The Prophet

Charging blindly into an enemy's lair without knowing the situation was utterly foolish. Yet here they were... and besides, Ji Jue truly had no other leads on Non-Offensive. To continue his exploration, he had to take this risk. Furthermore, with Brother Ball in hand, Little Niuma at his side, and an ace bodyguard like Xiao An, he could still run if push came to shove. And so, following the locals into a cluster of ruins, they pulled open a camouflaged baffle board to reveal a descending passage. The town's underground sewer system was impossibly vast, crisscrossing in dizzying complexity. As they walked through it, there even seemed to be a magnetic disturbance; their compass quickly became useless. Descending layer after layer, they reached the deepest part of the sewers before coming upon a rust-pitted roller shutter door. The space behind the door, however, was shockingly vast. It was practically a massive encampment. The original, completely defunct sewage treatment facilities had been tossed aside, replaced by makeshift shacks and tents. Unlike the chaos outside, the interior showed signs of thriving life. People bearing various marks of mutation bustled through the central square. There were even stalls set up, though they sold only compressed rations and an assortment of incomprehensible junk. Around sixty or seventy people inhabited the camp, clearly tight-knit. Catching sight of the outsiders, their expressions carried varying degrees of wariness and vigilance. "Mama!" A child's voice piped up, accompanied by the rolling wheels of a small cart. Yet riding the cart was a mangled, incomplete figure, pushing forward with one hand to warmly embrace the middle-aged man leading the way. Noticing Ji Jue's gaze, the child shrank timidly behind the man, cautiously tugging a scrap of cloth over slightly mutated limbs. On that cracked, sunken face, a jet-black glass bead served as an eye, peering cautiously at Ji Jue and Xiao An. The moment Ji Jue looked back, the child quickly ducked behind the man again. "Has Xiao Jiu been good? Go on back for now, I'll visit you later." The middle-aged man seemed to smile, patting the child's head. "I'm taking them to see the Prophet." Watching the child roll away, the man offered no explanation. He led them deeper inside until they stood before a door guarded by two burly, mutated figures. "Please surrender your weapons," the man said. "Offensive as it may be, we cannot allow you to bring such things before the Prophet." Sensing the eyes on him, Ji Jue didn't budge. "Frankly, I'm a bit scared too," Ji Jue probed. "Could the Prophet step outside for a moment instead?" "Hey!" one guard barked. "Outsider, don't push your luck!" "It's fine—" A hoarse voice spoke from behind the door. "Weapons or not, it makes no difference. You don't understand the capabilities of the Celestial Chosen; there is no need for such pretenses. Please come in, gentlemen. Due to physical limitations, I truly cannot step outside, or we wouldn't have to go through such trouble." The guards exchanged glances. After a moment's hesitation, they pulled open the door. The room beyond was surprisingly hollow. There were none of the gaudy decorations or furnishings one might have expected; if anything, it was utterly bare. It held only two chairs. One chair bore the marks of many years and mended cracks. The other... seemed welded directly to the floor, tangled in cables. Long, needle-like interfaces pierced a body riddled with holes, faint electric sparks flickering here and there. Resting upon that decayed, ruined torso was a human head barely holding on to the neck. Shriveled and scarred, its bald scalp gleamed with the sheen of metal, having undergone countless modifications. Faint traces of female features remained on the weathered face. "Greetings, outsiders," she introduced herself. "I am the 'Prophet.'" Ji Jue stood opposite her without sitting down, studying her closely. "You don't look like you know everything." "It is merely what others call me. A name is just a label, nothing more." The Prophet's face twitched into what looked like a grin. "I imagine you have many questions." "Indeed. In fact, there are so many that I'm suddenly in no rush." Ji Jue shook his head. "You seem quite familiar with us Celestial Chosen." "People like you arrive every few decades. You come here digging for treasure, seeking gold and silver, or hunting for spoils. Men, women, you are all the same. Some leave, some die. Having dealt with you and seen enough of you, familiarity naturally follows." "What is Non-Offensive?" Ji Jue asked, playing dumb. "...A third probe and yet another pretense. How amusing. You are far more cautious than I imagined—though if you like, I can explain from the very beginning. Non-Offensive is a matrix left behind by Quicksilver, one of the few legacies left in this world by the ancient Mo. That is what you came for, isn't it?" The Prophet lifted her eyelids with effort, gazing into Ji Jue's eyes. "Someone like you, dedicated to the Path of Embers without even possessing a matrix, dared to enter the Border Realm to explore, and even stepped into the old workshop... If not for