Chapter 94: Establishing a Sect [VIP]
[Taming] skill activated!
The silvery-white light flashed by so quickly that it almost seemed like an illusion.
The young NPC just dazed for a moment, his facial expression did not change at all, he still looked well-behaved and a little pitiful, as if the "contract" that was enough to change his fate just now was just a breeze blowing by.
"Let's go." Lin Chen was in a good mood. He pulled up the newly acquired top-notch NPC and prepared to return upstairs.
When the two took the elevator back to the almost demolished laboratory upstairs, the scientist NPC was still diligently spreading her theory of "God is the only truth, and the path to evolution is right under our feet" to the remaining researchers and security NPCs.
Her voice was filled with fanaticism and bewitchment, and combined with her intelligence enhanced by [Faith Infusion], the effect was outstanding.
【Researcher C has become your shallow believer! 】
[Security Captain D's faith level in you has been upgraded to that of a believer!]
【Your number of believers has reached 25! 】
"Lord! You are back!" The scientist NPC immediately discovered Lin Chen and the handsome boy behind her who looked somewhat familiar.
She immediately came forward excitedly as if she had found her backbone.
Lin Chen looked at the handsome NPC in front of him with an intelligence of 185, a charm of 150, and a master of both acting and deception, and suddenly a brilliant idea came to his mind.
She pointed at the scientist NPC, then at the NPCs who were still wavering, and gave the boy NPC a look that said, "You know what I mean." "Go help her."
The young NPC was slightly startled, then smiled a perfect, slightly shy yet resolute smile. His voice was gentle yet powerful, "As you command, Miss Player. I'm happy to share your concerns with Ms. Grappa."
After saying that, he took brisk steps and took the initiative to walk towards the scientist NPC and the group of NPCs.
The scene that followed could only be described as a "dimensionality reduction attack."
If the scientist NPC's missionary method is "theoretical indoctrination + fanatical infection", then the addition of the shota NPC directly elevates this "faith conversion ceremony" to the level of art.
He was not as passionate as the scientist NPC, but spoke to each NPC in a gentle tone like a spring breeze.
He always managed to accurately grasp everyone's deepest desires and fears, using the most appropriate words to soothe and guide them. This was coupled with his deceptively pretty face, impeccable aristocratic manners, and the occasional "oracle interpretations" that occasionally emerged from that little mouth, sounding plausible but ultimately utterly illogical upon closer inspection...
The effect is simply 1+1 is far greater than 100!
Under his patient guidance, the confusion and fear in the eyes of those NPCs who had been hesitant at first quickly faded, replaced by a more determined and purer enthusiasm. Their faith values skyrocketed!
【Your number of devout believers has reached 25! 】
【Your number of believers has reached 48! 】
[Faith module experience value greatly increased! ]
Lin Chen watched from the side in amazement.
Wow, this NPC, what a waste of talent if he doesn't go into MLM! His business skills perfectly complement the scientist NPC who only uses advanced theories and personal charm to force his way to victory!
From now on, the farm’s ideological and political work, no, the work of spreading faith, can be completely handed over to the two of them!
"Well done!" The player was extremely happy and activated [Vector Manipulation] to make himself fly lightly. He patted the shoulders of the scientist NPC who was talking excitedly and the boy NPC with a "holy light shining" expression on his face to show his encouragement.
At this moment, the handsome NPC tilted his head slightly and, with a tone of reverence and perfectly placed anticipation, sighed softly, "Ms. Grappa's theories and my fleeting descriptions are ultimately just miraculous illusions. If... if a tangible miracle were to occur, allowing everyone to witness your mighty power with their own eyes, surely their faith would be even more devout and unbreakable, right?"
Huh? A miracle?
Lin Chen tilted his head, thinking that this suggestion made sense.
Although she didn't care whether these NPCs were devout or not, the word "miracle" sounded very interesting! Besides, in general, there would be achievements or special rewards for such large-scale wonders in games, right?
She thought about it and took out a seed from her system backpack.
[Bud of Life: Radiating warmth, the environment around it flourishes wherever it takes root. Barren wastelands become fertile soil, withered vegetation sprouts once more, and clear springs burst forth from the earth. Approach it, and your bones and muscles seem to come alive, wriggling and proliferating, creating an unbearable itch. "The mortal body nurtures, and life is endless."]
"This should work." Lin Chen weighed the seeds in his hand, then glanced at the NPCs around him who had become even more excited and enthusiastic because of the words of the NPC Zhengtai. Fortunately, he kindly reminded them, "It might be a bit... uh, spectacular? You'd better stay away."
After saying that, she felt it was not safe, so she used [shield] and then [arrow] to slowly rise into the air together with herself.
After completing all these preparations, Lin Chen moved the [in his hand] closer to the laboratory floor below which had become clogged with dirt due to the previous battle.
