Chapter 724 - 80: Fanatical Devotion
"Hmm?"
Su Changxing seemed to hear someone speaking by his ear, letting out a question.
His perception was once again eroded, plunging completely into darkness, without the slightest awareness of external matters.
Cold darkness, this might be the entirety of death.
When he regained perception again, the outside was silent, with the smell of blood in the air.
Bodies filled the ground, while those still alive were kneeling motionlessly, faces full of piety.
Chad was in his hand, most of his flesh gone, only enough left to keep the skeleton intact.
What happened?
Su Changxing frowned, full of confusion, looking down to see his hands covered in blood.
It seemed he had killed these people with his bare hands while unconscious.
It was as if his perception was blocked, entering a sleep-like state, activating the Dreamer’s ability, unleashing slaughter.
"Why are you all kneeling on the ground?"
Su Changxing threw Chad’s body on the ground and asked.
Something must have happened while he was unconscious, or these people wouldn’t kneel for no reason.
No one answered.
Looking back, Mike was sitting paralyzed on the ground, his wrinkled face showing terror, drooling from the corners of his mouth.
Su Changxing limped over, kicked him, and said, "Stop dazing, tell me what just happened."
He didn’t know, but he could learn what happened from a third person.
"God...Divine Spirit, I beg for forgiveness!"
Mike suddenly knelt, his head hitting the floor hard, making a crisp sound.
Su Changxing frowned with irritation, kicking him again, sending him flying two or three meters: "Don’t kneel! Speak standing."
This unclear situation made him feel he had lost control of everything.
The kick wasn’t heavy.
Mike got up, trembling, head bowed: "I don’t know, I didn’t see clearly, just saw you snap your fingers, and Chad died, then a light, all I saw was light... then... then."
He couldn’t give a clear explanation, emotions breaking down again, kneeling repeatedly, head hitting the floor with fresh blood: "I am your most loyal follower, unwavering in anything."
Su Changxing calmed down looking at him, noticing the Buddhist scripture chant in his ears grew quieter.
Though not much quieter, he could clearly sense such changes.
What’s going on?
It’s a good thing, but also a bad thing, he felt targeted by a god-like presence.
As Mike kept kowtowing, Su Changxing noticed the log messages refreshing continuously.
[Mike contributed extreme devout faith to you, +500 Mysteriousness]
[Mike contributed extreme devout faith to you, +500 Mysteriousness]
[Mike contributed extreme devout faith to you, +500 Mysteriousness]
...
His Mysteriousness was rising at a frantic speed, looking quite impressive.
After advancing, Mysteriousness barely increased, almost zero, while the discount store analysis job needed some time.
But he gained Mysteriousness this way, like finding it.
Not only Mike, but remaining Rat God Cult believers were also providing him Mysteriousness, all of extreme devotion level.
This is terrifying, as devotion meant fully giving one’s spirit and body to an existence.
This level meant, if Su Changxing had Mike commit suicide, Mike would stab his own neck.
How could humans let others do that, even if possible, at most one or two.
In this short time, his Mysteriousness exceeded twenty thousand, possibly matching the pace in the Land of Slaughter.
Astonishing, this must be the means of that deity.
But what was his goal?
There must be an aim to act this way, Su Changxing didn’t believe such beings did meaningless things.
Su Changxing ignored these people, walking upstairs to see what the statue looked like.
All these events seemed triggered by that statue.
He even suspected the so-called plague was spread by this deity.
This was certainly not a True God, but an Outer God, Evil God, Demon God.
Involvement with such existences rarely ends well, as myth stories often recount.
Upstairs, dozens huddled in a corner, bewildered, not knowing what happened.
Several stood by the railing, observing below, also kneeling motionlessly.
It seemed those witnessing the scene became extreme devout believers.
"Terrifying means." Su Changxing couldn’t help gasping.
Humans often have high self-regard, believing not even divine spirits can fathom hearts, yet who knew, a deity could easily alter thoughts with a casual method.
Su Changxing reached the top, seeing the statue, not large, half human-high, only half left, a rat-headed, human-bodied abstract figure.
Originally a plain bronze statue, now glowing strangely.
Su Changxing didn’t rush to move it, Mysteriousness kept rising, soon breaking three hundred thousand, nearing four hundred thousand, slowing down but surely reaching four hundred thousand.
As the statue’s radiance faded, Mysteriousness increase slowed too.
Those kneeling reacted a bit, all kneeling, gazing at Su Changxing in awe.
Su Changxing kept staring at the statue, realizing a problem, he seemed fleeced!
People offered him extreme faithful devotion, only a small portion reached him, most absorbed by the statue.
He seemed like a laborer, feeling displeased, not even a god should make him one!
Without the statue absorbing faith, his Mysteriousness could’ve exceeded a hundred thousand.
Su Changxing reached for the statue, next moment putting it in his Pocket Galaxy, halting the slowly rising Mysteriousness.
"Indeed, this is the medium, this thing formed some bond with me, I can’t directly extract faith but can partially through it, converting faith to Mysteriousness."
"Great means, makes me work diligently, boosting strength unconventionally fast."
"If more people became Rat God Cult believers, I could get more faith, rapidly enhancing strength."
"As the Rat God Cult grew, my strength surely would too..."
Su Changxing widened his eyes, snapping from thoughts, realizing he was influenced by that deity’s presence.
Why think of expanding the Rat God Cult?
Like when Chad suddenly founded the Rat God Cult.
Such an Evil God isn’t trustworthy, abandoned anytime, like Chad was abandoned.