Chapter 41: Undercurrent! Prophecy and the actions of the protagonists! |
Night had fallen, and the blessing ceremony was scheduled for the following day, bringing even more liveliness to the King’s Capital. The entire city was brilliantly illuminated with magical flames floating in the sky. The bustling streets were filled with people coming and going, with some taverns overflowing with patrons from all directions. Numerous vendors also took advantage of the occasion to sell their wares on the streets, earning a substantial profit.
The blessing ceremony was not an annual event, but rather occurred every few years, making it a significant occasion for the Crescent Kingdom. Those who were eligible to participate had arrived early in the capital, and some individuals were present purely to enjoy the festivities and witness a miracle. Additionally, businessmen had come to capitalize on this opportunity and forge connections with dignitaries.
The blessing ceremony was expected to attract millions of people to the capital, making it a momentous event for the entire city.
“Is this the capital of the kingdom? It’s prosperous. Although the technology of this different world is not advanced, the level of prosperity is impressive,” said a man among the crowd, who was standing on the street and looking at the people coming and going.
“I’ve arrived in the capital. Anyone up for a drink?” He sent out a message on a panel that only he could see.
“What a coincidence! I’m here too. Haha, the capital is buzzing with life. I’ve already spotted a few troublemakers, but they haven’t made any moves yet,” came a swift response from another individual who was also present in the city.
“Do you believe me now? The villains can’t get away with their antics here in the capital,” the first man replied, his device displaying a flurry of news from a group of protagonists.
“….”
It was clear that these two were protagonists who had recently arrived in the capital and were looking to make a name for themselves in the bustling city.
“How big could it be? Do they have the guts to come after us?” scoffed another protagonist who seemed unfazed by the warning.
………..
Meanwhile, a group of individuals had gathered in a tall building in the capital, conversing in hushed tones.
“What’s the latest update?” Inquired one of them.
“I have good news. Our plan is moving ahead as expected,” replied another in the group, a sly smile spreading across their face.
“Everything is as usual, but the defence of the capital seems to have been strengthened a lot in the past two days,” one of the villains in the alliance remarked.
“Tomorrow is the blessing ceremony, so it’s only natural for them to be cautious. As long as they don’t catch on to our plan, we should be fine,” another replied.
“Very well, instruct your subordinates to monitor the movements of these protagonists and keep a close eye on them at all times,” said a third member of the group.
“Excellent.” The others agreed.
These villains were all at the level of a duke in the villain alliance and had been preparing for this day for a long time. Once the blessing ceremony was over, they would launch their attack.
Their decision to wait until after the ceremony was simple. The Crescent Goddess had just completed a massive blessing, and the laws of the gods’ world made it difficult for her to return in a short time. This would give the demons an opportunity to further sow chaos once they invaded.
For the villains, the more chaotic things were, the better their chances of success.
“How can we take down over a dozen protagonists this time? The harvest will be huge,” the group of villainous dukes pondered. They believed they could earn a substantial amount of villain points and, more importantly, cheat by executing this plan. With their current resources, they were confident they could develop even faster if they secured a golden finger.
“Finding the right golden finger is crucial. Let’s discuss it thoroughly and find the cheat that suits us best,” suggested one of the duke-level villains.
“Well, Let’s knock them out first and then eliminate them together. It will make dividing the spoils easier,” proposed another duke.
In their minds, the plan had already been more than half successful. They viewed it as flawless and were convinced that no one else had caught on. Despite the recent increase in security in the King’s Capital, they did not take it seriously. After all, wasn’t it normal to strengthen guards ahead of a major event like the blessing ceremony, set to begin the next day?
……
The whole capital was seething with undercurrents, but the protagonists remained blissfully unaware of the looming crisis. Meanwhile, Su Mo was quietly resting in the palace.
As night fell, the Crescent King Capital remained bustling with activity, destined to be a sleepless night. The two protagonists guarding the palace were granted the opportunity to take turns and rest in a nearby hut. After two days of being left alone by Su Mo, their vigilance had gradually subsided, and they fell into a drowsy slumber.
After midnight, one of the protagonists suddenly woke up to the sound of a voice.
“You have worked for a week and received a bronze treasure chest. Would you like to open it?”
“Hey, is there really a treasure chest?” The protagonist rubbed his eyes and gazed at his own protagonist panel in a daze. Sure enough, there was a treasure chest on the panel.
“Open it!” He exclaimed excitedly.
“You have opened the bronze treasure chest and received a prophecy,” a prompt message appeared on the panel.
“A prophecy? This is too good to be true!” The protagonist was ecstatic. He never expected that a treasure chest would reveal a prophecy.
“Use and see.”
“Let’s see what it says.” He immediately used his divination technique and blurry images, and information began to appear in his vision.
To his horror, he saw chaos engulfing the capital, with the protagonists being hunted down by an incredibly powerful enemy. Even protagonists with rings were unable to fend off this enemy, and only a few who sought refuge in the Holy See managed to escape. As for himself… he was killed.
“Huh!”
