Chapter 26: Saint

The sunlight shining down on Bola City was mixed with a hint of haze, but at least it provided a pleasant warmth for the cold winter.

I changed out of my military uniform and walked with Leng Qiongling in the area protected by the military, wearing my regular clothes.

Although there weren’t many pedestrians around, quite a number of pawnshops were open.

The pawnshops and stalls here weren’t like those in the City of Hope where vendors would hawk their goods.

The pawnbrokers just sat quietly, and if a customer came, they would slowly stand up and discuss the merchandise with the customer in a leisurely manner.

From time to time, the roar of artillery fire could be heard in the distance, constantly reminding people that they were in the midst of war.

That said, it seemed they had gotten used to it; neither the shoppers nor the shopkeepers showed any sign of panic.

“It’s really amazing. Even though there might be conflicts happening just a few streets away, these people can still live so naturally.”

“Different cities, different customs and traditions.”

“If only it could end peacefully soon.”

“That depends on you all.”

As I passed by a food truck, the tempting aroma made me unable to move my feet instantly.

“Leng Qiongling…”

“Let’s go get something to eat.”

Leng Qiongling turned her head and said to me with a smile.

Although I wanted to shout, ‘Yay!’, I still had to maintain some dignity.

I ran over to the food truck.

Even though I wasn’t very good at Bola City’s language, my sign language was quite proficient.

So I gestured at the boss for a while, only to suddenly realize that the boss couldn’t understand sign language.

“How embarrassing.”

“Sir, please give us two large flatbreads. If possible, wrap the grilled meat into one of them.”

The boss nodded silently and began to prepare.

“Wow! Leng Qiongling, how do you know Bola City’s language?”

‘So versatile. It seems Leng Qiongling can become our team’s exclusive translator from now on.’

“I just used to like learning different languages. And as for money… Ah!”

“Huh? What’s wrong? Was your money stolen?”

“Yes! And why do you look like you already knew!”

“Because of that.”

I pointed at a small figure dashing away.

In just a moment, he immediately turned into an alley.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner!”

“Pfft, you can’t blame others for your own mistake.”

“!!!…”

Leng Qiongling was speechless.

After leaving a line of ‘wait here,’ she immediately ran off to chase him.

However, since they were in public, it wasn’t easy to go all out, so Leng Qiongling just chased at a speed that was fast for an ordinary person.

I propped my head up in boredom, waiting for my flatbread.

And I wasn’t the only one who didn’t say anything just now—wasn’t there another person?

“Right, boss?”

“Sigh…”

I was sitting with my legs crossed, swinging them.

Suddenly, the boss, who was lowering his head to make flatbreads, said without looking up, “Are you very used to this kind of thing?”

“See, you can speak words I understand! But wasn’t I gesturing just now?”

“Hmm… I’ve seen it all. Rather, I’m a veteran at it. Besides, this is actually a business with relatively low investment risk. If you snag a rich one, you won’t have to worry about food for months. But if you get caught, you can’t avoid a beating.”

I snapped my fingers briskly.

“It’s a promising investment!”

Hearing my nonsense, the boss said nothing and just flipped the flatbreads.

Don’t be like that—you were the one who started the topic.

So I had no choice but to keep swinging my legs and waiting to eat.

But then I suddenly thought of something, and my gaze at the boss sharpened.

“Boss, you’re from the Saint Assembly, aren’t you?”

Hearing my abrupt words, the boss’s hand flipping the flatbread paused for a moment.

“…Why?”

The boss instantly regained his previous cold demeanor, his flipping hand becoming nimble again.

“Oh! Finally willing to reply! But actually, there’s no real reason—I just felt that way.”

Actually, I heard that members of the Saint Assembly all age prematurely, and he looked a lot like that.

Actually, he was just a bit bald.

Hearing me say there was no reason at all, the boss sighed heavily.

“I left the Saint Assembly a long time ago.”

“Left? Why?”

“It just didn’t match my ideals.”

“Didn’t match your ideals… Wait, weren’t people who joined originally lured in by them?… Hold on, I suddenly have some recollection of your face… Right! Aren’t you one of the members of that ‘Saint’ of the Saint Assembly!”

“I’m no longer one, and never will be again. So please stop using that title for me.”

“Alright, alright, I won’t say it. So, what was the ideal mismatch?”

“Ahhh, is this also something you can’t talk about? Then I won’t ask.”

The boss rolled up the flatbreads and packed them into a bag.

“No… Rather, let me take this opportunity to help you understand the Saint Assembly a bit more.”

I took the flatbreads and started eating on my own, eating the one with grilled meat wrapped inside.

I didn’t expect Leng Qiongling to know what I liked to eat.

“In summary, the Saint Assembly has factions: the ‘Supreme God’ faction, which believes in the Supreme True Lord and regards the Mad Beasts as the Lord’s envoys, and the ‘Wayfarer’ faction, which uses improving one’s own cultivation as a means to reach the Saint realm and walk the world to benefit humanity.”

The boss pointed at himself.

“I was the leader of the ‘Wayfarer’ faction—at least, I used to be.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Before I quit, there were five ‘Saints’ of the Saint Assembly, and four of them were from the ‘Supreme God’ faction.”

“What the—doesn’t that mean you were the only one in the ‘Wayfarer’ faction? That’s too tragic.”

“So the ‘Wayfarer’ faction is a minority in the Saint Assembly. Not only are there fewer lower-level members than the ‘Supreme God’ faction, but even the leadership is crushed by others. Thus the ‘Wayfarer’ faction is as good as nonexistent in the Saint Assembly, with no room to interfere in any decisions. Enraged by this, you chose to leave—is that it?”

“…Yes. I didn’t have the ability to change the situation of the ‘Wayfarer’ faction. My own ideals weren’t understood, so I cowardly chose to escape and abandoned those who supported me.”

“Hmm…”

The boss packed up his food truck, seeming to intend to close up shop.

Seeing him about to start the car, I leaned over to the window and said to him, “Boss, what kind of people do you think those ‘Supreme God’ faction people are?”

Hearing my sudden question, the boss was stunned for a moment.

His usually unflappable rugged face twisted into a scowl.

“They are all madmen who prioritize their own interests above all and don’t regard ordinary people’s lives as anything. They use the Lord’s name to loot and massacre cities. They are complete beasts.”

I slightly raised the corner of my mouth.

The boss stared at me with a puzzled expression.

“Then, what would those madmen, who stop at nothing and value their own interests above all, do to people who hold opposing opinions, act contrary to them, and might harm their interests?”

The boss spaced out for a moment, then came to his senses.

“They!”

“Be careful, boss. I don’t want to only be able to eat your flatbread once.”

I jumped off the food truck, carrying Leng Qiongling’s portion of flatbread, and walked away.