“You’re right, it’s time to change all this, but it’s not that easy to change things…” The old man sighed, his thin body revealing helplessness and desolation.
The forces on the island who support sacrificing the Chosen of Dawn to light the lighthouse are too powerful, stemming from their obsession with light.
If the problem of darkness cannot be fundamentally resolved, then there is no possibility that their mindset will change in the slightest.
"Perhaps we have come here to change all of this. To tell you the truth, I have come by divine will, to bring true light back to this island."
Phil Gray spoke slowly, believing that the prophet of the day, who had given him the advice to light the lighthouse, did not mean that they should use their lives as fuel, but that there were other solutions.
The old man looked at him in disbelief, "Really? The gods haven't abandoned us?"
“Yes, although you have harmed His followers, He will not abandon anyone who believes in the light. I only hope that after you have obtained the light, you can atone for your sins against these innocent people and cleanse yourselves of your sins through the actions of your descendants for generations!” Phil Gray said sternly, pointing to the stone tablet.
"Okay, I believe you." The old man's eyes filled with tears.
For some reason, he felt that what the outsider said was so true that he really believed that their gods had sent an envoy to save them!
"Elder Mi, so you've been here all along! I was wondering why I couldn't find you anywhere. You didn't know, did you? We have a distinguished guest!"
Just then, a hoarse male voice accompanied by several footsteps appeared in their ears, followed by two elderly men with gray hair, and behind them were many familiar faces.
Phil Gray was slightly taken aback; it was their team.
Elder Mi's expression changed drastically. He composed himself, his fingers tracing the engravings on the stone tablets. "Yes, I've come to see them. Are these the distinguished guests Elder Li and Elder Mu mentioned?"
He shifted his gaze from the stone tablet to the person who had come.
Elder Li pointed to the crowd behind him and said, "Yes, Elder Mi, you would never guess that most of these distinguished guests are followers of the Dawn Cult. We never thought we would meet so many people from the Dawn Cult. We are so lucky!"
He looked at Elder Glen and the knights, his eyes filled with fanaticism and a hint of greed.
Elder Mu, standing beside him, also looked as excited as if he had seen a god. "You've come to save us, haven't you? Light! We're about to have light!"
Phil Gray sneered inwardly. Before, he might have thought that these islanders were yearning for light and expressing their respect for them. But now, it seemed that their eyes clearly wanted to devour them alive and use them as fuel to light the lighthouse!
Perhaps because he was too angry, he felt a cold gaze sweep over him.
"Elder Mi, who is this? Isn't he a servant of the temple? How did he get into the temple so easily?" Elder Li's eyes suddenly fixed on Phil Gray, and he asked with a puzzled expression.
Phil Gray felt it wasn't the right time to reveal his identity; he wanted to freely investigate the island's true situation rather than be surrounded by these two old men listening to their lies.
If they had followed their companions from the beginning, they might not have known these inside stories at all.
Thinking of this, he gestured to Elder Mi with his eyes, then wrapped his head tightly in his black robe, shrinking his body and looking frightened.
Elder Mi glanced at him, looking indifferent. "This is someone who was sent to the temple to learn knowledge a few days ago. I saw that he was quite clever and could be trained, so I took him with me."
"Oh, that's very good. Over the years, the intellectual capacity of the island's inhabitants has deteriorated so much that it's not easy to find even a few smart people!" Elder Li said with a sigh, believing his words.
"Enough of that, Elder Mi. You're in charge of managing the island's supplies. Is there anything good left in the warehouse? Take it out and treat our distinguished guest," Elder Mu said.
“No need, we’re not hungry. It’s just that one of our companions has gone missing. Could you please help us look for him on the island?” Martin stepped forward and said anxiously.
Phil Gray noticed that the others also looked preoccupied, indicating that they were all quite worried about their safety.
I'll find a chance to tell them I'm alright later.
"Oh, your companions are also followers of the Dawn Cult?" Elder Mu's eyes lit up.
“Yes.” Martin nodded, without giving it much thought.
Elder Gelan carefully examined every part of the temple with a serious expression.
"Alright, don't worry, we will definitely help you find it." Elder Li patted his chest. "I'll have someone lead a search team right away. Elder Mu, please introduce our temple to these guests first."
"Alright, everyone, please look. This stone tablet was built to commemorate the pioneers on our island who sought the light. A thousand years ago, the island was plunged into darkness. It was the pioneers who led the people to build five lighthouses and brought three hundred years of light to the island with their own lives. The names that follow are also heroes who made great contributions in the pursuit of light. They lit the lighthouses one after another, bringing light to the island. Therefore, they are here to be admired by generations of us..." Elder Mu pointed to the stone tablet and told the story with great passion, completely concealing the darkness and conspiracy behind the story.
"Light the lighthouse?" Elder Glen grasped the key point.
"Yes, we also have a favor to ask of you all." Elder Mu suddenly knelt down in front of them, catching everyone off guard.
"The reason our island worships the sun and so reveres the Dawn God is because only those favored by the Dawn God can help us light the lighthouse. Therefore, I hope you can help us light the lighthouse. This is not difficult; it only requires a little bit of your divine power. It is a small favor for you, but it will allow more than 100,000 people on our island to embrace the light again! We will also engrave your names on the stone tablet to remember your kindness!"
Elder Mu spoke with tears streaming down his face, looking at them with expectant and pleading eyes.
If one did not know the truth, which member of the Dawn Cult could refuse such a request from a group of pitiful believers who still worshipped the sun in the darkness?
Only a tiny bit of divine power is needed...
How absurd! Phil Gray watched Elder Wood's performance with a cold eye.
Elder Mu continued, "We can first light the lighthouse in the center of the island, which is near the temple. Once its light illuminates every part of the island, your companions will be able to see it and will come to join you, won't they?"
Elder Glen and the others did not seem to doubt his words, but agreed to Elder Mu's request and planned to light the central lighthouse first.
“Go and assist them, give them a hand,” Elder Mi said to Phil Gray, who was standing beside him.
"Aren't you going? Elder Mi, don't you want to see the moment when we usher in the light?" Elder Mu asked, puzzled.
"I need to hurry up and take stock of the supplies on the island. The savior will be arriving in a little over ten days, and I need to prepare to report the situation on the island to him," Elder Mi said calmly. "This child is very clever. Just tell him what to do."
“Alright.” Elder Mu nodded, glanced at Phil Gray, and then turned to look at the guests with a fawning smile. However, having been in the dark for so long, he didn’t realize how distorted his expression was.
Phil Gray nodded, pretending not to speak, and followed behind them.
While Elder Mu walked ahead, he subtly activated his divine power of destiny and quickly walked to Ernest's side.
The moment the power of fate appeared, Ernest sensed it. He turned his head sharply until he saw Phil Gray pull down his hood, wink at him, and then quickly put it back down, continuing to hunch over and pretend to be a native of the island.
Only when he saw his own emperor did he breathe a sigh of relief and put aside his worries of the past few days.
He patted Eli's arm with the hilt of his sword, then pointed to the black-robed men following behind them.
Eli realized this and gave a playful smile.
Their boss saw them but didn't acknowledge them. It seems there's something interesting going on here!
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