The man in front of him was nearly thirty years old, with silver hair, wearing the silver-white uniform of the guard, and his green eyes were full of good-natured ridicule toNolans Wright.
He was slightly taller than Wright and much more muscular. The tiny scar on his broad, angular face and his well-worn tactical trousers covered with hidden patches all showed that he was also a seasoned warrior.
There were some hints about this man in the fragments of memory in Wright's mind, but apart from vaguely knowing that he had a good relationship with himself, there seemed to be only a name left - Brett Klein.
It seems to be the name of a great family in the old Xilu Empire before the New Yuan Dynasty.
"Okay, I see you're also confused. Griffin told me that you fainted after coming out of the underground entrance alone, and you reeked of alcohol. If he hadn't called the guard's mechanical vehicle, you would have frozen to death in there. Well, I'm not here to blame you. General George asked me to bring you something. He thinks highly of you." Brett said and patted Wright's shoulder heavily.
What? Fainted at the entrance? And reeked of alcohol? Shouldn't I have fainted after fighting the Lost Ones? Oh, and there's the red magic source. Oh, that man named Atuo brought out the red magic source but didn't tell me the details.
Looking at the rare bright morning light that came through the dome, Wright felt even more sleepy than the dim night. He covered his forehead with his right hand, trying to make himself more awake, but his calves became sore and he almost fell to the ground.
"Hey, be careful. Brother Wright, you really can't drink so much. None of the old guards who went in with you were like you. You have to change this old habit." Brett worriedly helped Wright to sit on the dilapidated stairs and said rather resentfully:
"By the way, old man George wants to give you a few days off. You can go anywhere these days, just don't wear the guard uniform. And you can study this thing. Don't you like tinkering with these machines? I left it for you. But it's a pity that we have combat missions all day long, so there is no time to take a vacation."
After saying that, he took out something wrapped in rough cloth from his arms. The object was slightly larger than his palm and it felt hard when he squeezed it. The object inside seemed to be a box.
"Oh, thank you." Lucas carefully took the small package and put it in his shirt pocket.
"By the way, Wright, I heard from Griffin that you went in with that kid De. You came out so drunk. Is he back? The guard headquarters called him for something. Look at him, he keeps saying he’s going to follow the rules, but when it comes to him, no rules are going to work anymore." Brett complained.
"Uh, De?" Lucas's nerves, which had just relaxed a little, suddenly became tense.
Although De was forced to "help" him because he was pierced by the Lost One Artor and he was afraid that he would be infected, if the guard team knew about this, he would inevitably be suspected of attacking his colleagues.
Besides, the underground space is extremely dark and almost no one passes by. Even if inspecting the waterway is a task assigned by higher-ups, if something happens there, I will inevitably be wrongly accused.
What's more, I am just a low-level guard who has just been transferred from another district. He is my captain. If the news gets out, before the trial of the Soviet Military Court, the front-page headline of the city newspaper will read:
"Shocking! In the dim underground of Sogra, the guards actually did this to the captain! It's outrageous!"
Although he was induced to know the secret of the "Red Magic Power" that I had written before, the people of the Sugra Committee and the Sugra Military Court would not speak to him.
I now have two choices: first, tell Brett the truth and then ask him to keep it secret together.
Second, keep it a secret and don’t tell anyone, just pretend that De is missing.
I'm sorry, De, your sacrifice will definitely be meaningful in the future.
Without any hesitation, Wright chose the latter!
"Uh, I'm not sure. I probably... probably drank too much last night. I don't remember much after checking Waterway No. 27."
"Oh, forget it, you should have a good rest. But Wright, if you are in danger, come to me first. After all, I came to this city two years earlier than you."
Brett didn't ask any further questions after hearing Wright's answer, but a hint of doubt and worry flashed in the corner of his eyes.
Ever since what happened near the newly excavated ruins in the outer area of Sugra two days ago, when they met again, Wright seemed to have become strange, but he still had those black pupils and spoke fluently the iconic Rinet Empire dialect, and there seemed to be nothing wrong.
After a few brief greetings, Brett patted Wright on the shoulder again and said goodbye to him with a worried look on his face.
Although they are good friends, the biggest issue weighing on the guard team now, apart from De who has not yet returned to the team, is the "Bloody Night Ritual" set by the Sugra Committee half a year ago. He has a premonition that something big will happen in this wasteland city that has been silent for more than 500 years.
"Huh, he's finally gone. This Brett seems to be Light... uh, my most important friend. Indeed, friends in the wasteland are a rare treasure, and De's affairs should not be hidden from him. But compared to this, the life of every living person should be the most important." Light complained. He had naturally and completely immersed himself in Light's identity.
The sound of machinery outside, mixed with the sour smell of the sewer, continued to flow into the small three-story house he rented, as if he had already gotten used to it in his memory.
I tried to move my sore calf, luckily there was nothing wrong with it. It was just that my physical condition was too poor and the fierce battle with the Lost Ones and the Careless People had exhausted my physical strength.
Sleep alone is still not enough to restore all physical strength. Moreover, for some reason before, Wright, oh, no, I was injured. It seems that I need to replenish my energy.
