Embers Ad Infinitum

Shang Jianyao was silent for a while, then asked:

"What do you know about the Order of the Night?"

Zhang Lei shook his head:

“I don’t like dealing with these sects, I think they are crazy and dangerous.

"I have only heard people say that the Long Night Order believes that every night is dangerous, and only by receiving the blessing of Si Ming can one live to see the dawn.

"So, they like to pray when it gets dark, party late at night, and call their high masses carnival balls..."

Speaking of this, Zhang Lei said somewhat incomprehensibly:

"I don't know what a carnival is like, but I always thought it was a bit weird as a religious mass ceremony."

"If you have listened to parenting lectures and mechanical explanations, you won't think so." Shang Jianyao said in a calm tone.

Zhang Lei didn't ask what parenting lectures and mechanical explanations were. He looked back at Meng Xia, who was chatting with a few friends, and said to Shang Jianyao:

"Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Besides Si Ming, what else do you know about Zhi Sui?" Shang Jianyao showed that he would ask questions clearly when he got the chance.

Zhang Lei recalled:

"Not many, the Ming in December, the Bodhi in January, and when I was in Weed City, I heard people from the First City mention that some nobles there secretly believe in the Mandala that governs September."

Shang Jianyao recalled the team leader's description and sincerely commented:

"In the First City, we may be able to gather all the beliefs that will lead to the end of the year."

"That's not a good place." Zhang Lei nodded, "For most people."

He pointed to Meng Xia:

"If there's no problem, I'll go over."

Shang Jianyao suddenly asked:

"Why don't you ask me why I'm asking this all of a sudden?"

Zhang Lei, who was of medium height and dark skin, stood up and said slowly:

"The more you know, the more dangerous it is."

After saying that, he didn't stop anymore, turned around and walked towards Meng Xia.

Shang Jianyao continued to sit there without any other movement, as if he had been isolated from the lively atmosphere around him.

He watched the people coming and going quietly without feeling any discomfort.

…………

The next day, Shang Jianyao also arrived at Room 14 on the 647th floor, where the "Old Adjustment Team" was located, nearly ten minutes early.

Without any surprise, Jiang Baimian was already sitting in his seat.

"I met a foreign employee yesterday." Shang Jianyao walked over and said bluntly.

"Huh?" Jiang Baimian said that he was waiting for the next step.

Shang Jianyao pulled out his chair and sat down:

"He has a certain understanding of Zhi Sui and the Awakened..."

He repeated what Zhang Lei said.

"Sure enough, the ability of the awakened person directly related to the heart is in the field of Si Ming." Jiang Baimian sighed thoughtfully, "I don't know if I have faith in any Zhi Sui, and when I awaken, I will get the corresponding Ability in a field... Then how can you determine the characteristics of an ability if you awaken before you have determined your faith? Well, Du Heng said that different prices will vaguely map different fields, so they are divided according to the different prices paid. ?”

Speaking of this, Jiang Baimian suddenly said:

"Then what's the price for Qiao Chu?

"What's the price for Du Heng and Jialolan?"

Shang Jianyao replied:

“Not all costs are easy to see.

"If he didn't talk about the purification method, no one would immediately think that the price would be increased lust.

"I almost traded 'single life' for my ability, but it didn't work out. This kind of price is useless."

Jiang Baimian was suddenly surprised:

"Doesn't it mean that you just have to pay a price? It also has to be a price that conforms to certain rules?"

"I don't know." Shang Jianyao was very honest.

Jiang Baimian said "hmm":

"It's hard to tell in individual cases unless you try many times to find the right price."

"Three times, the second time I wanted to exchange 'no friends', but it still didn't work." Shang Jianyao said truthfully.

Jiang Baimian nodded gently and said:

"Only when we get to know a few more awakened people and learn about their failures and successes can we summarize the rules."

"They won't tell." Shang Jianyao pointed out.

"What if the price they pay is that they can't lie or answer all questions?" Jiang Baimian said with a smile.

Then, she thought and said:

"After I came back, the more I thought about it, the more I felt that Qiao Chu's charm was not like a power, but closer to a price."

Shang Jianyao's eyes moved slightly and he immediately said:

"So far, all the awakened people I have seen, except him, can control their abilities by themselves."

In other words, even if the ability will bring some bad results, the awakened person can at least choose to use it or not.

And Qiao Chu was chased all the way by the Nightmare Horse, and he might even have lost a car because of it. He didn't really escape until he used a trick to trick the other party into crossing the river and blowing up the bridge.

A normal awakened person should have stopped charming long ago.

Of course, Shang Jianyao cannot guarantee that there will be no such thing as "undifferentiated passive charm" among the abilities bestowed upon him.

"Yes." Jiang Baimian agreed, "It seems that Qiao Chu's charm is most likely a price to pay."

At this point, she suddenly laughed:

"When Qiao Chu first became an awakened person and was still relatively weak, this passive charm that couldn't be eliminated didn't know what it brought to him. Tsk..."

"Tragic." Shang Jianyao skipped possible cases and directly gave a conclusion.

Then he added:

"Before entering the 'Sea of ​​Origin' and defeating his inner fears one by one, Qiao Chu's charm would not have such a wide range and its effect would not be so strong."

