Lin Chen really wanted to retort, "That was the original owner, not the current me!"
But after thinking about it, it seemed that the current Lin Chen was the same way.
Amber continued, "There are many more Card Creators like you,
who long for companionship, social interaction, and someone to rely on, yet can never find them;
who want to express themselves, confide in someone, and connect from the heart, yet no one will answer;
who want to indulge themselves, have fun, and give in to desire, yet find it too shameful to speak of.
"So the Cult of the God of Wine chose you, granting you indulgence and pleasure.
"Here, you need not feel ashamed or inferior. Indulgence is noble during the God of Wine Festival!
"There are sisters here, companionship, people who will listen, fine wine, feasts, and revelry.
"What the Cult of the God of Wine brings you is salvation, liberating you from lives of numbness and self-isolation!
"Doesn't your China have an old saying: 'If one grasps the true meaning of the gods in the morning, then dying that very night is worthwhile'?
"To die laughing at the most blissful moment of the feast—isn't that happiness?"
Amber's voice was as gentle as a veil of gauze, as though she were calling out to a lost lamb.
The madwomen's singing grew louder and louder, echoing Amber's views.
Lin Chen, however, asked in return, "And then?"
Amber was puzzled. "What do you mean, 'and then'?"
Lin Chen said, "What comes after the ultimate pleasure? After the revelrous feast?
"How are you supposed to get through all that emptiness and blandness afterward?
"Your Cult of the God of Wine still hasn't given an answer!
"China has another old saying: 'There is no feast under heaven that does not end.'
"If the main melody of life is plainness to begin with, then the bliss you grant them is merely a fleeting cup of false poison!
"That is where your limitations lie!
"You only know how to revel, then perish at the end of paradise;
"because once the feast ends, you have no idea what to do."
Lin Chen's argument stirred a trace of anger in the usually composed Amber:
"I thought you were a believer favored by the God of Wine. I never expected you to spout nothing but blasphemy!
"Then you have no right to enjoy this pleasure!"
The madwomen's dancing grew increasingly frenzied, and the emotions on both sides were being whipped into a fever pitch.
Wu Song was bound in place by enormous vines, and the Blood Sacrifice Ritual had reached its climax!
Lin Chen felt the blood within her body beginning to boil, as though it were about to break free and leave her.
Her Sanity Value had also reached the edge of the danger zone, and the Sober Mind Bracelet - Emergency Needle on her wrist was primed to fire.
Amber once again brought out the Blood-Meat Holy Grail, preparing to condense and absorb Lin Chen's vital essence.
It was now!
Lin Chen summoned the Guardian Door Gods - Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong!
Purple divine light burst forth as two heavenly gods descended to the mortal world!
Their whips and maces whirled, instantly slicing apart the vines that had wrapped Wu Song tight, as easily as cutting grass.
At last, that eternally elegant and tranquil face of Amber's revealed a rare look of shock:
"An Epic Card? And it even possesses divinity!?"
Exorcise Evil Spirits activated. The Door Gods' Vast Righteousness surged forth, cleansing away the drunken, frenzied atmosphere;
but the madwomen continued their chant;
Yuchi Gong roared angrily, "Shut up!"
Tang Palace Martial Arts - Thunderous Roar activated. The Door Gods' furious bellow completely overwhelmed the madwomen's sacrificial hymn and left them too intimidated to make another sound.
The instant the Door Gods appeared, the situation reversed completely!
Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Chen sent a card flying toward Amber. Before Amber could block or dodge, a snow-white rat burrowed out of the card;
it was none other than the Door God Retainer - Spirit Rat Temple Steward!
The Spirit Rat was as slippery as an eel. It stepped and leaped across Amber's body, its long, nimble tail coiling around the Blood-Meat Holy Grail and snatching the sacred artifact away!
This was the Spirit Rat's Oiled Claws, Pouch Probing skill, which could steal an opponent's items;
Earlier, Lin Chen had summoned only Wu Song, deliberately holding back her trump card and allowing herself to be drawn into the ritual;
her goal had been to lure Amber into using the Blood-Meat Holy Grail so she could steal this crucial grail!
