Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland.

Chapter 589: The Watcher (Combined Chapter)

"Silver card..." Romi was stunned, and his tone suddenly rose: "You mean... that represents the highest authority of our Tech Hunters, the silver card of the inner circle of the Watchers?"

After the other party nodded, he finally remembered where and when he had heard the name Lu Beiyou.

Sword Saint Alk issued a wanted notice on behalf of the headquarters, offering a reward of the thirteenth silver card for the elimination of Kral's Choice, who had attacked many relay stations. The latter was one of the few lunatics who would not give any face to the technology hunters in order to restore the country.

Terrorist attacks, the attention of the Sword Master, the promised silver card, the privileges that come with it, as well as the coins and points rewards... Whether it is for the survival of the organization or for personal gain, many skilled technology hunters are alarmed and ready to converge on the territory of the Shak Kingdom.

You have to show your skills well to intimidate those who don't obey.

Even Romi, who was far away in the depression lagoon, heard about it and was eager to try it.

However, this reward has not been issued for long.

Suddenly the dust settled.

Surprisingly, the person who got it was not any well-known and famous high-level technology hunter, but a titled warrior of the Shek Kingdom... an outsider.

——The nameless one.

As his title suggests, someone looked through the files afterwards, but no matter at the headquarters or at the various relay bases, there was no record of any analysis of this person. Nothing was found, as if he appeared out of thin air.

This is unclear...

It feels a bit predetermined.

Even whether the Nameless One really exists, whether such a person exists, and whether it is possible that the "shameless" headquarters wants to shirk its responsibilities... If the Shark Kingdom had not been consistent in its statement and the situation had not changed without any omissions, it would probably have caused quite a stir.

And his true identity.

However, it was not until recently that it was officially disclosed by Shaq officials. But by then, after two years, the attention of ordinary technology hunters had long since shifted. Apart from noting down the name and secretly envying it, not many people were still paying attention to it.

After all, they are good.

But what does it have to do with me?
They are still busy doing dungeons and escorting goods.

It was at this time that Romi heard the name Lu Beiyou.

...The Red King?

"Is it really him?" he demanded.

"According to the news from the Shak Kingdom, their princess Seto is training with the Nameless One. Although this is very surprising, they don't have any special reaction. This should be tacitly acknowledged by the Stone Demon..." Liu Si pushed his glasses. "Even if there is only a 75% chance that this Shak girl is Seto, and there is also a % chance that they have the same name and surname, but they happen to be connected, the probability of confirming their identities is already %. It's a simple math problem... In fact, it's more than that."

The reason why he spoke was to test the waters.

Not interested in Princess Shak.

It was precisely because of the reaction to the name Lu Beiyou that he inferred the other party's identity. After receiving a positive answer, he then verified the two in turn and confirmed his guess.

Romi didn't think so complicated. He just believed Liu Si's judgment and said in surprise: "So, those wolf cavalrymen... and the forces entrenched in the Flash Land actually belong to Lu Beiyou who got the silver card. They belong to the inner circle of the Watchers..."

“No.” Liu Si shook his head, but denied the second half of his sentence, “Although the current members of the inner circle of the Watchers are all silver card holders, it does not mean that those who have silver cards are necessarily inner circle members... You should understand this relationship.”

Romi paused and nodded.

He also realized that he had fallen into a misunderstanding.

——As an organization, Tech Hunters is surprisingly lenient in its management of its internal members, and what brings them together is a powerful reward and punishment mechanism backed by the Mechanics.

As long as you can help discover ancient technology.

That's a good hunter.

You will definitely benefit from it.

The appeal of this temptation can even surpass the coercive means of management used by many other forces.

It doesn't matter even if other countries have spies planted there - if you want to exchange for intelligence or equipment, you have to complete the mission to get points, and you have to run around inside and outside, and it doesn't matter who comes.

After finishing all this... the mechanic already had what he wanted, so it could be considered as "deepening the cooperation".

But, from another perspective:

If you really reach the point where you can ignore the bounties issued by the headquarters, you can also leave the organization at any time, clear your points, and come and go freely... There are many reasons for doing so, such as lying down and enjoying your retirement, conflicts of ideas, pursuit of faith... and most importantly, personal strength.

For the latter, the headquarters actually hopes that you can stay.

