From the end of the world

Chapter 662 Zhuangcheng's Believer Continued

Dongche explained to me in detail the origins of these believers' entry into the city.

Their plans seemed puzzling to an uninformed outsider like Jiao Shu. I had also wondered if they had some secret schemes up their sleeves. However, after hearing Dong Che's explanation, I realized that there was no mysterious conspiracy at all. Their idea was quite simple: to imitate what I had done in the past.

As Jiao Shu previously stated, understanding the life and deeds of one's deity is a fundamental quality for believers. Perhaps the life stories of some great and unpredictable figures are difficult to ascertain, such as the Chakravartin (universal monarch), who concealed himself to the point that even his very existence was questioned. However, I have never hidden my actions or opinions. After a thorough examination of my life, believers have gained a relatively clear understanding of my personality and tendencies.

They became aware of my passion and pursuit of magical adventure. And in order to draw closer to the divine and strengthen their faith, they wanted to emulate my actions beyond their daily prayers and rituals. Or rather, imitating the deeds of the divine is itself a ritualistic act with a clear purpose. By placing themselves in the same situation as the divine, they could, to some extent, experience the divine's perspective and thought process, thus deepening their understanding of the deity they worshipped.

My current understanding of Asahi is partly based on my own experience of being in a similar situation to Asahi, affected by the power of the jinx. Although we are very different in personality, because I am also in a state of "misfortune" that affects those around me, I can use this to try to understand Asahi's psychological state. I have done this more than once.

Thus, the turbulent southern city came into the believers' view. At that time, the southern city had not yet become the violent state it is now, ravaged by monsters and plagued by destruction and rebirth, but any demon hunter could see that it would soon become a battlefield where Paradise and the Proclamation Believers clashed. Any decent person would certainly avoid it like the plague, but to my believers, it was like a pillow delivered just when they were sleepy, and there was absolutely no reason to miss it.

Of course, not all believers are so extreme as to uphold their faith even on the battlefield. While my believer group is still steadily expanding, its depth isn't as great as other groups of believers from the Great Impermanence faction. Lu Chan, being a representative of the more upright among them, has ordered all believers wishing to enter the city not to wad into this murky water, lest they cause unnecessary trouble for the still-developing believer group.

Those who dare to enter this place after all this are mostly extreme thinkers. Perhaps they are also the ones whose ideology is closest to mine, the object of my faith. If it were me, I would most likely ignore Lu Chan's order.

It's no wonder Lu Chan categorized the intelligence about these believers being trapped in the southern city as the least important level four—after all, these people brought it upon themselves, and dying here is considered "getting what they wanted." Moreover, since he genuinely had no way to rescue them, he could only consider it a lost cause. If he were to emphasize this intelligence to me, making me consider personally risking my life to rescue these people, that would truly be a losing proposition.

As for the later discovery that Xiao Qiao, a junior student who had a connection with Zhu Shi and me, had also entered the city, and that I even had to fight Xuan Ming to protect Xiao Wan, that's probably another story.

Returning to the believers' actions—when the southern city truly became a terrifying battlefield ravaged by monsters, amidst their panic and fear, they also felt that they might have come to the right place.

Not long after, they discovered a very fatal problem.

What should I do next?
Throughout history, most adventure stories undoubtedly revolve around the protagonist's adventures. While this may seem like a self-evident statement, it's not the case for the protagonists within these stories. Whether it's to bring a seriously ill relative medicinal herbs found only in remote and impoverished areas, to hunt down a sworn enemy, or for immense wealth and achievement... the protagonists of most adventure stories don't "adventure for the sake of adventure."

To put it bluntly, many people would see someone who does such a thing as a busybody with nothing better to do. I've occasionally been described this way when I've investigated various supernatural urban legends. It's not like they have any vested interests in the events; they're just acting out of a desire for unrealistic thrills. It doesn't seem like something a decent person would do.

The believers of Peach Blossom Village are here to realize a "Shangri-La," while the believers of Xuanming are here for the healthy continuation of human civilization. Both sides have their own positions and motives, and both have questions about the Zhuangcheng believers who suddenly appeared on the battlefield—what are these people here for? Which side are they here to help? Since they have come to the battlefield with the awareness that they will never return, they can't just be here to join in the fun, there must be some unknown plan and conspiracy!

But judging solely from the results, they really were just there to join in the fun.

If you ask them whether they were truly just there to join in the fun, the answer is naturally no. However, it's also undeniable that they didn't know what to do next. Should they help the believers of Peach Blossom Village? But their own deity disappeared after a life-or-death conflict with the Lord of Peach Blossom Village; they couldn't very well aid the enemy.

