The So-Called Ritual Two

"The church and the mayor have joined forces to control this town, collecting offerings and money overtly or covertly every year to perform rituals against the Black Mist," the handsome middle-aged man said righteously. "The townspeople are treated like livestock, kept here and provided with supplies regularly. We must eradicate this evil."

"That's right!" Wang Xizhi quickly agreed, "But what exactly should we do?"

"Last year, demon hunters investigated and found that during special periods each year, the church members would use special drugs and magic to control the Black Mist Beasts, monsters derived from the Black Fog Beast, to attack the townspeople and use them as sacrifices. Meanwhile, the mayor would control the bridge to restrict the townspeople's movement and collect wealth to purchase ritual materials."

"They usually hold the ceremony around two or three in the morning, so there's still an hour or two to prepare," the handsome older man said, pressing down on Wang Xizhi's shoulder. "Unfortunately, the church leading to the ceremony site is occupied by the townspeople. On special days, no matter what we say, they won't let us in."

"Besides the church, there should be another passage for transporting offerings, but it's very well hidden, and we haven't found it. So!" The handsome older man patted Wang Xizhi on the shoulder and said, "The organization has decided to assign you a special mission."

"I can recite a couple of lines..." Wang Xizhi gulped twice, already guessing what kind of special mission it was.

"You've probably guessed it already. That's right, you were sent to the ritual site by the Black Fog Beast through a special passage as a sacrifice." The uncle said seriously, "Don't worry, we have extensive experience in disguise. With your small stature, we guarantee they won't recognize you."

"But I won't be killed on the spot by the Black Fog Beast, will I? They were so murderous before. Besides, what if there are enough sacrifices?" Wang Xizhi wanted to refuse.

"We have intelligence that the sacrifices need to be alive. Besides, they never complain about having too many sacrifices. Don't worry, we'll arrive in time to save you," the handsome middle-aged man said, squinting his eyes. At the same time, a side quest notification appeared on Wang Xizhi's quest panel.

"Okay, you promise!" Wang Xizhi glanced at the panel, then at the serious-looking uncle, and nodded.

"I promise!"

Half an hour later, a frail farm girl was running frantically down the street when she was caught by the Black Fog Beast. The girl seemed terrified, her legs gave way, and she fainted Black Fog Beast walked over, sniffed twice, and then a ring of Black Mist formed on its body bound the girl before running away into the distance.

"What terrible acting!" Liu Feng leaned against the wall, pushed up his glasses, and muttered a criticism. He had to admit that the medicine provided by the uncle was quite good. Although he still couldn't use his left hand with much force, it at least didn't affect his movement. The glasses were like night vision goggles, allowing Liu Feng to see even in the dark.

"How about you come next time?" The uncle's words made Liu Feng shake his head frantically. He had absolutely no interest in cross-dressing men, whether it was others or himself.

At this point, Liu Feng gradually understood how to clear the dungeon. Strictly speaking, the dungeon wasn't difficult. The Black Fog Beast wouldn't immediately kill the captured person, but would take them to a ritual. If he wasn't mistaken, the uncle would try to disrupt the ritual when it started, and at that point, he could simply choose to help.

The reason the two of them were in such a dangerous situation was because they had acted recklessly, mistaking the villain for the protagonist and foolishly getting involved. Of course, because of this, Liu Feng also gained a trump card, which was those powders with a peculiar fragrance. With these powders, the Black Fog Beast could be hit almost anywhere.

"Let's go, be careful, follow him." The uncle walked ahead, and Liu Feng nodded and followed. His original heartfelt thoughts had turned into money-oriented ones. Assisting the uncle in breaking through the ritual site was a side quest that could earn him Game Points.

"Uncle, why do you have to act on a special day, and why are you all alone?" Liu Feng said, licking his lips.

"Only during the ritual will all these hidden cultists appear, allowing us to wipe them out in one fell swoop," the handsome middle-aged man whispered, observing his surroundings. "The Demon Hunter organization is currently severely understaffed; otherwise, it would be a miracle if a rookie like you passed the test."

"Besides, don't underestimate your uncle." The handsome uncle took a few steps to catch up and said, "Your uncle has more than ten years of rich experience in demon hunting. What kind of big scene haven't I seen? Taking on a hundred people is just a basic skill."

"This is my last mission. After this, I'm going back to my hometown to get married," the uncle said with a happy expression. He turned around and saw Liu Feng's extremely strange expression. "Is there a problem?"

"Where's your hometown? I'm afraid you won't have time to tell me then," Liu Feng said, squinting. "Or, why don't you postpone your missions by two more times before retiring?"

"Stop with the nonsense, hurry up and catch up!" The handsome middle-aged man frowned, took out a pocket watch, and after the hands spun twice, they pointed to a direction. Then he quickly followed.

The "girl" Wang Xizhi was bound to the back of the Black Fog Beast, holding a real talisman in her hand. She was trembling slightly. According to the uncle, this talisman had a locating function, and as long as the talisman was broken, it would emit a holy light that would burn away creatures with unclean magic in their bodies, giving them some time to escape.

Liu Feng, standing not far away, almost burst out laughing. This incident would probably be a source of amusement for Wang Xizhi for the rest of his life. Liu Feng only regretted that the game didn't have a recording function; if it had been recorded, he might have been able to sell it back for a high price. At the same time, Liu Feng thought to himself, "I can try to get hush money from him later."

"What are you thinking about, newbie? Are you sure you want to come in with me? I definitely won't be distracted by taking care of you later," the handsome older man asked, patting Liu Feng on the shoulder.

"No problem, but you should still be careful. Are you sure you don't want to tell me your hometown address, or that you'll retire later?" Liu Feng said, licking his lips.

"That's good, then I'll go first!" The uncle ignored Liu Feng's words, drew his bow and arrow, and waited quietly. After a while, a townsman was brought to the front of the clock tower.

The uncle squinted, calculated the timing, and shot an arrow through the observation hole in the door. He then ran over with remarkable agility. A large amount of light shone through the crack in the door—it was the very arrow that had saved Liu Feng and the others earlier.

Sorry, I had terrible writer's block. I wrote a few hundred words and had to start all over again. This is the only chapter tonight. There will be an extra chapter for the 10,000-word reward from the generous author Chiyan Tianming, and another extra chapter for the 900 monthly votes. Those will be tomorrow or the day after. I'm really sorry everyone.