The terrifying scene felt so real that the protagonist broke out in a cold sweat. What he didn’t realise was that his main character panel was fake, and even if he opened it, he wouldn’t see anything. The rewards, treasure chest, and prophecy were all just a trap left by Su Mo days ago.
Unbeknownst to the protagonist, Su Mo had planted a phantom seed deep in his consciousness, and after a few days of incubation, it had now silently exploded, forming an illusion that made the protagonist unable to distinguish between reality and fiction.
“Wake up, Li Fei, wake up!” The protagonist urgently shook his companion to rouse him.
“What’s going on?” His companion asked groggily.
“I just received a prophecy after seven days on guard duty. Guess what it showed?” the protagonist, Han Yu, said.
“A prophecy? What did you see?” Li Fei, feeling a bit envious, had only been on guard duty for one day, not for seven days yet.
Han Yu recounted the terrifying scene that he had witnessed in the prophecy.
“Oh, my god…” Li Fei was equally frightened.
“These villains are definitely plotting something big,” he said, not doubting Han Yu’s vision. After all, the scene he described was seen through a skill given by a Golden Finger.
“It looks like it’s safe to go to the Holy See tomorrow. Do you want to inform them?” Han Yu asked.
After pondering for a moment, Li Fei spoke up, “We need to inform the others. Otherwise, the villain might kill them and take their ‘golden fingers,’ and that would make it even more difficult to deal with them in the future.”
“Agreed,” replied Han Yu, and promptly posted a message in the group, recounting his prophecy and the scene he had witnessed.
Currently, many of the protagonists had already risen, but there were still some who remained asleep.
“What? Your prophecy is that accurate? You saw tomorrow’s situation?” asked one of the protagonists.
“Absolutely. I obtained this treasure chest, and I can guarantee the accuracy of my vision,” replied Han Yu with conviction, completely bewitched by the power of the phantom seed. With plenty of time left before the effects of the seed wore off, he couldn’t distinguish reality from the illusion just yet.
“I just mentioned that these villains are planning a major move. Han Yu, have you witnessed the chaos they have caused?” the protagonist inquired once again.
“I didn’t witness it firsthand. However, I see that the capital is in a state of chaos, and their strong men are chasing after us. Many of us perish, and only a handful of people survive in the Holy See headquarters,” replied Han Yu.
“The Holy See headquarters? Are you sure?” asked the protagonist, seeking more details.
“Yes.” Confirmed Han Yu.
“Please elaborate on what you see,” the protagonist urged.
Han Yu proceeded to describe the scene, and the group of protagonists became animated as they listened.
“…”
As the conversation went on, someone interjected, “Is it noisy in here in the middle of the night?”
At the Holy See headquarters, in an attic near the library, the protagonist of the “Sweeping Monk” was suddenly awakened. He had set up message reminders to ensure that he wouldn’t miss any important messages.
Upon opening the group chat, the protagonist’s expression changed as he read the news. Then, he remembered what Su Mo had said to him in the library the day before. Although he had been puzzled by Su Mo’s words for a long time, he had set them aside to focus on extracting magic from an ancient book.
But now, with the events unfolding before him, the protagonist realized that Su Mo’s words might have been more significant than he had initially thought.
“Most of the villains’ actions are true, and Han Yu’s prophecy should also be accurate,” the protagonist quickly typed in the group chat. “Yesterday, Blackstone Territory’s Earl led me to the library of the Holy See headquarters and hinted at something.”
The other protagonists in the group fell silent and listened intently to what he had to say.
“I was still pondering over the meaning of that sentence. Now that I think about it, the Earl of Blackstone Territory must have been aware of the actions of the other villains, so he gave us a hint,” the protagonist said.
“But isn’t the Earl of Blackstone Territory a villain himself? Why would he be so kind?” Another protagonist asked.
“It’s not kindness. He wants to eliminate us himself. If the other villains kill us, he won’t gain any benefits. So he stepped in to disrupt the situation,” another protagonist calmly analysed.
“I see, it makes sense. There’s competition among these villains. Who wouldn’t want to be the strongest?” the protagonist of the sweeping monk added.
“The Earl of Blackstone Territory is quite intriguing. Isn’t he afraid that if we survive this wave, we’ll grow to the point where he can’t control us?” the calm protagonist sneered.
“Let’s not focus on the Earl of Blackstone for now. Since this has been confirmed by multiple sources, it’s likely true. What should we do?” a protagonist asked.
“I suggest we should head to the headquarters of the Holy See. I don’t believe they would dare to do something there. It’s also what I saw in the prophecy!” Han Yu suggested.
It didn’t matter whether the others agreed or not. He would go regardless.
“Okay, I was planning on visiting the Holy See headquarters tomorrow anyway. Let’s head there now,” another protagonist decided.
Since Han Yu discovered this incident through the skills bestowed by the Golden Finger and it was confirmed by the protagonist of the sweeping monk, the rest of the protagonists had no doubts. Besides, if there was a real crisis, going to the Holy See headquarters was the best option.
So, these protagonists quickly acted and prepared to rush towards the Holy See headquarters overnight.
Comments 2