Non-Offensive, what else could it be? Are you satisfied with this answer?" Ji Jue said nothing. "Please, there is no need to be so vigilant. We old, sick, and crippled folk are merely parasites living off the workshop system, lucky ants who escaped reclamation and resetting. We pose no threat to the two of you. Especially the one behind you, who has been searching for my vitals from the moment she entered. It truly makes one sit on pins and needles." The Prophet smiled and lowered her head with difficulty, exposing a crack in her cranium and the dense, tiny gears turning within, making no effort to hide her weakness. "Rest assured, I have no intention of putting on airs or stringing you along," she said plainly. "Over the past few years, our scouts found traces left by Quicksilver at a fork in the underground tunnels. It was simply too dangerous for us to proceed further. If you are willing to assist us, we can send someone to guide your way." She paused, then added, "However, if possible, I hope you might do us a small favor in return." Ji Jue remained silent. He watched her for a long while before letting out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry, but you might have misunderstood," he said with a straight face. "My little brother and I are just passersby. We got dragged into this place by accident and haven't the faintest clue what's going on. As for Non-Offensive or Quicksilver, we know nothing about them and have zero interest. I genuinely don't know what you're talking about. So, as for cooperation, let's forget it." "Is that so?" The Prophet fell quiet for a moment, but showed no anger or desire to force the issue. She merely gave a slight nod. "Then perhaps I was mistaken." She sighed softly, lowering her gaze. "The camp may be small, but it is enough to host guests. Feel free to look around, and leave whenever you wish. If you change your mind, you can find me anytime." No urgency whatsoever—or was she entirely confident? Ji Jue couldn't tell, nor could he figure it out. Taking one last look at the Prophet, he turned and left with Xiao An. The camp residents prepared a resting area for them, even offering two packs of compressed biscuits from the outside world. Though two or three years past their expiration date, they were still marginally edible. Xiao An detected no poison, either. There were no listening bugs here, but who could say whether some alchemical device was spying on them in secret? After all, this entire Border Realm was Quicksilver's workshop; nobody knew what bizarre tricks these 'locals' kept up their sleeves. The puzzle ball temporarily expanded a sliver of secure space, allowing the two to speak freely. Xiao An asked, full of confusion, "Brother Ji Jue, didn't you come for the matrix?" "Yeah, that's right," Ji Jue nodded placidly. "But even if I want it desperately on the inside, that doesn't mean I can't say no with my mouth, right? Accepting a gift doesn't mean I agree, and agreeing doesn't mean I actually have to do anything, does it?" "...Something feels off about that." Xiao An wore a blank, puzzled look, yet seemed to grasp a hint of it. Was this how adults spoke? So complicated! She had to remember this and ask Sister Huahua later! Meanwhile, Ji Jue sank back into thought. He might not understand the Border Realm, but he understood just how rotten his dogshit luck was. He had nearly plummeted to his death at the start, turned up empty-handed after high-spirited treasure hunting, and barely hauled a few scraps back—only to somehow hook up with the locals to pursue a grand endeavor together? Dream on! Besides, he couldn't bring himself to trust this bizarre... Prophet. The title alone reeked of a charlatan! Trusting her would be worse than trusting a refrigerator! "Follow me." He abruptly rose, pulled back the tent flap, and waved at the dazed middle-aged man standing not far outside, his expression grave. "To tell you the truth, there's something very important I haven't told you all." "Huh?" The man froze, his posture tensing. Then, Ji Jue announced with utmost solemnity: "—I know how to fix air conditioners!" ??? In that instant, pure, unadulterated bewilderment congealed across the middle-aged man's twisted face. What on earth? "I fix air conditioners," Ji Jue repeated. "Do you need any repairs? Free of charge! Pro bono! I just love helping people!" In truth, he really did know how to fix air conditioners. Not just air conditioners, but color TVs, monitors, washing machines, Little Sheep scooters, electric mopeds, motor tricycles, and even minivans. As for unclogging pipes, plastering walls, maintaining circuits, or servicing various types of heavy machinery—while he wouldn't claim mastery, he at least knew a thing or two! In short, if it involved maintenance, he could fix it! Faced with such an utterly bizarre declaration, the man stood dumbfounded for a long time before turning to seek instructions. He returned much later, saying cautiously, "The Prophet says that so long as you don't damage the camp's equipment, you may do as you please. Be careful. I'll be watching you." "Then what are we waiting for?" Ji Jue let out a whistle and strode forward. "Let's roll!"