She didn't plant the seeds directly because as a person from Xianzhou, she knew very well the power of the thing.
After all, it is a bud on Jianmu, so it is never too careful.
If it really took root, it wouldn't just turn the entire planet into a primeval forest. On this technologically backward planet, she couldn't even imagine the scale of the chaos that would unfold if all living things were immortal.
Players don’t want to have to parkour between towering trees every time they go out to run around in the future!
Um...but I saved the game and played it wrong.
The player was thinking aimlessly, but his hands never stopped moving.
Then, just get close.
When the [Bud of Life] was still several meters from the ground, a miracle happened.
An indescribable, warm and majestic breath of life gushed out from the tiny seed like a torrent bursting through a dam, instantly sweeping across the entire space!
The cold steel wreckage, broken concrete blocks, solidified blood stains on the ground... all traces that symbolize destruction and death, were melted and transformed at a speed visible to the naked eye under the impact of this breath of life!
The hard alloy ground became soft like soil moistened by spring rain, and patches of fresh green broke through the ground and fluttered in the wind.
The broken walls were covered with vibrant vines, and in a blink of an eye, they were filled with colorful flowers, emitting a refreshing fragrance.
The destroyed instruments and equipment, the twisted metal pipes, and even the punctured ceiling... everything was covered, swallowed up, and reshaped by this sudden and incredible torrent of life!
In just a dozen seconds, the underground base that was originally dark and depressing, like a post-apocalyptic wasteland, was completely transformed into a fantasy and vibrant underground forest!
Clear springs gurgle from the cracks in the rocks, forming winding streams that flow happily through the lush vegetation. The air is filled with the fragrance of soil and flowers, and occasionally a few colorful butterflies flutter through the blooming flowers.
Sunlight - although I don't know where it comes from, it shines down so realistically, filtering through layers of leaves and casting mottled light and shadows on the ground.
All the NPCs who witnessed this, whether they were newly converted believers or the scientist and boy NPCs protected by shields, were all in extreme shock at this moment, with their mouths and eyes wide open, and they even forgot to breathe.
This mighty power that can directly transform "death" into "life" and reshape "ruins" into "fairyland" is completely beyond their cognition!
Lin Chen looked at the scene in front of him with satisfaction, as well as the expressions on the faces of those NPCs as if they had seen a ghost... no, as if they had seen a god. Then he slowly put the [Bud of Life] back into the system backpack.
As soon as the seeds left, the majestic breath of life receded like the tide, but the underground forest that had already formed in front of them did not change at all. It was still full of vitality and incredible energy.
[An NPC has been automatically assigned to you.]
Your Fanatic Scientist NPC has been assigned the role of Divine Envoy! She has acquired a new skill: Life's Ode!
[Your follower, a young NPC, has been designated as the 'Holy Son'! He has acquired a new skill: Divine Words (Fake)!]
[Your believers have witnessed the miracle, and their faith has been unprecedentedly strengthened and sublimated! A large amount of faith power is pouring in!]
【Faith module level upgrade! 】
[The Faith Mission has been automatically replaced and completed: Build a Temple.]
【Faith skill tree unlocked! 】
A series of system prompts flashed before Lin Chen's eyes, leaving her overwhelmed.
Sure enough, creating wonders is the fastest way to gain faith! The player is really a little genius!
On the system interface, a brand new tab [Faith Module] replaced the previous task completion prompt. The icon was a simple abstract symbol emitting soft white light, with a small red exclamation mark next to it, indicating that there was new content that had not been viewed.
"Oh, the new function has been unlocked." Lin Chen skillfully clicked on the tab.
As expected of players themselves, the interface design is always so concise and clear, getting straight to the point.
The first thing that caught my eye was a very eye-catching prompt box: [Please name your sect. A loud, unique name that reflects your power will be the first step to attracting more lost lambs (high-quality leeks)!]
Below is an input box.
"Naming it?" The player's brow furrowed in confusion again. "It's this part again. Can't they just default to calling it 'Player's Sect' or number 001 or something like that?"
At the very least, couldn't the game designers have provided a 'randomly generated but sounds awesome' option?!
She casually typed "Teach Me Anything" into the input box, and the system immediately popped up a red warning: [The name is too perfunctory and has been rejected. Please demonstrate your creativity and majesty as a deity.]
"Tsk, that's quite strict." Lin Chen curled his lips and tried a few more such as "Lie Flat Cult", "Slacking Off God's Choice", and "Salted Fish Supremacy". All of them were rejected without exception. The reasons included but were not limited to "lack of sacredness", "inconsistency with core doctrines (although the players themselves don't know what the core doctrines are)", and "suspected of spreading bad ideas".
"What? These names are obviously very unique and they are good or bad!" The player muttered unconvinced.
