Chapter 135, Chapter Thirty-Six: The Lost Manor
As Cheng Yuzhou said, after the official Holy War failed, the Goddess was in a conscious state during the reset war.
She was able to answer the believers' call and grant them the power to defeat the demons.
A Golden Knight costs 3 Faith Points, which is quite a fair price, even cheaper than Li Yufei's wheelchair by one point.
However, it deducts gold faith points, not gray faith points, and it is a limited edition item, with each person having a different limit.
The limit is 100 Faith points. For every 100 points of Gold Faith, you can exchange for one more Gold Knight.
Cheng Yuzhou and Song Xiaona led a group of eight people who could exchange for two knights, while the others could only exchange for one.
Even a single one is incredibly powerful; a scallop's hard shell can't withstand more than three to five minutes before it's shattered by their blades.
Cheng Yuzhou immediately gathered the personnel scattered in various places and regrouped them.
His shift schedule was one more than Song Xiaona's, with more frequent rest periods, and he directly exempted elderly and frail individuals from intermediate shifts.
With the addition of the Golden Knight, the reset battle went relatively smoothly, but the process was quite agonizing.
The previous defeat had drained everyone's spirits and energy. After being under immense pressure and experiencing a surge in adrenaline, they were back to work 24 hours a day. This intensity was enough to completely exhaust even the most physically fit athletes or workaholics like Song Xiaona.
Dragging their weary bodies and relying on the strength of the knights, the long two days finally came to an end. When the dark clouds dispersed and the moonlight appeared, everyone collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted.
They expended so much effort, yet they lost double-digit faith points.
Despite being physically and mentally exhausted, many people still managed to arrive at the square before 7 a.m.
There were no ants, and no dance was held in the banquet hall.
They went to the chapel, only to receive the devastating news that another holy war would begin in two days.
New content has appeared under Article 8 of the Covenant:
[Nine, To save her suffering people, the great and merciful goddess has shared her divine power. Exhausted, she will fall into a deep sleep on the third day. Defeated believers, please protect the goddess's territory and lest she fall into the clutches of darkness once more!]
People who were sore and exhausted had not yet recovered from two days of fierce fighting, nor had they accepted the fact that there would be sacrifices in the holy war. When they suddenly saw this new rule, it was like a wake-up call.
Without a ball, there are no new rewards or supplies;
If your Faith Points are deducted, you'll either lose next time or have to spend more Faith Points to buy a Knight.
The endless holy war has drained people's patience and energy.
Two days before the start of the Fourth Holy War, the entire manor was deathly still, which intensified into arguments and conflicts.
The swallow had mostly encountered negative emotions like fear and despair; this was the first time it had ever seen such a large amount of "exhaustion."
On the eve of the Fourth Holy War, it pecked at the window, gesturing for Cheng Yuzhou to go to the terrace.
"I'm leaving," it said.
Cheng Yuzhou was surprised, "It's only been a month, aren't you going to stay a little longer?"
The swallow sighed wisely, "[You don't need my guidance anymore. I trust you completely. You need to hurry and explore new supernatural tales.]"
When will you be back?
"Normally, we don't go back to the original ghost stories," Yanzi said. "But I'm really curious about how your ghost stories will develop in the future. If I have the chance, I'll come back and take a look, but it's probably unlikely."
The established ghost stories would attract the "minions of the world," and returning would be too risky. Besides, it wasn't sure where it would fly off to next.
The flow of time is different on both sides, so perhaps when it returns, the humans in this ghost story will already be the third generation.
“Since you have orders to keep me here, I won’t insist.” Cheng Yuzhou nodded. “I wish you a safe journey, and please be sure to convey my gratitude to the master. If I have the opportunity, I would like to express my thanks to Him in person.”
[That's why I wanted to come back to see you.] The swallow flapped its wings. [Of all the lords, only you know how to be grateful.]
It hopped back two steps, [I'm leaving, keep trying!]
Cheng Yuzhou watched Yanzi leave the strange tale and then breathed a sigh of relief.
It was a high-ranking entity that he couldn't control, and now that it's gone, there's one less threat for the time being.
The ensuing holy wars gave people no respite, and in order to compensate for the lost faith and grain, people were forced to exchange for knights again.
Three points, then another three points, and six points of gold faith is a bit expensive.
Some people were unwilling to spend the money, and arguments broke out.
When everything is peaceful, the arguments remain just words;
After the barrier was breached, the argument immediately escalated into a physical conflict.
Li Yufei looked at Song Xiaona, who stood with her arms crossed, adopting a completely detached and indifferent attitude.
