I Pray to the Gods

The night grew deep, and the campfires brought light to the campsite.

From time to time, the crackling sound of burning branches drifted out, accompanied by specks of sparks flying up into the sky.

This campsite was not sturdy. Although a fence had been hastily set up, the time spent was too short and the fence was too low, rendering its defense against the impact of fierce beasts negligible. At most, it brought some psychological comfort to the members of the exploration team.

The true defensive measures were the numerous traps distributed around the camp.

Once a fierce beast attacked, these traps could form an obstruction and create a huge noise to warn the people in the camp.

Of course, lookouts were also arranged around the camp to provide another layer of security.

In the past, most exploration team members would have already fallen asleep by this time, but tonight, none of them felt sleepy.

Many people gathered around the campfires, talking with one another.

News regarding the flying squirrel leader's abilities and the exploration team's predicament of food shortages were known to everyone.

"Under these circumstances, what should we do?"

"Food is the most important thing! Without food, we will all starve to death, and we won't even need any magic beasts. No one is an exception, because no one can survive without eating or drinking."

"I think we should wipe out these flying squirrels. Even though the flying squirrel leader is strong, the vast majority of flying squirrels are just ordinary beasts."

"Hmph, if you think like that, just wait to die. As long as the flying squirrel leader bites your flesh, you'll die the moment it discharges electricity. Even if the flying squirrel leader is rare, there aren't many of us, and it's simply not enough for it to kill."

"Thinking back now, it's really terrifying. During the day, that flying squirrel leader was no more than five paces away from me. Fortunately, it died at Sir Zhen Jin's hands."

"Can the flying squirrel leader really discharge electricity?" Someone also expressed doubt.

Yet when he heard that this was the result of Cang Xu's deduction, no one had any doubts anymore.

"Viewed this way, we still owe it all to Sir Zhen Jin! If he hadn't killed the flying squirrel leader in a single strike, we definitely would have had people die."

"In my opinion, this kind of beast horde must never be touched. Perhaps we can encounter a better food source next. Therefore, we'd better take a detour. Or perhaps, finding the main force would also be good."

"Heh, your thinking is too naive. Will there definitely be food in the main force? Don't forget, our batch of people was precisely dispatched by the main force to explore the surroundings while searching for food!"

"To return to the beach we set off from and reunite with the main force, we have no idea how long the journey is. Along this road, encountering even stronger magic beasts is a very likely occurrence."

"When all is said and done, how much longer can our food actually last?"

Cang Xu lay inside the tent, listening to the sounds drifting in from outside. He looked at the roof of the tent, knowing very well in his heart that the remaining food could only last for seven days at most!

At this moment, however, Cang Xu was even more worried about the state of the team.

Everyone had their own thoughts, and the morale of the team had already scattered, each holding their own opinions. At a time like this, a leader was needed to make the final decision.

Yet although Zhen Jin wielded this position, his prestige as a leader had not yet penetrated people's hearts.

The mutton incident initially seemed like a good thing that could raise Zhen Jin's leadership prestige, but it ended up triggering poisoning across the entire team, causing the team to toss and turn back and forth without harvesting enough food.

Consequently, Zhen Jin had no way to consolidate his authority.

Then, it all depends on this time, Cang Xu thought to himself.

Fairly speaking, this was not a good opportunity.

Yet reality was always like this; it was cold and ruthless, always directly presenting accidents and difficult problems right here, leaving things unsatisfactory. People were often caught off guard and even less able to make excessive demands.

Regardless of whether it was Zhen Jin, Zi Di, Cang Xu himself, or the entire exploration team, everyone had been driven into a corner by reality.

Only by crossing this difficult reality can you truly wield this team. So, Zhen Jin, young leader, how on earth will you make your choice?

Clutching this doubt, Cang Xu slowly fell asleep.

How should I choose? Zhen Jin fell into deep contemplation.

As a leader, he had no qualification to escape, only to bear!

"Now the team's food is insufficient, and dealing with the flying squirrel horde is an option to acquire food. But the risk is very high, and the exploration team's combat strength is insufficient. Suffering the flying squirrel leader's electric shock will inevitably lead to heavy casualties."

"Yet I need a great victory. A thorough and refreshing great victory is the ideal outcome. If it's merely a pyrrhic victory with excessive casualties, it will inevitably make the remaining people feel disappointed and no longer look forward to my leadership."

"At the same time, the scale of the entire exploration team is not large. With excessive casualties, how can the remaining people help me compete for the position of White Sand City Lord?"

Aside from this choice, Zhen Jin understood that he had another option.

"That is to give up this flying squirrel community, continue exploring, and look forward to the possibility of discovering a better food source in the future."

"This choice can allow the entire team to temporarily settle down, but the food reserves can only last for seven days at most, and what will be encountered next is actually hard to say."

"It could be a weaker beast horde, or it could directly encounter a terrifying magic beast, leading to the destruction of the entire exploration team."

"If the food is strictly controlled and minimized, it can last for more than ten days."

"But the risk of doing this is very high."

"Once food begins to run short, people's hearts will panic, and they might even be on guard against one another, hunting each other and devouring one another in order to stay alive!"

"My prestige is not yet able to suppress such morale. If this situation occurs, the entire team won't just collapse—it will riot."

"Never mind me, Zi Di will even be implicated!"

While Zhen Jin was deep in thought, a sudden thought popped up.

