There's a skeleton dungeon connected to my basement.

Chapter 308, The Savior's Preaching

The one-day-a-month opening day is coming soon.

It will probably be tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or the day after that.

In short, it will happen sometime during these three days.

The survivors in the shantytowns, especially the older ones, would carefully calculate and anticipate the arrival of this day.

Leave a scratch on the stone every day, tie a knot with a rope, or silently tell yourself a sentence after dawn.

The recent chaos affected these calculations.

First came the blood-red night and moon, then that strange guy who killed anyone he saw.

No matter how chaotic things get, once it's over, the things you have to do every day will go back to being the same few repetitive tasks.

The day the door opens is very important.

Being able to exchange things with people in the city, to gain the right to live in the city, and to experience a little more liveliness.

During this period, every day several people would gaze at the tall city gate from afar.

Recently, many new faces have appeared in the shantytowns.

They also possessed some abnormal characteristics to varying degrees.

This is something you have to face to survive in a land of decay.

Most survivors didn't take this anomaly seriously.

The corruption of evil gods signifies a shortened lifespan, gradually turning one into a monster and driving one insane.

But these are not major problems.

Most survivors do not live to see the day when the mutations and contamination on their bodies consume them.

Even though these pollutants and distortions actually spread and infect at a fairly rapid pace.

Rapid birth and rapid death mean that, generation after generation, even the pollution etched into our bodies and passed down through blood and the environment is gradually changing.

More stubborn and difficult to eradicate, they are closely integrated with the wasteland inhabitants, but no longer as explosive and chaotic.

The survivors who recently arrived on the outskirts of Clock Tower City had all heard the legend to some extent, which was why they chose to come here after their own less-than-ideal homes were destroyed.

Following the original shack area, simple and crooked sheds were built one after another.

From the murky, black river, from the cold, deep caves, from the twisted, greedy bushes, they learned from the survivors who had reached the outskirts of the city long ago, and began to live on in a similar manner.

In such a terrible world, living is not a wonderful thing.

The gloomy, dim sun hung high in the sky.

These past few days they have been paying close attention to the situation in Zhongta City, and to the condition of that heavy, bulky gate.

For some reason, this area of ​​simple shacks, which had grown larger and longer, spread out and expanded considerably, became increasingly restless.

Like a devout believer hoping for the arrival of heaven.

When will the door open?

On this day, a fisherman covered in scales of varying sizes was carefully searching in the foul-smelling, dark river in front of the Bell Tower City.

For some reason, most of the dangerous monsters in the river have disappeared recently.

In the past, he would never have dared to explore here.

We've made a good discovery!

A strange little fish, about the size of a palm, with slimy tentacles growing from its gills, appeared in his hand.

The fisherman's face lit up with joy. This was a rare find. The slimy mucus on these tentacles was an excellent weapon maintenance solution. He could use it to trade with the miners for some ore.

"If we save a little more, maybe it will be enough!"

A joyful expression appeared on the twisted head that resembled a large fish head.

He wanted to forge himself a harpoon.

A qualified fisherman needs a special harpoon.

Just as he was about to press on, a piercing creaking sound rang out.

Looking up, I saw the gates of Clock Tower City slowly opening.

With wide eyes and an open mouth, it was no longer a suitable day for work. It leaped out of the murky, dark river, awkwardly twisting its stiff, fish-like waist while shouting loudly.

"The gates of Clock Tower City are about to open!"

The news spread quickly, and soon all the survivors in the shack area knew about it.

The moment Xiao Yang pushed open the heavy gate of the Bell Tower City, he was met with a huge crowd of people.

He was somewhat surprised at this moment.

"Why are there so many people?"

She muttered something under her breath and quickly composed herself.

He straightened his clothes, which were not actually on him, and made some preparations.

Take a step forward.

At this moment, the survivors who had gathered were generally somewhat confused, whether they were elderly people who had lived in this area for a long time or newcomers who had just arrived.

To be fair, the Bloodthirsty Slaughter Set, after its transformation through slaughter, still looks somewhat ferocious and terrifying.

The survivors waiting in front of the door, especially those closer to Xiao Yang, were somewhat afraid of his approach. They unconsciously began to retreat, their expressions showing fear and their movements becoming more timid.

