The Pope stared at the crystal in Ren Yi's hand, his gaze flickering with emotion.
He reached out to take the energy crystal, holding it up to examine it closely.
Ren Yi sat to the side with composure, a faint, imperceptible smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
This energy crystal belonged to the power system of an Anomaly; naturally, the Pope couldn't discern its inner workings.
Since he couldn't see its essence, he could only judge it by its appearance.
And to be fair, the energy crystal Ren Yi had crafted was visually impeccable.
The old Pope scrutinized it for a long time before slowly setting it down, his expression returning to an unruffled calm. "It is indeed a divine artifact, without a doubt."
"I wonder, what are the effects of this Divine Gift Crystal?"
He can't see a thing, yet he still puts on that face... Just keep pretending then.
Ren Yi sighed softly and followed the lead. "That is precisely the core of what I wish to discuss with you."
"The Oracle informed me that this crystal is the core artifact that carries our faith." He intentionally emphasized the word "faith."
"Only by aggregating enough devout faith can we successfully summon our God to descend during the final sacrifice."
At this point, Ren Yi allowed a perfectly timed look of hesitation and confusion to cross his face.
"However, I have yet to fully grasp the deeper meaning of the Oracle. I do not understand how to collect faith, nor how to inject the power of faith into this crystal."
This so-called Divine Gift Crystal was, without a doubt, a Rule Crystal containing a portion of Ren Yi's body.
As for why he had suddenly produced the crystal he originally intended to hide, it was naturally because of that unexpectedly discovered "clone" function.
Although he couldn't control it, as it was his "body," it still possessed some of his essential attributes.
So, if someone generated positive emotions toward this "Divine Gift Crystal," what would happen?
Ren Yi was very curious.
On the other side, the Pope lowered his head and pondered for a moment after hearing Ren Yi's words.
"I believe the Oracle has its own profound meaning, one that we mortals cannot easily fathom."
"Lord Son of God, why not entrust this crystal to me?" the Pope said earnestly.
"I will give it to the most devout believers in the city to study and contemplate. Perhaps we can find a way to gather faith more quickly."
That sentence... is interesting.
Ren Yi gave the Pope a look of keen interest.
"Naturally. In this hour of life and death, our God's most devout believers should work together to overcome this crisis."
The pickup truck continued to speed through the wilderness, and silence fell over the cabin once more.
Ren Yi leaned back in his seat, seemingly resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was using his perception to secretly monitor the changes in the surrounding environment.
After an unknown amount of time, a signal came from the scouting vehicle ahead. Gawain slowed down and spoke in a low voice, "Lord Son of God, Your Eminence, the City of Stars is just ahead."
Ren Yi and the Pope looked up simultaneously. On the horizon, the outline of a massive city had emerged.
As the distance closed, the full view of the City of Stars became clear.
It was a ruined metropolis with a heavy sci-fi aesthetic. Most of the metal towers that once scraped the sky had collapsed, standing crookedly amidst the rubble.
An occasional gust of wind blew through, making a whistling wail like the mournful cry of a dead city.
Despite its dilapidated state, it was easy to see from the remaining architectural structures and precision metal components what kind of brilliant technological civilization this city had once possessed at its peak.
"We will set up camp here," the Pope decided immediately. "Pass down the order: all units are to rest where they are. We will hold a war council in half an hour."
The orders were quickly relayed. The massive convoy stopped in an orderly fashion in an open area several kilometers away from the City of Stars. The soldiers performed their duties, and a temporary camp was soon established.
Ren Yi stood at the edge of the camp, gazing out at the silent City of Stars in the distance.
It was noon. A thin ray of sunlight pierced through the dark clouds, hitting a fragment of a glass curtain wall on the tallest remaining tower of the city, reflecting a piercing white light.
Other than that, it was too quiet. There were no roars of mutant beasts, no chirping of insects.
This place didn't look like the dangerous mutant beast nest of the rumors; instead, it looked like a tombstone of civilization standing in the wilderness, silently telling of its former prosperity.
Ren Yi walked slowly to the edge of the camp, his gaze crossing the open wilderness to rest on the dead city.
Not far behind him, Gawain followed closely.
Since they began setting up camp, he had been wandering for nearly half an hour, touring the entire base.
During this time, he had been discreetly observing the troops in the camp.
The uniforms of the Holy City's troops were quite interesting, appearing to be a combination of camouflage and clerical robes.
Combined with the various swords, spears, and halberds they carried on their backs, they looked somewhat bizarre in Ren Yi's eyes, possessing a bit of an avant-garde artistic feel.
The Pope had already excused himself earlier, claiming he needed to discuss the research regarding the energy crystal.
Without the Pope's constraints, Gawain naturally couldn't stop Ren Yi and could only follow him the entire time, tacitly allowing him to move around the camp.
However, all Ren Yi needed was to "walk around" and make his face familiar to the troops at close range.
Nearby, noticing Ren Yi's face and Gawain not far behind him, gazes began to converge on him.
The emotions contained within these gazes were complex—reverence and suspicion, anticipation and fear, various emotions intertwined and permeated the camp.
Ren Yi secretly sensed the increasing points of light on his arm.
The positive emotions collected were fewer than expected. It seemed that his push for this extermination operation, regardless of the cost, had ultimately caused some unease.
In addition to collecting energy, Ren Yi began to consciously plant illusion seeds among those who did not provide him with positive emotions.
Perhaps he would need to prepare some "performances" to stabilize people's hearts.
Just as he was thinking secretly, an unspeakable sense of pressure suddenly descended without warning!
It was an indescribable stillness.
The sound of the wind, the clashing of equipment, the whispers of soldiers—all sounds were stripped away in an instant, as if swallowed by an omnipresent void.
The air between heaven and earth seemed to be sucked dry, and a sense of suffocation instantly gripped everyone's throat.
Ren Yi's hair stood on end, and his body tensed up violently.
The True Form hidden beneath his human shell curled into a ball uncontrollably, and a shudder originating from the depths of his soul spread throughout his body along his spine.
Before his eyes, everyone in the camp fell into the same state.
Whether it was the ordinary soldiers or the Espers in distinctly different clothing, all were frozen in place, unable to move their bodies in the slightest. Their eyes were wide, staring fixedly at the distant sky.
The silence lasted for several heartbeats, and then, a soft sound rang out abruptly.
"Tick-tock."
Rate on N.U.
