PSW - Chapter 79
Chapter 79
The next morning.
The broadcast hadn't sounded yet, but many people were already awake. They repeatedly looked at the information they'd received yesterday, reading the words over and over with great care. When they closed their eyes, the memory of yesterday's rain still lingered in their minds.
Today, they would be able to see that ability user. Today, there would be a second rainfall.
Saint, Saint… Ah, the great Saint God.
In that instant, the word was imbued with sacred emotion. They chanted it in their hearts, savoring it.
When the broadcast sounded, this time, no one had the slightest complaint or dissatisfaction. They were even impatient, rushing downstairs. Even the ordinary people had a spark of life in their eyes. During this period of high temperatures, they wanted to survive, to endure. No matter who it was, no matter what She said, as long as they could live on-
"This is the ability user who brings the rain, Zheng Yi."
"Zheng Yi is the Saint."
"The apocalypse is fraught with disaster, but the Saint has come to save the world. She brings sweet rain, punishes the wicked, offers salvation to all, and wanders the earth. If all beings believe in the Saint, then all beings shall live."
"Faith is a ladder. Those below the third level are lost. From the fourth to the sixth, they begin to break through their barriers. At the seventh, they return to the righteous path. At the eighth, they begin to glimpse the truth. At the ninth, their minds become clear as a mirror. At the tenth, they can ascend to the outer holy domain, receive the Saint's blessing, escape the sea of suffering that is the mortal body, and let their souls ascend."
Feng Shuxian recited this passage once more, her voice deep and powerful, reaching every person's ears.
"Now, let the prayer begin."
Countless people, countless pairs of eyes, converged on Zheng Yi at that moment. They were fervent, ardent. They gazed at Zheng Yi with devotion, looking up to her, softly chanting the Saint's name in their hearts: "Zheng Yi."
"It's her!" an ability user among them cried out in astonishment. His expression was one of extreme excitement as he grabbed the person next to him. "I knew it, I knew it… She was the one who made it rain that time, too! It was her, it was really her!" This was the ability user from the alley that day. As he spoke, he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. He clawed frantically at his own face, his emotions erupting to their peak, so choked up he could barely speak.
"It's her… She is the Saint!"
He had killed so many people, executed so many. His hands were covered in blood, steeped in sin. They were his compatriots, people who hadn't deserved to die, but… but… He was crying and laughing at the same time. "Can I become a believer, too?" That Saint had once brought a shower of sweet rain just for them.
"Zheng Yi… It's Zheng Yi, she's the Saint…"
[Ding! Detected that Zhang Yingzhi believes the Host is the Saint from the bottom of their heart! Assessing emotional intensity…]
[Assessment complete. Reward: 7 Saint Points!]
[Ding! Detected that Chu Heyu believes the Host is the Saint from the bottom of their heart! Assessing emotional intensity…]
[Assessment complete. Reward: 6 Saint Points!]
[Ding! Detected that Chi Yongyuan believes the Host is the Saint from the bottom of their heart! Assessing emotional intensity…]
[Assessment complete. Reward: 7 Saint Points!]
A series of assessments sounded one after another, and names flashed by.
[Ding! Detected that Host's cumulative Saint Points have surpassed 1000! Reward: Special Item · Stamina Recovery Pill unlocked1, Saint's Halo1]
[Detected that the special item has already been unlocked. This reward has been canceled.]
As this notification flashed, Zheng Yi thought she heard Zero One curse out loud.
Saint's Halo? Zheng Yi merely thought of it, and a hazy, holy light enveloped her, looking exceptionally distinct even in the daylight. It wasn't just a halo, but an aura or a disposition-
Zheng Yi lowered her gaze, raised her hand slightly, and looked down upon the masses.
A pitter-patter of rain began to fall once more, descending equally and mercifully upon every person, seeping into their hearts.
Is she the Saint? She is the Saint! She is the Saint God, a deity come to save the world!
Although the space was already extremely cramped, they couldn't help but fall to their knees, prostrating themselves deeply, deeply in Zheng Yi's direction.
Zheng Yi, the Saint. They kowtowed repeatedly, the pure, sweet rainwater soaking them to the bone, yet they felt no fatigue, no heat. Everything, finally, had a clear direction. They didn't dare speak that sacred name aloud, only silently repeating the name "Zheng Yi" in their hearts while crying out the word "Saint."
Heavenly Lord? Great Emperor? Sovereign Lord? Your Eminence?… There were no honorific suffixes, only the word "Saint."
The heavy rain poured down as they prostrated themselves, piously calling out the Saint's name.
Ten minutes later, the downpour ceased, and the holy light around the ability user on the stage dissipated. As they looked up, they realized that the "Saint" herself was such a young and beautiful woman.
"The prayer is over. Please remain calm and return home in an orderly fashion." Base Leader Feng's voice came over the broadcast. This time, she was much calmer, and her voice no longer held a slight tremor. "During this period of high temperatures, the Saint will remain at our base. From now on, there will be a prayer and rainfall every morning."
The rainfall was over.
[Ding! Detected that Host's cumulative Saint Points have surpassed 5000! Reward: Special Item · Apocalypse Shelter Barrier (Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced) unlocked1, Saint Exemption1]
Five thousand.
Host: Zheng Yi
Saint Points: 5077
Inventory Slots: 6
Special Abilities: Water/Healing (Beginner)
Not only had her cumulative total surpassed five thousand, but her current Saint Points also exceeded five thousand.
