Wasteland Echoer

"Of course there is no problem. In many cases, food is the basis for maintaining humanity. Reports from some small towns and military strongholds in the south from the Socra Committee showed that many of our [soldiers] took the initiative precisely because of hunger caused by lack of food. Or passively joining the ranks of unintentional people.”

Peter's voice was still very high-pitched, like the chirping of a sparrow or a crow, more like the sound of a train whistle and the sound of a saw cutting wood.

But overall, when meeting Wright alone, his facial expressions and lingering aura exuded a gentleness, as if he were meeting one of his own students.

Pulling out the stool made of the same material as the one Wright was sitting on, Peter deliberately adjusted his metal lace glasses. After sitting down gracefully, he did not forget to take a bronze-colored luster from his arms, dotted with tiny particles. He took out his ruby ​​pocket watch and determined the current time through the glass cover.

Then, he pointed to the empty tabletop with only a pure white tablecloth and no cutlery or decorations, and said to Wright eagerly:

"Eat quickly, the breakfast prepared for you is not without its sumptuousness. You know, in addition to the plains near Zhenetsk that were completely recovered by the empire, there are also the area B camp here and a few sparsely populated areas in the northern part of the Silent Highlands. We can raise cattle and sheep.”

"I asked the army chef here to make a few steaks for you. Although steak was just a common dish of the upper class before the New Year. Of course, the steaks in Yingzhou, the easternmost large island province of the Yanhuo Empire, are of the highest quality. , worthy of making the most delicious dishes, other than that steak is just garbage. But it is different now, the shortage of supplies makes all ingredients precious."

"Steak? Where is it?" Wright stared blankly at the empty dining table.

He even rubbed his glasses vigorously a few times, trying to make sure that he was not hallucinating due to mental problems.

"See with your heart, and observe with your power. Wright, you must be very clear in your heart. The Socratic Committee knows everything about you in the past, you in the present, and even you in the future." of.

The magic source power has already surrounded your strong body, and the extraordinary aura has permeated your chest. If you hadn't killed the important member of the Church of Hope, Kayas the Lost, just your private relationship with Na the Lost Tasha's behavior during the meeting was enough to get you court-martialed. "

Peter's tone suddenly became low, and all the focus of his voice was on the last half of the sentence.

In Wright's view, this is a threat, a naked and purposeful threatening behavior.

"The Sukra Guards...or should I say the committee has lost trust in me?" Wright asked tentatively in a low voice.

"That's not the case, but my trust in you has increased a lot." Peter's attitude suddenly softened again, looking uncertain.

"I think you should use the magic power in your body to carefully observe the surface of the dining table. This will definitely bring you surprises." Peter showed a patiently pondering smile with a hint of horror.

"Use the magic source power to observe?" Wright subconsciously covered his chest with his hands, and rarely relied on spiritual power to surge the red magic source power in his body.

After a bright red light flashed in his eyes, he finally discovered the clues on the dining table in front of him.

Indeed, if one does not rely on the magic source power to observe, there is nothing else except the white tablecloth, but with the help of the magic source power, if one looks carefully, one can see that the real food and tableware are actually covered with a white and light layer that is roughly composed of the magic source power. yarn.

Like silk transported by sea from the Fire Empire, it was more like another white tablecloth covering it, covering up the unique color of the food and the rich, intoxicating aroma.

Tentatively, he concentrated the gushing red magic power on his fingertips as much as possible, tapped it hard on the table, and began to release it slowly and controlledly.

Although similar methods of using magic source power have not been tried in Wright's memory, in battle, he mostly used red magic source power to attack directly, or use "Touch of Darkness" or "Red Kite Eagle Shield".

In a calm and non-life-threatening situation, he tried to use the magic power like a real magician. Among Wright's messy and incomplete memory fragments, there seemed to be only one or two sporadic ones.

Surging and releasing the power of the red magic source, Wright saw circles of ripples spreading outward like stones thrown into a pond. They were mysterious, psychedelic, and scattered outwards, actually intertwined with the veil. , and finally blended together.

