Chapter 148: The Vessel of Creation 22

Chapter 148: The Vessel of Creation 22

When Deerman Molly finished speaking, the room fell into silence.

"And then?" Qin Fei asked softly.

Molly picked up the cup on the table and took a sip, her eyes filled with exhaustion. "Hadsay couldn't accept that the new world would be ruled by slaves. He decided to rebel against the gods and save their fate."

The gods.

In this world, the gods were supreme beings.

The gods created the world and governed it; they could destroy everything with a mere flick of their fingers when they felt like it.

One could imagine how much power the gods possessed.

For Pigman Hadsay to want to betray the gods, if this was said before the news of the flood came, anyone who heard it would laugh at him as if he was telling a fairy tale.

"But when the will of the gods goes against one's own interests, who can continue to maintain their piety?" Deerman Molly sighed softly.

To become a governor, Pigman Hadsay naturally had extremely high initiative.

He knew that he couldn't accomplish this alone, but the message couldn't spread too widely either, or it might cause unrest.

Therefore, he rallied the ten ministers in his cabinet.

"Hadsay gathered us together and told us his thoughts," Molly said with a bitter smile. "In the entire cabinet, I was the only one who opposed this rebellion."

The Deerman family was the purest in faith among the cabinet, but due to their unique herbivorous identity, they were always marginalized during cabinet meetings.

This matter concerned the vital interests of all animals and nobles, so no one would listen to her now.

One against nine, Molly had no say.

"That night, Hadsay announced two decisions."

"First, control the slave who builds the ship."

"Second, kill all the pigeons."

Pigeons were messengers of the gods, responsible for conveying messages to the gods.

As long as the pigeons remained on this land flooded by the flood, the people on the ground could deceive the gods to the greatest extent possible.

Molly said, "Although I opposed Hadsay's idea in the meeting, in fact, the gods' decision also made me very confused."

"I was very worried and scared."

"What should I do if things really develop according to the divine prophecy? In the new world's island, the slaves become the masters of the world, and the animals become the new slaves. Where would my place be?"

How would slaves, who had been exploited for over a hundred years and lived without dignity, treat these former slave owners?

This fear made Molly hesitate. No one wanted to die, nor did anyone want to live without dignity.

Molly tacitly approved the cabinet's decision and chose to watch coldly from the sidelines.

"I locked myself in my room for several days. After a few days, I finally figured it out. I planned to secretly inform the pigeons before Hadsay did anything irreparable, but..."

But then, the Deerman discovered that she had been placed under house arrest.

The other members of the cabinet hid the pigeons, and Molly didn't know where they were hidden. She couldn't move around freely either.

Three months passed like this.

"On the day the holy ship was launched, they brought me to the inauguration ceremony. I didn't see the pigeons, nor did I see the chosen slave of the gods."

To prevent Molly from causing trouble, the cabinet had kept everything they did in the past few months secret from her.

Qin Fei narrowed his eyes slightly. "What did Hadsay do?"

A hint of fear flashed in Molly's eyes. As a believer in the gods, she found what happened next difficult to speak about.

"On the day of the launching ceremony, Hadsay carried out his plan. He killed all the pigeons and threw their bodies into the water."

"As for the slave who was supposed to steer the cruise ship, Hadsay directly imprisoned him in the lowest level of the ship, where there was a prison specially built for him."

Sure enough.

This slave chosen by the gods was the source of contamination.

Mi Yang was rather puzzled. "Didn't you say that the ship's direction needed to be controlled by that slave?"

If he was locked up, how could he steer the ship?

Molly shook her head. "No, that's not true. This ship doesn't need someone to steer it."

This was a holy ship. As long as the chosen one was on board, it would automatically sail towards the new world.

After doing all this, Hadsay, fearing that the gods would discover the deception, distributed masks to all the nobles boarding the ship and stipulated that they were not allowed to remove them until they reached the island.

Qin Fei: "Masks, those are the human skin masks worn by the nobles?"

Molly nodded. "Yes."

Hadsay disguised the nobles as slaves and the slaves as animals, pretending that everything was proceeding as normal.

The nobles naturally assumed that without the pigeons to convey information, the gods wouldn't discover these hidden details.

The nobles were quite mad. Even while drifting at sea to escape, they still indulged in pleasure.

Moreover, it seemed that the very designation of a slave as the Chosen One by the gods had only further inflamed the animals' rebellious hearts.

