On granite steps.

The old man in the robe stared at the young man at the bottom of the steps, and his cloudy pupils couldn't help but float a trace of nostalgia.

Resemble......

It's so similar.

But it's not......

People who have lived too long will have a rancid smell that they can't smell with their noses but can be seen with their eyes, and if it is an old monster who has lived for more than two hundred years like himself, he will definitely be able to see it.

But it was clear that the young man in front of him didn't have that smell on him.

There is only one possibility......

Thinking of the only possibility, the old man's eyes couldn't help but feel a little more melancholy.

And while the old man was observing Chu Guang, Chu Guang was also looking at him.

Just looking at the wrinkles on his face, he couldn't tell how old this guy was.

Perhaps for this chief gentleman, lifespan has become an illusory concept.

But there was no envy in his heart.

There is life when there is death.

It is the stone that does not die and is at the same time a curse on the living.

The Great Rift Valley is such a thing, and the people who live here, young and old, are drowsy, like rubble rolling down from the top of a mountain.

And it is precisely because of this stale atmosphere that it arouses the rebellion of the Free State and the extreme yearning for freedom.

No one wants to be born in a coffin and be a companion in the future visible to the naked eye.

Compared to the City of Origin, which witnessed the entire Wasteland Age, Bougerra is undoubtedly the baby.

An out-of-the-box thought suddenly popped up in Chu Guang's mind.

This guy is like an undead in fantasy......

"At your invitation, I came to the Great Rift Valley," Chu Guang nodded to the old man, and then gestured with his eyes to a certain dutiful son who couldn't help but talk about running around to climb the relationship while playing, and then continued, "I, like you, have wanted to visit you for a long time. ”

Zhou Xianlin scratched his head, but he could read the air, this was not an occasion where he could interject.

Glancing at the leader of a certain survivor force who had left, the old man looked at Chu Guang again with a smile on his face, and said in a gentle tone.

"Very spirited lad."

“…… You mean me? ”

"No," said the old man, shaking his head and smiling, "I'm talking about your apprentice. ”

Chu Guang was slightly stunned, and then realized who the old man was talking about, and hurriedly denied it.

"You can eat indiscriminately, but you can't talk indiscriminately! I've never confiscated an apprentice, and I've never taught anyone! ”

Looking at Chu Guang, who hurriedly denied it, the old man smiled and said in a joking tone.

"The master leads the way in, the cultivation is in the individual, if you don't cultivate well, it is a personal creation, how can you blame the teacher if you don't learn well? Rest assured, no one will blame you. ”

Seeing that the old man couldn't listen to people's words, Chu Guang also gave up his plan to explain to him.

Thanks to the fact that there are no journalists here.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to wash it off even if he jumped into the water.

The old man didn't continue to make fun of him, and the jokes seemed to be just to ease the atmosphere.

The old man standing on the steps waited for a while, and when Chu Guang walked up the steps, he walked beside him and continued in a casual tone.

“…… In fact, there is no need to blame yourself, the king fell a horse, lost a war, and lost an empire, which seems to be regrettable, but there is nothing to regret when you jump out of the whole story. Even if the horse had not fallen, the war would not have been won, and the decline of an empire was not the beginning of another. ”

Seeing that the story of this old man and Dam City couldn't get along, Chu Guang couldn't help but go back.

"So the fall of the People's Federation doesn't matter to you, anyway, it's not the beginning of another rise and fall."

Chu Guang thought that this old man would be speechless, but he didn't expect him to be so thick-skinned, so he simply nodded.

"That's exactly what I think, and I'm getting more and more sure of what I think...... The Wasteland Age is becoming history, aren't you a continuation of the past? Different from us, from us, more advanced than us, more open, full of dreams for the future. Soon you will have children of your own, and then you will be able to understand my feelings. ”

Chu Guang glanced at the old man with some surprise, he didn't expect to get such an evaluation.

Should this be considered a compliment?

After a moment's thought, he spoke.

"But I don't want to understand it that way, because it would turn the study of history into a fortune telling, and justify suffering."

The old man shook his head.

