Chapter 29 Glory is Dead
President Rolf was still wiping the cold sweat from his brow, trying to explain the details of the map to the chosen ones. Just then, the air in the center of the hall suddenly froze.
Without warning, a chilling sensation from the depths of one's soul descended upon them. All the "Slime Magic Lamps" hanging from the rafters dimmed and shrank instantly, as if even these mindless creatures were bowing in homage to some supreme being.
Li Wei, atop the high platform, spoke with a divine power that reverberated throughout the hall. His voice was no longer the casual tone he usually used with players; instead, it carried the suffocating majesty and coldness unique to ancient deities.
"Nice map, Rolf. But…"
"Shouldn't that 'rat' you brought come out and kneel down in worship?"
Rolf shuddered, the parchment scroll falling to the ground with a thud. He looked around in terror, his teeth chattering: "Old...rat? My God, I swear everyone I brought is loyal..."
"No need to act anymore, Rolf."
A hoarse voice, barely suppressing its trembling, came from the group of followers behind Rolf.
A middle-aged attendant, who kept his head down, wore an inconspicuous gray robe, and was responsible for carrying the map boxes, slowly walked out.
With each step he took, a layer of his disguise crumbled. When he reached the center of the hall, though still dressed in coarse cloth, the imposing aura of someone accustomed to high office was unmistakably revealed, like a drawn sword. It was the aura of a powerful figure who had weathered countless life-or-death trials and even been bathed in divine grace, far surpassing that of the ordinary soldiers outside.
However, this very strong player made a move that surprised all the players when facing the surging black mist on the high platform.
"thump."
Without the slightest hesitation, and without any semblance of aristocratic decorum, the middle-aged man knelt heavily on both knees, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, performing a full prostration, a gesture reserved only for the most solemn sacrificial ceremonies before the chief deity.
"Humble mortal, Crow, secret emissary of the Bishop of Whitestone, pays homage to the great Old One."
Kro's voice was filled with awe, even with a hint of nausea from facing an indescribable horror, but he still managed to hold on and not break down. "Just as you said, even through the black mist of the temple, the disguises of mortals are transparent to you."
"You...who are you?!"
Rolf's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost. "Butler... Butler Kro?!?! How did you end up among my entourage...?"
Without turning his head, Kro remained kneeling, his tone humble, "Before the true God, I have no right to stand."
The players instantly got excited and started spamming the chat with messages.
"Holy crap? This NPC's AI is amazing! That kneeling posture is perfect!" "That aura...it's definitely a top-tier elite monster!" "Gangzi, don't be impulsive! The name above this thing's head is yellow; it's a neutral unit!"
"Step back."
Li Wei's voice rang out again, stopping several players who were trying to get closer to touch the NPC's equipment.
"Did that old fox Olben send you?" Levi said calmly, with a hint of mockery in his tone. "As the shepherd of the God of Light, you send your confidant to kneel before an 'evil god.' It seems your situation is worse than I imagined."
Crowe trembled slightly. He pulled out the evil god amulet that the bishop had "confiscated" from him at the banquet and raised it high above his head.
"The great Old Ones bear witness…" Crow's voice was filled with bitterness, "because the light is about to go out."
"In the long years following the War of the Gods, the true gods have never responded. The sacred relics that maintained the defensive barrier beneath White Stone City are now just flickering candles in the wind. The priests prayed until their throats bled, but they could not obtain even a trace of divine power in return."
"Winter is coming, and the Black Tide in the south has already swallowed up the Holy City of Radiant Sun. Without the intervention of new forces, White Stone City, this isolated island of humanity, will soon become a paradise for monsters."
After saying this, Kro kowtowed heavily again, blood seeping from his forehead:
"His Excellency the Bishop sent me not to make a deal—mortals are not qualified to make deals with God. We have come to…beg."
"We beg for a way to survive. Even if it leads to the abyss, even if we have to break our vows... as long as the people of the city can live, we are willing to seek refuge in the darkness."
The entire room fell silent.
Rolf was terrified. What had he heard? The cardinal, who represented the God of Light and protected the region, was actually leading the entire city to surrender to an evil god out of despair?
Li Wei remained silent for a moment.
He looked down at the humble figure below. This was the cruel truth of the world: in the face of survival, faith was as fragile as a piece of paper.