So, are they going to help the Xuanming believers? But the Xuanming believers are also enemies of Luoshan, and they have some kind of religious rivalry with the god they worship. The more devout the Xuanming believers are, the more they hate the Zhuangcheng believers, and the Zhuangcheng believers are unlikely to be friendly to those who hate them so much, let alone offer their assistance.

At this moment, Dongche showed his followers a clear path through his actions—that is, to help the ordinary people who were barely surviving on the cruel battlefield from the standpoint of a hegemon.

Why did the Winter Chariot appear in this city? Actually, he was different from those believers; he didn't come for the risk, but to persuade them to go back.

First of all, it should be noted that Winter Chariot has some prestige among my followers because he possesses the Sword of Slag and Impermanence.

That Slag Impermanence Sword was one of the slag weapons I gave to Lu Chan back then.

After joining the believers, Dongche spent several months tirelessly handling various bizarre incidents in their name. He was also the first in the group to summon divine fire through faith, and being a direct disciple of the Divination Master, his joining my followers held special significance. To set an example, Lu Chan and Elder Zhu, as the current leaders of the believers, publicly bestowed upon Dongche the commemorative "First Slag Impermanence Sword." While the believers were skeptical of Lu Chan, they respected Dongche's special status and genius. Dongche himself developed a strong sense of mission and responsibility as a result. Therefore, when disobedient believers ventured into dangerous situations, Dongche could no longer stand idly by.

As a staunch advocate of governance, Dongche could not turn a blind eye to the suffering of ordinary people on the battlefield.

Although the "Zhuang Cheng followers" are ostensibly in the camp of worldly governance, those who truly believe in me seem more prone to exhibiting a self-centered tendency, showing little interest in various ideologies. Those who venture into perilous situations are typical examples. However, when everyone is lost and confused, if someone steps forward and steadfastly moves in a certain direction, their presence will inspire others.

The believers, desperately needing an "adventure motive," saw the prospect of snatching food from the jaws of death from the Peach Blossom Spring and the Xuanming believers, and protecting the remaining survivors, as a worthwhile challenge. Moreover, the leader was one of their own, wielding the "Sword of Impermanence," a "weapon symbolizing the divine," and the actions themselves aligned with the overt stance of their worldly-oriented camp, making it an impeccable direction in every respect.

Gradually, they built a shelter in a corner of the city, saving hundreds of survivors and forging a survival partnership with some local witchers who had become wounded and despondent.

Because Wintercart is the most powerful Impermanence in this refuge, and also has the aura of being a disciple of the Great Impermanence, he scores very high in the group of Witchers who value strength. At present, he is also the "spiritual guide" of all Zhuangcheng believers. Therefore, he naturally became the nominal leader of all Witchers despite being a young boy.

"...That's how it is." Dongche said, "Although I'm called the leader, the only things I'm really good at are fighting and dealing with strange events. The actual operation of the shelter has been handed over to others, as well as some survivors with practical management and operation experience."

"So you're the leader. I thought it was one of those guys who always looked so serious..." Junior Sister Qiao seemed to be hearing this for the first time.

“I’m also self-aware enough to know that my face can’t provide a sense of security. The demon hunters value my opinions, but the survivors might not. Although some have suggested using a show of force to establish authority, it’s better to let the right people handle the right tasks than to personally intervene. I want to focus on doing the things that only I can do myself first,” Dongche said.

"Does Lu Chan know about your presence here?" I couldn't find any relevant reports in my mind.

Witchers never know what will happen when dealing with strange events, especially those with cursed nature. To avoid the situation spreading to a wider area, they often tackle problems in a very covert way until the event is over. Therefore, it's not surprising that Wintercar might disappear for a while.

However, I think that intelligence experts like Lu Chan might be an exception, and it's not normal that they didn't react to this.

“Lu Chan had always been keeping track of my activities and location. But I didn’t like him, so I told him not to keep watching me,” Dongche explained. “His surveillance skills were very strong, but my senses were not bad either. After I caught him and got rid of him a few times, he stopped watching me.”

That explains it. Lu Chan's "Possibility Clone" is incredibly powerful in both breadth and depth of application, but it's still extremely difficult to fool Dong Che's almost unreasonable perception. Furthermore, Lu Chan probably doesn't want to offend Dong Che too much, so he'll likely have to give up on locating Dong Che in the end.

"Is there anything else to add or correct?" Dongche then asked the leading believer.

The lead believer first shook his head, then said, "What you said is mostly true; we have nothing to add or correct. However..."

He exchanged glances with the dozen or so believers around him, and then, as if he had made a decision, everyone looked in my direction at the same time.

“I have a question I would like to ask the gods in person,” the leader of the believers said solemnly.

"Ask me?" I had a vague premonition.

“Yes,” the leader of the believers said solemnly, “we hope you can guide us and tell us the answer… what exactly is this so-called 'adventure'?”

(End of this chapter)