Chapter 176: God’s Chosen (Twenty-Five)

Chapter 176: God's Chosen (Twenty-Five)

The group circled from the front hall of the temple to the back, and were taken aback by the scene in the rear hall.

Contrasting the front hall's clean and majestic architectural style, the rear hall appeared devoid of design. The space, nearly as large as the front hall, was an expansive tract of what seemed like fertile land, tilled and prepared for something to be planted.

What were they planning to plant in such a vast area?

"People," Zhong Daoan quickly realized.

According to the current rules in Qi Ming city, each happy couple is allowed to have one child. If this continues, the population of Qi Ming city would gradually decline.

There must be some method in place to maintain a stable population within the city.

Given the way the deity's servants treat the residents, expecting them to patiently "create" individuals one by one is evidently unrealistic; there must be a method to mass-produce them.

No further clues were found within the Divine Residence Tower, suggesting that the method to mass-produce "qualified residents" likely lies within the temple.

In such a temple, the existence of such a vast area of arable land cannot merely be the deity’s servants indulging in some whimsical agricultural venture in their free time.

Thus, it is highly probable that the purpose of this expansive tract of land is linked to the mass production of residents.

After he finished speaking, someone indeed found a handbook nearby.

"The Book of Divine Soil Blessings."

The manual only contains about a dozen pages, the first two of which are filled with praises for the deity.

Turning to the third page, the reader couldn't help but curse, "What the hell is this?"

It was a page illustrated with ink sketches. Despite their simplicity, the drawings incited a sense of unease in those who beheld them.

It was a diagram illustrating the extraction process from an adult human.

Brain matter, bone marrow, blood... detailed depictions of how to extract fluids from various parts of the body were outlined in the album, with even the procedural details meticulously noted.

After draining all the fluids from the body, divide the brain matter into the necessary portions, plant them three centimeters apart, irrigate them with the extracted fluids, and ten days later—flip to the last page.

"Damn... what kind of sick stuff is this?!"

The final page of the manual.

A burst of color suddenly assaults the eyes.

On the canvas of the depicted land, tens of thousands of naked humans stood in a tight formation.

Each individual was minuscule, smaller than a sesame seed, yet drawn with remarkable clarity. They all had their eyes wide open, staring intently at the readers outside the manual.

Beneath this image was a line of supplementary text: Once the brain has grown, it is considered a quality product.

Upon closer inspection, indeed, some of the "people" within the dense crowd lacked heads.

"What on earth are all these ghastly things?"

Xie Fangcheng and Zhong Daoan exchanged a glance.

It seems this was what the deity's servant was referring to that day.

After the "Dream-Returning Fish" successfully hatches, it would occupy the players' minds, turning them into puppets.

Even with formidable physical strength, one would be at the mercy of others if their mind was not clear.

In this scenario, planting the deity's chosen and cultivating compliant citizens of Qi Ming city is a straightforward and efficient method, explaining why the deity's servants do not value the current residents.

According to the history of Qi Ming City as they had heard, once the deity's favored accumulate enough deity offspring, they can unlock the gates of the temple, communicate with the deity, and present the deity offspring.

According to the residents, both the deity's favored and the deity offspring would enjoy blessings once they return to the true temple. But considering that there's a high probability that the deity offspring are offerings, what about the deity's favored?

Each search for the deity offspring involves different deity's favored, clearly indicating that the previous ones had perished.

It seems this is how they met their end.

Zhong Daoan glanced sideways and engaged in a conversation with Xie Fangcheng: "Doesn't this resemble a trade?"

The deity sends the favored to Qi Ming City, and in turn, the favored remove the needed deity offspring from within the city.

If Qi Ming City relies on the deity's favored to maintain the population of its residents, then why does the deity need the offspring?

Zhong Daoan closed the manual he was holding, his gaze shifting to the front hall.

The blood at the tips of the residents' fingers didn't have a putrid smell, but instead emitted a faint floral fragrance.

The divine markings on the deity offspring's forehead also resembled some kind of flower...

Zhong Daoan seemed to have realized something.

Inside the temple, this was the only clue that could be termed as a clue; indeed, no other leads could be found.

With heavy hearts, everyone had no choice but to return to the Divine Residence Tower, exchanging goodnights with one another.

Xie Fangcheng had been holding in a barrage of questions: "Your place or mine?"

Thankfully, no one was around at the moment, or else the ambiguity of his words would have led to another round of surreptitious glances.

Zhong Daoan chuckled, "Either works."

Indeed, either was fine. After they arrived at Xie Fangcheng's room and steadied themselves, Xie Fangcheng extended his hand, "Come on."

Zhong Daoan didn't hesitate, grasping his hand.

In the next moment, under the influence of the Dream-Returning Fish, Xie Fangcheng opened his eyes to find himself within Zhong Daoan's mental space.

Compared to his previous visit, Zhong Daoan's mental space now resembled flowing oil paint, and this time, he had constructed what seemed to be a grand city within his own mind.

At this moment, the two stood in front of a stylish coffee shop, with Zhong Daoan pushing the door open.

"Please, come in."

Holy cow!

Xie Fangcheng knew he was impressive, but he hadn't expected him to surpass his imagination to this extent!

"Amazing! You can even construct a city within your own mind!"

