The Dark Sun Is Dead!

The Adventurers' Guild was probably the first to announce Aldrich's news to the public.

Those Gold-Rank Adventurer participated in the extermination teams could also be included.

Maybe they're just a lucky bunch of unknown adventurers.

Wait, why is it the Holy Light Church?!

Lu Lu Wo looked astonished. She had considered many ways the news could be leaked and how people would react.

The only thing I didn't expect was that the Holy Light Church would leak this news.

Where did these guys get their information from?!

She wanted to get a closer look, but Elsa on the other side was walking towards the Dessert Shop, looking like she was hungry; after her emotions burned out, she became loyal to her desires.

Lu Lu Wo looked around and saw that a large number of adventurers had surrounded the platform that the Holy Light Follower had temporarily set up. Even if she wanted to get close, she couldn't. She could only drink a bottle of the Clairaudience Potion and go to take care of Elsa while listening to the commotion on the platform.

To be honest, what those Holy Light Follower said was actually quite uninformative.

It's just the same old phrases over and over again: "Your Gwyndolin is dead!", "Come to faith in the ever-growing Holy Light of the Holy Light", "The Holy Light God is giving divine pronouncements", and so on. To be honest, after listening to them for a while, it makes you drowsy and gives you absolutely no desire to join the church.

It's not fair to blame them for their lack of tact; although these people were wearing the Holy Light Church's signature warm-colored robes, they were not actually wearing the Holy Light badges that belonged to the church and were only possessed by its "insiders."

In other words, these people are ordinary believers of the Holy Light Church, and are not "official" at all!

Their actions may simply stem from their desire to uphold their beliefs, but their lack of education and speaking skills means they can only repeat themselves endlessly on stage.

Unfortunately, the content of their repetitive talk was so explosive that everyone who had left the underground city came to watch.

The crowd gathered below the stage was bustling and lively; if you didn't know better, you would have thought that an archbishop had come out for a tour.

The adventurer, fresh from the dungeon, certainly wouldn't believe the message from these few followers of the Holy Light Church that "Gwyndolin is dead." He believed it was a deliberate smear campaign by the Holy Light Church.

However, the believers simply released the video to the public, without even needing to say a word; those who questioned them fell silent after watching it.

This matter quickly spread among the people, with wave after wave of discussion. As the dungeon was completely closed and all the adventurers returned from it, public opinion exploded!

Some adventurers' minds went blank, some knelt on the ground beating their chests and howling, and some cursed angrily. Of course, these were the reactions of those who revered the Dark Moon Blade the most for the Dark Sun.

Many people expressed sadness, sympathy, and regret. They had heard of Gwyndolin's story to some extent and had a good impression of a god with a strong sense of responsibility. Moreover, the recent activity of the Dark Moon Blade Oath had almost led them to believe that Gwyndolin was about to awaken and descend. However, a video suddenly appeared showing him being devoured by a seemingly evil Sunlight King.

There were also many people who didn't react much and were just watching the excitement. The appearance of the Zane Dungeon greatly enriched the spiritual lives of these people. There was exciting excitement to watch almost every day, which was the best comfort for the workers who were tired after a long day.

Those who had long disliked the Dark Moon Blade were gloating, and the Holy Light Follower in the crowd echoed their clamor. Their clamor was met with a rebuttal from those who revered the Darkmoon, which escalated into a fierce argument and even showed signs of physical violence.

In short, the small town hastily built around the portal has fallen into complete chaos.

Elsa was sitting at the entrance of the Dessert Shop, munching on a pastry. The Carved Rusty Iron Ring on her fingers were covered in cream, and she paid no attention to the noisy crowd.

"Sigh, I knew things would get messed up," Lu Lu Wo shook her head after watching the whole thing. "It's going to be lively for the next few days."

She felt sorry for Gwyndolin being consumed, since the Dark Moon Blade invaded her every now and then, making it difficult for her to truly like the Darkmoon. She simply showed enough respect to the gods like a normal person would.

She hadn't expected the Dark Moon Blade to react so strongly.

She also saw people rushing into the dungeon recklessly, only to fall when the closed portals were closed.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Lu Wo covered Elsa's eyes with her hand.

The child is still young and their relationship needs to be developed, so it's best to avoid watching such chaotic scenes.

The situation escalated, and the audience below the stage was in complete chaos. The Holy Light Follower on the stage looked at each other, their faces glowing with excitement. This was the first time in their lives they had received so much attention, and it was probably a once-in-a-lifetime event!

They were thinking of adding fuel to the fire and shouting a few more words, but just then, someone glared angrily at them and shouted:

"Even if Dark Sun is dead, it's not something a dog like you can insult!"

"Brothers, go up and tear their mouths apart!"

The smiles of the Holy Light Follower vanished instantly, and they retreated in panic, even knocking over the Image Stone that was displaying the image. The rampaging Dark Moon Blade surrounded them, and it looked like it was about to send them to heaven to meet the Holy Light God with a punch and a kick.

"Stop!" Just then, a loud voice rang out, "What are you doing? Why are you making such a commotion!"

People thought the guards had arrived, but when they turned around, they saw several Holy Light Knight covered in heavy armor, wrapped like iron cans, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

The person who just shouted "Stop!" was none other than Albuquerque, who had once joined Leon and the others in the first campaign against Saen.

His booming voice and perpetually stern face were intimidating, and his shout just now, which also carried elements of Weapon Skill, briefly silenced the crowd.

However, he was not the leader of this group of Holy Light Knight. The real leader was a young man who looked young and impetuous, with an air of unruliness in his eyes. It was obvious at a glance that this guy hadn't suffered much hardship and had grown up under careful protection.