She could understand Song Xiaona's feelings. Since entering the manor, Song Xiaona had been diligently gathering intelligence and taking the lead.
Although Li Yufei also disapproved of her wasting a chance to open a store, Song Xiaona did not mean to harm them.
Just one wrong decision and everyone hated her to the core.
If it were Li Yufei, she would also quit.
Song Xiaona wasn't being stubborn; it's just that people were already full of complaints about her and were blaming her for all the current troubles.
Her speaking out at this time will only add fuel to the fire.
Song Xiaona was not only observing the situation, but also Cheng Yuzhou.
Based on current trends, it seems that Cheng Yuzhou wants to create a prosperous and bustling gilded cage.
He couldn't leave this land himself, so he either concealed or tricked Li Yufei into staying and living with him here.
Based on this speculation, Song Xiaona and Dean discussed a plan to assassinate Cheng Yuzhou, not with knives or guns, but by trying to push him out of the barrier.
Dean failed and was unable to bring back the experimental results, but Song Xiaona still persisted in her hypothesis.
She believed that the barrier must have some special limitations for Cheng Yuzhou.
The problem is, it's one thing for Cheng Yuzhou to keep Li Yufei under house arrest, but why did he also imprison so many tourists along with her?
Upon seeing the crystal ball that contained the combined power of everyone's faith, Song Xiaona immediately realized:
This isn't because Cheng Yuzhou has any special fetishes; it's because he needs them.
What sustains his power and the operation of this manor?
At least on the surface, the faith of believers is required.
Humans are the source of Cheng Yuzhou's power, and Cheng Yuzhou wants the people in the manor to be well more than anyone else.
If that's the case, why would he create panic?
The arguing was noisy and jarring. Separated by the representatives from both sides, Song Xiaona carefully observed Cheng Yuzhou in the center, suppressing her impatience and trying to think calmly.
She did not believe that the conflict had escalated to this point due to Cheng Yuzhou's incompetence.
He definitely has the ability to control the situation, especially since he has taken away Li Yufei's mind control.
He had the ability and the time to mediate, yet he did nothing in the two days leading up to the Fourth Holy War.
What good will this highly charged farce do for Cheng Yuzhou?
“We’re not as wealthy as you. Each of you has a faith power in the hundreds. Three points are nothing to you,” shouted an opposition member who was unwilling to pay. “If it were gray faith, we could just spend it and eat worse or live worse. But this is gold faith. If it’s deducted, it’s gone! Our faith is already low. How are we supposed to fight in the future?”
"It's 3 o'clock, not 30 o'clock!" the persuasive group, led by Cheng Yuzhou, said angrily. "You can earn it back in one day of Mass. If you don't spend it now, what's the point of talking about the future? You'll die today!"
"Then you should contribute more! The capable should do more. You can buy two, so consider it as making up for what we have here."
"Why should we, with higher faith points, be entitled to contribute more? Do you have any conscience saying that? All you know how to do is reap the benefits without sowing!"
"Higher-income earners pay more taxes; this is the rule in countries all over the world!"
"There are no countries here, only us!"
"You yourselves said it was only 3 points. You have such high faith points and you're unwilling to contribute more, so why should you ask us for more! Who do you think you are? We're usually polite to you, but you really think you're our leaders?"
In the midst of the chaos, Cheng Yuzhou finally spoke up: "This can't go on any longer."
His tone was solemn and stern like never before.
"I remind you all once again, the barrier has been breached." He looked at those who refused to pay their faith points. "At this rate, can you afford to pay the price for another defeat?"
"You're playing the good guy again," someone in the opposition scoffed.
The one who spoke was the man whose mouth was pierced by a silver needle during his first meal of the Holy Communion.
He tilted his head and said, "Hey Zheng, I know what you're thinking. Of course you want to win, because all the benefits are yours, all the rewards are yours! You get to be the good guy and take the rewards, how come you get all the good stuff?"
He pointed at the people in front of and behind Cheng Yuzhou, "You bunch of idiots, you don't even know you've been treated like dogs by him, and you're still barking at us to protect your master. Bah, I'm not afraid at all. I won't pay a single penny today. If you're so capable, let the devil in and see if you die first or I die first."
"Are you sick in the head?!" Li Yufei couldn't take it anymore. She hadn't said a word during their earlier argument about whether or not to spend faith points.
She felt that both sides had their own reasons.
Cheng Yuzhou's perspective is grand; the other perspective is also human nature. When she was poor, if someone pointed at her and said that she was a blogger and had to donate money to impoverished children, she would feel upset.
