Chapter 1058 - How Shameless! (1/2)
Fortress 178's memorial bell also bore the responsibility of reporting the time. In an era where watches were not widely available, the sound of the bell represented the people's sense of time.
While Ren Xiaosu and Zhang Jinglin were talking, a platoon of the garrison troops arrived at the square. They saluted Ren Xiaosu and Zhang Jinglin before walking over to the copper bell and striking it seventeen times.
It was 1700 hours. Everyone used this signal to check their own clocks.
The loud and melodious sound of the bell reverberated outwards. Ren Xiaosu stood amid the ringing and felt the evening sun's rays shine down on him.
At this moment, Ren Xiaosu realized there was something particular about the direction the 11 gray stone tablets were facing. Their fronts faced the east, while their backs faced the west. Be it sunrise or sunset, the sun's rays would always shine down over them.
Under the afterglow of the sunset, the smooth gray stone tablets seemed to be plated with a layer of golden radiance. It was exceptionally brilliant.
But when the ringing faded away, Ren Xiaosu suddenly heard someone say, ”Is that kid the next fortress commander? He looks a little inexperienced. I wonder if he's dependable.”
”I think he's not too bad.” Another voice answered, ”A few days ago, a couple was chatting in the square, and I overheard them talking about this kid. Apparently, he's extremely good in combat.”
”Good in combat? I can fight really well too!”
”And what are you? He's a supernatural being, OK? We didn't even have supernatural beings during our time!”
”They already existed back then. At that time, the Riders were quite ferocious. Have y'all forgotten? I think there were more than 30 Riders back then. I heard there's only 12 of them left now?”
”Then can you compare to a Rider? We were just normal folks. Even if we were still alive, we couldn't defeat this kid.”
”As a fortress commander, what good is it even if he can fight really well? A commander has to rely on his wisdom!”
”Hey, junior, why do you always like talking back to me? I'm more than 40 years older than you, so be polite and don't keep arguing with your elders!”
”Oh, come off it! We've already been buried in the ground. What's with all that talk about who's more senior than who? Down here, we compare our military achievements. I've blasted a sorcerer to death in one shot before, but have you done anything like that?”
Ren Xiaosu listened quietly for a while before looking around in surprise to see who was speaking.
But after searching for a long time, he realized the residents of Fortress 178 behind him had maintained their silence throughout. They were observing a moment of silence for the martyrs, so nobody made any noise.
Zhang Jinglin asked, ”What're you looking at? Let's go to the copper bell and have a look. You should have also heard about it. The bodies of our pioneers who sacrificed themselves on the battlefield are buried outside Fortress 178. But we'll bring back one of their teeth and bury it under the copper bell together to commemorate them. Of course, it also implies their spirits will continue to protect this land with their passion and bravery.”
When Ren Xiaosu heard the word ”spirits,” his expression turned strange.
He heard a faint voice say, ”Alright, enough chatting. That kid Zhang Jinglin is bringing another kid over. Let's talk after they're done paying their respects and leave.”
”What're you afraid of? It's not like they can hear us anyway.”
The voices were very noisy due to the cross talk. Ren Xiaosu had to listen very hard before he could discern what they were saying.
The closer Ren Xiaosu got to the copper bell, the stranger his expression became.
However, he did not say anything and just bowed deeply before leaving with Zhang Jinglin.
Before leaving, someone under the copper bell said, ”Eh, why do I feel like that kid can hear what we're saying?”
”Bullshit, how can he possibly hear us when we're separated by the spiritual plane?”
”But when the fourth eldest Li was cracking his lame jokes just now, I saw the corners of that boy's mouth twitching!”
”Don't think too deeply into it. That kid's nerve endings are probably damaged or something. That's why his mouth was twitching!”
After Ren Xiaosu left with Zhang Jinglin, he suddenly asked, ”Mr. Zhang, when are we setting off to the outposts?”
”At 0600 hours. We'll start walking for 41 kilometers to get to the first outpost.” Zhang Jinglin said with a smile, ”Our journey this time will be very long, but it will be very meaningful.”
”Mhm, alright.” Ren Xiaosu turned around and looked at the copper bell behind him before following Zhang Jinglin to his temporary accommodation.
After 10 PM, the bell would not be struck anymore to signal the time until 6 AM the next morning. This was so it would not disturb everyone's rest.