Zhong Daoan humbly replied, "Creating inanimate objects is relatively easy; the challenge lies in creating inhabitants within the city, even mobile humanoid puppets seem to be out of reach."

"That's certainly not permissible, it's a matter of 'rules'," Xie Fangcheng explained to him. "Creating living beings enters the realm of true immortals. Even in our underworld, only the two bosses can achieve this. You can perceive it as being unable to unlock certain functionalities without reaching a specific level."

Zhong Daoan nodded in agreement.

The two settled into the chairs he conjured, and with a casual wave of Zhong Daoan's hand, coffee and desserts appeared before them.

Despite having lived for many years, this was the first time Xie Fangcheng had been treated this way in someone else's mental space. He picked up a piece of dessert and gave it a taste.

It had no flavor.

After all, this was Zhong Daoan's mental realm; even with his immense capabilities, replicating the actual taste of food was beyond his reach.

It was merely an atmospheric indulgence.

Clearly, Xie Fangcheng wasn't someone who cared much for ambiance.

After realizing that the dessert was tasteless, he pushed aside the visually appealing but useless item with diminished enthusiasm. Then, he curiously asked, "What was the deal with moving the cabinet this afternoon?"

"It was a test," Zhong Daoan explained. "It's almost evening; it can't possibly be sunbathing. Starbathing would be more appropriate. He was testing to see if we were aware of the starlight's toxic nature, and where our stance lies."

Xie Fangcheng was taken aback: "It's that complicated? Really???"

In Zhong Daoan's mind, it wasn't complex at all, but seeing Xie Fangcheng's question, he patiently elucidated, "Think about it, the furnishings in his home were peculiar; the bed directly facing the entrance with only a small gap from the wall across, covered with a white cloth—doesn't it resemble a deity statue in a temple? And the cabinet he asked us to move stood squarely in the middle of the room, unadjoined on all sides, with a chandelier directly above. This placement doesn't make sense, whether from a practical or aesthetic standpoint."

Xie Fangcheng, who had accompanied him and even personally moved the cabinet, had to admit that he hadn't noticed these details.

"Really??" Xie Fangcheng exclaimed, stunned.

Zhong Daoan continued, "Furthermore, when we moved the cabinet out, despite there being more space on the east side of the yard, he insisted we place it on the west, claiming it would get better sun there, which is even more absurd."

"Did he say that?" Xie Fangcheng was even more astounded.

"Yes, he did."

If Zhong Daoan said so, it must be true, but Xie Fangcheng found it quite baffling.

Now, with Zhong Daoan's explanation, Xie Fangcheng started to feel that something was amiss, although it wasn't something he would have thought of on his own.

Just how brilliant is this young man!

Xie Fangcheng exclaimed once again.

After expressing his admiration, he asked, "So, how did you respond to him?"

"I acknowledged it."

The NPC who asked them to move the table was quite intelligent; there's no need for many words when dealing with such sharp individuals.

The NPC emphasized, "This cabinet was left to me by my mother, I'm very fond of it. You understand, right?"

Back then, An Dao'an had only calmly replied "I see."

"I see" - not "I want to collaborate with you", but I do understand your current circumstances and what you want, but you have too little to offer me.

In just a few short sentences with the youth, much was communicated.

"We have no need to actively seek cooperation. Taking the initiative often turns one into a pawn." An Dao'an was very rational. "Most city residents are numb to it all, accustomed to their present lives. But those few who came to find us this afternoon are still worth swaying."

Clearly holding no fondness for the divine attendants when even family members were ill yet they still didn't go to the Divine Residence.

Jie Fang Cheng and his associates don't wear divine robes yet charge fees, which makes people feel like they've engaged in a fair trade, owing nothing to either party.

"This young man is no simple character. Judging by how casually he spent money this afternoon, our price point is a trivial matter for him. It's challenging to achieve this in Qi Ming City; I suspect he's already aligned with quite a few people behind the scenes."

To forge alliances with other residents who share his distaste for the gods, under such stringent divine rules and surveillance by divine servants, is indeed remarkable.

Working with such an intelligent person is also quite efficient.

"Let's approach him again tomorrow. He likely has a solution for the 'lack of divine children' issue."

Zhang Dao An spoke as such.

But what no one expected was that when the two returned to the young man's residence the next day, the room was empty.

The next-door neighbor, hearing the commotion and coming out to see what was happening, paused upon seeing Zhang Dao An and his companion. Quickly greeting them, he said, "Honored servants of the gods."

A vague sense of foreboding began to ripple through Zhang Dao An's mind.

"Hello, I was wondering where the owner of this place is?"

"Ah, Xiao Ze," the neighbor's face took on a wistful look, "Something inexplicable happened last evening. He got into an argument with a friend, who, for some unfathomable reason, was filled with such resentment that he killed Xiao Ze."

Zhang Dao An's gaze sharpened, "And what about his friend?"

"After Xiao Ze died, his friend seemed to snap back to reality. Overwhelmed by guilt, he committed suicide."

The implausibility of the situation gave Jie Fang Cheng a feeling of unease.

What were the chances that just a day after they had made contact with this person, who might have been a leader of an underground resistance group, he would die?

Jie Fang Cheng looked at Zhang Dao An, who stood still for a moment before abruptly turning on his heel to enter the room, searching every corner.