Chapter 178: Mainland Evil Cult
Ace left the cabin and returned the magic wand with a ball of light blooming on the top to Shu Li.
Shu Li took the magic wand, looked at his handsome face, and asked in confusion: "How do you know this statue is the God of Darkness?"
When he was a cub, he attended the Midsummer Festival for the first time and listened to the Elf King playing elven poetry, which triggered an illusion, or rather, his soul traveled through time and encountered the Dark God who came to the Crystal Castle to cause trouble, so he remembered his appearance.
Even so, when I suddenly saw the statue, I felt a sense of déjà vu, and did not associate it with the God of Darkness.
As a human, why did Ace recognize the statue as the God of Darkness at first glance?
"Oh, right? How can we be sure of that?" The other teammates were equally puzzled.
Ace asked calmly, "Do you know the most notorious cult on the continent—the Temple of Hodhe?"
"Cult!" Shu Li and his friends widened their eyes in surprise and shook their heads.
They had just left the Fairy Forest and knew nothing about what was happening on the mainland.
So, Ace slowly and calmly explained the science to his teammates.
The believers of the Temple of Hodghe believe in the dark god Miroka Hodghe, and firmly believe that desires and ambitions should be fully released, and that any means can be used to gain benefits.
They regarded all the teachings advocated by the God of Light as hypocritical and destructive of human desires.
They founded a holy religion in the name of Hodhe, and enshrined a statue of the God of Darkness. They prayed daily, hoping that the God of Darkness would return from Hell and lead them to destroy the God of Light and his followers, becoming the true ruler of the world.
Ace's magic mentor told him that over twenty years ago, a friend of his had been bewitched by the Temple of Hodhe, and now enshrined a statue of the God of Darkness in his home. Within the heart of the statue was a Dark Moonstone. Long eroded by the dark power released by the Dark Moonstone, the friend lost his humanity and brutally murdered his wife and daughter... Upon hearing the tragic news, the local Magic Association immediately dispatched magicians to capture the mentor's friend and bring him to justice.
The mentor participated in the arrest operation and was heartbroken to see his friend go astray. He was determined to eradicate the Temple of Hodhe. He wrote to the Magic Tower in the courtyard, requesting that the tower magic send a notice to magic associations across the continent to eliminate the evil cult and purify and save the bewitched humanity.
The believers of the Temple of Hodhe were terrified and went underground, disappearing for a while.
Ace turned to look at the hollow statue in the hut and said calmly, "As for how I know this statue is the God of Darkness, it's because I read my mentor's notes—he copied the statue's appearance, and it's exactly the same as this one."
The goblins and dragons were shocked after hearing what their human classmates said.
The human world is so complicated that there are people who actually believe in the evil god of darkness!
Have they forgotten that in the War of the Gods ten thousand years ago, if it weren't for the gods and believers of light who risked their lives to seal the God of Darkness, the continent of Austin would have been devastated and filled with misery.
Shu Li couldn't help but sigh.
Were those humans who believed in the Temple of Hodhe brainwashed in a pyramid scheme?
Otherwise, no normal person would believe such inhumane nonsense.
Since the Magic Association attacked the Temple of Hodhe everywhere, the believers could only worship the statue of the Dark God in secret.
The original owner of this piece of land was obviously a loyal believer of the Temple of Hodhe. He was afraid that the Magic Association would discover it, so he buried the statue underground.
After all, the Dariya people have the custom of burying statues to protect their homes.
As luck would have it, the statue was buried in the mouse's burrow. The mice were attracted by the power of the Dark Moon Stone and gathered together.
Why did the original owner's son Kerr not live in the old house but sell it to Ram at a low price?
There must be something fishy going on.
He had probably long since discovered the rat-infested house was uncomfortable, leaving it vacant for five years. Having squandered his fortune and running out of money, and knowing Ram was a takeover savior, he sold the land to him, made a killing, and then disappeared.
Ram, on the other hand, thought this place was a Feng Shui treasure land and would rather be infested by rats than move.
