Embers Ad Infinitum

This café wasn’t big or small, and there were a total of three chandeliers, all of which were lit.

Other than Shang Jianyao, Flora, and Barnard, there was another person in the shop—the boss who was focused on making cappuccino art.

He was an Ashlandic with relatively long hair and an artistic bearing.

At first glance, the man wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans was relatively young. He had bright eyes and clean brows, but upon closer inspection, one would discover fine wrinkles across his forehead, the corners of his eyes, and the side of his mouth.

He didn’t look up when Shang Jianyao made his declaration, still focused on the coffee in front of him.

Seeing this, Flora and Barnard retracted their gazes. The former smiled stiffly at Shang Jianyao and asked, “What problem do you want to resolve?”

Shang Jianyao replied confidently, “This is a mental prison, and what happened to you guys is considered illegal imprisonment. Even the Kalendarium can’t do this! We have to think of a way to end this situation. Where there’s oppression, there’s resistance!”

Flora and Barnard trembled in fear as they listened. They occasionally glanced at the window, afraid of suffering an undeserved calamity.

If it weren’t for the fact that their bodies had rather serious obstructions that made it very inconvenient for them to move, they would probably choose to distance themselves from Shang Jianyao.

When Shang Jianyao finished speaking, Flora and Barnard looked at each other and forced a smile. “You didn’t have to enter this large prison to begin with. Why did you take the risk to help us escape our predicament? Oh, how should I address you?”

Shang Jianyao pulled over a chair and sat down. “Just call me Doug. My Ashlandic name is Shang Jianyao.”

He simply pronounced ‘Shang Jianyao’ clearly.

After introducing himself, he puffed up his chest and pressed his right hand to his left chest. “My ideals and goals are to save all of humanity!”

Flora and Barnard revealed looks of realization.

The former smiled and said, “Aren’t you from Pangu Biology? Are you a spy from the Salvation Army?”

“I remember that you’re also the Blessed of the Arbiter of Fate…” Barnard added shakily.

Shang Jianyao looked embarrassed. “I’m indeed an employee of Pangu Biology, but I’ve always wanted to join the Salvation Army. However, they haven’t approved my application.”

What’s going on? This is called betrayal! Barnard was stunned when he heard that.

The Linhai Alliance was dominated by Ashlanders. As the first president of Red River ethnicity, he had a rather deep understanding of Ashlandic culture.

Then, Shang Jianyao said, “Other than the Arbiter of Fate, several other Kalendarium have given me their blessings.”

He spoke with extreme pride and didn’t seem to be in the wrong at all.

Flora and Barnard were dumbfounded.

After a few seconds, Flora asked, “Since you are the Blessed of several Kalendarium, why are you trying to resolve the problem of the New World and help us escape our predicament?”

Shang Jianyao smiled. “I remember a saying from Red River: Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth. To save all of humanity, I’m willing to suffer the wrath of the Kalendarium.”

Then, he added sinisterly, “Besides, how do you know that no Kalendaria wants to change the situation in the New World?”

Barnard and Flora exchanged looks again.

“Why are you so obsessed with saving all of humanity?” The left half of Barnard’s body—including his lips and face—was trembling.

Shang Jianyao thought about it seriously. “My father told me many things that influenced me from a young age, causing me to have such thoughts. Later on, I went crazy, and this became my goal and ultimate ideal.”

“You went crazy?” Flora blurted out.

Shang Jianyao nodded sincerely. “I’m medically certified.”

Flora observed him for a while, recalling every move he had done and every word he had said. After confirmation, she believed that this guy was really crazy.

“No wonder…” Flora heaved an obvious sigh of relief. She thought for a moment, took a sticky note on the table, and conjured a fountain pen.

Swish! Swish! Swish! 

She scribbled a sentence on the sticky note. Then, she tore off the piece of paper and handed it to him.

Shang Jianyao took it and saw the words: “Nobody doesn’t want to escape such a predicament. We’ve been here for years, and we’ve summarized some rules and established a sizable alliance. Are you in?”

“Of course!” Shang Jianyao replied loudly.

