After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xiao Yunjie left the Golden Temple with Xiao Tong.
Song Xiaozhu frowned slightly, Qiu Shuyu asked softly, "What's wrong with Xiao Tong?"
Song Xiaozhu: "I don't know."
She had originally planned to talk to Xiao Tong tonight to find out if there was any possibility of mining in this abandoned quarry, but seeing his distraught appearance now, it seemed impossible to have a conversation with him.
No rush, this is only the first day, there will be many more opportunities in the future.
Song Xiaozhu and Qiu Shuyu had dinner with Bai Jing. The old man remained stubborn and didn't give anyone a friendly look, including Song Xiaozhu.
Song Xiaozhu asked, "Sir, why don't you go back to the shop to rest tonight? Madam Xiao has arranged a room for you."
Bai Jing: "No need."
Song Xiaozhu wanted to say something more, but Bai Jing interrupted, "Don't talk too much while eating; it's bad for your stomach."
Song Xiaozhu: "..." Okay.
After dinner, Bai Jing rudely told them to leave.
Song Xiaozhu and Qiu Shuyu both wanted to stay and help, but Bai Jing wouldn't allow it, insisting that they go back quickly, which annoyed him.
Um...
Master Bai finds everyone annoying.
One of the wounded soldiers whispered to Song Xiaozhu, " Master Bai is just worried about you two, afraid you'll get tired."
Bai Jing heard this and sneered, "I see your wound is bleeding again. Use some more hemostatic powder."
The wounded soldier immediately begged for mercy, " Master Bai, Master Bai, I was wrong, I was wrong... Ah!"
Having no other choice, Song Xiaozhu and Qiu Shuyu left the Golden Temple. As they walked out, Song Xiaozhu sighed softly, "I wonder who built this temple."
To everyone's surprise, Qiu Shuyu said, "The city lord of Ink City."
Song Xiaozhu was taken aback and looked at Qiu Shuyu: "... I thought it was Liu Family Village... Well, this kind of building doesn't seem like something an ordinary person could build."
It's too grand; it's somewhat like a miniature version of the pyramids.
Even if scaled down to this size, it would be difficult to build given the circumstances of Liu Family Village.
Especially that golden color all over...
It looks like it's plated with gold.
Just as Song Xiaozhu was about to ask more questions, she heard a notification sound in her ear:
"To trigger Growth Quest 6, please select:"
"Task A: Tame 10 Polluted Beast, Reward: 50 Quantum Coin, 100 Repair Points;"
"Task B: Kill 10 Polluted Beast, Reward: 100 Quantum Coin, 50 Repair Points!"
Chapter 52
This Growth Quest made Song Xiaozhu's back tense.
Polluted Beast?
Where is it!
Song Xiaozhu had previously summarized that this Growth Quest had a certain degree of predictability, but it was not necessarily a real precognitive ability; rather, it was more like an inevitable event deduced from existing clues.
So, she'll be attacked by the Polluted Beast soon?
The good days haven't even lasted two days, and now another problem has arisen!
Qiu Shuyu, unaware of her "mental voice," continued describing the golden temple, "There are three temples like this Ink City, um... one in Deer Town, and another outside the buffer zone..."
Song Xiaozhu was very curious about the temple, and she wasn't in a hurry to choose the Growth Quest at hand. She would think about it carefully after she figured out the temple and went back to her room.
After the notification sound, the Growth Quest was moved to the "Task Panel," followed by a selection countdown—a random selection would be made in half an hour.
Half an hour is enough.
Song Xiaozhu composed herself and asked Qiu Shuyu, "Why build such a temple? Is it run by a religious leader in Ink City?" But she didn't see any clergy.
Qiu Shuyu paused for a moment, then said, "I don't really know either. I only vaguely heard it when I was little, that this temple was one of the three lines of defense for Ink City..."
As she spoke, she herself looked puzzled, muttering, "Why would it be a defensive line? The temples in Liu Family Village and Deer Town are clearly inside the buffer zone..."
Qiu Shuyu looked at Song Xiaozhu: "... If it's not for Polluted Beast, then what is it for protecting against?"
Song Xiaozhu lowered her eyelashes, pondering. "Could it be to prevent the refugees from the Garbage Mountain? But that's unlikely; even a large number of refugees wouldn't pose a threat to the Fortress."
Qiu Shuyu shook her head and said, "I don't know either. The one I knew the most about before was the Heaven Temple, um... the Golden Temple outside the isolation zone."
Song Xiaozhu: " Heaven Temple? These three Golden Temple have different names?"
Qiu Shuyu nodded. "Heaven, Earth, Man."
"The one from Liu Family Village is..."
" Earth Temple."
"That Deer Town is the Human Temple."
Unable to make sense of it for the time being, Song Xiaozhu asked again, "What's the situation with the Heaven Temple? How come it's built outside the safety barrier?"
Qiu Shuyu didn't hide anything from her, recalling, "The isolation zone isn't as simple as it looks. Over the years, Ink City has been spending enormous resources maintaining it, not just repairing the inside of the walls, but also putting even greater effort into repairing the outside... Heaven Temple."
Just like outposts, there are squads of Awakened stationed there. They not only repair the buffer zone, but also clear out any approaching Polluted Beast... Well, that's also a way to protect the buffer zone."
Song Xiaozhu nodded, roughly understanding. "Then this temple is indeed a defensive line."
She had a vague guess in her mind, and it was a really bad one. " Sister Shuyu, do you know the location of Deer Town?"
Qiu Shuyu didn't know why she asked this, and replied, "It's about ten miles from Liu Family Village."
Song Xiaozhu gestured with her finger on the wooden table. "This is Ink City, then the Scavenger Community, then Deer Town, and finally Liu Family Village?" Liu Family Village is undoubtedly the closest to the isolation zone.
Qiu Shuyu: "More or less."
Although they are not on a straight line, their parallel position is correct.
Song Xiaozhu clicked her tongue. "So, there really are three lines of defense."
Qiu Shuyu's heart skipped a beat, understanding her meaning. "If the Heaven Temple is gone, then the Earth Temple will be the second line of defense. If the Earth Temple is gone, then what about the Human Temple?"
Song Xiaozhu: "It's just my guess."
Qiu Shuyu, however, felt that Song Xiaozhu had astutely discovered the truth.