"I never said that Wasteland Age was correct, I just wanted to tell you that it was the 'fruit' planted by Age of Prosperity. I discussed this with a guy named Professor a long time ago, and that's actually part of his point. ”

Chu Guang frowned.

"Professor?"

He suddenly remembered a recording.

It was a long, long time ago he had gotten from a guard's room in Sector B2, and it contained stories other than those not mentioned in the Bloody Hand Diary.

The professor seems to have a deep friendship with the original administrator of Vault 404, and may not even be able to be the same person...... And that's what he made at the time.

Looking at Chu Guang, who was deep in thought, the old man continued in a very soft voice as if he was expecting something.

"Many people have forgotten his name, or may not know it at all, but the people in the wasteland have been helped by him to a greater or lesser extent, or indirectly influenced by him. The academy should remember him, so if you're interested, you can talk to them...... Although, unfortunately, the most vocal 'conclusion' did not come here, only the chief technology officer he appointed. ”

Chu Guang pressed his eyebrows with a little headache.

“…… Your names are all too individual, are they all like this in the era of the People's Union? ”

The old man smiled.

"It was a very avant-garde time, and a person could have two names in his life, one was the high expectations that their parents placed on them, and the other was their expectations for themselves and their future...... Of course, this is true for only a small number of people, and most people are more traditional, and can even trace their cultural origins back through the structure of their names. ”

At this point, the old man was silent for a moment, and then continued in a very soft voice.

"Actually, it's not just the name, it's a lot of things, the post-war reconstruction committee tried to use the experience of the human union to save the world from decay, but we soon found out that we are still us, and you are no longer us. Some people try to do things that are not planned, some people try to do what they didn't do head-on, but most of their efforts fail, and instead the seeds that we didn't expect bloom bloom. ”

"Take Julius, for example, every officer of the War Construction Committee who opposed him angrily denounced his compassion and weakness as ruining human civilization, but in fact, human civilization is really not as fragile as they say, and it is only themselves who go to hell - those who believe in the 'necessary evil' and the War Construction Committee who condone them."

As for Julius, who was despised by them, he became an iron-blooded marshal admired by all people...... There are many people who support him, including the residents of the Vault, otherwise how did the Iron Heart fly? It is impossible for the Willantes to do this on their own, including the recovery of their own genetic source code. Although the boy was indeed confused later in the matter of Avent City, that is another story. ”

Chu Guang patiently listened to his story and asked thoughtfully.

"What do you want to express to me?"

The old man glanced back at the tarmac in the distance behind him, looked at Xiao Zhou, who was standing at a loss in the crowd, smiled faintly and continued.

"I just want to tell you that the People's Union is too far away for you, and you have your own history to refer to."

"Again, you don't have to be tied down for fear of failure, and you don't have to blame yourself for the mistakes that have already occurred. History repeats itself precisely because mistakes themselves are inevitable, not today, but tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The memory of the fall will be the fuel to keep you going, even if you fall and can't get up, you can also be used as fuel for your children to help them go further. ”

"You're still young, it's time to show your edge unreservedly, don't live like me and can't get up after a fall."

Those cloudy pupils seemed to see through themselves.

Catching up with the old man's eyes, Chu Guang suddenly saw his own reflection in the cloudy "mirror".

The self who is shackled.

However, he didn't think that what the old man said necessarily represented the right thing, and there was nothing wrong with his choice.

The only unfettered existence of the Alliance is himself, and his moderation of himself is itself an integral part of the plan.

And this old man thinks that his car speed is too slow, and if he can't do it, he is not standing on the position of good for him, but hopes that he and the alliance will be like the People's Federation, to be the fuel for the children in the future.

Just like what Julius had already done, the disintegration of the Legion had made the Willantes brilliant, and he did not swell like Julius, which obviously made the old man anxious.

Looking at the old man with a hint of encouragement in his eyes, Chu Guang, who gradually understood everything, was glad that he was not encircled, and laughed freely, breaking the old man's trap.

"It seems that people become nihilistic when they get old, and I have to take this as a warning."