What she hates most is thinking of a name. For someone who is bad at naming, this step is simply an inhumane design!
"System, help me think of one." Lin Chen decisively began to call his universal tool man (consciousness).
The system was silent for a few seconds, and then a line of words automatically appeared in the input box: [The First Path].
"The First Path?" Lin Chen muttered, feeling... well, it was okay. It wasn't particularly explosive, but at least it didn't sound like some quack sect from a third-rate online novel. It was barely passable. It was better than having her rack her brains only to be rejected.
[The sect "The First Path" has been established! ]
Accompanied by a very epic background music, the naming interface disappeared, and the main interface of the [Faith Module] appeared before our eyes, clearly divided into two sections: [Faith Skill Tree] and [Sect Management].
Lin Chen first clicked on the [Faith Skill Tree], and a progressive skill list unfolded, giving him the familiar feeling of leveling up in a game. Each skill was clearly marked with a "Lv. 1/3" or "Lv. 1 (not upgradeable)" indicator.
The lowest basic skill is [Listen to the People Lv.1 (non-upgradeable)]: can sense the strong prayers of devout believers (no upper limit, shielding can be adjusted freely).
The first skill branch connected to [Listen to the People] is [God's Descent Ritual Lv. 1]: This skill can send down a clone of the consciousness equal to 5% of the original power (12-hour cooldown) at the location of a statue with faith that meets the required level, or directly teleport the original body. Three clones can exist simultaneously. The more devout the statue's faith, the longer the clone lasts and the stronger its power.
"Only 5% of the strength? It's a bit weak, but it should be enough to clear out small monsters or serve as a mobile eyeliner. Teleportation is still better. It doesn't consume and is very free." Lin Chen stroked his chin and thought. In the future, he will have to issue more tasks to let the scientist NPCs build statues. The more the better, and it would be best if they can go anywhere in the world.
Next are a few passive enhancement skills:
[Faith Drain Level 1]: Automatically draws a small amount of faith power from all believers daily. There is a 1% chance to receive a portion of a believer's daily income (random type and amount) as an offering.
"Daily minimum living allowance and probability lottery? I like it!" Lin Chen's eyes began to sparkle again. "Although the 1% probability is a bit low, what if a believer suddenly digs up a gold mine or wins the lottery? Even a mosquito leg is meat!"
[Divine Blessing Lv. 1]: Consumes the power of faith to grant a single, minor blessing to a single devout believer (e.g., temporarily boosting a random attribute by 10 points for 1 hour, or granting a level 1 general skill for 24 hours). Usable 30 times per day.
"This is great. We can give the tool characters some targeted enhancements. For example, we can temporarily increase the intelligence of the scientist NPC to make her research more efficient, or increase the 'persuasiveness' of the boy NPC to make his preaching more effective."
[Soul Resonance Lv.1]: After establishing a soul link with a fanatic, there is a 5% chance to temporarily borrow one of their non-core skills (level not exceeding the player's own level) when acting together, lasting 10 minutes.
"Borrow temporarily? And there's only a 5% chance?" Lin Chen was a little disappointed with the effect of this skill, but then he thought, "It's better than nothing. What if I encounter a fanatic with special skills in the future? Borrowing a skill at a critical moment might be very effective. Yeah, we need to recruit more unique talents from the scientist and boy NPCs."
After browsing the [Faith Skill Tree] (Lv.1 stage) with satisfaction, Lin Chen clicked on [Sect Management].
The interface switched instantly, and a list similar to personnel management software appeared. On the left was the [List of Believers], and on the right were detailed [Clergy Structure], [Doctrinal Outline (to be edited)], [Temple Distribution (0/1)], [Faith Data Statistics], etc.
In the [List of Believers], the names of the scientist NPC and the young NPC are listed prominently, followed by their faith level (Messenger of God, Son of God) and some basic attributes.
Lin Chen only took a cursory glance and felt dizzy at the dense array of options and data.
"It's indeed this kind of business simulation thing." She was not surprised at all, and without hesitation, she found a familiar [System Hosting] button in the upper right corner of the interface and clicked it.
[System AI has taken over the daily management of the sect. Key decisions and resource allocation will be reported to you.]
"Perfect!" Lin Chen happily closed the [Faith Module] interface. Professional matters should be left to the professional AI. Players only need to make the final decision at the critical moment and reap the rewards.
The initial understanding of the Faith Module was also completed, and the two newly acquired potential NPCs had also found their respective "positions." The exploration of this underground base could be said to have exceeded the mission.
Lin Chen stretched and felt refreshed.
It's time to get out of this dark basement and go outside to breathe some fresh air!
Oh, and I have to take the little NPC back to school! Hehehe, he's also 12 years old, so he can go to junior high school with Chuuya.
The player couldn't help but feel smug about his perfect ability to pick up children.
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