"He's coming to kill us tomorrow!"
"The diviner is dead too... We've angered the high priest, will the new god help us?"
"Go and pray for God's forgiveness, we have no time!"
"Yes, only God can save us now, we must seek God's forgiveness!"
The remaining people in the Forgotten City sprang into action. Those who didn't want to move were already unable to. In almost no time, everyone was kneeling before the High Priest's door, shouting loudly that they wanted to see the gods.
Inside, Zhong Mu stood silently by the window, lifting a small part of the curtain to look outside.
Just as he had predicted, Brother Xiu's appearance added to the panic of the residents of the Forgotten City. They could only seek guidance and protection from the gods. The large group of people kneeling there was exactly as he had envisioned. All that was missing was for him to lead the gods out to accept these people.
but...
Zhong Mu lowered the curtains and turned to stare at the small, dark blob lying on the table in the living room. "Where's your human form?"
"I'm...I'm with my boyfriend...!" the little tentacle ball lying on the table answered with difficulty.
Zhong Mu remembered a similar act of switching between his clone and main body before, also in order to see Brother Xiu, but...
"Do you really have to go see Brother Xiu right now?! Don't you want to wait even a second?!" Zhong Mu scratched his head in anguish. He knew that there must be something fishy about Boss Li Mo's sudden silence. It turned out that he was waiting for him here.
The little tentacle ball was babbling and stammering, probably trying to comfort itself and cover up its mistake, but Zhong Mu didn't want to listen. Her mind was full of thoughts about what to say when they went out later.
"I'll go with you." After sending the child, who had been frightened by the appearance of the little tentacle ball, back into the house, the high priest came out.
"In their minds, I summoned God, and since I was a priest of God before, they will believe me. Judging from their current state, they don't need God's intervention." The high priest pushed his wheelchair to the door and looked at Zhong Mu. "Let's go."
"Okay." Zhong Mu was already calculating at the speed of light how to trick this group of people into leaving the City of Oblivion without the gods showing up.
He turned around, grabbed the bowl of steamed buns next to him, and, without touching the little tentacle ball, slammed it into the bowl. Then he carried it into the kitchen to avoid being seen by the residents outside the door.
Once everything was ready, Zhong Mu opened the door, and amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, he pushed the priest's wheelchair out.
"Ah... High Priestess..." Upon seeing the High Priestess appear, the residents outside the door immediately knelt down and bowed to her, as if she had returned to her former glory and continued to be loved by them.
"Forget about kneeling to me, I'm not worth it." The high priest lazily stared at the group. "What are you doing here looking for me as a sacrifice again? Do you want to offer me up to summon the gods?"
"No, no, no, that's not it!" someone quickly denied. "We came here to pray for an audience with the new gods!"
Zhong Mu spoke softly, "What do you want with God? Have you finally decided to leave this place with God?"
The group that had originally intended to leave nodded hastily, "Leave! We can leave this place with God, the sooner the better!"
Another group of people, who had been forced to submit to the gods only because of Yin Xiu's appearance, hesitated. "Now a terrifying monster has come to the city. It claims it can kill the gods, and it says it will come to the Forgotten City tomorrow to kill us all! We hope the gods will bless us and help us drive the monster away!"
Zhong Mu's gaze was icy. "You said it yourself, the other party can kill gods, and the new gods are weakened because of your influence. How can they protect you? If the gods die, will you live?"
The other person was speechless. "Is leaving the City of Oblivion the only option? I don't want to leave here..."
As soon as he said that, the person next to him immediately rolled up his sleeve and slapped him hard across the face. "If you don't want to leave, then stay in this city! We want to leave!"
They were terrified that because of their hesitation, God would no longer favor them, and they would truly have to wait in the city to be killed.
"We pray that God will have mercy on us, and that God will guide us to a new home!"
"May God grant us His blessings!"
"We are willing to leave the Forgotten City and worship a new god!"
"God! Please appear before us, and let us follow you!"
They knelt and prayed.
Zhong Mu glanced at the High Priest, who also looked up and glanced at Zhong Mu. Then Zhong Mu spoke first.
"God cannot appear before you for the time being." Zhong Mu shook his head, looking regretful. "God has been unable to maintain his form due to the corruption of the City of Oblivion."
The priest nodded in agreement. "God has been staying here for so long that he has lost his original form. He is already protecting you. If you continue to stay in the City of Oblivion, I'm afraid God will no longer be able to favor you. We must leave here as soon as possible, for God's sake and for your own sake."
"Alright, alright, let's leave! We'll go back and pack our things right away!"
When God and believers normally accept each other, God will definitely appear, signifying that He is willing to accept these people as believers. But in this case... well, it's all made up. As long as the believers feel accepted, it doesn't matter why God didn't appear!
A group of people hurriedly turned around and rushed home, eagerly packing their things to leave the Forgotten City overnight, lest they accidentally run into the terrifying monster that was coming to massacre the city if they were even a little late.
Having been accepted by God, they felt a little more at ease. With God's blessing, they could establish a new home anywhere and create a new God's territory. At this point, they were no longer as resistant to leaving as they had been at the beginning, and some were even eager to leave.
The Forgotten City was bustling with activity, everyone was all smiles, and they quickly went back to pack their things. The priest and Zhong Mu also breathed a sigh of relief.
This coordinated attack from within and without caught the Forgotten City completely off guard. They went from being unwilling to leave and believe in the new god to being willing to leave, to the point where they could leave even without the new god's intervention.
In short, it's all good news.
"Once they've finished packing, I'll take you and the residents of the Forgotten City to stay in the Twin Cities." Zhong Mu pushed the High Priest's wheelchair back. Since she was unable to move around easily, Zhong Mu naturally took the responsibility of helping her pack and explained his upcoming plans.
"I need to travel through Twin Cities to City of Fate. Brother Xiu will be going to City of Immortality with Boss Li Mo. You'll need to talk to the High Priest of Twin Cities to settle things down."
The high priest nodded. "I know the two sisters from Twin Cities. They used to forbid outsiders from entering or leaving Twin Cities, but it's all fine now?"
"Okay, Brother Xiu came out from there."
"Oh..." The high priest nodded knowingly. It seemed that Twin Cities had also been reorganized.
"But aren't you going with those two?" The high priest stared intently at Zhong Mu. "Are you going to the City of Fallen Souls alone?"
"Hmm." Zhong Mu nodded. "Brother Xiu and Boss Li Mo have important business to attend to in Changsheng City. There are some big shots I know in Changsheng City. There's nothing to worry about when the three of them meet, so it doesn't matter whether I go or not. I'll go directly to Mingyun City to find someone."
"The City of Fallen Fates..." the High Priest said thoughtfully. "It's quite dangerous there. Why don't you wait and go with your friend?"
Zhong Mu stubbornly shook his head. "If it's really dangerous, I can't wait any longer. I have to go there right away. There are very important people of mine there too."
"Oh..." The high priest seemed to understand something. No wonder he was in such a hurry.