Ancient God Fire Lamp

The Moonlight Ancient God Altar.

Yang Qizhou thought of the holy icon of the Moonlight Ancient God.

Setting aside the bizarre and uncanny fact that rewards obtained in the [World of Weirdness] could be brought into reality, the sheer number of mind-bending plot points alone was enough to deal a heavy blow to his young, innocent heart.

Seeing the sun meant death, and wandering at night also meant death; while strange and terrifying, this was at least within the realm of human comprehension.

But a "male mother" was just too absurd.

And the fact that a stone statue could give birth to a child completely shattered his worldview.

It was a pity that [World of Weirdness] was a text-based game where dialogue was not under the player's control; otherwise, Yang Qizhou would have definitely given it a piece of his mind.

The text continued to refresh.

"You are stunned by the beauty of the Night Watcher captain, Lena."

"You think of Aliceina, and the fire in your heart is instantly extinguished, lamenting that the more beautiful a woman is in this world, the more dangerous she becomes."

"You do not immediately speak of the Moonlight Ancient God Altar, but instead ask Lena about her intentions in bringing this up."

"A look of melancholy appears on Lena's face as she explains the reason."

"It turns out that in the past, the Fire-Stealing Village and the Hundred Tribes of the Forest had signed a covenant under the witness of the 'King of Oaths' to jointly resist the terrifying horrors of the wilderness. The Ancient Fire-Stealing God and the Moonlight Ancient God had even joined forces to create a Divine Path connecting the two divine realms, protecting believers so they could travel freely without being harmed by the horrors of the wilderness."

"But not long ago, the Divine Path suddenly collapsed, and the Fire-Stealing Village lost contact with the Hundred Tribes of the Forest."

"To investigate the truth, many Night Watchers set out into the wilderness where the unknown and the mysterious coexisted, heading toward the Moonlight Ancient God Altar, including the former Night Watcher captain, Porter."

"However, none of them returned."

"Now, an unknown terrifying existence in the wilderness has set its sights on the Fire-Stealing Village, leaving Lena deeply uneasy and in urgent need of help from the Hundred Tribes of the Forest."

"You had intended to reveal what you saw at the Moonlight Ancient God Altar, but thinking of the evil altar dedicated to the 'Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World,' you hesitate, as you are unsure whether Lena is human or a wolf."

"You choose to conceal part of the truth, telling Lena only that the Moonlight Ancient God Altar was already abandoned when you arrived."

"Lena is deeply shocked."

"She is unaware of the existence of the 'Mother Goddess Flower Seed of the Dream Realm' or the fact that the holy icon of the Moonlight Ancient God gave birth to 'Dream Offspring,' assuming instead that Aliceina, a follower of the Old Gods wandering outside the Fire-Stealing Village, had brought ruin upon the Hundred Tribes of the Forest."

"You notice that while Captain Lena is shocked, she is not surprised, and you cannot help but ask why."

"Lena explains that this place is close to the unknown lands of the wilderness, a place where the grace of the Radiant Gods struggles to shine. Weirdness and the unknown coexist, mystery and horror thrive together; the environment is so harsh and terrifying that tribes and villages are swallowed by waves of monsters every moment. The calamity of the Hundred Tribes of the Forest is not surprising, and the next to suffer a total catastrophe might well be the Fire-Stealing Village."

Yang Qizhou thought back to the previous plot.

The buildings of the Fire-Stealing Village were rapidly weathering and decaying, the Night Watchers were aging and dying at a visible rate, and everything was turning into nothingness, with only Aliceina expressing gratitude for the character's guidance.

If not for the ability of the "Blasphemous Raven," the Fire-Stealing Village would likely have ceased to exist.

Yang Qizhou secretly rejoiced; the Ancient Earth was simply too terrifying. It was fortunate he didn't live in that world, or he wouldn't have lasted even half a day before being wiped out, not even knowing how he died.

The game continued.

"The destruction of the Hundred Tribes of the Forest and the abandonment of the Moonlight Ancient God Altar make Lena realize the severity of the situation. She decides to go to the priest of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God to discuss the current threat facing the Fire-Stealing Village."

"You think again of the 'Remains of the Night Watcher' in your possession, and your heart cannot help but hesitate."

"Such a greedy and cheating explorer."

"Do you decide to take the risk and produce the 'Remains of the Night Watcher' to see if you can exchange it for benefits?"

"Or do you decide to keep it for yourself for now?"

"Please make your choice."

If it were any other player, they would certainly be in a dilemma. The "Remains of the Night Watcher" possessed unknown power capable of deterring the threats lurking in the wilderness; its utility was not insignificant, and handing it over would be a considerable loss. Of course, the Night Watchers would surely provide some benefits to express their gratitude, but whether those would match the value of the remains was open to debate.

But Yang Qizhou would not, because he had the "Doom-Bringing Raven."

Yang Qizhou chose "Yes" without hesitation.

"You take out the 'Remains of the Night Watcher' and state that you swindled it from Aliceina."

"Lena recognizes the 'Remains of the Night Watcher' as belonging to her missing father, the previous Night Watcher captain, Porter. He had gone missing on the way to the Moonlight Ancient God Altar, and she had never imagined he had already met his end, leaving her heartbroken."

"You have lost the 'Remains of the Night Watcher'."

"Lena, to express her gratitude, gifts you the 'Ancient God Fire Lamp'."

"Ancient God Fire Lamp (Excellent): A tool used by the villagers of the Fire-Stealing Village to steal fire. It requires 'Fire Kindling' to be lit and activated. It contains a trace of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God's divine power and can dispel the illusions in the fog to see the true landscape."

"You have gained Lena's favor."

"You possess 'Fire Kindling,' and the Ancient God Fire Lamp has been automatically lit."

Good stuff.

With a thought from Yang Qizhou, a bronze oil lamp appeared in his hand, its flame flickering in the moonlight as if it were alive.

The "Ancient God Fire Lamp" was an upgraded version of the "Fire Kindling." The attribute of dispelling illusions in the fog remained unchanged, but the attribute of walking on the true path to the "Fire-Stealing Village" had changed to seeing the true landscape. Although it was only a one-character difference, the effect was incomparable.

After fiddling with it for a while, Yang Qizhou kept his attention on the game.

He had originally intended to use the ability of the "Doom-Bringing Raven" to retrieve the "Remains of the Night Watcher" immediately after receiving the reward, but he changed his mind upon seeing the words "You have gained Lena's favor."

The favor of this night watch captain might be the key to triggering hidden future plotlines.

"I hope I haven't bet wrong," Yang Qizhou muttered to himself.

The game continued.

"Having finished your meeting with Lena, you are being led back to your residence by Yixiu."

"Passing by the large house you infiltrated earlier, you cannot help but ask Yixiu who the master of this place is."

"Yixiu wears an expression of reverence, saying that the person living here is none other than the Fire-Stealing Priest, who holds the highest status in Fire-Stealing Village, an agent capable of exercising the authority of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God; all communication between the villagers and the gods must be realized through him."

"The priest of the Ancient Fire-Stealing God secretly worships the Lord of the Dreamy Hidden World?"

"Goosebumps break out all over your body, cold sweat pours from your forehead and back, and many terrifying conjectures arise in your heart."

"You return to your residence."

"Night falls."

"Following Yixiu's instructions, you perform the 'Fire-Stealing,' using the flames of the Astral Realm gods to dispel the horrors within the darkness."

"You survive the night."