I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

Leopard spoke earnestly to Lu Ban, as if explaining why they were having eggplant for dinner.

"And the inherent characteristics of pollution cause them to seek out nearby sources of pollution. And when it comes to active sources of pollution, besides me, isn't it you?"

"Those who worship the sacred cherry blossoms have given this pollution an outlet, just like the group of guys tied to the railroad in the trolley problem. One of them has to die, or else you will die."

Hearing Leopard's explanation, Lu Ban felt it was acceptable.

These clones can be considered half of Shenying's will. If there were a powerful will to control them, these clones could become Shenying's help. But now that Shenying lacks a central hub, the scattered pollution will turn into leopards, wandering around everywhere.

"So, our only option is to find a soul for Shenying?"

Lu Ban pondered that this could be considered a true human computer, but he himself did not engage in any sacrifices, so where did the soul come from to be stuffed into it?

How about we borrow one from Leopard?

She had been to He Island before, so theoretically she could have created an avatar there as well. It's unclear whether Lu Ban didn't notice or Leopard didn't do it.

But Lu Ban thought again that, given Leopard's personality, it would probably become a terrible server, frequently disconnecting and reconnecting, or having extremely high latency, and occasionally displaying some suggestive advertisements.

Not really suitable.

Thinking about this, Lu Ban felt that he was the most suitable one.

His fingers melted, dripping a pool of blood and flesh.

The flesh and blood writhed rapidly and disappeared into the divine cherry blossom.

Soon, Lu Ban appeared inside the Divine Cherry Blossom.

This is Lu Ban's clone, but unlike Leopard's original body, which can create avatars with independent will at will, this clone is essentially still Lu Ban himself.

He temporarily filled the void left by Shenying with his own soul.

This is actually quite troublesome, because Shenying's role in [Morning Star] is as a server, and she needs to check the status of each player, which requires a lot of brainpower. However, Lu Ban is just an ordinary, enthusiastic citizen and cannot handle so many things.

But there's nothing he can do; he just loves this world so much.

"If you do this, the pollution will be subtly transmitted to you through your clone, and you will be exposed to more and more pollution, eventually becoming alienated."

"Leopard commented."

"Then you'll help me?"

Lu Ban countered with a question.

"It's not impossible."

Leopard glanced at Shenying with amusement.

"Forget it, I don't want the players to take off their helmets one day and find that they all have your face on them."

Lu Ban resolutely refused.

"Wouldn't that be better?"

Leopard puffed out his cheeks, as if he were very angry.

"If you can't take it anymore, I welcome you to become my kin anytime. At least in terms of pollution, I can help you relieve and vent your frustrations."

She added.

"No need. I am already a chosen one of the silent gods. If I were to change my faith, I might really be punished by the gods."

Lu Ban examined himself to make sure he hadn't committed any sin of arrogance.

"Tsk tsk."

Leopard seemed to have other ideas as well; she patted Shenying and heard a crisp sound.

A pleasant sound indicates good quality wood.

"So, you're going to send those... um, players to other exotic lands to gather knowledge?"

"Leopard asked again."

That's the plan.

Lu Ban glanced at Leopard.

Is there a problem?

"Then your clone will also bear the burden of the pollution from those alien realms. You're quite selfless."

The leopard's lips curled up.

"There's nothing we can do about it."

Lu Ban replied.

"I'm not one of you born gods. I have no choice but to do this so that I can live a little longer and see more of this world."

"If you can eventually succeed and become an Old One, I would be happy to show you more of the true nature of this world."

"Leopard said."

"However, I have a hunch that you might bring a completely different future to these exotic lands."

"Can't you travel through the past and future? Why don't you just go and see for yourselves?"

Lu Ban joked.

"That won't do. For me, spoilers are the worst thing you can do. To keep the fun going, I'm willing to watch the story unfold from the same perspective as you."

As Leopard spoke, he suddenly had some inspiration.

"I just had an interesting idea."

"what?"

Lu Ban became alert.

“You see, your players need to explore other exotic lands, which will definitely lead to various dangers, and their exploration will be very slow.”

"Leopard said."

"So, I can send out my clones to help your players explore. That way, I can witness the exciting exotic exploration journey firsthand and protect those players. Isn't that great?"

