Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland.

No one knew how much time had passed. After entering the tunnel, everyone circled and went down, round and round, as if they had walked into a tomb or the stomach of some giant beast.

There were no lights on the surrounding walls, and it was pitch black. Except for a few people like Lu Meng who could sense the road clearly, even the warriors of the Ashes Cult had to support each other and slowly move down the rock walls of the mine to avoid falling.

Only the mountain people leading the way walked briskly, as if they were more familiar with this place than walking on the ground. For them, this place was the place where they grew up - not just these few generations of mountain people, but all their ancestors, starting from the miners thousands of years ago, have lived here.

Many people have even undergone partial mutations and evolutions in their body structures to adapt to the environment in the mines.

Not to mention there is no light and you have to close your eyes. Even if you feel dizzy, walk backwards or crawl on the ground, you can still find a way out.

And this is just the first and most superficial part.

It gets more complicated as we go down.

It's like an ant's nest.

No wonder the outbreak of the Bloody Rebellion was so unexpected. It was a completely unfamiliar world to the people on the ground. Even though the rebels were defeated on the ground, the suppressing coalition forces believed that they could not completely wipe them out. This was no longer a case of a cunning rabbit having three burrows, but a world full of holes. They didn't even know where to start to plug it.

The leader of the mountain people on this trip didn't think that anyone could remember even just one path after having walked there only once.

Hundreds of pack animals followed at the back, and they were all a little panicked when they entered the deep mine tunnel. They had to rely on the animal trainers in the team to calm them down. The only one who was excited was Xiaogu. It mixed in with the herd, crouching and shuttling between the four legs of the wild bulls and camels, like an ordinary shepherd dog.

It's used to the darkness and the claustrophobia.

Strictly speaking, Ai Mining Town was not founded during the construction of the United City. It was already in operation during the Second Empire. As for the site selection, it may have been even earlier. Lu Meng could feel that the rock wall at the initial entrance was cut smooth, as if by large machinery or even a laser, but as he walked along for a while, it began to become rough, and finally some traces of manual shovels appeared clearly.

It is simply the history of the degeneration of civilization.

The key point is: since the Ai Mine Town was abandoned due to the blockade of the coalition forces, the mountain people should no longer mine ore for their livelihood, so the history of the formation of these mine tunnels must be even earlier.

"Matter cannot come out of thin air," Lu Meng thought, "and I wonder how many of the materials that make up the current skeleton's body structure are refined from the ore underground in Ai Mine Town."

After a long walk, during which the mountain leader might have deliberately gone in circles, they finally arrived at a relatively open underground space that could barely accommodate everyone.

Lu Meng was in the middle of the team, and Bo was in the front. The mountain people today could no longer be considered the original rebels, but at least they also had the Bloody Rebellion as their origin.

This anti-slavery activist obviously had more common language with the leader of the other team.

When the team leader arrived at the cave, Lu Meng and the team behind him were still in the mine tunnel, but he clearly heard a commotion coming from the front, but the reaction was quite minor, and it was immediately accompanied by scolding from the mountain guards, and did not expand.

Because it was not aimed at them, Lu Meng did not move, but followed the team's rhythm to reach the cave. Suddenly, the view in front of him became clear, and there was finally a light here - not an electric light or a bonfire, but a bright lantern made by the Hive Clan that looked like a night pearl.

Fluorescent yellow but quite filling.

Hanging on the top of the rock cavity, it really looks like the moon in the sky.

The light allowed people to see clearly what was happening before their eyes: in addition to Lu Meng and others and the returning mountain people, there were more than a dozen captives in the cave, and the source of the riot was several of them.

Lu Meng glanced in the direction of the prisoner and was a little surprised because he saw a familiar figure.

The man's hair was disheveled and he looked like a homeless person, but he was tied up with his limbs facing the sky and his mouth was stuffed.

The other person turned his head and obviously saw Lu Meng, and their eyes met.

Lu Meng: ...

Bud: ...

Why are you here?
Flip, flip over...

The tied-up prisoner was the bard Bard who left without saying goodbye.