This is simply... amazing.
"An interesting request," Levi's voice chuckled. "But I'm trapped here, and my main body can't leave the temple for the time being."
Kro looked up abruptly, the light in his eyes dimming instantly, as if he had heard a death sentence: "Even you... cannot break this cage?"
"But I have a legion."
Li Wei then changed the subject.
"My retinue, which you call 'God's chosen ones,' is immortal, greedy, and fearless."
Li Wei's thoughts swept over the players present. "I can send an advance team to accompany you back to Whitestone City. They will represent my will and 'take a look' at that collapsing city. Perhaps they can bring some hope to your city."
Kro turned his head and looked at the group of players next to him who were criticizing him, some of them were picking their toes, and some were gesturing with axes at their necks.
"them?"
Kro's expression crumbled. He had expected the evil god's army to be some kind of majestic, terrifying dark knights, but instead it was a bunch of... seemingly mentally unstable vagrants?
"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty," Kro said cautiously, "this group of followers, though powerful, seems... full of chaos and madness. If we let them into the city, they'll probably be arrested by the Inquisition for 'blasphemy' or'strange behavior' before they even see the bishop."
"Moreover, in order to avoid suspicion, our contact must never be made public. On the surface, we must still be the most devout believers of the God of Glory."
"Get them to pretend to be devout believers? That...that's probably even harder than getting monsters to eat vegetarian food, isn't it?"
Before Li Wei could even speak, the players burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Pretending to be a believer?"
"I'm not a husky," he slammed the dagger on the table, clasped his hands together, and instantly his face transformed into an expression more holy than the Virgin Mary and more compassionate than an ascetic, even squeezing out a tear from the corner of his eye.
"May the radiance deceive you... no, may the radiance forever protect the lost sheep. Buddy, do you think my expression is devout enough? If not, I can add some more drama!"
"What canned food?" pushed up his air glasses, straightened his tattered collar with a serious expression, and his tone became sacred and solemn: "As long as the mission reward is right, I'll do anything, let alone believe in the God of Light. I'll even sing hymns to that slime at the door. We're professional actors."
"Faith?" Gangzi chuckled and patted his chest. "Can that thing add stats? Can it be used to upgrade equipment? If it can, I'll tattoo the God of Glory on my back right now and burn incense for him every day."
Seeing this group of guys who changed their tune in an instant, had no morals, and treated faith as a business, Crowe's values were greatly shaken.
He stared in disbelief at the platform: "This...this is really your family?"
"Don't worry," Li Wei's voice was full of confidence. "When it comes to 'profit,' they are more devout than any fanatic you've ever met. Moreover, they are immortal. Even if they are discovered, no one will know their origins."
Looking at this group of fanatical "madmen," Crowe could only helplessly lower his head: "As you wish. As long as they don't shout your name in the streets, Your Excellency the Bishop will find a way to arrange it."
...
Now that the initial intentions have been finalized, the most exciting part is next – selecting the right people.
[Server-wide Announcement: Limited-time event quest begins - [The Lurkers of Whitestone City]]
[Mission Description: Infiltrate a human city with a caravan, establish an intelligence network, and make contact with the cardinal.]
[Limited to one elite squad (must possess high intelligence, strong combat capabilities, or special expertise).]
[Reward: Activate Whitestone City faction reputation, obtain the Human Disguise Set, and a large amount of experience.]
The moment the task was announced, the area outside the council chamber erupted in chaos.
"Pick me! I can even recite the Bible!" "I can do backflips! Take me with you!" "I'm strong! I can carry bags!"
Amidst the chaotic self-nominations, Canned Food, recognized as the strategist, unsurprisingly secured a spot. His organizational and persuasive abilities were key to this mission.
The husky, as the top scout in the entire server, is the fastest and has the strongest reconnaissance ability, thus securing a spot.
As for the third spot...
"Make way! Make way! I'll handle the money stuff!"
The Wolf of Wall Street squeezed in. He was wearing a worn but clean robe and carrying a homemade abacus (made from bone).
"Gentlemen, besides gathering intelligence, we'll also be doing trade in White Rock City this time, right? That fat Rolf may have backed down quickly now, but he's still a shrewd businessman at heart. If we don't have someone knowledgeable keeping an eye on things, he'll definitely try to drive down the price of the magic lamps we've worked so hard to make!"
