Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon
Chapter 377 - 376 The next one is...

Chapter 377: Chapter 376 The next one is...

"So you’re saying Zhang Zhiyuan was taken deep into the cave and hasn’t returned to this day," Chaoyang mused, "What about Cui Zhen’en and Qianyuan Meiko then? Where were they at the time?"

Ailuodi relayed his words.

"I didn’t see them, they should still be in the carriage."

But Zhou Zhi and the others hadn’t strayed far from the carriage either; if they had all come to the City of Defense together, they wouldn’t be more than a hundred meters apart from each other. Based on their locations, the other two should also be on the same street.

Unfortunately, this area was filled with densely packed houses, even a fifty-meter distance could belong to two completely unrelated families, and with the changes to appearances and bodies, recognizing each other would not be an easy task.

"So where are we right now? Is this an illusion or reality?" Zhou Zhi asked urgently.

Ailuodi patted the girl’s shoulder, "Don’t freak out when I tell you, but we are in the City of Defense from fifteen years ago, and there are only seven days left before the mist consumes the city."

"The very City of Defense we were about to arrive at?" Zhou Zhi gasped, "No wonder there are forests and seas here; I was thinking of finding a kind-looking neighbor to ask around. But time going backward like this is really far-fetched! So is it another form of the Paradise game?"

"If that were the case, Anthony would have been resurrected a long time ago," Angel snorted, "Back home we have an old saying, ’If a dream is real enough, then you should live it as if it were reality.’ So it’s pointless to fret over whether it’s real or not. The root cause of this strange phenomenon is the Evil God, and we need to find a way to break this situation."

"Right." She suddenly remembered the crucial question, "Did you see a few lines of poetry when you woke up?"

"Yes! That’s right, I saw them! The contents were..." Zhou Zhi faltered for a moment, then said with a somewhat troubled expression, "Sorry, I can’t remember, I only recall there were two sets of questions in front, followed by a declarative sentence..."

"It’s the Chinese version," Chaoyang concluded.

"It seems anyone who is sent here receives a similar message," Ailuodi speculated thoughtfully.

"Hey, young lady, are you guys okay?" Enkui’s voice called from outside the firewood room.

"We’ll talk later. Do you know the original name of this body?"

Zhou Zhi shook her head.

Considering his previous comment about there being no adults at home, this girl might have been abandoned or perhaps her parents had been thrown into the sea.

"Then just say your name is Xiaomei."

"Xiaomei? That’s kind of old-fashioned... Can I change it?"

Before Zhou Zhi could protest, Ailuodi had already opened the door and said with a smile to the puzzled Enkui, "No problems here; she was just really nervous earlier but has calmed down now. Xiaomei, come on out, there’s no one here who will harm you."

"Oh, okay..." Zhou Zhi had no choice but to get into character, pretending to obediently follow Sister Angel out of the firewood room.

"What are her wishes then?"

"She’s hungry and wants to fill her stomach. Such a pitiful little one..." Ailuodi feigned sympathy, "Fortunately, I can fulfill such a wish without making a contract."

"Sorry." Enkui suddenly turned her head away and said.

"Huh? Why apologize?" Ailuodi asked, puzzled.

"You were right. People from the wealthy district aren’t short of food, but you’re the only one who is willing to share it with us for free... I shouldn’t have been angry with you for no reason because of your background, especially after you genuinely helped the neighbors," the older sister whispered softly.

"It’s fine if you understand. Don’t worry, I didn’t take those words to heart," Angel replied nonchalantly, "Besides, I’ve been used to that level of censure for a long time now."

"For a long time? You don’t look like someone who’s used to hardship..."

"Back then, I wasn’t a follower of the Paradise Sect. But that’s a long story, and we can talk about it some other time," she said with a smile as she began to pack up her things.

Seeing her getting ready to leave, Enkui was somewhat surprised, "Aren’t you staying here tonight to receive Prayers?"

"Well, I need to head back early to prepare since there’s a big event happening tomorrow," she replied with a smile.

...

Half an hour later, Ailuodi and Zhou Zhi returned to Bariff’s lodging place, and Chaoyang had also arranged for a lavish afternoon tea to be delivered. Zhou Zhi, who hadn’t eaten well for two days in a row, pounced on the meal and nearly choked himself to death in his frenzy.

Chaoyang casually tallied the day’s earnings with Angel. After accounting for the consumption of medical supplies and equipment, today’s wishing power had increased to 540 points, with the bulk of it—416 points—coming from the triple contract with the gang leader. It was indeed a pleasing surge.

As long as they didn’t encounter significant obstacles, and as the fame of Paradise spread, more and more people would pray to the Paradise Master, undoubtedly a virtuous cycle. He was establishing a foothold several times faster than at the Magnificent Castle, thanks to his rich experience.

The only disappointment was that after two days of busyness, he had yet to find a true believer like Dane or Judy who could provide a steady stream of wishing power.

Once Zhou Zhi had nearly finished eating, Chaoyang updated the player contract with him, giving him essentially another pair of eyes.

"Now I won’t die, right?" Zhou Zhi’s courage immediately multiplied several times over.

"In theory, yes. But even with a suitable body, transferring your soul would still cost my... Paradise’s computing power, so I suggest you don’t rush into death. Otherwise, the resurrection process would be exceedingly long, and you might end up in a deep sleep for an extended period," Chaoyang replied.

"Got it. So for Paradise officials, the Evil God represents..."

"The super boss, oh yes. This is an unexpected, out-of-the-ordinary mission. Enjoy the experience," Chaoyang said.

"Alright, I’ll do my best to complete it. But what’s the next task? Can you give me a hint?" Zhou Zhi asked.

"That..." Chaoyang was starting to falter.

"Ahem, the ultimate goal is undoubtedly to thwart the Evil God’s conspiracy, similar to the battle we had at Magnificent Castle," Ailuodi promptly took over. She infused a persuasive "magic" into her voice, "However, with the Evil God’s true form yet to appear, we first need to resolve the issue with the fog. Currently, we conjecture that the fog’s emergence is likely related to the Ransu Company’s operations in the area."

"Understood," Zhou Zhi said, stuffing pastries into his mouth while nodding repeatedly, "If City of Defense falls, the mission is considered a failure, right?"

"This kid is getting the hang of it," Ailuodi commended.

"With the experience he got playing games, he and Kokomoqi would definitely have a lot in common if they hung out together—" Chaoyang suddenly froze.

"What’s wrong?"

"Wait a minute, do you remember where the Magic Goddess was when the green light appeared?" He slapped his thigh.

Kokomoqi was flying toward him at the time, and not too far away—maybe about a dozen meters or so?

"It seemed like she was below us," Ailuodi said, looking down at the floor.

The building only had three floors, which altogether wouldn’t exceed fifteen meters. However, as an inn offering multiple services, it had a basement equipped with a bar, a wine cellar, and storage.

Chaoyang sprang to his feet, "Should we go down and take a look?"

Ailuodi naturally wouldn’t object—she was very aware of Kokomoqi’s abilities. If they could gain support from a Latter Divine at a time like this, their own strength would greatly increase.

Leaving Zhou Zhi in charge of watching the room, the two of them immediately set off and made their way down to the underground bar.