Forge a path to success.

Chapter 31 Evil Heretics
The teasing of the two special envoys lasted for about ten minutes, until Captain Huaisu, enraged, threatened to throw the crystal out the window, at which point the immoral middle-aged man and the snake finally relented. After recounting their experiences over the past half-day, the contemplative group fell silent for a moment.

“Let’s take it one step at a time, starting with Jie Wen’s message,” Ji Qiufeng began. “Youyou, do you recall anything about this?”

“I was completely out of my mind at that time, I don’t even know when he left the city,” Youyou said dejectedly. “Damn it… I don’t have the strength to cast a divination now…”

The final ingredient was an unsolvable dilemma. Jie Wen acted with lightning speed, and his injuries were too severe on the way back to the city; he couldn't even leave a last word, only entrusting the pestle to someone before passing away. Not only was Jie An in a state of panic, but even Youyou at the time was caught off guard. Now, they have no way of knowing Jie Wen's arrangements from back then, let alone any clues.

“I might have some idea,” Jie An said softly.

Everyone immediately fell silent; even through the crystal, their anticipation was palpable. Jie An, however, hesitated, stammering, "Not necessarily, I was just guessing..."

"Speak quickly!" Ji Huaisu was outspoken.

"We'll have to see first, it's hard to say." Jie An said vaguely, "Chu Hengkong, this afternoon, could you visit a few more shops that sell 'wet tea' and find out which prescriptions sell best, as well as the ailments that have been recurring in the last two years?"

"Okay." Chu Hengkong readily agreed. "You suspect it's a plant?"

"It's pretty much the same. I can always tell what kind of tone my dad has when he talks," Jie An said with a smile.

"Huh? How did it become a plant?" Ji Huaisu was full of questions.

Everyone tacitly ignored the bewildered girl. Captain Ji, after all, was a valuable martial arts expert; her purpose in attending the meeting was to hear the conclusions, not to participate in the discussion. Chu Hengkong continued, "The second issue is the enemy in the shadows. I suffered a great setback today, and I don't intend to keep it to myself. What kind of technique is that immobilization spell?"

"You didn't lose out this time," Ji Qiufeng said leisurely. "No matter how skilled you are, you're just a pair of 'skillful hands,' so it's only natural that you can't beat a 'foundation' plus a bunch of 'dim lights.'"

"Foundation Stone"... I've heard this term before; Jie An calls himself a "foundation stone." As a high-ranking member of the team, he's definitely an ascendant, and Youyou has also mentioned other paths...

"The foundation stone and the glimmer of light are also point mass one?" Chu Hengkong asked. "I thought the beginnings of those two paths were also skillful."

"Chief Inspector, don't assume everyone is as muscle-bound as you. If you can't advance without practicing kung fu, how are people with normal brains supposed to get by?" Jie An said sarcastically. "The 'foundation' of the first point requires keen observation skills or possession of items with special powers to advance. After advancing, you can make efficient use of the environment and maximize the power of the items."

Jie An described it vividly: "That 'foundation' must have a powerful mind control relic. He used environmental manipulation to hide the glowing corpse, used the enhanced relic to trip you up from a distance, and then sent out his ambush troops to swarm in and crush this country bumpkin who has never seen the world!"

Chu Hengkong didn't have time to retort; he carefully recalled the previous killing scheme. The fact that the "foundation" could pinpoint his location so precisely meant that the opponent possessed observational capabilities beyond visual range. His ability to control the firefly corpse at will indicated that the relic's power was considerable… and the simple killing scheme was actually the most effective; he couldn't even remember how many underworld bosses had been shot dead by passersby. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that without Ji Huaisu's arrival, his chances of survival were slim. This time, he could only be described as having escaped death.

At this point, Ji Huaisu started nitpicking: "Chef, your scene recreation is a bit off. Why did you miss the puppet at the beginning?"

“That’s not the way to build a foundation.” Jie An immediately shook his head. “No matter how powerful the relic is, it still needs to have a ‘spirit’ to be controlled. It’s like you can’t use hypnosis to control a plate of grilled squid. Even if you shake your hand until it aches, it’s still just a plate of dead meat, not a living thing.”

“That means the assassin is someone else…” Ji Huaisu pursed his lips. “It’s a pity we didn’t get any clues.”

After the commotion caused by the mud-covered firefly corpse subsided, the shattered puppet vanished without a trace. There should still be assassins' accomplices in the settlement, but the environment was too chaotic for the two to search for them one by one.

"It's just another work from the black workshop, the only difference being whether they produced it themselves or it was commissioned by someone else," Ji Qiufeng said. "And those mud-covered corpses are 'glimmer.' Can you guess the power of 'glimmer'?"

This question was directed at Chu Hengkong, who answered without hesitation: "It's about using the point mass of light, just like Ji Huaisu did."

