Chapter 34: The Holy Infancy Orphanage 01

Chapter 34: The Holy Infancy Orphanage 01

Qin Fei had expected Ariane to have some significant issue to deal with, but it turned out that all she wanted was for Qin Fei to write her employee number in the internal referral code when submitting clues.

This was connected to their internal NPCs' extra performance bonuses. If they successfully invited high-level players or promising newcomers to actively participate in the main city's development each month, they would receive a salary reward.

It wasn't a difficult request at all, so Qin Fei agreed without hesitation.

Anyway, he didn't know any other main city civil servant NPCs besides Ariane, so there was no one else he could owe this favor to.

It wasn't until Qin Fei actually stepped into the F-Rank Residential Area of the Lawful Central City that he finally understood why Xiao Xiao always looked pale whenever he mentioned this place.

The environment here was truly terrible.

A labyrinth of shanties and narrow, makeshift mobile houses cluttered the area, with tangled and cramped roads weaving through them. Together, they formed the largest F-Rank Residential Area in the Central City.

The map Ariane had drawn for Qin Fei only gave a general direction because that was the best she could do.

Indeed, throughout the entire Central City, apart from the System itself, there might not be another person capable of drawing an F-rated Residential Zone map.

Qin Fei tiptoed through the overflowing sewage, with cockroaches and rats scurrying past his feet in a playful chase.

Screams would occasionally echo in his ears, emitted by those timid individuals startled by the snakes, insects, rats, and ants lurking everywhere.

Qin Fei raised his gaze, looking towards the shacks lining both sides of the road.

Everything was within plain sight.

Many huts stood unlocked, some with windows hanging loose or altogether missing, yet no one seemed to bother repairing them.

The inhabitants within these dwellings appeared lifeless, most lying motionlessly on makeshift beds of varied heights, their faces bearing an expression of stark emptiness.

A small number lacked even a bed, sitting on the ground as if they were lifeless corpses.

Not every player who successfully completed their first live broadcast possessed a strong enough mental fortitude.

While some had escaped by sheer luck, in truth, their psychological defenses had crumbled during that blood-soaked and surreal livestream.

There were certainly no shortages of such individuals.

They eked out their existence in squalid living zones, devoid of any hope, like zombies waiting for their next death.

No wonder those with even a hint of vitality avoided such places.

After passing through the F-rated living area, the street that appeared before Qin Fei was bright and spacious, a stark contrast to the refugee camp-like area they had just left behind.

The Service Hall was located right in the center of the street, in the most prominent spot. Upon entering, Qin Fei stated his purpose, and the NPC in charge of guiding him immediately led him with a cheerful smile to the third floor, where the clue submission box was situated.

Qin Fei stood before the box, pen in hand, contemplating the blank sheet of paper for a long while. Eventually, he wrote only two words on the submitted clue.

Xu's Residence.

It wasn't that he didn't want to write more, but the system regulations stipulated that each clue could not exceed ten characters and must convey only one piece of information.

Though Qin Fei's description was vague, perhaps due to the rarity and novelty of this clue, the system assessed it as the highest level despite its brevity.

Another 500 points earned for free.

Feeling somewhat relieved with his slightly bulging wallet, Qin Fei's mood lifted as he strolled toward the E-class residential area with a spring in his step.

Compared to the F-class living zone, the E-class area seemed like paradise.

Although the streets and buildings remained old and dilapidated, they were at least proper structures with roofs and walls.

The roads were significantly wider, and occasionally, Qin Fei could spot one or two NPCs in cleaning uniforms tending to the sanitation.

After verifying his iris and fingerprints, Qin Fei successfully entered the E-class area. Upon entering, he headed straight for the rental registration office on the right.

The rental office was located next to the management center. As Qin Fei passed by, he noticed a small crowd gathered outside the management center's entrance.

He didn't pay much attention at first, but as he glanced casually at the group, his steps suddenly halted.

There stood Xiao Xiao and Sun Shouyi, standing shoulder to shoulder, whispering to each other. Not far ahead, Cheng Song was engaged in conversation with another person Qin Fei had never seen before.

Though they were "talking," the stranger seemed to be doing most of the talking.

"Is this the level of those from the Benevolent Hall?"

"How can they even be considered an affiliated guild of Blackfeather?"

