Plan Changes

【Ahem, Classmate Slime, I should start by offering you an apology.】

【If apologies actually worked, what would we need the police for?】

Although Ren Yi didn't harbor any ill will toward this classmate, this was a negotiation. To seize the initiative, he decided to play the part of the aggrieved party.

WhatAreYouLookingAt was quiet for a few seconds.

【You can't entirely blame me! How was I supposed to know the Son of God was one of our own!】

So, it was a woman dressed as a man.

Ren Yi couldn't help but steal a glance at the lower half of Tarol's face. He felt a flicker of wariness.

To achieve great things, one must not sweat the small stuff. He was impressed.

Despite his admiration, Ren Yi decided to test the waters first.

【That's one way to put it, and it's true that neither of us is really at fault. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, how about we stay out of each other's way? If you don't have anything else, Classmate WhatAreYouLookingAt, please take your leave.】

【No, no, no, Classmate Slime. I'm apologizing with total sincerity, and I'm here to help you with total sincerity.】

Ren Yi raised an eyebrow.

I knew you had other motives.

【Oh? Then I'm truly grateful to you, classmate.】

【Speaking of which, I happen to have an urgent mission, and I was just worrying about who to entrust it to.】

WhatAreYouLookingAt stalled again. This classmate's response was a bit outside her expectations.

【I've been away from the Holy City for so long that I've been constantly worried about the situation there. How about this? I'll immediately appoint you as an Acolyte of the Son of God and send people to escort you back to the city to take charge of the situation!】

【To be honest, Classmate WhatAreYouLookingAt, I really don't think you need to waste your time here. With your ability, you'd definitely be more useful in a place like the Holy City than in these ruins full of mutant beasts.】

WhatAreYouLookingAt: "..."

She finally understood. This classmate had never intended to let her stay by his side from the very beginning. His goal was crystal clear:

Throw everything that might cause him trouble as far out of his sight as possible.

On the surface, in the eyes of Gawain, the Lord Son of God had begun a seemingly pointless conversation with that uncouth Tarol after their handshake.

He grew increasingly anxious. His intuition kept screaming at him that he couldn't let these two stay together.

Just as he was about to step forward and drive Tarol away, WhatAreYouLookingAt realized on the Anomaly Web that she couldn't delay any longer.

She made a decisive move and brought out her trump card.

【Classmate Slime, do you want an Anomaly Artifact?】

An Anomaly Artifact?

Ren Yi paused slightly and reached out to stop Gawain, who was about to step forward.

"I want to be alone with Mr. Tarol for a moment," he said calmly.

Plan changes.

"That is not possible, Lord Son of God," Gawain said urgently, the words slipping out by reflex.

Then, he saw the stern gaze of the Son of God. His expression froze, and he abruptly lowered his head.

Ren Yi took a slow breath, patted Gawain's shoulder, and withdrew his gaze, his tone softening. "Gawain, I've remembered some things from the past."

He looked toward the distant sky with a sigh, staring at that heart-stopping rift. "These past few days... I have been worried."

"Worried about our city, worried that I can do nothing, worried that in the end, it will all be for naught... It has left me nearly exhausted."

Ren Yi slowly sat down on the ground. "I just need to rest for a bit and spend some time with someone from a familiar place. Just for a little while."

His figure wasn't particularly strong, and sitting down like this buried him in the shadows cast by Gawain and Tarol, making him look somewhat hunched.

"Stand down, Gawain. You can watch from the side."

He put on a sorrowful expression. "Don't worry, I'll be fine soon."

In front of him, where Gawain couldn't see, WhatAreYouLookingAt silently rolled her eyes.

Keep acting. Just keep on acting.

Gawain eventually walked away, though he kept a worried eye on them from a distance.

However, when he saw the Son of God and Tarol just sitting there in silence without saying a word, he felt somewhat relieved.

At this moment, within the Anomaly Web.

【So, Classmate WhatAreYouLookingAt, you're planning to give me an Anomaly Artifact?】

An Anomaly Artifact—now that was a truly good item.

Even as wealthy as the Lu family was, they hadn't provided Lu Zihan with one.

Auntie Lu Qing's Anomaly Artifact, the Hibiscus Hairpin, had helped him perfectly blend in with the Participants as a mere byproduct.

That Anomaly Artifact had played a major role in him securing this identity as the Son of God.

But Anomaly Artifacts were extremely rare. When chatting with Auntie Lu Qing, she had hinted that she only owned one or two.

【...Keep dreaming. I don't even have one myself!】

【Oh, then I think you should still head back to the Holy City to take charge, Classmate WhatAreYouLookingAt. I'm sure you'll gain much more there.】

【But my parent can make them!】

【Then again, if you need help, Classmate WhatAreYouLookingAt, I will of course do my absolute best to provide it.】

【Please at least close your eyes before you start dreaming... Shut up and just listen to me first.】

【Do you think Anomaly Artifacts are that easy to make? My family does have a "design," but what we're missing isn't the design—it's the core material.】

【I get it. Heavenly treasures. That's how it goes in all the xuanhuan novels.】

【But why do you have to find me... Oh, you need the identity of the Son of God? Don't tell me that heavenly treasure is inside a mutant beast's nest.】

【It's a soul.】

【This core material is the soul of a specific individual. You can think of it as someone who can become a Ghost after death.】

Ren Yi slowly sent out a question mark.

Fine, fine. In a post-apocalyptic setting, even ghosts are showing up now.

【To put it simply, because of certain peculiarities of the Three Cities World, this soul must be within this world to form a so-called Ghost.】

【So, during the First Phase of the Invasion, my parent pulled some strings and found a senior who was lucky enough to be assigned to this specific individual within an Instance, and had them mark it for me.】

【The marker is now pointing toward the City of Stars, so I need your help.】

However, Ren Yi's attention was no longer on the Anomaly Artifact at all.

【Wait, what do you mean?】

【Are you saying this special guy is a Participant who entered an Instance? And then you guys let him back into the Three Cities World?】

【...Is there a problem with that? The Calamity has already begun anyway. At this point, it makes no difference whether we let him go or not.】

No, the problem certainly wasn't there.

Ren Yi blinked, suddenly feeling a moment of profound realization.

He had actually found the reason behind the Pope's abnormal behavior just like that.

In the City of Stars, which had already been reduced to a mutant beast nest, there actually existed a true survivor who had completed an Instance.

This also meant a true "method of salvation."