Their Own Paths
"This one's name is Bai Pan, just call him Fatty Bai," Lin Tong said, pointing to the fair-skinned, chubby boy. Then he pointed to another girl who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old, a girl next door, and a woman who looked like a mountain of flesh, saying, "Nan Chu, Xu Lingmin."
"In addition, three other members of our group have requested leave: Lao Cai, Lao Li, and Lao Wang." Lin Tong brought up images of the three old men on the projector, introduced their names, and then turned it off.
"These are all the members of our Non-Standing Group. Now, let's welcome our new member, Lu Li." Lin Tong led the applause, and Bai Pang and Xu Lingmin also clapped enthusiastically. Only Nan Chu, with a lollipop in his mouth and his eyes fixed on Lin Tong, clapped twice casually.
"So from today onwards, Lu Li, you are a member of the Countermeasure Bureau's Non-Standing Group." After saying this to Lu Li, Lin Tong turned around and said, "Since there's nothing else, let's disband."
"Let's go, I'll take you to collect your standard weapons and equipment. You'll need to undergo some training for a while, and then you'll be fine," Lin Tong said to Lu Li.
Lu Li an eyebrow and followed Lin Tong to collect the props. Judging from the other team members, the Non-Standing Group was really idle, basically with nothing to do. Even the office was just a small room. It seemed like there would be nothing to do for a while. It just so happened that he also needed to be quiet for a period of time to train and strengthen himself.
In the Spirit Weapon World, Adre stood on an iron ladder in a huge underground base. On the empty ground, many cultists dressed in black hooded robes were conducting final checks.
When some believers passed by Adre, they bowed respectfully and addressed him as High Priest. Looking at the Nine Masks floating behind Adre and the mask on his face, they showed reverence and fanaticism. Among these believers was Adre's former best friend Herchika, but now he looked like an ordinary believer with reverence and fanaticism.
"Did your god promise to descend today?" A clear voice rang out. Adre didn't turn around, knowing it was Jasmine, the spirit messenger from the Cordila Group. He said in a deep voice, "Not a god, but merely an Avatar of a god. It is the will of a god, and we only need to obey."
"I hope so." The interdimensional trade, which was originally only supposed to be suspended for a day or two, has been suspended for more than half a month, which translates to more than ten years in the Dreamlands. Such a long period of time has made several directors of the Cordila Group somewhat impatient.
"High Priest, everything is ready," a priest said respectfully as he approached Adre.
"Let's begin." Adre looked at the base's ground, which was covered with strange symbols and patterns smeared in blood, as well as a huge circle and a seven-pointed star. At the seven points of the seven-pointed star, seven death row inmates of various appearances were tied, representing the Seven Deadly Sins according to their crimes.
The believers stood outside the magic circle, devoutly chanting prayers. Adre, along with a small number of priests, mobilized the power bestowed upon them by the gods to begin the ritual. All ten masks, including the Pride Mask on Adre's face, floated up and hovered above the magic circle, emitting a dark light.
A young man dressed in a black cloak appeared in the air, and a strange fluctuation flashed through the space. The Black Heaven Hall looked knowing and said, "Today, my Black Heaven Hall establishes the Spirit Weapon Path lineage here to inherit this world."
A wave swept across, and a black palace appeared in the space. Next to the original Black Heaven Hall, three words appeared: Spirit Weapon Path. The world's rejection of the Black Heaven Hall immediately lessened.
Adre, accompanied by his priests, approached and respectfully said, "Welcome to this realm, sir."
They showed respect but did not worship, and the priests were the same, because they believed in Grotesque, the god of shadows and dreams, who was also Lu Li's true form. They would show respect but not worship other Avatar of the god.
"Lu Li?" Jasmine said uncertainly. Although the appearance of the Black Heaven Hall was exactly the same as Lu Li's original body, the two had quite different temperaments. In general, the Black Heaven Hall had more of the temperament of a martial arts grandmaster.
"You can call me Lu Li or Black Heaven Hall, either is fine," Black Heaven Hall said casually. "I understand your needs. I will soon establish a teleportation portal suitable for both realms, and then our deal will be complete."
Just as the Black Heaven Hall had said, he quickly established a teleportation portal, allowing trade between the two realms to resume, but it soon disappeared without a trace. It is said that not long after, a sect called the Spirit Weapon Path appeared in the east.
Meanwhile, the followers led by Adre formed an organization called the Night Spirit Cult, which left the territory of the Cordila Group and developed rapidly. It was rumored that they had a way to give supernatural abilities to people who could not become spirit messengers, and they were quickly identified as a cult by the Alliance. However, they could not be eradicated and their followers increased significantly.
Meanwhile, in the outer Dreamlands of the Spirit Weapon World, a series of major events occurred. One was that the Vine Paradise, which had disappeared for more than ten years, reopened after punishing a group of traitors.
Meanwhile, the Greed Mask, one of the Ten Masks, has appeared. Now, seven masks have appeared in this world. The divine summoning ritual recorded on one of the stone tablets can be activated. According to some wizards, these masks are indeed connected to some kind of being and possess considerable abilities.
Thus, a great battle ensued. The last king successfully gathered all seven masks and cast a summoning spell, making a wish for immortality. In the end, this king Avatar into a monster composed of black mist, and the legend of the Black Mist River, the King of Fear Dark River, was passed down.
According to legend, wherever there is a river, there may be Black Mist River. It is said that he has three servants: two dwarfs who can command monsters, and a Twins speaks with a double syllable, known as the Incestuous Twins.
Meanwhile, Lu Li's main body on the other side wriggled as it received a stream of information. The information was about missions related to the Theseus Magic Society, and it was transmitted through the game's path.
[Additional instance: Ship-Mending Operation.]
[Instance Description: You once joined the Theseus Magic Society, signed your name, and received His help; however, you also have corresponding obligations...]
[Instance Quest: Head to the Theseus Magic Society to fulfill your duty.]
[Quest Hint: Collect 2000 Game Points, and the GM will safely transport you to Fairy Tale Town!]
[Task Reward: None]
"Because it's not a formal mission, why do I still have to pay?" Lu Li wriggled his body to confirm the payment. He didn't lack 2,000 Game Points; the most important thing was the word "safety," which the game emphasized.
The next moment, Lu Li, along with the Dreamlands, vanished from their original location...
There will be another update later. Also, I've posted the summary of the Ten Methods of Seeing Ghosts in the work's related section. There may be some inconsistencies, please forgive me.