Embers Ad Infinitum

Feilin didn't seem to notice Long Yuehong's silence and continued to introduce:

"Weed City is not big, and the layout is very simple. It is divided into southeast, northwest and southeast streets. There are also some alleys on each street. Well, only one car can enter and exit.

"South Street is mainly a market. You can buy all kinds of things as long as you find the right person, including marijuana produced in Paradise Island..."

Felin did not finish speaking and skipped the following content:

“The East Street is dominated by hotels, hotels, warehouses, and parking lots, while the West Street is a mixed bag of places like hunters’ guilds, bars, teahouses, bathing centers, and nightclubs.

"To get to North Street, you first have to cross the central square and the municipal building, and then there is a small bridge with more than ten or twenty fully armed guards on the bridge.

"North Street is where noble lords, big manor owners, and wealthy businessmen live. The City Lord's Mansion is also over there."

What Feilin said was known to Jiang Baimian and others. After all, they had Bai Chen as a competent guide, but they still listened attentively, as if they didn't want to let go of any details.

As the motorcade moved forward, Felin withdrew his gaze and asked thoughtfully:

"Do you have a hunter badge?"

"No." Shang Jianyao was very calm.

"No." Jiang Baimian and Long Yuehong shook their heads, while Bai Chen did not answer.

Felin smiled:

“If you have the chance, let’s register as a relic hunter.

"It's fine in other places. There are no hunter badges in Weed City, so it's not that convenient."

"Has this place become a city dominated by the Hunter Guild?" Jiang Baimian asked knowingly,

She has a certain understanding of Wild Grass City itself, and Bai Chen is very familiar with it.

Felin thought carefully and said:

"From a certain perspective, it really counts."

He smiled and explained:

"You know what the situation was like when Wild Grass City was first established, right?"

"I don't know." Bai Chen, who was driving, answered first.

In the past, she was a wanderer in the wilderness who was struggling to make a living. Her understanding of Weed City was more focused on information that could be used immediately, and she didn't pay much attention to its history.

Seeing Jiang Baimian looking over half-way, Feilin touched the gray beard around his mouth and said:

“At that time, the surviving people gathered here and naturally formed a dozen armed groups.

“After fierce internal fighting, there were only seven left, and no one could do anything to anyone.

"Coupled with the threats of wild beasts, monsters, and 'careless people', they realized that if they continued to fight like this, everyone would die, so they compromised with each other and established a council. Each armed group had one vote to elect the city leader and jointly deal with the outside world. "

Hearing this, Jiang Baimian nodded gently and said:

“Primitive Military Democracy.”

She then sighed:

"The cycle of human civilization..."

Primitive military democracy... Long Yuehong repeated this term in her mind and found that she knew every word, but when they were connected together, it was a bit difficult to understand.

Everyone is an employee of "Pangu Biology" and receives the same education. Why can the team leader master so much extra knowledge?

Because she can read a lot of extracurricular books?

Felin was also startled for a moment, not expecting to hear such an academic term.

Of course, with his understanding of the systems in various places, he easily understood what this meant.

"It doesn't matter whether it's primitive or not, as long as it's easy to use." Felin expressed his thoughts and continued, "This allowed Weed City to survive the most dangerous period and it has continued. Although this cannot be completely eliminated Internal strife and every power struggle will be more or less accompanied by blood, but at least it is controlled to a certain extent."

He looked out the window again:

"Later, Weedong City became a vassal of the 'First City', and the leaders of the seven armed groups gradually became the great nobles in this area.

"They each have a group of small nobles under their command, who are in charge of the large and small estates built around Weed Grass City.

"Haha, the word "Parliament" was also added and became the "Parliament of Nobles".

"Later, an illegitimate son of a family climbed to the position of local president of the Hunter Guild by relying on his own efforts and family resources.

"This was nothing at first, but during an internal coup, the main branch of the family died. In order to prevent the branches from inheriting, the illegitimate son was recognized as the head of the family and became a noble.

"Relying on his status in the Hunter Guild and his family's property and materials, he gradually won over a group of powerful relic hunters without attracting attention. Well, in other places, they can also be called mercenaries. Anyway, I I suspect there may be some awakened people here.

"In short, after several internal fights, the illegitimate son was elected as the city lord. From then on, the power of the noble council began to be in name only, and the election system was turned into a disguised family inheritance system."

