The elder’s words resounded in all the contenders’ hearts like an alarm.
Based on the notes, the previous few teams cleared it easily, but this was still an S+ rank instance in the end. They couldn’t let down their guard.
Thus, after they went back, the contenders immediately started discussing.
“Our goal in entering this instance is to find the savior prophesied by the Teacher, right?”
Everyone solemnly and firmly nodded.
“If that’s the case, starting tomorrow, we’ll go to where the pope candidates are and find the child who matches the description of the savior the most.
Hong Lie closed his eyes, “If possible, we need to figure out what’s in store after the Holy Festival. Why did the grand elder say that the pope would return to the embrace of God?”
“I don’t know why, but my instincts tell me that this instance is way more complicated than it appears.”
Different from the other teams, Gui Guzi’s former party members were much more crazed and obsessed.
They seemed to have reached some kind of consensus in private.
Zong Jiu watched them as they arrived together at the palace behind the Holy City.
The high priest led them into the hall of the palace, “All the children are already inside, distinguished guests.”
Some contenders questioned, “Why are they wearing ribbons, covering their eyes?”
“This is a tradition of our festival.”
The high priest patiently explained, “Gifted children have to wear blindfolds from a young age. They can only take it off when they become the next pope and preside over the festival.
What kind of strange tradition was this? Have the children never seen what the world looks like since they were born?
The contenders all had doubts in their hearts. However, they were hesitant to speak up due to their reservations.
On the contrary, the high priest seemed to know what their concerns were, “The one in charge of looking after the children is Godmother Sophia. For more specific information, you may consult with her.”
After explaining the general situation, the high priest led them into the hall and then quickly left, leaving only the contenders and Zong Jiu, who was floating in the air.
After arriving in the hall, he didn’t know if it was because he had assimilated into the little Devil’s memory, but Zong Jiu found out that he could slightly control his movement now.
The contenders were still talking with the godmother.
“These children all have their own special abilities. They were born with holy marks blessed by God. Among the billions of people in the world, there are no more than thirty children who fit the oracle and have the holy mark. They were brought to the Holy City to be trained since they were young…”
“However, we still haven’t decided on the final pope candidate yet because none of these children have abilities related to purification.”
Zong Jiu turned back and glanced at the godmother who was still talking with the contenders before slowly floating upstairs.
He remembered what the little Devil had told him before. Purification was an ability he had had since birth.
How could the godmother responsible for them not know what the children’s abilities were? But why did she say that no one had such special abilities?
The doubts in the white-haired young man’s heart grew. He floated around and started to search within this memory.
There was a long corridor on the second floor of the palace with numbers marked in it.
Zong Jiu floated past one room after another and stopped in front of the only door that was half open.
Through the crack, he could see a black-haired young boy sitting on the floor and holding a thick book while reading it.
Sunlight shined through the window from behind him and cast a layer of holy light onto his silhouette. It was as if he were an angel who descended from heaven.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind Zong Jiu.
The godmother, who was wearing a long white robe, passed through the white-haired young man’s body, pushed open the door in a rush, and then quickly closed the door.
Seeing the situation, Zong Jiu quickly passed through the door like a ghost and floated inside to watch.
“Godmother Sophia.”
Sensing that someone came in, the little Devil put down the book in his hands and raised his head in a well-behaved manner.
Behind him, there were many piles of neatly arranged building blocks, each stack of blocks forming a tall castle.
“Put on the blindfold quickly. I need to inform the others.”
The middle-aged woman named Sophia quickly squatted down, picked up the blindfold from the ground, and then gently wrapped it around the little Devil’s head.
The latter’s small body trembled imperceptibly, “Godmother… I’m scared.”
“Good child. Don’t be scared.”
Sophia caressed his head, “Do you still remember what Godmother told you before?”
“I remember.”
The little Devil muttered, “If they ask what my special ability is, I tell them that I was born not afraid of fire.”
“That’s right. Don’t tell them you have the ability of purification no matter what, okay?”
The little Devil nodded.
“Good child.”
Sophia let out a sigh, “Remember. No matter what happens, no matter what the situation is, you can’t reveal it. Understand?”
“Godmother will protect you all. Definitely.”
……
Because of this scene, Zong Jiu fell into deep thought. The surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
This memory wasn’t complete, and there were often jumps.
