The crowd instantly became a tangled mess, and the town guards rushed out, forcefully separating the people.
Benson, dressed in black, stood tall on a luxurious carriage, slowly driving through the streets. Before the screams could settle, amid the continuous gunshots, more and more people chose silence.
Shen Ling gritted his teeth; the taste of the pancake still lingered on his lips. He vividly remembered the tenderness beneath Mrs. Funnell’s serious demeanor.
She had brought them warm blankets and soft pancakes, concerned about their hunger and cold, indignant about the injustices they faced. She was a gentle, independent woman, a great volunteer and revolutionary, worthy of respect.
Shen Ling looked at Benson with hatred, the handsome and cold man holding a slate, appearing calm and composed amid the ongoing gunfire. The continuous killings and the loss of countless lives couldn’t awaken his conscience. He seemed like a messenger burdened with a divine mission, walking on a path paved with blood as if it would only make him more sacred.
Benson stared at the silent crowd, a mix of pity and aloof divinity in his expression. He calmly spoke, “Today should have been the day for distributing supplies, but I want to tell you that the gods have given us the greatest trial. Traitors among the outsiders have stolen the offering! Stolen the sacred! Infiltrated among us! We must find them! Sacrifice to the gods! Only then can we escape this predicament!”
The priests following Benson responded with closed eyes and solemn voices, “Sacrifice!”
The surrounding guards pounded the ground with the butt of their guns, chanting, “Sacrifice! Sacrifice! Sacrifice!”
Several soldiers dragged a person out of the carriage, nailing him to a cross. Blindfolded, the person’s body stiffened like a coffin board.
Shen Ling’s expression changed; the words “Wen Xiu” almost slipped out of his mouth. His heart started pounding faster; he felt that something bad was about to happen.
Benson walked to his side and said, “This person is one of the outsiders who betrayed us. Ashamed of his sins, he has promised to expose all the other outsiders who infiltrated the town to redeem himself. Based on his description, we have identified the appearance of the remaining five outsiders.”
Shen Ling grabbed Luther and said, “Luther, I want to have some more potato-baked lamb.”
Luther stood motionless, staring out the window. When several soldiers stood side by side, holding up portraits, he even pushed Shen Ling away and went to the door to open it, trying to get a closer look.
Benson opened his hands and shouted to the crowd, “Lineage-based discrimination is the embodiment of sin! You are born carrying sin. Only through repentance to the gods can you be redeemed! Find the outsiders—cleanse your sins! The gods will grant you a new life! Only then can you be saved!”
kp: “Father Benson’s words have a strong hypnotic effect; let’s roll for a willpower check.”
Shen Ling rolls: 80/32. Hard success.
Benson rolls: 90/65. Regular success.
Felton rolls: 65/70. Failure.
Benson rolls again: 90/33. Hard success.
kp: “Benson’s fervent words have had no effect on Olok; he just feels it’s noisy. However, Felton, deeply immersed, seems to hear the gods chanting prayers in his ears. The voice is from the abyss, profound and vast, and he is enchanted by Benson’s words.”
Benson: “Guilty outsiders, your sins are so deep that your bodies and bones will be destroyed! Come to me voluntarily. The gods are merciful and will help you cleanse your sins.”
Shen Ling: “!!!”
Felton turned to Shen Ling, his eyes devoid of vitality. “We are sinful and should seek redemption, to atone for our sins.”
Luther walked out of the door, everyone followed suit, wandering the streets like lost souls. They crowded around Benson like ghosts, not knowing who started shouting “sacrifice” first. The continuous chant echoed through the streets.
“Sacrifice!”
“Sacrifice!”
“Sacrifice!”
Moonset Village seemed to have descended into madness; everyone’s consciousness was under Benson’s control.
Shen Ling squinted, and Felton tightly gripped his wrist.
Shen Ling: “I want to use enchantment on Felton.”
kp: “……”
kp: “He is currently in temporary madness, extremely infatuated with you. There’s no need to enchant him further.”
Shen Ling: “But from the current situation, he is more obsessed with Benson. He doesn’t love me; he loves Benson more.”
kp: “…”
Shen Ling: “Your GM skills are problematic. I want to file a complaint.”
kp: “Okay, okay, don’t file a complaint. Just do it directly, see how he reacts.”
Shen Ling: “You don’t look.”
kp: “I have no face; I can’t see.”
Shen Ling: “You have no face.”
kp: “…” Bullying the GM QAQ.
Shen Ling hesitated, then grabbed Felton’s wrist, approached him, and kissed him on the lips. It was light, soft, and surprisingly quick. Felton seemed like he had activated some subtle switch. The madness in his eyes disappeared, and he stared at Shen Ling, a storm brewing in his light gray irises.
