Test Passed, A New Choice

The players were rushing back, Eupusca was chasing, but under various interferences, even its agility was greatly affected.

Hong Lin ultimately didn't abandon the others. After leaving Cheng Shi not far from the Mist Gate, she turned back and used her tail to string the lagging teammates back.

Then, Transition Eupusca's unwilling roar and the Dark Sun and night, the group rushed through the Mist Gate and returned to the Fungus-Footed People tribe.

As soon as they landed, the entire tribe erupted in thunderous cheers.

Cheng Shi clearly saw that the Fungus-Footed People still had a sad look on their faces the moment they came out, as if they thought that the Divine Envoy they had been waiting for had died outside. But the moment the five people jumped out of the Mist Gate, everyone rushed over like crazy.

The old clan chief looked at Cheng Shi with a respectful expression, his devout yet anxious gaze clearly awaiting a result.

Cheng Shi's gaze swept over all the Fungus-Footed People, and he smiled slightly:

"Congratulations, you've passed the second test."

"Oh—praise be to [prosperity]! Praise Divine Envoy! Praise be to the bald man!"

A deafening roar of praise echoed through the heavens. Cheng Shi smiled, nudged Hong Lin with his elbow, and whispered:

"Look, this is your reward for your hard work today. How does it feel, Baldy?"

Hong Lin looked at the jubilant Fungus-Footed People, their eyes filled with hope and tears, and forced a strange smile onto her face.

Clearly, she wasn't infected by the joy of the scene.

Hong Lin's thoughts were complicated. She wondered if Eupusca was indeed hunting for "Prosperity," then it was hard to say where the future of these Fungus-Footed People would lead.

Perhaps she is currently being cheered by a group of dying people, and it is very likely that she and her teammates will be the ones who kill them.

The others had also thought of this problem, so their gazes toward the Fungus-Footed People were somewhat complicated.

Although this is only a piece of background history, the ending of history has undoubtedly foreshadowed the tragedy of these Fungus-Footed People.

Cheng Shi understood, and said to the old clan chief and the Fungus-Footed People, "Today's journey has been quite tiring," before dismissing all the Fungus-Footed People and returning to the house with a few players.

After the Puppeteer silenced the main house again, Hong Lin looked at Cheng Shi and asked the question that had been puzzling her:

"Who is the dying ember?"

Cheng Shi looked at Hong Lin, then at the Puppeteer, then at the Hunter and the poop keeper, and suddenly laughed.

"Don't be so serious, it depends on how you want to win."

"What do you mean?" Hong Lin was slightly taken aback when she heard this.

"Before that, let me confirm one thing with you: these Fungus-Footed People really do possess the power of [Prosperity], isn't that true?"

"Yes." Hong Lin didn't quite understand Cheng Shi's meaning, but she said truthfully, "I can feel the aura of prosperity in their bodies. Although the power is very weak, so weak that it doesn't seem like His Believer, but considering that we are in the Sighing Forest, it is understandable."

Cheng Shi nodded.

"Okay, since these Fungus-Footed People are indeed His Believer, then it is appropriate for us to understand their lives, or rather, their inner hopes, as dying embers."

Hong Lin pondered for a moment, then guessed, "You mean... quality versus quantity, either one is correct?"

"Yes, and no," Cheng Shi said, pacing back and forth. "His guidance was too vague. Judging from Eupusca's behavior, He did seem to intend for these sinners to awaken Dizer, but during today's battle, a strange point suddenly occurred to me:"

Where did the Decay go?

The Sighing Forest is the place He watches over. Under His very nose, sinners from the Surface are not only protected by Prosperity, but are also using it as food to try to awaken the son of Prosperity. All of this should be an unforgivable act of blasphemy for Decay. Why can He tolerate it?

You should know that not all gods are like... uh... like... so patient.

So what is He doing?

There must be a reasonable reason why He allowed all of this to develop. I can't think of a reason why He did this, but I can guess an ending for this unreasonable action.

Why don't you all try to guess what the ending will be?

Hong Lin frowned and blurted out, "The Spark Will Die!"

Cheng Shi gave her a thumbs up.

Yes! The Spark Will Die!

