Wasteland: My items are infinitely upgraded.

Chapter 104 The significance of Oasis Town, evil and observation

Facing Lin Feng's slightly questioning question, Shen Yue sighed softly, walked forward and pulled the curtains of the study room.

Without the illumination of the "moonlight", the room full of bookshelves fell into darkness.

Lin Feng's pupils dilated instantly. He lacked experience of living in darkness. Even if he evolved to the middle stage of the first stage, he still could not adapt to the extremely low-brightness environment in a short period of time.

But at this moment, the strange feeling like a needle prick that had been lingering in Lin Feng's mind suddenly disappeared.

Obviously it has something to do with the moonlight coming in through the window.

It is called moonlight, but it is actually the afterglow of the scorching sun.

Lin Feng vaguely saw a blurry black shadow in front of the window slowly walking towards him.

When Shen Yue approached, she took out a kerosene lighter from her pocket, slid the flint, and lit an oil lamp on the desk in the study room.

Bright incandescent flames dispel darkness.

A gradient light circle was formed between the two of them, counteracting the thick black shadows nearby.

Shen Yue sat on the chair next to the desk and said:

"There's still some time before the ceremony begins. I guess you're not interested in those boring prayers. Please take a seat."

Lin Feng nodded, sat down next to the oil lamp, and asked again:
"Is the ritual really some kind of sacrificial ritual?"

Shen Yue stared at the dancing flames and did not directly answer the other party's question. Instead, she asked Lin Feng:
"What do you think of life in the Upper Quarter of the Oasis?"

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment, and spoke his mind without thinking:
"It's like a paradise on earth, but it's built on the corpses of a wasteland hell..."

Shen Yue nodded and smiled:
“A vivid metaphor, but how can a paradise built from hell be a true paradise?”

"Such a high quality of life, even going so far as to mobilize a large number of people to set up the daily schedule, alternating between day and night, to ensure that these superior people can maintain optimal physical and mental health..."

"But guess what, why don't you see any old people on the street?"

"You should know that the Upper Oasis has a history of six hundred years of development. The Evolved here are not like the hungry and exhausted people in the wasteland. Their lifespans are greatly reduced and they don't even reach old age."

After hearing Shen Yue's words, Lin Feng frowned slightly and quickly realized the hidden problems in Shangmin District.

During the previous few hours of travel, he had seen hundreds of people, including groups of children, young boys and girls, and handsome men and women.

But none of them look as good as I do.

But just as Shen Yue said, the only thing he didn't see were the elderly people among the upper class, and even the middle-aged ones were very few.

As evolvers, with strength at least at the initial stage of the first stage, their lifespan can easily exceed two hundred years. Coupled with their pampered living environment, it is not impossible for them to live to the four or five hundred years predicted by the research at that time.

So why are there no elderly people among this group of upper class people? In a normal one hundred years in the wasteland, six hundred years, there must be countless elderly people who are three or four hundred years old.

Unless the Upper Civil District has been secretly executing those elderly members who are no longer energetic in order to ensure the overall quality of life.

"So this so-called moonlit night ritual is to deal with the elderly among the people in the oasis?"

Lin Feng asked back, and then continued:
"But what does this have to do with creating the alternation of night and day and creating a fake moon? Could this be a special ritual for death in the upper-class district?"

Human beings have always attached great importance to death, especially in Southeast Asia during the Old Earth period, where the custom of regarding death as the greatest of all was still prevalent.

A funeral is often the highest level of honor a person can receive in their lifetime.

Although the person is gone in the end, the etiquette is still there.

If Shangmin District had developed over the centuries to maintain population stability within its limited living space, then it's understandable that it would have developed such a cumbersome farewell ceremony that involved a large number of troops...

After all, the elderly who passed away were all dead.

Moreover, Lin Feng estimated that there would be very few volunteers.

Therefore, this dark-oriented ritual has a bit of sacrificial color.

Hearing Lin Feng's conclusion, Shen Yue smiled and nodded:
"You can think of it that way. The upper civilian area's population capacity cannot exceed two thousand. If it exceeds that, the oasis will not be able to support their high quality of life, and it may even begin to decline exponentially."

"So in order to ensure overall comfort, fixed mandatory elimination is still necessary."

"In the end, either the younger generation will be exiled, or the older generation above them will be eliminated."

"Obviously, the latter is more in line with the interests of the majority and can also reduce the instability of order."

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and stared at the woman in front of him.

As the oil light danced, the shadow on Shen Yue's face also floated up and down, uncertain.

Just like she said these cruel and elusive words with a calm and indifferent expression.

But this woman didn't tell the truth.

Lin Feng thought of the "moonlight" reflected by the convex mirror. This so-called ritual must be related to it.