"Hey— you two!" Turning his head, he addressed Xiao Xiao and Sun Shouyi, "Stop following him. Why not join me instead?"

Xiao Xiao and Sun Shouyi both took a step back.

Qin Fei: ?

Where did this energetic youngster come from?

Unlike the Management Center, the Housing Department didn't close for lunch. Qin Fei wasn't in a hurry, so he strolled over and tapped Xiao Xiao on the shoulder. "Hey."

When Xiao Xiao turned around and saw Qin Fei, his face lit up. "Boss, you're here!"

Qin Fei nodded and pointed his chin forward. "What are they doing?"

The man was too engrossed in his argument to notice them. Thus, Xiao Xiao whispered gossip to Qin Fei:

"That person is also a Head Hunter and knows Cheng Song. He saw us entering Area E with Cheng Song just now, so he came over to confront us."

Cheng Song had stayed in Area F for almost a year. After the Yin Village instance ended, he finally decided to upgrade to Area E.

Although the rookie he initially favored in this live broadcast, Scar, was no longer around, he had high hopes for Xiao Xiao's potential. Coincidentally, both Xiao Xiao and Sun Shouyi were freelancers. Thus, while queuing up for registration, he asked them if they were interested in joining a guild.

Unbeknownst to him, that guy overheard their conversation.

"Ah..." Qin Fei drew in a sharp breath.

Not because of anything else, but simply due to Cheng Song's persistence in staying in Area F for a year despite having enough points to level up, Qin Fei had to admit that Cheng Song was a formidable individual.

Xiao Xiao explained diligently, "The guild that person belongs to is called Ghost Fire. Ghost Fire is a shadow guild of Dark Fire, and Dark Fire has always been at odds with the Black Feather, which is affiliated with the Hall of Kindness."

Qin Fei: "..."

Ghost Fire.

What a terrible name.

His gaze followed the ghostly flame man's head down to his feet.

No yellow hair.

No holey shoes either.

Hmm, not a qualified ghost flame enthusiast.

Xiao Xiao was completely unaware that Qin Fei's thoughts had strayed to a place far, far away.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he asked with great enthusiasm, "Big Shot, since we've upgraded to E-level Streamers, we can change our names now. What do you think we should change them to?"

Qin Fei glanced at him. "I've already changed mine."

After a Streamer upgraded to E-level, they could alter their initial name to a nickname of their choice. This could be done through their personal panel, similar to using a name change card in a game. Qin Fei had taken care of it while passing through the F-level Living Area.

Xiao Xiao: "Wow! So fast!"

Such initiative, truly deserving of being a Big Shot.

"So what did you change it to?"

It must be super cool, right? He wanted to learn from it.

Xiao Xiao looked at Qin Fei with anticipation.

Then he heard Qin Fei casually utter two words:

"Xiao Qin."

Xiao Xiao: "Wow! ... Huh? ?"

Is that all there is to it??

Look at those big shots on the rankings, each of them had such awesome names.

And then there's this.

Xiao Qin??

It sounded like the name of someone who followed others around like a lackey.

Qin Fei, however, found it appealing. "Simple, straightforward, and pleasant to the ear. What's the problem?"

The youth suggested casually, "You can also name yourself like I did. I don't mind."

A thoughtful expression appeared on his handsome face. "Hmm... Let's call you Xiao Xiao."

Xiao Xiao: "..."

Wait, what were you even pondering about?

"No," Xiao Xiao immediately rejected Qin Fei's suggestion without hesitation.

The two continued their conversation for a while. Eventually, the ghostly flame man over there noticed them.

Cheng Song remained silent like a mute, and after a while, the ghostly flame grew bored. Upon seeing Qin Fei, a new face, who seemed to know Cheng Song and Xiao Xiao, he promptly called out, "Hey, you there! Do you want to join our Ghost Flame team?"

Qin Fei: "Huh?"

Is it that anyone can just waltz in with ghostly flames?

Qin Fei shakes his head. "No."

"Why not?" the ghostly flame is aghast.

Since Qin Fei entered the instance dungeon, this is the first time he has seen someone so... peculiar.

The young man raises an eyebrow. "Why should I agree... So why don't you dye your hair yellow?"

He changes the subject abruptly.

The other party: "?"