Hence, they were called "Watchers" - at this level, these tech hunters were eligible to sign private contracts with the Mechanics at the End of the World and negotiate terms acceptable to each of them. They were often subject to very few constraints, and some were even able to establish their own forces without conflicting with the interests of the tech hunters. The only requirement was that they could lend a helping hand when the organization encountered a crisis, which was called watching.

There is no doubt that
The Sword Saint Alk is among them.

The reason why these Watchers are also called the Inner Ring is because their contracts with the Mechanic are different, and no one except World's End and themselves knows the specific terms.

The same goes for being a Watcher.

No one knows what benefits they have gained that would make them willing to continue to stay as technology hunters and work for the scholars at the end of the world.

All people can see is that once the contract is signed, he often joins the senior ranks of the Tech Hunter headquarters, becomes a co-manager, issues tasks, designs rewards and punishments... and is the real core of the organization.

The reason why Romi thought of the inner circle of the Watchers was because all the members of the inner circle were top technology hunters, and one of the proofs of being top was often to complete a difficult task recognized by the organization and obtain a silver identity card.

In addition, silver cards are issued very rarely. At the most in history, no more than twelve cards were issued at the same time... Today, the number is far from that, and those who have silver cards are almost all members of the inner circle.

This is how thinking patterns are formed.

This made Romi subconsciously ignore the exception.

The moon was high in the night sky, and the wind was blowing, making the dry grass rustle and bringing a cool feeling to the two tech hunters. Their originally tired and exhausted bodies were stimulated by the news, and for a moment they did not feel sleepy at all and were extremely awake.

They looked at each other.

To be honest, although the silver card that Lu Beiyou obtained is also very rare, it does not have such high "gold content" compared to other inner ring members.

An unspoken fact:

This is an exchange of interests between the Tech Hunters and the Shek Kingdom, which is a firm stance and an expression of the desire to continue deepening cooperation.

That's why Alc gave the silver card to a titled warrior who had made great contributions in quelling the rebellion.

It's just like the official Shaq recognition of Alk's title of "Sword Master"... although it was indeed earned by him.

Lu Beiyou can be said to have reaped the political benefits.

This is also the reason why some people questioned the behind-the-scenes operation in the first place - of course they would not mention that: they also wanted to eat it, but they just didn’t have the ability to get there first.

After Alke issued the warrant, the other inner circle members had no objection.

It is also extremely rare to issue a silver card to an outsider who has not even joined the Technology Hunters... Of course, correspondingly, without signing a contract with the Mechanic, he cannot enjoy so many benefits.

And after all, there are innate limitations. In the minds of many technology hunters, even if Lu Beiyou has a silver card, his status will not be the same as that of the inner ring members - they will get along with each other in a friendly manner on the surface and give many priorities, but it is impossible for them to be given unlimited attention.

The number 13 silver card he owns has a double-digit number. It has long been positioned as a reward and a means of winning over people in history, and is considered an honorary title.

Compared to the top ten unlocking conditions, such as solving an ecological disaster on the continent, reviving lost technology; or the top five, finding the intelligent core... the difficulty and importance are far less.

Not to mention the only bounty for "capturing the Lord of Insects" which no one has achieved so far.

Ranked first, it has been hanging for two thousand years.

If the conditions were not so harsh, there wouldn't be so few people who could become members of the inner circle of the Watchers.

However, Romi understood what his companions meant.

——It seems that even if the owner of the thirteenth silver card is not a member of the inner circle, he is probably not as simple as they originally thought.

It is by no means a mere filler.

Liu Si exhaled: "...But, in the final analysis, it is still a worldly achievement, and it has nothing to do with us technology hunters."

Conflicts between the secular world and scientific research are common... For example, at the end of the world, in order to encourage scholars who have made outstanding contributions in various fields, they specially established the "Iyo Prize", named after one of the founders of mechanics, and it is awarded from time to time.

However, the irony is that among the candidates for the Iyo Prize, there is often an unexpected candidate - the Holy Lord Phoenix.

Of course, as the emperor of the Holy Empire, Phoenix could not have made any technological achievements, and could even be considered its destroyer... Fortunately, there is a special award for mechanics, the "Iyo Aihei Award", which can be won as long as you are nominated. The name of the award just corresponds to the Auckland Holy Church's mantra of "love and peace".

The meaning of tailor-made is self-evident.

If, according to Oakland's teachings, every Saint is the reincarnation of the original Phoenix... then he would have won the award more than sixty times.

