Chapter 24: Ritual Sunset "What made you think of carving a rabbit?"...
"What made you think of carving a rabbit?" I asked Li An casually.
Li An stopped working briefly and did a set of radio gymnastics on the spot.
She replied: "I just carved it when I thought of it. Do I need a reason?" She is an intuitive person who doesn't even do rough drafts, so of course she doesn't need a reason.
The draft book that Rabbit took away was her only one.
However, if I must say...
"Maybe it's because I've been looking at that rabbit a lot lately, and I couldn't help but think of it when I was carving."
Just be silent.
I knew I shouldn't ask this, and I wouldn't get a real answer.
He must have felt the call of the divine being in the dark, and couldn't wait to make everything he saw his own.
As long as the divine nature has not yet been revived, the objects corresponding to these carvings must belong to Li'an.
It won’t be too far.
The black cat has already felt the oppression of fate.
"So what are you going to carve next?" The next one is what you want.
Li An finished the last exercise of gymnastics and felt that she had almost exercised enough.
"Well, maybe a bird."
She laughed: "Maybe it's a mandarin duck."
She finally remembered what species the colorful bird was.
The mandarin ducks are loyal and stick together through life and death.
*
Shanju was taken away by a group of people in the completely opposite direction of Sakerui.
The treatment in the cells is different, and the treatment when being escorted away is also different.
But it's not without benefits.
At least after leaving that environment, he was finally able to contact the association.
Shanju, whose cloak was forcibly stripped off, was escorted away in silence, controlling the rhythm of his breathing to rise and fall slowly.
The association's latest research results use the rhythm of heartbeat and breathing to carry out one-way communication.
Although there are many disadvantages, the ability to conduct ultra-long-range covert communications under extremely unstable conditions is enough to outweigh all the shortcomings.
His mind was calmer and clearer than ever before, and his anger became a pile of firewood, waiting for a spark.
No one noticed his abnormality and took him to a new cell.
...It’s too early to talk about that.
The conditions in this cell are even worse than before.
No one even suggested sending some prison food to Shanjue, as if they were just going to let him starve to death.
He lay on the cold, hard ground, feeling the hollowness in his abdomen.
What a pity.
It is impossible for him to starve to death by just going hungry for a few days.
Shanju closed his eyes, completing the communication, lowering his breathing rate and reducing physical exertion.
He believes the association has already begun taking action, today.
He needs to conserve his energy and make full preparations for tonight.
Being hungry for a few days won't make his hands tremble when holding a hidden weapon.
*
"The oranges must have been moved."
There was no news for the past three days, but just now he suddenly sent a long message.
He repeated it several times, probably because he was worried that the communication content could not be fully transmitted.
A group of people swarmed forward, "What? What did Senior Brother Shanjue say?"
"Let me see, let me see!"
Lin took a deep breath, lifted her cloak, and fled from the center of the crowd.
She quickly handed the communicator to the president's head and then hid in the shadows silently.
President Lu held the communicator on his head: "..."
It was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Lin, I can't reach it if you put it there."
It had long been accustomed to Lin hiding from the sight of others. This was still within the association, and they were all classmates, so she could hold on for two more seconds.
If it were a stranger, she wouldn't be able to stay there for even a second.
Bai Lu didn't think it was necessary for Lin to change this habit.
Actually, there is nothing wrong with it. Keeping a distance from everyone is a very good habit in this industry.
And it felt that Lin just needed this kind of lifestyle and there was no need to change it for any reason.
It shook its head, and the communicator slipped and fell, being caught firmly by its outstretched hoof.
Then it put the communicator on the ground as usual and began to check the messages sent by Shanju.
[The specific time of the ceremony should be at dusk and sunset.]
[Be careful and guard. Those patrolling the core circle are all investigators, all of whom are transformed with secret patterns.]
According to Sakori, the High Priestess is her godmother, but she hasn't met him in nearly a hundred years. Her credibility is questionable, so I suggest testing her appropriately.
Then the message was sent several times, and then, as if to make sure that all the messages were complete, a new message popped up.
[Strawberry bread and orange soda, thank you.]
[I've been starving in the tower for three whole days. Please take pity on me.]