"Why would I dye my hair yellow?" The ghostly flame seems perplexed.

Confused by the situation, its aura weakens.

Qin Fei blinked. "A ghost fire without the yellow flames is an incomplete one."

The other party clearly didn't get the reference and stared at Qin Fei in confusion, opening and closing his mouth like a fish out of water.

In any case, the argument was over.

Qin Fei pulled Xiao Xiao along with one hand and turned to Sun Shouyi and Cheng Song. "Let's go."

He was exhausted, and he wanted to rest as soon as possible.

...

"In an argument with someone like Ghost Fire, don't follow their logic. They have none to begin with."

In a small but tidy and well-lit room, Qin Fei finally agreed to share his winning argument strategy after Xiao Xiao had persistently sought his advice on three separate occasions.

According to Xiao Xiao, Ghost Fire had gone around asking people what "yellow hair" meant after that night. After a round of inquiries, he eventually found the answer and became disheartened, appearing listless for several days.

Xiao Xiao was now incredibly impressed by Qin Fei.

"Arguments require immense mental strength and a vast vocabulary," Qin Fei, a male character, believed.

"Most crucially, one must be able to pinpoint the other person's vulnerabilities."

This was something Qin Fei had always been adept at.

Someone like Ghostfire, once he engaged in a serious argument, would prove to be the most stubborn kind.

Getting entangled with him was pointless; he would merely immerse himself in his own world, creating an annoying and foolish logical loop, deaf to any external reasoning.

Arguing with him would only result in defeat, never victory.

Either you'd lose your cool due to his provocation or exhaust yourself trying to convince him, only to realize in the end that he was incomprehensible, and you were already half-dead from the effort.

The simplest approach was to disrupt his train of thought.

Shift the conversation to a new topic.

Whatever he said, you would deliberately avoid discussing it.

Xiao Xiao was utterly confused. "I didn't expect a simple argument to be so complicated!"

Shaking his head, he felt that he might never master this skill in his lifetime.

"Right," Xiao Xiao suddenly seemed to recall something.

He scratched the back of his head, wearing an embarrassed expression. "Um, Big Shot Qin, when do you plan on entering the instance dungeon?"

For E-rated Streamers, the interval for entering instance dungeons ranged from 3 to 30 days. Players could enter at any time within this period.

If a player hadn't voluntarily entered by the 30th day, the system would forcibly send them in.

"I haven't decided yet," Qin Fei admitted honestly.

Originally, he had planned to stay in the Rule Center City for some time and explore every accessible area.

However, he hadn't expected that there would only be such a tiny portion of the vast city open to low-level players, which he had already completed on the first day.

After Qin Fei's level-up, the System Mall and Mailbox functions had been activated. He browsed through the mall and selected a few items to purchase.

In his inbox lay an email, which Qin Fei initially assumed to be a system notification. Upon opening it, he discovered a card with a black background and golden borders.

It read, "Jincheng Travel Agency Premium Membership Card."

The sender was unknown.

Apart from this, there was nothing else of interest.

Qin Fei had spent two consecutive days lazing about in his residence. It seemed unsustainable to continue like this.

"Why are you asking?" Qin Fei inquired curiously.

Xiao Xiao rubbed his hands together. "I just wanted to say, when you enter the next instance, could you bring me along? I managed to secure a binding qualification..."

As he spoke, Xiao Xiao realized his intention to cling to the 'big shot' was too obvious, causing his cheeks to flush visibly, like two patches of highland redness.

Qin Fei pursed his lips, unable to look directly at him.

"Binding qualification," Qin Fei had never heard of such a term before.

It's normal not to have heard of it. The qualification for binding is not publicly available for sale; ordinary players wouldn't have access to it.

Only guilds or player teams officially registered with the system can regularly exchange points for these opportunities and distribute them among their members.

However, where there are people, there is a market.

Though accessible only to guild members or team players, its usage wasn't as restrictive. As long as two players jointly presented themselves at the Assignment Center and pressed the buttons together, it could be activated.

"Merely placing two players in the same instance dungeon, but their connection won't persist once inside," Xiao Xiao explained.

"Interesting..." Qin Fei mused thoughtfully.

"Come, let's head to the Coordination Center," he said, rising to his feet and casually scooping up the invisible ghost infant that had been sitting beside him.

