Free Web NovelChapter 137: Chapter 137: Holy Sanctuary, God of the Firmament
’Azure Sky Technology?’
Shen Feng had glimpsed similar logos over the past two days as he climbed. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
They were all just fleeting glimpses.
’Needless to say, for a company to have its logo survive in a world completely consumed by the Gray Tide, this Azure Sky Technology must be the company that created it.’
’They were the ones who started it all.’
’These fishermen are wearing Azure Sky Technology uniforms, so they’re obviously connected to the company...’
At that thought, the corner of Shen Feng’s mouth curled up, and he strode forward.
Billy froze for a moment, then had no choice but to hurry after him.
Seeing Shen Feng and Billy suddenly appear, the group of fishermen immediately started shouting. They grabbed several metal spears from beside them and pointed them at the two newcomers.
A scar-faced, middle-aged man at the front shouted:
"Stop! Outsiders? Can you talk? Where are you from?"
Meanwhile, the other fishermen, also holding steel spears, closed in, surrounding Shen Feng and Billy.
Looking at the bald, dark-skinned, and powerfully built man and his skinny, shifty-looking companion, the fishermen’s expressions were a mixture of surprise and arrogance. Their eyes held a subtle look of superiority.
Shen Feng forced a harmless smile and said,
"Hello, friends. We came from below. Could you tell us where this is?"
Hearing this, an "as-expected" look appeared on their faces, as if they were already used to this sort of encounter.
The scar-faced man said coldly,
"What floor are you from? Group hibernation or solo? Were you terminally ill, or did you just want to travel through time?"
He was clearly talking about people who had used deep-space hibernation technology to travel into the future.
Clearly, they had encountered many such people before.
Before Shen Feng could speak, Billy hastily blurted out, "We... we came from Floor 959..."
Hearing this, the men let out a collective gasp, their faces turning to panic.
"Below the thousandth floor! They came from below the thousandth floor!"
"God of the Firmament above, that’s the legendary Hell!"
"They say when God created this world, he designated everything below the thousandth floor as Hell, where only Evil Ghosts dwell... Did these two crawl out of Hell!?"
The younger men panicked, but the scar-faced man just narrowed his eyes, jabbed his steel spear forward, and said,
"You’re... from a hibernation prison? Below the thousandth floor, there are only hibernation prisons... Tell me, what crimes did you ’old-worlders’ commit in your past lives?"
’Past lives?’
Shen Feng raised an eyebrow. ’That’s a good word for it.’
’After all, for those who used deep-space hibernation to travel from the old world to the Gray Tide apocalypse, it was no different from being reborn.’
’Their old lives could indeed be considered their past lives.’
This time, Shen Feng didn’t give Billy a chance to speak. He smiled faintly and said,
"We were both sentenced to a year for theft. We never expected to wake up to the end of the world... Sigh... But you still have to try and live, right?"
Hearing this, Billy instantly understood Shen Feng’s meaning and began nodding vigorously.
The scar-faced man squinted at Shen Feng and Billy, clearly not entirely convinced.
"I don’t care about your past lives. Now that you’re in the Holy Sanctuary, you will follow the rules. Otherwise, we will mete out the earth’s punishment in the name of the God of the Firmament!"
Shen Feng kept smiling. "Of course."
’After two apocalyptic missions, he had a firm grasp on the mentality of humanity’s desperate survivors.’
’Their world was in a state of collapse. Without something to believe in, they’d go insane or lose all humanity and become like beasts.’
’This God of the Firmament was clearly similar to the God of the East Wind from the nuclear apocalypse—another deified cult.’
’I just don’t know if the God of the Firmament refers to the entire Sky Technology Company or to a specific person...’
"Very good." The scar-faced man nodded arrogantly. "You can enter the Holy Sanctuary, but you must obey the laws of the Holy Land. And you’ll have to pay a tax."
Billy glanced cautiously at Shen Feng’s backpack.
The scar-faced man continued, "Don’t worry. The Holy Sanctuary People have their pride. We don’t just take things from outsiders. You just have to hand over something of value."
Shen Feng casually pulled a cheap plastic lighter from his pocket, flicked it to demonstrate, then handed it to the scar-faced man. "Will this do?" he asked.
The so-called "Holy Sanctuary People" present immediately stared, their eyes wide with shock.
"Is that... Demon Fire? A legendary item... I think it’s called... a lighter!?"
"It really is... It’s really a lighter! My god, to think these things still exist! With this, we won’t have to strike our blades together to make a fire!"
The scar-faced man suppressed his excitement, took the lighter from Shen Feng, cleared his throat, and said, "This... will do. Come with us."