Li Yufei didn't see anything wrong with arguing or fighting objectively, or occasionally insulting the other person's ancestors when emotions ran high.
But what's wrong with this guy? Why does he specifically pick on Cheng Yuzhou to insult him?
Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. Cheng Yuzhou is dead, but she's still alive!
"Speak properly instead of resorting to personal attacks. What a waste that he saved you before!"
"Screw you!" The man immediately flew into a rage at the mention of this.
His mouth was pierced, but the man surnamed Zheng stole the show and became a hero in people's eyes.
Even his woman calls him "Mr. Zheng" all the time, but she only became a little more obedient after he slapped her. Damn it, who does Zheng Jianbin think he is! If this were outside, he would have already shown this Zheng guy who he is!
Li Yufei suddenly burst into flames.
She grabbed her sword, which she hadn't used in a long time, and her fox-like eyes glared angrily: "You little brat, are you and your dad's asses itching? Want me to give you a good shoveling? You filthy bastards, watch your mouths!"
These words were truly despicable, and even Cheng Yuzhou's side fell silent for a moment.
If someone else had said that, the man would have already taken action without hesitation.
But he squinted, looking at the beautiful woman in front of him with her eyes wide open in anger, and couldn't help but look her up and down.
I knew this girl was pretty, but I never expected her to be even more stunning when she's angry and fierce. From head to toe, she can be summed up in one word: fiery.
"You were right." He grinned maliciously. "Brother, it's not just my ass that itches, my dick itches even more. How about it, you come over and stop the itch for me, and I'll listen to your boyfriend. Isn't that a good deal?"
Li Yufei was stunned for a moment, then laughed in anger.
Wow, it's been so many years since I've encountered a dog barking wildly in front of her.
She rolled up her sleeve slightly, revealing the faint, smooth lines of muscle on her left arm.
It's been so long since she beat someone up, she really misses it, so today she's going to relive her teenage years.
"Feifei." A hand blocked Li Yufei's path.
Li Yufei opened her eyes and looked at Cheng Yuzhou, who was blocking her way, in disbelief.
Having been brought to this point, why did he stop her?
He stopped her?
Is Cheng Yuzhou even a man?!
Just as Li Yufei was about to beat up Cheng Yuzhou as well, she saw Cheng Yuzhou stop her and take a few steps forward.
Bang--!
He suddenly struck, punching the man in the temple.
The tall man suddenly fell to the ground, along with all the tables, chairs, and ornaments that had been knocked over.
He crashed into the overturned chair, was hit in the temple, his eyes rolled back, and he was unresponsive for a full half minute.
The surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
During this period, there were physical conflicts among people, but no one expected that Mr. Zheng, who was always gentle and kind, would actually hit someone, and with such ruthlessness right from the start.
He walked slowly and calmly toward the fallen man—calmly drawing a long arrow from his quiver.
He skillfully twirled a half-meter-long arrow halfway around his fingertip, the sharp arrowhead pointing downwards, held in his fist.
A wave of dizziness washed over him, and the man collapsed to the ground, still unaware of what had just happened. A sharp pain in his arm caused him to scream in agony!
Cheng Yuzhou knelt before him and suddenly plunged the arrow into the inside of his upper arm. Steel pierced through flesh and was driven into the wooden floor!
“I really want to respect everyone’s opinions.” He stood with his back to the light, facing the man who was howling like a pig being slaughtered.
"Unfortunately, the situation is urgent and we cannot allow the arguments to continue indefinitely."
Blood gushed from beneath the arrow, soaking half of his clothes in an instant, leaving a puddle on the red wooden floor.
“Violence is a last resort, and it’s the method I dislike the most.” The young man turned around, his dark pupils filled with cold indifference. “But I also know that violence is an indispensable and most direct and effective means of maintaining order.”
"You son of a bitch!" The man on the ground roared, his eyes bloodshot, "I'll kill you!"
Enraged to the extreme, he disregarded the arrow piercing his arm and rose to charge wildly at Cheng Yuzhou.
Suddenly, cold fingers gripped his forehead, slamming him hard back to the ground.
The man's head slammed against the ground, his vision went black, his head lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness.
Cheng Yuzhou slowly stood up, standing in the dappled, cold light and shadow.
The light cast by the stained glass was dazzling and eerie. In that mesmerizing light, a dizzying dark light seemed to shine in his eyes as well, mysterious and strange.
He turned to the other opposition members and continued his interrupted speech: "I hope everyone will prioritize the overall situation and follow my arrangements."
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Author's Note: That evening
Li Yufei: Hey, Director Daju.
(no
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