“You’re right!” Ji Qiufeng said. “However, you’re only half right. Huaisu is the ‘reverse shadow’ of point two.”

Ji Huaisu stood tall and proud, looking quite smug.

Point mass one is light, point mass two is shadow. Ji Huaisu's path to transformation sounds like that of an elemental mage. To be able to wield this power like a berserker is truly a unique style... Chu Hengkong ignored his partner, whose face practically screamed "I'm awesome, come and praise me!" and calmly said, "Next, let's talk about the firefly corpse..."

Ji Huaisu slapped the bed and got up: "Hey, shouldn't you first praise Captain Huaisu's unparalleled skills!"

“There’s no need to repeat things that are common knowledge.” Chu Hengkong tried to soothe her. “If the glowing corpses are also glimmers of light, then wouldn’t the swamp be full of level 1 stones? Are Ascended beings such cheap things?”

“You’re right. Ascension shouldn’t be so easy, so the Firefly Corpse is a heretic.” Youyou’s voice was filled with hatred. “I’ll handle this. Xiao An, you work hard these next two days to make a few more pills. I’ll put in a lot of effort to repair a few armored vehicles and completely crush this thing so it won’t have a chance to rise again.”

Ji Qiufeng added briefly: "Huaisu Hengkong, you two should also be careful and avoid contact with the mud-like fireflies."

Chu Hengkong frowned. This time, Ji Qiufeng had provided far too little information; this wasn't the attitude a responsible man should have. As if anticipating his dissatisfaction, Ji Qiufeng chuckled, "Hearing too much isn't good for your fate."

"What's wrong with it?" Chu Hengkong asked in surprise.

“Fate. Repeat after me, fate.” Youyou repeated this absurd word with a straight face. “Some knowledge is tainted with malice. The deeper you understand it, the more you are affected, and the more likely you are to encounter things you shouldn’t have seen. At that point, your fate will be polluted, and you’ll never escape the vortex of madness. So don’t pry into things. If you ever meet someone who tells you about the enemy’s background, it means they’re full of bad intentions and want to harm you.”

·
"The Glowing Corpse is a special kind of 'glow,' born from the residual aura of certain high-level beings. This strange walking corpse is the residue of dead lives, a monster formed from the entanglement of broken desires and emotions. In the world outside Dragon City, it is known as the 'Calamity Species.'"

The air in the secret chamber was thick with the smoke of incense, and the liquid in the gemstone goblet was murky like mud. The great wizard Adari sipped the medicinal wine absentmindedly, his attention completely absorbed by the other person's words.

The speaker hid half his body in the shadows, wearing a snow-white top hat and gleaming leather shoes that reflected the candlelight. His magnetic voice was full of confidence, and anyone who heard it would think he was a great storyteller, capable of capturing the attention of others with just a few words.

"You might think this name is an exaggeration, but it's true. The feeding of the Fireflies is equivalent to reproduction. They absorb the strength and emotions of the living, leaving only glowing fragments in the corpse. Those gnawed remains will become new Fireflies, driven by desire to devour their former kin. They once destroyed an ancient kingdom in this way, and then devoured each other in the desolate ruins."

Adari imagined the glowing corpses wandering through the ruined castle, and the terrifying carcasses that had transformed into gigantic beings from absorbing too much power. Even he, usually calm, felt a chill; the wasteland was utterly hopeless, and compared to it, even Dragon City seemed like paradise.

"Is this how high-ranking beings exterminate civilizations?" Adari asked.

“How could that be?” the storyteller chuckled. “Those high beings are merely passing through, like a human accidentally breathing in an anthill.” Adari took a deep breath and stared at the man across the table like a viper staring at another beast: “You sold me something remarkable.”

"I always provide my clients with the finest products," the man said, raising his glass.

“And I only paid for a mere thirty demon-possessed individuals,” Adari continued. “That’s too cheap; I can’t afford something so precious.”

The man shook his head: "You're wrong, Adari. Demons are far more wondrous beings; you just don't know how to unleash their power... This deal is fair, and I can even grant you one additional request."

“Then I demand that you write down my name,” Adali said, enunciating each word clearly. “When you leave Dragon City, I want a place for me on your ship.”

The man was surprised, then smiled. The smile turned into a loud laugh; he pulled his hat down hard, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't expect your misunderstanding to be so deep! I don't plan to leave. I love this city. Huilong City is my hometown and my home. Will you leave your hometown forever?"

Adari was truly shocked this time; he felt like he was talking to a madman.

"You released fireflies in your hometown."

"This will add a long-lost vitality to it." The man said dismissively, "To be honest, I didn't expect you would be willing to buy it. With your abilities, you can live well in the swamp. Even if the Calamity Knight really comes, you will only be offered amnesty. It's not worth fighting to the end."