"I work in finance in real life, specializing in negotiation and bookkeeping. Take me with you, and I guarantee that fat guy will cough up every penny he's taken, and we can even make a fortune off the price difference over there!"
The canned food worker's eyes lit up: "This is a perfect match! We'll take you! We need someone who can make money!"
...
The selection process is now complete. Canned Food, Husky, and Wolf of Wall Street stood at the front of the line.
Kro looked at the three "evil god's followers" who were about to follow him into the tiger's den. Although he still had doubts about their mental state, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.
"Now that the candidate has been chosen, we must set off immediately."
Kro turned and pointed to the several well-fed and strong black horses in Rolf's caravan, then solemnly instructed them:
"To avoid attracting attention, we cannot move slowly with the large caravan. His Holiness the Bishop is still waiting for my news; every second is a matter of life and death for White Stone City."
He took out three sets of fine but understated gray robes from his baggage and tossed them to the three men.
"Change into these. From now on, you are no longer the chosen ones, but my trusted followers whom I recruited in the countryside. We will travel light, ride horses at full speed, and try to get back to Whitestone City within three days."
"No problem!" The husky took the robe, draped it over his shoulders, and grinned. "Cosplay, huh? I'm good at that. Butler, shall we go?"
Crowe nodded, nimbly mounting his horse with fluid movements that revealed his elite status. He reined in, looking down at the three men.
"Mount up."
However.
A second passed.
Two seconds passed.
The three players, who were originally full of vigor and shouting that they were going to "go to the new map and have a big showdown", now stood in front of the tall black horses as if they had been frozen in place, looking at each other in bewilderment.
The scene was quite awkward at one point.
A cold wind blew by, swirling up a few withered leaves.
Crowe frowned, looking at the three men standing there like wooden stakes, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Are you dissatisfied with the horses? These are the best horses Rolf could offer."
"Um… Butler."
Finally, Canned Food pushed up his non-existent glasses and spoke with some difficulty. He pointed to the beast in front of him, which kept snorting and had an unruly look in its eyes, and gave an awkward but polite smile:
"Is it possible... that we are... um... a special school from the far East?"
"Where we go, we mainly rely on... uh... mechanical flying boats or teleportation arrays (referring to subways and buses) to get around."
The husky nodded frantically beside him, adding with a pained expression, "Right, right, right! We're infantry! Pure infantry! This thing... it doesn't have a steering wheel or brakes, we can't drive... no, we can't ride it!"
"..."
A crack finally appeared on Crowe's usually calm and aloof face.
He stared in disbelief at the three men who were supposedly "immortal elites" and "guards of the evil god."
They can tear kobolds apart with their bare hands, manipulate the creations of evil gods without batting an eye, and even dare to look directly into the indescribable black mist.
So... they can't ride horses?!
It's as absurd as a fully armed legendary knight telling you he can't tie his shoelaces right before going into battle.
"You…" Kro took a deep breath, feeling his temples throbbing, "As warriors, you don't even know the most basic horsemanship?"
"Nobody's ever taught me..." the Wolf of Wall Street muttered under his breath, "This game doesn't even give out riding skill books..."
On the high platform.
Li Wei, who had maintained his aloof and divine demeanor while silently observing everything, almost couldn't help but burst out laughing.
He'd forgotten about that. Although these players were the "Fourth Calamity," they were essentially a bunch of modern-day shut-ins and corporate slaves. Forget riding horses, probably half of them had never even touched a live horse.
"It seems our departure will have to be postponed."
Li Wei silently pondered this in his mind, and casually sent a divine message to Kro, containing only two simple words:
"Teach them."
Crowe shuddered and had no choice but to dismount. Looking at the three innocent-looking "landlubbers," he sighed deeply. His aloof demeanor as an "elite envoy" instantly crumbled, replaced by the weariness of an old father taking care of his simple-minded sons.
"never mind..."
Kro rubbed his temples. "Luckily, we still have some time."
"I will personally instruct you for the next three days."
His eyes flashed, and the whip in his hand cracked in the air, startling the three of them.
"Don't think this is easy! Since it's the will of the ruler, even if you break your legs, you'll all have to learn how to ride a horse without falling off!"
"Get on the horse! Stop dawdling like a girl!"