The coin fell. The gaunt man wiped the water from his face and immediately reached down with a beaming smile to pick it up, but Shade, who had been about to turn away, stopped again.
"What's hanging around your neck?"
The front of the man's clothes was soaked through, allowing Shade to see the strangely shaped metal Pendant hanging from his neck. Knowing how formidable Shade was, the man hurriedly pulled it out. The round black metal piece was shaped like a whirlpool.
"This is the mark of the Unifier."
"What?"
Shade asked in surprise. During his earlier investigation, he had not heard of any local faith or legend involving something called the Unifier.
Worried that Shade would forcibly sober him up again, the man hurriedly explained:
"I'm not lying. This is a Legend Series from our village, and there are believers in nearby villages too. Everything originated from the same point and will return to its original point in the end. As long as you believe in the Unifier, when the Day of Return arrives, he can lead us to become the last survivors. Then everyone can have anything they want."
"Him? The Unifier is human?"
Shade was even more puzzled.
"I don't know either. I only heard others say so. Besides, I don't really believe it. How could something that good exist? But as long as you wear this mark, you're one of the Unifier's people. Usually, there's no need to offer money or do anything else, and they don't Blasphemy by calling themselves gods."
"Anyway, it doesn't cost money, and it isn't a crime. There shouldn't be any problem with believing in it, right? Maybe it really is true?"
The man said this, and Shade asked for the badge to inspect it. He confirmed that it was