Perhaps, the little Devil felt that watching the minute details was unnecessary, so he only showed Zong Jiu the most important parts.
This time, the scene changed to the deserted outskirts of a desert. Endless sand dunes stretched out in all directions
The one clean clothes on the little boy had become dirty. Because nights in the desert were too cold, he crouched down behind a sand dune, shivering and trying to hide himself.
However, such simple and clumsy hiding was nothing in front of the contenders.
Several teams surrounded the little Devil, their expressions solemn.
“Hong-ge, the savior we divined is him. No question about it.”
The notes left by previous contenders gave them a new train of thought. There just happened to be a clairvoyant in their team as well. Thus, he did a divination on the spot.
Gui Guzi was most famous for his ability to peer into the secrets of the world. With him as a figurehead here, there were many contenders with the talent of divining among his subordinates. The clairvoyant who came with him into the Perfect World was one that Gui Guzi had personally taught before.
“I remember this brat.”
Hong Lie frowned, “His ability is being unafraid of fire. Are you sure he really is the savior?”
He had some doubts in his heart because he had seen the little boy in front of him put his hand into the fire without any fear of the flame.
“I’m sure.”
The clairvoyant’s face was white as paper, “Rather than doubting the results of my divinations, have you forgotten the reason why the Teacher left me behind and didn’t bring me into the Investiture of the Gods?”
This group of former followers’ strengths were a bit weak, but they were the backup plan personally arranged by Gui Guzi.
In case his grand plan failed, at least there would be a way out. He could leave behind a clairvoyant as a guide to search for the savior that inherited his mantle.
Hong Lie squatted down and looked directly into the little Devil’s eyes, “Little brother, do you have the ability of purification?”
The little Devil shook his head like a pellet drum.
Tn: An Asian kid’s toy that you twist back and forth.
“Don’t be scared.”
Seeing the little Devil’s resistance and opposition, Hong Lie, who was a buff and burly man, scratched his head, “We don’t have any ill intent.”
He tried to appear friendlier, but it made his expression even stranger.
“We are here to protect you. We won’t hand you over.”
Because of the missing memories in between, Zong Jiu couldn’t figure out what had happened.
However, it seems that the contenders found some peculiarities regarding Perfect World. For example, the Holy Festival didn’t seem to be as simple as the NPCs described.
“But, but…”
The little Devil sniffed, “Those people took godmother away.”
All the contenders fell silent.
Tonight, a major event happened that shook the entire Holy City.
Tomorrow was the Holy Festival. The chosen pope should’ve entered the holy temple on Mount Moriah tonight to await commands.
But a few hours ago, the godmother responsible for raising the children secretly sent them out of the Holy City.
However, this plan had only been half executed when a whistleblower appeared. In the end, this was found out by the holy knights patrolling the Holy City.
Without the Holy Son and the Pope, there was no way to hold the festival. This was a situation of great importance.
All the knights moved out. They combed through the desert and brought back all the children sent out one by one.
In the end, they found 29 kids and were only missing the last one, who was also the most important one.
As if he had made up his mind, Hong Lie spoke, “Please believe us. As long as you come with us, we can definitely ensure your safety.”
In order to gain trust, he took out that S-rank prop.
“We are taking you to another world right now. A world without this religion. Your godmother has already gone over there and is currently waiting for you.”
As expected, after hearing this, a bit of wavering appeared in the little Devil’s gaze, “Really?”
He was still only a six-year-old child. Although he was smarter than normal people, he wasn’t very calculating or experienced. He was easy to trick.
Hong Lie let out a sigh in his heart and then coaxed, “Of course.”
“We knew about your whereabouts from Sophia. Otherwise, how were we able to find you? Think about it. Didn’t your godmother say that if you take this path, no one would be able to find you?”
While speaking, afraid that he wouldn’t believe him, Hong Lie stuffed the small storage box into the little Devil’s arms.
[Congratulations on receiving the S-rank prop: Storage Box]
The little Devil raised his head, confused, “What’s that sound? What’s an S-rank prop?”
He really could hear the system’s sound!
The other people exchanged glances filled with shock. Some couldn’t help sighing.
[Do you wish to bring this NPC back to the infinite flow?]
At this point, no one doubted the little Devil’s identity anymore.