The old man's brow twitched slightly, and he shook his head in retort.

"It's not a matter of aging, it's related to the information received, some people are about to die and can't let go of the obsession in their hearts, and some people have just entered the age of not being confused at the beginning of their lives, I don't think it's a good thing. You're good, even better than the other you, and I'm quite optimistic about you. ”

“…… Another me? ”

Chu Guang frowned, but the old man's face changed, and he closed his mouth as if he had leaked his mouth.

"Ahem...... It's too early to say that. I've got some things to send you here, and we'll talk about that later. ”

With that, the old man turned around and was about to leave.

Looking at the guy who stopped talking halfway, Chu Guang had a crying and laughing expression on his face.

They talked for so long, and the guy didn't even tell himself what his name was.

"At least tell me your name."

The old man paused, paused for a moment, and then tilted his head slightly.

"Name...... Call me Qianwu, but I haven't used this name for many years, and I may not react if you call me. ”

Chu Guang nodded.

"It doesn't matter, it's just a matter of politeness."

Chief: "......"

Seeing the two-hundred-year-old man leave, Chu Guang looked at the entourage arranged for him by the Great Rift Valley on the side, and nodded to the big man in power armor to continue to lead the way.

The two walked forward a little further, entering the silver-gray building at the very top of the Great Rift Valley.

The whole building resembles a spaceship lying flat on a valley, with a streamlined shell that blends in with the transparent dome.

This seems to be the heart of the Aegis system, and is said to be the safest place in the entire wasteland, even safer than the Vault.

After all, the latter also needs to consider the supply of fuel, and the former is lying under the feet of a vast sea of energy.

Players have been here for a long time and have brought back the photos they have taken to the official website.

Chu Guang had seen those photos at that time, and they were still in the unfiltered version, so he was not too surprised by the grandiose and exaggerated scenes here.

However, when he walked through the silver movable door and into the hall, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.

A bulky and bloated "gold can" was standing in the center of the hall, and a familiar face was on top of the gold can.

That guy is none other than his "ace double pangolin" -

Battlefield Atmosphere Group!

And standing next to this guy at this moment is the former ambassador of the Legion to the Alliance, and now the important minister of the Triumph City Civil Clan, Captain Benottwan.

Although this guy has quarreled with him a lot in the past at the Cohesive Community meeting, it was purely because of his position, even if he had quarreled, it had nothing to do with personal grudges.

And since the Xifan Port incident, the alliance has helped the civilian clique.

Since then, Triumph City has been very close to Dawning City, but the Southern Legions, which have trade with the Alliance, have drifted away from the Alliance due to geopolitical conflicts.

As for now, due to the establishment of the Wiellant Alliance and the Alliance's assistance to Triumph City in fighting the "death pill" at any cost, Triumph City and Dawning City are also in a honeymoon period, and Bennott's attitude towards the Alliance has naturally changed one hundred and eighty degrees.

As soon as he saw the blue tin can walking into the hall, the old man's eyes suddenly lit up, and he greeted him with a smile and red light.

"Haha! Dear Mr. Manager, it's been a long time! You're as handsome as ever! ”

"You too, you are still as ......tough as before" Chu Guang's expression was a little subtle, not for the contrast of Captain Benottwanfu, but because he didn't expect to see his little player here.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who was embarrassed, someone squatting in the gold can had already smiled embarrassedly at him.

However, Benott didn't have any embarrassment, and he didn't notice that the big toe behind him had been clenched, and he was still talking enthusiastically.

"Allow me to introduce you to the ...... Next to me is the Archon of Triumph, the heir to the Golden Armor, and the hero of the survivors of the provinces of Wilante and Bartoya! Mr. Pangolin! ”

After finishing this passage in a subdued tone, he looked at Chu Guang with some ostentatious expressions and continued to speak.

"He's such a great man! I couldn't tell the story about him for three days and three nights—"

Looking at Chu Guang, who was almost unable to hold back his laughter, the battlefield guy coughed vigorously, interrupted Benott's words, and then said hurriedly.