How to break this situation?
One rat is not enough, but tens of thousands of rats will become a disaster.
The mice in the forest have natural enemies, so the ecology always remains balanced. There are a limited number of cats in the town, and once the mice over-reproduce, they will become a disaster.
He had just noticed that Ram's family had four cats. However, when their owner was harassed by mice, the four cats hid under the sofa and trembled.
Since they have accepted the task issued by Ram, they must solve the problem perfectly.
Team Light discussed for more than ten minutes and decided to find the Rat King and persuade them to move their nests to the forest.
Rats are different from other animals. If they jump out of Ram's yard wall, the entire town of Kesheng will be in trouble.
"How do we find the Rat King?" asked Desio.
There were so many mice, and it was hard to tell which one looked like the Rat King. Although they understood animal language, they couldn't ask each one, could they?
Look at the mice around, they are all on guard against them!
"The Rat King should be in the small house." Angel said.
"Are you sure?" Budno expressed doubt.
"Whether he's here or not, just ask and you'll know." Kumandi stepped forward, switched languages, and spoke standard Orcish.
"Hello, Rat King. We are magic apprentices sent by the Magic Association. We have an important matter to discuss with you. Could you please come out and meet us?"
The mice that understood the animal language all pricked up their ears and squeaked to communicate among themselves.
For a long while, the Rat King did not respond.
Amanda scratched her head. "Do you need me to yell?"
The roar of the dragon can intimidate all animals.
Shu Li quickly stopped him: "It shouldn't be necessary."
What if Amanda roared? If it shocked the whole town, the Magic Association would be alerted, and then we wouldn't be able to explain ourselves.
Amanda shrugged and spread her hands, saying, "Okay!"
Dixie asked, "Is the Rat King too timid to show up?"
Kumandi frowned and repeated his words in Orcish. Only the squeaking of the baby mice could be heard in the hut.
Shu Li was in a dilemma: "What should I do?"
You can't force them by force, right?
Ace raised his magic wand and said calmly, "Kindness is important, but there must be a bottom line. We respect the Rat King, so we want to negotiate with him. If he doesn't respond, it means he refuses. In that case, don't blame us for eliminating the rat infestation in order to complete our mission."
Shu Li stared at his flawless profile in amazement. She never expected that such a gentle person could have such a ruthless side.
However, as he said, kindness has a bottom line.
From the mice's perspective, they stayed peacefully in their own territory. One day, a group of humans suddenly came, dug up their holes, stole their treasures, and killed their compatriots. They had a deep blood feud and were sworn enemies.
From Ram's perspective, he spent money to buy the land, and everything on the ground and underground belonged to his private property. It was natural for him to take away the Dark Moon Stone, and the rampant rats were an infringement of his rights as the owner of the land.
Both are correct.
But this is human territory after all.
When there are too many rats, plague is likely to break out, posing a threat to human life.
Humans are never merciful when it comes to exterminating rats.
Shu Li didn't want to sentence the mice to death, so the only solution was to ask them to move away with their families.
"Ace, do you need our help?" Angel rolled his eyes and raised his wand. "I just learned some offensive light magic a while ago, and now's a good time to practice on mice."
Ace looked at him, nodded and smiled: "Then let's cast magic together."
"All right!" Angel exclaimed.
"Wait, let's come too!" Budno and Decio raised their magic wands, unwilling to be outdone.
Amanda blinked and followed the movements.
Shu Li's mouth twitched, and he said pretentiously, "I'll make the light ball bigger so everyone can see it clearly."
"Okay!" the friends responded in unison.
Shu Li chanted: "Great God of Light..."
"Humans, you are seeking death!"
A sharp sound came from the hut, and then a small gray mouse jumped out, followed by more than twenty fierce black rats.
The little gray mouse jumped onto the threshold of the cabin and bared its teeth at the intruder outside.
"This is my territory. Why are you asking me to leave? You even want to kill my people? Squeak - they're just a few magic apprentices. I'm going to teach you a lesson!"