However, Shen Yue avoided this matter the entire time and deliberately diverted the topic to the ceremony itself, but in the end she could only give a not very rigorous reason.

The lack of logic quickly aroused Lin Feng's vigilance.

He turned his gaze to the dancing flames.

Being in the darkness, without that uneasy feeling like a thorn in the throat, Lin Feng's thoughts became clearer:

"You've been leading me to talk..."

"Father Su An once mentioned the real reason why Oasis Town was docked in front of the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone. I didn't join the Oasis and become a member of the upper class, so I'm not qualified to know."

"I know that some things are difficult to talk about directly due to regulations."

"But I hope you can tell me the truth instead of deliberately leading me in the wrong direction."

Shen Yue sighed softly. It turned out that newcomers who were valued by big shots were not easy to fool.

After adjusting her mentality, she slowly said:

"It's actually protecting you. Sometimes knowing too much is not a good thing."

"Of course, if you already know something about the Lieyang restricted area behind us, then it's okay to tell you the truth. According to Master Su An, there are some things he can't say due to his status..."

"But I can."

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, and the dancing flames in his pupils reflected light and shadow:
"I once saw an inscription left by a prehistoric survivor in a ruin. I learned that there's some kind of strange curse in the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone that can cause people to spontaneously combust."

"So, without exception, all the survivors swallowed by the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone died, even if they returned to the shelter..."

"This is what I'm most worried about. If the upper class district of Oasis Town was established for some kind of experiment, then if I become an upper class, wouldn't that be like jumping into a fire pit?"

Looking at Lin Feng's serious and righteous expression, Shen Yue chuckled and then said:

"It's not as dark as you think. The so-called Moonlight Ceremony is a very great thing."

"Moreover, after learning the truth, the vast majority of the oasis's superiors participated voluntarily."

Lin Feng was a little skeptical: "Voluntarily die? Who would give up such a comfortable life and die bravely after being bewitched and brainwashed?"

As soon as the words fell, Lin Feng's mind snapped, as if he had grasped some key points that he had missed, and he quickly reacted:
"Could it be the self-ignition curse of the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone, requiring the sacrifice of a high-ranking official every two weeks to avert its coming?"

Shen Yue stared at the man in front of her, smiling:
"Yes, we're very close to the truth. But the scorching sun's curse can't affect too far outside the restricted area. As long as Oasis Town stays at least 20 kilometers away from it, there won't be much of a problem."

"So the sacrifice is not to remove the curse."

As she spoke, Shen Yue lowered her voice and said slowly:
"The reason we choose to stay on the edge of the restricted area, repeatedly walking the tightrope, is for the sake of all human survivors, to reduce casualties caused by the curse."

Lin Feng became more and more confused about how Oasis Town, a tiny and remote place, could affect all of humanity.

Could it be that it is inextricably linked to the Holy City thousands of kilometers ahead...

Seeing that Lin Feng couldn't understand, Shen Yue took out a lollipop from her pocket, removed the candy coating, placed it in front of the flame of the oil lamp, and began to spin it:
"Our planet rotates. Three suns divide the Earth's surface equally. The Blazing Sun Forbidden Zone doesn't affect Oasis Town because the energy of the curse has long since dissipated over the previous 26,000 kilometers..."

"But the life cursed by the forbidden zone can condense the core of scorching sun energy. They will continue to wander across the wasteland, like a small scorching sun, covering the area and forming a long-term life forbidden zone."

"Different factions have different names for them. In the Holy Spring Cult, they are called Yang Xie, meaning the remnants left behind by the scorching sun."

"The Yang Evil will hinder the progress of human settlements. And the most troublesome thing is that they will only awaken from their core when the life essence is concentrated close to them. However, the range of their influence can cover a few kilometers to hundreds of kilometers..."

"Because the Yang Evil is like a landmine and impossible to guard against, it caused tremendous damage to the surviving human civilization. Every time the Yang Evil erupted, only the powerful Evolved Ones could escape. The rest of humanity was reduced to ashes, becoming the firewood that fueled the Yang Evil's continued existence."

As she spoke, Shen Yue put the lollipop, the surface of which had already melted, into her mouth and sucked on its sweetness.

After the man in front of him recovered from his shock and digested the truth he had told, he added:

"The Yang Nie are the remains of the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone. Like the Fiery Sun, they use the mental fluctuations of their brains as a fuse and burn the life essence to feed. At the same time, their birth is also related to the enrichment of life essence, especially pure life essence without impurities..."

"You said that in this wasteland, besides the migrating caravan, there is another place with the richest Essence?"

Lin Feng took a deep breath and quickly reacted:
"Buried underground, in a shelter that hasn't been opened yet!"

Shen Yue nodded:
"That's right. The shelters appear randomly, not just in the safe areas outside the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone."