The president breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had not suffered any grievances except being hungry.
It always can't help but care about the physical and mental health of its members. After all, they are not its subordinates. Most of the time, it is actually a pure teacher-student relationship.
The members were outraged when they learned that Senior Brother Shanju had been starved to death for three days in the tower.
I want to bring all the good things that I have saved so much that I don’t want to eat to Shanju.
President Deer Khan.
There’s no need to bring so much… What’s going on over there with a whole sack full of stuff?
Mountain oranges have such a small stomach that they can’t eat much even if they die of overeating.
President Lu sighed and chose to let Shanju fend for himself.
...He should have thought about the consequences of sending this message.
Whether Shanju knew it or not, they had to set off.
Dusk is approaching.
*
Sakori was in a strange room.
She looked around, seeing unfamiliar furnishings and unfamiliar clothes.
There was also a group of strange maids who helped her wash and change clothes.
I thought the clothes used for sacrifices would be whiter.
Sakeri thought that the clothes were too gaudy and totally different from what she had seen in the book.
The overall color is a very bright red, with gilded secret patterns engraved on it.
As the sun was about to set, the secret patterns slowly flowed and crawled in the sunlight.
She had never learned any basic knowledge about secret patterns, but intuition was not a good thing.
It is quite similar to the cloaks worn by witch hunters and investigators.
Sakerui touched the corner of her clothes and thought, if she was dressed like this because she was a sacrifice, then why were they dressed like this too?
Offerings...
Perhaps it is so that when the god comes to the world, he can see the gifts prepared for him by the tower for the first time.
She hid the book in the corner of the room, and now she has to find a chance to get it back.
Sakeri was about to say something and instruct the group to move to another place so that she could have some time without being watched.
The door opened.
The person walked in slowly, and a group of people who looked like maids but were actually guards retreated silently. They lowered their heads and stepped aside, standing in a very neat row.
The man stood in front of her, and this time there was no one following him.
The high priest said, "Get out."
She spoke very calmly, and the implicit meaning made it impossible for the maids to disobey.
After all, she is the true executor of God's will.
Even if it won't be like that after tonight.
God will eventually come to the world in person, and then there will be no need for so-called agents.
After a brief silent standoff, the maids quietly left the room.
This group of people seemed to be dumb, the kind that never spoke, and even their walking was so quiet that no sound could be heard.
When they were here, it was as if they didn't exist at all.
Good opportunity, Sakori thought.
I just don't know what the godmother said to her.
Her godmother quickly answered her doubts: "After the sun sets completely, your existence will completely disappear from here.
Wipe out the world."
Sakerui knew that sometimes when there was no one around, it didn't mean that no one could hear her. In order to implement the unfamiliarity between her and her godmother, she continued to remain silent.
After all, in Gaota's eyes, she didn't even remember her own mother, let alone a godmother whom she hadn't seen for hundreds of years.
The high priest paced slowly, his eyes passing over her face vaguely.
"Until then, the human world will be the true playground of the gods."
She let out a laugh, "You and I, everyone, should be God's private property."
"Now, it's just a matter of getting everything back on track."
Sake Rui pretended that he heard nothing and just wrote down the words. Then, when his godmother turned around, he bent down and quickly took out the book hidden underneath.
She stuffed the book into her arms.
My godmother must have heard the noise, but she was unmoved.
He just glanced at Sakeri lazily.
"I know you have the root, but you don't think that will stop the ritual?"
The high priest warned her: "It is impossible to achieve all this with just a collection of human thoughts."
"Since you are an ant, you should give up as soon as possible."
Sakori understood that the tree roots were still useful. Although they could not stop the ceremony, they could still cause some trouble.
She hugged the book in her arms, but her thoughts drifted to a handicraft shop.
Although it is just a mysterious phenomenon, the reflection of God is also related to God himself.
And... that black cat is really strange, able to freely shuttle between the real world and mysterious phenomena.
When she was in Nanxi Harbor, she had briefly talked to Lin about the black cat.
Lin told her her guess.
That black cat must be a god, and it even achieved its purpose of walking on the human world by parasitizing on a cat. But even such a god is just the owner's pet.