These animal nobles found it absurd, infuriating, and incomprehensible.

Had the gods gone blind?

Why support lowly and ignorant slaves while suppressing them, the original masters of the land?

"Because of this defiance, Hadsay deliberately planned a gaming area during the construction of the Holy Ship for so-called 'animal performances.'"

Qin Fei understood.

This was actually a subtle provocation against the gods.

It was as if they were saying:

Look, aren't you trying to overthrow us? But in reality, you're still at our mercy!

Those slaves you want to support remain under our feet, treated as the most despicable playthings.

"Yes," Jasmine affirmed Qin Fei's words. "Hadsay has gone mad, and everyone else in the cabinet has lost their minds too."

"The day after the Holy Ship's launch ceremony, the heavy rain arrived on schedule. Before the floodwaters engulfed the land, the nobles with tickets boarded the ship one by one."

"It was only then that I learned about the incident at the port the previous night."

The shipworkers on night watch aboard the cruise liner were awakened by loud noises in the middle of the night and got up to check the deck.

They witnessed a scene that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

"Did the doves turn into gray saber-toothed fish?" the monkey asked.

"Yes," Jasmine rubbed her temples. "Hadsay and Gerard rushed back to the port overnight, and the ship's hull had been ravaged by the saber-toothed fish."

At first, no one realized that the saber-toothed fish were transformed doves.

The heavy rain had already started, and although there was no flooding yet, the weather conditions were exceptionally harsh.

Hadsay went to great lengths to deal with the fish.

"These fish were like some strange and evil creatures. No conventional method could kill them; they were indestructible."

Jasmine continued: "It was Gerard's muttered comment that made Hadsay realize what was happening."

"Gerard said it was like divine punishment."

Something inside Hadsay's mind snapped.

Yes, it was like divine punishment.

No one had ever seen these fish near the shallow waters of the port before.

These saber-toothed fish had bizarre appearances, with long, sharp beaks like birds.

They could fly like birds, leaping out of the water to heights of several meters, even tens of meters.

"When Hadsay realized that the fish in the water were transformed doves, he came up with a particularly vicious idea."

He began throwing slaves into the water.

According to Hadsay's logic, since these doves were so determined to carry out the gods' arrangements, they certainly wouldn't harm slaves protected by the gods.

Indeed.

The fish had been attacking everything indiscriminately around the ship, aiming to prevent the cruise liner from setting sail.

But when they tasted the blood of the slaves, they dispersed from that area.

Hadsay didn't stop there.

That night, he killed countless slaves, creating a safe zone for the cruise liner.

"Hadsay knew he couldn't completely eliminate the fish. They would likely follow us all the way. So, he set up a secret chamber in the lower decks overnight to house a meat grinder."

Taking advantage of the fact that the flood hadn't fully erupted yet, Hadsay brought a large number of slaves intended for food supplies to the lower decks, ready to turn them into bait at any moment.

Jasmine, the Deerman, said, "It's terrifying, isn't it? But what Hadsay did goes far beyond that.

Jasmine paused here. "I think he's completely lost control."

What he had done should have been enough.

The nobles remained in power, the animals had solved all the problems, and everyone could revel every night on the cruise liner, comfortably reaching the new world and continuing their lives.

But Hadsay was still unsatisfied.

"Perhaps the fish transformed from doves instilled a sense of crisis in Hadsay."

The pig-man realized that the will of the gods wasn't so easy to defy.

He became worried about the slave who was imprisoned on the ship.

To eliminate any potential risks, Hadsay decided to take drastic measures.

"How drastic?" the monkey couldn't help but ask.

"Hadsay removed his bones," Jasmine said.