Under the gaze of [Decay], Eupusca will probably never be awakened by [Prosperity], which means that the Fungus-Footed People are likely to be trapped here for generations to come, serving as its food. This is a lose-lose situation for [Prosperity].

He probably won't get anything, because the spark will eventually go out!

That's why I said that choosing either option could be the right thing to do. Perhaps winning on one side would be enough to ignite the Prairie Fire of our victory in the Trials.

But one side will always suffer some injustice, either the Eupusca or the Fungus-Footed People tribe.

At present, helping Eupusca wipe out the Fungus-Footed People tribe seems to be the simplest way; at least the Fungus-Footed People... are killable.

After saying this, Cheng Shi immediately glanced at his other teammates, trying to gauge their reactions.

Hong Lin frowned, clearly disdainful of the slaughter of the weak.

The Hunter remained expressionless, but a glint of light flashed in his eyes, indicating that he was not opposed to doing so if it could earn him extra points.

The Puppeteer hid behind the puppets, so his expression couldn't be seen. However, when Cheng Shi looked at Zuo Qiu, they met his gaze. Then, the Historian clapped his hands enthusiastically and praised him:

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! I apologize for my biased remarks today."

"As expected of the master who tricked Zhen Yi. While I thought you were slacking off, you had already figured out the whole situation. Impressive, impressive, I admire you."

Being praised is usually a good thing, but this pet owner's constant use of "Zhen Yi" and "slacking off" sounds like Yin-Yang.

But that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that he used this exaggerated praise to cover up his attitude towards the choice between the two options. Seeing this way of diverting attention as skillfully as his own, Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Could he really be a fraud?

A conman posing as "Memory"?

This impersonation is a bit too convincing; it can't possibly be... Lies Like Yesterday?

Cheng Shi's heart sank slightly, but he replied very politely on the surface:

"Same here, you poop-collecting brother also picked up some good poop. When are you going to share your haul from last night with us?"

Zuo Qiu's face turned awkward, and he forced a dry laugh:

"I'm ashamed to say that I didn't find any new historical materials last night. I was just very interested in the ecology of the Fungus-Footed People tribe that lives in the Sighing Forest, so I did some research. But it was all just some unofficial history and superficial information, not worth mentioning."

"Unofficial history is still history. History has its serious side, and naturally it also has its humorous side. Today, everyone is so tired, so let's hear it and have a good laugh."

Zuo Qiu scratched his head, his face growing increasingly embarrassed.

"Sigh, to be honest, I didn't find anything. Going out at night is just because of some personal little quirks. I like to observe other people's lives late at night... cough cough... to add some spice to my boring history journey. So please leave me alone, I really have nothing to say."

As soon as these words, which sounded like self-deprecating pleas for mercy, were spoken, everyone's expression changed slightly.

The Hunter reacted the least, but was the most shaken. He wondered if the Historian had discovered his identity and was passing a message to Cheng Shi.

Hong Lin's expression remained unchanged, and a smile even appeared on her lips, but she clearly glanced at Jiang Wu Mei beside her out of the corner of her eye.

The Puppeteer always had that hidden demeanor that made him impossible to fathom, but Cheng Shi blinked in slight shock, seemingly not expecting that Historian would have such a twisted hobby.

He looked at Zuo Qiu with disdain and said:

"You went to spy on a couple's late-night conversation?"

Brother, this is a bit too wild.

I heard that the nocturnal activities of the Fungus-Footed People are accomplished by intertwining the mycorrhizae of their two feet. You didn't come back for just one night?

Are you hooked? Or are the Fungus-Footed People in the Sighing Forest different from others, with some new tricks up their sleeves?

These words shocked everyone present.

Silence descended once more, and the Puppeteer, who had remained unresponsive, finally made the Mature Sister Puppet kneel down again, revealing a pair of large, eagerly blinking eyes.

Zuo Qiu's face stiffened even more. He didn't know Cheng Shi was deliberately changing the subject or if he simply hadn't realized the Dream-Peeking Ranger's identity. In any case, after that sentence, no one could continue the conversation.

"No, Mr. Shit, please continue. I'm just curious."

"..."