As a "non-staff member" of the Order of Embers, he arrived at the Depression Lagoon first and spread the story of the First Flame of the Land among the drifters in the lower city.

It is precisely because of Bard's operation that Lu Meng's "image" has spread throughout the entire grassroots level before his real appearance.

Later, they were able to organize and mobilize the drifters because of their common enemy, the strength shown by several people, and the anti-slavery movement's leverage. But the more important reason was that Bard had already laid the foundation of public opinion, just waiting for an opportunity to ignite it. If Lu Meng did not appear at this time, it would not take long for them to find and breed a leader, such as the "illegitimate son of the first fire", to fill this gap.

Of course, it is hard to say what the final outcome will be.

The bard's ability to persuade or propagate is unquestionable and has been proven time and time again. He can even influence the direction of the situation at critical moments.

Lu Meng guessed that the other party's next step would be to go to Ai Mine Town, but he didn't expect that he didn't "grow" among the wild people for a while, but plunged into the depths of Ai Mine.

Anyone who can avoid the cannibalistic citizens along the way can be considered a ruthless person.

But in the end it fell into the hands of the mountain people.

——Literally, Bud couldn't express his pain.

He has always been a storyteller, and ever since he came into contact with the Order of Ashes and Lu Beiyou behind them, he has had an endless supply of creative material.

In this respect, they are in agreement.

However, Bud was not a faithful recorder, and the original appearance of the events was not important to him... or to them.

What the bard really needs are ups and downs, legends, and topics.

It can even be tragic.

Therefore, it is not their style to always follow behind the heroes and record the stories.

Even a top bard like Bard would never be satisfied with this.

As the old saying goes:
If there is no news, then create it.

From the perspective of a bard, he can boast to everyone: You see, my poems are not legends, but realities that are about to happen - how can recording history be as refreshing and joyful as seeing prophecies come true?
The aura of a prophet can enhance his reputation even more, even if it is caused by his own hands.

That's why he took action in the Lowland Lagoon - judging from the results, it can be said that Lu Meng took advantage of Bard's hype to lead the drifters and eventually make them return home; but on the other hand, it can also be said that it was Bard who forced him to choose this paved road.

Otherwise, it will affect the reputation of the Land of Flash, the Order of Embers, and even the Red King himself.

In extreme cases, if a believer finds that the statue is not as good as he imagined, he is most likely to fall into the abyss, and may even become more fanatical than ordinary enemies.

In the era of Lumeng, there is a very appropriate word...

Stop being a fan and turn against them.

This puts the two in a relationship of cooperation and exploitation, and only Lu Meng can keep up with the speed at which the bard fabricates "rumors" and turns them into facts one by one.

Bard knew that the Red King knew this, and he also knew that Lu Meng knew that he knew that he knew this... So the bard had no intention of returning since he left the Cult of Ashes. On the one hand, he wanted to create a legend and become a hero, and on the other hand, he didn't want to be caught by Lu Meng, which would be so embarrassing...

Unexpectedly.

This time I found the wrong person.

"Blood Moon and Sweet Rain." The leader of the mountain people saluted the guard who was guarding the prisoners, explained his purpose and repeated the situation.

These guards were obviously stronger and more mature, and their status was higher. Although the chain mail on them was a little worn, it was well maintained and sparkled under the light of the lanterns, revealing a natural sacredness.

"Purify the world from filth." The Silver Moon Guard returned the greeting.

They are a bunch of fanatics!
Bud shouted in his heart.

But all he could make was a grunting sound.

It is said that under the preaching of a leader codenamed "Preacher", all the mountain people have joined a sect called "Whicher". They use the two bright moons in the sky as totems and the corresponding organizational form. In these desolate ruins of the mine, it is indeed only these two huge lights in the sky that never set that can bear the faith nurtured by people in pain and struggle.

In this situation, Bard breaks in and preaches the teachings of the Order of Embers...

