Chapter 74: Prophet

Entering the enemy’s lair rashly

But since they were already here, and the child was still young... besides, Ji Jue truly had no other leads on Non-Aggression, so in order to continue exploring, such risks had to be taken.

Moreover, with Brother Ball in hand, along with the little ox-horse, and even a trump-card bodyguard like Little An, he could still manage to run away at a critical moment.

Just like that, following them, he walked into a ruin, and after pulling aside the camouflaged baffle, it turned out to be a path leading downward... The entire town's sewer system was unimaginably vast, crisscrossing in a complex structure; walking within it, there even seemed to be magnetic field interference, and the compass soon became useless.

Just like that, layer by layer downward, until they reached the deepest part of the sewer, they finally saw a rusted rolling shutter door.

And the space behind the door was unexpectedly large.

It was practically a large-scale camp; those sewage treatment facilities that were originally useless had been completely tossed aside, replaced by rows of simple sheds and tents.

Unlike the chaotic appearance outside, there was instead a scene of vitality inside.

All kinds of people with traces of alienation on their bodies were walking through the plaza, and there were also stalls, but the stalls were filled with compressed food and various things that were impossible to understand.

The entire camp seemed to have sixty or seventy people, their relationships with each other close, and after noticing the presence of outsiders, their expressions all revealed a hint of vigilance or wariness.

"Mom!"

A child's voice rang out, and the wheels of a small cart rolled over. But on the cart was a mutilated, unrecognizable figure; one hand pushed the small cart forward, enthusiastically hugging the middle-aged man walking at the front.

Upon noticing Ji Jue's gaze, the child hid behind the middle-aged man in terror, covering their slightly alienated limbs with rags, acting with extreme caution.

On the cracked and sunken face, a pitch-black glass bead served as an eye, cautiously peeking at the appearance of Ji Jue and the other, and after noticing his gaze, quickly hid behind again.

"Is Little Jiu being good? Go back first, I'll come see you later." The middle-aged man seemed to smile and patted the child's head: "I'm taking them to see the Prophet."

After watching the child leave, the middle-aged man didn't explain anything, leading them all the way inside until they reached that door, where two burly, alienated figures stood guard outside.

"Please take out your weapons," the middle-aged man said. "Although it's offensive, we cannot allow you to bring such things in to see the Prophet."

Noticing the gazes of the people around, Ji Jue did not move.

"To be honest, I'm also a bit scared," Ji Jue asked tentatively. "Could you have the Prophet move and come out for a moment?"

"Hey!" the guard scolded angrily. "Outsider, don't be too presumptuous!"

"No matter—"

Behind the door, a hoarse voice rang out: "It makes no difference whether you bring weapons or not. You don't understand the abilities of the Heaven-Chosen; there's no need to put on such a show.

Please come in, two visiting gentlemen. Limited by my physical condition, I really have no way to go out, otherwise, it wouldn't be so troublesome."

The guards looked at each other, and after hesitating for a moment, they finally opened the door for them.

The room behind the door was unexpectedly empty.

There were no gaudy furnishings or decorations as expected; rather, it was empty and vacant.

There were only two chairs.

One chair had long since weathered the years, with traces of repairs remaining on it, while the other... seemed to be welded to the ground, with cables wrapped around it, and interfaces like long needles piercing that riddled body, where faint electric sparks could be seen flashing.

Above the long-rotted and dilapidated body was a human head barely kept connected to the torso.

Withered, broken, and on the bald scalp emerged a metallic texture; one could not tell how many modifications it had undergone.

The aged face vaguely revealed faint feminine features.

"Hello there, outsiders," she introduced herself as such: "I am the 'Prophet'."

Ji Jue stood opposite her, not sitting down, just examining her carefully: "Doesn't look like you know everything."

"It's just what others call me; names are just code names, there's no difference." The Prophet's expression twitched, as if grinning: "I guess you must have many questions right now."

"Indeed, there are too many questions, so I don't feel quite as anxious."

Ji Jue shook his head: "You seem very familiar with us Heaven-Chosen?"

"People like you come in batches every few decades. They come here to dig for treasure, seek gold and silver, or hunt for results. Men and women, they are all the same. Some leave, some die.

I've had some dealings with them; having seen so many, I've become familiar."

"What is Non-Aggression?" Ji Jue asked, knowing the answer.

"...The third attempt and act of posturing, how interesting. You are much more cautious than I imagined—if you like, I can explain from the beginning.

So-called Non-Aggression is the matrix left behind by Mercury, one of the few legacies left in this world by the [Mo] of the past. You are here for this, right?"

