Seeing that Shi Jinzhe was paying attention to Pusheng, Shehe randomly pointed to a teammate and said to Ji Hui, "Help him hold his chin."
Ji Hui came to the bedside, grabbed Gao Lun's jaw with his hand.
A drop of black-gold corrosive liquid oozed from Shekh's fingertip, hovering precariously over his lips. "Dare to utter a single lie, and you will bear the consequences."
Gao Lun said "Ah, ah" twice to indicate that he understood.
Ji Hui looked at Shehe, and seeing her nod, released Gao Lun.
"These two statues belong to two religious sects that existed a very, very long time ago..."
Because he had been petrified for so long, Gao Lun took a deep breath and calmed down before continuing.
"The white stone statue holding a wheat stalk is known as the god of rain and harvest. He is believed to control nature and is considered to be the embodiment of heaven. Therefore, many people pray to him during the planting and harvesting seasons each year."
Not only farmers, but also royalty and nobility, prayed to Him because only when commoners were well-fed would they not cause trouble. Thus, the powerful and wealthy would also pray to Him for favorable weather and abundant harvests. Furthermore, because commoners who couldn't afford medical care often suffered from various illnesses and accidents during the busy farming season, some would also pray to Him for good health. Over time, people began to call Him the God of Prayer.
Shekh: "The white one is for praying to the gods, and this one is black."
“The one in black holding an arrow is what we call the god of war and glory.” Goren’s gaze shifted to the ground. “He is usually worshipped by the upper class, especially the nobility.”
"Turn your head back, what are you feeling guilty about?"
Goren didn't argue, and obediently turned back, "Before each war, the soldiers and nobles would pray to Him to win the war."
Shi Jinzhe: "Is that all you have? Aren't you going to pray for a safe and triumphant return?"
"…pray."
Shi Jinzhe could tell something was wrong just by looking at his attitude. "Which god are you praying to? A deity?"
Gao Lun was speechless, not understanding why this person was so sensitive, and nodded resignedly.
"It is the God of Prayer who takes away the pain. If you want to return safely, you have to pray to the God of Prayer. I don't know why, but it is the custom that has been passed down. The elders say that the God of War and Glory only governs war. He only brings glory, but he will not guarantee your safety."
Yan Ruoying rolled her eyes. "You want both victory and a safe return? What's so great about war? If it's an aggressive war, do you expect God to be your babysitter?"
Goren: "...so we prayed separately."
Pusheng: "Ha, so you nobles pray to quite a few gods."
Gao Lun: "There are only two, so there's no conflict."
Shekh pondered for a couple of seconds, then asked Goren, "Where are the temples of these two gods?"
She has been to many places, and even within the same religious system, there are differences of faith. It is impossible for believers of the God of God and the God of War and Glory to coexist peacefully.
War is bound to result in death and injury. Generals may be nobles, but soldiers may not. Their families will certainly have specific motives when it comes to praying for this cause.
Goren's eyes darted around. "The nearest temple ruins are in Zone 2, and they've already been leveled."
"Whose temple is Zone Two?"
"God of War and Glory".
Where is the place for prayer?
“In other cities.”
“Give me the address.”
"..."
Shekh raised his hand and gestured with his chin toward Ji Hui, "Open your mouth."
"In Cloud City!"
She stopped. "The temple for praying to the gods isn't in the nine great cities?"
"Not here..."
Realizing he couldn't hide it any longer, Gao Lun told the truth, "The God of Prayer is the deity worshipped in other countries. Further west of the Dead City is the territory of the God of Prayer. Here, we only worship the God of War and Glory." He added at the end, "In the past, all of these were beliefs of the past."
Yan Ruoying: "Oh...no wonder most of the stone statues we see in District 24 are black."
Shi Jinzhe tapped his fingers on the table in turn, "Is Cloud City under the Queen's control? Does it have a communication tower?"
"The Queen unified the entire continent, but Cloud City is gone," Gao Lun said. "Except for the nine major cities, all the cities without high walls for protection have disappeared."
At this point, he became melancholy, “In the end, only nine cities remained on the entire continent. The rest of the land was barren forest. No one could live there. There was a terrifying black mist that would devour everything. Once you touched it, not even bones would be left.”
Shi Jinzhe and Shehe's eyes met. Why is it black mist again?
He asked, "When did this fog start appearing?"
"I can't remember exactly, but it's been like this for a long time. When I was a child, my family told me not to leave the city and not to go near the high walls."
As Gao Lun lay on the bed, looking at the five people standing around it, he felt as if they were waiting for him to die as he lay in bed on his deathbed.
It's absurd. Ever since a man and a woman suddenly appeared in his secret passage last night, his experiences have become bizarre.
First he was petrified, then he was tortured. He didn't dare close his eyes for a day and a night, always feeling that something even more unbelievable would happen in the next second.
Sure enough, he immediately heard Shi Jinzhe ask him, "How much do you know about Madam Mo?"
“Madam Mo…” Gao Lun’s tone was tinged with sadness when he mentioned this name, as if he were being reminded of something else in a different sense.
Shi Jinzhe found it unpleasant to hear and reminded him, "Speak properly."
"..."
Under pressure, Gao Lun swallowed back what he shouldn't have said. "Mrs. Mo and I were about to get engaged, but one day she left without any reason, leaving me with nothing but 'I'm sorry'."
Sher ran her fingers through her hair, and a scene flashed back to her in a dream: silky long hair, a tall and slender figure—that figure must be Madam Mo.
"Has she ever acted strangely?"
"Yes, she had amnesia a long time ago, and she has no memory of what she did for half a month."
Shehe understood that when Bai Weishuang tied the ribbon for her and told her not to take it off, she used Madam Mo's body.
Bai Weishuang's body is still with Mu Bai, but it should still be in Madam Mo's body.
She suddenly left Gao Lun more than 20 years ago because Bai Weishuang intentionally avoided the person she was most familiar with.
Sheh tore off the tattered clothes, and when he looked over, she used the prop [Silent Sound] to say silently, "If Bai Weishuang is inside Madam Mo's body, then what about the real Madam Mo?"
“It’s also possible that one body has two souls.” Shi Jinzhe spoke to her in encrypted form, and the two turned their backs to each other at the same time, leaving Gao Lun completely confused.
“Your mother was taken away by the system, and you’ve seen her true appearance… Wait a minute,” Shi Jinzhe suddenly stopped, “Do your memories in your dream have a chronological order? What did she look like when you first saw her?”
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