Isn't that a typical pagan?
Even though Bard himself was not a devout believer of the Ashes, he was able to make a false statement as true and actually shook the faith of several listeners, and implanted several "prophecies" - unfortunately, he did not know the other party's identity and background at the time, and poached them in front of them.

Now, even if there were still mountain folks willing to listen, the priests of the Witcher sect would definitely not let him go. They captured him directly into the mine tunnel and stuffed his mouth to prevent him from continuing to "confuse the people with his lies."

Just as the guards were discussing whether to cut off Bud's tongue, Lu Meng and others came down from the ground and met them face to face.

In addition to Lu Meng, the soldiers of the Iron Hand Guard naturally recognized him. Many of them were introduced to the Order of Embers after listening to Mr. Bard's preaching.

Seriously speaking, if we ignore Bard's bad taste, this bard is indeed an excellent "political worker" talent -

Help!

Seeing his fellow villagers, the tied-up bard twisted on the ground, quite excited, with warm tears in his eyes.

Immediately, Bud saw in despair that the white-haired young man had turned his gaze away.

It was as if he didn't know him at all.

"Snapped!"

There was a loud bang, and a patrolling Silvermoon guard slapped him hard on the butt with the back of his knife. The bard shrank back and immediately became obedient.

The warriors of the Order of Ashes recognized Bard, but none of them spoke. They just exchanged glances with each other - of course they couldn't recognize each other at this time.

Unlike Bard, they did not show their identity as another sect, so they were able to coexist peacefully with the mountain people.

The fact that Mr. Bud is still alive means that the mountain people have not decided to kill him immediately and there is still room for things to turn around.

In addition to Bard, there were other captives on the field, many of whom were actually citizens who had turned into cannibals. After being captured, they were neither as timid as humans nor as frenzied as wild beasts, but kept their teeth clenched and were very quiet.

He only occasionally looked around with his bulging eyes.

This scene was originally quite weird, but compared with the several earthenware jars behind them that were more than a person tall and filled with unknown contents, it seemed nothing - as soon as everyone stepped into this underground cave, a strong and foul smell of blood filled their noses, making it almost suffocating.

Xiaogu lowered his body and stared at the earthen jar. The smell was coming from inside.

In addition to the cannibals, there were actually two normal people like Bud on the field. A Shak woman was also tied up and her mouth was covered, her eyes were full of fear, and next to her was a soldier bee.

But unlike Bud and the woman, his mouth was empty.

But he behaved quite quietly.

After the Silver Moon Guard stabbed Bard, he was about to hit the Shak woman. The Soldier Bee's eyes moved and he moved his body to block her.

"Crack."

The hollow of the mine tunnel suddenly lit up, and a flame burned fiercely, attracting the attention of the Silver Moon Guards.

An iron guard stood up and stretched out his left hand. Flames burst out from his palm, burning his sleeves, revealing his iron machinery and skeleton, which he displayed to everyone.

On the other side, the leader of the mountain people had already told the guards about what Bo had discussed with him.

“You guys really brought the oil.”

The majestic Silver Moon Guard stared at the flames burning in the Iron Guard's palms, and light and shadows flickered behind him.

This is a deal.

Contrary to what outsiders know, the mountain people who are blocked in the Mine Town, surrounded by cannibals, and trapped in underground mines, do not lack food the most.

It's fuel.

Without energy supply, the descendants of these miners' rebels would be unable to use all the machinery and tools in the entire Mine Town even if they controlled them.

At the same time, many Silver Moon guards subconsciously looked at the bound and gagged Bard with surprise on their faces:

The other party’s first prophecy.

Achieved.

Someone will come with oil and fire.

Although the Blood Moon Priest had already severely reprimanded him, no matter it was a coincidence or this crazy pagan poet really had the ability to prophesy, when he really saw this scene, his heart was still touched.

Bard, who had become obedient, secretly looked up in the direction of the fire. Lu Meng was behind the warrior, blending in with the crowd.

It looks unremarkable.

The two met eyes again.

Bud: Good teamwork, right?
Lu Meng: Not familiar.

Ignoring the poet who was twisting his body again, he turned his head away again.

(End of this chapter)