Chapter 158: God’s Favor (7)

Chapter 158: God's Favor (7)

All three of them managed to rid themselves of the Dream-Return Fish, with Xie Fangcheng even capturing one alive.

The transformed Dream-Return Fish felt too revolting to the touch, so it was now with Qi Chanyang — to prevent the creature from inadvertently reentering his mind, Qi Chanyang used a prop to contain it before swallowing it.

His personal skill, Bovine Stomach, meant that anything swallowed would remain in a state of time suspension within his stomach, emerging unchanged when retrieved.

After Qi Chanyang had swallowed it, Xie Fangcheng moved a bit farther away from him, even sneaking closer to Zhang Dao'an to whisper and point at Qi surreptitiously.

Qi Chanyang felt frustrated internally.

His decision was one any player would make, right?!

It was people like Xie Fangcheng and Zhang Dao'an who were the exceptions!!

But apparently, both seemed unaware that they were the minority, with Xie Fangcheng even casting hopeful glances at Wei Yuan and the others, as if expecting them to be capable of the same feat as Qi Chanyang.

This was indeed quite unrealistic.

Time ticked away, and at 6:20 AM, the designated deadline for prayers ended. Zhang Dao'an had already found new clues, while Wei Yuan and the rest remained with their eyes firmly shut.

Zhang Dao'an had experimented the day before, realizing that a moment of clarity appears in one's mind right at 6:20 AM as the prayer time ends, providing a sufficient window to exit the dreamscape if one wished.

In the case of Qi Chanyang, even though he hadn't experienced as many prayer sessions, his mental resilience was indeed strong enough to tackle the challenging task of escaping within the forty-minute prayer duration, on hard mode.

It wasn't that individuals like Wei Yuan lacked mental resilience... it was mainly that this dungeon targeted them specifically.

Spending the morning assisting the townspeople with good deeds was a common practice for Ronghua's people, who often engaged in charitable activities even outside the looping dungeon, maintaining a virtue of aiding others joyfully.

In the evening, during the prayer session, the dream realm conjures a figure that one finds exceedingly difficult to let go of.

Coincidentally, in the heart of every Ronghua member, even if they are devoid of other attachments, harboring a yearning for the former president and hoping for the return of Zhang Dao Wu, remains a unanimous desire.

The presence of Zhang Dao Wu in the dreams of Wei Yuan and Nie Shuangshuang is telling; although not central figures in the narrative, their appearance signifies a profound longing.

Considering the nature of the entire instance - aiding others, accruing gratitude, and the perpetually sunny and optimistic environment, devoid of any darkness – doesn't it resemble the intrinsic ambiance of Ronghua?

Under such circumstances, individuals from Ronghua are more susceptible, and their initial propensity for immersion compared to other players is to be expected.

"What should we do?" Qi Chanyang anxiously observes Wei Yuan and the others, before turning towards Xie Fangcheng with a pleading look for assistance.

Xie Fangcheng is equally clueless regarding the course of action.

His ability to capture the "Dream-Return Fish" was because it failed to infiltrate his body. When it comes to individuals like Wei Yuan and even Zhang Dao An, the modified "Dream-Return Fish" can easily penetrate the souls of ordinary humans.

Now that it has entered, Xie Fangcheng finds himself helpless. Due to his peculiar circumstances of having an incomplete soul, incapable of utilizing any exorcism spells or talismans, his strategy has always been physical assault, devoid of any magical damage.

If only they could bring Lang Gu into this, a trained professional, undoubtedly more knowledgeable than his improvised tactics.

But now…

"There's not much to be done," Zhang Dao An calmly observes the faces engulfed in bliss before him, "If they can break free from the dreamscape on their own, there's still hope."

Breaking free from the dreamscape on their own...

Qi Chanyang pauses momentarily, "Even you are helpless?"

The image of Zhang Dao An being a master strategist has profoundly ingrained in people's hearts. Though Qi Chanyang is slightly intimidated by him, he firmly believes that with Zhang's intelligence, no instance poses a real challenge.

But this time, Zhang Dao An merely states the facts calmly.

"In any instance where a clear path to victory exists, I have the confidence to find a way to breach it, bringing those I intend to save along with me. But this instance is different. Here, everyone can only rely on themselves."