"It feels like history is reappearing..." Jiang Baimian laughed after hearing this, "This is why the local hunter guild is relatively strong."

Felin nodded:

"Yes, now every city lord will also serve as the local president of the Hunter Guild."

"It seems that in different places, there will be some different changes in the Hunter Guild. I still had too little experience before." Jiang Baimian was very satisfied with understanding this.

Bai Chen suddenly asked:

"That illegitimate child is the stone statue in front of the municipal building?"

"Yeah." Felin said with a smile, "Hulder is known as the greatest city lord of Weed Grass City so far. When he was alive, he relaxed many restrictions, making Weed Grass City the most developed, most dynamic and most agricultural place in the Monk Wasteland. A basic city, if this were not the case, it would be impossible for Weed City not to lack food in this year's climate.

"However, after he was elected as the city lord, when he was paving the way for the next generation, in order to gain the support of the 'First City', he abolished many important industries of Weed Grass City and switched to importing from there. In this area, Weed Grass City completely became" The original city's vassal.

"But it's a good thing for us. We make many trips between Weed City and 'Primary City' every year."

As the leader of a traveling business group, he knew these secrets at his fingertips.

While talking, the motorcade turned into East Street and drove outside a hotel.

The name of this hotel is "Miri Grand Hotel" and it occupies three rooms facing the street and the corresponding third, fourth and fifth floors.

Next to the hotel is an alley. There is a double iron gate in the alley, leading to an empty yard surrounded by buildings.

This is the hotel's own parking lot.

The convoy of the "Sangzi" business group arrived here skillfully.

A middle-aged man wearing a knitted melon cap and a thick military green cotton coat came out of the guard box, opened the door, and said with a smile:

"Are you here again?"

He rubbed his hands together, shaking a little from the cold wind.

"Isn't he attracted to your daughter?" the "rootless man" in front joked and let the car drive into the parking lot.

Seeing that Bai Chen stepped on the brakes and stopped the jeep on the street, Feilin asked with a little regret:

"Are you planning to find a place to live on your own?"

"Yes, I won't bother you, lest anything happens in the future will involve you." Jiang Baimian said frankly.

"What's there to be afraid of? Xiao Shang and I are brothers!" Feilin raised his hand and patted Shang Jianyao on the shoulder.

"We are brothers, so we can't get involved." Shang Jianyao replied seriously.

He and Felin immediately looked at each other, neither of them willing to show weakness.

Finally, Felin sighed and said:

"Then you have to be careful. If you have any difficulties, just come to me. We should stay here for a few days. Hey, the situation is gradually becoming clearer now, and those nobles and manor owners should also be able to see it. , it is not so easy to purchase food.”

After telling him, he got out of the car, held Shang Jianyao's hands tightly, and said reluctantly:

"Hope to see you again!"

"I'll definitely see you again!" Shang Jianyao shook the clasped hands of both parties.

After bidding farewell to Felin and his party, Bai Chen let the jeep drive forward.

"Where are we going now?" Long Yuehong hesitated for a long time and finally got the chance to ask.

Jiang Baimian pointed at Bai Chen with his chin:

"Let Xiaobai feel free to do whatever he wants."

"..." Bai Chen frowned, "Team leader, why did you give me a nickname?"

"We are always called names within the group and we don't get close to each other." Jiang Baimian smiled and said, "You can also call me Sister Jiang, Sister Mian, or Dabai."

"You are so naive." Shang Jianyao, a passerby, commented.

Jiang Baimian raised his left hand and let it escape from the back of the passenger seat.

A small arc of electricity flashed across it.

Bai Chen said nothing and drove the vehicle to the end of East Street, along the road at the edge of the city wall, and circled back to the south.

Jian Shang Jian Yao closed his mouth. Jiang Baimian thought for a while and continued:

"After we have settled down, we will have lunch first, then contact the company's intelligence personnel as agreed, and meet at the preset place and time.

"After secretly observing that there was no problem with the intelligence officer and no one was following him, I asked Shang Jianyao to go up and 'make friends' with him..."

At this time, the Jeep turned into an alley on South Street and stopped in front of a row of houses.

Long Yuehong looked outside, and the first thing she saw was a sign:

"Afu Gun Shop"

Under the sign, on the wall with badly damaged white tiles, someone wrote a line of words with a black ink pen:

"Put away the bad pistols, the bad rifles, the bad submachine guns."