The Second Trial: Devotion with Decay at Its Side

Cheng Shi slept soundly.

To be honest, he had never slept so soundly, not even on the rooftop of the Rest Area. But last night he slept soundly until dawn, completely relaxed, both physically and mentally.

I even had a nightmare that wasn't quite a nightmare, in which I dreamt of some funny things from my childhood.

That's really interesting.

Cheng Shi recalled the contents of his dream with relish, then sprang to his feet. Looking around, he found only Hong Lin left in the room, standing at the door with a strange expression, looking at him.

He raised an eyebrow, knowing that the Druid was worried about him and that's why he was staying here.

In the usual Trials, it's already good enough if unfamiliar teammates don't take advantage of you while you're sleeping; those who get up early will most likely leave to gather new intelligence without wasting time.

As expected, Zuo Qiu was right. Baldy was a very loyal player, even if this loyalty was most likely directed at Tao Yi rather than himself, Cheng Shi still appreciated it.

Then he broke into a bright smile and said, "Thank you."

Cheng Shi; Hong Lin was indeed watching over him, but not just for a short while, but all night long.

She simply couldn't imagine how this talkative Fate Weaver could sleep soundly in such an unfamiliar environment, with an unclear future and little understanding of her teammates' temperaments.

Last night, she only took a short, alert nap before opening her eyes again. Blessed by [Prosperity], she didn't actually need to rest, but taking a break was a good way to stay alert.

Because when a Chosen of God one of prosperity is dozing off in front of you, it is you, not her, who should be alert.

You need to think carefully about whether this Chosen of God is fishing for opportunities or waiting for the right moment to make a move.

And this is the oppressive power of a Chosen of God!

When Jiang Wu Mei came in, Honglin was already awake. She sensed that the Hunter was quietly sitting not far from Cheng Shi, but since he did not make any extra movements, Hong Lin did not pay attention to it.

Of the players, only Zuo Qiu was missing all night.

Then, during the long night, she sat quietly in place, waiting for Cheng Shi to wake up.

This protection wasn't to ensure the continuation of the "Impersonating the Divine Envoy Plan," nor was it out of a do-gooder mentality; it was simply to repay a favor for Tao Yi.

Cheng Shi saved Tao Yi's life, which was very important to Hong Lin.

So Hong Lin learned that Cheng Shi was the "liar" Tao Yi had mentioned, she had this idea: even if the Trials wasn't completed, she couldn't let Tao Yi's savior perish here.

Therefore, she already had a target to protect in this Trials of "prosperity".

But the target was not the Fungus-Footed People, but Cheng Shi.

She never cared about grades, only about friendship, and it was a friendship she herself acknowledged.

But she was still puzzled, because Cheng Shi seemed certain that he wouldn't have any problems. Why was that?

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have guessed that he, with whom he had some disagreements, would stay by his side all night.

Upon hearing Cheng Shi's gratitude, Hong Lin raised an eyebrow with interest and asked:

"Why do you dare to sleep so soundly? Aren't you afraid someone will attack you at night?"

Who would lay a hand on me?

"Who knows? Maybe it was me, the one you tricked, or maybe... that little Assassin who likes to turn people into puppets?"

Cheng Shi was startled and immediately reached up to pull up his pants. "I was wondering why I was sleeping so soundly. Did you drug me?"

?

Hong Lin was so angry she laughed.

She felt that Cheng Shi's relaxed state was very similar to her own. If she hadn't been disgusted by Cheng Shi's "disguise" Zhen Yi at the beginning of the Trials, she should be in the same state now.

He talks nonsense all the time and doesn't take anything to heart.

But she knew that Cheng Shi wasn't simply relaxed. Beneath this relaxed exterior, the Weaver of Fate Weaver might be constantly on edge, a fact easily discernible from the fact that he always used simple jokes to mask his true thoughts.

His every move is designed to keep people guessing.

But Cheng Shi's confidence was based on something else.

It seems that this Fate Weaver is probably far more than just a Priest.

She stared at Cheng Shi, looking him up and down, and sneered:

"Heh, no wonder Tao Yi called you a shameless scoundrel. That's a pretty accurate assessment."

?

Cheng Shi's face froze, thinking to himself, "What did I do? Why am I being labeled with such a big accusation?"

He curled his lip and looked at Hong Lin with a strange expression, saying:

"Take Tao Yi to see a doctor when you have the chance, or you can come to me; I can treat her too."

"?" Hong Lin was taken aback. "What illness are you looking for?"