Hong Lie smiled bitterly as he paid 50,000 survival points and carried the little Devil onto the camel.
[Contract established. When this instance is closed, the NPC shall also return to the infinite flow.]
“No matter what, we have found the savior.”
The contenders were both excited and sad.
However, before that, they had to complete the main task in order to bring the savior back to the infinite flow.
If the savior truly was the same person as the Perfect World’s pope, then…
Zong Jiu, who was floating nearby, understood the situation and shook his head internally.
While Gui Guzi’s grand plan was important, if the contenders couldn’t complete this world’s main task, they couldn’t even return to the infinite flow, let alone support the savior to inherit his mantle.
So, the purpose of their current trip wasn’t as the little Devil thought, going straight to the other world mentioned by the contenders.
They were on their way back, heading towards the Holy City.
Under the night sky, the little Devil chittered and chattered, asking questions about the infinite flow. He looked very happy and exuberant.
“Does that mean I don’t have to cover my face with the blindfold anymore and can go outside to play every day? Will I never run out of books to read and no longer have to recite those burying prayers?
“Will the godmother also be with us? How much longer until we get there?”
The infinite flow, which the contenders wanted to avoid at all costs, was the most exciting toy in the eyes of the six-year-old child.
Who would’ve guessed that the first step to assisting the savior was to babysit?
In order to keep the little child’s emotions stable, the contenders made up stories for him. One of them described the infinite flow as if it was Gulliver’s Travels, while another described it as if it was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Hong Lie seemed to have suddenly remembered something. He turned his head back and asked, “That’s right. Brat, what’s your name?”
The little Devil lay on the camel’s back, becoming sleepy. His dark brown eyes slightly narrowed.
The little kid’s soft hair hung by his face. A tuft of hair stood up on top of his head. He was like a cute life-sized doll.
After a long time, he asked with confusion, “What’s a name?”
“Names are ways to address people. Like your godmother, she’s called Sophia.” The contender patiently answered.
“I see. The little Devil touched his hair and quietly said, “Then I don’t have a name.”
“Because no one gave me a name, so they normally call me number 1.”
The elder’s words resounded in all the contenders’ hearts like an alarm.
Based on the notes, the previous few teams cleared it easily, but this was still an S+ rank instance in the end. They couldn’t let down their guard.
Thus, after they went back, the contenders immediately started discussing.
“Our goal in entering this instance is to find the savior prophesied by the Teacher, right?”
Everyone solemnly and firmly nodded.
“If that’s the case, starting tomorrow, we’ll go to where the pope candidates are and find the child who matches the description of the savior the most.
Hong Lie closed his eyes, “If possible, we need to figure out what’s in store after the Holy Festival. Why did the grand elder say that the pope would return to the embrace of God?”
“I don’t know why, but my instincts tell me that this instance is way more complicated than it appears.”
Different from the other teams, Gui Guzi’s former party members were much more crazed and obsessed.
They seemed to have reached some kind of consensus in private.
Zong Jiu watched them as they arrived together at the palace behind the Holy City.
The high priest led them into the hall of the palace, “All the children are already inside, distinguished guests.”
Some contenders questioned, “Why are they wearing ribbons, covering their eyes?”
“This is a tradition of our festival.”
The high priest patiently explained, “Gifted children have to wear blindfolds from a young age. They can only take it off when they become the next pope and preside over the festival.
What kind of strange tradition was this? Have the children never seen what the world looks like since they were born?
The contenders all had doubts in their hearts. However, they were hesitant to speak up due to their reservations.
On the contrary, the high priest seemed to know what their concerns were, “The one in charge of looking after the children is Godmother Sophia. For more specific information, you may consult with her.”
After explaining the general situation, the high priest led them into the hall and then quickly left, leaving only the contenders and Zong Jiu, who was floating in the air.
After arriving in the hall, he didn’t know if it was because he had assimilated into the little Devil’s memory, but Zong Jiu found out that he could slightly control his movement now.
The contenders were still talking with the godmother.
“These children all have their own special abilities. They were born with holy marks blessed by God. Among the billions of people in the world, there are no more than thirty children who fit the oracle and have the holy mark. They were brought to the Holy City to be trained since they were young…”
“However, we still haven’t decided on the final pope candidate yet because none of these children have abilities related to purification.”
