Is the person you sculpt as cute as me?

Yu Man was reporting the situation to Yago, while Xiaolu forcibly detained the NPC, the village chief, who triggered the plot, to practice advancing the plot.

For example, understanding the specific situation of the Great Demon in order to formulate tactical arrangements, or gathering intelligence from other corners to see if there are other ways to break the situation and get more rewards. Xiaolu learned all of this from Yu Man, and she has been trying hard to imitate her.

Everything was good, the dried fish tasted good too.

Until Yago's daughter came over with wine——

"Uncle Eel."

what?

Who to call?

It can't be me, right?

Yu Man was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but ask a question.

"?"

"Uncle, don't be angry. I was neglecting my niece just now. I was busy promoting the plot and discussing business over there, and I was a little drunk, so I couldn't come to toast right away. It doesn't mean that I don't care about you, Uncle Eel. My father often mentioned you to me. Not only that, I have heard of your name for a long time."

She had a sweet mouth and spoke very appropriately, then she drank a glass of wine clean, showing the bottom of the glass downwards.

She smiles very sweetly too.

"Uncle Eel...?" Yu Man pinched his throat.

"Yeah, my dad caught me up and talked a lot about it - what great things the Eel Brothers did. I've been listening to him talk about the guild you founded for a month, haha."

So, as a contemporary of her father, she was of course called that.

70 naturally pulled a chair over and sat across from me. Without being annoying, he reached out and pulled out a small dried fish and started eating it too.

"And there's the Fried Dumpling Goddess Lulu—Xiaolu... Can I call you that, too?" She waved excitedly. "My dad told me that the super-famous Fried Dumpling Goddess Lulu is actually a girl about my age..."

"Haha, maybe I am also a middle-aged man like your Uncle Eel?" Xiaolu held back his laughter.

Only now were they close enough to observe their daughter, whom Yago often mentioned.

Unlike her previous suicide attempts by pulling out glass bottles, her figurines are mature forms that reflect a woman's subjective aesthetic, appearing at first glance to be quite understated and simple. Only after stumbling upon them, or observing them for a while, will one understand the painstaking effort behind them. These figures are enduring, comforting, and possess excellent temperament, representing a blessed and prosperous aura.

"Well, I don't know if I should ask...but who is that little girl that Uncle Eel has been holding? A dragon person?"

"The little girl I kidnapped in the game was so cute, I just hugged her..."

Yu Man completely gave up refuting the identity, but because of the little girl form of the Ice Prison Dragon, it seemed that something was confirmed.

Obviously, the way 70 looked at him had changed.

But she didn't act rudely. "Uncle Eel, Little Deer, as the saying goes, 'Send the Buddha to the West.' It's hard to say, but I have a request. The shipyard in Shimla Bakken is in ruins, and I'd like to bring back some men and ready-made ships."

"Well, let's go and kill the big devil. We also asked about it." The deer nodded, not surprised.

"Hmm... I see. The plot is triggered freely... That's easy. Can you help me? Of course, I'll owe you a favor! Besides, I'll promise you future benefits for the shipyard."

"What if the shipyard is not built well?" the deer simply asked.

"My family has been experts in this field for generations - and I will be no exception."

The deer chewed on the dried fish, dissolving her confidence and seriousness with a smile: "Just kidding, you didn't have to tell us that we were planning to take action. Come on, I'll take you to gain some experience."

"Okay, okay—but can I beat him? I heard it's quite high-level... To be honest, I'm not very experienced, so I don't know the details."

"It's okay. Even if I can't beat him, your Uncle Eel is still here." Xiaolu gave Man a thumbs up, which matched her expression of despair.

"Okay, then I'll have to trouble Uncle Eel to take care of it!"

……

Although most people were drunk, the village chief was not.

He held his son down, just finished his last pipe, and then led them off the boat in silence.

"It's okay to observe from close up. As long as you don't attack, the big devil won't do anything."

The village chief sniffed his fingers stained with cigarette ash, but his expression was ashen.

"Its mission is to guard the ritual, so... we, trash who pose no threat... are able to live here safely and shamefully until now. And, every day, we listen to and watch the souls of our compatriots... suffer within it."

159 The Door Knocker

The island was only the size of a nail, and they lived on boats and in caves, and the little surface area they had was actually occupied by rituals.

So, just leaving the ship—

Yu Man could feel that the air blowing in through the wind had a stale and decayed smell.

As agreed beforehand, as Xiaolu's younger sister, she didn't have to take action unless it was a critical moment.

And things were indeed arranged well by Xiaolu.

"Observe first and don't rush to cut it down." Just having this idea is already very impressive.

There was no need for the village chief to lead the way; simply following the concentration of decay would easily lead to the location. Furthermore, the vegetation on the rest of the island was lush, except for the circular area... which was completely barren and completely devoid of any vegetation.

"Right in front—from here on, everything is part of the ritual. Don't mess with those bloody words and symbols... Everything else will be fine..."

The village chief pointed forward, and his numb expression finally showed some difference.

because--

The sound of the wind is not just the sound of the wind, it is also the sound of howling.

——The howling of souls.

As they passed the hill, they could see—on the ground, dented by some force, a circular magic circle smeared entirely with blood. Mixed with symbols of various meanings, it wove together a sacrificial ritual.

Above each symbol—there is a soul wandering.

It was as if he had been imprisoned for a thousand years, and he had completely lost his reaction to everything, and was just howling instinctively.

