The Town Gazed Upon by Prosperity

There's a lot of background lore about the Deities in the trial, but very few actual items or props directly related to them that players can observe. That's why Cheng Shi was so interested in the will of "Prosperity."

To speak disrespectfully, this was a rare opportunity to study the Deities.

Probably no Player would pass this up.

Everbloom Town was much larger than he had imagined. He had initially thought it was just a small settlement with few inhabitants, but walking through it, it felt more like a city.

Apartment buildings stood side-by-side, and manors and guild halls were scattered throughout. It looked like a place of worship managed with great care, so prosperous it was truly moving.

After walking for about an hour, Cheng Shi finally reached the town center.

With the information he had gathered and what he had seen and heard along the way, he finally understood what the innkeeper had meant.

He finally knew what the will of "Prosperity" truly was.

At this very moment, the place he was in was called Everbloom Plaza.

And in the very center of the plaza stood a "flower" of unbelievable size, blooming perfectly and radiating a soft, vibrant light.

Cheng Shi roughly estimated it to be about three to four stories tall.

At first glance, the entire flower looked like a stone sculpture. But upon closer inspection of its petals, he noticed that the moment his gaze focused, the petal he was looking at suddenly came alive, transforming into clear and delicate plant sepals.

The texture of each petal was unique. The fine veins, rather than being conduits for nutrients, looked more like engravings of divine runes.

The "statue" was named "Bloom Awaits Withering."

This was a Sacred Artifact. Using the player terminology of the Faith Game, it could be called an SSS Sub-Deity Tier Item, or a Demigod Artifact.

Its rank was just below the sub-deities of the various Life Paths, only it lacked independent consciousness.

And it was, in fact, the embodiment of the will of "Prosperity."

Because any place covered by it would continue to prosper until the end of its lifespan.

In other words, theoretically, no one could die in Everbloom Town before reaching the end of their natural life!

Cheng Shi was shocked by the divine object before him.

No wonder this trial was called "Which Road Leads to Death," because here, death might not even exist.

And seven days meant they wouldn't live to see a normal person reach the end of their lifespan.

Not only that, but there was also another matter!

If no one could die before the end of their natural life, then what about me, a Priest...

As he was thinking, he turned his head and saw a girl standing beside him, who had appeared out of nowhere.

Yun Ni had arrived, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

Her voice was still as stunning as ever.

"What's wrong? Scared?"

"Scared of what?" Cheng Shi smiled.

"Losing your job. The place it watches over has no death, so it also has no need for Priests."

"Did you try it?"

"No, I'm about to."

As she spoke, Yun Ni flashed past and plunged a dagger into Cheng Shi's heart.

Blood spurted out, and Cheng Shi felt a sharp pain in his chest.

Damn.

Poor heart, you've had a rough time with me.

But even though blood was gushing from his chest, and his heart was beating violently from the impact, and his mind was growing hazy from blood loss, Cheng Shi remained standing in place, not falling.

He didn't pay attention to the "murderer" observing him from the side, but instead continuously examined himself.

This state was peculiar.

A pure force of "Prosperity" was clashing with the "Death" aura within his body, and it quickly ground away all the death aura.

Before long, Cheng Shi felt his heart wound healing.

His life was saved, but apart from his heart, the wound on his chest was still bleeding.

This meant that "Bloom Awaits Withering" indeed protected everyone in the town from death.

However, it only prevented death, it did not heal illness.

The wounds would remain in the body, barely balancing with the body's natural recovery rate.

It didn't threaten life, but it would cause considerable pain to the injured.

Cheng Shi chuckled and cast a healing spell on his chest.

"It seems we still need Priests."

Yun Ni nodded in agreement, then extended her hand, offering the dagger.

Cheng Shi was somewhat surprised, finding the thought process of this follower of "Annihilation" to be unusual.

"?"

His expression clearly showed his confusion.

Yun Ni waved her hand impatiently and said:

"It won't be a free stab. Now it's your turn."

So, she meant one stab per person?

Cheng Shi was amused. He took the young lady's dagger, looked at the light glinting on the blade, and chuckled:

"Are you serious?"

"Hurry up."

Cheng Shi nodded and plunged the dagger into Yun Ni's chest.

However, the angle of the stab was extremely tricky. The tip of the blade sank an inch into her flesh without hitting her heart.

Cheng Shi raised his eyebrows in surprise. This cushioning seems thicker than it looks?

Yun Ni's eyes widened in shock at first, then her gaze turned cold as she said in a chilling voice:

"You like this?"

Cheng Shi let out a cold laugh, released his grip, and turned to leave.

As he walked away, he said:

"See, you don't like what I like, so I won't necessarily like what you like.

Nobody likes being stabbed arbitrarily.

We only have the acquaintance of a handshake. Don't treat me as your experimental subject.

And don't think your transaction is fair. Fairness without the other person's consent isn't fair at all.

Put away your dagger, Assassin miss, or more dislikes will be waiting for you."

Yun Ni felt the changes in her body and silently pulled out the dagger.

Blood splattered onto the ground, disappearing in an instant.

She looked at the profusely bleeding wound on her chest, her expression unreadable.

At the same time, in the crowd, a man with his upper body bare looked towards this spot over the heads of countless people, his brow furrowed in thought.

Cheng Shi left Everbloom Plaza. His next destination was the Law Enforcement Bureau.

He was very interested in the murder case the inn's guests had hesitantly mentioned. Speaking of which, murder cases were too fitting with [Death].

It made Cheng Shi wonder all the way if the trial's clues would be this straightforward.

As a member of the Natural Alliance, Everbloom Town's governance method was similar to an alliance system.

However, it wasn't a party alliance but a functional department alliance.

Several departments, each managing different aspects, cooperated voluntarily to discuss the town's development affairs, gradually forming a simple parliamentary system where department heads would meet to deliberate.

And the Law Enforcement Bureau was the most powerful department in the town.

It was equivalent to the court, prison, and police department combined.

The Law Enforcement Bureau was located southeast of the plaza and occupied a considerable area. The closer he got to the bureau, the more he saw Law Enforcement Officers in uniform entering and exiting.

Facing an unfamiliar law enforcement agency, Cheng Shi didn't rush to disturb them. Instead, he pretended to be a passerby and kept his ears pricked, listening to the conversations of the surrounding Law Enforcement Officers.

Before long, he pieced together the details of the murder case from their fragmented conversations.

Seven days ago, a jeweler in the town suddenly died.

If this had happened elsewhere, it might not have garnered public attention; it would have just been another murder and robbery case.

But it happened in Everbloom Town, a place where no one died except of old age.

The town's residents immediately became anxious, and the Law Enforcement Bureau quickly intervened and began an investigation.

But the strange thing was, apart from a look of terror on his face, the merchant had no injuries on his body, as if he had been scared to death.

This was even more absurd. No one could die under the protection of [Bloom Awaits Withering], unless...

His death carried the will of other [Deities].

The town's autonomous alliance realized that this matter might involve many things, even faith, so they quickly reported it to the Grand Inquisition, requesting the help of [Order]'s followers.

However, while waiting for the Grand Inquisition's reply, two more people died under similar circumstances.

And these three all died on the streets at night.

The sudden, successive deaths plunged everyone into panic, and a dark cloud of terror hung over every resident.

As a result, the town's autonomous alliance had to temporarily announce a curfew.

And yesterday was the first day the curfew began.

Another drunken patron was found lying about 5 meters outside the tavern.