After verifying her hypothesis, Lindong approached one of the refugees, feigning sickness and said pitifully, "Sir, could you spare some food? We haven’t eaten in days."
Her skin was very pale, complemented by uncommon white hair and red eyes, giving her an air of the sickly beauty.
This time, the apathetic refugee finally reacted. He looked Lindong up and down, then shook his head, indicating he couldn’t help.
"Can we talk to illusions?"
Seeing this, Ave asked a refugee nearby with surprise, "What is this place? Why are you all here?"
The refugee continued to sort through his backpack without looking up, sighing at the dwindling supply of dry food.
She pointed at the refugee, "Why is he ignoring me?"
"Because your actions and words don’t match the behavior of people from this era," Lindong explained, "We’re now part of the refugees. No refugee would ask the question you just did. Interaction with illusions only occurs when one behaves in accordance with the current environment, similar to a puzzle game."
Ethan couldn’t help but admire his teacher’s extensive knowledge, "Is this information also from the forbidden books?"
"The Divine Spirits leave illusions in their relics to guide followers to the messages they’ve left. Only the most devout followers can pass the trials left by the illusions. In theory, the relics are a type of polluted zone; however, the righteous Divine Spirits wouldn’t leave octopus-faced monsters in relics to attack their followers."
It’s just that their current environment and era are quite unique.
They’ve entered the polluted area left by Bazatous, but this place seems to resemble a relic left by the Goddess of Life.
During the outbreak of the scarlet plague, the followers of the Goddess of Life were the main force against the Evil God. It was also in the "Plague War" that the followers of the Goddess of Life suffered terribly, and many divine magics were lost following the betrayal and death of high-tier priests.
Now, the Empire’s clergy is just one branch of the original sect of the Goddess of Life, leaving behind only some protective magic.
Lindong said, "That porcelain doll isn’t here. She’s a follower of the Goddess of Life herself and has likely entered the city by now."
The three of them exchanged glances.
Between the three of them, none could muster faith in the Goddess of Life. Viewing from a refugee’s perspective, they could only wait outside the city for everyone’s condition to worsen, eventually dying from organ failure.
"It’s time for you to come up with a plan,"
Upon hearing this, Ethan glanced around and fixed his gaze on a hunched figure in a black cloak among the refugees. This person’s dry and emaciated body resembled the gardener they had seen earlier. He didn’t seem pained, instead appreciating the people being tormented by the plague.
Ave also noticed this follower of the Evil God. "Are you planning to capture him and turn him over to the city’s guards?"
"No, we can’t disguise ourselves as followers of the Goddess of Life. Even if we enter the city, it won’t be easy to act from within."
Ethan walked quickly toward the smirking follower, speaking with undeniable authority, "You, find a way to get us into the city."
The follower was startled but reacted to Ethan’s command. He eyed Ethan up and down, asking unpleasantly, "Who are you? Do I know you?"
Ethan didn’t answer, but placed his hand on the follower’s shoulder. A layer of congealed red ice spread over the follower’s shoulder, causing him both delight and terror, nearly falling to his knees before Ethan.
Ethan supported the follower from kneeling, "I don’t want to repeat myself."
"I’ll do so right away!"
The follower said quickly, not forgetting to add before leaving, "May the Heavenly Father be with you and me."
Ave touched behind Ethan, intimidated by Ethan’s commanding presence, "You were just like a genuine follower of the Evil God!"
"From now on, you are also a follower of the Evil God."
"What about me?" Lindong approached, "I’m your servant demon, aren’t I!"
She had previously styled herself as a servant demon in Evans’ store.
Subsequently, Ethan specifically learned about servant demons.
Servant demons establish a soul link with their masters, which cannot be broken unless one party dies.
The book also mentioned that the majority of servant demons maintain a twisted and inappropriate relationship with their masters.
Seeing him silent, Lindong brazenly spoke in front of Ave, "It seems you don’t object, Master~"
Ave was left speechless, her golden hair atop her head moved like an antenna between Ethan and Lindong—they’re getting more and more outrageous!
Turns out Miss Lindong always wearing a maid outfit was actually involved in some gameplay unknown to Ave with Ethan?
The followers of the Evil God were highly efficient, and the three didn’t wait long before a group emerged from a side gate beside the city wall. They all wore holy clergy robes, searching among the refugees for the already deceased. The refugees rushed over, but were sternly driven back by the guards accompanying them.
The priests looked over at Ethan and the others, "You three, come help us transport these bodies into the city!"
It seems even the followers of the Goddess of Life have been corrupted by Bazatous.
Bloody Priestess Mary’s memory did not mention these betrayers. Until her will was twisted by Bazatous, it seems she had not noticed that her followers had long since betrayed her.
Ethan felt some sympathy for this high-tier priest, driven to insanity by Bazatous. She truly followed the teachings of the Goddess of Life, tirelessly working to rid people of the plague.