"Okay, don't talk about my little thing...... Administrator of the Alliance, there is something I would like to talk to you about, is it convenient for you now? ”

"A closed-door meeting before the human conference?" Chu Guang said in a joking tone.

The Battlefield Atmosphere Team said with a smile in their eyes.

"Exactly ......"

This play has been able to be performed so far purely by his impromptu performance, and he really doesn't know how to act it next.

Chu Guang nodded, and then looked at the attendants on the side.

"I need a separate conference room, can you arrange it for me?"

The power-armored squire nodded respectfully.

"No problem."

……

On the other side, there was a commotion on the tarmac.

The plane from the enterprise caused quite a stir when it landed, so much so that the leader of the Red River Alliance accidentally stepped on the leather shoes of the leader of the Dam Alliance, and the two almost got into a diplomatic incident.

Fortunately, the soldiers of the Great Rift Valley separated the two in time and graciously invited them back to their respective rooms.

Unlike the "thorny rose" of the Alliance, Ideal City is the purest form of wealth!

Especially for those who just want to get rich and don't want to progress, they are much more fragrant than the alliance.

For example, Mayor Otto.

Seeing the representative of the Ideal City Council coming down from the tarmac, his eyes couldn't help but glow with golden light.

And the Chief of the Great Rift Valley, who was standing from a distance and watching them, had a smile of relief on his wrinkled face.

Although the "Human Conference" has not officially begun, it is still a warm-up before the meeting, but in fact, it has already kicked off from the moment the first plane landed.

Standing here are the people who can decide the fate of the future of the wasteland, whether it is the fate of hundreds of millions of people or the fate of hundreds of thousands.

It wasn't so much his invitation that brought them here, but rather the survivors of the wasteland who pushed them to the forefront.

As the Night's Watch of the Old Age, he will fulfill his final duty here – to build a stage for these new age trendsetters.

That's what he's really going to do.

As for the final meeting, there is nothing to look forward to, and what is really worth discussing is often decided before the meeting......

Just as the old man admired his masterpiece, footsteps came from behind him.

"Sir, are you the chief of the Great Rift Valley?"

Absec looked at the old man's back with a respectful expression.

When Chu Guang was talking to this person before, he was paying attention to this old gentleman.

When everyone was gathered in front of the tarmac, he saw that he didn't have a chance to squeeze in, so he came here with an idea.

His instincts told him that he was also a heavyweight who could influence the situation in the wasteland.

It is really impossible to climb the big tree of the enterprise, and it is also excellent to reach the branches of the Great Rift Valley.

The Brahminas are all extremely intelligent, but the points of intelligence are different.

The old man turned, glanced Absec up and down, and then smiled gently.

"It's me, what's the matter?"

The easy-going tone is like a spring breeze blowing in the face, and the undercurrent under the steps is like two worlds.

Absek was in awe,

"I have long admired your great name, I am Absek, the Great Ruler of Borneo, and please allow me to extend my sincerest greetings to you on behalf of the hundreds of millions of people of Borneo."

O Borneo......

The old man's eyes fell into memory,

In this case, this should be the descendant of General Rowell.

He could still use the word "child" to address Julius, but that guy would have to be his age......

Thinking of this, the old man smiled kindly and said in a gentle tone.

"Hello, Grand Commander of Borneo, please also greet the hundreds of millions of survivors of Borneo on my behalf."

I didn't expect this big man to be so approachable, and Absec was also impressed in his heart.

The world outside Borneo is far bigger than he imagined, and it seems that he still has a long way to go......

"I'll be sure to bring them your greetings!" Smiling and arching his hand, Absec skillfully climbed the relationship, "Speaking of which, the survivors of Borneo still have some connections with the survivors of the Great Rift Valley!" I also learned later that General Lowell, who led us through the difficulties, was actually a registered officer of the People's Federation! We are like two buds growing from a tree, one on the south side and one on the north side, but the roots are the same. ”

Amused by this, the old man smiled, paused for a moment, and then continued.