Its eyes glowed red, and a beastly roar that did not belong to a mouse came from its throat. The next second, its small body suddenly swelled up.
Team Light was surprised.
"It has been upgraded to a low-level magical beast?" Shu Li was astonished.
It seems that the Dark Moon Stone worked and brought it great benefits. No wonder it hated the Ram family so much.
"Wow—it's gotten so big!" Budno was stunned.
"Not as big as me...us." Amanda grinned.
The Rat King's body continued to expand, getting bigger and bigger, exceeding the size of cats and dogs, and becoming as big as cows and horses.
"Ah! It's a bit too big!" Dizio exclaimed softly, "It... the rat behind it is also getting bigger!"
Team Light retreated several meters, watching helplessly as the twenty or so rats swelled up. The hut was clearly too small for them, and soon the walls were crumbling under the pressure.
The enlarged rats cleverly jumped out of the hut and surrounded the magic apprentices with murderous eyes.
Being stared at by more than 20 low-level magical beasts, the little goblin and the little dragon remained calm.
When they were in their "hometown", they often dealt with high-level monsters, so this small battle was nothing to be afraid of.
As for Ace, who is a human, his magic wand was always pointed at the Rat King who was as big as a bull, and his emerald green eyes were extremely sharp.
"Squeak—roar—" The Rat King scraped his sharp claws against the ground and threatened viciously, "I will kill you here today!"
“Squeak, squeak, squeak—”
Following the Rat King's cry, all the rats in the house gathered in the backyard.
The Ram family, who were shivering in the air wall in the living room, were surprised to find that all the mice had run away.
Have the seven magic apprentices found a way to get rid of the rats?
In the backyard, Shu Li saw thousands of rats rushing in like a tide. His scalp tightened and he clenched his magic wand, feeling the urge to cast a silent spell.
Ahhhhh——
So many mice!
His trypophobia is about to break out!
However, as the captain, he must confront the Rat King calmly and never give in.
"Rat King, we negotiate with you in good faith," he said in Orcish. "If you insist on fighting, we can accompany you to the end. Don't underestimate the magic apprentice."
The Rat King roared, refusing to negotiate, and rushed forward fiercely with his limbs moving.
They are just magic apprentices, guys who can't even recite spells skillfully. Once the spell is interrupted, they will become a group of ordinary humans with no attack power.
The Rat King and the soldiers behind him are experienced in battle. Rats of all sizes attack together and are about to overwhelm Team Light.
Shu Li was quick-witted and waved the magic wand in his hand, shouting: "Go——"
The ball of light condensed at the top of the magic wand for lighting was thrown out in an instant.
The Rat King was startled and screamed, "Disperse!"
The leader mouse retreated cleverly and escaped the disaster, but the ordinary mice were not so lucky. The light ball fell and exploded like a bomb.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak—”
The attacked mouse died instantly.
"Great Wind God Wendis Inol, I am Estelle, your faithful follower. I ask you to command the wind element to gather around me and build a defensive air wall for me."
The blond magic apprentice chanted a wind defense spell in a gorgeous and elegant voice.
In an instant, a wall of air separated the rats and Team Light.
Shu Li gave the blond magic apprentice a thumbs-up and praised, "Ace, well done!"
The human student's reaction speed was amazing! While he was swung the light ball to scare the mouse, he took the opportunity to set up defenses to protect himself and his companions.
The magician is a fragile profession. When engaged in battle, he must either distance himself from the enemy or put on a protective shield for himself.
In this situation, surrounded by tens of thousands of rats, an air isolation wall is the best choice.
"Squeak—hiss—" The Rat King was furious when he saw that the magic apprentice had set up an air wall and he was unable to break through it.
He tilted his head and uttered strange words, and from the small house behind him, a dark force suddenly surged out.
Shu Li was stunned.
This strong dark power actually came from the statue in the house!
Ace said coldly, "These rats have been corrupted by the power of darkness."
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