Taking advantage of the brief silence, the young knight raised his eyebrows sharply, strode onto the stage, and without a word, slapped each of the Holy Light Follower hard across the face, angrily shouting:

"What are you doing, publicly insulting others' beliefs? Where is the humility of the Holy Light Church?"

"But..." the believer was about to argue.

"There are no buts. Even if it's a heretical belief, even if what you're saying is the truth, you can't do it in such a humiliating way. You're not qualified Holy Light Follower at all!"

The young knight ripped off the believer's robe. "I'm going to take you to receive your punishment. Prepare for spiritual purification. Until that purification is complete, you are not worthy to call yourselves believers!"

The believers hung their heads dejectedly, while the young knight turned to face the crowd staring at him, suddenly bowed deeply, and said:

"I apologize for disturbing everyone. This incident was caused by our negligence in managing the believers. Please accept my apology, Murika's Hade! Those injured in the dispute, please go to the Holy Light Church. The Priest will do their best to treat you. If there is any property damage, please come as well. We will definitely compensate you."

No one could find fault with this statement at first glance. The young knight named Had kicked the believer and carried them away like chickens. Before leaving, he made sure to straighten the Image Stone that had fallen to the ground so that people could continue to see Aldrich's figure.

The Holy Light Knight led the rioting followers away, but the riot was far from over. The crowd grew even noisier, and the spreading rumors forced Lu Lu Wo to cancel the effects of the All-Hearing Potion ahead of time, otherwise her head would have been blown apart by the noise.

She watched the Holy Light Knight's departing figures, staring at Had previously ruthlessly dealt with the troublemaking believers and enhanced the reputation of the Holy Light Church, and couldn't help but scoff, commenting:

"Self-directed and self-acted, putting on a show."

Just then, a voice came from in front of him.

"Are there any seats left? Can I borrow one to rest for a while?"

"Please sit wherever you like. Would you like some snacks? I'll go buy some. Oh, the shop owner went to join the fun too, so you can't buy anything now."

Fingel sat down opposite Lu Lu Wo, turned his head to look at Elsa, and seemed to sense that something was wrong, but did not pay any further attention.

"What a rare guest! Isn't your territory the Leyndell? What brings you to Bedford?" Lu Lu Wo broke off a donut and handed it to her. "What do you think about today's farce, you, the number one Dark Moon Blade?"

Fingel gave a wry smile, looked back at the noisy crowd, refused the donut, and said, "Don't even mention it. My mind is just as messed up as those people's right now, and I have some indescribable feelings."

"Then you need to eat something sweet to nourish your brain." Lu Lu Wo shoved a donut into his mouth.

He chewed as he spoke, "To be honest, I didn't go into the dungeon today. I was eating in the Food Street the whole time. I only found out about all this when the brothers who were Dark Moon Blade found me."

"So, have you thought about doing something?"

"Do something? Me?" Fingel shook his head helplessly. "What can I do? Go back in time to save the Dark Sun? I'm not the God of Time."

"Good idea. Who knows, maybe Sain will actually create Painting World with a plot like this for us in the future."

"It would be best if it were."

Fingel sighed and asked, "I came to you this time to borrow something. How's the special Image Stone you were researching coming along? Is it finished?"

"You mean the Image Stone that can transmit images in real time? That's about it. The group of scholars I sponsored are quite capable," Lu Lu Wo asked with interest. "What do you plan to do with it? Spread images of the campaign against Aldrich in real time to stabilize public morale?"

"It's not impossible, but what I want to do first is to let more people see what Aldrich looks like and know the truth about the death of the Dark Sun," he pointed to the crowd. "Right now, this is the only footage that's been leaked, and the filming was a mess. I want to film the clearest one that everyone can understand."

"Why do this? To get a clearer shot so we can take down more Dark Moon Blade?"

Fingel shook his head. "Only a few people will be able to see Aldrich, and this news is so explosive that all sorts of rumors will probably start circulating soon. I just hope that people can see the real images before even more outrageous rumors emerge, so as to prevent the rumors from having a worse impact."

"Aren't you afraid your Dark Moon Blade brothers will collapse? Forget it, come with me, I'll take you to get the Image Stone."

As the world's first Dark Moon Blade Oathbearer and a Gold-Rank Adventurer, Fingel has a fairly high reputation.

That very night, news spread that he would organize a powerful team to broadcast Aldrich's true appearance live to the public, verifying the authenticity of the messages from the Holy Light cultists.

Only a minority of adventurers can go to Irithyll, and even fewer can enter Anor Londo, so most people have high expectations for Fingel's "live broadcast".

If the news of Gwyndolin's death is false, all the better. If it is true, then they can pin their hopes on Fingel's forces defeating Aldrich.

The fact that the god they worship is actually dead is a heavy blow to any believer, and the Dark Moon Blade have clearly not yet broken free from their ordinary beliefs.

In comparison, the Sparkfire Church, whose faith also originated from Thane, is truly an anomaly, because their patron Gwyn had already linked the First Flame. Judging from the various acts of linking the First Flame in later generations, Gwyn seems to have been completely burned away, but their faith remains incredibly firm and is completely unaffected by Gwyn's death.

In their episcopal terms, it means:

"Our god Gwyn has passed on the flame, and his body has become the eternal flame, forever by our side!"

If the Dark Moon Blade could adopt the same mindset as them, the negative impact would likely disappear quickly, but they haven't been able to do so yet.

The next day, many people waited near the portal.

The Image Stone, capable of transmitting images in real time, has been installed here, just waiting for Fingel to send the images back so that people can catch a glimpse of Anor Londo, a place they may never be able to enter in their lifetime.

However, before Fingel's team arrived, even more surprising news came.

The Holy Light Church claims that the Holy Light God, who has been inactive for many years, has suddenly appeared!