Zong Jiu turned back and glanced at the godmother who was still talking with the contenders before slowly floating upstairs.
He remembered what the little Devil had told him before. Purification was an ability he had had since birth.
How could the godmother responsible for them not know what the children’s abilities were? But why did she say that no one had such special abilities?
The doubts in the white-haired young man’s heart grew. He floated around and started to search within this memory.
There was a long corridor on the second floor of the palace with numbers marked in it.
Zong Jiu floated past one room after another and stopped in front of the only door that was half open.
Through the crack, he could see a black-haired young boy sitting on the floor and holding a thick book while reading it.
Sunlight shined through the window from behind him and cast a layer of holy light onto his silhouette. It was as if he were an angel who descended from heaven.
The sound of hurried footsteps came from behind Zong Jiu.
The godmother, who was wearing a long white robe, passed through the white-haired young man’s body, pushed open the door in a rush, and then quickly closed the door.
Seeing the situation, Zong Jiu quickly passed through the door like a ghost and floated inside to watch.
“Godmother Sophia.”
Sensing that someone came in, the little Devil put down the book in his hands and raised his head in a well-behaved manner.
Behind him, there were many piles of neatly arranged building blocks, each stack of blocks forming a tall castle.
“Put on the blindfold quickly. I need to inform the others.”
The middle-aged woman named Sophia quickly squatted down, picked up the blindfold from the ground, and then gently wrapped it around the little Devil’s head.
The latter’s small body trembled imperceptibly, “Godmother… I’m scared.”
“Good child. Don’t be scared.”
Sophia caressed his head, “Do you still remember what Godmother told you before?”
“I remember.”
The little Devil muttered, “If they ask what my special ability is, I tell them that I was born not afraid of fire.”
“That’s right. Don’t tell them you have the ability of purification no matter what, okay?”
The little Devil nodded.
“Good child.”
Sophia let out a sigh, “Remember. No matter what happens, no matter what the situation is, you can’t reveal it. Understand?”
“Godmother will protect you all. Definitely.”
……
Because of this scene, Zong Jiu fell into deep thought. The surrounding scenery changed in an instant.
This memory wasn’t complete, and there were often jumps.
Perhaps, the little Devil felt that watching the minute details was unnecessary, so he only showed Zong Jiu the most important parts.
This time, the scene changed to the deserted outskirts of a desert. Endless sand dunes stretched out in all directions
The one clean clothes on the little boy had become dirty. Because nights in the desert were too cold, he crouched down behind a sand dune, shivering and trying to hide himself.
However, such simple and clumsy hiding was nothing in front of the contenders.
Several teams surrounded the little Devil, their expressions solemn.
“Hong-ge, the savior we divined is him. No question about it.”
The notes left by previous contenders gave them a new train of thought. There just happened to be a clairvoyant in their team as well. Thus, he did a divination on the spot.
Gui Guzi was most famous for his ability to peer into the secrets of the world. With him as a figurehead here, there were many contenders with the talent of divining among his subordinates. The clairvoyant who came with him into the Perfect World was one that Gui Guzi had personally taught before.
“I remember this brat.”
Hong Lie frowned, “His ability is being unafraid of fire. Are you sure he really is the savior?”
He had some doubts in his heart because he had seen the little boy in front of him put his hand into the fire without any fear of the flame.
“I’m sure.”
The clairvoyant’s face was white as paper, “Rather than doubting the results of my divinations, have you forgotten the reason why the Teacher left me behind and didn’t bring me into the Investiture of the Gods?”
This group of former followers’ strengths were a bit weak, but they were the backup plan personally arranged by Gui Guzi.
In case his grand plan failed, at least there would be a way out. He could leave behind a clairvoyant as a guide to search for the savior that inherited his mantle.
Hong Lie squatted down and looked directly into the little Devil’s eyes, “Little brother, do you have the ability of purification?”
The little Devil shook his head like a pellet drum.
Tn: An Asian kid’s toy that you twist back and forth.
“Don’t be scared.”
Seeing the little Devil’s resistance and opposition, Hong Lie, who was a buff and burly man, scratched his head, “We don’t have any ill intent.”
He tried to appear friendlier, but it made his expression even stranger.
“We are here to protect you. We won’t hand you over.”