The ceremony is not static. At each point in time, the symbols will move like clocks.

Then, the souls will exchange with each other, and according to the village chief, each time is accompanied by great torture.

"These souls... their bodies were all made into different demi-humans by the 'Ghost World Chamber of Commerce' and taken back..." The village chief said the information. Even though they already knew it, they still had to tell it to the village chief himself.

The little deer stared intently - but couldn't make out anything.

"Uncle Eel, what do you think?" I could only ask for advice.

"These souls are a power source. As long as they exist within the ritual, the subhumans their bodies transform into will continue to function like puppets or slaves... It seems the loyal followers of the Netherworld Chamber of Commerce... were all acquired this way."

"Well, doesn't that mean that there's actually more than one place that's been harmed?"

"I guess there are quite a few similar ceremonies within the Netherworld Chamber of Commerce's territory... As for this one—it looks like... it's just a small part of a larger ceremony."

The ninth-level ratman took action personally, obviously not just to create a few slaves.

Cutting the Black Market Island and then drilling it into a specific location in the ocean further perpetuated the ritual. It was assumed they were carrying out a massive, massive ritual, extending to an unknown destination.

And the great demon that the village chief said was guarding this ceremony—

Right in the center, curled up quietly.

It is spiritual, transparent and turbid.

It looked like jelly made from dirty water, carved into the shape of a human by kindergarten children.

It hugged its knees and buried its face in them, existing in an anthropomorphic yet blasphemous way.

Xiaolu pondered, "The ritual has affected it, so I can't tell what level it is... but it's probably seven or higher. Considering the ritual's home bonus, eight is a more accurate estimate... Is there something wrong with this idea, Uncle Eel?"

"No, the correct approach is to view it as a ninth-order ritual. This ritual has existed for decades and is still effective, so it's quite important. The creator is a ninth-order branch leader, so it's very likely he will descend directly."

Xiaolu nodded, grafting this idea of ​​"preparing for the worst for everything" into her own mind: "Can I win?" she asked again.

"No, the answer is the chief won't come. You're not considering the overall situation."

"—Ah, the main city where its branch is located... is being turned upside down by the players!"

"Well, but we still have to be prepared for the worst - so the answer is - we can beat it."

The deer immediately understood: "If it still comes now when the branch is suffering, it means that this ceremony is extremely important."

Yu Man turned to the village chief: "These souls can no longer survive. They no longer have bodies to return to. They can only-"

"Bury them." said the village chief harshly.

"No grand funeral, just a silent disappearance... nothing left. Is that okay?"

“…It couldn’t be better.”

"Row."

Now that the matter had been settled, there was nothing more to consider. Xiaolu used his sword and gestures to move the village chief as far away as possible. He also asked Xiangxiang to take care of 70 so that she could gain experience points on the battlefield.

Yu Man and Xiao Bing watched from the side.

Her sword was stained with fiery doom.

"Can you speak human language?" After asking this question, the sword reached its destination in an instant.

It struck the great demon on the back—intending to chop it in half vertically.

But it didn't cut even an inch.

"what--"

The fawn's surprise faded as the ritual was shaken.

The big devil's movements were as slow as an abandoned factory, but he still slowly turned his face, which had been buried in his knees, to face the enemy behind him.

It was a face filled with emotion.

The soul of all rituals, the emotions stripped away, have been stored on its face for decades.

Twisted, weird, and crazy - to the point of being unbelievable.

Even Xiaolu's mind was shaken, and Yu Man frowned.

The big demon didn't make any exaggerated attacks, but just gently stretched out his hand towards her, as if begging.

But that transparent hand seemed to corrode even the air. It carried a clear, spiritual poison, a product of negative emotions that had distorted everything around it.

The deer immediately adjusted his mindset and distanced himself from the enemy.

But the hand still pursued it, seemingly able to move at will within the confines of the ritual.

……

"Brother, do you need my help?"

"Don't be impatient." Yu Man estimated the battle situation while studying the ceremony.

The village chief had made a mistake. The Great Demon wasn't guarding the ritual, but was its core. These souls were imprisoned simply to provide nutrients and emotions to the Great Demon.

After decades of accumulation, the endless negative emotions from the human soul have become an extremely disgusting mental poison. Any being with a mind will be deeply afraid of this thing.

Not only that, after a long period of torture, the soul begins to get used to it, accept it, and become helpless.

Even this emotion was harvested, making the great demon in spiritual form extremely strong.

Obviously, the deer's normal attack could no longer break its defense.

The initial attack failed, but the temporarily suppressed Xiaolu didn't panic. She had also accumulated considerable dungeon experience. She didn't use her ultimate or soul weapon skills to fight the big demon head-on, but instead focused on the ritual itself.

Use the sword to launch long-range attacks, destroy the spells and symbols on the ground, and attack the wandering souls themselves.

Soon, in order to protect these things, the great demon switched from defense to offense, becoming somewhat passive. However, it was not anxious, but rather felt quite good, with a momentum that was getting more and more comfortable the more it fought.

"I see. It even absorbs my emotions—no wonder I feel a little lethargic."

When the deer realized that the ritual was beginning to take effect on her, she immediately moved outside the ritual.

But the strange thing is——

The ceremony followed her like a shadow and drifted to her feet.

"Huh...you're sticking to me." The deer was a little surprised.

The speed of her movements just now was a few beats slower than usual, and her body felt heavier. It wasn't that the ritual moved with her, but... she was pulling the ritual.