"Spinal diseases are often blamed on the spine, which can easily lead to spinal deformities."

"..."

Hong Lin's eye twitched, and she ignored this Fate Weaver, who was just as annoying as Zhen Yi, and turned to leave.

Cheng Shi hurriedly followed, looking around as he asked:

"Where are the others?"

"The Puppeteer stood guard at the altar, the Hunter gazed out over the forest, and the poop-collecting official carried his poop book and picked up poop everywhere."

I asked this morning, and the abandoned lamp has returned to the old patriarch's hands. It's truly a miraculous thing. I still can't figure out the mechanism behind the lamp's reset. Logically speaking, based on my understanding of [He], He wouldn't go to such lengths for a group of sinners.

"So you're leaning towards Zuo Qiu's viewpoint?"

"We need to see Eupusca to be sure, so we must go find Eupusca today."

Just now, a Fungus-Footed People came to ask you, this imposter god, when will today's test begin?

So, Lord God, what exactly is today's test? Have you made it up yet?

Cheng Shi's expression was strange; he felt that Hong Lin's words had a hidden meaning.

"I'm not an imposter, I am now the true Divine Envoy [Prosperity]!"

"Yes, yes, you're god shit, you're god shit, nobody's going to argue with you."

"?"

Cheng Shi's expression became even stranger. He was just about to ask Hong Lin if the "messenger" he mentioned had any hidden meaning when the Fungus-Footed People around him enthusiastically surrounded him after seeing the Divine Envoy wake up, and greeted him respectfully.

"Greetings, Divine Envoy Excellency!"

"Greetings Divine Envoy Excellency!"

"This way, Your Excellency. The clan Divine Envoy is awaiting your summons at the central altar."

See, this isn't something I declared myself; everyone thinks so.

Cheng Shi smiled in response, straightened his clothes, and then quickly passed Hong Lin and walked ahead.

Before long, they arrived at the central altar of the tribe.

Upon seeing the Divine Envoy arrive, the old clan chief hurriedly came to greet him, but Cheng Shi didn't give him a chance to speak, going straight to the point:

"To make a long story short, my people, today, the second test that my Lord has given you is: the Decay piety by your side!"

The 'Everlasting Desolate Lamp' He gave contains the power of 'Decay' that erodes Faith. This is a test of your piety by our Lord. Undoubtedly, you have proven your piety through your actions over the past few centuries, but whether this piety is genuine remains to be verified.

And today is the testament to your devotion.

We will take the Desolate Lamp with us and wander through the Sighing Forest for a day, returning only at sunset, to verify whether the "Decay" within the Lamp still has its corrosive effect, or whether it has been tampered with.

"My Divine Envoy, we..." The old patriarch was a little anxious when he heard this, but Cheng Shi waved his hand to interrupt his explanation.

"No explanation is needed. We confirmed the efficacy of the abandoned lamp when we returned yesterday. I am aware of your current situation and believe in your piety."

But the Lord's test is not to be taken lightly, so what is done today will surely come to pass.

Relax, just wait for tomorrow.

The old clan chief was relieved upon hearing this. As long as the Divine Envoy believed that the Fungus-Footed People was devout, there was nothing to worry about.

Moreover, this test does not require the cooperation of the Fungus-Footed People, who have already proven themselves over the past century.

So the Fungus-Footed People of the tribe prostrated themselves again and shouted to the players:

"Praise be to [prosperity], praise be to the Divine Envoy!"

The old chieftain, his face tense, warned, "The Sighing Forest is fraught with danger. While I have confidence in your abilities, I urge you all to be extremely careful, especially regarding Eupusca, who is shrouded in mist..."

Hey, what a coincidence! This is exactly what I've been looking for. I was worried it wouldn't appear.

Cheng Shi smiled slightly and nodded in reply:

"It's alright, His radiance will protect us."

As he spoke, Cheng Shi gestured to Hong Lin to activate the Wild Lamp, opening the Mist Gate leading out of the tribe.

The moment the Mist Gate appeared, the players gathered around. Cheng Shi glanced at Zuo Qiu, who was looking down at something beside him, and raised an eyebrow, saying:

"Meat shield, should we go first?"

Zuo Qiu's face darkened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "So you're not even going to pretend anymore, are you?"

"It's not that I can't pretend. If you share with everyone where you went and what you did last night, I'll let you walk behind me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zuo Qiu straightened his face, puffed out his chest, and stepped into the doorway.

Cheng Shi watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.

"Interesting. Looks like we've made some progress."