Chapter 22 Main City·22
The evening breeze carries the sound of bells throughout the main city.
The floor of the central church is filled with white candles, and the burning candles shed tears over the names engraved on the base.
The giant wax in the middle belongs to "all the unknown victims of Area 53."
The poet held a prayer in his hand and recited it, and his calm voice revealed strength.
"Pray for every lost soul——
"We will burn out our thoughts today and turn them into candles to accompany you on your journey.
“May you be at peace and free from pain and panic.
"May the great creation have mercy on every weak existence, and grant us and them eternity."
People stood around the candle circle, clasped their hands, closed their eyes and followed him in prayer.
Among the crowd, An Yu held a small white candle and stared at the inscription on the base.
【Sacrifice in battle
——The Lawful One: Ling Qiu]
"Sir..."
"Although he has never met most of the lawful people in the spire, he is indeed a fellow traveler." Qin Zhilu said objectively, "Losing Ling Qiu is a loss for you, the spire, and humanity."
The small cluster of candle flames swayed in front of An Yu's eyes, dancing very powerfully. A drop of candle tears flowed down, and before falling on the back of An Yu's hand, Qin Zhilu reached out and took the candle away.
The wax oil dripped on the leather gloves and immediately formed a small milky wax stain.
An Yu immediately said: "I'm very happy..."
"No need to apologize."
Qin Zhilu poured out the excess wax, carefully wiped the candle clean with a handkerchief, and held it to An Yu.
An Yu was about to pick it up, but he suddenly flashed the candle back, causing An Yu to miss it.
"Um?"
"I noticed that you always came out with a few words, as if you were reciting them very skillfully."
Qin Zhilu frowned and thought for a while, "I'm sorry. You're right. Please. And..."
"Thank you and wish you success." An Yu subconsciously answered.
He immediately pursed his lips after taking it, because he caught a hint of amusement in those dark eyes.
"Is this what he taught you?" Qin Zhilu asked with a smile.
An Yu said a dull "Yeah" and looked at the candlelight, "If you want me to change it -"
"No need." Qin Zhilu held the candle back to him again, "There is no need to deliberately change. Sooner or later you will gradually return to yourself, which may be the so-called advent state, but gradually, it will no longer come to you uncontrollably. On your body, you will master the switch, then destroy the switch, and get along with yourself more harmoniously. On that day, you will no longer be at the mercy of anyone, and you will not see anyone’s shadow, only yourself. Only your thoughts, your Will is the candle that never goes out.”
An Yu met his deep gaze and repeated softly: "My thoughts and will?"
"Yes." Qin Zhilu nodded in the direction of the poet, "Concentrate and pray for Ling Qiu."
Even though the solemn figure was hidden in the crowd, he still stood upright and silent. He and everyone followed the poet in reciting.
"Pray for Ling Qiu——
"Facing the light, cutting through the abyss.
"Ideals will surely survive in a better world."
The poet took a deep breath, held the prayer in front of the huge white wax building, and watched it burn away.
His peaceful eyes swept over the crowd, he gently raised the corners of his lips and said loudly: "My worries have calmed down in my heart——"
People followed and said, "Sorrow has calmed down in my heart."
"Just like dusk falls on the silent mountain forest——*."
"Just like dusk falling on the silent mountain forest."
The poet paused and smiled faintly, "Not a single snowflake will melt, just as every thought will remain in my heart forever. So, good night, main city."
An Yu savored the last sentence, "Not a single snowflake will melt..."
Qin Zhilu said: "People use whether they melt or not to distinguish normal wind and snow from disasters. The snow flakes that come with disasters never melt, and gradually condense into a vast white snowfield, covering the surrounding areas outside the dome. World. The brain has been sampled many times, and chaotic frequencies and energy fluctuations have been detected in each snowflake, but they cannot be deciphered. Therefore, snow is just a symbolic name, it is not snow at all, and no one knows what it is. "
An Yu was a little dazed when he heard this. Ling Qiu had always taught him how to live in this world, but never told him like a superior what the world was like and how it should be.
The crowd began to disperse. Although the well-dressed elites from the main city had red eyes, their expressions had returned to calm and calm.
An Yu raised his head and looked around at the tall church tower, "Ling Qiu said that the main city is full of rationality. Could it be that there is also religion?"
Qin Zhilu shook his head, "This is just self-explanation, not a religion. The main city is never easier than Bai City. The extreme high pressure makes people need to seek enlightenment anytime and anywhere, so the poet's reputation in the main city is very high."
Hearing this, An Yu looked at the slender and gentle figure on the chanting platform, "Then besides asking him to explain it, is there any real religion?"
"Religion is prohibited in the main city. Absolute rationality, absolute values, and never live up to it. This is the mission of the main city." Qin Zhilu paused, "I know that there are religions everywhere in Bai City, and a life of poverty and suffering does require the support of faith, so the above Feng never interferes.”
