Ark Undead

"Ah."

Onstan nodded, silently tossing the remaining half of his rations into his mouth like a biscuit, chewing it a few times before swallowing it.

When this topic came up, the Undead and Onstan suddenly fell silent.

Chen didn't know whether he should try to change the subject, and the three of them fell into silence.

It wasn't until some time later, when fragmented sounds like something exploding came from outside the window, that the Undead turned their gaze to the outside.

"Those are firecrackers."

Onstan spoke up, offering some answers to the Undead.

"As the Lunar New Year approaches, people in Dayan do many things, one of which is setting off firecrackers. This is a Dayan tradition, and children love playing with firecrackers; they are not only used in ceremonies but also as toys."

"Mr. Onstan knows the Great Yan very well?"

Chen looked at Ongstein with surprise.

"I don't know him very well. I spent some time in Da Yan before, so we had some contact with each other."

Onstan seemed to be thinking of changing the subject, and continued talking without stopping.

"It is said that in the earliest days, firecrackers were used to drive away ferocious beasts. The sparks and sounds from the explosions could scare away the beasts that were harassing humans."

"A ferocious beast?"

The Undead didn't know much about the history of the Great Yan Dynasty, and he was very curious when he heard Onstan mention this thing.

"That's... a weapon?"

"I guess so before, but not anymore."

Onstan nodded, then shook his head.

"Now, firecrackers have become a traditional toy and ritual object."

"Um..."

The Undead stared out the window, watching the sparks that occasionally flashed and the sounds of explosions that came from the window, seemingly with a sense of longing.

"What is it, its shape?"

"There are many shapes, some are round, some are long and narrow. There used to be fewer shapes, but I heard that there are more and more now, all kinds of strange shapes."

Onstan spoke as he recalled the events.

"It's just a wire and a container. The container contains processed and harmless Originium dust. As long as you ignite the wire, it will explode after a while, making a sound and sparks."

The Undead was silent for a moment, then looked at Onstan.

Onstan also looked at the Undead, and the two of them suddenly thought of something at the same time.

"Fireworks?"

"Uh..."

Onstan paused for a moment and scratched his head.

"What you're saying makes sense. It's just that firecrackers are lit and then automatically detonate when the time is up."

"Timed, fire pot."

"Okay, your understanding isn't entirely wrong."

Onstan also felt that using the fire pot as a metaphor to explain the undead was quite apt.

The immortal remained silent for a while, then got up, walked to the window, and opened it.

A cold wind blew into the room, and Chen shivered.

But the noise outside grew louder. The Undead leaned against the window and silently watched the children downstairs playing with ignition devices and cannons.

They would either light the firecrackers and throw them out, or hide them in some small place and then light them, having a great time.

The flashes of firecrackers illuminated their faces in the darkness, filling them with excitement and joy.

On the street, large red lanterns hang high on the streetlights on both sides of the road, stretching along the avenue to the end of the night in the distance.

The entire city of Guankou was like a city where every household had its lights on, with lights shining brightly all night long.

It's hard to imagine what kind of events led to the Yan Kingdom having such a tradition, where every household is like a flame lit, with the flames casting their reflections on the black sky.

If a small border town has such scenery, what must the main city of Shangshu and the capital of Da Yan be like?

"Isn't it beautiful during the Spring Festival?"

Onstan leaned closer, looked out the window from the Undead's head, and said with a touch of nostalgia.

"If we set off earlier tomorrow and arrive at Shangshu's main city sooner, it will be even more beautiful."

The immortal nodded.

"it is good."

266. Have we met before?

Squeak...

Chen opened the window, letting out the stale air that had settled in the room overnight.

She rubbed her eyes, glanced at the street outside, then casually turned back to look at the two people still sitting by the campfire inside the room.

"You guys just sat there all night?"

"We chat casually, and the time flies by. Besides, we don't really need to sleep."

Onstan explained to Chen.

"Aren't you tired?"

Chen looked at the Undead and Onstan with some confusion.

She felt that if she didn't sleep for a while, she would fall into a very bad state. Not only would she lack energy and feel tired, but she would also be unable to concentrate on anything. Therefore, Chen always paid close attention to her lifestyle and daily routine.

She wouldn't allow her body to bear such a heavy burden, such as not sleeping.

"No, this can be considered a special case."

Onstan smiled and then said.

"In fact, it would be really bad if we actually fell asleep and lost consciousness for a period of time."

"I'm so envious."

Chen nodded, then tidied up the quilt, went to the door, picked up the kettle, and prepared to boil some hot water to drink.

Wengstein saw Chen's action and quickly looked up to add a sentence.

"Put some hot water in the pot for me too! I saw some bagged tea over there!"

"it is good."

After boiling water, washing his face and brushing his teeth, Chen walked out with a towel draped over his shoulder. He then took a cup, made two cups of tea, and handed them to the Undead and Ornstein by the campfire.

The immortal man had no intention of drinking the tea, but he accepted it anyway and thanked Chen again.

These are all manners that the immortals learned after living in the world of ordinary people for a period of time.

"Today we are officially entering Sichuan from the pass city. Although it is said that the Shu Road is difficult, in this day and age, the difficulty of the Shu Road only adds a little more time to the journey. We do not need to walk directly."

"You mean, take a car?"

Onstan blinked; he felt he might be in some trouble.

"Ah, this...yes, by car. But Mr. Ongstein, you don't need to worry. We can find a truck, empty the back of the truck, and we can still get into Sichuan."

Chen quickly reassured Ongstein, telling him not to panic.

"It's just that the journey will probably be a bit slower, and it might take another whole day to get there."

"Slow down, it doesn't matter."

Onstan waved his hand, indicating that he was not worried about the schedule.

"As long as our safety is guaranteed, there will be no problem."

"..."

Chen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded.

"I see."

To be honest, if anyone actually dared to lay a hand on Ornstein and the Undead, then they would truly be irresponsible for their own safety.

But it's likely that Onstan was referring to safety related to transportation.

After everyone finished their tea and warmed themselves up, they extinguished the campfire and prepared to set off.

When I went downstairs to hand over the room key to the hotel owner, he said with a smile.

Welcome back next time!

The Undead didn't react much, but Onstan turned around and glanced at the innkeeper a couple more times.

Under Onstan's watchful gaze, the innkeeper's smile remained unchanged as he watched them leave the inn's entrance.

The inn and the border crossing were about a half-hour walk apart, which to the Undead and the others was just a little more walking.

The road to Shu is difficult, and there are reasons for it.

Even just looking south from the border crossing, you can see endless mountains and hills. Imagine what it would be like to actually walk into these mountains and measure the mountain roads with your own feet.

However, the group was not prepared to measure the road on foot. When they arrived near the post station, they immediately saw a long queue of people.

"A lot of people."

Onstan looked on in surprise as he gazed at the long line and then at the people gathering behind him.

"Is it still morning? Why are so many people heading to Shangshu? Are they all going to Shangshu to do business?"

"No, with the Spring Festival approaching, people who work or do business in other places will try to go back to their hometowns."

Chen still has some say about the Spring Festival. Although Longmen is a modern city, its internal strength is still based on the foundation of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Every year before the Spring Festival, the entry and exit records of Longmen are the most troublesome thing, as a lot of people who come to Longmen will try to leave Longmen and return to Dayan. And after the Spring Festival, they will have to come to Longmen from all over Dayan.