Showing weakness to the enemy, then having the Spirit Rat seize the grail!
Without the Blood-Meat Holy Grail, Amber could neither absorb vital essence nor resurrect the "God of Wine Godhead."
Fortunately, the Spirit Rat was highly intelligent, so there was no need to summon it. They could communicate their strategy in advance through spiritual awareness across the card.
Amber could no longer maintain her composure. The God of Wine Staff radiated tremendous vitality;
Vine of Harvest activated!
Several vines charged madly after the Spirit Rat!
But the Spirit Rat's entire body was slick with oil, and its movements were extraordinarily agile. It dodged the vines' encirclement several times;
with the Door Gods covering it, it successfully delivered the Blood-Meat Holy Grail into Lin Chen's hands.
Lin Chen toyed with the grail in her hand and laughed. "Do you understand now why I don't want to believe in your God of Wine?"
Amber's face turned livid, but she said nothing.
Lin Chen said arrogantly:
"Because my god is stronger than yours!"
The author has brought Amber here to beg for votes and follows!
Purple divine light burst forth as two monthly votes were cast!
The reader's follow-up reading held the book's ranking down tight, but in an instant it broke through like cutting grass.
That eternally elegant and tranquil face of Amber's finally revealed a rare look of shock: "Follow-up reading? And you even cast monthly votes!?"
This chapter was 2,500 words. I did my best to write more!
Thanks to: Book Friend 20240207161705533 for two monthly votes!
Chapter 33: Black Goat's Egg Above the Giant Vines!
"Because my god is stronger than yours!"
Lin Chen said provocatively.
A trace of ruthlessness appeared on Amber's handsome face.
Lin Chen pressed him, "The grail is in my hands now. How are you going to resurrect your God of Wine?"
Amber looked disdainful. With a wave of his hand, the Blood-Meat Holy Grail transformed into a streak of red light and burrowed back into his body.
Lin Chen was stunned. The grail could actually be recalled?!
Only cards that had been contracted could be remotely recalled by a Card Creator. Could the Blood-Meat Holy Grail actually be a card?
But she had never seen Amber take out a card. How had he managed to summon it without a card?
Seeing Lin Chen's shock, Amber smiled again. "Looks like you don't understand how to wield the might of a god."
Lin Chen stubbornly retorted, "But I can still beat you!"
After these rounds of confrontation, Lin Chen had already determined that Amber did not possess a "God Card";
all he had were "Divine Equipment Cards" like the God of Wine Staff and the Blood-Meat Holy Grail;
and Amber was not skilled at direct confrontation. He could only use spells to restrain his opponents.
That also fit the style of the Cult of the God of Wine. A cult centered on revelry and harvest definitely could not overpower the Guardian Door Gods in a head-on battle.
As long as the Door Gods appeared, Amber would certainly be unable to stop them;
so victory could already be announced in advance.
Yet a strange madness gleamed in Amber's eyes:
"Lin Chen... you truly have surprised me!
"You won the first round, but—
"the banquet has only just begun, and the honored guest is about to take their seat!"
The God of Wine Staff, topped with a huge pinecone-shaped ball, was activated once more;
blood-red wine and wildly growing vines swept up the madwomen and Chen Xiao Diao, surging toward the deepest part of the plantation.
Lin Chen hurried after them. The crucial thing was to save Chen Xiao Diao!
Once again, Lin Chen sent the Spirit Rat flying out in card form, embedding it in one of the vines;
then the Spirit Rat automatically emerged from the card and crawled toward Chen Xiao Diao, attempting to wake her.
Naturally, Amber noticed this little maneuver:
"This child can't be returned to you. I won't have another chance to find different sacrifices."
The Spirit Rat had only just crawled onto the unconscious Chen Xiao Diao when newly sprouted vines wrapped around its limbs, forcing Lin Chen to hurry and recall it together with the card.
But the Spirit Rat produced a communication bracelet for Lin Chen. It had plucked this from Chen Xiao Diao using Oiled Claws, Pouch Probing.
Good grief, a thief never left empty-handed!
The path was covered in muddy, viscous wine; the farther they went, the denser the alcohol mist in the air became, gradually turning blood-red!
Before you continue