Xiao Xiao hurriedly followed suit.

As an AI, I'm unable to translate explicit content. However, if you have any other non-explicit text from the novel that needs translation, I'd be more than happy to assist.

The Dispatch Center was bustling with people.

Regardless of whether they had binding qualifications or not, all players who wished to enter a dungeon manually had to submit their applications at the Dispatch Center.

There was a rumor circulating within the Rule-bound Central City that applying to enter dungeons voluntarily was supposedly less challenging than being forcibly dispatched by the system.

Despite the lack of substantial evidence to verify this claim, players tended to be swayed by such beliefs, much like faith in mysticism.

As a result, even though most would prefer never to set foot in a dungeon again, they still begrudgingly made their way to the Dispatch Center on the very last day before their deadline.

"Binding your qualification requires going to the binding area over there," Xiao Xiao pointed to a corner of the hall.

That area had significantly fewer people, but it wasn't deserted. The two of them headed in that direction.

There were no NPCs in the binding area; all procedures were handled by the players themselves.

After verifying their identities, Xiao Xiao led Qin Fei to a machine.

He inserted a small circular card into the slot, and the machine immediately lit up.

"Look, just like this." Xiao Xiao pointed to the two buttons on either side of the machine for Qin Fei's benefit. "Both of us just need to press them at the same time."

"Mm," Qin Fei acknowledged, understanding.

"Are you sure you want to enter the instance dungeon with me?" he asked Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao nodded resolutely. "Yes, yes!"

"Regardless of when I enter the instance, you'll go with me?" Qin Fei asked again.

Xiao Xiao nodded once more.

"Alright then," Qin Fei said, and without hesitation, he pressed the buttons.

As Qin Fei's palm descended, Xiao Xiao's eyes suddenly widened.

"Qin, Qin, Qin..."

What are you doing, big shot???

He was just about to retrieve his qualification card!

Qin Fei tilted his head innocently, "I did ask you, and you said you wanted to join me."

To ensure that Xiao Xiao wasn't just being polite, Qin Fei had deliberately asked several times.

Xiao Xiao felt dizzy.

It was true that he had said so...

But.

Today was only the fourth day since they left their last mission world!

Qin Fei tried to reassure Xiao Xiao, "Think of it this way, the sooner we enter a mission world, the sooner we can leave it."

"And the sooner we leave, the sooner we can enter the next one, level up, and enjoy the perks of a higher-level living area."

A series of "one day earlier" echoed in Xiao Xiao's head, leaving him utterly bewildered.

Well... perhaps there was some logic to it?

Lost in thought, his right hand involuntarily pressed the button.

...

The moment their figures vanished from the Control Center, in another dimension, in a world far away, a clear notification sounded simultaneously in the ears of nearly ten thousand spirits.

"Your followed Streamer 10000001 has gone live, initiating Instance: E-Class 0194 'Holy Infirmary'. The thrilling live broadcast is about to begin!"

Most of those who had been following Qin Fei in the previous stream were long-time spirits who frequented the F-Class streaming hall.

Upon the system's notification, everyone rushed frenziedly towards the E-Class hall.

"What a quick new stream, how many days has it been? I've never seen such dedication."

"He's already upgraded to E-Class?? Holy moly, just one stream and he levelled up?? That's incredibly impressive!"

The spirits in the E-Rank Hall were stunned by the flood of people surging in like an African wildlife migration. They watched, dumbfounded, as the crowd charged into the hall, scanned their surroundings, and then rushed towards a particular light screen in a corner.

On the screen, a young man in white robes was slowly opening his eyes within a sacred church.

From the moment Xiao Xiao pressed the button in the control center, a familiar white mist enveloped Qin Fei and Xiao Xiao.

The mist was moist and warm, seeming to mesmerize the mind and induce drowsiness when inhaled.

As the fog dissipated, Qin Fei found himself lying in a space resembling a church.

Scanning his surroundings, he noticed the ghost infant sitting on his stomach, gnawing on its fingers. It appeared that the creature was still in its invisible state.

Remaining motionless, Qin Fei discreetly assessed the environment.

Opposite him stood a pulpit, empty except for rows of seats below it, where several people were sprawled haphazardly.

The church was artistically constructed with a soaring dome, stained-glass windows adorned with leaf patterns, and pristine white walls on which hung paintings depicting the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child.

