Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 496: Settlements near the Wind Wall (Part )

At about two o'clock in the afternoon, Wolfya, Dak and his party finally arrived near the group of settlement buildings that seemed "out of reach" just now.

The construction style here is exactly the same as those official settlements built by the Federation. These settlements, which are close to the size of villages but slightly smaller than small towns, are generally open. They do not surround the main urban area like Xinfeng Town to demonstrate the ownership of the lord's fiefdom in the old empire, or build high walls like Mayan City to resist the impact of the wave of "careless people".

Instead, the entire settlement is guided by a simple, even crude road. The entrance to the settlement is a simple office established by the Federation earlier, with only a small row of low-rise houses and a simple fence to block cars.

Wolfya simply showed his "Federal Military Membership Card" to the inspector in tattered cotton clothes at the entrance for a quick check, then he gave a standard Crusade salute to the two mechanical combat vehicles, walked into the house, and after a brief exchange with the mysterious personnel inside, he let them enter the settlement.

After driving along the road for about ten minutes, Wolfya, Dak and his team finally parked the mechanical vehicle in a parking garage underneath a six-story building that was usually used for temporary accommodation for military personnel.

Walking out of the parking garage and coming to the bottom of the six-story building, Dak looked up and saw a row of independent brass letter signs on the roof. When combined, they spelled "Hotel Directly Managed by the British Columbia Regional Development Committee."

"Wolfya, it looks like we've come to the right place." Dak said, looking up at the standard federal-style building.

“Yes.” Wolfya nodded slightly, but a ripple appeared on his calm face. He said:
"However, after such a long time, it is hard to say whether the people here are still completely loyal to the Federation. Dak, I want to remind you that as long as we cross the 'artificial lake' camp and leave the area that the Federation can fully control, we must be more careful.

"The people in these settlements are a mixed bunch, and none of them have identity tags that say 'good guy' or 'bad guy'. Moreover, the dangers here are different from those in the 'Kushen Ruins'. The dangers in the ruins are laid out in front of you. You know that there is danger and the presence of enemies there, so you will be highly focused and tense at all times, and you will be able to avoid attacks from the dark at any time and even make a perfect counterattack."

"You want to tell me that although this place seems peaceful on the surface and has close ties with the Federation, it is still full of dangers and we need to be vigilant at all times, right?" Dak asked, but there was still a hint of disdain in his tone.

In his heart, Dak still believed that the most terrifying were the "heartless people" and the Lost Ones. He could not feel any hatred towards humans. Deep down, he did not think that human nature was as evil as those of wild beasts and livestock.

Perhaps in this respect he has something in common with the "Echoer" Light Sugra. He never really wants to point the blade at his own kind. He hopes to retain a ray of kindness deep in his heart for humanity.

"I hope you can really listen to what I say, kid." Wulfya was a little angry at Dak's attitude and criticized him unceremoniously, saying:
"Humans may really be the most despicable and cruel race in the universe. Compared to the Heartless and the Lost, some people are good at acting harmless and showing their most gentle, kind and upright side in front of you. But when you are truly weak and depressed, they will tear off any disguise and take away everything that belongs to you, even your life.

"One of my comrades was once a small figure in a strategic group at a stronghold in the northern border of the Federation. He felt sympathy for a girl who fainted on the roadside, so he ignored the rules and orders and rescued her and brought her back to the stronghold hospital, which led to a bloody tragedy."

"This...that girl is a Lost One, right?" Dak asked, trying to confirm his point from the side.

But Wulfya shook his head and sighed:
"Strictly speaking, that girl is at most a supernatural being with one-eighth of the blood of the Lost Ones. She... is a 'special mission person' sent by Commander Vasili to the North to assassinate the 'Viking Faction'. You also know that when Commander Vasili took over as the Chief Executive of the Federation and became the Supreme Leader, he did not have the current prestige and power.

"On the one hand, he needed to gain the loyalty of his former subordinates and win the support of administrative and military leaders in remote areas. On the other hand, he had to gradually eliminate the old Vikings who opposed and attacked him and hindered him in everything. Therefore, he had to take some special measures that could not be blessed by the sun."

"Okay, Wolfya, I will stay focused at all times and pay attention to the dangers around me. However, after settling down here, I have one more important thing to do." Dak gave Wolfya a look, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and patted his khaki military backpack where the "old radio" was placed.

As soon as Wolfya and Dak walked into the "Direct Management Hotel", Talia followed with "Future" on her back. Talia was silent all the way from the dense forest where the fog disappeared, through the sparsely populated ice field area, to this settlement.