Qi Chanyang falls silent.

He realizes that Zhang Dao An is right. In the dream world, the player's self is the sovereign entity, and the only ones capable of liberating the players from the dreamscape are themselves.

Even the capable Brother Xie can't assist them; entering their dreams would only render him a spectator.

Could it be that Wei Yuan and the others truly...

Qi Chanyang's brow furrows, his eyes well up slightly. Just as he is about to speak, he hears Zhang Dao An continue, "However... if the goal is merely to ensure their survival through this instance, it is feasible."

"Huh? How can it be done?" Qi Chanyang is stunned.

In their current state, what method could Zhang Dao An possibly devise to ensure their survival?

Zhang Dao An speaks serenely, "Knock them unconscious, bind them, preventing them from coming to the temple to pray."

The "Dream Returning Fish", capable of parasitizing in a player's mind and eventually hatching a soul identical to the player's, is something enigmatic. It doesn't immediately replace the player, but instead crafts an irresistible dream, luring the player to pray at the temple. Clearly, their hatching process requires time and something from within the temple.

Initially, Jing Daoan speculated that it might be the candles, but a new clue he found recently has led him to another hypothesis.

"The temple's candlelight is not the catalyst, what truly facilitates the hatching of the Dream Returning Fish is..." Jing Daoan pointed towards the dome.

On the dome crafted from colorful stained glass, Jie Fangcheng and another person contemplated yesterday what the worn deity statue was holding in its hand.

This time, Jing Daoan woke up from the dream earlier and noticed that between 5:40 and 6:20 in the morning, a star gradually appeared in the sky, visible through the worn hand of the deity in the easternmost temple.

This star perfectly nestled within the deity's hands, and although a star's light shouldn't be so bright, this particular one seemed exceptionally conspicuous in the deity's grasp.

Moreover, only during the "prayer time" from 5:40 to 6:20, this star remained the lone celestial body in the sky.

But as soon as this period passed, the sky turned pitch black, with other stars beginning to twinkle at 6:20, making it difficult to notice that singular star anymore.

served as a boundary; previously there was only this one star, but once the time arrived, several more stars would suddenly appear in the sky, explaining why players would experience a momentary clarity at 6:20, as the intense stimulation suddenly reduced, granting a rare moment of lucidity before they could adapt.

As for the candles in the temple...

"The candlelight might actually be protecting the players."

Qi Chanyang listened intently, a bit stunned.

His reaction wasn't slow; he understood the implications shortly after Jing Daoan finished speaking.

To use an analogy, lighting a candle during the day doesn't make it very noticeable, but as darkness descends, the brighter the surroundings, the more glaring the candlelight appears.

Inside the temple, candles were continuously burning, and although starlight seeped through the dome, the more abundant the candlelight, the more subdued the starlight appeared.

And once the candles burned out, devoid of the contrast provided by the candlelight, the starlight would appear increasingly bright.

After Jing Daoan finished explaining, Qi Chanyang felt that this instance was exceptionally perilous.

"There's something wrong with the candles", this speculation also crossed Qi Chanyang's mind, as too many aspects defied logic.

At 5:40, the sunset hadn't completely vanished; one could still clearly see the surroundings in the temple, making the lighting of candles at this time seem unnecessary.

And as time progressed, the number of candles would diminish, this "change" in the unchanging temple seemed so peculiar, especially to players adept at finding clues, steering them towards the conclusion that "there's something wrong with the candles".

If no player awakened between 5:40 and 6:20, and happened to witness the sole star descending into the hands of the deity on the dome, no one would realize that the changes in the temple weren't restricted to the candles.

However...

Qi Chanyang cautiously inquired, "But... how did you connect 'the only star shining in through the glass in the deity's hand' with the starlight being the key to the 'Dream Returning Fish's' hatching?"

A normal player witnessing this scene might perceive it as another clue, instead of associating the star with the "Dream Returning Fish".

After asking, Qi Chanyang hastily added, "Of course! I trust your judgement wholeheartedly, Brother Jing! I'm just a bit curious and want to learn from you."

"A guess."

Qi Chanyang: "..."

Qi Chanyang, persistent: "So how did you guess this?"

Seeing that Jie Fangcheng was also looking at him curiously, Zhong Daoan was exceptionally patient this time.

