Chapter 37 Part 1

Before Xia Xifeng set out, he had notified Leo and Perila, asking them to inquire with their respective deities about any impressions of Blackstone Town.

Ever since the Twin Suns could converse with Leo and Perila, they had become exceptionally active.

Hope’s Sun, in particular, would respond almost instantly whenever Perila contacted him.

Birth’s Sun sternly refused Leo’s harassment, but whenever Perila conversed with Hope’s Sun, Birth’s Sun would chime in with a few words.

Leo complained about his deity. He’d long realized that he wasn’t much of a God’s Favored at all. The Twin Suns only doted on Perila.

Xia Xifeng quietly slandered Birth’s Sun to Qin Lang. Birth’s Sun didn’t favor Perila more; he was simply orbiting around his younger brother.

Although Perila had discovered that Hope’s Sun wasn’t the grand, majestic deity he’d imagined, he largely maintained his respect for the divine.

Even when Hope’s Sun encouraged him to reach out more often, unless it was truly important, Perila wouldn’t casually pray to him—Perila believed Leo being scorned by Birth’s Sun was entirely Leo’s own fault. Who would poke a god to show off a tasty drink?

Xia Xifeng’s request was, of course, serious business.

Perila immediately cleansed his body, shut himself in, burned incense, and prayed.

In no time, Perila transmitted the deity’s “oracle”.

[I don’t know~, let me ask my brother.]

[My brother says he doesn’t know either!]

Xia Xifeng stared at the lively tone, and the annotation marks Perila had specially added.

Fine. This was Hope’s Sun’s exact words, authentic and genuine.

With a tone of bewilderment in his voice, Xia Xifeng said to Qin Lang, “What exactly do they know?”

Qin Lang replied, “I don’t know.”

Xia Xifeng couldn’t hold back any longer. Even though Amuruo had told him not to contact him without good reason, he still asked Amuruo if the deities were being a bit too lackadaisical.

He couldn’t ask Mr. Suer this kind of thing; Mr. Suer was too serious and would never speak ill of gods.

Although Amuruo had told Xia Xifeng to contact him less, whenever Xia Xifeng dragged him into gossip, Amuruo replied very quickly.

Amuruo: [Innate deities, haven’t been beaten up by reality. It’s to be expected.]

Very soon, Amuruo was told by Suer to shut up.

Suer replied on Amuruo’s behalf: [The deities do not overly interfere in mortal affairs. Moreover, their lifespans are too long. Something they did casually might be forgotten in a flash.]

Xia Xifeng: [Can’t the Heavenly Father hold a training workshop or something, to teach deities how to be proper gods? Why do their personalities feel just like ordinary people?]

Suer chuckled softly.

From beyond the high heavens, an imperceptible chuckle drifted down, unheard by anyone else.

Suer answered: [In the Heavenly Father’s eyes, deities and we are one and the same—living beings naturally born of the world. The turnover of mortal races and the turnover of divine beings are the choices of the world’s own inhabitants. The Heavenly Father will not intervene.]

Xia Xifeng: [Then why is there a Prophet to save the world?]

Suer: [The Prophet is also a being naturally born of the world, a part of the principle of the world’s Cycle. Therefore, the Prophet is ‘captured’ by Fate.]

Xia Xifeng frowned. “Qin Lang, but we’re not beings from this world.”

Qin Lang said, “A Creator God from another world has stepped in. This world crisis isn’t a natural crisis for this world.”

Xia Xifeng suddenly understood.

Right! This time, the Heavenly Father personally entered the fray. So it’s only natural to pull reinforcements from outside the world, isn’t it?

Not convinced? Go find your own reinforcements, then.

Xia Xifeng said, “Although the deities of our world have no presence, a Creator God should still exist, right? If beings are taken from another world, wouldn’t the original world’s Creator God need to consent? So, the true outside help for this world is our world’s Creator God?”

Qin Lang: “Probably. Maybe.”

Xia Xifeng firmly believed his analysis was correct.

Though Creator Gods are lofty beings with thoughts different from ordinary creatures, surely even among Creator Gods, there are “social circles”?

Therefore, his system was likely not the work of just the “Heavenly Father” alone, but involved multiple Creator Gods.

Xia Xifeng puffed out his chest, fired up: “Suddenly, I feel so proud! We represent reinforcements from our homeland!”

Qin Lang had no idea why Xia Xifeng suddenly felt proud and fired up.

He only knew that this erratic behavior from Xia Xifeng was like suddenly picking up a stick from the ground and brandishing it as a sword, muttering incantations, making anyone watching feel second-hand embarrassment.

The Silver Moon was the dark side of the sun. According to players’ speculations, the Silver Moon might be a shared “alt account” managed jointly by the Twin Suns.

Most divine “responses” and “blessings” were automated systems, requiring no manual operation. The Twin Suns could have chosen a subordinate god, but they were too lazy, so they just handled the alt account themselves.

This was also Hope’s Sun’s reply.

Yep, [Too lazy to choose].

The Church of the Silver Moon definitely had no idea their worshipped deity was this kind of mess.

When oracles were delivered, the Heavenly Father surely added a “Divine Mystery and Elegance Conversion Filter” just to maintain the gravitas of these slacker gods.

Since the Twin Suns said they didn’t know, Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang could only investigate themselves.

Based on the fragmented information revealed in the dungeon, the Shadow Fiends initially swarmed out from a mine shaft that had been sealed and backfilled for years.