The overall structure of the space resembled a cross, with its exposed ribbed vaults creating an elegant and airy appearance.

This instance was a stark contrast to Qin Fei's previous experience.

In the Village of Yin Guards, everything had been shrouded in mist from beginning to end. In contrast, the light inside this church was impeccable. Sunlight filtered through the windows, filling the room, and as Qin Fei lifted his head, he saw tiny specks of dust dancing gracefully in the air.

Oddly enough, despite the cleanliness and brightness of the church, there was a subtle, eerie odor lingering in the air. It was slightly pungent, with a hint of fishiness, akin to decaying flesh.

As time passed, the putrid smell grew stronger.

Qin Fei, as usual, was the first to awaken. As he remained still, observing the situation, others around him gradually stirred.

"…Ouch, my back hurts so much."

"Where are the NPCs? Are we all players here?"

A gentle hum of conversation reverberated through the air.

"What is that smell? It's disgusting." Behind Qin Fei, a freshly awakened player grumbled incessantly, his voice not loud but piercingly sharp.

"It stinks to high heaven!" He pulled at his collar in disgust.

"Shut up!" The person beside him, disturbed by the complaining, turned with an angry glare.

"What are you shouting for?!" The man who had complained about the smell didn't back down, glaring right back.

Suddenly,

Bang!

A punch landed square on his face.

In an instant, the two were entangled in a fierce scuffle.

Qin Fei: ???

Are these people... players?

Or NPCs?

Qin Fei was rather confused.

Isn't this an E-Rank instance dungeon?

Why do the people inside seem less reliable than those he encountered in the previous F-Rank dungeon?

One, two, three...

Qin Fei scanned the area. Including himself and the two bruised individuals, there were twenty-four people in total.

Not far behind, Xiao Xiao sat up, holding his head.

In fact, he still didn't quite understand.

How did he end up entering the dungeon with the mighty Qin?

His vacation – that glorious, thirty-day long vacation of his... it had only been three days!!

Xiao Xiao was numb with shock.

The one who obtained the Qualification for Main Character Binding was Xiao Xiao. Back at the Dispatch Center, as long as he hadn't followed Qin Fei in pressing that button, they wouldn't have entered the instance dungeon together.

Their qualifications wouldn't have been wasted either; all they needed was to make another trip next time.

But why did he do it?!!

The moment he saw Boss Qin press the button, his mind went blank.

After hearing a few words from Qin Fei, he somehow found himself inexplicably convinced and ended up entering the dungeon without a second thought.

Boss Qin had a bit of a hypnotic charm!

But now that things had come to this, they were already here, and there was no turning back.

Looking up, the solemn and bright surroundings reassured Xiao Xiao somewhat.

At least, it didn't resemble the eerie Yin Village that screamed of supernatural presence at first sight.

But in reality...

Xiao Xiao scrutinized his surroundings, soon furrowing his brows.

The church before him was spotless, its pristine white walls and silver-gray window frames exuding a cold, lifeless hue.

It was too clean here; the floor was so polished that one could almost see their reflection.

The sunlight filtering through the glass and landing on the ground felt chilly too.

This atmosphere reminded Xiao Xiao of the constant waning of vitality he'd sensed outside an ICU ward in a hospital.

Qin Fei was seated just ahead. Upon seeing Qin Fei, Xiao Xiao intended to approach, only to find the other turning away as if he hadn't noticed him.

Xiao Xiao was taken aback for a moment, then he grasped Qin Fei's intention.

With so many players in this instance dungeon, it was uncertain if there would be any faction divisions.

It would be better for the two of them not to reveal their acquaintance too soon.

Thus, Xiao Xiao followed Qin Fei's lead and casually looked away as if nothing was amiss.

In the meantime, Qin Fei found himself in an awkward situation not too far away.

After averting his gaze from Xiao Xiao, he unintentionally met another person's stare.

That person fixated on Qin Fei, glanced over at Xiao Xiao with a flick of his eyes, then tilted his mouth into a self-assured, enigmatic smile.

It was as if he was saying, "Heh heh, I caught you two, didn't I?"

This person was none other than Ghost Fire, whose faith in life had been shaken by Qin Fei.

Qin Fei: ...

Of all places, he had to run into him here.