"What are you thinking?" Jiang Baimian smiled narrowly, "What I originally planned to say was that Qiao Chu must be very popular with mosquitoes and other things. If you stay with him, you won't be afraid of being bitten. Tsk, you guys are Has the boundary of physiological education been expanded again?"

Without giving Shang Jianyao a chance to make a clear answer, she said instead:

"Normally, no one would use 'becoming more attractive' as a price. From a common point of view, this is not a price at all.

"So, Qiao Chu should have used his 'charm' in exchange for his ability... As a result, he didn't expect that he would become a heartthrob, the kind that both humans and dogs want to fall in love with. Well... according to my experience, As time went by, my urge to force myself on him gradually became stronger. It was foreseeable that if I stayed for another day or two, or even a few hours, we would actively and violently violate him.

"This is indeed a price, it's miserable..."

"The physiological education of your class was not bad either." Shang Jianyao commented seriously.

"Ah? What did you say?" Jiang Baimian touched his ears and said seriously, "Besides, we have discussed it before. Judging from the situation at that time, if Qiao Chu showed hostility and viciousness, the corresponding target would be charmed. The state will be lifted, and his companions will also be stimulated and free from the influence to a certain extent, um, except for animals and 'unintentional people'... It seems that there are still a lot of restrictions."

Jiang Baimian thought for a moment and then said:

"If this is the case, Qiao Chu's third awakened ability has not yet been demonstrated.

"It was good for us to be cautious at the beginning."

They currently know that Qiao Chu has the awakening ability of frustrating people and making people focus on doing something. The former is a range type, and the latter seems to be only one-on-one.

While the two were talking, Long Yuehong and Bai Chen walked in one after another.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Baimian stood up, clapped his hands, and said with a smile on his face:

"I got a reply from above!"

After hearing the reward, whether it was Long Yuehong, Bai Chen, or Shang Jianyao, their eyes suddenly lit up.

"Stop, no singing, no dancing!" Jiang Baimian stopped Shang Jianyao in advance and prevented him from doing anything.

Shang Jianyao suddenly showed a regretful expression.

Jiang Baimian cleared his throat and said with a smile:

“Rewards and compensation are calculated together and divided into two parts.

"The first part is that everyone's employee level will be upgraded by one additional level. In other words, I am now at D7 level. The real team leaders, Shang Jianyao and Long Yuehong were originally going to be upgraded to D2 level. Now they are Directly to D3, Bai Chen was originally converted to a formal employee, D1 level, and now he is D2."

"D3?" Long Yuehong said in surprise, "Wouldn't it be possible to get 1,000 more contribution points every month?"

This means that his monthly salary will be 2,800 points.

Moreover, when he gets married next year and is able to allocate rooms, higher-level employees will be allocated better rooms.

"At what level can I apply for genetic modification if I pay contribution points?" Bai Chen's face flashed with joy and soon disappeared.

Jiang Baimian smiled and replied:

"I've asked for you. In your case, you can go to D4. If you are willing to participate in a very dangerous project, you can do it now. However, I don't recommend that no matter what you want to do, you can only do it while you are alive. .”

Bai Chen nodded slightly, indicating that he would not be so reckless.

Jiang Baimian looked at Shang Jianyao again:

"you are not happy?"

"I'm so happy." Shang Jianyao looked serious.

"Forget it, I shouldn't ask you." Jiang Baimian continued, "The second part is, each person will be compensated with 100,000 contribution points."

"100,000?" Long Yuehong has never seen so many contribution points in her life.

Jiang Baimian laughed and said:

"It's not much, but we robbed, no, we got back an armored vehicle, a heavy machine gun, a Black Swamp Iron Snake skin and two loads of supplies.

"If these things were sold in a place like Weed City, their value would definitely exceed 400,000 contribution points several times over.

"But you also have to think about it. Our weapons are provided by the company, our jeeps are given by the company, and our people are maintained by the company. It is reasonable for the company to take the lead. Besides, there are no employee upgrades. Compensation? This is more difficult than simply taking a contribution."

"It's a lot, a lot." Long Yuehong said that she had no complaints at all.

He wanted to help his parents, brother, and sister move to a larger room, which cost about 30,000 points.

For Bai Chen, it is an unbreakable truth that the strongest side will get the most loot, so she doesn't think there is any problem with this.

Shang Jianyao wanted to say something, but no one wanted to hear it.

Then, Jiang Baimian opened the desk drawer and took out three document bags:

“It’s all labeled with names, and this is what you can have after review.

"Haha, the company has returned all the watches to us. They are all mechanical watches, which are much more valuable than electronic watches. They cost at least 50,000 to 60,000 contribution points. Well, the company has helped us repair any damage.

"By the way, remember to update your electronic card later. If the number of contribution points is wrong, remember to tell me, ah, also, the 900 field subsidy will be paid directly this time."

While Jiang Baimian was talking, Shang Jianyao took the document bag with his name on it and poured out the contents.

There is a pair of black sunglasses, a dark mechanical watch, a transparent glass ball inlaid with yellow petals, a recording pen from Black Rat Town, and a palm-sized speaker with a black background and blue background that almost burst the document bag.

Bai Chen didn't bother to look at his document bag. He looked at Jiang Baimian and asked with concern:

"Team leader, what is the outcome of the incident in Shuiwei Town?"

PS: Ask for monthly tickets during the double period~