This thought was so bold and terrifying that even Zhen Jin himself was startled by it—If I am driven to a desperate situation, in order to stay alive, will I kill others and feed on human meat?

"No, how could this be possible! If I were to do this, how would I be any different from those beasts and livestock!? I am a Temple Knight after all."

Zhen Jin felt a deep sense of shame.

The Temple Knight represented light, represented bravery. On the battlefield, the Temple Knight always charged at the front; in daily life, the Temple Knight upheld justice, maintained kindness, and protected the weak.

"So it turns out that becoming a leader is this difficult. I'm probably being driven mad, otherwise how could such a terrifying thought arise?"

At this moment, Zhen Jin genuinely felt that being a leader was by no means easy.

A leader had to shoulder his own responsibilities, could not fail the trust of his subordinates, and needed to find the correct path during times of confusion to lead everyone out of adversity.

Furthermore, the burdens Zhen Jin carried on his back went far beyond these.

He thought of Zi Di. In his view, this fiancee of his had always trusted him, guarded him with all her might, and never abandoned him.

He thought of his family again, of his father who had only a single arm left. He could not die; he had to become the White Sand City Lord, which was a crucial step for the Hundred Needles Family's revival.

There was also his pride as a noble, the glory of being a Temple Knight...

As he pondered, Zhen Jin's brows furrowed tighter, his chest felt oppressed, and there was even a sensation of suffocation.

His tent was already the most spacious one, yet at this moment, the entire tent felt like the giant claw of a monster, continuously contracting as though it were gripping Zhen Jin's throat.

Zhen Jin resisted the massive pressure. The human voices outside the tent gradually faded away, and most of the exploration team members crawled into their tents to sleep, yet Zhen Jin felt the pressure grow increasingly heavy and immense.

He did not know how much time had passed when Zhen Jin let out a soft gasp, suddenly hunching over and sitting limply on the military blanket, leaning his back against the single wooden pillar supporting the tent.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo..."

Zhen Jin breathed heavily, his forehead covered in sweat.

He felt a strong fatigue, and this fatigue was not physical strength, but rather a mental exhaustion.

"What on earth should I do?" Zhen Jin remained bewildered and distressed.

Unconsciously, he half-knelt on the ground and once again began to pray.

"Saint Brilliance Great Emperor, my God, Your gaze towers above the clouds, and no manner of fog can block Your path forward. You hold the reins of a vast empire, leading hundreds of millions of subjects toward victory. You are so wise, You are so decisive, and You can see through the trajectory of fate."

"Now, Your loyal and humble believer prays to You. I beg You to point out my path, please brush away the fog of fate for me, and I beseech You to protect me so that I may uphold the pride of a noble and the glory of a knight."

Yet, the gods gave no response.

Zhen Jin waited.

He looked forward immensely to the gods' response.

Time flowed silently and continuously.

This was a long wait.

Zhen Jin half-knelt on the ground, lowering his head toward the direction of the Saint Brilliance Empire.

This was a stubborn wait.

During this prayer, Zhen Jin displayed unprecedented patience.

Yet ultimately, as the cold chill of the late night continuously drilled in through the gaps of the tent, boring into Zhen Jin's nasal passages and seeping from his skin into his heart,

Zhen Jin's heart seemed to gradually grow cold, and his eagerly awaiting heart plummeted to the bottom.

Zhen Jin realized the cruel reality—the gods still had not given him a response, and he would not wait for any instructions from the Saint Brilliance Great Emperor.

The tent in the middle of the night was filled with darkness, lacking even a sliver of light.

The youth Zhen Jin half-knelt on the ground like a stone statue.

After a long while, the stone statue let out a sigh. He stopped half-kneeling and instead struggled to stand up.

His legs and feet were sore and numb; Zhen Jin stamped his feet to relax his muscles.

His eyes were listless, and his heart was heavy. He knew he could only rely on himself.

Without the guidance of the gods, the path ahead was pitch black.

Yet he had to keep going!

Staying in place would only mean waiting for death and would also disappoint everyone.

Life was just like this.

People were often forced by life to make all sorts of decisions under circumstances where the future was uncertain. Even people themselves knew how reckless such a choice was! And yet, people still had to bear the consequences of their own choices, whether bitter or sweet.

Zhen Jin could only continue to think.

Strangely enough, during this bout of thinking, he did not feel the previous distress.

It was as if he had broken through a limit, perhaps because the gods' lack of response made him thoroughly understand that no one could be relied upon.

When morning arrived and the bird chirps in the forest grew increasingly numerous, Zhen Jin abruptly realized that an entire night had passed.

He lifted the tent curtain, just in time to catch sight of the morning sun.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining upon the half-dark forest. There was still morning mist in the forest, and the air felt both damp and cold. Zhen Jin breathed it in, yet felt a burst of refreshment.

The moment he lifted the curtain, he was the wise, martial, all-seeing leader capable of making the most correct choices.

Even if he knew he wasn't, he still had to play the part convincingly!

There was no longer a trace of hesitation on his face; he had already made his decision!

Everyone was quickly summoned to listen to Zhen Jin issue a series of commands.

"Lan Zao, over the next few days, you must continue to scout covertly and ferret out more information regarding the flying squirrel community."

"Huang Zao, Bai Ya, Cang Xu, you are responsible for selecting timber; we need to manufacture a batch of short bows."

"Zi Di, I need you to concoct potions, preferably ones that can also take effect on the flying squirrel leader."

That's right, Zhen Jin had decided to hunt this flying squirrel beast horde.