Immediately afterwards, a dazzling mixture of white and scarlet light shone past, and Wright felt a gentle spring breeze.

After being immersed in the comfortable body feeling for a few minutes, Wrighton felt a knife-like pain in his fingers that continued to output magic power. He was so frightened that he quickly stopped the spirit formation and withdrew all the red magic power.

"A little magic trick I showed you with the help of the sequence monster was broken by you. Wright, it seems that you have indeed grown a lot. Although General George and I hold the same view, that is, you may no longer be who you are. But that's not important. You have the ability to serve the empire, you have the ability to serve Socra, you have the ability to serve the 'Blood Night Ritual' and 'Raleye's Dream'. This is your most valuable place. "

Seeing Wright's "excellent" use of magic power to break the "disguise" on the table, Peter couldn't help clapping his hands in admiration.

Then, he pointed to a table of fairly sumptuous delicacies and greeted Wright:

"Eat quickly, you must be hungry."

Nodding slightly, Wright turned his attention to the dining table.

The sense of purity brought by the white tablecloth just now disappeared immediately. Although the amount of food was not huge, the five or six plates placed in front of him on the dining table were still filled to the brim with food.

The white ceramic plate closest to him, about half an arm's length away, contained five or six stacked steaks, about 7 mature, evenly spread with black pepper seasoning, and even sprinkled with a little chili pepper. .

Holding a knife and fork in hand, Wright "expertly" used the knife to cut the meat, and then used a fork to look at it. There was no trace of blood on the slightly "mature" meat.

When he put it into his mouth, the unique "fragrance" of the meat and the aroma that stimulated his taste buds filled his mouth, making him feel for the first time that there were things called "beauty" in the wasteland world.

Probably because he was hungry or because he had become a superpower, Wright's desire for meat seemed to be more serious than other foods. In less than a minute, a whole plate of steak in front of him was "taken" into his stomach. middle.

Wright, who didn't feel full, turned his attention to the mashed potatoes on the side. Although the aroma of cooking was no less than that of steak, the salted chicken, roasted leg of lamb, and a whole piece of ham next to him made him have to eat. For the time being, I "reluctantly gave up" and abandoned vegetables, choosing meat that is more protein-rich and can restore physical strength and increase "energy reserves".

After devouring all the meat without caring about the image, and then drinking a whole pot of soup made of unknown green and brown vegetables, Wright finally felt the long-lost feeling, as if it was a world away. Feeling of satiety.

I remember that this was the first full meal I had after traveling to this strange and strange wasteland world. At that time in Sugra, I didn't bother to have a good meal even in the days after I suspected of committing suicide. , except for a few pieces of cheap black bread, I didn't enjoy much food.

Even at Silent Highland Outpost A, the industrial city of Chekavsk, and the Donusk Ruins Area A camp, most of the food is canned fruit, canned "cultured meat", canned synthetic meat, etc., although it can be eaten It's swallowable, but it's not really "enjoyable food" after all.

After sweeping away all the food that could be seen on the table, Wright finally let out a long burp with satisfaction.

Because he was eating too fast, when he was panting heavily and trying to relieve the hypoxic state caused by the violent exercise of his stomach, he realized that his state could no longer be called "full", but that his stomach was stuffed. It was full and even slightly bulged upwards, slightly destroying the barely strong and well-proportioned body.

In other words, I'm full.

Seeing Wright who had finished eating and still had vegetable leaves and remnants of condiments left at the corner of his mouth, Peter smiled knowingly.

Then, he put the last piece of the half steak on his plate into his mouth. After chewing, he elegantly placed the knife and fork on the dinner plate, wiped his mouth with a napkin, coughed twice, and kept Said with a smile:

"If the meal just now was calculated in Singapore dollars, I'm afraid it would cost the bottom [soldier] almost half a month's basic salary. Steak, ham, chicken, mutton, and 'Northern District cultivated vegetables', just for you Those who spend almost 3 Singapore dollars. But to be honest, you and I both know that as an official in the city of Sogra, whether a member of the military or a civilian employee, those who rely on basic wages will freeze to death on the roadside.