The store manager will only be a higher-level existence.
When the time came, Sakri felt a little nervous. Would He really come?
To Him, a god of this level seemed insignificant... Whether or not they would fight for the ownership of the kingdom also became confusing.
The high priest interrupted her thoughts, "The sun is about to set."
She turned and walked towards the door, then turned her head in the afterglow of the setting sun, her expression hidden in the shadows and unable to be seen clearly.
Sakeli was stunned for a moment, then stood up and followed her out of the room.
The ceremony is about to begin.
The entire evening will be dedicated to the gods.
*
Compared to other members of the association, Lin acted alone. The reason was simple. As long as she didn't encounter that melee monster, she would have no problem dealing with ordinary investigators.
One can kill, two can fight, and three can run.
One more person would only restrict our hands and feet.
More importantly, the tree roots are still on her body. If Lin dies, the tree roots will lose their restraint.
It is unknown what damage will be caused during the period of being taken back by someone else.
In short, stay away from her, and the probability of accidentally hurting teammates will be lower.
Lin chose the direction to move forward according to the information given by Shanju.
She waited patiently outside the tower's security perimeter.
Finally, there was a sudden commotion on one side of the cordon, and several of the few guards on this side left.
The other members cooperated with her to make it easier for her to sneak into the tower.
Lin seized the opportunity, gathered her cloak, and successfully sneaked in during the brief gap in defense.
After hiding, he also sent messages to other people.
【all the best. 】
Then I didn’t watch it again.
After all, those guys could post hundreds of useless messages every minute, mostly replies like "Great!" and "Lin is awesome!"
As for how Lin knew about it... Everyone has a rookie period, when they report their achievements seriously for the first time, and then they are blinded by the noisy cheers of the members like a flock of birds.
Since then, Lin has deeply understood the nature of the members and has never read a group message again.
Just like now, she walked silently behind a patrolman.
It was just one step away, but no one noticed the existence of such an outsider.
As long as Lin wanted, she could even become a truly invisible person. Even if she walked in directly, she would not be discovered by the outer patrol of the tower.
The core patrol was the investigators, but that wasn't enough at the time. After all, these people were the real hounds that the tower had spent a lot of effort to raise.
Its nose is as sensitive as a real dog's.
She planned to fish out the wild oranges first.
Of course, there are traps in that place. How could a member of the Secret Mark Society be left in the tower doing nothing but starving for a few days?
It was nothing more than diverting some of the association's attention so that the ceremony could proceed more easily.
Moreover, Lin was certain that if not enough people came, they would all be killed here.
Gaota's plan to defeat the association so easily must be more thoughtful than she thought.
But tall towers also have blind spots.
It's like they will definitely think that the roots of the tree are in the hands of the president, and the president will not give up the entire kingdom for one member.
For example, they underestimated Shanju's strength limit and thought that starving him for a few days would make him lose his ability to resist.
Lin came out from the shadows.
The guards around rushed over impatiently like moths to a flame.
Lin stood there motionless, waiting for their charge.
She just pulled out the knife.
The buzzing sound of the blade resounded throughout the prison!
Even if the tree roots are not actively used, they still have an amplifying effect on the owner.
Lin’s close combat skills were already quite good, and now they are even more terrifying!
Even if she faced that imprinted living being, she had the confidence to fight.
Besides, these guards in front of him were no match for that monster.
Inside the cell.
Shanju opened his eyes.
After being hungry for a few days, my fingers felt a little weak as I placed them on the iron pole.
The cold, hard iron made him focus a little more.
Here it comes.
Although I don’t know which members are coming, this is the opportunity I want!
The two guards in the cell did not move, still sticking to their posts, with no intention of going out to take a look just because they heard the wailing of their colleagues outside.
Shanju smiled harmlessly and waved weakly.
"Brother, listen to the noise outside..."
His voice was so quiet that it was barely audible. One of the guards stood up and walked towards him.
An inexplicable smile appeared on the prisoner's face.
He whispered, "Why don't you go down and keep them company?"
Emerald-like new leaves appeared out of nowhere, revealing a hint of green at his fingertips.
Then it disappeared in the blink of an eye, and the greenness sank into the throat.
