Chapter 489
Chapter 489 - 469: Three Cups of Tea
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Already at least two days late, Lu Ping’an’s party was in good spirits and not in a hurry at all.
They had adjusted their strategic direction and began to move in the upper levels, clearing out some beastmen who were still in chaotic battles... there was no other way, as the lower they went, the more victims of "malicious transformations" they would find, and ordinary people were scarce.
Sometimes they fought without even knowing who was who, anyway, it was either a wolf-man, a lion-man, a mouse-man, or an eagle-man, and occasionally they could see a bear-man or two... It was worth mentioning that bear-men had great strength, strong explosive power, and were extremely hard to beat, obviously more troublesome than the other types.
However, with Catherine’s gateway advantage and Meow’s intelligence and reconnaissance advantage, it was not difficult for them to take down their enemies along the way.
Lu Ping’an and his companions were very patient, and they always remembered what they were here for... No matter what deity, they were here to loot treasures!
Lu Ping’an was certain that the world had already lost hope, so what difference did it make if there was one more or one less Beast God? The key focus was what his party could gain from this collapsing world.
"Our primary goal has two... now maybe three objectives. Three Rule-Level items, and if we get more than two of them, we will leave immediately!"
In an internal meeting, Lu Ping’an frankly stated his thoughts, and everyone unanimously approved... Yes, everyone, not one person objected.
Contrary to what some had expected, after this meeting, the team actually became more harmonious.
The reason was simple: everyone was here to make money, not to engage in unpaid volunteer work... Your team’s profits need to increase so that team members have a chance for greater bonuses and opportunities for gains.
You can work as a volunteer Paladin, great, very noble, go ahead, but we will watch from here and if we’re lucky, we’ll help you to collect the bodies.
With Lu Ping’an’s attitude of looting if possible and running away if not... the team’s morale actually became much more stable. Even those who wanted to save the world would only save their own people and those they could save.
What is worth mentioning is that Knight Ben and Catherine also participated in this internal meeting. Lu Ping’an had no intention of concealing his plans from them and had even explained to them in their native language.
Looking at the result, Catherine agreed with a smile and seemed very satisfied... while Ben first glared at the increasingly abnormal female knight and then fell into deep thought.
In the end, he could only let out an unwilling sigh.
Based on the information available, not entering the depths was the most sensible decision. If the Beast God were to truly resurrect... even if it was a "resurgence" in another sense, it would probably be a Rule-level monster and any direct confrontation would be a gift.
Privately, Catherine told Lu Ping’an about the resurrection ritual and its process. Lu Ping’an and the big cat discussed it and confirmed its feasibility.
"First, use the Holy Image as the carrier, and use the Holy Relic, Holy Blood, and Sacred Limb as catalysts for summoning the deity? Theoretically, it’s a mature technique, but it’s hard to say what will be called."
Theoretically, if the deity was still alive, then even if a clone was summoned, with the divine limb as a supplement and the Holy Image as a carrier, it could still exert a certain amount of strength... even if it didn’t reach the level of True Gods, it would still be a Quasi-God with many weaknesses.
"It should be theoretically feasible. As long as the Quasi-God level clone is sculpted successfully, ascending it to deity is only a matter of time. It can also summon its other parts through bloodline."
The big cat affirmed the actions of the Beast God Priests. If they were lucky, they could indeed summon a deity’s clone and gradually bring about its resurrection.
"But the key point is that the deity has already died... From the very beginning, this wasn’t a feasible plan. This scheme is more about escaping the seal than reviving the dead. Hah, what a daring idea for mortals to think about reviving a dead deity."
The deity had died, not simply sealed away. What was left in the seal was merely some residue, and most likely "spoiled" residue at that.
It was hard to say whether the Beast God’s Great Priest, who designed this system back then, was rational or not...
"They’ve gambled everything on the prophecy..."
These prophecies, about the resurrection of the dead and the revival of extinct gods, were the root of everything... they were gambling that the Beast God within the seal had already been resurrected.
Thus, when the believers of the Beast God discovered that the "dead" had resurrected, they confirmed that the moment of prophecy had arrived, that the sacrificial moment of their lives had arrived, and that it was time for their deity to resurrect.
At this point, even if someone put forth a different opinion, what would be the point... well, that person would be torn apart directly, as fanatical believers were more proactive in tearing apart heretics than hunting enemies.
"... The Great Priest must have gone mad back then. After the death of their god, the Beast God Sect lost everything, and they gambled all that was left on a prophecy of resurrecting a deity..."
Now, those in the know were aware that they had most likely lost their bet. From the very beginning, they had misunderstood the prophecy: all their actions brought only new problems.
"If they complete the summoning, what will emerge?" Lu Ping’an was most concerned about the outcome.
"Only heaven knows... but even a mutated God Corpse would be extremely difficult to handle. However, it shouldn’t be the deity’s return. It might be reduced somewhat, but it should retain some Divine Right. As for its strength, well, I don’t know either. This kind of thing is like asking if ’elephant meat with boiled bananas taste good or fried apples taste good.’ Without trying it, who can know the answer?" The big cat had no certainty either, as there were too many unknowns and she hadn’t seen the craftsmanship of the Beast God Priests.
Although this analogy was profoundly subtle, Lu Ping’an probably understood what she meant.
"Safety first is our priority. Prioritize reclaiming Rule-Level items, and the rest... let those below us clear the mines first.com" Lu Ping’an made up his mind to commit robbery first... but at the same time, he also sent out spies to dive deeper into the levels and wait for intelligence feedback.
Apart from Meow, there were others in the group who could ignore the vicious transformation curse.
However, the scouts who went down didn’t respond in a short time. Meanwhile, their search seemed unlucky since they hadn’t found any signs of Truth-Level items in the few hours they had spent searching... Of course, this was also related to the fact that they hadn’t decided to go deeper.
And what were the bandits they were coveting, the ones with the Truth-Level items, doing?
They were drinking tea.
Yes, they were indeed drinking tea. They all sat together, each with a cup of pleasantly fragrant tea in their hands.
"Drink up."
The lead thief, dressed as a Scholar, kindly urged those drinking the tea, but his comrades weren’t the ones he was addressing.
In front of the bound Shepherd Silver person, a cup of tea was also placed, only that this cup of tea looked like it was poisoned and smelled even worse.
And in Evil Bone’s hand, besides a similar cup of "poisonous tea," was the Truth-Level treasure that Lu Ping’an longed for—Aidal’s Friendship Teapot.
Or perhaps, there was a more appropriate and colloquial name, taken from a local fairy tale—Three Cups of Tea.
One cup could cure all diseases, one cup was extremely poisonous, and one cup had endless uses.
However, the cruel reality was even more ruthless than the fairy tale...
The Shepherd Silver person was full of despair, not because the tea in his hand might be poisonous, but because the "ingredient" for the tea was the last of his kind!
— End of Chapter 489 —