Trial Dilemma

Chapter 38: Trial Predicament

"Any kind soul willing to share coordinates? I was killed after picking up just three last time, I'm so unwilling to accept this."

"1 point of sacrificial energy for God of Wealth's location, transfer payment after I get the coordinates. My integrity is guaranteed, I won't cheat."

"God of Wealth is too fierce. Players with good luck these past few days have already earned thousands in sacrificial energy."

"Yesterday, I watched someone on stream use the Evil Crystals they picked up to open their second meridian channel. My envy is acting up. I'm begging for God of Wealth's coordinates, I want to get rich too."

The player chat messages flashed through Qi Sheng's mind.

Ever since Duan Xing appeared, the regional chat channels and forums had become exceptionally lively.

All players were discussing Duan Xing's whereabouts, even giving him the title "God of Wealth."

This was because many players had gotten rich by picking up Evil Crystals.

Compared to the sacrificial energy earned from painstakingly grinding monsters, picking up Evil Crystals was clearly easier and yielded more substantial income.

Especially after one player posted their earnings from collecting Evil Crystals on the forum and then livestreamed opening their second meridian channel with that sacrificial energy, the players' enthusiasm for collecting Evil Crystals was completely ignited.

During this time, some players even organized the "Wealth Seeking Alliance," scouring the mountains and plains for Duan Xing's tracks, hoping to strike it rich by following him.

As soon as they discovered Duan Xing's trace, they would report the coordinates in the regional channel, and then large numbers of players would swarm in, following the map's Guider.

This group of players believed that sharing coordinates would maximize their profits.

Going alone would inevitably lead to instant death. Only by participating as a group could they seize the opportunity to pick up Evil Crystals amidst the chaos.

And it wasn't difficult to find Duan Xing's tracks.

Every time Duan Xing initiated a killing spree, he would light a type of smoke column that attracted Evil Spirits. Even from a distance, the rising smoke column could be seen, and the nearby Evil Spirits would stir.

The only thing that left players dissatisfied was God of Wealth's extremely cruel methods when faced with their arrival.

He gave them no chance to communicate at all.

But the players didn't care about communicating with God of Wealth; they only cared if they could get a share of the wealth God of Wealth created.

Some players were also curious about God of Wealth's actions.

They couldn't understand what God of Wealth was doing, why he kept changing locations to slaughter Evil Spirits.

No player could answer this question.

During this time, a refreshed post on the forum made Qi Sheng unable to decide whether to laugh or cry.

[Has everyone noticed? God of Wealth's facial expressions seem to be changing quite drastically.]

OP: Only Pay-to-Win Can Become Strong.

Content: I've been tracking God of Wealth's movements with everyone these past few days, and I've made a small fortune, but that's not the point. The point is that God of Wealth's mentality seems to be undergoing some unknown changes. I've captured screenshots of his facial expressions since he appeared from various livestreams. Take a look and compare.

(Collection of God of Wealth's Expressions)

In this post, the OP had marked the specific time for each expression.

The first expression was captured when Duan Xing first interacted with players.

At that time, Duan Xing was expressionless, his demeanor stern, and his brows conveyed confidence and arrogance.

The second expression was after Duan Xing had interacted with players multiple times. When looking at players, his brow was slightly furrowed, and a hint of red could be seen in his eyes, appearing extremely impatient.

The third expression was after Duan Xing changed his hunting grounds for Evil Spirits and encountered players again. His expression towards players had completely broken down. The red glow in his eyes seemed on the verge of overflowing, and killing intent radiated from the image.

The fourth and fifth expression images were taken after Duan Xing changed locations again and encountered players. While Duan Xing was killing Evil Spirits, he accidentally turned his head and saw the players. He was first briefly stunned, then covered by red mist.

The sixth image showed Duan Xing, after changing locations again, looking at the suddenly appearing players. His eyes were complex, filled with anger, unwillingness, regret, annoyance, and even a hint of despair... This image was also praised by players as God of Wealth's "Best Actor" performance, with a single photo showcasing a complex emotional shift.

The seventh image...

From indifference to despair, the God of Wealth in the players' eyes was nearing a breakdown.

His flowing long hair, messy from continuous battles, his pure white eyes had completely turned red, and the light emanating from his rune-etched armor had dimmed.

The contrast between the first and tenth images best illustrated the dramatic change.

The player comments below the post were also very interesting.

Is This Okay: God of Wealth doesn't seem happy. Is it because he's not killing enough?

Dark Land is fun: God of Wealth might be a special game mechanic. His behavior of hunting Evil Spirits everywhere is like distributing red envelopes. As long as you find God of Wealth, you can get a decent red envelope reward. The official even added some difficulty to this mechanism. God of Wealth kills players who come to collect red envelopes to increase the fun?

Human Race Rises replying to Dark Land is fun: Don't say it, you might be right. This could very well be a game mechanic setting.

Rust Enchantment: God of Wealth and Evil Spirits seem to have an irreconcilable hatred. He looks exhausted but keeps changing locations to kill Evil Spirits. I'm very curious about his backstory, but unfortunately, the content of this game is all about exploration, and you can't view character backstories.

Wind and Water Rotate: Brothers, God of Wealth is in Crimson Plains (coordinates), hurry!

Crimson Plains, Southern Region.

The moon was like blood, dyeing the sky a deep crimson, yet it couldn't dispel the gloom on the land. The once lush green plains had disappeared, replaced by desolation and bleakness. Every inch of soil was soaked with blood and bones.

"This is it. Didn't they say the God of Wealth was here? Where is he?"

Two players passed through an area covered in Thorns and arrived at the coordinates sent in the region chat.

But to their disappointment, there was no sign of the God of Wealth anywhere. Not even a single Evil Spirit was in sight.

"We're screwed. We got tricked by whoever spread the fake news," the leading player gritted out.

"Brother, what do we do now?" asked the younger player beside him, who looked about 18.

"What else can we do? Go back..." Just then, the leading man noticed a large pit not too far away.

Driven by curiosity, he approached the pit and pulled away the Thorns covering the opening. What greeted them made them gasp.

Inside the pit lay a pile of Evil Crystals, estimated to be several hundred.

"Holy crap, we're rich!"

An hour later.

A blue streak of light descended from the sky and landed before the pit.

He waved aside the Thorns covering the opening.

But as he prepared to toss the Evil Crystals he was holding into the pit, his expression froze:

"Where are the Evil Crystals?"

"Where are my Evil Crystals!"

ROAR!

Duan Xing roared at the sky, his disheveled hair dancing in the wind, his eyes wide with rage. His pure white irises were once again filled with red light.

But his boundless anger was quickly swallowed by despair.

Five days had passed since the trial began, yet his mission had made no progress. If this continued, his trial ranking would only drop lower and lower.

He slumped down beside the pit, Duan Xing's gaze becoming vacant.

Before the trial started, he had considered all sorts of dangers he might encounter, but he never imagined he would be trapped in the Waning Crescent Moon scenario, unable to make any progress.

"I'm not reconciled..."

Duan Xing, his eyes now vacant, stared blankly at the empty pit and muttered.