day4
[Turbid Nutrient Solution] +1, [Rotten Antidote] +1, Poison Making Talent ↑.
Xia Ning downed a bottle of [Basic Nutritional Supplement] to maintain her stamina.
-
Today is the day to judge heretics. Early in the morning, the town's bells rang, and all those who were not infected went to the town square to witness this "just verdict."
Greta's tavern is located right on the edge of the square, so Xia Ning can see everything in the square through the second-floor window.
Although the fog affected visibility, it was still better than risking getting lost in the crowd.
Xia Ning stood in Greta's room, her figure hidden behind the curtains, leaving only a small gap for using the binoculars.
"If only I had an invisibility cloak," Xia Ning couldn't help but mutter to herself.
The younger sister stood on Xia Ning's head: "Gurgle~ Gurgle~"
"Go away," Xia Ning shooed her sister away, "If I could share vision with you, that would be an awesome reconnaissance combo."
Unfortunately, it doesn't work.
She and her sister stared at each other for a long time during her free time.
Xia Ning: (?-?)
Sister: (?Θ?)
As a result, he almost became cross-eyed and didn't develop any new skills.
Unlicensed animal trainers are just lame.
Unable to find any new cheat codes, Xia Ning had no choice but to rely on her own eyes to observe.
-
Where people gathered, flames roared and thick smoke billowed.
Several men numbly added firewood, making the fire burn even more fiercely.
Before long, a short, strong man appeared leading a group of men.
"Three cursed bodies."
The leader of the militia, Aug, waved his hand, and his followers immediately laid the three corpses side by side on the ground. The residents in the square all looked solemn.
In this age of rampant curses, death is nothing unusual, but these three men clearly did not die from disease. Green vines grew from their eye sockets, coiled around their bodies, and devoured their flesh and blood, leaving their corpses utterly shriveled.
"The gray fog above." The old priest unconsciously clenched the cross on his chest.
Three unrecognizable corpses were left exposed in full view of the public, and no relatives claimed them. They were then thrown into a bonfire by a fully armed militia team.
The pungent smell of burning human skin filled the air, making people nauseous.
Aug was a strong, middle-aged man who volunteered to become the town's policing captain, ostensibly to prevent thugs from looting during the chaos, but in reality, he immediately seized the center of power.
Aug wore the suit left behind by the former mayor in his hasty escape. The suit, tailor-made for his tall and thin frame, looked out of place on him, yet despite how comical it appeared, Aug insisted on wearing it as his captain's uniform. It was as if, in doing so, he was no longer the butcher he once was, but a truly important figure.
The remaining residents of the town initially didn't take it seriously, busy dealing with the curse, but before they knew it, Aug had actually acquired his own armed force.
Og, who craved power, would not allow the remaining residents to leave the town. He also feared that the Mistlocked Faction, represented by the priest, was too influential, so he forbade people from going to the church to pray.
In fact, his identity has indeed changed somewhat. His current duty is not only to fight against thugs, but also to deal with some unknown creature waiting for him.
However, Aug, who was not ensnared by the fog but blinded by power, was unaware of this at the moment.
-
Greta huddled behind her father, Albert, not daring to get too close, fearing that her childhood friend Lauren might be among the three corpses.
Greta, huddled in the crowd, carefully observed the expressions of those around her. The messenger of the gray mist had said she was the second person, but she didn't know what role she could play.
She dared not question the messenger's decision. She was afraid that one day her mother would also become a horrific corpse and be pushed into the fire, and even more afraid... of becoming like her aunts and uncles.
There were three new corpses, their deaths so gruesome. They were clearly the people who had escaped from the town, yet they died in a cave on the outskirts of the town.
Is the gray fog punishing them for their betrayal, or are they being attacked by demons because they left the gray fog's protection?
Either possibility is terrifying.
But the people around them looked so numb; they had even lost their initial panic.
Greta believed that it was a terrible thing for a person to lose the sense of fear.
Greta had an idea in her mind that she had never told her parents or written in her diary.
She felt that the demons outside were hunting down the flesh and blood of the townspeople, while the gray fog was sucking their souls.
After being chosen by the gray fog, she felt a strange sense of relief.
She believed that the gray fog would eventually take her soul, so she could say to the apostle without hesitation, "I am willing to offer my soul."
Greta feared she would be the last conscious person in town.
-
The town-wide meeting did not end with the burning of the three bodies.
On the contrary, the main event is just beginning.
A young man wearing handcuffs and shackles was pushed forward. He had black hair and black eyes and an Asian appearance.
Aug shouted, "We also found him in the cave where we found the body, this stranger who had been wandering the edge of town for who knows how many days."
The young man said, "I'm here to investigate the origin of the mist."
Aug said dismissively, "What have you found out? Is it a gift from God or a trap set by the devil?"
The young man said, "It's an illusion."
Aug scoffed.
A glint of light flashed in the militia captain's narrow eyes—the light of an ambitious, greedy man.
He proclaimed, “This treacherous stranger is a liar; I suspect he is a messenger sent by the devil to undermine our morale.”
At this moment, a shout erupted from the crowd. At first, it was just one person, but then more and more people joined in the shouting—
"Judgment by Flames!"
"Judgment by Flames!"
"Judgment by Flames!"
...
Greta's face turned deathly pale, and she quietly took a few steps back. She resisted the urge to look back at the windowsill; at that moment, she felt as if everyone around her had become puppets.
Greta was flustered. She wondered what the messenger of the gray fog would think if he saw this scene.
-
Xia Ning wondered what kind of trick the other party was up to.
Clearly, this player voluntarily allowed himself to be caught and held up; he wanted to use the militia's influence to attract the attention of all the natives and other players hiding in the shadows.
He succeeded.
The young man was tied to a cross, but he didn't look like someone being judged; instead, he held his head high, proudly like a victor.
His face, illuminated by the firelight, showed no fear.
The young man declared loudly, "We're all blinded by the fog; there's no need for us to stay here and fight each other! Believe me, as long as we leave the town at the same time, we'll meet the requirements for clearing the level..."
As he spoke, the earth burst into flames, and the rising flames soared like a torrential rain, spitting out thousands of red tongues that instantly engulfed him.
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