The blood began to flow out along the veins of the leaves belatedly.
The guard only just realized what had happened. Before he could tell his companions with his final cry of life, the second hidden weapon disguised as a leaf had already been launched.
Ling Ran cut through the space and, taking advantage of the cover of this person's figure, appeared in front of the second guard without any warning!
By the time Guard No. 2 finally discovered the abnormality, the fragile human life had already disappeared among the emerald green leaves.
To Shanju, who had been strengthened by the black cat, the reactions of these two people were too slow, like the slow motion technique used in filming movies and TV shows.
He took care of both guys in seconds.
Then lie down quietly and wait for someone to come.
He couldn't reach the key, so he could only hope that the people outside could solve the problem quickly.
Otherwise he would really starve to death.
Shanju lamented.
Lin, who was fighting with a group of guards outside, did not disappoint and cleared all the fire-flying moths at the scene in a short time.
She finally began to understand the monster's behavior.
All the resistance that still belonged to humans was nothing in front of her, at most they were just children holding sharp blades.
He didn't understand how to swing the knife most effectively, nor did he understand that what he was holding in his hand was just a carrot knife.
There is no threat at all, and if a fight breaks out, there will be no suspense at all and everyone will die.
Lin even felt a little bored. The one-sided battle was so uninteresting.
She stepped onto the blood-red carpet that covered the entire perimeter of the prison and pushed open the door with a knife in hand.
The guards inside made no sound.
A lion uses all its strength to fight a rabbit. Lin looked around carefully and moved forward stealthily, but there was no movement in this small prison, as if the guards were all dead.
Oh...it turns out they are all dead.
"Senior Brother." Lin tried to wake up the figure lying peacefully on the ground.
It was so quiet that one couldn't help but wonder if he had gone to hell like the two guards.
Shanjue lay on the ground groaning weakly.
Lin found the key from the corpse and opened the cell door, but he still showed no intention of standing up.
She thought for two seconds, then threw a few bags on the ground.
The bag was stuffed to its capacity, and when it hit the ground, the bag suddenly opened up and the food rolled out.
A bag of bread rolled to the side of Shanjue's face. He moved his nose and the tempting smell of food penetrated his nasal cavity.
Someone who looked like he would starve to death at any moment sat up straight and suddenly opened his eyes.
So much food?!
The food that rolled out of several bags filled the cell of several square meters.
This made Shanju's mouth curl up rapidly, and happiness almost materialized into petals and spread around him.
The blood-covered junior sister interrupted his wonderful enjoyment with the cold-blooded killer attitude.
"Eat quickly and replenish your energy before heading to the other side. We're going to pick up the rebels."
Shanju quickly stuffed the bread into his mouth and said with a bulging voice, "What are they doing here?"
When it comes to handling the ceremony, there is no need to use the rebels. When it comes to secret patterns, they only have a superficial understanding and can barely get started.
"Help us get rid of the Inner Circle Investigators."
There weren't many search officers, but the number of people in association was even smaller.
Moreover, the opponents are experienced in battle, while the association is mostly composed of a group of simple researchers. In terms of combat experience, except for Lin who can unilaterally crush them, it is difficult for others to compare with them.
Shanju nodded.
Yes, although the rebels' research on secret patterns is superficial, they are very good at fighting.
Both their fighting will and fighting ability are far superior to most people in the association.
Helping the rebels avoid the secret pattern traps, successfully break into the core circle, and deal with the investigators is a huge boost to the association.
After three days of hunger, Shanju looked like he could eat a cow, but after eating the third bag of bread, he stood up.
The two of them simply picked up the food on the ground and tied the bag tightly.
These are all the members' care for Shanju, and he is reluctant to throw them away here.
Shanju set off with a bottle of milk and a pack of biscuits in his arms, eating while walking to save time.
When the two came out, they saw that the sunset glow looked much fresher than the solidified blood on the ground.
The fiery clouds floated silently in the sky, and the setting sun flowed like molten gold on the corpses on the ground. It was not a very beautiful scene, but the pungent smell of blood was impressive.
Lin and Shanju looked at each other.
The ceremony has already begun, there is no time to lose.
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