This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 279 How can there be an intact egg?

Nie Weiyang: “………………”

Damn. Here comes the episode he hates watching the most.

“No,” he said coldly, his voice carrying a metallic quality through his mask, utterly devoid of warmth.

He walked through the crowd to the large tree where his deputy was nailed, casually pulled up the Golden Gift, and tossed it into his backpack.

On the spear, the golden bird's tail feathers trembled gently, the golden light like the midday sun's radiance, fleeting in an instant.

The crowd stared at him blankly, their eyes a mixture of bewilderment at surviving a disaster, fear of violence, and deep-seated awe.

They wanted to get closer, but were intimidated by the blood-stained silver armor and the cold aura, and dared not take a single step forward.

Nie Weiyang could clearly 'hear' the thoughts churning in their hearts:
"God...this must be the power of God!"
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"He heard my prayer! He has come to save us!"
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"Besides the gods, who else will save us?"

These sounds buzzed in Nie Weiyang's mind, causing him to frown.

Placing hope in a vague and ethereal existence rather than one's own strength... religious thinking is always so troublesome.

"Where do you come from?" he asked again, his tone becoming more forceful, trying to bring them back to reality.

The crowd seemed to be startled awake by his voice, and a commotion broke out.

The girl mustered her courage and answered softly, "We...we come from different villages...they don't want us anymore, they say we're a burden, that we're spreading the plague..."

"God, you are..."

“I told you I’m not a god.” Nie Weiyang interrupted her without any politeness, his voice resolute. “My name is Nie Weiyang, and I’m a paladin.”

“I don’t believe in any of the ‘gods’ you imagine, don’t give me that nonsense.”

Nie Weiyang tried to shatter their illusions. However, the feedback he received made his heart sink.
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"He denied it... Yes, when gods descend to earth, they always test the sincerity of their believers!"
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"Nie Weiyang? That pronunciation sounds familiar..."
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"Is he that person? The one who killed a boss as soon as he arrived? My god, such a miracle..."
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"This name must contain divine meaning!"
"He doesn't believe in God? He is God! That's why he doesn't need faith?"

Instead of changing their thinking, they became increasingly trapped in a fanatical logical loop, and even became more convinced that he was a god because he denied his identity as a believer.

"..."

Nie Weiyang felt a wave of powerlessness.

He took a deep breath and tried to explain in a more rational way: "Listen, we are all 'players' in the new world now. We all possess extraordinary powers, it's just a difference in our professions and levels. I'm just stronger than you."

He felt like a teacher trying to teach babies basic science.

"If you work hard to level up and master the skills, you can become very strong when you reach my level."

—While they might not be as strong as him… well, they are almost certainly not as strong as him.

After all, in the new world, strength is certainly related to level and equipment, but ultimate power comes from inner beliefs.

However, his teachings, which he considered clear enough, only resulted in greater confusion among the crowd, and... a more firm understanding of 'divinity'.

They seemed completely unable to grasp the meaning of equality in Nie Weiyang's words, stubbornly still regarding him as a superior and unattainable figure. This was because they were accustomed to perceiving the world in this way.

...Nie Weiyang gave up.

He knew that it was impossible to reverse these thoughts, which had been steeped in despair and religious influence, in a short time. He had no time for meaningless spiritual enlightenment here.

“Alright,” he stopped trying to explain and gave the order directly, pointing in the direction they came from, “You, follow this road to Kushui Town, find a Chinese man named Lin Shouheng, and follow his instructions.”

Before he left Kushui Town, he left Lin Shouheng with local management rights and enough supplies to support the people for a period of time.

As an outsider, Lin Shouheng has proven his personal ability and resilience by establishing a former 'school' in this chaotic place, building his own network of relationships, and sustaining it until now. He is fully capable of temporarily managing these people.

Nie Weiyang needs to establish a relatively stable settlement based in Kushui Town, gradually restore order to the area, and liberate people from the oppression of cults and manors.

This was not only out of his moral obligation, but also closely related to his own needs.

The Second Administrator's weapon, [Heart Prism Fragment], requires a Proof of Trust to upgrade. Only after upgrading can the Second Administrator's identity unleash greater offensive power.

At this moment, in his backpack, the crown called [Guardian of Hope] also requires this precious certificate.

[[Wonder Object: Guardian of Hope] -]
The hearts of the people.
Wearing requirements: Insert your own [proof of trust].

• Inserting and wearing the [Proof of Trust] will activate the special title [Guardian of Hope].
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[Guardians of Hope]
Special title, does not occupy a regular title slot, and detailed attributes can be seen after activation.
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With one heart and one mind.

Special titles usually come from rare items or special events. They are powerful, there is no limit to the number that can be worn, and they always come with a 'personal storyline'.

Guardians of Hope...

This title is too grand.

Now that Nie Weiyang had chosen to accept this crown, he couldn't waste it. He needed to activate this title as soon as possible, which was one of the reasons he left the Huaxia region—

[Proof of Trust] only occurs in public hazard events of level three (orange) or higher, and the current [Plague] is precisely such an event. The problem is that the current situation in China is too good, making it difficult for such an event to occur. Even if it were to occur, Nie Weiyang would nip it in the bud before its influence reaches level three (orange).

More than a testament to trust, he wanted his fellow countrymen to live well.

So he had no choice but to go out and deal with things from the sidelines—he didn't even need to consider whether to suppress the events outside, as there were simply too many to suppress; he'd just deal with whatever came his way. Especially the events surrounding China; if they weren't dealt with, their influence would inevitably expand, which was definitely not the kind of development Nie Weiyang wanted to see.

Now that Nie Weiyang has roughly determined that the essence of the epidemic is some kind of dark erosion, the solution is clear: any erosion must have its source, and finding and solving the source is the solution.

Since he chose to get involved in the epidemic, he could not possibly ignore these innocent victims.

Obtaining proof of trust also requires 'becoming the most trusted individual'.

Establishing order, saving lives, gaining trust… all of this ultimately points to that crucial element representing his mission and the advancement of his power—the token of trust. But he must strike a balance between being trusted and being worshipped…

Religious thinking is such a hassle!
Nie Weiyang glanced at the group of people, who were still looking at him with awe.

Without another word, his silver-armored figure disappeared into the deep forest once more, swiftly heading towards the distant manor.

(End of this chapter)