Outside the Tarnan General Hospital, inside a modified military green Jeep.
Jiang Baimian, sitting in the passenger seat, turned her body slightly and asked Shang Jianyao and the others:
"What are your thoughts?"
Long Yuehong, beating Shang Jianyao to it, voiced his own speculation:
"That 'Advanced Mindless' ability must be to create illusions, so Zhang Jiu mistook his companions for monsters, saw them as dragons, made a grave mistake, and then completely broke down mentally."
After saying that, he noticed that no one was adding anything or refuting him, and he became a little uneasy, proactively asking:
"What do you guys think?"
"Based on the intelligence gathered so far, that's the most likely possibility," Jiang Baimian affirmed.
Then, she praised him with a smile:
"Your analysis and judgment of things are getting better and better."
Amidst Long Yuehong's joy and shyness, Shang Jianyao spoke up:
"Can smart robots also be affected by illusions?"
"Yeah, the biggest problem now is why those ten members of the robot guard lost contact," Bai Chen, who was driving, added.
Jiang Baimian pondered and said:
"That depends on the essence of that 'Advanced Mindless' ability. If he's creating illusions by interfering with the senses, then smart robots definitely won't be deceived; their sensory systems are completely different from humans. But if that 'Advanced Mindless' is directly distorting environmental information, tampering with corresponding signals to create illusions, smart robots might not be spared either."
She paused, then said to herself:
"But why did Zhang Jiu see a dragon?
"Normally, someone who hasn't been exposed to this kind of information wouldn't be able to imagine a dragon on their own...
"Could it be that the 'Advanced Mindless' created the dragon? Why would he create a dragon?"
Hearing this, Shang Jianyao's eyes lit up and he said:
"I know where there are dragons!"
"Where?" Jiang Baimian vaguely guessed the answer.
"In the Church of the Mirage Dragon," Shang Jianyao replied with certainty.
"Have you been inside?" The question came not from Jiang Baimian, but from Long Yuehong.
"No," Shang Jianyao shook his head, stating matter-of-factly, "I'm guessing."
While the corner of Long Yuehong's mouth twitched, Jiang Baimian "hmm"ed:
"It's normal for a place that worships the Mirage Dragon to have dragon imagery.
"If Zhang Jiu is a believer of the Mirage Dragon Church, then the problem is explained..."
At this point, Jiang Baimian suddenly made an "eh" sound:
"Which Harbinger of Destruction does the Mirage Dragon Church worship?"
"The November Harbinger of Destruction, 'Shattered Mirror,'" Bai Chen, who was driving, answered.
"What's another name for Him?" Jiang Baimian pressed.
Bai Chen was silent for a second, then answered in unison with Long Yuehong:
"God of Illusions!"
Shang Jianyao nodded, indicating that was correct.
"This is getting interesting," Jiang Baimian said with a mix of excitement and seriousness, "The 'Advanced Mindless' ability is suspected to be creating illusions, and Zhang Jiu saw a dragon..."
*Clap!*
She lightly clapped her hands and said to Bai Chen:
"We're going to the Church of the Mirage Dragon."
Long Yuehong immediately became a little nervous:
"Wouldn't it be bad to go there so directly?"
"Then how do you want to go?" Shang Jianyao asked very cooperatively.
"Find Mayor Genaver and take a few members of the robot guard with us," Long Yuehong thought that was the safest approach.
"Oh, you've grown some wings, huh? Starting to rebel!" It wasn't Jiang Baimian who said this, but Shang Jianyao.
Jiang Baimian was stunned for a second, then scolded in annoyance:
"Where did you learn that line? On a radio show?"
"No," Shang Jianyao firmly denied.
Knowing that he wouldn't lie about such a thing, Jiang Baimian became a little curious:
"Where did you learn it then?"
Long Yuehong vaguely sensed something was wrong, but he didn't know what.
The next second, he saw Shang Jianyao smile:
"I learned it from watching Little Long get beaten by his mom."
"F*ck..." Long Yuehong blurted out a curse.
That's the downside of having a mischievous friend you've grown up with.
He had just been thinking, why did that sound so familiar!
Jiang Baimian suppressed her laughter and didn't continue the topic, explaining simply:
"Taking the robot guard with us will only create a tense atmosphere and intensify the conflict.
"Our purpose in going there is just to ask if Zhang Jiu is a believer of the Mirage Dragon Church, to ask the Mirage Dragon Church, uh, the Bishop, I guess? What they think of that 'Advanced Mindless' in the southwestern mountains, and what suggestions they have for seeing through illusions.
"These aren't sensitive issues, there's no need to make such a fuss."
"That's true," Long Yuehong was persuaded.
Moreover, it was broad daylight, and there were surveillance cameras with speakers everywhere.
…………
The sacred site of the Mirage Dragon Church was at the northern end of Riverside Avenue. It wasn't a church, but a pavilion with a very Old World aesthetic, with white walls and black tiles.
The horizontal plaque hanging above read:
"Nanke Temple"
Behind the open brown wooden doors was a courtyard, and at the other end of the courtyard was a palace hall decorated with cloud-like patterns.
