This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 284 The Pretense of Weeping
[A feigned sorrow]
It is said that it came from a life of luxury, a life of happiness and joy. But excessive material satisfaction cannot fill the emptiness in its heart. When it first shed false tears for the suffering, the astonishment it received filled it with satisfaction. When it did so for the ninety-ninth time, its radiant wealth vanished, and it plunged into a life of disaster.
-
A magical golden mask, from the stars, seemingly some kind of creation.
• Wearing it consumes mental energy, but it can disguise one's identity and appearance.

Note: This is not helpful for self-understanding.

It must be said, this mask is incredibly useful. This is probably the only contribution the Sun God has made to the world.

As the disguise vanished, the man sitting cross-legged suddenly appeared much larger, becoming even more tall and robust. The sickly, ashy makeup on his face also disappeared, revealing a pale face with distinct features of a northern Chinese. His skin was a non-horrifying grayish-white, and his long, slightly wavy black and white hair was neatly tied back, hanging down his back.

Miao Lun subconsciously looked into his eyes—just one glance, and he lowered his head as if burned, his heart pounding, unable to look a second time.

Those eyes... blood-red eyes, like a crimson sunset sinking into the sky.

What emanated from it was an undisguised coldness and a clearly visible impatience.

Nie Weiyang crossed his arms, but his hands were positioned on his upper arms, a typical assertive posture.

Here, the unstoppable mind-reading ability caused even his usually calm emotions to fluctuate slightly. He could only try his best to remain calm and isolate most of the noise from his consciousness. However, the voices of people like Albert and Miao Lun, who were close at hand and had stronger mental abilities, were as clear as if they were ringing in his ears, impossible to block out.

After the Saturn event, his mind-reading ability became more acute than ever as his power grew. Although he usually disguised it as a powerful ability to read people, he couldn't fool himself.

Nie Weiyang suppressed a trace of irritation in his heart, nodded slightly to the two of them, and said calmly:

"It seems you've remembered me."

The two stared at each other, dumbfounded. Their inner monologues just moments before had been quite a spectacle.

"...So, is this the official stance of the Chinese government?" Albert asked.

Nie Weiyang tilted his head slightly. He neither confirmed nor denied Albert's speculation about the Chinese government, and this ambiguous attitude made Albert and Miao Lun's thoughts race and generate more speculation.

Nie Weiyang himself had no intention of getting entangled in this matter and directly steered the conversation back on track:

“This has nothing to do with what we’re doing.” Nie Weiyang’s voice was focused. “Continue talking about that statue and the Cult of Life. Tell me everything you know.”

Miao Lun took a deep breath, trying to calm the shock of seeing Nie Weiyang in person, and sorted out his thoughts.

Soon, he said softly, "The people from the Church of Life suddenly appeared here about four months ago."

"They are very... good at manipulating people. Not long after they made contact with the owner of the manor, that manor owner, who was originally just greedy and cruel, became their devout follower."

His face showed disgust.

"Soon, the exploitative cycle belonging to the plantation owners became more vicious and systematic. The Church of Life played a dual role as 'guide' and 'beneficiary' in this process, providing some kind of... dubious doctrinal support to cloak the plantation owners' oppressive behavior in a sanctified guise, while extracting large amounts of resources in return."

"Furthermore, with some of the strange methods they possess, they provide the manor lord with military protection, deterring anyone who dares to resist. They can even summon phantoms of some BOSSes and combine their characteristics to create summoned creatures... and the price is blood sacrifice."

Miao Lun's gaze swept out of the shed, as if he could see through the straw mats to those numb figures.

"The people here... are very complicated."

"They fear the armed forces of the Church of Life and the Manor, but many also yearn to join them and become one of them."

“In the shantytowns you see, there are actually quite a few people who are followers of the Church of Life. They have abandoned their original faith, after all, gods and Buddhas are too far away, while the Church of Life is right in front of them.”

Miao Lun gave a wry smile.

"These believers do not lack the desire to go further and become the core followers who wear white robes and enjoy privileges."

"Indeed, the criteria for selecting core members of the Church of Life are very realistic. They require physical strength, no obvious diseases or disabilities, and are even selective about age and appearance."

