At the same time, but the crazy

Chapter 556 Lu Xiu
"Clang-"

The cockpit door of the Giant Wolf slowly opened.

Zhang Qi leaped out of the dark cockpit and landed on the ground.

His gaze swept over the group of people in front of him, who were clearly in a state of extreme shock and panic.

"A person... is a person!"

“A person emerged from that…that enormous face!”

"Could it be... a messenger from the God of Face?"

Whispers spread like a tide through the crowd, and the men and women holding simple stone spears and wooden sticks had a mixture of fear and awe on their faces.

In their eyes, these two steel behemoths, which descended from the sky and were grotesque and powerful, were undoubtedly creations of gods or demons.

The identities of humans who emerged from the "creation of the gods" naturally became shrouded in mystery.

Just then, a slightly thin figure emerged from the huddled crowd.

He was a young man dressed in a simple white robe, with delicate features, but his eyes held a calmness and scrutiny beyond his years.

He stopped a few meters away from Zhang Qi, bowed slightly, and asked in a tone that was neither humble nor arrogant:
"Hello, I'm Lu Xiu. May I ask... where you're from?"

Upon hearing the name "Lu Xiu," Zhang Qi's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

Unexpectedly, by a twist of fate, they ended up in the village where this key figure of the future lived.

The calm, rational, and even somewhat aloof Lu Xiu from the original work is still just a slightly immature boy at this moment.

Seeing that Zhang Qi did not answer immediately, Li Long, with a playful smile on her lips, answered on Zhang Qi's behalf:

"We came from 'above'. We just accidentally fell here."

"above?!"

"They came from the ground!"

"My God! There really are humans on the ground!"

Li Long's words once again caused a huge uproar among the crowd.

For these people who have lived underground since birth and have never seen the sky or sunlight, the "ground" is a place that only exists in legends, mysterious and distant.

"They are messengers of the God of Face..."

A voice that sounded like a priest rang out.

The crowd parted to make way, and a middle-aged man stepped out from the middle.

As he finished speaking, many of the surrounding villagers actually showed a devout expression, and some even knelt down and kowtowed in the direction of Zhang Qi and Li Long.

"Oh dear, this is really..."

Li Long was bewildered by the dramatic scene before him, even with his extensive experience.

Messenger? Face God? What does all this have to do with anything?
Zhang Qi gently shook his head, a knowing glint in his deep eyes.

According to the plot, the village is facing a food shortage and limited living space.

In order to maintain the stability and order of the village, this seemingly venerable priest, or village chief, chose to use "gods" and "faith" to restrain and manage the villagers.

Treating these "visitors from outer space" as envoys is probably a way to stabilize public sentiment.

However, behind this stability often lies an unknown cruelty.

This village, in order to survive, can probably only barely support fifty people.

The surplus people will be exiled to the ground, and without force, only one fate awaits them...

"Everyone be quiet."

The priest raised his hand, signaling the excited villagers to calm down.

After the crowd quieted down a bit, he turned to Zhang Qi and Li Long. Although his tone was respectful, his eyes held a subtle hint of detachment and urging.
"Divine Envoy, may I ask what your purpose is in coming here?"

"We were just passing by, we'll be leaving soon..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Qi replied that they indeed could not linger here for too long.

The four orc kings are still roaming nearby. If they are discovered, this small underground village will probably be razed to the ground in an instant.

Upon hearing this, the priest breathed a sigh of relief.

Upon hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Lu Xiu's eyes.

He still had many questions to ask about the surface world, but given the current situation, it was clearly not the right time.

However, just when everyone thought the matter was over and Zhang Qi and Li Long were preparing to find a way to leave the underground cavern, a villager suddenly ran out from the depths of the village in a panic, panting and shouting as he ran:

"High Priest! Something terrible has happened! Oh no, it's good news! The women of the Uckum family... the women of the Uckum family have given birth! They've given birth to triplets! One girl and two boys!"

These words caused another stir among the villagers who had been quiet.

Upon hearing this, the priest was taken aback for a moment, then his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his composure.

He hesitated for a moment, his cloudy gaze sweeping over Zhang Qi and Li Long, before speaking in an unyielding tone:

"My Lord, since this is the arrival of a new life, please stay and participate in our village's blessing ceremony."

With the testimony of a divine messenger, these children will surely receive divine protection.

He had just declared Zhang Qi and the others to be messengers of the gods. If there were a ceremony for a newborn, these "messengers" would naturally not be absent, otherwise his previous statement would be difficult to justify.

The surrounding villagers looked at Zhang Qi and his companion with some anticipation upon hearing this.

"This……"

Upon hearing this, Li Long subconsciously looked at Zhang Qi, seeking his opinion with her eyes.

The Four Heavenly Kings could appear at any moment; staying here would be too risky.

Zhang Qi's gaze swept over the expectant yet somewhat awe-inspiring eyes of the old priest and the surrounding villagers, and he sighed inwardly.

He understood that the priest wanted to use their status as "messengers of the gods" to add sanctity and legitimacy to the upcoming "ritual".

"Yes, but the ceremony should be done as soon as possible."

After a moment's thought, Zhang Qi nodded.

"Thank you, Your Excellency!"

The old priest showed a relieved expression, quickly agreed, and turned to arrange the preparations for the ceremony.

Soon, the so-called ceremony venue was set up.

It was actually quite rudimentary; it consisted of a few bonfires lit in an open space, with the villagers forming a circle around them.

The villagers looked at Zhang Qi and Li Long with curiosity, admiration, and a complex mix of emotions that were hard to describe.

The priest stood in the center of the crowd and spoke in a loud voice:
"With the messenger of the gods as witness, the ceremony now begins!"

As he finished speaking, the villagers began to step forward one by one and take a wooden stick from a pottery jar in the priest's hands.

Most people who drew the wooden sticks visibly breathed a sigh of relief after opening them and glancing inside, their faces showing expressions of relief before quietly stepping aside.

This detail caused Li Long to furrow her brow slightly.

Finally, it was the turn of two children who were about seven or eight years old.

A boy and a girl nervously pulled out wooden sticks.

When the two children saw the red mark on the stick, they were taken aback at first, then their faces lit up with excitement, and they shouted loudly.

"Great! We can go to the ground now!"

"We're going to the surface!"

It's Jimmy and Dahlie!

Lu Xiu stood at the edge of the crowd, and his expression changed drastically when he saw this scene!
He looked sharply at the priest, his eyes filled with shock.

In an instant, he understood!
These two children, Jimmy and Dali, are orphans in the village without parents!

Choosing them to "go to the ground" would not be objected to by anyone in the village, nor would any of their relatives grieve for them!
Was this outcome manipulated by a priest? Is this what their village's rituals are all about?!
"So that's it..."

Li Long was very clever. Seeing this scene and recalling the villagers' previous reactions, she immediately realized that the village was facing a food shortage.

He was just about to say something to Zhang Qi.

But then they discovered that Zhang Qi had suddenly looked up at the sky.

"boom--!!"

"Boom--!!"

Before anyone could react to what had happened, the ceiling suddenly shattered.

Several enormous black shadows descended from the sky with a piercing whistling sound!

Several ferocious orc faces fell...

(End of this chapter)