church of Ustes, an organization left by the saints. He urged the establishment of a new order, then let it go completely and disappeared from view.
The Siyuan family still exists, and they have become politicians, soldiers, and businessmen, forming the cornerstone of the federal government.
The Mithril Pillar still exists, and after merging with the church, they work closely with the federal government and become modern agents.
And no one knows where the Saint will go after that. Some say he went to the empire, some say he went to the kingdom, and many people are convinced that the Saint could have opened up all the territories long ago, but left the tests and challenges to God. Fellow friends. People have made up many subsequent stories for the saint, but the only thing that remains unchanged is the final conclusion: he is the biggest myth and the only legend of Ustes. People always call him with awe and admiration, calling him "the legendary saint".
·
“To this day, there are still many people following the footsteps of the saint to find the scenery he saw a thousand years ago.” Vincent said proudly, “They carry handaxes and revolvers with them and wear chic trench coats. . They are confused young people, middle-aged people who have gone through vicissitudes of life, warriors who practice hard on their skills, and impermanent magicians who temper their minds."
"We call it a 'tour'." Servais continued, "We believe that this kind of trip can give us something...perhaps strength, ideas, but it must be meaningful changes."
"What a good tradition." Gongsun Ce nodded, "Leave aside whether gods exist or not, I think the saint is a person worthy of admiration."
Now he understood why the church's clergy were so virtuous. The predecessor of this organization was the Mithril Pillar, and the environment in which it was formed was a journey across the entire northern continent. Wherever the saint goes, there will be no more fighting. This sentence sounds quite magical. If you think about it carefully...
Isn't that the saint leading the believers to defeat all the landowners?
The holy relics of this church are even guns and hand axes. They will discuss it with the die-hards in a gentle manner. What a ghost. The saints of the church a thousand years ago were only afraid that their arms would be as thick as their thighs, and they would fight with the saints every day to gain strength. , to do something big. Imagine a two-meter-tall bearded man in a trench coat walking towards you with an ax and a gun, grinning and asking Mr. Do you like peace... Then I'm afraid most people don't have the courage to say "no" at all!
Gongsun Ce looked at the expressions of his girlfriends and was convinced that everyone except the Dawn Knight was thinking about the same rude thing as him. He cleared his throat and said, "Thank you for your explanation. I think I have a preliminary understanding of this country."
"I guess you think we're barbaric?" Vincent smiled.
"I think it's pretty cool." Gongsun Ce said sincerely, "I don't believe there is peace that can be established without force. It is justice to stand up and fight for everyone."
The old priest laughed heartily: "I understand why Onoville likes you! You are such a good young man, with an open mind. What are you going to do next?"
Gongsun Ce scratched his head and looked at the crashed Venus: "We plan to repair the ship. Do you know where we can provide ship repair services?"
"Caishi City has the most complete facilities in the south of the United States." Father Vincent was very proud. "Although it is a bit strange for me, a rebel, to say this, that is the base camp of our family, and Honorwell runs it well. Very good. We have the best magnet technicians who understand everything about metals and mechanics.”
"And they used this technology to make magnetic bombs?" Servais interjected, "I guess your terrorists here are also the best."
The old priest glared at her and said dejectedly: "There have been some drastic changes in the past two years... which have had a bad impact. But you can't generalize, child!"
Servais obviously knew how to get along with the elderly. She didn't intend to argue at all and just ran aside with a smile. In the subsequent conversation, Gongsun Ce learned that Father Vincent originally planned to come out to observe magnetic turbulence and collect some money, but now he plans to personally give these "experts" a ride.
"Most machines are useless at this time," the old priest declared. "We usually rely on our own eyes."
"Thank you, Mr. Vincent. We can handle it ourselves, don't delay your normal work."
Gongsun Ce spent five minutes persuading the old priest and paid for everyone's drinks. He then looked at the female ranger wandering aside. Before he could speak, Servais was the first to make a promise: "I have never heard of your name as a ranger in this small place, but I guess you are pretty good. I promise not to tell this matter outside, and we will resolve it peacefully. Okay? Look, at first I really thought it was a few people with super powers who were planning to flee the country."
"Of course it's no problem, it's not a big deal." Gongsun Ce shrugged, "Would you mind leaving your contact information? We will stay here for a while, and we may need to ask the ranger to make a commission."
