The four looked at each other, and finally, Number Four spoke first:
"Before making a choice, I want to know your plans afterwards."
Ed looked at the girl who was about his age:
"Just as I just told the townspeople, I will lead the warriors to rescue all the experimental subjects from the clutches of the Fallen One and make every evildoer pay the price."
"If you want to live freely, then just like the townspeople, choose a job that you are used to and stick with it. I will do my best to help you adapt to life outside."
"If you join my team, you'll have the option of becoming a true warrior, in addition to the paths available to the townspeople."
"A true warrior?"
The two boys, Number Seven and Number Nine, suddenly perked up and looked at Ed with shining eyes.
Ed nodded and said:
"Yes, for us experimental subjects, although we suffered a lot of torment, our regenerative abilities are stronger than those of ordinary Tree Worship Church. Choosing to walk this path is equivalent to having a higher starting point."
Number Four looked into Ed's eyes and said without hesitation:
"Then I choose to follow you and become a warrior."
The other test subjects also showed expressions of anger and excitement, and they all said:
I choose to be with you too!
"Yes, there are still so many experimental subjects like us waiting to be rescued. Every extra person means more strength."
Hearing that Number Seven and Number Nine had spoken in succession, Number Ten, who looked the youngest, also raised his hand with trembling hands:
"Then I'll go with you too."
I want to join you!
Suddenly, an unexpected voice came from the other side of the Great Prayer Hall. Ed and the four test subjects turned their heads in surprise and saw that Tiya had stood up and raised her right hand to indicate that she was the speaker.
Her father, on the other end of the bench, stared at his daughter in shock, his lips moving silently as if to say, "Are you out of your mind?"
Seeing this unexpected scene, Ed couldn't help but scratch his head awkwardly, after all, he hadn't expected that the natives of this other world would actually be so proactive.
Then he looked at Tiya and said:
"If your father agrees, then there's no problem."
Tiya turned to look at her father and said seriously:
You'll agree, right?
The hotel owner was momentarily at a loss for words. He had lost his wife years ago and only had this one daughter. Even though the emotional bonds among the followers of the Tree Worship Church had weakened in recent decades, he still wholeheartedly cherished his only child.
Judging from what these people just said, joining them will likely involve a lot of fighting.
After the Demonic Tide broke out, all sorts of resurrection methods emerged, but for these lowly townspeople, each person truly only had one life. What if they died on the battlefield...?
The man who owned a family-run inn had a different experience and way of thinking than the townspeople. He understood another principle: in chaotic times, it was always better to have force than to be unarmed.
Whether before or after Demonic Tide Demonic Tide, the soldiers of this world have never treated civilians kindly; all they have done is plunder, massacre, and plunder...
On one side are soldiers wielding sharp blades, yet constantly at risk of dying in some nameless battle; on the other side are ordinary townspeople, yet constantly at risk of being devoured by the aftermath of a battle.
It's like both the palm and the back of the hand are... history.
The hotel owner didn't know how long he had been thinking, but in the end he just gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, I agree."
Ed nodded, then subconsciously glanced at a family of three in another direction in the prayer hall, only to find that Darnell's mother was tightly covering her son's mouth, his father was holding his shoulders to prevent him from standing up, and the boy was sitting on the bench, his face flushed, muttering something, just like a kidnapping scene.
Ed immediately understood the couple's choice. They could drag their half-crippled bodies to dig a tunnel for a month for their child, so how could they bear to let their child take up arms and go to the battlefield?
But he showed no disappointment or intention to make things difficult for these people. Ed was neither one to seek favors nor to take advantage of them, and he knew that these natives of another world only had one life. So he waved his hand and pointed to the church doors:
"It's alright, you can leave now."
Darnell's parents thanked them profusely and dragged their child away from the church. Just as Ed was about to say something to the few people who remained, the heavy wooden door was suddenly knocked on again.
"Come in."
Ed looked toward the gate and saw Duolin already standing there.
"Your Excellency, there are three young men here who wish to see you."
"Oh, what happened?"
Ed raised an eyebrow and asked.
A look of reluctance appeared on Duolin's face, and he lowered his head and said:
"They just searched the entire square and even went home, only to find that their parents had both passed away."
"I see..."
Ed exhaled a breath of stale air and said:
"Let them in."
Soon, three teenagers, two boys and one girl, with red, tear-filled eyes, came to Ed.
Looking at the pitiful boys, Ed briefly explained the difference between becoming a town resident and joining his side directly. Once the crying stopped, he said to the three of them:
"Please make your choice. From now on, you should learn to take responsibility for your own lives."
Without any hesitation, all three young people chose to fight.
Looking at the eight people in front of him with determined eyes, Ed smiled from the bottom of his heart.
Unlike the chaotic nature of the players, unlike Duolin who joined the faction after being successfully persuaded by himself, and unlike Xilǐ'er was a temporary employee, the eight people before him were saved by Ed. Their hatred, their anger, and their loyalty would become the sharpest weapons in his hands.
Number Ten, who was staring intently at Ed's eye sockets, suddenly said:
" Number Three, I remember you gave yourself a name, why don't you give us names too?"
Ed thought to himself, "Isn't this going to kill me?"
His naming of some creatures and props has been ridiculed by Mr. Tree since the game's launch. If he were to name the people in front of him something like "Little Red, Little Ming, Little Hua, Little Gang," the forums of " World of Disorder " would be flooded with accusations of the writer's terrible naming skills and demands for the dismissal of a sloppy planner. In that case, his reputation would be ruined.
Fortunately, Number Four came to his rescue in time, although the person involved didn't seem to realize the problem:
"I don't think there's anything wrong with my current name. It will remind me forever of those torturous days, and one day I will repay that pain to those scoundrels in other parishes."
Upon hearing this, the other three unnamed test subjects thought for a while and nodded in agreement, abandoning their idea of having Ed change their names.
But just as Ed breathed a sigh of relief, Number Four suddenly turned against him:
"But Number Three, you could come up with a name for the team."