After Qin Zhilu finished speaking, he suddenly said: "Wait for me."
He walked towards a tall man in the crowd. The man was wearing a gorgeous black silk shirt with his sleeves rolled up. There were large black rose tattoos on his strong arms, which made him look imposing.
An Yu only glanced at it and then withdrew his gaze, continuing to observe the poet behind the stage.
The poet seemed to be shrouded in a layer of fog, hazy, gentle and non-aggressive, which made him feel rarely comfortable.
The poem the little girl read on the shuttle bus should be his work.
Sensing his gaze, the poet put down what he was holding and walked towards him.
"It seems like this is the first time I see you." He smiled gracefully, "My name is Yan. What should I call you?"
"An Yu."
"A very special name." The poet looked at him. "Your eyes make people feel calm. Just right. Can you get me some candles? I want to go to the top of the tower to find a book of poetry."
"good."
An Yu picked up two candles without inscriptions from the ground, followed the poet, and climbed the circular steps step by step.
Poems are scattered everywhere in the church, giving it a romantic and messy feel. The poet rummaged for a long time, and finally held an unnamed poetry album in his hand. He turned back to look out the window and said softly: "I can always see a large fluctuating group of broken red light in the sky. Can you see Are you here?"
An Yu looked outside blankly - there was only a clean night sky.
The poet smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, just think that I am writing poems and writing demons. The fragmented red light that gathered became stronger and stronger, but a few days ago, the groups in the southeast corner suddenly melted together and stopped moving. Yes, I feel a lot relieved about it.”
He paused slightly, "I saw the outline of a gear behind them. It was the braking line extending from the gear that bound the red light."
An Yu rarely met people who made him want to chat. Unfortunately, he couldn't strike up a conversation at the moment because Ling Qiu had never taught astronomy.
The poet handed him the collection of poems in his hand, "Please accept it."
"give me?"
"Just think of it as a thank you gift." The poet smiled and said: "I bring tranquility to the main city, but I am often agitated. Looking into your eyes makes me very calm. This is a collection of poems that I have not published publicly. If there is, If you don’t understand, you can come to me at the church anytime.”
*
The night in the main city is full of neon lights.
An Yu followed Qin Zhilu on foot back, and Qin Zhilu asked, "Did Shangfeng tell you that he hoped you would stay in the minaret?"
An Yu nodded, "I'm still considering it."
He hesitated for a moment, "Sir, why did you choose me then? Was it because my genetic entropy was zero?"
"It's not just genetic entropy." Qin Zhilu replied naturally.
"That……"
"And mental power. I heard that your mental power showed no fluctuation during the induction test. I made a decision at that moment."
An Yu didn't know why, "Is this rare?"
"Unprecedented, this represents absolute will." Qin Zhilu turned to look at him, "Absolute will, coupled with absolute immunity from infection, you have achieved an unbreakable order."
An Yu was a little confused. He felt that although the officer was looking at him, he was not looking at him, but more like staring intently into his eyes.
He also saw the reflection of his own golden eyes in the glass showcase opposite.
Looking at it, his eyes widened.
"Huh?" Qin Zhilu realized something was wrong and turned around to look behind him.
Wooden bread racks are neatly arranged behind the spotless glass display window. Baskets of bread are placed on the racks. There are simple and rough rye sticks, cute little snowball-like milk dumplings, layers of golden shortening filled with jam, and Deep-fried donuts with cocoa syrup…
The sign behind the window reads - "Wangpu is for sale."
An Yu's eyes were still staring, but Qin Zhilu had turned around and pushed open the warm wooden door with his leather gloves.
The crisp sound of wind chimes rings.
"Hello. Ask the store for the price."
*
The female boss is in her late fifties, slightly stout, and has a gentle smile.
"This store is only for sale, not rent, and will only be sold to people who want to continue to open a bakery. A one-time payment of 90 million will be given and a complete set of facilities will be given as a gift."
An Yu was dumbfounded, "Ninety million?"
Ninety million can buy half of Area 53.
Qin Zhilu said: "It's not expensive."
"Yes, the prices of shops and housing are different. This is the center of the main city, backed by the core business district, so there is no need to worry about passenger flow during the day. Well, five kilometers to the south is the military shelter. Those young men like to run at night and train. They came all the way from the cabin to my place and robbed all the bread." The female boss smiled from ear to ear, "It's really delicious. Our bakers have to put it on the shelves at night after lunch every day, otherwise we won't be able to feed them. them."
"Military Department..."
An Yu's eyes suddenly fell on the wall, which was covered with photos of diners, and a dozen of them were of young people in military uniforms.
In the upper right corner, he actually saw Ling Qiu at a glance.
The gray-washed black vest was tucked into military trousers. He held up a few bites of a baguette high in the crowd, his cheeks were bulging, and he smiled at the camera.
The female boss said with emotion: "As long as there is bread, there is hope. If it were not for my health condition, I would not be willing to give it away."