“Are you awake?” Shen Ling said. “Forget about your gods. You are innocent; we are all innocent.”
“No, I am guilty,” Felton tightly held Shen Ling’s wrist, his voice hoarse. “My god is you. I covet and long for you. I am guilty.”
Shen Ling: “………………”
What a strange turn of events!
Felton’s madness, fueled by Benson, completely dissipated, replaced by a deeper and more intense fervor for Shen Ling.
Temporary madness can be truly frightening.
kp: “Roll for a listen.”
Shen Ling rolls, success.
A soft whisper came from the side window, “Luther! Luther!”
Shen Ling turned around and saw Lisa knocking on the window. The subtle sound penetrated the glass and reached him. He walked over and opened the window.
Surprisingly, Lisa asked, “What are you doing here?!”
Shen Ling said, “Luther invited me as a guest, but he’s currently under a spell.”
Lisa said, “No wonder everyone looks off. I heard that Mrs. Funnell was shot, so I came here specifically to check. Benson is really a hateful guy; he’s using these methods to suppress everyone’s anger over not getting supplies! He’s a scoundrel!”
Shen Lin glanced at the townspeople outside who were currently worshiping Benson. He said to Lisa, “I’m sorry, Lisa. I lied to you. In truth, we are outsiders. We somehow ended up on this island by mistake, and we want to go back.” The matter became a hot topic, and it was impossible to hide it from Lisa.
Lisa widened her eyes, looking at him in astonishment. She took a step back, cautiously watching Shen Lin.
Shen Lin frowned and said to KP, “Psychology.”
KP secretly rolled the dice.
Shen Lin noticed that although Lisa was shocked, her eyes were very calm. She was carefully assessing him.
Shen Lin said, “I won’t harm you. I just want to go home.”
Lisa bit her lip and asked, “Are you really not the second messenger?”
He shook his head, saying, “I guarantee on my integrity. I am definitely not here to monitor you. I just accidentally intruded into this place, and my only goal is to go home.”
Lisa hesitated but eventually chose to believe Shen Lin’s words. “Alright, I’ll trust you for now. No, I trust my instincts. I believe you are a kind person.”
Shen Lin smiled.
Lisa also smiled, stepping back and saying to Shen Lin, “Is Benson trying to capture you now? Come with me; I’ll take you to my house. It’s just me and Mrs. Annie there; they won’t find us there.”
“Thank you for your generosity.” Shen Lin jumped out of the window, followed closely by Yan Xiu.
KP said, “Let’s do a stealth check.”
Shen Lin rolled the dice and succeeded.
Yan Xiu rolled the dice and succeeded.
KP continued, “Now let’s do a luck check.”
Shen Lin rolled the dice successfully.
They successfully arrived at Lisa’s house. The landlady was napping, and the bald parrot, noticing Shen Lin and the others, screeched loudly, waking up Mrs. Annie.
Mrs. Annie widened her eyes, her nearly falling teeth creating deep crevices in her mouth. She shouted, “What’s going on! Lisa! You scared little Peter!”
“Sorry, Mrs. Annie! I brought two friends.”
“Friends?” Mrs. Annie, like a choking rooster, stared at Shen Lin for a moment, then paused for a few seconds and said sarcastically, “Such handsome children. Look at this appearance, Lisa, you’re at that age now. I’ve been worried you won’t get married.”
“Mrs. Annie, don’t talk nonsense!” Lisa angrily said, “They are just my friends!”
Shen Lin took off his hat and politely greeted, “Hello, Mrs. Annie.”
“Hello, cutie. Want some hot cocoa?”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Go, Lisa, go make them a cup of hot cocoa. The cocoa powder is in the drawer.”
“Mrs. Annie, you forgot again. The cocoa powder has been empty for a month. Your breakfast has been switched to hot goat milk.”
“Really?” Mrs. Annie was stunned for a moment, murmuring, “Why is everything gone…”
Lisa took Shen Lin and the others to her room, closed the window, drew the curtains, and then said, “Stay here and be careful not to be discovered. I’ll help you find your friends.”
She closed the door and went downstairs.
Shen Lin said, “I wonder how Freud and the others are doing.”
Yan Xiu said, “They are now in Moon-sinking Bay.”
“There are not many townspeople there; it should be safe. Actually, compared to them, I’m more concerned about Xiu Wen’s situation. He looks like he’s completely bewitched. Has he also fallen into some kind of temporary madness?”
“No,” KP denied Shen Lin’s statement, “He’s in permanent madness, got torn carded. To put it simply, he has been eliminated from the game.”