It is said that when Emperor Tengu ascended the throne, the United City sent bureaucrats to the Mechanic to see if they could internally award the Iyo Prize for that year as a gilding to prove that Tengu was a smart... or at least not stupid emperor.

The result was rejected.

The head of the mechanics said tactfully at the time: "If one day, every researcher looking out of the laboratory window can see a full 100 eagle flags at the foot of the mountain at the end of the world, then the award will be presented with both hands... Otherwise, I am afraid it will lose the face of the empire."

If the blue and white eagle, the symbol of the United Cities, could appear at the end of the world - the eastern defense line of the Holy Kingdom, it would at least have been completely defeated.

The implication couldn't be more obvious.

"We set up this award to make a living. Our neighbors to the south are watching... so don't come and join in the fun."

Among the mechanics, it is natural that the award is treated as if it does not exist. After all, neither science nor peace-loving has anything to do with the people of Auckland who have been conducting heresy trials at home and launching holy wars abroad for many years.

Influenced by the mechanics and the nature of their work, tech hunters also agree with a similar philosophy: what determines a member's internal status ultimately comes down to how much contribution they have made in discovering technology and collecting secrets.

As for worldly achievements, they are important but not a hard requirement. One can cooperate out of interests or out of fear of strength... but if you say how much one admires these external forces, that is not the case.

A consolation prize would be nice.

"The good news is that this time when we pass through Shandi, we don't have to worry as much as we did on other trips. They at least have to consider their face." Romi smiled: "We can also travel with them without worry, and we have to be grateful for that."

Liu Si nodded.

They had a tacit understanding and did not mention the mission of this trip, which was to raise funds for the Technology Hunters to acquire the Sorrowful Mine Town and return to their headquarters.

If the person in Flash Land is a true member of the inner circle of the Watchers, then it is easy to deal with and report it directly.

But the other party is an unknown person, an outsider, and has nothing to do with this matter.

However, after witnessing what happened tonight, the two technology hunters had a different opinion of Lu Beiyou, and each of them became more or less curious in their hearts - what kind of power did this silver card owner cultivate in the Land of Flash, and what kind of person is he?

Dawn.

Seto and Qi Ke, along with the wolf cavalry, counted the spoils and the captured orangutans, and rested for a night. By the time they were ready to set off, it was already noon.

It is already late autumn in Shan.

The sun doesn't shine very brightly.

However, the wind on the grassland became stronger and stronger, mixed with yellow sand from the surrounding border areas, the revenge areas, and even the wasteland of bones, which made people's faces hurt. Ordinary travelers who wanted to move forward had to cover their faces with large fur blankets.

Dozens of white giant apes were listless at this moment. They had completely lost the thought and consciousness of resistance and no longer wanted to break free and escape.

Behind them.

Little Gushasha was panting, his tongue sticking out very long, with the barbs clearly visible.

Last night, it terrorized these strange apes one by one.

Those who don’t listen will play games...everyone will be much more obedient.

Tech Hunter Chad stood in the team, looking at the giant wolf from afar, thinking in his mind.

According to his understanding, the orangutan looks strong and full of flesh... but just like the species it belongs to, its tissue structure and material composition are different from those of ordinary creatures... and it is basically inedible.

It's not poisonous.

But if it cannot be digested, it cannot provide nutrition.

You export the same way you import.

The thick paste acts like a lubricant.

Therefore, even if they capture gorillas, herders often only take their fur and at most add their sharp claws and beaks as decoration.

Flesh and blood are discarded.

Not even for feeding livestock.

However, Chad clearly remembered that the giant white wolf swallowed a whole orangutan alive last night - although most of it was vomited out due to the stench, it still swallowed the rest.

While no one was paying attention, he secretly checked the other party's excrement under the pretext of reconnaissance and leisure.

But I was surprised to find that it was no different from usual.

In other words...it actually digested the flesh and blood that it could not eat and turned it into its own nutrients and components...then what type of organism is it in the traditional classification?
"This is incredible..." the Tech Hunter thought, "It's exactly the same as..."

However, he believed that this giant white wolf was just a special case - the flesh and blood of these wild beasts at least could not be used as food for humans. If they wanted their fur and sharp beaks, they could just slaughter them on the spot, but judging from the opponent's formation, they were going to capture them alive and escort them back.

For technology hunters, they still have some research value...but what does the Red King want to do with the orangutans?
(End of this chapter)