In addition to mission bonuses, 'scorching subsidy', 'cold subsidy', 'crisis subsidy', and even 'annual subsidy', our income includes these, in many cases, we are richer than those factory owners. "

"Maybe... maybe... maybe." Wright did not object to Peter's argument.

"Speaking of Wright, have you ever known the 12 cardinals of the three major churches of the Lost?" Peter suddenly changed the topic, and his eyes and tone suddenly became sharp.

"Cardinal... Cardinal... I understand... I understand..." Wright suppressed the spasm of his diaphragm and nodded in recognition.

"Not only have you known him, but you have also fought against one of them, right." Peter continued to ask.

"Yes, huh..., yes. But it was Brett who really killed the 'wolf body' of the cardinal named 'Mad Body', not me. Besides, since the battle with 'Crazy Body' Something strange happened, and when I walked out of the Donusk city ruins, Brett was nowhere to be seen."

"If it hadn't been for your urgent arrangements from last night to now, and I was really hungry, I would have immediately gone to the office area, commercial area, or even the bungalows and board houses in the camp to inquire about his whereabouts. "Wright replied somewhat "uncontrollably".

"Well, Wright, so far I quite approve of you. As a [Warrior] of the Empire and a member of the Sugra Guards, although your current status as a superpower and the upcoming mission do not allow you to return to Sugra immediately. Guerra, your humanity has not been wiped out. You still think about your companions, which is commendable." Peter said, stood up straight, walked to Wright, and continued:

"Humanity is very important to us humans in the Wasteland Era. If you lose part of your humanity, you will be more inclined to the lost. If you lose all of your humanity, you will definitely become a person who kills indiscriminately without any consciousness. Human. Even if the emotion you just revealed to your comrades is disguised, it proves that your humanity still exists. After all, the lost and unintentional people who mainly focus on killing do not bother to pretend."

"Really? Thank you Peter... Teacher Peter for your recognition." Wright thanked him sincerely.

"The behavior you just carried out, as well as the way you responded to any questions without reservation, faced me with an honest attitude, and faced the Socratic Committee, all show that you are a trustworthy member of the Guard." Peter praised. .

Then, with a proud expression, he brought the topic to himself.

"You know, because of the war with the Lost, the road to the Silent Highlands has not been completely opened. So as early as three days ago, I took the new 'Great' airship to the southern camp, and then secretly took a mechanical The chariots came here. After all, many members of the Socra Guard received orders to enter the Silent Highlands from the north, and then cooperated with the empire's 'The Coming of Silence' military operation."

"As for why I am here, you must be able to guess it now. That is waiting. First, waiting for the unfavorable situation in the southern battlefield for the empire, especially for Crown Prince Yivant, so that the committee can contact more The Sugra army and the escort fought back together, and then together with the Church of the Lost, they stepped into the 'Lake of Silence' in the middle of the highlands and found the divine domain where the 'Daughter of the Tool Element' was."

Although on the surface Wright listened with interest, secretly, his heart was full of disdain and contempt for the person in front of him who claimed to be "teacher".

After all, the actions of Peter and the committee behind him were treason.

Traitor, what are you so proud of?

Seeing Peter pause because he felt his throat was dry, Wright asked carefully:

"What about the second one?"

"Just waiting for you, Wright." Peter solemnly replied:

"Mr. George has already placed a tracker in your body. As long as there is magic power in your body, even a little bit, like a drop of water in the vast sea, will trigger it. I know that from Dunwu The journey from the city ruins of Sksk to the camp in Area B is bound to be full of hardships and dangers, but your ability to get here firmly does not actually depend entirely on your own will.

By the way, even if no one is around you, we are still monitoring you. "

Peter said, stood up straight, put his left hand on the dining table, and put his right hand on his waist. A twisted, ferocious smile appeared on his face, as if he had understood everything.

But to Wright, it was as disgusting and unsettling as a furry black floating monster leaping back and forth in the icy abyss.

After a long time, he slowly moved his lips and said worriedly:

"What other secrets...are there in my body that I don't know about?"