"What if there's a player with acute senses and strong willpower who realizes the dangers of the dreamscape, and decisively stops everyone, preventing them from entering the temple to pray?"

Like what Zhong Daoan plans to do now - preparing to physically restrain the players who cannot escape the dream world this time, forcing them to abstain from the dreams.

"Assuming there is such a person among the players, and if none of them come to pray, then where lies the danger in this instance, considering that even the most powerful group of deity servants would not have much strength?"

His counter-question left Qi Chanyang bewildered: "Uh... To find the deity's offspring?"

Zhong Daoan turned to Qi Chanyang: "Completing daily tasks, accumulating divine power, finding the deity's offspring - this is what the instance wants you to do. Generally speaking, what the instance wants equates to a path to death. That is to say, 'accumulating divine power to find the deity's offspring' is inherently a futile method. Whether or not you complete tasks or come to pray, you will eventually find it extremely difficult to achieve the goal of 'finding one hundred offspring of the deity.'"

"Taking a step back," Zhong Daoan asked, "given that the mark of a deity's offspring is a divine symbol on the forehead, and the entire Qiming City isn't that large, plus the players have such high 'god-favored' status, why not initiate a comprehensive search immediately after entering the instance?"

Qi Chanyang listened blankly.

That's right!

With the high status of the god-favored, they could simply roam the city freely. To find the deity's offspring, they could just knock on doors house by house, instead of doing daily tasks or accumulating divine power.

Essentially, it boils down to a difference in ways of thinking.

Qi Chanyang understood the reason.

Regular players enter the instance with trepidation, their sole focus being to preserve their lives, find clues, and avoid triggering the death rules.

"Avoid triggering the death rules" is now practically ingrained in the players' DNA, having become a conditioned reflex.

Why? Because triggering the death rules results in being hunted down by NPCs, who have always been more powerful than the players. Hence, triggering the death rules equates to death.

But this is different in this instance.

Even if they don't undertake the tasks and trigger the death rules, who would come to punish them?

Have any of the NPCs that appeared so far possessed greater strength than the players?

The reason they never considered openly searching for the deity's offspring is because they are players, conditioned to maintain a low profile.

"Entering the instance and conducting a comprehensive search immediately would suffice to gather all the deity's offspring. This instance shouldn't be of a level five difficulty then. So I guess, there must be fewer than a hundred deity's offspring, and perhaps there's another way to achieve this goal, but it won't be like now, completing daily tasks and coming to pray, hoping to find all the deity's offspring through 'divine power.'"

"And if someone realizes the irregularities in the dreamscape and stops the players from coming to the temple," said Zhong Daoan, "the 'Dream-return Fish' needs starlight for hatching. Starting from 5:40, lasting till the next day, during this long period, without the knowledge that 'starlight is the hatchery,' would everyone deliberately avoid the starlight?"

Of course not.

There are many beautiful terraces in the God's Residence Tower. Previously, people would return at night to drink on the terrace, admiring the beautiful night sky of the instance, enjoying a leisurely and pleasant life that hadn't been experienced in a long time.

"Praying in the temple leads to sweet dreams, this is an overt trap," summed up Zong Daoan. "But when the resolute individuals sidestep this snare, thinking they have identified the biggest obstacle in the dungeon, that's when the real danger starts to unfold."

"From the very beginning, Wei Yuan and their group were on the wrong track when it came to strategizing for the clearance," Zong Daoan paused briefly before adding, quite unusually, "This isn't their fault."

Zong Daoan isn't a harsh person; as long as one doesn't cross the bottom line, he, despite his ruthless tactics, tends to leave a margin for survival.

But admittedly... he seldom offers concessions in verbal exchanges.

At this moment, hearing him say "this isn't Wei Yuan and their group's fault", Xie Fangcheng looked at him somewhat astonished, then realized it was indeed something this young man would say.

Professor Zong is actually quite tolerant, not a bad person at all!

"So... do we just wait like this?" Qi Chanyang asked with a hint of worry.

Before his words settled, a murmured "goodbye" echoed from not far away, followed by someone opening their eyes.

The three of them turned their heads in unison, Xie Fangcheng was truly astonished this time.

"Shuangshuang?"

At six-thirty, Nie Shuangshuang woke up from the dream.