Chapter 2: Temple (Part 5) (Five Watch)
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Baptism? Divine beings?
With Firefly’s storytelling, instead of gaining clarity, everyone found themselves in even deeper confusion and chaos.
But one thing is for sure: the Guild Leaders became Fallen Species due to the baptism they received in the temple.
Though the exact mechanics of this phenomenon remained a mystery.
The so-called Sighs Temple that the Man in Black Robe took them to surely isn’t her actual form hidden deep in the East Sea. Otherwise, how could she not sense the call from her own self?
Little Musashi, sitting to the side with her eyes closed, had her twin blades nonchalantly resting on her shoulders, ready to leap up and collect some heads at any moment.
She was utterly uninterested in this. All she wanted was to chop those Fallen Species by the entrance into tiny pieces to quench the boiling energy in her bl**d.
Jing Feng, on the other hand, was listening intently, but even if she had thoughts, she’d keep them buried deep. She wouldn’t spill the beans unless she was totally certain.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ai dove headfirst into a garbage pile on one side of the basement, covering her ears tightly and squeezing her eyes shut, muttering repeatedly, “I can’t hear, I can’t hear…”
He was well aware that with his almost newbie-level powers, once he learned these deep secrets, he’d likely be signing his own d*ath warrant.
There’s a saying: if one lacks virtue, disaster will follow.
In other words, if you don’t have the right tools, don’t take on delicate work.
As a perfectly ordinary guild member, what gave him the right to know secrets only the big cheeses could handle?
The more you know, the faster you d*e.
He even wished he hadn’t been chosen by Lin Nan to come here.
At that moment, all he could do was block his ears and ignore every single word Firefly was saying.
“Accepting baptism is just the beginning,” Firefly said, her expression filled with despair, like an ant crawling on the ground, looking up at a shoe sole bigger than the sky that’s about to smash its head.
“The Man in Black Robe said Sky Sword City is the trials chosen by the gods, and no one can back out. As Guild Leaders, with your members numbering from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, I hereby give you a chance to develop your own strength.
Ten days later, we’ll kick off the first elimination round, where guilds will send representatives to fight it out.
Only one guild will emerge victorious, earning the protection of the gods and even the chance to serve the divine! Gods have no need for losers.”
“To ensure the elimination matches go smoothly, every Guild Leader has been bestowed with different abilities by the gods and can baptize their guild members to distribute divine blessings, albeit at the cost of weakening the Guild Leader’s own powers.
My ability allows for limited-range foresight. Just like I ‘knew’ about my sister’s visit today in advance.”
Yet Lin Nan had doubts about the Man in Black Robe’s plans.
“While guilds fight each other, they can only send one representative to participate. Doesn’t that mean Heavenly Sword Sect is at a disadvantage? They have the most members yet can’t leverage their numbers in the competition.”
“Moreover,” she continued, “If a Guild Leader baptizes multiple members, doesn’t that just diminish their own power? Might as well jump in themselves—perhaps the divine strength would be even more potent!”
Firefly replied, “Sister, let me explain further.
After returning from the temple, I didn’t plan to disclose what happened, afraid of causing panic.
However, wild Fallen Species suddenly appeared on the streets—those who are absolutely unqualified to enter the temple still received baptism.
I have reason to believe this is a tactic by the Man in Black Robe to hurry us into making decisions.
The wild Fallen Species are reckless and boundless; they quickly gained immense power, not even high-level veteran players could handle them.
One day, when the Crazy Dragon Guild was surrounded by dozens of these Fallen Species, suffering heavy casualties, I had no choice but to baptize five of my most capable subordinates to fight them off, barely safeguarding our territory.
I know well that for Fallen Species to survive, they must drink human bl**d like the vampires in movies, and they devour their prey completely, leaving behind nothing but bones and skin.
But I genuinely can’t bring myself to harm humans. No matter what others say, I can’t touch human bl**d.
Because if I cross this line, I’m no longer a “human” in any real sense.
If I starve, so be it—it’s far better than dying with guilt for taking a life.
These five are the only Fallen Species in our guild. To help me regain my health, they thought of harming my sister and her group, for which I sincerely apologize.”
Lin Nan sighed, “If that’s the case, how is the Crazy Dragon Guild supposed to win in the competition? If we lose, all guild members will likely be on the menu for other guilds’ Fallen Species!”
Firefly grimaced, “Hence, I didn’t demand that those five refrain from eating people like I do. You can think I’m shirking responsibility and disregarding the guild’s interests, but it really is because I can’t cross my own threshold; I can only rely on others.”
Upon hearing this, the five Fallen Species hurriedly sank to their knees before her, tears streaming down their faces.
Li Yi choked up, “Great Leader, please don’t say that! If it weren’t for your foresight over these past few days, the Crazy Dragon Guild would have crumbled under enemy attacks! Time and again, your warnings turned peril into safety. The whole guild remembers that.”
The others chimed in, “Yes, Lord! Don’t blame yourself! In this guild warfare, we’ll give it our all. As long as we have breath, we’ll never let the Crazy Dragon Guild lose its right to exist!”
Lin Nan and her companions watched silently, their thoughts a jumbled mix.
The various guilds in Sky Sword City had indeed taken different paths. Take Liu Fei’ang from the Storm Guild, whose choice was to devour all guild members and stack his own power to the max.
Had she not taken him down yesterday, if Liu Fei’ang faced Crazy Dragon Guild, victory would likely be clear in a heartbeat.
Firefly, while upholding her own beliefs, had also plunged Crazy Dragon Guild into a dire crisis.
In such chaotic times, everyone has the right to make choices, but they must pay the price for those choices.
Those newcomer players who joined Crazy Dragon Guild tied their fates to Firefly’s ship; during this time, thanks to her foresight, they had avoided significant losses.
In comparison to the upcoming guild elimination match, perhaps it’s merely a matter of dying sooner or later.
“You all can head out now.” Firefly wearily waved her hand.
The Fallen Species rubbed their eyes and left the carpet.
The nearby fire pit flickered dimly, dispersing some oil into the flames.
The flame reignited, yet Firefly’s face grew ever paler.
“Cold Sister, only you can save our guild.”
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PS: It’s five updates again! Everyone, could you spare a little support and encouragement?
