Root of the Ancient Days

It wasn't just the game character who had doubts. Yang Qizhou was filled with them too.

Although he hadn't been playing World of Weirdness for long, he had already realized that Ancient Earth was basically one huge game of Werewolf. Until the cards were turned over, you could never know whether the person across from you was human or wolf.

So even if he put himself in the game character's shoes, he'd use the Stone of Truth just to be safe, ensuring that the monster—stitched together from the bodies and minds of the Six Great Cults' leaders—wasn't lying.

"The Stone of Truth's effect activates..."

"You repeated your questions, and the leaders of the Six Great Cults answered truthfully. Their answers didn't differ much from what they'd said before, which meant they hadn't deceived you."

"You felt somewhat reassured and asked the Six-Faced Monster before you how you could help them find redemption."

"The leaders of the Six Great Cults were delighted by your kindness and compassion. They said that if they could cleanse the corruption from their souls and find eternal rest in the River of Death, they would give you a powerful holy relic they'd come across by chance many years ago as a reward. It might help you find a way to save Fire-Stealing Village."

"You saw through their intentions and thought to yourself with disdain that their gratitude was probably fake. They were worried you'd take advantage of the situation—or simply walk out and abandon them without a second thought—so they were offering a generous reward in the hope that you'd do your best. That was the real reason."

"But you showed no sign of this, humbly saying that it was only what you ought to do."

"Vile, greedy adventurer—you and the devious, treacherous leaders of the Six Great Cults had reached an unspoken understanding."

"You continued by asking how you could save Dark Fog Town."

"The leaders of the Six Great Cults had clearly thought of a solution long ago. But their mutations and corruption had left them unable to act, so the plan had been shelved. From their account, you learned what had to be done."

"Something had happened to the six ancient gods protecting Dark Fog Town. They seemed to be too busy looking after themselves to help."

"The Six-Faced Monster planned to directly beseech the King of Virtues to descend."

"He was one of the three ancient god-kings of the Radiant Kingdom, wielding the authority of 'virtue' and standing above the other gods. He protected humanity through the cataclysms brought about by the turning of the ages, and resisted the erosion of all that was unknown and terrifying. His holy light illuminated the gloom of the Wilderness, and his divinity gave every living thing hope."

"To summon the King of Virtues, they needed seven holy relics."

"They were the Pure White Flower, representing 'chastity.'"

"The Ring of Vitality, representing 'diligence.'"

"The Emblem of Justice, representing 'humility.'"

"The Chain of Mercy, representing 'gentleness.'"

"Angel's Blessing, representing 'temperance.'"

"Holy Redemption, representing 'tolerance.'"

"The Ring of Friendliness, representing 'generosity.'"

Yang Qizhou's heart stirred.

He'd already learned from the earlier story text that the Radiant Kingdom was ruled by three ancient god-kings. Lena had told him about the King of Oaths, and now the leaders of the Six Great Cults had told him about the King of Virtues. He just didn't know the name of the last ancient god-king.

And another thing...

They needed to gather seven holy offerings to save Dark Fog Town. Wasn't that a bit much?

Yang Qizhou wasn't the only one who thought so.

The game character felt the same way.

"You felt that this was far too troublesome. The holy relics of an ancient god-king surely wouldn't be easy to find. It would be a massive undertaking."

"You began to consider backing out."

"The leader of the Star-Color Cult possessed powers that reached into the mind and saw what you were thinking. In a panic, he told you that ten li south of Dark Fog Town stood a Spring of Heaven, where Holy Redemption had been left. Once you obtained one holy offering, the location of the next would appear in your mind, so gathering all seven wouldn't be difficult."

"You remained unmoved."

"All five faces on the Six-Faced Monster looked furious. Clearly, they were outraged by your attempt to raise your price at the last minute."

"Seeing that they still hadn't responded, you activated the Garment of the Hidden World's effect. Your figure gradually disappeared inside the temple."

"Finally, the leader of the Fire-Stealing Cult called out to you."

"He said you were still far too weak, and that collecting the seven holy relics of the King of Virtues would indeed be difficult. They were willing to give you the powerful holy relic in advance, but there was one condition: you had to complete a contract in the presence of the King of Oaths."

"You smiled and promptly agreed, as if afraid they might change their minds."

"You soon completed the oath."

"As agreed, the Six-Faced Monster handed you the holy relic they'd obtained from a fallen evil god."

"You obtained the Root of the Ancient Days."

Root of the Ancient Days (Special Holy Relic): Origin: ???? Effect: ???? Note: This is a mysterious artifact related to a "wizard." Never let the ancient gods discover that you possess it, or you'll incur the wrath of the gods. And don't let evil gods or hidden entities find out, either—or you'll meet an equally gruesome end.

????

The little guy had a lot of question marks.

The fire in Yang Qizhou's heart flared up in an instant. So this was a powerful holy relic? Its origin was unknown, its effect was unknown, it couldn't be used, and it came with a built-in taunt aura. Ancient gods, evil gods, hidden entities—if any of them saw it, they'd all take a swing at him.

This "holy relic" really was... powerful.

Yang Qizhou wasn't the only one outraged. The game character clearly felt the same way.

"You realized you'd been tricked. Your eyes blazed with fury as you stared coldly at the Six-Faced Monster."

"You heard them say..."

"We didn't lie. This really is a powerful holy relic, so we haven't broken our oath."

"Adventurer, you signed a contract in the presence of the King of Oaths. If you don't put your heart into gathering the holy offerings, you'll be punished under the terms of the oath."

"And one more thing: whatever you do, don't let the gods know about this powerful holy relic. Otherwise, they'll kill you."

"Ha ha ha ha."

"After being mocked so sarcastically, you actually calmed down. Your gaze grew even more inscrutable."

As expected of the leaders of the Six Great Cults. Every last one of them was a schemer. They took things one step at a time, and even though everything they said was true, they still managed to lead you into one trap after another. Thinking back, a lot of their helplessness had been an act.

But hey...

Weren't they celebrating a little too soon?

If this were any other player, they'd probably have no choice but to become their errand runner and search for the seven holy offerings. But sorry, I have the Doom-Bringing Raven, so I can reload.

The Raven's eerie cry echoed through Yang Qizhou's mind as he grinned slyly.

"Doom-Bringing Raven, take me back to the last time I made a choice."