However, Xiao Yang was completely unaware of this.

He was preparing his speech.

What do you want to say?

To be honest, ever since the poetry recitation at the elementary school flag-raising ceremony, he seems to have never stood in front of so many people and spoken loudly again.

"What do you want to say!"

Deliver a superb speech.

"Proclaim the future, proclaim hope!"

There was a selfish motive involved, a desire to ignite a flame of hope.

While pondering, I stopped in front of the clock tower.

The survivors gathered here looked at each other with bewilderment at the situation.

The gates of the Bell Tower City behind Xiao Yang had been fully opened.

As more aspects of Clock Tower City came into view, they seemed to differ somewhat from the beautiful place they had envisioned.

The houses were neatly arranged but empty; the straight and wide streets were deathly silent, and there were even dark, dried bloodstains everywhere.

And then there's this terrifying guy who walked out of the city.

Something seems to be wrong.

There was a moment of silence on the field.

Many survivors, with solemn expressions, prepared to flee.

"Even the most beautiful paradise is still far away. If things are not going well, we should run away."

At this moment, Xiao Yang's preparations finally came to an end.

The savior had prepared his speaking strategy.

First came the meaningless clapping of hands, the gauntlets clapping together with a crisp sound.

Why do we clap our hands? Does it contain some unknown, special meaning?
Don't know.

Then he coughed.

"Cough cough."

Even more ambiguous actions have emerged.

At this moment, a series of seemingly unrelated small combos are stacked together, each with its own ambiguous meaning.

in silence.

Xiao Yang encountered an awkward silence.

Some survivors were already prepared to flee.

Take Baruch, for example, who blended into the crowd.

To be honest, Baruch had already wanted to run away. If it weren't for the strangely familiar voice coming from under that terrifying armor, he would have run away on the spot.

A flash of inspiration struck Baruch, and he finally realized something.

In the awkward silence, suddenly, a joyful and excited voice rang out.

"Good! Good!"

At this moment, Xiao Yang truly breathed a sigh of relief.

The words flowed smoothly.

"Today I have some exciting news to announce!"

Xiao Yang proved one thing with his performance: he was a savior, but not a speech genius.

Nonsense, repetitive words, a bit wordy.

But these are not major issues. The most important thing is never what was said, but what was done.

As the guy continued his clumsy and rambling speech, more and more survivors gathered in front of Xiao Yang. Their faces showed clear confusion and bewilderment as he uttered each sentence.

Xiao Yang's words were poorly spoken, and the survivors were left confused by what they heard.

But that's okay, you only need to understand the most important few sentences.

"From today onwards, Clock Tower City will be renamed City of Hope."

"The City of Hope will be open to all who have not succumbed to the evil god!"

"The City of Hope will provide shelter to all who enter the city!"

"A new era has arrived, let's rejoice!"

As Xiao Yang uttered those last words, he raised his hands high, looking like a child who had done something good and was waiting for praise.

Unfortunately, he was unable to witness the scene he desired.

Survivors were densely packed in front of the clock tower city gate.

The expressions on their faces were mostly puzzled and confused; there were no cheers, no applause, and no great excitement.

Many of the survivors even had expressions of doubt and uncertainty on their faces.

The awkward silence was somewhat frustrating.

Of course, Xiao Yang himself knew that this kind of reaction was more normal.

Reality is not a game.

He won't shout a few words to the people, and they'll all agree, cheering and shouting for the great savior.

Although he himself wanted that feeling even more.

He could understand that, he was just a little disappointed.

Xiao Yang stood still, hoping that as time passed, the situation on the field would change.

It's just that as time goes by little by little, nothing much changes.

It seems that not many people are willing to believe in him, the savior who suddenly rushed out of the clock tower city.

He lowered his head in frustration.

"Go do something else."

Let's thoroughly inspect and clean up the entire Clock Tower City again, and see if there are any troublesome monsters left behind.

After the second stronghold was completed, Xiao Yang's head steward, Lena, soon arrived with his chief steward and the ghost maids.

The erection of the statue of the goddess of rest seems to have triggered different effects on some people.

[Faith Realm: Protects surrounding creatures from the terrors of the night.]

