Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

"Next person!"

The third is "night owl".

The short figure stepped forward, the hood of his cloak covering most of his face, revealing only a sharp chin.

This time he learned his lesson and modified Theodore's lines, expressing that he was wholeheartedly devoted to the Genshin Impact and was willing to give up everything, even becoming part of the Genshin Impact Army to hunt down anyone who had a problem with the Genshin Impact, especially those who were very vocal opponents!

"Get out!" This time, the girl didn't even let him finish. "You're eliminated!"

"Huh? Why!"

"Our Genshin Impact Cult is a secret organization, you know? Can't you even spell 'secret organization'?" the girl sighed. "Now that the kingdom is powerful, we need to keep a low profile, but you're so flamboyant, even hunting down anyone who has a problem with the Genshin Impact Cult... We Genshin Impact will fall because of someone like you sooner or later!"

Another believer has become a warm bounty hunter, and Cheng Cheng can't help but worry about the future of the Primal God Cult.

"Next!"

The fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

the wanted.

Almost two-thirds of them are wanted criminals.

Thugs, assassins, con artists, smugglers... one by one they stepped forward, announced their names and crimes, and were then taken away by bodyguards. The bounty pool continued to accumulate, and the Genshin Impact cult had raised enough funds for the next few years.

Only a portion of those who met the requirements were kept; those that Sylvia hadn't seen on the wanted list were left behind.

Soon, it was Luke's turn.

Chapter 28, Do you know how many tens of thousands of credits a loaf of bread costs?

Luke Valentine.

Amber was born in 921 in a rural village in the County of Boston, Kingdom of England.

In my memory, that small farm, which had been run for thirty years, had an endless supply of berries in the summer and a warm fire always burning in the fireplace in the winter. Every night, my mother would bake bread, and the family would sit by the fireplace, drinking hot milk. My father would pick up the Bible from the Builders Church and tell him stories of various heroes from mythology, teaching him what integrity, kindness, courage, and piety were.

At the age of eighteen, he was admitted to university.

His father got completely drunk, held him and cried for half the night. The next day, he drove the family's old pickup truck to Silver City and warned him that no matter what, he should never take out a student loan.

In order to afford his tuition, he chose to join the army.

On the battlefield of the abyss, the whispers of demons are everywhere. Without magic such as "Lionheart" to maintain them, even soldiers would gradually descend into madness—yet the kingdom's generals have reached for the maintenance fee of the magic circle.

The magic rations were canceled, and the kingdom's army began distributing "moon candy" instead.

It was a new type of drug, and it was cheap to produce when used as military supplies. Users were invariably euphoric, experiencing pleasure from the inside out, losing all fear of anything, and even becoming resistant to the whispers of demons—if the stuff wasn't addictive.

Luke had personally witnessed seventeen of his comrades, driven mad by the effects of Moon Candy, rush into the abyss rift, and be torn to pieces by monsters. The bodies he desperately retrieved bore that eerie smile on their faces before they died.

Three years of military service, three years of fighting in the abyss, three years of wandering in hell.

He survived.

When he retired and returned home, the farm had been transformed into a horse ranch for nobles.

The local lord oppressed his parents, who were ignorant of the law, and meticulously processed all the paperwork, yet his family only received 50,000 credits in compensation. He sought redress everywhere but to no avail. Finally, he took his case to the Supreme Court, hoping that "the righteous Vilette" would uphold justice for him. However, even the Supreme Court judge, renowned worldwide for his impartiality, upon examining the flawless transfer contract, could only rule against him according to procedure.

He was no longer able to continue fighting for his rights—his parents fell ill and he had no money for treatment. He used his demobilization pay, which should have been used for tuition, to hire a healer, but because of the long-standing illness, they ultimately could not be saved.

Having lost everything, he couldn't stop spending money on mooncakes, and his debts snowballed until they eventually buried him like an avalanche.

To pay off his debts, to buy moon sugar, and to compete for jobs, he had to undergo magical prosthetic surgery—his arms were replaced with prosthetics capable of high-speed ash-blasting, and his stomach was replaced with a furnace that could work when fueled. While accumulating huge medical debts, he gained higher wages and better opportunities.

Until the accident at the construction site, which injured dozens of people, the boss and the contractor ran away, and no one received a penny of compensation for the workers' injuries.

He lived on the streets for three years, barely surviving on free food provided by the kingdom and buying moon sugar with the money he begged for.

Until that day, he saw his coworker, who had been injured in the same way, dressed smartly and riding in an expensive car, hand him a piece of paper.

That was an invitation from the cult of the Primordial God.

…………

After telling his story, Luke, who was in his twenties, had eyes that had never shed a tear since his parents passed away, now shrouded in mist.

He knew he hadn't spoken well, nor had he explained to the examiner what he could do for the sect—he couldn't do anything, he was just clinging to the invitation as a lifeline, clinging to it even though he was already drowning.

The hall was quiet; no one laughed anymore.

Those who had been kept by the examiner were now silent, looking at him as if recalling their own experiences.

Luke lowered his head, waiting for the verdict, waiting to be thrown out.

Then--

"Welcome to our Genshin Impact cult."

He suddenly raised his head.

The girl on the throne looked at him, her pale red eyes still showing little emotion.

"Luke Valentine, from today onwards, you are a member of the cult. Monthly salary—five thousand credits, room and board included."

Luke's legs went weak and he almost knelt down, so he quickly bent over deeply.

"Thank you... thank you."

He heard his own voice trembling.

He did not understand the teachings of the primordial god—but he secretly vowed that at this moment, the girl sitting on the throne was the only god he would worship for the rest of his life.