The earnings this time were… 4846 Saint Points.
Zheng Yi walked off the stage, browsing through the messages. The highest contribution of Saint Points was 9, from only two people. The lowest contribution was… one point, and from more than one person.
Heh, so there really were people who only gave one point.
It made sense. After all, in the eyes of some ability users, she was just another ability user, not a true deity. After learning of her special rain-making ability, they might not have felt any devotion at all and instead started getting other ideas.
Zheng Yi suppressed the playful look in her eyes. Compared to gaining Saint Points through this kind of proselytizing, she still preferred the method of personally sending people to their salvation.
[Your current cumulative Saint Points are 5744. At this rate, we can get the ten-thousand-point reward directly!] Zero One was very excited. It had guessed the returns from this trip would be huge, but when the actual earnings were revealed, it was still ecstatic. It was truly worth spending so many performance points to unlock the Stamina Pills. A great unlock!
[But, Host, after the high-temperature period is over, some people in this base might not want you to leave.] After the initial excitement, Zero One also saw the danger behind the massive amount of Saint Points. It wanted to give a warning, but then it remembered Zheng Yi's combat strength and figured it would be better to worry about the people who might harbor such thoughts. [Well, perhaps that base leader will also offer other benefits to persuade you to stay.] The apocalypse is long, and this high-temperature period… won't be the only one.
Zheng Yi didn't reply to Zero One. She looked up to see Yu Yinan quickly approaching her side. "Are you okay?"
"Jiejie, I'm doing great~" Zheng Yi smiled.
Feng Shuxian and the first few base managers also came over. "Are you all right? If you're not feeling well, you can rest for a while and we can do the recording this afternoon."
"I'm fine, let's do it now." Zheng Yi followed them toward the building and sat down at a large conference table on the second floor. The others each took out sheets of paper covered in names and spread them across the table. Each person was responsible for several sheets, and they held their pens, waiting for Zheng Yi to report the names and faith values.
"I received a total of 4846 Saint Points," Zheng Yi said.
"Forty-eight hundred?" Feng Shuxian did a quick calculation. That number… wasn't exactly optimal. But considering Zheng Yi's price of 45 faith points per rainfall, it was already a good result.
"But the total number of registered people in the base is 1187." The average contribution was actually less than five points.
"In an apocalypse like this, it's normal for some people not to believe in gods, not to believe in the Saint," Feng Shuxian said calmly. "After all, Zheng Yi appeared right before their eyes. She's a person, an ability user."
The way those people looked during the rainfall… One of the managers twirled his pen but ultimately didn't say anything more. He looked at Zheng Yi. "Let's begin, then. We'll be troubling you."
"Mhm," Zheng Yi acknowledged and began to read out the names in order. "Zhang Yingzhi, seven faith points."
"Got it." Someone found the name in the ledger they were responsible for and wrote a "7" after it.
"Chu Heyu, six faith points."
"Chi Yongyuan, seven faith points."
…
"Li Hongyun, one faith point."
"One point?" The manager frowned. That guy Li Hongyun…
"Quiet." Feng Shuxian glanced at him. "We already agreed during the meeting not to categorize people by their faith contribution. This data must absolutely not be leaked."
"I understand, but that's just too low." The manager sighed helplessly, his emotions unreadable as he gritted his teeth. "What a staunch atheist." It was one thing not to believe, but to not even be willing to acknowledge that young Zheng is the Saint?
Did he think there was a conflict of interest behind it, or did he think Zheng Yi was a puppet of faith propped up by their base? Or did he have other ulterior motives? As he thought about it, he clenched his jaw but ultimately didn't pursue it further.
"Got it," another person said after finding the name and writing a "1" next to it.
"Wu Yingdong, four faith points."
"Got it."
With Li Hongyun's one-point contribution as a precedent, when the second and third one-point values appeared, these people no longer commented, simply continuing to record. As for the two- and three-point values, they hardly seemed worth mentioning.
After all, the total value was set, and the average was already determined. This situation… could be considered normal.
Every hour, they took a short break to let Zheng Yi drink some water and catch her breath. They also wiped the sweat from their faces with towels and rehydrated.
The recording speed was slow at first, but it picked up later on. The managers became familiar with the names assigned to them, and as soon as Zheng Yi spoke, they could quickly find the corresponding entry.
But by the time everything was finished, it was already past lunchtime.
"Thank you for your trouble. You should go back and get some rest." After the recording was done, Feng Shuxian had the others stay behind to calculate the total faith value. Without waiting for the result, she let Zheng Yi and the others leave to rest.
"We'll be troubling you during this time."
"Not at all," Zheng Yi said with a smile. "I've earned quite a lot from you. It's what I should be doing."
Feng Shuxian smiled. She looked at Zheng Yi, hesitated for a moment, then said, "Go back and get some good rest for now. In the future… we might need you to make it rain twice a day."
"Okay. If you need me to, I'll do my best." Zheng Yi didn't act coy or refuse, agreeing directly. "After all, the faith points from today are enough for a hundred rainfalls."
"That's because your price is too low." Feng Shuxian didn't say anything more. Zheng Yi waved and left with Yu Yinan. Feng Shuxian watched Zheng Yi go, then turned to the managers. "What's taking so long to do some simple addition? You can eat after you've finished tallying the results."
Comments
Post a Comment