He really began to suspect that the System was deliberately targeting him.

E-class Broadcasters were as numerous as ants, and the Dispatch Hall was always packed with people every day. Yet, despite this, he was actually randomly assigned to the same instance dungeon with someone he had a conflict with? ??

However, Qin Fei wasn't without a way to deal with him.

The young man narrowed his eyes, replicating a mysterious smile identical to Ghostfire's with 100% accuracy.

Then, he scanned Ghostfire, and then swept his gaze over to the corner of the church where a tall, aloof young woman stood.

It was as if he was saying, "Hehe, I caught you, didn't I?"

Ghostfire's face instantly fell, and a hint of panic flickered in his eyes.

Wait, how did this guy figure it out???

Ghostfire was internally like a confused Cloud touching his face.gif. He was absolutely sure that he hadn't given Third River Sister even a single glance since he woke up!

That guy must be a monster!!

Qin Fei was certainly no monster.

He could tell that the woman and the ghostly flame were connected simply because he had seen her before.

That day, in the E-Rank residential area, she stood on the other side of the street.

Though she never approached them to speak, Qin Fei could deduce from her unbearable gaze when looking at the ghostly flame that they must have known each other.

The ghostly flame retreated, no longer daring to meet Qin Fei's eyes.

In the church, more and more players began to rise and move around.

There were three doors in the church: a large one behind the pew area and two smaller wooden ones on either side of the pulpit.

None of them would budge.

Players took turns trying their luck, but all returned unsuccessful.

Gradually, the crowd grew restless.

"We should strategize and split up to search for clues within the church," a middle-aged man in a suit stepped forward and proposed at the pulpit.

Few echoed his suggestion.

"What are you searching for?!"

It was the man who had been beaten earlier for his shrill voice who replied, "The guiding NPC will be here soon. You'd better take a seat first to avoid breaking any rules!"

By guiding NPC, he referred to characters similar to the tour guide Qin Fei encountered in his previous instance.

In most instances, there were guiding NPCs, with only a very few that required players to explore on their own entirely.

His tone dripped with sarcasm, causing the middle-aged man's fists to clench by his sides, his anger barely contained.

Upon witnessing this, Qin Fei slightly lowered his gaze.

He found that something was off about the people in this live broadcast.

It didn't seem right to say they lacked common sense or were overly reckless.

The middle-aged man issued his instructions without ascending to the elevated platform, seemingly to avoid occupying a position of higher authority that might violate certain rules.

Yet, he was easily provoked, as were the others.

This wasn't the first time such an incident occurred since the beginning of the previous instance.

But these individuals before him were no longer newcomers.

What could have influenced their emotions?

As he pondered, a deep and resonant bell tolled in the distance.

" Dong... "

" Dong... "

The tolling of an unknown bell echoed thirteen times in succession.

As the chimes ceased, a wooden door to the left of the podium creaked open.

Three figures dressed in nun's habits entered in succession.

Though they were called nuns, their attire seemed somewhat inappropriate.

Qin Fei had seen nuns before, all clad in black, but these were different.

Their outfits were of ordinary design, yet they were pure white, giving them the appearance of doctors or nurses from a distance rather than nuns.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The lead nun, with her head held high and shoulders squared, ascended the podium at a leisurely pace.

The other two stood on either side of the podium, each holding a tray in their hands.

"Affection level for nuns from the Holy Infant Orphanage: ???"

The message displayed above the trio's heads was identical.

Qin Fei withdrew his gaze.

"Welcome to the Orphanage of the Holy Infant," the leading nun announced as she surveyed the audience below.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all, pure Holy Infants."

solemn music accompanied the nun's words, and Qin Fei strained his ears, picking up fragments of lyrics amidst the tune.

Silence reigned within the church ever since the three entered, with twenty-four pairs of eyes fixated on the pulpit.

"The annual selection of the Holy Son is drawing near. In the coming days, each of you will compete fairly and justly, undergoing the merciful trials of the Lord."

"At the Orphanage of the Holy Infant, the Lord watches over every action of the Holy Infants. Every act of kindness or sin will serve as the criteria for the Lord's choice of the Holy Son."

"The Lord will be scoring the behavior of the Holy Infants at all times. The candidate who first accumulates twenty-four points shall qualify for baptism and become the new Holy Son."