"?"

Lu Ban looked at Leopard and felt that there must be something wrong.

"Don't look at me like that. What bad intentions could a little leopard possibly have?"

She blinked.

You have a lot of bad intentions.

Lu Ban thought to himself.

Chapter 846 End-of-Life Care

Although Lu Ban felt that this incarnation of the Outer God might indeed have ill intentions, she was, after all, the most corrupt person in the world, and if she really wanted to do something, there was no need to hide it.

So since Leopard offered to send out clones to help those players, why not take advantage of this opportunity?

Lu Ban readily agreed.

Back at the company, he quickly made arrangements and began a new round of testing for [Morning Star].

This time, Lu Ban conducted two experiments.

One is a player who already possessed extraordinary abilities due to the events in the Night Kingdom. Will they be able to use their extraordinary abilities in this alien realm?

Another question is whether ordinary players can gain new extraordinary abilities through the infusion of knowledge from other realms.

Players who already possess extraordinary abilities have essentially reached the basic goals of Lu Ban in terms of resistance to pollution. What they see and hear in normal alien realms will no longer cause a decrease in their sanity.

Ordinary people make up the majority, and they will inevitably face pollution to varying degrees in the future. If Lu Ban wants everyone to resist pollution, then letting ordinary people experience pollution is an inevitable step.

The first one is easy to talk about. Those players are still in Lu Ban's "Silent Land" completing the tasks that Lu Ban once experienced, and they are having a great time.

The second thing, however, is a bit more troublesome.

Ordinary people exposed to pollution will inevitably experience mental problems, decreased rationality, and in severe cases, physical mutation. Although with Leopard's assistance, these people may not die on the spot or turn into monsters, but if they go insane just from playing a game, it will still have a significant impact on Lu Ban's reputation for [Morning Star].

Lu Ban's Silent Media is not a large capital empire spanning several countries that can directly control public opinion and suppress this matter.

Therefore, Lu Ban had another idea.

That is to find terminally ill patients who are on the verge of death and have lost hope for the future, and let them try it.

This may sound inhumane, but since death is inevitable anyway, we might as well use it to shine and live a rather extraordinary life.

With this in mind, Lu Ban quickly contacted the hospice ward, or palliative care clinic, at the Third People's Hospital of Jiangcheng City through Tang Yu.

These wards mostly house patients who are terminally ill and nearing the end of their lives. Their chances of being cured are almost zero, and the treatments to prolong their lives are too painful. Therefore, in order to retain a bit of dignity and gain a moment of peace in the final moments of their lives, they choose this clinic.

Here, doctors and nurses usually provide treatments to alleviate pain, prioritizing the patient's wishes. Family members often come to accompany the patient, creating a warm and gentle atmosphere.

Contrary to Lu Ban's initial expectations, the ward contained not only elderly people but also some young people.

Cancer is the reason most young people are admitted here. Many of them have very short hair, which is a result of radiation therapy. After stopping the corresponding treatment, they actually look much healthier.

"This patient used to work for an internet company. It is said that he was very hardworking since his student days and was always the hardest working one after joining the company. However, he later developed esophageal cancer, which was caused by irregular eating habits and substandard hygiene of takeout food."

The doctor looked at the patient's retreating figure and explained.

Startled, Lu Ban hurriedly uninstalled the food delivery app from his phone.

The clinic also had some young and middle-aged people, most of whom had been diagnosed with terminal illnesses due to life's circumstances and were brought here as a last resort.

Perhaps because the elderly have relatively traditional views, their families still hope to prolong their lives, so fewer of them are brought here, and there are more young people in the clinic.

That aligns quite well with Lu Ban's ideas.

"It's a bit embarrassing to say. When Dr. Tang first contacted me, I thought her department had already started pre-selling services, hahaha."

To ease the rather somber atmosphere, the doctor joked.

"Doctor, I will give you some [Morning Stars]. These virtual reality devices will allow these patients to experience the outside world without leaving their homes. I believe this is a form of care for them in their final days."

Lu Ban delivered the prepared statement.

He wasn't lying.

If these selected patients gain something from their exploration of foreign lands, it might even improve their physical condition and prolong their lives.