The Prophet's eyelids lifted with effort, staring at Ji Jue's appearance: "Someone like you, focused on the Path of Embers, without even a matrix, yet daring to break into the Rift to explore, and even... entering the Old Workshop.

If not for 'Non-Aggression', then what is it for?

Are you satisfied with this answer?"

Ji Jue did not speak.

"Please don't be so vigilant. We old, weak, sick, and disabled are just bugs parasitic on the workshop system, ants that luckily weren't recycled and reset; there is no possibility of us threatening the two of you.

Especially the one behind you, who has been looking for my vitals from the very beginning. It really makes one feel like sitting on pins and needles."

The Prophet smiled, lowered her head with difficulty, revealing the crack on her skull and the dense, tiny gears inside, making no attempt to hide her weakness.

"Please rest assured, I have no intention of posturing or keeping you in suspense," she said straightforwardly. "In recent years, when our people were exploring outside, they found some traces left by Mercury at a fork in the underground passage, but it was too dangerous to continue inward.

If you are willing to assist us, we can send people to help guide you."

She paused for a moment and finally said: "However, if possible, I hope you can do us a small favor."

Ji Jue remained silent.

He did not speak.

He just looked at her, for a long time, and sighed silently.

"Sorry, you may have misunderstood."

He argued seriously: "The two of us brothers are actually just passing through; we were just accidentally swept into this place and can't figure out what's going on.

As for things like Non-Aggression or Mercury, we don't know much about them, nor are we interested. I really don't know what you're talking about. So, let's forget about any cooperation."

"Is that so?"

The Prophet was slightly stunned, but she didn't get angry or show a forced attitude, just nodded slightly: "Then perhaps I misunderstood."

She sighed softly, her eyes drooping: "Although the camp is small, it's enough to host guests. The two of you can look around; you are free to stay or leave.

If you change your mind, you can come find me at any time."

Not urgent, or rather, confident?

Ji Jue couldn't read it, and couldn't figure it out.

After taking one last look at the Prophet, he left with Little An.

The people in the camp prepared a place for them to rest, and even two packs of compressed biscuits from the outside world; although the shelf life had expired two or three years ago, they were still barely edible.

Little An also didn't detect any toxins.

There were no wiretaps here, but there might be some alchemical tools peeking in the dark; after all, the entire Rift was Mercury's workshop, and no one could say what kind of weird stuff these 'locals' had hidden in their hands.

The Ghost Work Ball temporarily opened a small safe space, allowing the two to communicate.

Little An was full of doubts: "Brother Ji Jue, didn't you come for the matrix?"

"Yeah, that's right."

Ji Jue nodded calmly: "But even if I want it very much in my heart, it doesn't mean I can't say no with my mouth, right? Accepting a gift doesn't mean I agree, and agreeing doesn't mean I have to do anything, right?"

"...I just feel like something is wrong." Little An looked confused, but seemed to have realized something. Is this how adults talk? It's so hard to understand, I'll write it down and ask Sister Painting later!

And Ji Jue fell into thought once again.

He might not understand the Rift, but he knew how bad his own dog-shit luck was.

Starting off by almost falling to his death, exploring for treasure full of confidence only to find nothing, and after finally managing to scrape up some things, he inexplicably got involved with the locals and was now joining them to do something big?

What are you thinking!

Besides, he really couldn't trust that inexplicable... Prophet?

The name alone sounds like a charlatan!

Trusting her would be better off trusting a refrigerator!

"Follow me."

He suddenly stood up, lifted the tent flap, and beckoned to the middle-aged man who was dazed not far outside the tent, his expression serious: "To be honest, there is something very important that I haven't told you yet."

"Hmm?" The middle-aged man was stunned, his expression becoming tense.

Then, he saw Ji Jue say solemnly:

"—I can fix air conditioners!"

???

In that instant, on the middle-aged man's twisted face, a confusion that almost condensed into substance appeared.

What the hell?

"I can fix air conditioners."

Ji Jue repeated, "Is there any need? Free of charge, no strings attached! I just love helping others!"

In reality, he really could fix air conditioners, and not just air conditioners; color TVs, televisions, washing machines, scooters, e-bikes, motorized tricycles, and even vans, he could fix them all.

As for pipe clearing, plastering and wall painting, circuit maintenance, and even the maintenance of various large-scale equipment, he wouldn't dare say he was an expert, but at least he knew a little!

In short, as long as it was repairs, he could do it!

Facing such a bizarre statement, the middle-aged man was stunned for a long time, turned to ask for instructions, and returned after a long while, saying cautiously: "The Prophet said that as long as you don't damage the camp's equipment, feel free to do whatever else.

Be careful, I'll be watching you."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Ji Jue whistled and took the lead: "Let's go!"

Lag, so much lag...