Flora asked for the note back and reduced it to the purest mental strength before absorbing it into her body. After doing this, she said to him, “What you need to do is chat with the boss. His Red River name is Revere, and his Ashlandic name is Liu Chuan.”

“Alright.” Shang Jianyao immediately got up and walked to the boss, who had started drinking the coffee.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted warmly.

“How do you know it is noon?” Liu Chuan asked casually.

With a beaming smile, Shang Jianyao replied, “I have a manual clock.”

The name of the manual clock was Jiang Baimian.

Although Liu Chuan didn’t quite understand, he didn’t ask further. He looked at Shang Jianyao and said, “You just said that you want to change the situation in the New World?”

“Yes.” Shang Jianyao nodded heavily.

Liu Chuan’s eyes darkened. “You have to know that once the operation fails, we will become food or batteries for the Kalendarium. If you compromise, other than not being able to leave here freely and occasionally being attacked, you can still enjoy your life. You can even protect the people you want protected and have a vacation in the Ashlands every once in a while. Are you sure you want to make this futile attempt?”

Shang Jianyao suddenly reached out his right hand and pressed it to his left chest, replying firmly, “For all of humanity! This is my ideal and goal, and it’s very unfair for everyone to be locked in this so-called New World. When we change the New World, we should establish a more humane and reasonable order. We should put those who wantonly consume human consciousness on trial and set good people like Flora, Barnard, and you free…”

Not only did he answer yes or no, but he also gave his plans after success.

Liu Chuan stared at Shang Jianyao for a while before slowly nodding. “You have to remember what you just said.”

“Happy working with you.” Shang Jianyao smiled and extended his hand.

Liu Chuan—who was about to say something—had no choice but to shake his hand.

Shang Jianyao then asked, “How do you plan on resisting the Kalendarium?”

Liu Chuan’s expression changed, and he almost threw the coffee cup in his hand.

He composed himself and replied, “It’s not resistance. We summarized some patterns and know that there will be a chance of escaping this place recently.”

With that said, Liu Chuan paused. “Alright, leave first and wait nearby. When there’s only one light left in the café, come to me again, and we’ll talk about this in detail.”

“No problem,” Shang Jianyao replied in Ashlandic.

After watching him walk out of the café, Liu Chuan looked at Barnard and Flora and nodded at them, indicating that the latent danger had been resolved.

At the same time, a memory appeared out of thin air in Barnard and Flora’s minds: “I’ve already ‘hypnotized’ him and strengthened his belief of ‘changing the situation in the New World.’ He’s our comrade. Even if he has thoughts implanted and his memories modified, he won’t betray us later.”

Phew.

Flora and Barnard exhaled softly.

Outside the café, Shang Jianyao walked to a nearby building and smiled as he muttered to himself, With the Thought Implantation from before, they should trust me completely.

…

In the tunnel of the Eighth Research Institute.

Jiang Baimian ended her new round of investigations. After repeated confirmation, she revised a judgment she had made previously.

She originally thought that the Eighth Research Institute was providing electricity to the New World in reality to maintain the operation of some important items inside, but after checking the direction of the wires and the circuitry, she believed that the truth might be reversed: It was the real New World that supplied electricity to the Eighth Research Institute!

In other words, the small nuclear power plant she surmised was in the depths of the real New World. As for those Heartless, their core job was to maintain the operation of the nuclear power plant. Next was to ensure their survival, and lastly, to maintain the power lines to the Eighth Research Institute and the track the Eighth Research Institute used to provide them with supplies.

It was precisely because of this that only about one-tenth of them were active in the periphery.

Yes, that power station must be in the area around the tower, protected by an illusion. And the power station itself exists for something important… Jiang Baimian muttered to herself. She was already certain that those Heartless had entered an illusion when they disappeared the moment they reached a certain spot.

If she wanted to come into contact with that illusion, she needed to raise her strength as soon as possible.

With this in mind, she restrained her thoughts and entered the Sea of Origins.

She came to the island with the golden elevator again and faced her other self in pajamas.

When that ‘Jiang Baimian’ saw her, she smiled and asked, “Have you thought it through?”