"Recruitment?" Adari scoffed. "Interesting. I thought you learned a lot from those big clients, but it doesn't seem to have told you the most important thing... Where do you think you are?"

The man in the top hat listened with great interest: "I'm in Huilong City."

"Yes, you're in the city. This city has no sky, only a curtain of swirling water that hangs down from the sky to the farthest part of the central courtyard, intersecting to form a 'bottom' deeper than a swamp. What do you think this city would look like from the outside?"

The man in the top hat took out a glass bead and placed it on the table, gazing at the swirling water within it: "A gem among glass beads."

“You’re not stupid; this is a water droplet. Now answer my last question,” Adari said somberly, “Where does the water in the swirling dragon water wall come from?”

The man in the top hat paused, taken aback. He was a native of the area, born and raised in the workshop, watching the water curtain. To him, the trend of weapons sweeping across the world was a natural part of the world; the sky should be water, and water should contain all sorts of random things, there was no "why," just as light and air naturally existed in the world.

But Adari felt it shouldn't be like this. If there was no water in the sky, where would it come from? So many currents come and go in a hurry, carrying weapons from all over the world...

The candlelight flickered, and the man in the top hat had a deep, unfathomable gaze. Adari curled his lips in a mocking smile, picked up the spilled liquid, and tossed it into his glass, causing ripples to spread across the emerald-green medicinal wine.

"This is the truth."

The turbid liquid was briefly cleared by the falling droplets, revealing a dark, wriggling mass at the bottom of the glass. The wine was infused with live insects! Awakened by the disturbance, they emerged from their coiled egg-like positions, baring their sharp teeth at the droplets. The glistening droplet was submerged by the hideous insect bodies, finally bursting open in the glass with a soft thud.

"I am the High Priest of the Order of All Spirits, and I can hear the voices within the currents. You cannot imagine how many eyes are outside the glass bead, speaking of greed and hunger, which the ignorant call gods!"

Adali laughed hysterically, then picked up his jeweled cup and drank it down in one gulp, tearing the long worms apart and swallowing them. The man in the top hat said, "Oh, no harm meant, I just can't quite accept your health tonic."

Adali leaned back in his chair, the smile on his face gradually fading: "The City Lord's Mansion has been concealing the truth all along. They'd rather seal off the water wall and leave everyone to die in this desperate situation! You're talking to me about accepting amnesty? I'm going to fight those charlatans to the bitter end!!"

No wonder this man always had a face that everyone hated; he hated everything from the bottom of his heart, and by extension, he loathed the people in the city. He thought the ignorant people of the swamp were idiots and the city lord's mansion in the central courtyard were villains. Since everyone was going to die sooner or later anyway, he could exploit human lives without any psychological qualms.

The man in the top hat returned the other's gaze and somehow felt a deep sympathy for him. He rose, opened the door, and turned back before leaving.

“This is the most religious person you’ve ever acted. So sincere, so persuasive, no wonder you’re the great shaman Adari,” he said. “But I still can’t help but add, can you please stop acting like you’re so righteous after just buying the firefly corpse?”

The man laughed dismissively: "You can fool idiots, but don't fool yourself."

“Remember the extra compensation you owe me,” Adari said.

Adari let him leave the secret room. The partnership was over, and from then on, neither could interfere with the other's plans.

He sat quietly for a while, feeling the dying worms struggling inside his stomach, drawing strange vitality from them. He felt much better and pushed open the door. As he opened the door, a cacophony of voices erupted like a sea, and in the bright light, frenzied shadows danced like a swarm of snakes.

The secret chamber led directly to the upper part of the chapel, where bright yellow petals danced like snowflakes outside the stained-glass windows. This was a church built amidst a sea of ​​flowers, its interior almost entirely filled with worshippers; beads and relics piled high on the altar. Adari ascended the high pulpit, thousands of eyes following his steps. He lightly tapped his cane, the bells ringing, and the crowd immediately fell silent, awaiting his instructions.

The white-robed monks walked into the crowd carrying granular pills. Adari casually made a few gestures in the air and said with annoyance, "Take the elixirs. In the name of the gods, I grant you peace."

In an instant, the cheers of the crowd erupted like a tsunami. The ecstatic believers leaped, sang, and knelt in prayer. Adari looked down at the diverse group of believers and felt that he hadn't done anything particularly significant. The swamp was, after all, a gathering place for the living dead; mindless believers were as easily manipulated as mud.

Compared to them, the glowing corpses were merely a little more radiant.

"By the favor of the gods, I will deliver a new divine message..."

Adali had already planned it out. Killing those two men would be difficult, but getting rid of them would be easy. He only needed a small lie…

Regarding the shield of the Calamity Knight, and the light within the glowing corpse.

(End of this chapter)