Because of the missing memories in between, Zong Jiu couldn’t figure out what had happened.
However, it seems that the contenders found some peculiarities regarding Perfect World. For example, the Holy Festival didn’t seem to be as simple as the NPCs described.
“But, but…”
The little Devil sniffed, “Those people took godmother away.”
All the contenders fell silent.
Tonight, a major event happened that shook the entire Holy City.
Tomorrow was the Holy Festival. The chosen pope should’ve entered the holy temple on Mount Moriah tonight to await commands.
But a few hours ago, the godmother responsible for raising the children secretly sent them out of the Holy City.
However, this plan had only been half executed when a whistleblower appeared. In the end, this was found out by the holy knights patrolling the Holy City.
Without the Holy Son and the Pope, there was no way to hold the festival. This was a situation of great importance.
All the knights moved out. They combed through the desert and brought back all the children sent out one by one.
In the end, they found 29 kids and were only missing the last one, who was also the most important one.
As if he had made up his mind, Hong Lie spoke, “Please believe us. As long as you come with us, we can definitely ensure your safety.”
In order to gain trust, he took out that S-rank prop.
“We are taking you to another world right now. A world without this religion. Your godmother has already gone over there and is currently waiting for you.”
As expected, after hearing this, a bit of wavering appeared in the little Devil’s gaze, “Really?”
He was still only a six-year-old child. Although he was smarter than normal people, he wasn’t very calculating or experienced. He was easy to trick.
Hong Lie let out a sigh in his heart and then coaxed, “Of course.”
“We knew about your whereabouts from Sophia. Otherwise, how were we able to find you? Think about it. Didn’t your godmother say that if you take this path, no one would be able to find you?”
While speaking, afraid that he wouldn’t believe him, Hong Lie stuffed the small storage box into the little Devil’s arms.
[Congratulations on receiving the S-rank prop: Storage Box]
The little Devil raised his head, confused, “What’s that sound? What’s an S-rank prop?”
He really could hear the system’s sound!
The other people exchanged glances filled with shock. Some couldn’t help sighing.
[Do you wish to bring this NPC back to the infinite flow?]
At this point, no one doubted the little Devil’s identity anymore.
Hong Lie smiled bitterly as he paid 50,000 survival points and carried the little Devil onto the camel.
[Contract established. When this instance is closed, the NPC shall also return to the infinite flow.]
“No matter what, we have found the savior.”
The contenders were both excited and sad.
However, before that, they had to complete the main task in order to bring the savior back to the infinite flow.
If the savior truly was the same person as the Perfect World’s pope, then…
Zong Jiu, who was floating nearby, understood the situation and shook his head internally.
While Gui Guzi’s grand plan was important, if the contenders couldn’t complete this world’s main task, they couldn’t even return to the infinite flow, let alone support the savior to inherit his mantle.
So, the purpose of their current trip wasn’t as the little Devil thought, going straight to the other world mentioned by the contenders.
They were on their way back, heading towards the Holy City.
Under the night sky, the little Devil chittered and chattered, asking questions about the infinite flow. He looked very happy and exuberant.
“Does that mean I don’t have to cover my face with the blindfold anymore and can go outside to play every day? Will I never run out of books to read and no longer have to recite those burying prayers?
“Will the godmother also be with us? How much longer until we get there?”
The infinite flow, which the contenders wanted to avoid at all costs, was the most exciting toy in the eyes of the six-year-old child.
Who would’ve guessed that the first step to assisting the savior was to babysit?
In order to keep the little child’s emotions stable, the contenders made up stories for him. One of them described the infinite flow as if it was Gulliver’s Travels, while another described it as if it was Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Hong Lie seemed to have suddenly remembered something. He turned his head back and asked, “That’s right. Brat, what’s your name?”
The little Devil lay on the camel’s back, becoming sleepy. His dark brown eyes slightly narrowed.
The little kid’s soft hair hung by his face. A tuft of hair stood up on top of his head. He was like a cute life-sized doll.
After a long time, he asked with confusion, “What’s a name?”
“Names are ways to address people. Like your godmother, she’s called Sophia.” The contender patiently answered.
“I see. The little Devil touched his hair and quietly said, “Then I don’t have a name.”
“Because no one gave me a name, so they normally call me number 1.”