The town was annihilated without any warning.

The Outer Gods merely sought to twist the rules of this world. During this process, they would cause countless slaughters, but slaughter was not their primary objective.

Toward ordinary beings, their attitude was one of supreme, detached indifference.

Before the final tolling of the apocalypse bell, every slaughter orchestrated by the Outer Gods risked exposing their plans. Therefore, any pre-apocalyptic slaughter led by the Outer Gods must be tightly linked to their schemes for them to take the risk of exposure.

Just as the massacre of the Sunflower family wasn’t about destroying the Sunflower family itself, but about turning Perila, the God’s Favored of Hope’s Sun, into a cult’s Evil God to twist the rules. Behind Blackstone Town’s “Bloody Wedding” must also be a similar plot to warp reality.

Xia Xifeng first conducted a thorough “inspection” of the Silver Moon Church.

The Silver Moon Church showed no abnormalities at all. The power it radiated was no different from the Silver Moon Church in the Hope City.

He could even feel the deity’s gaze.

Clearly, after he’d asked Perila to notify the Twin Suns, the Twin Suns’ attention had already been cast here through the church.

They were probably scratching their heads, trying to remember what they’d left behind in this ordinary mining town that would cause a Prophet’s premonition.

Although Blackstone Town’s primary faith was the Silver Moon, the Church of the Sun, one of the world’s most powerful churches, also had a chapel there.

Xia Xifeng made a convenient stop at the Church of the Sun to “pray.”

Apart from sensing a stronger, familiar feeling of observation, he still detected nothing amiss.

Even knowing how insidious the Outer Gods’ methods were, having already exposed one of their conspiracies, he couldn’t sense any dissonance in a location where a second conspiracy was confirmed. It was utterly frustrating.

No wonder the world’s gods had fallen for their schemes without the slightest awareness.

Their investigation of the town’s churches yielding nothing, Xia Xifeng could only hope to find clues within the mine pit.

Before descending into the mine, Xia Xifeng meticulously organized various potions and cooked dishes, fully buffing Qin Lang.

Susan hurriedly said, “There’s no danger in the mine pit, don’t worry.”

Far from being reassured, Xia Xifeng also provided Susan and Lynn with the full buff package.

“Being overly cautious is never wrong,” Xia Xifeng said. “Every investigation of an unfamiliar location must be treated as a challenging expedition. Many seasoned adventurers have fallen to hidden traps in what they assumed were the safest spots.”

Susan and Lynn were deeply impressed.

So this was the wisdom of a Great Professional?

But Lynn still refused: “Sir, these medicines are too precious.”

Xia Xifeng said, “I made these myself. Consider it at cost, and a small token gift for the commercial partnership between our Hope City and your Blackstone Town. You can return the favor next time you visit the Hope City.”

Xia Xifeng forcefully pressed the items onto them.

Susan and Lynn still dared not accept.

Only after Susan contacted her mother did she, blushing, accept Xia Xifeng’s kindness.

Gifts soften hands; the young couple developed a deeper respect for Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang, faintly beginning to treat them like elders.

Though Xia Xifeng’s and Qin Lang’s faces were youthful, powerful individuals always had means of maintaining their appearance. Treating them as elders didn’t seem out of place.

Even knowing Xia Xifeng and Qin Lang themselves were actually young—younger than them—they couldn’t help feeling a generation beneath them.

This made coaxing information much easier for Xia Xifeng.

Qin Lang and Lynn walked at the very front, with Lynn asking Qin Lang for combat advice.

Xia Xifeng and Susan lagged a pace behind, chatting from Blackstone Town’s history, eventually turning into a confidant listening to a troubled girl’s woes.

Lynn unconsciously glanced back several times.

Qin Lang pretended not to notice, having absolutely no intention of comforting the jealous Lynn.

Too much trouble.

Lynn glanced behind him, then glanced at Qin Lang.

Seeing Qin Lang’s calm expression, Lynn quietly reflected.

How could he be so petty? Feeling jealous just because his lover spoke a few extra words to a partnered stranger?

There was much to learn from Mr. Qin in every aspect.

Qin Lang’s nose itched; he almost sneezed.

To maintain his aloof image, he stifled it with immense effort.

Xia Xifeng also noticed Lynn’s jealousy.

He mentally apologized.

Once he uncovered Blackstone Town’s secret, he and Qin Lang would continue their world tour, and wouldn’t be seeing Lynn and Susan again for a while.

Lynn, you’ll just have to endure it a little longer (praying hands, stifling a laugh).

Susan didn’t know why, but she felt an immediate sense of affinity upon meeting Xia Xifeng.

With just a few words, Xia Xifeng had her opening up, pouring out her troubles.

Susan was born into a warrior family. Her late father and her mother, who served as Blackstone Town’s mayor, were both outstanding warriors.

In such a family, Susan should have been an outstanding warrior herself, but she’d always been lazy, with absolutely no love for training. Thus, she had only scratched the surface of the path.

She confessed things to Xia Xifeng she dared not say to anyone else.

She didn’t like exhaustion, didn’t like being sweaty and filthy, didn’t like her soft hands covered in ugly calluses, didn’t like her beautiful skin crisscrossed with scars, didn’t like her slender limbs packed with hard muscle.

She didn’t like swords and armor, nor the dying cries and stench of blood when prey was slaughtered.

Since childhood, Susan had loved beautiful dresses and skirts, cute dolls, and ornate jewelry.