"Steam army?"
Gus asked suspiciously, "What's that?"
"It's a rebel army gathered in the south where the water network is densely packed."
Grey raised her chin proudly, if not fanatically. "Gus, you don't know this yet. The Fist God's reign over this world is about to come to an end. Although most of the towns in the north are still abiding by the ancient and underdeveloped 'path of the Iron Fist', all kinds of hydraulic machines and steam engines have been popular in the south, where the water network is dense and the trade is prosperous. More and more people are worshipping the 'power of machinery and steam'. They have even established their own army, ready to fight the Fist God's Temple to death. It is the 'steam army'!"
"That's — that's impossible!"
Gus blurted out, his face pale.
Since he discovered the secret of his sister and his father, Gus had been avoiding one question.
It was the conflict of beliefs between his sister and himself.
In their hurry on their way, and because of 'Electric Devil' Lu Qingchen's antics, the sister and brother both avoided the topic tacitly.
But right now, however they deceived themselves, it was impossible for them to turn a blind eye to the bloody differences of beliefs.
"Sister, don't be so stubborn and make mistakes again and again."
Gus tried to persuade his sister. "The path of the Iron Fist is the only truth in this world. The so-called 'power of machinery and steam' is just a trick of the devils. With the blessing of the Fist God, the strength of the Fist God's Temple is invincible. The so-called 'steam army' is just a lie made up by the malicious fanatics in order to corrupt more people!"
"You're wrong, Gus."
Grey would never give in to her brother when it came to beliefs. She said coldly, "The facts are right in front of your eyes. Do you think that Dad or I can establish such an enormous steam laboratory and produce such precise tubes, machines, and steam balls below our house on our own?"
Gus was slightly dazed.
He had never considered the question before. Now that he thought about it carefully, it did not seem possible.
"All the experiment instruments and facilities, as well as the methods to polish and assemble the precise machines, including the methods to prepare the pure high-pressure steam, were all brought from the south by the believer of the Church of Machinery and Steam that Dad hunted down."
"And judging from the craftsmanship of these things, it's obvious that they can't be made in a simple handmade workshop. Instead, it requires a large-scale workshop or even a factory. Behind the various gears, bearings, pipes, and steam balls, there must be an extremely powerful force.
"As for the power of steam and machinery, you've personally experienced it yourself just now. You, who are holding a chain mechanical crossbow, can actually blow up dozens of ferocious birds in one breath. This is something that you, who only relies on the Path of the Iron Fist, can't do with your bare hands no matter what, right?"
In that instant, Gus felt as if the two mechanical crossbows on his waist were burning like red-hot steel and were about to leave a mark of sin on his skin.
His face was pale. He felt that he had betrayed the Fist God and was gradually falling into the abyss.
"It's not like that!"
He argued aloud. "Sabers, swords, and crossbows are foreign objects after all. Indulging in their power will only lead to dependence and laziness. Gradually, the limbs will be paralyzed, the body will be weakened, the brain will be corrupted, and one will become a slave to the tools. This is definitely not the path of a real expert!"
"I don't know what the path of a real expert is. I only know that if it weren't for the mechanical crossbows blessed by demons, the two of us would've fallen off a cliff and been smashed into pieces," Gray said.
"Compared to a dead 'expert', I'd rather be a slave to a living tool."
"Sister —"
For a moment, Gus could not come up with a retort. Two thoughts were striking each other in his head, too. He suddenly realized that his sister did have a point. He was born without the talent to practice fist arts, and he would've been a waste if he had been too focused on the path of the Iron Fist. Chances were that he could only be reborn with the power of steam and machinery. Suddenly, he felt that it was unforgivable for him to have such a rebellious idea. He felt that he had failed his uncle, who was a priest of the Fist God Temple, and his parents who had taught him since he was a child.
But even his father had been corrupted, and chances were that his mother was indirectly killed. Gus could not settle the score at all. He could only grit his teeth and say, "Even — even if the steam army in the south does exist, they are just a bunch of mobs that cannot withstand a single blow. As long as the army of the Fist God Temple arrives, they will certainly suffer a crushing defeat and be obliterated!"
Gray sneered in disdain. "Hehe. Don't underestimate the power of steam and machinery. Think about how I killed Qin Yong during the day. If the entire steam army is equipped with a mechanical crossbow and a compressed air cannon, how many experts of the Fist God Temple will be needed to annihilate them?"
Gus craned his neck and said, "The experts of the Fist God Temple are all at least a hundred times stronger than Qin Yong, like my uncle!"
"Of course, there are machines and steam weapons a hundred times more powerful than mine in the steam army," Gray said. "They are enough to smash the old world ruled by the Fist God Temple and shatter the so-called faith that the Fist God has deceived this world for ten thousand years!"
Such rebellious words deserved to be struck by lightning. Gus had never even thought about it, not to mention hearing them.
The young man was dazed as if he had been struck by lightning. Trembling in fury and fear, he looked back and forth between his sister and Lu Qingchen, as if Lu Qingchen, the devil, had lured his sister into degeneration.
"Gus, please don't look at me like that, alright?"
As if it were none of his business, Lu Qingchen had been studying the ants on the ground attentively. He turned a deaf ear to the argument of the sister and brother until he could not avoid Gus's glare anymore. He opened his hands and said innocently, "Let me repeat myself. I have nothing to do with the 'steam devil', and I did not implant the faith of the power of steam and machinery into your sister's head. So, please don't stare at me like that, alright?"
"But you must know the truth," Gus mumbled.
"Even if you are not a steam devil, you are a demon from hell after all. You must know the truth of this world!"
"Well …"
Lu Qingchen scratched his head and said, "Well, I do know a thing or two about that."
"Then, tell us which of my sister's faith is right and which of us is wrong. What is the truth of this world?"
Gus gnashed his teeth. "The path of the iron fist, the power of steam and machinery, which is the truth?"
"Is the question important?"
Lu Qingchen shrugged. Then, as if he had discovered something very interesting, he pointed at the ground and exclaimed, "Look, ants. Two groups of ants are fighting!"
As he expected, two groups of ants from different nests were having a fierce 'war' over the residue of food on the ground.
"Ants?"
Gus was dazed for a moment. Then he said angrily, "The path of the iron fist, the power of machines and steam, and the truth of this world are of course important. At least, they are more important than the fight of ants, aren't they?"
"Perhaps they are in your eyes, but in my eyes, your beliefs, your myths, your love and hate, your conflicts of interests, your loyalty and betrayal, your ambitions and your hopes, everything is no different from the fight of ants. After all, I am a god from a higher dimension. That's how awesome I am."
Lu Qingchen said with a smile, "As for the truth of this world, I suggest that you don't know it. Otherwise, you won't be able to change anything and will only add to your pain and troubles."
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