He knew very well that Li Mo was not a god at all, and that the residents who sacrificed themselves to him were mostly going to be eaten. At this moment, he felt helpless.
"This city… will suffer a calamity because of his appearance. We will be displaced and homeless. We will never be able to return to this paradise we once knew. You must believe me… believe that he is not a god." The fortune teller was still stubbornly shouting, but no one was listening to him anymore.
Zhong Mu smiled and squatted down beside him, nodding, "I believe you, what you said will really happen."
The fortune teller glared at Zhong Mu, taking it as a provocation.
"I wouldn't say I'll be displaced, but I certainly wouldn't say I'll be homeless." Zhong Mu stared calmly at the fortune teller. "Is your definition of home merely a piece of land? Would you rather everyone rot in this area than leave?"
"What do you know?" the fortune teller gritted his teeth. "God will definitely return! We cannot abandon God! If we leave here, we will forever lose God's protection! We will become God's traitors!"
"You're about to die, and you still care about your beliefs? If you're going to die here, then die here alone. Don't use your beliefs to bind everyone else." Zhong Mu had already lost his temper with him, so he stood up and looked at the others. "Do you want to live? Or do you want to stay in this city until you forget yourself?"
Everyone was stunned. "Has God decided to look after us?"
Zhong Mu didn't answer, but instead asked a different question: "If it's God's guidance that can help you get through this calamity safely, would you be willing to do anything?"
Everyone immediately adopted the most devout posture, saying, "If it is God's guidance, then it must be right. We are willing to obey all of God's arrangements! Please lead us back to our peaceful and healthy home."
Zhong Mu nodded at their immediate compliant reaction, but knew very well that their piety was not genuine; they were merely clinging to a lifeline on the sea, desperately wanting to escape the current danger.
"Then I will announce God's instructions to you." Zhong Mu cleared his throat and stared at them intently. "God says that this corrupt land is beyond redemption. The hearts of each of you have been polluted. Only by leaving this place and going to a new world can you be truly redeemed."
Everyone was stunned, and the whole street fell silent, followed by panic.
"Leave here? But this is the City of Oblivion! It's the domain of our gods! Where can we go if we leave here?"
"We can't leave! That would be betraying the gods! No! Absolutely not!"
"Having turned our backs on God, how can we live anywhere else? We will be wanderers forever."
"We can't do it!"
Faced with the crowd's doubts, the fortune teller smiled and said, "As expected, no one will leave here. Your false god is simply not enough to lead them away."
Zhong Mu glanced down at him casually, "What's the rush? If I say they can leave, they definitely will."
Then he looked up at the others, trying to put on a disappointed look, "As expected, the weariness emanating from your hearts is beyond saving. You are not even willing to listen to the final guidance of God's descent. No god will favor you anymore."
He shook his head, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
Seeing their last hope about to vanish, the crowd grew impatient. "It's not that we're unwilling to listen! It's just... we've never left this place before, and we need more time..."
"Yes, yes... No god has ever told believers that they can leave their sanctuary. No one in the four major cities would leave their sanctuary to live in another city for a long time. We just can't accept it yet."
"We'll consider it! We'll discuss it together! Besides, there are still many people in the city who have never seen God! This isn't something that can be decided in a short time! Please, God, give us some more time!"
Their desperate attempts to persuade you to stay, their anxious expressions infuriated the fortune teller. "He's deceiving you! His goal is to trick you into leaving! Why do you believe him? There's no divine guidance at all! It's all a lie! He's creating a false god to deceive you into leaving your homes!"
Even though the fortune teller revealed the truth, no one was willing to listen to him anymore. The people here had witnessed the power of the gods and knew that this unusual existence was special. They had always lived in the gods' sanctuary and had never seen any monsters.
Even if the fortune tellers were shouting about evil spirits, they couldn't understand why all the unusual phenomena were miracles.
That astonishing and terrifying maneuver just now must have been the power of God.
They just need to process this divine guidance.
Zhong Mu sighed softly, glanced back at them, and said, "You should all go back. God says he's willing to give you some time."
Then he turned and went inside, without saying anything more or paying any attention to the fortune teller on the ground.
It's normal for residents to hesitate and feel uneasy, and it's also normal for them to be unable to accept it for a while. There will definitely be opponents and radicals causing trouble and resisting. But these are inevitable conflicts in a city full of extremism.
He only needs to wait quietly for them to quarrel and argue, piling up all the conflicts, and then the god of death will appear and push the collapse of the city to its peak.
After completing the preliminary plan, Zhong Mu began to wait, sitting by the window and secretly observing the residents outside.
After the news spread, the Forgotten City became more lively than ever before.
The already extreme crowd became even more extreme after hearing that someone was telling them to leave. They believed that the gods were fake and that anyone willing to leave was crazy. Led by the fortune teller, they made a hysterical scene and clashed with those who believed in the gods.
Zhong Mu deliberately sent the fortune teller back; a fortune teller whose emotions had been ignited would be even crazier than those people.
The more he proclaims the falsehood of God, the more he can incite conflict between the two sides.
On one side are people who have been brainwashed and insist on staying here no matter what, and on the other side are people who have been driven crazy and have finally found hope and want to live. Both sides are extreme, both sides are crazy, and both sides can't stand each other.
Zhong Mu huddled by the small window, munching on a dry, hard steamed bun while secretly peeking at what was happening outside.
From yesterday's news to today's escalation of the conflict, it's about time for the more important protagonist to make his appearance.
"Boss Li Mo, when is Brother Xiu coming?" Zhong Mu swallowed a mouthful of steamed bun. Because it was too noisy outside, it was even more inconvenient for him, as a divine messenger, to go out. He had been eating steamed buns in this small room for several meals and was feeling very stifled.
He turned his head and saw Li Mo standing at the door, straightening his clothes, holding a small flower in his hand, looking dignified and elegant as he went on a date.
"Boss Li Mo, are you going out? You can't go out now?" Zhong Mu was anxious. He couldn't let the god make his appearance right now.
"But my boyfriend is here!" Li Mo said seriously, her face full of anticipation. This was her boyfriend, whom she hadn't seen for several days! She had to go and greet him!
"Brother Xiu is finally here?" Zhong Mu was stunned for a moment, then suddenly jumped up when she saw Li Mo about to open the door. She quickly rushed over and hugged Li Mo's leg. "Then you definitely can't go!"
"You two are going to be playing opposite sides in a bit!! How could you so elegantly go to him with flowers!"
He couldn't even imagine that the residents' god would happily take the little flowers to the people who wanted to massacre the city. The faith they had worked so hard to build up would collapse in an instant!