"Because they've never been exposed to sunlight, as long as the survivors who awaken in the shelter don't open the door, they won't be discovered by the Yang Xie. But after so many years, the shelter's life-support system has long been scrapped."

"So they became the source of the birth of Yang Xie."

"It is also the existence we need to be most wary of."

"And often, once it appears, it leaves behind a large number of scorching sun cores, triggering a catastrophe that spreads over a thousand miles, causing hundreds of thousands of humans along the way to spontaneously combust and turn to ashes."

After saying that, Shen Yue closed her eyes, crossed her hands under her chest, and leaned back in her chair to rest.

Lin Feng swallowed his saliva.

It turns out that the dangers of this new world are more bizarre and terrifying than he imagined.

And according to Shen Yue, going forward is not a safe place either. On the contrary, it is more dangerous than the Oasis Town at the back.

If you accidentally enter the restricted area of ​​the remaining evil spirits, it would be like entering an area covered by the scorching sun, with the risk of spontaneous combustion and death at any time.

But thinking of this, Lin Feng immediately rejected this idea.

If it were so dangerous, there wouldn't be so many big cities ahead. Chen Shanshan had said that big cities have hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of residents...

Among them, there are countless evolvers.

They must have a way to solve or avoid Yangxie.

After analyzing this, Lin Feng looked at the flickering lights and his pupils shrank suddenly...

The Earth rotates, and although the Oasis battleship is stranded at the end of the safe zone...

But this is also the starting point of the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone!
Therefore, the significance of its existence must be closely related to avoiding the subsequent impact of the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone!

Considering the mysterious rituals held every fifteen days on the Holy Spring Day while waiting for the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone to approach, a shocking idea emerged in Lin Feng's mind:
The purpose of the existence of the entire Oasis Town is to be able to observe the scorching sun storms occurring in the scorching sun restricted area, and then locate the place where the yang evil may be born.

Then pass this valuable and life-saving information to the holy city ahead, or even further, to the human vanguard.

This will ensure the safety of the route ahead!

After coming to the conclusion, Lin Feng suddenly recalled the warnings and admonitions left by the first generation of human pioneers six thousand years ago that he saw on the top of Laoshan Mountain two days ago.

When the human researcher decided to sacrifice himself, he told the city lord to always pay attention to the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone.

I am worried that one day, a being will be born there that can leave the Fiery Sun restricted area and move in the safe zone.

Now it seems that Yang Nie is the result of its evolution.

For humans migrating to the safe zone, the appearance of Yangxie is enough to trigger an extinction disaster.

At the same time, he also mentioned at the end that one should not stare at the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone for too long, otherwise the curse of spontaneous combustion will follow like a shadow, passing through the eye lens and engraved into the brain tissue...

Turn the observer into burning firewood!

At this moment, Lin Feng suddenly raised his head and looked at Shen Yue who was resting with her eyes closed:
"That so-called moonlit night ritual, wouldn't it be that the sacrificed one uses a convex lens to observe the Fiery Sun Forbidden Zone thousands of miles away?"

Hearing Lin Feng's words that touched upon the truth, Shen Yue slowly opened her eyes and looked at him:
"That's what you said. But it's true."

Then he pulled out the smaller half of the lollipop from his mouth, stared at it and muttered to himself:
"The Shangmin District's carefully nurtured Shangmin are only there to better fulfill their mission of observation."

"Their spiritual world is very rich, and it has a strong appeal to the curses and evil spirits of the forbidden area."

"But don't worry. As long as you can advance to the late stage of the first stage, you will be more valuable than firewood, and naturally you won't become a sacrifice..."

"Late-stage evolvers can hold important positions in the oasis, such as the manager of the Moon Garden or the head of other departments on the battleship. Their future lives will be incredibly comfortable."

Hearing her words, Lin Feng remembered that he saw the bounty order from Oasis in the guild.

A senior citizen needs a new guitar.

Perhaps it is also to train them to become qualified human telescopes.

Shen Yue put the lollipop into her mouth:

"This is much safer and more comfortable than fighting desperately in a dangerous wilderness, risking death."

"Besides, although Oasis Town is a bit poor, it has a lot of resources. Every pilgrim caravan sends back excess supplies."

"After a hundred years, there's even a chance to evolve to the second stage. Then, becoming a governor of the Oasis Council would be more comfortable than being a scavenger, wouldn't it?"

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes and understood the other party's intention.

My feelings are still for Su An and the Bishop.
Persuade myself to stay in Oasis Town.

　When I wrote this chapter, my mind was full of Dark Soul's Fire Transmission and Fujimoto's Flame Fist.

　　Ah, what a despairing world of eternal daylight.

　　Fortunately, there is still a trace of darkness around Chen Shanshan that can be stored.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)