I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 857 - 857 856. I Promised Land send money

Chapter 857: 856. I, Promised Land, send money. Chapter 857: 856. I, Promised Land, send money. The poet felt somewhat down after his recent debate loss, clearly seeing the audience cheer more vigorously for his opponent.

He reflected on his shortcomings.

“Indeed, for these citizens, solving the inconveniences of current life is more tangible and thus more important, but in fact our exploration could solve these problems too. It’s just that for many people, the initial investment is hard to accept…”

“The Wild Guard’s proposal did sound more reliable, but the resources around Utopia are limited. Even if it could satisfy demands temporarily, they would eventually run out, plunging us into endless internal strife…”

“He truly is a warrior, very aggressive, and his demeanor so commanding. I couldn’t gain the upper hand in the debate; although I often had the more logical points, I lost out in presence…”

“Debates aren’t just won by being loud, but a loud voice is quite intimidating…”

He muttered to himself, completely unaware that two people were standing in front of him.

“Hello.”

Only when the other party greeted him did the poet suddenly look up.

The two, a man and a woman, had striking appearances, which made the poet initially wonder if there were such attractive people in the city before he stopped in his tracks.

“Who are you?”

The poet looked at them suspiciously. Due to the influx of strangers to Utopia recently related to the Promised Land, including spies from other city-states, he stayed on alert and was ready to flee.

“We’re looking for someone. Do you know Shuangxin?”

Lu Ban was straightforward, openly inquiring.

“Shuangxin… Are you referring to Lord Shuangxin who brought back news from the Promised Land?”

The poet chewed on the name for a moment before it clicked.

“The Promised Land…”

It seemed they regarded the experimental zone of the old civilization as a new civilization’s promised land.

With the insect plague largely eradicated today, that area could indeed be considered resource-rich. Even if most of the stored food was expired and inedible, there might still be some preserved seeds or animal embryos left. And if nothing else, there was plenty of steel to go around.

Not to mention the vast amount of old era data that, even without electricity, could possibly be extracted with the effort from the Saints and other Transcendents.

From this perspective, the Promised Land was aptly named.

Compared to a paradise flowing with milk and honey, for the people of the Wasteland nowadays, modern technology was the real milk and honey.

“Yes, we are friends of Shuangxin and want to provide some information about the Promised Land,” Lu Ban immediately said.

His biggest flaw in life was his honesty.

“You? Friends of Lord Shuangxin?”

The poet regarded Lu Ban warily.

“Don’t try to deceive me.”

“?”

Lu Ban was puzzled by the poet’s reaction, question marks popping above his head.

“In this period, impostors claiming to know Lord Shuangxin have been countless. Some say they know her and can provide the location of the Promised Land, others claim they need money to explore it. You don’t look like locals. How could you possibly know Lord Shuangxin!”

The poet exclaimed, thinking that if these two really knew Lord Shuangxin, they would have already been taken to the academy to enjoy its privileges rather than stopping him in the street.

“You will probably claim next that you have extra information about the Promised Land and then trick me into monopolizing it before fleeing with all my belongings, right?”

He seemed quite knowledgeable about the methods of fraud.

“We actually do have extra information about the Promised Land,” Lu Ban honestly admitted.

“See, I knew it! You will never deceive me!”

Hearing the discussion between the poet and Lu Ban, Feng Yu sighed and then said,

“How about this? You take us to the academy, and we confront Shuangxin directly. If we’re frauds, you can arrest us on the spot. If we know her, then you’ve helped us out.”

Upon hearing Feng Yu’s words, the poet pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“That makes sense,” the poet replied.

“I’ll take you to find Lord Shuangxin, but don’t think about running away.”

With that, he led the way.

Lu Ban followed him, glancing at Feng Yu.

“Smart.”

“…”

Feng Yu remained silent, looking at Lu Ban as if seeing a naive child.

Even though teens were considered adults in the Wasteland, it appeared that the limitations of the human body still existed.

A few simple words, and the young were easily fooled.

The academy was located between the Oasis and the Pyramid, housed within a square building.

Despite being called an academy, the main part was a library, and it didn’t offer classes. Instead, adventurers who went out to explore the relics brought back items to be identified, stored, and analyzed.

As they walked, Lu Ban saw remnants of modern technology, mostly repurposed from their original use.

Dish antennas genuinely served as pot lids filled with assorted items, car tires were mounted on carts, and tablets and mobile phones were used as mirrors.

Rumor had it that inside the Pyramid, there were refrigerators and washing machines, only operable with the power of the Saints.

This was likely a common sight above the wasteland—people using high-tech objects without the capability to produce them.

Their journey to recover relics was to restore the technological levels of the past.

Along the way, Lu Ban also saw various political slogans: “Quicksand Council makes Utopia great again,” “Your faithful protectors, the Wild Guard,” “You can always trust the Yellow Sand Brotherhood.”

He even noticed the academy’s own slogan.

[Humanity’s future lies deep in the desert]

Well, it did fit the pragmatic style of the academy.

Just not very inspiring.

According to the campaigning methods Lu Ban learned on Earth, regardless of one’s ability to deliver, one should first inflate the rhetoric and sketch out grand visions to not lose out in momentum—that was how to secure votes.

Speaking of attacking competitors, causing trouble secretly, and bribing were best left unsaid; such tactics would be condemned in Utopia.

Upon entering the academy, Lu Ban saw a group of people seriously studying a bicycle, trying to figure out how it worked, while another group contemplated an aircraft engine, attempting to open its hood.

Soon, the trio reached the second floor of the academy, where rows of books, mostly literature and entertainment, were displayed, with few concerning technology.

It looked like at the end of the old era, people had given up on development and survival, mostly immersed helplessly in entertainment.

Among the bookshelves, Lu Ban spotted the familiar woman browsing books with two other women. Noticing the movement here, the woman looked up.

“Poet… hmm? Is that you?”