Literally, this situation should be the safe zone at night.

Night is about to fall on the land of decay.

Xiao Yang's second territory, the city named Hope, currently has only one true inhabitant: himself.

The clock on the Doomsday Clock Tower fell down later today.

The Flesh and Blood Eye Tower, which occupied the foundation of the Doomsday Clock Tower, forced the clock at the top of the tower down and replaced it with an extremely large eye.

Xiao Yang squatted in front of the statue of the Goddess of Rest, somewhat uninterested. Since the statue of the Goddess of Rest could create a safe zone, he naturally wanted to test whether this safe zone was truly safe.

Lena just came by.

She asked Xiao Yang to prepare some food.

For some reason, Lena's expression seemed to carry a hint of mockery.

"That's weird!"

Xiao Yang finally started preparing food, using the fallen Doomsday Clock Tower to cook meat soup.

Just as the sky was about to darken, night was about to fall, and the world was about to fall into complete silence.

Suddenly, an excited shout rang out from afar.

"Sir Knight! Sir Knight! We're here!"

Xiao Yang pulled off his mask as a bloodthirsty killer, looked up, and was somewhat surprised.

Baruch wasn't the only one to arrive; there were other survivors as well.

They arrived, appearing in Xiao Yang's line of sight with large and small bags on their backs.

These people all came here following Xiao Yang's name. During the previous Blood Moon Night, what Xiao Yang did was not entirely without effect.

He gained more people who were willing to believe in and follow him.

"It really is Lord Crimson Knight!"

"The Crimson Knight has become even more terrifying in just a few days!"

“It’s so beautiful here!”

"Thank you for saving me last time, Crimson Knight!"

"Will we really be able to live here afterwards?"

The chaotic sounds reached Xiao Yang's ears as people approached.

This development brought Xiao Yang even more surprises, but he wasn't entirely satisfied with the title.

The stewed meat broth finally came in handy.

As night fell, figures emerged, peacefully sleeping on the rough ground.

Xiao Yang did not disclose the existence of the faith realm.

It's better to test this yourself before announcing it; absolute safety cannot be guaranteed at this point.

Opening my eyes in the darkness, I was indeed not bombarded with all sorts of terrifying words and chaotic knowledge.

Head up.

In the sky, a small area, only about twenty or thirty square meters in size, was set out, centered on the statue of the goddess of rest.

The night in the rotten land is not one of utter desolation and gloom; twinkling stars float in the sky, some even quite beautiful.

However, this was only the surface. Having faced the darkness of the rotten land without protection, Xiao Yang knew the true nature of these stars.

Those evil gods.

If testing within a specific area doesn't yield results, it seems something is missing.

After thinking it over, Xiao Yang decided to leave the domain and take a look.

Go out and come back in; if you're going to test, you need to be thorough and push the limits.

He acted on his idea immediately, and just as he was about to do it, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Sir Knight!"

Looking down, it was Little Bard.

The little guy rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

Little Bard, perhaps having learned it from Baruch, also started calling him "Knight" in the same way.

"I don't think you're sleeping!"

"You really don't need to sleep in Clock Tower City!"

After the little guy finished speaking, he suddenly excitedly added another sentence.

Looking at this overly excited little guy.

"Don't leave the glowing area!"

"Yes, Sir Knight!"

Somewhat troublesome, Little Bard woke up, and it was really not a good time to conduct extreme tests. He didn't want to create any taboo scenes, because he himself could bear it, but only he could bear it.

Just when he was having a headache.

Little Bard seemed to have thought of something.

"Sir Knight, were the things you said during the day true?"

"It should be true. As long as I can do it, I'll still be alive."

"Thank you, Sir Knight, you are really amazing!"

Such a disjointed thank you appeared.

Xiao Yang paused for a moment.

"nothing."

He said it was nothing, but at that moment, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

The disappointment of the day dissipated; all that the hardworking savior wanted was this.

He's naive, like a child.

What Xiao Yang didn't see was that at that moment, not far away, in the darkness, Lena's figure, covering her mouth, was faintly visible, and closer still, a hunched figure twitched its ears.

With a wide smile, he repeated his words.

"nothing!"

(End of this chapter)