The monkey doubted its ears had gone deaf. "Drain the bones?" "Hadsay extracted all of the Chosen One's ribs, dug out his heart, and placed a stone in his chest." Every word Jasmine uttered made her cheeks burn. "The nobles placed his heart in a secret room on the third floor. Now, that Chosen One locked in the dungeon has become an empty shell." Hadsay planned to kill him as soon as they reached land. As long as they had the heart, the deity wouldn't notice anything. A row of question marks scrolled across the live stream's chat. "?????" "What? Did I hear wrong? A stone???" "Help, my brain is shrinking from watching this live stream..." "Well, if there can be deities in this world, using a stone as a heart doesn't seem like too much of a stretch?" Qin Fei found everything reasonable. In the Bible, Jehovah created Eve from Adam's rib. In Greek mythology, Prometheus was imprisoned on a cliff for stealing fire, and every day, an evil eagle would come to peck at his heart. This scenario already had some religious background. Deerman Jasmine should not have lied, and she had no reason to do so. "So that's everything," Qin Fei silently reviewed the clues in his hand. "Miss Jasmine, you couldn't condone their actions. You believed their deeds were too vile and refused to go along with them. You tried to convince the other cabinet members to repent to the deity, which is why they imprisoned you?" Qin Fei's words were very cunning. His overly righteous remarks made Jasmine feel guilty. "No...not exactly, Mr. Griffith. I'm not as noble as you think." Miss Jasmine was indeed a believer in the deity, and what Qin Fei said was one of the reasons she opposed the cabinet's decision. But it wasn't the whole story. Nor was it the most important part. "I was so determined to persuade them because I found a proverb on the ship." Proverb. The NPC mentioned this term again. "On the first night on the ship, I found some pigeon feathers," she explained. The first night on the ship was when the players had just started the scenario and were sound asleep in the enclosure area. "These feathers were left behind by the pigeons as they struggled before being killed by Hadsay. Among the feathers was a note." "All wickedness will be repaid." This was not the first time the Deerman had seen such a note. She had also seen it at Pigman Hadsay's place, so she knew it was a proverb carried by the pigeons, bestowed by the deity. "This sentence deeply moved me. I believed it was a warning from the deity." Jasmine said. Jasmine felt that if the nobles continued down this path, they would not meet a good end. "If the deity could destroy the world once, he could do it again." "And Mr. Griffith, what you said earlier confirmed this even more." Jasmine said, pursing her lips. "Mr. Griffith, you said you knew about the relationship between the gray saber-toothed fish and the pigeons because of the proverb?" "Yes," Qin Fei affirmed. "101 pigeons fell into the water and turned into 101 bloodthirsty vicious fish." That note was given as a hint by the room when the players entered Cynthia's toy room for the second time. Qin Fei remembered every word on it. "Indeed..." Deerman Jasmine's voice was weak, as if it would break at any moment. The deity was divine because he knew everything. The deity had created the entire world; how could he be deceived by the lies on this tiny ship? The deity knew everything. The proverb Qin Fei found revealed something crucial. Before the pigeons descended upon the world, the deity had already foreseen everything that would happen. Everything was within the deity's control.

"Everything they did was a joke, and we will surely be punished."

The NPC covered his face in agony.

Qin Fei "hmm"ed: "I think, however, that there's still a chance for redemption."

Qin Fei bent his fingers and tapped the table: "In Hadsay's office, I found two additional maxims."

"Where there is light, there are the eyes of the gods."

This sentence corroborated Deerman Jasmine's viewpoint.

She was right; the gods were fully aware of everything happening on the ship.

How could the animals' self-important disguises deceive the exalted gods?

But perhaps precisely because the gods are noble, great, and benevolent.

Even now, he has left a path of survival for the criminal animals.

Just as written in the other maxim Qin Fei found:

"Return the dove to the dove, and the ship to the ship."

"Hades plucked the dove's feathers, tossed it into the water, and turned it into a fish."

Qin Fei stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"So, 'return the dove to the dove' likely means returning the dove's feathers to their rightful owner, allowing them to return to the gods' side."

"As for 'return the ship to the ship,' that's even simpler."

Qin Fei blinked and glanced meaningfully at the corner of the room.

There stood the youth version of the pollutant, disguised as an unnamed NPC, with his head bowed.

Since entering the room, he hadn't made a sound, standing quietly like a stone.

"We need to find the heart of the Chosen One and return it to him."

Qin Fei slowly shared his thoughts.

"If we can return this ocean liner to its rightful captain, the gods will forgive us sinners who strayed from the right path."

The scenario would then end early.

Qin Fei silently added this in his mind.

It didn't sound too difficult.

Jasmine, no matter how peripheral, as one of the ten cabinet members, must know where the pollutant's heart is locked away.

Unexpectedly, Jasmine's expression darkened further after hearing Qin Fei's words.

"No, it's impossible." Jasmine shook her head vigorously, appearing very pessimistic.

"The heart is locked away."

Perhaps due to feeling hopeless, Miss Jasmine visibly slumped.

Leaning back in her chair, she said slowly:

"Do you remember what I said earlier? Mr. Griffith, I mentioned that Hadsay extracted the rib of the Chosen One."

