Someone Was Behind Him
As if he could no longer stand the strange, mystical atmosphere, the player shoved the hostage aside and swung an item at the Goddess statue in the main hall. "I want to see what this so-called Goddess really looks like!"
The Goddess statue didn't fall. A player inside the temple had blocked the attack. At the same time, several more players appeared around the Outer District Player, used items to seal him off on his own, then shoved him into the teleportation passage. One after another, they followed him inside. It looked like they were going to deal with him.
The player in front of the Goddess statue didn't leave. He warned the Outer District Players, "If you want to see the Divine Envoy, you have to take the Path of Inquiry. Either go in quietly or turn around and leave. Don't think you can cause trouble in the temple."
As he spoke, he gave a small wave of his hand. A layer of transparent, bubble-like material rose from the temple's floors and walls. The bubbles formed an airtight shell around everything inside. They were somewhat flexible: when stepped on, they clung to the floor, then quickly floated back up after the person moved away. As the bubbles expanded or flattened, the patterns carved into the floors and walls warped along with them, making them even more of an eyesore.
After warning the Outer District Players, the temple player left. Normal order returned, but the atmosphere had shifted slightly.
Before the hostage incident, the worshippers hadn't taken much notice even when players spoke rudely. But after what had just happened, the locals became wary of the Outer District Players in unison. It wasn't fear—under normal circumstances, they should have been terrified and fled as soon as