Root of the Ancient Days

Not to mention the game character's suspicion, even Yang Qizhou himself was filled with doubt.

Although he hadn't been playing World of Weirdness for long, he had already deeply realized that the Ancient Earth was essentially a massive game of Werewolf; until the moment the cards were flipped, you would never know if the person across from you was human or wolf.

Therefore, even putting himself in the game character's shoes, just to be safe, he would use the Stone of Truth to ensure that this monster, stitched together from the flesh and spirits of the six cult leaders, was not deceiving him with its words.

""Stone of Truth" effect activated..."

"You repeated the above question, and the leaders of the six cults answered truthfully. There was no significant discrepancy from their previous words, which indicates they are not deceiving you."

"You feel slightly relieved and ask the multi-faced monster before you how you can help them achieve redemption."

"The leaders of the six cults are very pleased with your mercy and kindness, stating that as long as they can wash away the corruption on their souls and find eternal rest in the River of Death, they will gift you a powerful holy relic they accidentally obtained years ago as a reward. That might allow you to find a way to save Fire-Stealing Village."

"You see through their thoughts and think to yourself with disdain: expressing gratitude is likely a lie; they are worried you might fish in troubled waters, or even turn hostile the moment you leave and abandon them to their fate, which is why they are offering such a high reward to ensure you do your best—that is the truth."

"On the surface, however, you show no abnormality and humbly state that this is only what you should do."

"Despicable and greedy adventurer, you and the insidious and cunning leaders of the six cults have reached a tacit consensus."

"You continue to ask how Dark Fog Town can be saved."

"The leaders of the six cults clearly had a method in mind long ago, but due to their distortion and corruption, they were unable to take action, causing the matter to remain stalled. Through their narration, you learn the process of salvation."

"The six Ancient Gods who protect Dark Fog Town have encountered problems and are suspected to be currently unable to attend to anything else."

"The six-faced monster intends to directly implore the "King of Virtues" for a divine descent."

"That is one of the three ancient God-Kings of the Radiant Kingdom, holding the authority of "Virtue," standing above all gods, protecting humanity through the catastrophes caused by the shifting of eras, and resisting the erosion of all unknowns and terrors. His holy light illuminates the gloom of the wilderness, and his divinity allows all spirits to see hope."

"And to summon the "King of Virtues" to descend, seven sacred sacrificial vessels are required."

"They are, respectively, the [Pure White Flower] representing "Chastity"."

"The [Ring of Vitality] representing "Diligence"."

"The [Emblem of Justice] representing "Humility"."

"The [Chain of Mercy] representing "Gentleness"."

"The [Angel's Blessing] representing "Temperance"."

"The [Holy Redemption] representing "Tolerance"."

"The [Ring of Friendliness] representing "Generosity"."

Yang Qizhou felt a stir in his heart.

He had already learned from previous text plots that the Radiant Kingdom was ruled by three Kings of Ancient Gods, and he had learned of the "King of Oaths" from Lena. Now, from these six cult leaders, he had learned of the "King of Virtues," though he did not know the title of the final King of Ancient Gods.

Furthermore, To think that seven sacred sacrificial vessels must be collected just to save "Dark Fog Town"—isn't that a bit too many?

It wasn't just Yang Qizhou;

Even the game character felt the same way.

"You feel deeply troubled; after all, the sacred sacrificial vessel of a "King of Ancient Gods" is certainly not something that can be easily found. This is a massive undertaking."

"You harbor thoughts of backing out."

"The leader of the Star-Color Cult, possessing power on a spiritual level, sees through your thoughts and urgently states that ten miles south of Dark Fog Town, there is a Spring of Heaven where the [Holy Redemption] is kept. And as you obtain one "Sacred Offering," the coordinates of the next "Sacred Offering" will appear in your mind, so collecting all seven "Sacred Offerings" is not difficult."

"You remain unmoved."

"The five faces on the six-faced monster all show expressions of gnashing teeth; clearly, your behavior of raising the price on the spot has made them quite indignant."

"Seeing that they remain hesitant, you activate the effect of the Garment of the Hidden World, and your figure gradually disappears within the temple."

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

"He states that your strength is still too weak, and collecting the seven sacred sacrificial vessels of the "King of Virtues" is indeed somewhat difficult. They are willing to gift you that powerful holy relic in advance, but there is a prerequisite: the contract must first be completed under the witness of the King of Oaths."

"You reveal a smile and quickly agree with pleasure, as if afraid they might go back on their word."

"You quickly complete the oath."

"The six-faced monster, according to the agreement, hands over the holy relic obtained from a fallen evil god."

"You have obtained [Root of the Ancient Days]."

Root of the Ancient Days (Special Holy Relic): Origin: ???? Effect: ???? Note: This is a mysterious artifact related to "Wizards." Do not let the Ancient Gods discover you possess it, or you will suffer the wrath of the gods. Of course, do not let evil gods or hidden existences know either, or the outcome will be just as miserable.

????

The child has many question marks.

The fire in Yang Qizhou's heart flared up instantly. This is truly a powerful holy relic: origin unknown, effect unknown, unusable, and it comes with a built-in taunt aura—whether it's an Ancient God, an evil god, or a hidden existence, they would all want to stomp on it if they saw it.

This "holy relic" is truly... powerful.

It wasn't just Yang Qizhou who was indignant; the game character clearly felt the same.

"You realize you have been played, your eyes filled with fury, staring coldly at the six-faced monster."

"You hear them say this..."

"We are not lying; this truly is a powerful sacred relic, so it does not count as a violation of the oath."

"Explorer, you have already signed the contract under the witness of the King of Oaths. If you do not put your full effort into collecting the Sacred Offerings, you will be subjected to punishment at the level of the oath itself."

"Also, you must never let the gods know about this powerful sacred relic, otherwise, they will kill you."

"Hahahaha."

After being subjected to this sarcastic mockery, you actually calmed down, your eyes growing even deeper.

As expected of the leaders of the six major cults; every single one of them is a cunning old fox. They take things one step at a time, and even though everything they say is the truth, they can still lead you into a pit step by step. Now that you think about it, many of their previous displays of helplessness were just performances.

But hey...

Aren't you all celebrating a bit too early?

If it were any other player, they might truly be forced into becoming your tool to search for the seven Sacred Offerings, but sorry, This Humble One possesses the Doom-Bringing Raven and can reload a save.

The eerie cawing of the raven echoed in his mind, and Yang Qizhou smiled cunningly.

"Doom-Bringing Raven, I want to return to the moment before I made my last choice."