"Rowell...... I remember this name, let's cheekily call him an old comrade-in-arms! It's a shame to say that the War Construction Committee is actually quite sorry for him, and failed to lend a helping hand to him when he needed help the most. ”

"There is no way to do it, we can understand, you also have your difficulties," Absec sighed lightly, and let go of this past with a generous appearance, "Let the past pass, the Brahminas are ready to go to the new era, and we are now more concerned about ourselves and the future of our children." ”

This is a beautiful scene, and the person who says it doesn't have to take it too seriously, and the person who listens doesn't have to take it too seriously.

However, after hearing this, the old man looked at him and smiled meaningfully.

"Are you really ready?"

Seeing that smile like a spring breeze suddenly changed again, Absec couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and looked at the chief gentleman with some incomprehension.

"That's nature...... If I'm not ready, how can I be standing here? ”

Hearing this, the old man smiled and nodded, and suddenly looked past him into the distance.

"Lowell...... I know the story of this comrade-in-arms, who is probably the earliest savior of this wasteland, and a savior in the truest sense of the word. Unlike our disaster relief agencies, all we do is to minimize the damage as much as possible and save the last spark for human civilization, which has only one breath left. But he is different, and whether his idea is clever or not, we must recognize his bravery and try to save a group of people who are certain to die...... And this courage is something we don't have. ”

"In order to keep as many people alive as possible, we abandoned the illusion of never giving up on everyone very early on, whether it was me or that 'professor'."

Absec looked at the old man stunned, not understanding what he meant.

However, as a smart person, he naturally will not go against the "behemoth" in front of him.

Studying what Rowell was doing by the likes of "Mr. Rat" Niyan and Commissioner Kabaha, what was right or wrong 200 years ago means nothing to the Grand Commander of Borneo.

“…… We think so too, he is the real savior. ”

Absec thought the old man would nod in relief, but he didn't expect the latter to laugh out loud.

And what made him even more confused was what the chief gentleman said next.

"The administrators of the alliance called me a nihilistic, said that my understanding of history was like a fortune teller, and said that I should take this as a warning...... This lad looks down on me, haha. In that case, I'll do the math for the nihilist's close relative, the pragmatist. ”

Absec stared at him stunned, not understanding what he wanted to do, or even who he was talking about pragmatist.

The 200-year-old man closed his eyes and thought for a while, and suddenly opened his eyes again.

"How many people are there in your Borneo country?"

Absec swallowed, not wanting to tell him, but after thinking about it, it was easy for Lao Deng to want to know, so he confessed honestly.

"Less than 200 million."

"That's miserable," the old man shook his head, "to say less, another 20 million deaths." ”

Absec held his breath for a moment and hurriedly retorted.

"How is this possible! Million?! The Willantes can't kill so many! There are not so many people in the entire three northern continents combined! You mean Lassi is going to kill? No, wait......"

He suddenly calmed down.

I am the leader of one side, and there is no need to mess up because of an old man's nonsense.

I wonder if this is exactly the strategy of the Great Rift Valley......

They saw through that they didn't want to fight this civil war, so they deliberately provoked themselves with words.

But why?!

Absek's eyes were blank, as if he had fallen from the pinnacle of his life into a dry well, with thick walls on either side and unreachable clouds overhead.

Except for Lassy's sudden madness, he really couldn't figure out where the 20 million heads were going to come from.

Famine?

They are no longer short of food.

Flood?

Again, there are not so many people along the Tasan River!

Pestilence?

It's possible, but it's not possible. After all, Borneo doesn't have as much of a road network as Bhartoya, and the Wilantes have proven that their virus can wipe out a village or town at most, and then it won't be far away......

Moreover, the alliance is the world's first in medical technology!

And businesses! If that happens, the company will help!

A hint of exasperation appeared on Absek's face, as if he had been teased.

If it weren't for the fact that this old man was the leader of the Great Rift Valley, he really couldn't afford to provoke him, and he couldn't wait to turn around and leave!

In fact, he didn't understand what kind of existence the Great Rift Valley was, and subconsciously used the thinking of his hometown.