Servais was quite hesitant until Rei Shigure promised a generous reward, and the ranger suddenly beamed. She handed Gongsun Ce a business card: "I am active in the south during this period. If you need to send me a message, just don't be too outrageous!"
"Nice to meet you. If you encounter any particularly outrageous weather during the trip, please tell me. I like to see this."
"You are the most outrageous thing I have encountered in this time!" Servais grinned.
The group of people went to the town to purchase sandwiches, cola and beer necessary for the trip, and then left happily. The old priest went back to work in the town, and Miss Ranger watered her spaceship. Gongsun Ce chewed a sandwich with cheese and bacon, used telekinesis to lift the Venus with two big holes, and completed the necessary disguise with Qiluo's information control. Now it looks like a strangely shaped balloon to others, a masterpiece of contemporary avant-garde art.
The Daystar was out of service and they had to rely on new means of transportation. Shigurei knocked around the stone car left by the girl, feeling deeply worried: "Are you really planning to drive this car?"
The Dawn Rider took up the driver's seat and looked particularly pleased with the new car.
"Yes," she said, "please get in the car, I think this is a great start."
Gongsun Ce pushed up his glasses: "But have you noticed? There is a problem with this car. It only has four seats... Hey!"
Qin Qianbai occupied the passenger seat first with the agility unique to a warrior. Shigure Zero quickly dragged Qiluo to the back seat. The latter stuck out his tongue apologetically: "Hey, this place is full~"
"Isn't that true! I am the captain! I am the head of the family!" Gongsun Ce lamented, "Bullyers like you would have been punished by the saints a thousand years ago!"
Qin Qianbai gave a thumbs up: "The Morning Star is left to you, the head of the family. And this Weatherlight is ours."
"You even named it!"
The Weatherlight started with a burst of laughter like silver bells, and moved forward along the road in the center of the town. Qin Qianbai was holding a map in front and planning the route seriously. Qiluo looked left and right curiously. Her eyes swept over the surrounding buildings with Common Language nameplates and the few pedestrians on the road. Her unimaginable senses captured every piece of information around her, from people's words to the composition of the air. Everything is completely different from the Sky City.
She realized that this was her first real trip, not a mission that came and went in a hurry like Lingdao.
An indescribable excitement occupied the girl's heart at this moment. She took out her mobile phone and called to her traveling companions: "Rei Shigure, come and take a photo together!"
Rei Shigure had just opened the can of beer and curled his lips when he heard this: "No, you can go and play by yourself."
"Be more easygoing! 1, 2, 3~"
Katcha!
In Qiluo's selfie, only herself and Rei Shigure, who deliberately put on a bad face, were left, but the other person's photo left more content - Alandia, who was looking at the road intently, and Qin Qianbai, who was raising his finger to guide the way. . Gongsun Ce caught up with the Weatherlight from the side and happened to capture this wonderful moment. After pressing the shutter, he squeezed in between the two people in the back seat. Between "Pervert!" and "It's so crowded, get out!" He said shamelessly in his complaint: "Does this car have music?"
Qin Qianbai tried for a few seconds and said in surprise: "Yes."
A familiar tune played from the car stereo. It turned out to be the song Gongsun Ce sang not long ago. The eldest lady cut a few songs and found that the girl had packed all the songs they had sung into the car.
"I'm terrible at playing," Airandia commented.
Gongsun Ce consoled him: "It doesn't matter. Most of the time, it doesn't matter whether there's a bass or not."
They couldn't help laughing, and their laughter spread through the streets of the town. The magnetic turbulence was completely over, and the colorful magnetic lines that always occupied the sky were rarely gone, allowing them to drive under a clear and vast blue sky of the same color as the car, with the old songs they played playing on the car stereo.
"it is the night, my bodys weak?im on the run, no time for sleep?
(The night is thick, I am tired, I am on the run and I have no intention of sleeping)
ive got to ride, ride like the wind?tain?
(I need to ride, like the wind, towards freedom)
a sug way to go?
(The road to freedom is a long one)
…
so ill ride like the wihe wind
(So I want to ride like the wind, ride like the wind)
gohe wind?
(Ride like the wind)”
The group of people moved away like the wind, heading for a distant town.
