The holy light that enveloped the city gave every player bathed in it a sense of peace and strength unlike anything they had ever known.
Their wounds and exhaustion faded, along with the gloom that years of struggling to survive had left in their hearts.
"Is this really our city?"
Macron, the rogue, ran a hand over a streetlamp that had regained its metallic sheen after being purified. His voice sounded almost dreamlike.
The others looked around.
The ground was no longer cracked, scorched earth. Clean, even paving stones stretched beneath their feet, with tender green shoots pushing up through the gaps.
The outlines of the ruined buildings remained, but the rust and filth covering them had been swept away.
All of Rust City seemed to have awakened from a nightmare and greeted the dawn of a new life.
And it had all begun with the Faith Lighthouse at the center of the square, rising between earth and sky.
Roderick walked to the lighthouse's base and gently touched its smooth surface.
The moment his fingers made contact, a new interface opened on his Personal Terminal.
[Faith Lighthouse (Rust City)] [Level: 1] [Status: Activated] [Guardian Holy Spirit: Roderick] [Shelter Radius: 5 km] [Shelter Effect: All friendly units within range gain +30% All Attributes, +50% health and energy recovery, and take 30% less Sin Karma damage.] [Core Functions:] [1. War Ladder Teleportation: Anyone with the rank of "Prospective Believer" or higher may teleport directly through the lighthouse to any illuminated Faith Lighthouse or War Ladder Anchor (Currently available: Court of Sin Punishment). (Cooldown: 24 hours)] [2. Sin Origin Furnace: Provides matter-transmutation services through the Sin Origin Furnace.] [3. Faith Temple (Locked): Requires a higher Faith Lighthouse level.]
When Roderick shared the information with everyone, the crowd erupted in louder cries