“You don’t need to worry about this.”
Leaf Zhi’s skull showed no obvious emotion, but the soul-red flames in his eye sockets burned fiercely.
“No one understands the Hand of God better than I do. If I were going to be tempted, I would have given up 600 years ago!”
In the first 100 years after crossing over to Aeltia, Leaf Zhi had personally experienced the might of Godly power.
He didn’t compromise then, and he wouldn’t compromise now!
“I’m not a Hero, nor will I be an Evil Dragon.”
“As for you and our new members, there’s even less need to worry.”
“For you to grow up in an environment steeped in religious indoctrination and still recognize the risks of the Gods’ existence, joining the Watchers is already a form of selection in itself.”
“As for the helpers who are about to arrive… it’s the same for them!”
Edegar was silent for a moment.
Anyone who had stayed with the Watchers, beset by enemies and hunted by the world, was unlikely to have been brainwashed into a fanatic.
He also knew Leaf Zhi’s character very well.
That last statement had clearly targeted the helpers about to arrive.
“How can you guarantee all the new helpers are reliable?”
After all, there had been quite a few Apostates among the Watchers in the past.
They just hadn’t survived the test of time.
“They’re absolutely reliable!” Leaf Zhi’s voice was full of confidence. “Because they come from the same place as I do!”
The Blue Star Players about to arrive.
They were absolutely more trustworthy to Leaf Zhi than 80% of the people on this dark and grim Aeltia Continent!
Edegar looked surprised.
“What kind of place is that?”
It was the first time he’d heard Leaf Zhi mention his homeland.
He had always been curious about the kind of country that could produce an Undead full of heretical and rebellious ideas like Leaf Zhi.
Unfortunately, Leaf Zhi had always kept silent about it.
Edegar had thought that the other’s country had been destroyed centuries ago.
Leaf Zhi smiled.
“It’s a country completely beyond the imagination of the Aeltia Continent, where atheism is the majority.”
“They don’t believe in placing all hope in Gods who view humans as ants; instead, they emphasize personal effort and practical action.”
“If Gods can’t help them, they will abandon the Gods themselves, never sacrificing themselves endlessly like a bottomless pit!”
“It’s a civilization entirely and uniquely belonging to humanity!”
Edegar listened quietly, cutting off a piece of marble from the door frame meant to be a lamp post.
It was just the right height for a stool.
Leaf Zhi sat on it unceremoniously.
“Thanks!”
“…I can tell you really love your country.”
Edegar’s voice carried a hint of complexity.
It was the first time he’d seen Leaf Zhi display such clear happiness.
Leaf Zhi always acted carefree and laughed often.
But Edegar could see that his usual smiles never reached his eyes.
Past experiences had weighed down Leaf Zhi’s emotions like a heavy stone.
If it weren’t for a string holding that stone in place, Leaf Zhi would have gone mad long ago!
Now, it seemed that string was likely connected to his homeland.
Just hearing Leaf Zhi’s description made it sound like a wonderful country.
Edegar’s eyes were filled with longing.
The grand promises Leaf Zhi had used to lure him into the Watchers hadn’t sounded this beautiful.
Leaf Zhi fell silent for a moment, then spoke in his usual tone.
“People are like that; you only treasure things once you’ve lost them. Luckily, I’ve lost so much I can’t even begin to cherish it all, haha!”
Suddenly.
The blue Guangqiu in Leaf Zhi’s spiritual sea trembled.
“Yo, almost forgot, the Test Server registration deadline is about to end!”
He immediately tossed Edegar aside and opened the official site of he had created.
He saw that the number of registered users was 3.
“Damn, there are actually 3 people!”
Leaf Zhi exclaimed in surprise.
Because his programming skills hadn’t fully returned yet, the website homepage was still a battlefield wasteland style.
On the first day, seeing zero registrations, he had planned to take it slow and maybe use a different name next time for more attention.
Who knew that three fools—no, three discerning Players—had discovered their game!
What was there to wait for!
Leaf Zhi immediately set the Test Server date for two days later on Blue Star, which was four days later on the Aeltia Continent!
Then he stared at Edegar with burning eyes.
“Edegar, our helpers have arrived!”
Edegar was shocked.
“!!! That fast?”
He hadn’t seen Leaf Zhi contact anyone; how did the news arrive so suddenly?
Leaf Zhi closed the website and said seriously:
“The situation is urgent. They have four days to arrive. We must complete all preparations I mentioned before then!”
Edegar frowned.
“Can’t they come a bit later? Four days is too tight.”
“Unfortunately, no,” Leaf Zhi lied with open eyes. “So you better get moving!”
“First, we need to modify the statue in front of us and carve a Guangqiu into it.”
Leaf Zhi pointed at the Guangqiu in his hand, which looked no different from a dead object.
“Then clear out the Church so I can prepare the Forbidden Magic that will let them descend.”
Although the Church’s main doors were sealed, most of the windows above had long been shattered.
Inside, there were traces of destruction and piles of filth left by flying Monsters.
Other than the ground near the entrance, there was nowhere left to stand.
“Finally, drive away all Monsters of level three or higher around Sweetwater Town, since Players can’t handle them yet.”
“I’m an injured person, so I’ll skip the fighting.”
“Oh, right. I’ll give you a Setting Book in a bit. When you talk to Players, be sure to stick to the descriptions in the Setting Book.”
Leaf Zhi looked at the Guangqiu in his palm.
“You’ll be included in the Setting Book too.”
The Guangqiu, who had already resigned itself to being a mere accessory under Leaf Zhi’s control, suddenly:
!!!
It jumped out of Leaf Zhi’s hand and floated in the air, both shocked and delighted.
“I’m included too?”
Leaf Zhi nodded, as if it were only natural.
“Of course.”
As the God of the beginner’s village in and the game’s mascot, the Guangqiu had to be put to use.
Otherwise, just Leaf Zhi and Edegar alone could never handle the Players, who behaved like Huskies!
Edegar frowned, still troubled by the four-day time limit.
Leaf Zhi immediately got up and started painting a rosy picture, his tone especially sincere.
“Trust me, as long as we work hard for these four days, when they arrive—”
“You’ll know the future I’m talking about isn’t just empty words. Even without Gods, humans can still develop and live well!”
Edegar’s expression softened.
He really did fall for this kind of talk, otherwise he wouldn’t have been swayed by Leaf Zhi to join the Watchers.
“What kind of people are the helpers you called over?”
Edegar asked.
Since they’d be working together, he wanted to get some information out of Leaf Zhi in advance.
The other party had come from afar, so he had to show them respect to make future cooperation smoother.
Listening to Leaf Zhi’s grand claims—
The other party must surely be a warrior who, for the future of human civilization, resolutely resisted the Gods, unwavering even if misunderstood and cursed by thousands!
Edegar guessed.
Leaf Zhi’s eyes shone.
“Finally, after two days, you’ve finally asked the right question!”
Edegar sensed something was off.
But it was too late.
Leaf Zhi rubbed his hands together like a scheming fly, revealing a smile all too familiar to Blue Star people—the kind of “enthusiastic pitch” grin a real estate agent gives when about to fleece a gullible client.
“Friend, have you ever heard of the Fourth Calamity?”
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