Inside the palace hall, wooden beams ran across the top, and rows of black chairs with backs were placed below. At the very back was a shrine, which enshrined a giant dragon symbol made of shattered mirror fragments.
At this moment, several believers were sitting in the chairs, praying with their eyes closed.
Before Jiang Baimian, Shang Jianyao, and the others could get close to the female cleric in front of the shrine, she hurried over.
This cleric wasn't too old, looking to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. She wore a white robe with a very Old World classical style, tied at the waist with a hemp rope.
Her hair was black and shiny, draped down her shoulders, and her features weren't particularly beautiful, but she had an indescribable charm.
The cleric glanced at Shang Jianyao and the others and said with a smile:
"You've finally arrived."
"Huh?" Long Yuehong made a confused sound.
He didn't remember when the Old Task Force had made an appointment with a cleric from the Mirage Dragon Church to visit.
Could it be... as doubts arose in his mind, Long Yuehong looked at Shang Jianyao.
Could it be that this guy, in order to taste the Eucharist of the Mirage Dragon Church, made an appointment with someone while acting alone?
Seeing that Jiang Baimian and the others were a little stunned, the female cleric immediately showed a soothing smile:
"Don't be nervous, it's normal to be late. Even for such an important and serious event as our sect's 'Grand Illusion Festival,' several 'Dream Protectors' were late, and some even missed the whole thing.
"Alright, let's hold the initiation ceremony..."
"Wait a minute," Shang Jianyao interrupted her, "What is your Eucharist?"
"Didn't we tell you?" the female cleric asked back in confusion, "Our Eucharist is very simple, just the sect's homemade biscuits with honey water."
"Honey water..." Shang Jianyao hesitated.
At this time, Jiang Baimian finally couldn't help but ask:
"You, have you mistaken us for someone else?"
The female cleric was first stunned, then showed an embarrassed expression:
"That, maybe."
She chuckled and took out a photo from a hidden pocket in her white robe:
"Are you really not them?
"There are four of you!"
Jiang Baimian took one look and almost burst out laughing.
Apart from the fact that all four of them were Ashlanders, and there were two men and two women, they didn't resemble the Old Task Force at all.
Especially the tallest man, who looked like an ape. How blind would you have to be to mistake Shang Jianyao for him?
And Shang Jianyao had seamlessly transitioned, discussing the initiation matters with the other party in a straight-laced manner!
The female cleric looked at the photo, then at the Old Task Force, and after several repetitions, finally confirmed that she had mistaken them for someone else.
She showed an embarrassed smile and bowed deeply:
"I'm sorry, I can't remember people's faces."
After saying that, she half-raised her body and slightly raised her hands, as if paying tribute to some being in the void:
"May you please the gods."
What's wrong with your sect? You have high-level members who are always late, and preachers who can't remember faces... isn't this a bit too casual? Long Yuehong, who was standing next to them, had a bellyful of things he was too embarrassed to say.
He swept his gaze around and found that the team leader not only wasn't laughing, but also had a thoughtful expression.
Is this the price the Awakened pay? Long Yuehong had a flash of inspiration and suddenly understood.
Jiang Baimian restrained her emotions and asked in a serious tone:
"How should we address you?"
"I am Zhou Yue, the abbot of Nanke Temple. You can call me Daoist Zhou," the female cleric introduced herself.
Perhaps thinking that her performance just now was a bit unreliable, she chuckled twice more:
"Everything is an illusion, why take it seriously?
"Everyone, please be casual, please be casual."
Before Jiang Baimian could respond, Shang Jianyao had already asked:
"I have a question, why are those 'Dream Protectors' late?"
Abbot Zhou Yue seemed very happy that she wasn't the only one losing face, and quickly replied:
"Some of them got lost!"
Seeing that the topic had finally returned to the "right track," she adopted a calm and gentle divine pose:
"What can I do for you folks?"
Jiang Baimian organized her words and said:
"Abbot Zhou, do you know about the 'Advanced Mindless' in the southwestern mountains?"
"I've heard of it. Is there anything you need my cooperation with?" Zhou Yue looked casual and unrestrained.
Jiang Baimian further asked:
"Then do you know the survivor Zhang Jin? His nickname is Zhang Jiu."
Zhou Yue thought for a moment:
"I don't know him.
"Although I can't remember faces, I remember people's names very clearly. He shouldn't be a member of our sect, unless he used a pseudonym when he joined."
"That's unlikely," Shang Jianyao commented in a detective-like tone.
Who was the one eating fried chicken wings under the name "Gu Zhiyong"? Jiang Baimian rolled her eyes and cursed inwardly.
Although there aren't many similar guys, there are definitely some!
She turned to Abbot Zhou Yue and said:
"Here's the thing. When we were questioning Zhang Jiu, he said that after encountering that 'Advanced Mindless,' he mistook his companions for monsters and saw a dragon."
"Dragon..." Zhou Yue's expression gradually became serious.
ps: Asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month~