Just as Duolin was wondering, Ed's voice entered his mind:
" Duolin, bring in the prisoners and children."
Duolin immediately called to his companions, Xilǐ'er swiftly swung his spear, hanging the five captive priests on either side of the Radish. The guards then escorted the experimental subjects toward the church doors.
Upon entering the church, Ed stood smiling on the altar, flanked by players whose excitement was barely concealed, and behind them were the volunteers who still looked shaken.
As for the deformed alchemical golem, it used its misaligned head as a security guard at the church entrance and casually took Xilǐ'er's warhorse reins.
Duolin stepped forward to Ed, and despite his considerable height, he bowed his head respectfully.
Congratulations, Your Excellency, on your victory.
Ed waved his hand to signal him to stop being awkward, Duolin leaned closer and whispered:
" My Son of God, there's no rule about ringing the bell continuously; the townspeople don't understand..."
Ed looked at Duolin and explained:
"This bronze bell hasn't rung for decades, and even if you strike it according to the correct rules, no one will understand it."
That's true. Duolin realized he hadn't thought things through enough, and then asked:
"So you're thinking of... summoning the entire town?"
"Yes, after all, the bronze bell keeps ringing, so we have to come out and see what's going on. It's a good opportunity to talk about the new rules while everyone's here."
Having dispelled Duolin's doubts, Ed quickly approached a man being supported by a young girl.
Seeing the large patches of scarred tissue on the other person's face, Ed beckoned to [ Dark Archmage ] and [ Zhongde ] to carry in a half-dead priest:
Is this your father's face?
Ed looked at Tiya expression was a mixture of excitement and fear.
The girl was somewhat at a loss, after all, the guy who had her father's face had been hacked to pieces and was no longer recognizable as human.
But knowing that the other person was just an imposter, one of the perpetrators of these experiments, she nodded firmly.
"That's him!"
Ed went up to the hotel owner and pinched him on the shoulder, indicating to the blind man that he was talking to him.
"I'll change it back for you now."
The man nodded repeatedly, wanting to say something but unable to open his mouth. His composure seemed even weaker than his daughter's. In the end, he only uttered two words:
"Thanks."
The man lay down with the help of the guards. Ed's right hand began to change, and he warned:
"It might hurt a little."
The hotel owner nodded firmly, then tensed his muscles and remained still, presumably not wanting to complicate the surgery.
Ed looked at the struggling priest, his face immediately darkening, and his tone losing its previous gentleness:
"Let's get a volunteer and give him a couple of punches to see if he'll behave."
A young man from an Upperstream Village jogged over, and after receiving Ed's permission, punched the priest twice in the chest.
The priest was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, and his whole body was stiffened by the blow.
The stiffness was perfect; Ed seized the moment and executed a spinning cut, easily capturing the priest's face and eyes in his hands. Ed felt like Edward Scissorhands...
Half a minute later, the hotel owner opened his eyes again, regaining his sight and the right to cry once more.
He clung tightly to Ed's sleeve, sobbing uncontrollably in front of the surrounding experimental subjects and players...
In front of the church, the townspeople had already begun to gather. Ed stood up and gave instructions to those around him:
" Soul Returner, please bring all the priests from inside the church to the rooftop. Those without legs, carry them up; make sure not a single one is missing."
"Clear!"
Immediately, a player shouted in agreement, then explained to those around them:
"I understand. This is part of the demonstration. Think about it: in ancient times, when someone won a battle, they would cut off heads and build a mound of skulls. The Middle Ages probably weren't much different."
"Since the guide didn't instruct on killing, then the only option left is the prisoner presentation."
"That's the only way to increase regional prestige, don't you all think?"
A group of players who had no idea what the next segment was suddenly enlightened. "Oh, that makes perfect sense!"
Thinking back to the games I used to play, after defeating those villainous bosses, it seemed like my fame would spread far and wide in an instant.
However, given the realism of " World of Disorder," this dissemination process is indeed indispensable.
The players then scattered to gather the priest prisoners that Ed had already packed up, and then headed up the spiral staircase at the end of the corridor to the rooftop.
" Duolin, take the guards and maintain order among the townspeople. Lead them to the church."
"Yes!"
Duolin and his guards quickly left the church.
At this moment, only a large group of experimental subjects, three family members of the experimental subjects, and Xilǐ'er, who silently watched everything, remained in the Great Prayer Hall.
Seeing that everyone had left, Ed looked at the boys whose hands and feet still bore clear lines, and his tone softened again:
"Those from White Wax Town, stand on the left; those without names, stand on the right."
Looking at their former comrade, now their Savior, the boys obediently began to line up.
This classification method is actually very simple, because there are only four unnamed subjects, while there are a total of thirty-four subjects from White Wax Town.
The four teenagers quickly stepped forward and took their positions, and the rest of the people only needed to move slightly to satisfy Ed's request.
The four living test subjects were number Number Four, Number Seven, Number Nine, and Number Ten. Number Four and Number Ten were female, while Number Seven and Number Nine were male.
On the other side, the thirty-four test subjects filled two rows. Ed glanced at them and recognized only Qieli, Tiya, Darnell, and a few others.
He looked at the crowd and said:
"Ladies and gentlemen, you have regained your freedom. It is time to make a choice about the future."
"My initial idea is that everyone from White Wax Town can go home and reunite with their families. As for the few of you who, like me, only have a serial number, you can come with me later."
"Of course, the choice is yours, and I will not force you in any way."
"Those from White Wax Town can stay, as long as their families agree. Those with serial numbers can also leave. You are free to come and go as you please."
"After I finish explaining what happened to the townspeople, the gate will open, and everyone can go home."
Hearing Ed's assurance, many of the test subjects breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, they had been imprisoned for so long. If there was anything that kept them going, it would definitely be their family.
Number Four, standing at the front according to the sequence, was about to ask something when Duolin pushed open the church door and poked his head in:
"Sir, most of the townspeople have arrived. Please begin."
"Good."
Ed looked at Number Four, who seemed hesitant to speak:
"I know you all have a lot of questions, please wait a moment."