…………

"They are so pitiful..."

Even after the interview ended, the image of Sylvia crying lingered in Cheng Cheng's mind. Had he not already heard similar stories, Cheng Cheng would have been moved by the same sentiment.

Is the kingdom in this world really that awful...?

No, not only is it not, it is in its prime.

During the breaks between these three game logins, Cheng Cheng also learned a lot about the world's setting from Sylvia and the bodyguard.

Aside from numerous smaller countries, there are three major powers standing side by side in this world.

The core of the Church of the City Builders, protected by the Amber God, is a theocracy with six divine messengers—even though three of them have either hanged themselves, imprisoned themselves in dungeons, or disappeared for a thousand years, no power wants to test whether they will intervene when the theocracy faces life or death.

The Elf Empire, with its most powerful military, largest territory, and most terrifying influence, boasts four legendary figures: "Emperor," "Chariot," "Power," and "Judgment." In recent years, under the leadership of the Elf Empress, it has shown a strong ambition to dominate the East and conquer the world.

And the three pillars of the Kingdom of Konoma: Earl Vilette, who wields "Justice"; Karen, the sword saint who wields "Temperance"; and Her Majesty the "Empress".

With such a powerful lineup, all the countries outside the three major powers combined are no match for the kingdom. How can it be called "utterly rotten"?

"If there were no demonic threat, this kingdom would have become like that prison sooner or later..." Cheng Cheng sighed softly.

"Laomi?" Sylvia asked curiously.

“Laomi is America, the country of Father Me,” Cheng Cheng explained. “Our Teyvat is one of the worlds created by Father Me, but that was a long time ago.”

"The creator of the world... that must have been a very powerful god. What happened afterward?"

"Later, the United States betrayed its father." Cheng Cheng said with great sorrow, "The United States was originally the capital established by the pioneers, but now it is arresting travelers and wanderers all over the streets. It has truly forgotten its roots!"

"Oh...oh, I see."

The two ended their casual conversation.

Before the interview, they had already discussed the next steps and even brought in a bodyguard—I don’t know how to explain it later, but judging from the bodyguard’s constant sweating, it seems the air conditioning in the room was set too high.

The chosen believers were mostly innocent people from good families who had never committed a crime, and all of them had a tragic life similar to Luke's. They were exactly the kind of people Sylvia wanted to help, and Cheng Cheng thought they were the best targets to take advantage of.

They were made to stand on the magic circle. The Bazar puppet initiated the ritual, and the triple rings began to rotate, with the central crown-like particle illuminating with a dim light.

Three minutes later, the ceremony ended, and the worshippers' consciousness returned to their bodies.

"Aaaaaah—!"

The worshippers, who had just finished the ceremony, immediately let out heart-wrenching screams!

What did you see?

Cheng Cheng went up to ask out of curiosity, not knowing whether the scene they were seeing resembled his own or Sylvia's.

“Death, the unknown, war…” Luke replied in a trembling voice after being patted a few times by Cheng Cheng, “And disease, chaos and darkness…”

"Huh, can he see six? I only saw three..." Sylvia wondered if her spiritual vision was too low.

"We are no match for that thing. Humanity, humanity is finished..."

"Any resistance is futile, any struggle is a joke..."

"Haha! We're all going to die sooner or later anyway. Once the Primal One arrives, those nobles and the Church will die with us! Hahahaha!"

"Yes! Reality is already hell anyway, it's all about death. Which is more glorious, dying at the hands of the Primal One or dying at the hands of a nobleman!?"

"Speaking of which, we've already pledged allegiance to the Primordial God's sect. Surely the demons will spare us when they descend..."

"I have to tell my daughter and ex-wife to join the church too!"

The Protestants were in complete chaos. From initial panic to the Adventists who longed for the Primal Descendant to destroy the world, and then to the Survivors who hoped the Primal Descendant would spare them, a mere dozen or so people reenacted the transformation process of the ETO organization in "The Three-Body Problem".

Cheng Cheng finally understood why the Bazar puppet said that as long as one goes through the ritual, one will not be afraid of betrayal.

Humans are creatures that seek reassurance. When an opponent is stronger than they imagine, most people will choose to stand on the opponent's side to seek a sense of security—even if it's just self-deception.

After clearing his throat twice, Cheng Cheng sat back on the bronze throne and suddenly said sternly, "Family members!"

The chaotic crowd of believers below the stage quieted down, looked up, and gazed at Cheng Cheng with hopeful eyes.

This girl is the leader of the Primordial God's cult; she must know more about God and can surely save us!

"First of all, congratulations on officially joining the Primal God Cult and becoming my family." Cheng Cheng looked around and asked in the most authoritative tone, "Having seen the true form of the Primal God, do you believe that by joining our Primal God Cult, you will be saved when demons descend?"

The believers nodded in agreement.

“Everyone here has suffered,” Cheng Cheng paused, “those nobles, those churches, those high and mighty people—they told you that as long as you believe in the Amber God, as long as you follow the rules, as long as you are honest people, you can live a good life—but have you lived a good life?”

"Who is oppressing our people? Who has taken away our milk and bread?"

Luke clenched his fist: "They're nobles!"

“That’s right! They are nobles!” Cheng Cheng raised his fist. “They claim to be born noble. In the past, present, and future, they have eroded our power and taken everything from us!”

"Have you ever been to the market? Do you know how much a loaf of bread costs these days?" Cheng Cheng held up his hand. "It costs 500,000 credits! 500,000! If you converted that into cash, you couldn't even fit it all in a trolley!"

The temple was silent; the believers looked at each other, hesitant to speak.