"Most people here are pale and emaciated, ravaged by the 'epidemic,' and cannot meet their entry standards at all. They can only linger on the outermost edge, contributing meager faith and labor, yet they cannot enjoy any substantial benefits and are even divided among themselves because of it. Within religions, this hierarchical division also leads to more infighting."

"Those who believe in the Church of Life look down on those with other faiths, and those with other faiths look down on non-believers. Of course, there are almost no non-believers left. After all, our very existence on this land is the greatest miracle, isn't it?"

Miao Lun lowered his head, touched his chest, and then drew a concentric circle.

"Great Saturn is watching us."

Nie Weiyang: “…”

Then, Miao Lun turned his attention back, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger as he pointed outside the shed: "This damned 'fever epidemic' is inextricably linked to the Life Manor!"
"They spread disease and monopolize treatment, using this method to bind and exploit everyone! Watching them build their own pedestal by exploiting the suffering of others, I..."

Nie Weiyang raised an eyebrow slightly: "Are you very unhappy?"

"Of course I'm not happy!" Miao Lun almost roared, his chest heaving violently, his eyes filled with hatred. "How could I be happy?! They stole everything we deserved! A peaceful life, healthy bodies, and the hope of living!"

“Alright.” Nie Weiyang’s voice remained calm, even somewhat cold. “So, I want to know now, is your unhappiness because they took everything that ‘you’ should have, or because they took everything that ‘you’—the locals—should have?”

He paused, then gave a gentle smile.

"Or perhaps, after doing this, they erected high walls to exclude you, preventing you from joining in and sharing the 'fruits' accumulated through plunder?"

The air inside the shed seemed to freeze.

The three sat facing each other in a triangle. Albert leaned forward slightly, showing little reaction, but his eyes were more alert, like a tiger observing two beasts about to clash, cautiously moving back and forth between Nie Weiyang and Miao Lun.

Miao Lun fell silent, a long silence.

His fist shattered the fireball, and only Nie Weiyang's eyes, emitting a faint red glow, remained bright in the darkness. His heavy breathing and the faint noise from the shantytown outside echoed inside the room.

His expression shifted constantly, a mixture of anger, humiliation, and sadness in his eyes.

Finally, he raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

A broken sound, tinged with sobs, burst from his throat.

“What do you know… what do you, someone so high and mighty, know!” His voice trembled. “My whole family… my father and mother, were among the first to contract the ‘fever’ and fall ill!”
"There was no medicine, no clean water, and they died right before my eyes... their bodies were covered in sores, they had high fevers, and they died in agony!"

He slammed his fist on the ground, making a dull thud: "My two older sisters... risked their lives to go to the manor to find work in order to get something to eat for the family, and they never came back!"
"Later, someone said... they saw them being led inside that white wall, saying they were going to enjoy a life of luxury, but I know... I know they must have already..."

He choked up, barely able to speak, and took several deep breaths before continuing: "And my youngest sister... so small, so well-behaved... she was just hungry, so very hungry, that she secretly ran off to scavenge the garbage dumped from the manor to eat... and was bitten to death by the dogs they released..."

He suddenly pointed at Nie Weiyang, tears streaming down his face, his eyes filled with pain and a deeply wounded anger: "You're asking me now why I'm unhappy?! You're asking me if it's because I can't join them?!"
"I wish I could eat their flesh and drink their blood! You...you've always been this...this arrogant?! To humiliate someone who has lost everything with such a question?!"

The accusation is so sharp, so painful.

But Nie Weiyang's expression remained gentle.

“So,” he said, “you, as a strong and healthy adult male, an educated person, and a mage with high intelligence, make your older sister beg for food and your younger sister scavenge for garbage to eat.”

“I can see that you are in good condition and have not contracted the disease. But fever is highly contagious…”

As Nie Weiyang spoke, he recalled the fleeting effects of the fever he had experienced earlier, and even laughed, the laughter echoing in his chest, as cold as the process of freezing.

"Who took care of your parents when they were seriously ill?" he asked.

Miao Lun's voice abruptly stopped.

(End of this chapter)