"He crafted ten keys from the rib and distributed them among the ten cabinet members."

As Miss Jasmine spoke, she pulled out a small object from her pocket, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Qin Fei.

"I know where that secret chamber is, everyone does."

But no one can open it.

Or rather, no one can open it alone.

To unlock that door, all the keys held by every cabinet member must be gathered.

But this is virtually an impossible task.

The moment the key appeared, the pollutant standing in the corner seemed to sense something.

From his performance in the scenario so far, Qin Fei could tell that Hadsay had done more to him than just taking his heart and rib.

The boy had lost his memory.

Perhaps it was a side effect of having his heart removed, or maybe for some other reason.

Regardless, while he was on the ship, he didn't know why he was here.

He didn't remember what Hadsay had done to him, nor did he know what he needed to do.

His several escapes from the bottom deck's prison were purely instinctual.

Instincts driven by his human form, yet akin to those of a wild beast.

Tsk.

What a pitiful child.

Mi Yang stared at the key on the table for a few moments, drawing in a pained breath.

He leaned close to Qin Fei and whispered, "The NPC said we need to gather ten keys to open the door?"

Are they not doomed then?

Mi Yang's concerns were different from Deerman Marily's.

He didn't think it would be an impossible task to obtain keys from the other eight cabinet members.

However, there was something far worse.

Pigman Hadsay had already been thrown into the water!

They had also searched his office.

There was no bone key inside.

"Should we check Hadsay's bedroom?"

That was the players' last hope.

If there wasn't one there...

Mama Sheep began to fantasize about whether it was still possible to retrieve it by swimming back now.

Among his many forms, there were indeed one or two that could breathe underwater.

Qin Fei glanced at Mi Yang with a half-smile. "What bedroom?"

There was no need to go to the bedroom.

The young man reached into his pocket and casually pulled out another key, placing it on the conference table next to Marily's rib key. It was the key to Mr. Hadsay's office that Qin Fei had used before.

The monkey curiously leaned in for a closer look. "Bro, what do you mean? Is this Hadsay's bone key?"

But isn't it gold?

"Can't gold be just gilded?"

Qin Fei picked up Hadsay's key.

The golden pig head at the top of the key was still smiling at everyone.

Qin Fei reached out and snapped the small pig head off the key.

The tiny pig head rolled across the conference table, revealing a grayish-white mark where it had broken off. The color and texture were indeed identical to the other key on the table.

"I noticed before that there was something inside this key," Qin Fei explained nonchalantly.

Solid gold and gilded gold felt vastly different when held in one's hand.

Miss Marily stared blankly at the table, seemingly puzzled as to how they suddenly had two out of the ten keys.

"T-then." A glimmer of hope emerged in her weary voice. "How do we get the rest?"

Mr. Griffith had obtained Hadsay's mask and key. Even if Marily thought about it with her knee, she knew that Hadsay must have met a grim fate.

However, she did not feel any fear towards Mr. Griffith because of this. Instead, a strong sense of trust welled up within her.

Mr. Griffith was truly a very capable person.

In the meeting room, five people, including the source of contamination, ten pairs of eyes focused intently on Qin Fei.

Mi Yang looked longingly at his good son.

The players all knew deep down.

How else could they obtain the keys?

Steal them, snatch them, or threaten?

In the end, it all boiled down to violence and coercion.

"Should we split up or act together and take them down one by one?" the monkey asked.

Upon careful consideration, Marily's worries were indeed valid.

The opponent wasn't just one but eight, and they were eight powerful large beasts.

Qin Fei had easily dealt with Hadsay in his office before for two reasons: First, Qin Fei had taken advantage of Hadsay underestimating him.

Second, Mr. Hadsay was originally at the bottom of the combat power among the cabinet members, not much better than herbivore Miss Marily.

However, the others were different.

Whether it was the snake lion or the coyote, the players would undoubtedly face tough battles against them.

"Neither," Qin Fei shook his head.

He looked around with a strange expression, seemingly puzzled as to why everyone's thinking was so limited.

Why engage in a direct confrontation?

Steal?

Snatch?

Threat?

Such a dangerous deed is beneath the noble and elegant Ms. Griffith.

"Naturally, I plan on relying on deceit," Qin Fei casually outlined his arrangement.

He intended to make those cunning creatures willingly hand over their keys to him.