With that, he picked up his fish spear and led the way, clutching the lighter so tightly his shoulders seemed to tremble slightly.
Seeing this, the other Holy Sanctuary People, still holding their steel spears, surrounded them like guards escorting prisoners, and led Shen Feng and Billy forward.
As they walked, Shen Feng quickly observed the people around him.
Several of them were only fourteen or fifteen years old, but they were robust and pale-skinned.
They looked at Shen Feng with the most curiosity, and their gazes toward the lighter were like they’d witnessed a miracle.
’From their reactions, Shen Feng had already made his assessment.’
’They weren’t people who had woken from Hibernation Pods; they were native to this Gray Tide World!’
’That’s why they had no concept of past technology.’
’And why they called him an ’old-worlder.’’
’But from the way they talked, it seemed they had some vague knowledge of various technologies, even if they’d never seen them.’
’This meant that the people living in this Holy Sanctuary had passed down knowledge from generation to generation. The only question was, how many generations had it been?’
The group wandered around the floor for a while before finding an upward staircase. They climbed for another dozen or so floors, then navigated a few maze-like corridors. After winding their way through for nearly an hour, they finally reached an area showing signs of human activity.
Floor 3000.
Here, there were not only a few small streams and humid air, but the metal walls were also covered in moss and ferns. Insects were visible everywhere.
They also began to encounter other people in tattered Sky Company uniforms, some catching insects, others raising some sort of creature.
What surprised Shen Feng even more was a corridor lined with light fixtures and filled with dilapidated Hibernation Pods.
The Hibernation Pods stank, but they were being used to grow plants!
Fruit trees, vegetables, even corn!
The crops were thriving, clearly well-tended and well-fertilized.
Over thirty people were guarding the crops, all of them with steel spears on their backs and Long Sabers at their waists.
This was clearly a vital area for the Holy Sanctuary People.
When they saw Shen Feng and Billy, these guards were extremely vigilant but not particularly surprised. Instead, their gazes were full of that same look of superiority.
Finally, after another few hundred meters, they reached an archway covered in metal plates. The scar-faced man and his subordinate moved one of the plates aside, then led Shen Feng and Billy through the opening.
Before them was a vast, dome-ceilinged space, as large as two or three football fields.
Everything inside wasn’t metal, but concrete floors and rows of factory buildings!
And on every single one of those buildings was the conspicuous logo of Azure Sky Technology!
A street ran through the center of the area. Many people in Azure Sky Technology uniforms, as well as some who were clearly outsiders, moved along it. The sides of the street were lined with small stalls where people were bartering goods.
As far as the eye could see, there were at least five or six thousand people.
There were also patrols of people in Azure Sky Technology uniforms wandering about, armed with guns.
’They still had guns.’
’This place must have been one of Azure Sky Technology’s factory complexes!’
"This is the Holy Sanctuary, the last pure land the God of the Firmament left to this world. It is our paradise," the scar-faced man said with a proud look. The other Holy Sanctuary People looked equally proud.
"Old-worlder outsiders, you can move about the Holy Sanctuary freely, so long as you cause no trouble. If you offend the Holy Sanctuary, you’ll be shot, then sentenced to the earth’s punishment..." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
Billy asked cautiously, "What... is the earth’s punishment?"
The scar-faced man snorted. "We make you become the earth, of course. To provide nutrients for the plants... You saw those Hibernation Pods earlier."
Billy couldn’t help but shudder. ’The plants were being fertilized with human corpses...’
He quickly turned to the scar-faced man. "Thank you for the warning. How should we address you?"
The scar-faced man said flatly, "Gerard. Captain of the Third Hunting Party."
As he spoke, he nonchalantly touched his hip, revealing the barrel of a revolver.
Shen Feng raised an eyebrow. ’So this guy has a gun too.’
’No wonder these guys called this place a Holy Sanctuary. With food, drink, and guns, in a Gray Tide apocalypse where there was nothing, this place could absolutely be called Heaven.’
’I just wonder what this God of the Firmament is...’
Just then, Gerard proudly pointed to a nearby metal statue and said:
"Old-worlders, this is the god of the Holy Sanctuary People, the god of the entire world! The God of the Firmament, Arthur Seldon!"
"Uh-huh," Shen Feng replied noncommittally, walking toward the metal statue.
’Creator worship, cargo cults... I’ve seen it all before.’
’But you people... this looks more like a case of Stockholm Syndrome, doesn’t it?’
~
*(Author’s Note: I had a bit of writer’s block today because I felt my descriptions weren’t quite right. I’ve found my rhythm now and am working on the next Chapter. Quality comes first, so thank you for your patience!)*