If he had seen the essence of the Great Rift Valley as clearly as Chu Guang, he wouldn't have cared about losing face, let alone running over to slap in with this group of people.

Whether he loses face in the Rift Valley or not, the longest-lived old man in the wasteland will not embarrass him.

And this old man's willingness to say it so directly is actually a kind of kindness.

It's all for Lowell's sake.

As a "chess watcher", he would never stick his little finger out of the chessboard unless he had to.

"Mr. Absek, the wise man chosen by the Borneo nation, you can answer me a question, there are 100 million sheep in the savannah, 100 million froze to death in the wasteland era, how many are left now?"

Absec replied subconsciously.

"Of course there's no one—"

"Miscalculated," said the old man, shaking his head, with a smile, "I'll tell you, there's still 100 million left." ”

"How is that possible?" Absek's eyes widened in surprise, then he calmed down, "Sir, is this sophistry?" ”

"It's not sophistry, it's the law of nature," the old man said slowly, "The Wasteland Era is not a gust of wind, but the sand blown by the wind, and it hurts when you rub your eyes. War comes quickly, and when we realize that winning or losing is a serious matter, everything we miss is over...... For some people, this process is one day, for others it is 200 years, and for you living on the prairie, it is about half a century. ”

"The harshest winter lasted about 43 years, maybe 46 years, I don't remember exactly...... If there were no marauders, no xenospecies, and enough water and food, even if the flock starved to death to only 10,000, the remaining sheep could be restored to 100 million in the next century and a half. ”

"You thank Lowell for saving at least 100 million people, but what about the civilizational disconnection that you have had? Is it just that the father did not teach his son what he knew? ”

"Is there a possibility that he self-righteous tossing and killing people who shouldn't have died? There were 10,000 sheep left on the grassland, but only 5,000 were left, and his red soil didn't have any obvious effect in the cold winter. However, Borneo is not a great desert after all, it is a natural refuge, there are no xenomorphs and slime molds, and it is not easy for outside predators to enter, and in the end, instead of decreasing, the sheep have doubled...... As a result, the credit went to Lowell's head. ”

"Maybe only the Red Clay can tell you the right answer, but I can tell you responsibly that if that generation really survived because of Lowell, it will not be the turn of the Wilantes who have nothing to teach you a lesson, but you should take on the mission of ending the Wasteland Era, to save the Riverdale Province, to save Triumph City, and then I will award you the Medal of Victory...... Of course, you'd probably be just as sneering at me as that kid was then. ”

Looking at Absec, who was holding his breath, the old man smiled and said.

"You should actually have a more objective assessment of Lowell, this is the only chance to live, some people have realized it, but it is far from enough. Otherwise I'm not kidding, he'll really come back to you, continue to play his savior game with you, and then become the new Rowell and take you to the next exam room. ”

Speaking of this, the old man regretted it a little.

In fact, he shouldn't have "leaked the question", if he really let these people find that Lowell, bury that guy hastily like two hundred years ago, and then leave the unpleasant memories behind, the next Rowell will be more ruthless and will kill more people.

However, it was rare for the Great Rift Valley to be so lively as it was today, and he was indeed a little overexcited, and he really liked this young man.

Maybe it can save someone's life?

Although this life may have to be exchanged for countless lives, he really doesn't care very much.

"Do you mean Yanush......" Absek's voice trembled, and a drop of cold sweat ran across his forehead.

The guy was undoubtedly dead, but it was a haunting nightmare in his head.

Some time ago, he always had nightmares, but later he felt a little better after believing in the goddess of the silver moon.

As a result, the old man's two words reminded him of the bloody man who stared at him with his eyes open.

It was as if telling him that he would come back, to the blood-stained throne, and to get back everything he had been robbed of.

Not wanting to scare the child too hard, the old man hesitated for a moment between saving or not saving, and finally sighed softly.

"I don't know what you call Yanush, it doesn't matter who he is or what his name is."

"You think I'm saying this to tell you that Lowell has hurt you, but it's not."

"I want to remind you that every resident of Vault 404 is Chu Guang, and every Borneo is Lowell."

(End of chapter)