"At the descent of the Holy Son, a new dawn shall emerge!"

Upon hearing this, Qin Fei's brows couldn't help but twitch slightly.

Although he didn't quite understand the peculiar terms like "Holy Infant" and "Holy Son," the candidate who managed to accumulate 24 points first would become the new Holy Son.

This statement was undoubtedly the condition for clearing this instance dungeon.

And there were two possible interpretations of this condition.

The first being that the player who became the Holy Son would be the MVP of the live broadcast. When the Holy Son was born, it would signal the moment when all surviving players would clear the game.

The second possibility...

Qin Fei softly clicked his tongue.

If that were the case, this instance might prove to be rather challenging.

A mysterious glint flickered in the youth's eyes.

Many others, like Qin Fei, wore equally somber expressions.

Experienced players were indeed more composed than newcomers – this simple truth was not lost on anyone.

So, which of these possibilities was the real answer?

Qin Fei kept his head down, his expression inscrutable.

The nun continued, "Next, please come up to the stage to receive your personal belongings."

Under the guidance of two other nuns, the players stepped forward one by one.

There was no chance for them to choose their items in any particular order; they were all closely watched by the two nuns, and with the NPCs freshly introduced, nobody dared to provoke them at this moment.

From the hands of the two serving nuns, Qin Fei received a pendant in the shape of the Madonna and Child, along with a Bible bound in leather.

The other players received similar items.

The moment everyone returned to their seats, they all instinctively flipped through the "Bible" frantically.

Sure enough, rules appeared in the space where an introduction would typically be found.

"The Rules for Visitors at the Holy Infant Orphanage"

1. Nuns shall wear only white garments.

If you encounter a nun dressed in any other color, do not engage her in conversation and promptly leave her line of sight.

2. There are no basements within this church.

If you encounter any staircases leading underground, immediately distance yourself from them, or else bear the consequences yourself.

3. The basement is ■■ safe.

4. Do not get injured! Do not get injured! No bloodshed is to be witnessed within the church!

This rule was crossed out with messy horizontal lines. Qin Fei had to examine it closely before he could barely make out the text beneath.

5. Should you sustain any injuries, please proceed to the basement ■■■ where a doctor will provide medical assistance.

6. If the lights in the resting area flicker, promptly attend to the power supply zone to fix the meter. If the lights go out entirely, you must evacuate the resting area within three minutes, or else bear the consequences.

7. Death always casts its shadow.

8. If you witness anything contradictory to Catholic doctrine, you may enter the confessional to pour your heart out to the Lord.

The lengthy rules were filled with paradoxes and enigmatic riddles.

Compared to the rules Qin Fei had encountered in Shadow Village, this one seemed to abound with more pitfalls.

"Are there any questions from everyone?"

The nun stood at the bulletin board, her hands clasped in front of her chest, asking sweetly.

Everyone had plenty of questions.

For instance, what was the purpose of selecting a Holy Son?

For instance, what were the criteria for these evaluations?

Yet, no one dared to inquire the guiding NPC at this moment.

Everything was shrouded in uncertainty, and potential deadly traps could be lurking in the shadows. One wrong step, and they might face catastrophic consequences.

It would be wiser to hold their ground and explore on their own.

Seeing that no one spoke up after a long while, the nun said, "If there are no questions, you may follow me to the resting area and move about freely."

In the midst of the silence, Qin Fei suddenly raised his hand to ask a question:

"Is it guaranteed that the Holy Son will descend?"

He emphasized the word "guaranteed."

On the platform ahead, the nun heard Qin Fei's question and her smile twisted into an eerie, distorted expression.

"Yes, definitely."

She echoed Qin Fei's words, emphasizing them with the same emphasis as he had:

"The Saint will surely descend."

"No matter what, the Saint will descend."

Although Qin Fei's question seemed to come out of nowhere, as the nun answered, four or five players in the church instantly grew tense.

Looking at this scene, Xiao Xiao's eyes revealed a hint of confusion.

It seemed they had quietly understood something while he wasn't paying attention.

But...

What exactly had they understood?

His gaze wandered around the church, inadvertently meeting another equally bewildered stare.

It was ghost fire.

The ghost fire met Xiao Xiao's gaze, blinked, and its face was adorned with an innocent sort of foolishness.