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.
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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.
At 2 AM, Ren Xiaosu quietly climbed out of the guest house’s window and headed towards the copper bell stealthily.
When his figure arrived at the square, those faint voices rang out again. “Eh, look, why is that kid sneaking back? What does he want?”
“Has he come back to pay his respects to us again? Did our heroic deeds move him?”
“Stop being such a narcissist. I think he has some other motive!”
“Wait, do y’all remember what I said this afternoon? I think he might be able to hear us!”
In that instant, all of the commotion the martyred spirits were creating immediately stopped. Everyone watched quietly as Ren Xiaosu walked over step by step, hoping to see what he would do.
Ren Xiaosu walked up to the copper bell and said with a laugh, “I can indeed hear y’all talking.”
At almost the same moment, the voices under the copper bell suddenly started stirring again. “See, I told you so!”
“Fuck!”
“Can this kid really hear us? How bizarre!”
“Is this kid a human or a ghost?”
“Ahem, everyone, be serious. He can hear us!”
In that instant, all of the voices disappeared again.
Finally, a deep voice asked, “How is it that you can hear us?”
Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and explained, “It’s probably because I have a power that allows me to communicate with martyred spirits. But I’m also very surprised that your spirits have remained here all this time.”
“Actually, our spirits should have dissipated. But for some reason, as more and more people came to pay their respects to us, the faith that had gathered here grew and our consciousnesses gradually awakened. At first, everyone thought it was very boring to remain here. But later, we started thinking it was quite interesting. We were all very satisfied to see Fortress 178’s days getting better and better.”
Ren Xiaosu was stunned. So it was the spontaneous act of Fortress 178’s residents paying their respects that kept these martyred spirits around?
This could even happen?!
Ren Xiaosu suddenly said, “Then are y’all interested in ‘coming back to life’? My power is called the Martyr’s Palace. After you accept my summons, you can exist in the form of energy and make physical contact with other people. You can also continue to protect Fortress 178 this way.”
However, that deep voice rejected Ren Xiaosu. “You want so many of us to listen to the commands of a young child like you? Are you kidding? How old are you? Do you know how old we are?”
Ren Xiaosu asked, “How old is the oldest one among you?”
“191!” The deep voice said, “I joined the military in the early days of the stronghold. You want me to take orders from a child like you? Dream on! How old are you?”
Ren Xiaosu raised an eyebrow and said, “I’m over 200 years old, any problem?”
The martyred spirits were confused.
‘Doesn’t matter whether I’m telling the truth or not, just know that I’m older than you!‘
“Ptui! Brat, you’re way too fucking shameless!”
“Ptui, ptui, ptui!”
“Ptui, ptui, ptui, ptui, ptui!”
“Get lost!”
“Kid, you’re way too shameless!”
The deep voice interrupted the others again and said to Ren Xiaosu, “Kid, take a hike already.. Stop trying to take advantage of us!”