On the one hand, he belongs to the "wilderness tourist group" of the "independent armed forces" category, and is the second in command. He was separated from Marco and others because of the thick fog. Because he needed to take care of the temporarily insane "Future", he had no choice but to agree to team up with Wolfya to go north. The "independent armed forces" generally have irreconcilable conflicts with the Federal Committee. If he communicates too much with the [warriors] of the Federation and is seen by others, she will probably quickly lose the trust of "Big Brother". Even though Talia herself is used to talking to others boldly and unbridled like a man, the change in the situation forced her to suppress her innate instinctive desire to show off.

The key to her becoming the second-in-command in the organization is her restraint on desires, her firm belief, and her powerful fighting ability that is no less than that of any big man.

The three of them, along with the temporarily asleep "Future", had just walked into the first floor of the Directly Managed Hotel. Before they had time to look at the clean, tidy, luxurious and slightly magnificent furnishings, they went straight to the front desk where portraits of Ivan XXII and Vasily in military uniforms were hung.

"How many of you are there?" A hotel manager with gray hair, wearing a wrinkled black tuxedo, a wrinkled face, a monocle, and a sharp, feminine voice like a eunuch in the old empire stood up and asked.

"There are four of us, and we want to book three rooms for about a week. I see this place isn't too busy, so there must be some rooms available." Wolfya answered while pretending to observe his surroundings nonchalantly.

He found that the layout of the entire hotel was similar to that of the Federal Council's hotel in Binglin City. In addition to some gun models with military elements, artillery shells that had long been unusable, and some legion flags, there were also many parts with the culture of the Middle Empire and the Old Empire, such as unique, beautiful, and "pure" sculptures, and a large feature wall carved with sunflowers and double-headed eagles surrounded by sunflowers.

Some of the people coming in and out here were businessmen wearing a mix of Putoa and Crusad styles, some pale-complexioned Lost Ones wearing plain, classical clothes, and more Federation [warriors] or independent armed personnel whose looks were no different from his and Dark's.

Just on the first floor after entering the door, Wolfya saw the shadows of most of the existing forces in the Federation. Indeed, after being separated from the direct management of the Federation, this place has gradually evolved into a special "semi-independent" area that allows various forces to exist.

"Four people, three rooms, right? We do have that, but I still suggest you book two rooms. If I'm guessing correctly, the boy on the lady's back must be sick, and you must need a doctor to treat her. Two grown men in one room, and this lady... looks like the boy's sister, so it's more convenient to take care of them if they share a room." The hotel manager suggested as he took the ID cards of Dak and Wolfya for registration.

"Is this...convenient? Talia." Wolfya turned around and asked with some concern.

"It's not inconvenient. In the current situation, I do need to contact our people or find a doctor. 'Future' is my brother. If anything happens to him, such as if he becomes mentally ill, it may not be a good thing for us or you." Talia answered rationally, and took the opportunity to admit the manager's speculation.

Even if "Future" and she have no real family relationship, they can declare their sibling relationship to the outside world. Especially since "Future" is still "sick" for the time being, it will slightly reduce the hostility of others towards them.

After registering the names of several people, the hotel manager handed Wolfya a receipt and said:
"It's 10.5 new rubles in total. You and Mr. Dark are federal [soldiers]. According to the long-standing "Federal Military Personnel Residence Regulations", your rank has reached Hurricane, so you can be exempted from half of the fees. That... um, Ms. Talia and Constantinlian must pay the full amount. By the way, do you pay with gold coins or paper money?"

"Gold coins...is there any difference between them and paper money?" Dak asked, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"Guests, as you know, these settlements in the 'Bersluna' area are far away from the core area of ​​the Federation. In this wasteland, especially in the chaotic wasteland era, it takes a lot of effort to maintain the existence of the settlements." The hotel manager explained:

"Our Athenasha Town, although only slightly larger than a village and still under the direct jurisdiction of the 'British Luna' region, has actually long become the private property of the pioneers who stayed here earlier. The people here don't have much affection for the Federation, but due to the continuous success of the Federation's military operations in the north and the need to maintain material supplies, they have to regularly send people to the Ice Province and the Karlov District to purchase supplies.

"So, the value of gold coins here is higher than that of paper money. After all, gold is a hard currency that can be circulated anywhere, while paper money can only be exchanged for pitiful supplies at the bases controlled by the Federation. If you use paper money to pay, the price will be twice as high."

"That's 21 new rubles, right?" Vovya asked, and helplessly took out a few crumpled banknotes that he had prepared long ago from the inner pocket of his cotton coat and handed them over.