General George gave me about a thousand new coins before. If converted into the universal golden ducats in this world, one ounce per coin, it would probably be 28.57 coins. However, these new ducats are not so convenient to carry around, so they are better than these paper bills.
Thinking of this, Wright no longer cared about the pain in his legs and body, and stumbled upstairs, holding on to the dilapidated handrail that creaked all the time, similar to the sound of a wooden bed shaking from side to side.
"It has to be these banknotes. Although I don't quite remember why he gave them to me, George still objectively gave me security in this city. I have to thank him when I have the chance. Of course, I can't spend all this wealth now. Although I despise money, I don't know if there are other ways to earn money."
Thinking of this, Wright took out a pile of brand new new banknotes from his jacket pocket, which had the portrait of the Scottish city hero printed on the front, and took one from the middle and put it on the table.
Then, he fumbled and found a round switch at the bottom of the dark table. Relying on his skilled daily memory, Wright first moved about two squares to the left, then pulled out a small drawer from the middle of the large drawer and put the remaining banknotes and a pile of mechanical parts that he had collected at some point in time together.
After doing all this, Wright glanced at the half of the black bread left over from yesterday in the corner of the table. After hesitating for a long time, he decided to finish the remaining food before buying other things.
"It's really as tasteless as chewing wax." Wright used an idiom with a wry smile.
Everything in the wasteland is precious. For humans without special powers to protect them, a slight virus or mysterious power can take their lives in an instant.
Therefore, everything in the wasteland is worth cherishing, including food.
In Light's memory fragments, food robberies often occurred in the outer areas of Sugra City and even in other strongholds ruled by the Rinie Empire. In fact, sometimes it was not just food, but also medicines, bandages, daily necessities, and even the opposite S3x would be robbed as objects.
Fortunately, the city of Sugra has retained many technologies from the pre-Zhiyuan era of the Rigne Empire. At least some crops can still be grown in greenhouses under this dark dome.
After finishing the bread, Wright's empty and growling stomach finally felt a little satisfied.
These don't seem to be enough. I feel like Ato seems to have done something incredible to me. The red magic power has made my body even weaker. No, I still have to buy some food and learn more about magic power and red magic power.
Since the Lost One, Atuo, is unwilling to tell me the truth, or there is something that cannot be said openly, then I have to rely on myself.
But what should I buy first? This is a wasteland world, so the food is not that abundant, but there should be animal organs, plant roots, and unimportant animal blood. Those things are cheap, delicious, clean, and hygienic.
How about getting a hexagonal copper container and making a hot pot?
It seems quite ceremonial!
After complaining a few words, Wright's attention was still attracted by the dark yellow package on the table.
I noticed its existence when I woke up from my sleep just now, but I ignored it for a while because of the interruption from my landlady Reina and my good friend Brett.
Was it sent by General George? Oh, why don't you ask Mrs. Raina if anyone has been in or out of my room.
Thinking of this, Wright opened the door as usual, climbed on the stairs and shouted downstairs:
"Mrs. Reina, has anyone been to my room?"
After four or five seconds, a heavy and rapid sound of footsteps mixed with words like the crowing of a rooster responded:
"How would I know? I locked the door after you left. I'm warning you. If you lose something, you'll be responsible for it. Don't blame me!"
"oh."
After a perfunctory response, Wright no longer focused on the person who sent the package, but the package itself.
He carefully examined the object wrapped in yellow kraft paper. It did not seem to contain anything valuable, otherwise it would not have been packaged in such a cheap way.
Maybe it was food? A second package from General George?
What if there's a bomb or a virus?
After hesitating for a few minutes, Wright shook his head. After all, if someone wanted to harm him, they would have succeeded a hundred times during the time of traveling through time and in the underground of Sogra. This thing might just be another package of "daily necessities".
Thinking of this, Wright stopped hesitating and found the small paper cutter from the corner of the table. He carefully cut along a slightly protruding cavity.
In addition to a simple linen dress for daily wear, the package also contained a few milky white petals with special symbols painted on them, and a postcard written in the language of the Japanese Empire.
There was nothing special about the clothes, but the petals had a special fragrance. After Wright fanned them with his hands and smelled the scent, he actually felt a kind of comfort and relaxation from the depths of his soul.
Wright quickly patted his forehead. In his memory, people in the wasteland world were most afraid of lying down and relaxing, otherwise they would pay the price of their lives if they were not careful.
However, he had no memory of the pattern on the petals. It was a square with an inverted triangle in the middle, with the midpoints of the three sides as vertices, and in the center of the inverted triangle was a smaller hexagram that fit the edge.
"Maybe it's a religious pattern? Or the emblem of a country or power? Forget it, I'll just take a look at this postcard."
As he spoke, Wright took the postcard with the image of the Socratic "Mechanical Yuan" factory printed on the back and read the words on it:
"Congratulations, you have passed the test. Your worship of 'Order' qualifies you to listen to prophecies. If you want to know more about this world, please go to C-404, Socrate Storm Block. We know that you are looking for some kind of magical power, and the messenger of the Order God will give you the answer."
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