Sanctuary Paradise

Chapter 772 The Strong and Faith
One day later, in the southern continent, on the edge.

"Hey, Captain, how can you get a gift made by Black Sword Boss just by lying on the island for a few days? If I had known, I would have stayed there with you guys!"

A cry of envy and resignation came from the entrance of the maze. The orange-haired girl who served as the combat shepherd of the Liezhan team looked at the note in Liezhan's hand with a face full of resentment, and protested alone:
"Run away! Captain, you are running away!"

"Stop joking. Brother Tianduan and I almost died at that time. And when you asked Master Shengji for advice, why didn't you think about the fact that Brother Tianduan and I had to practice blindly because no one cared about us?"

Reizhan, who knew the other person's personality very well, grabbed the head of the orange-haired girl who was rushing towards him, and let her wave her arms like a dog paddle, and said:

"Besides, this is the training experience of the technical system, not something else. Do you really expect Black Sword Master to teach you how to swing the staff?"

"Tsk, it's not impossible..."

"..."

Ju Huo'er was muttering, and Lie Zhan didn't know how to complain. In the end, he could only look at other people and change the subject:

"Alright, stop messing around. This is the last instance we have to face in the Southern Continent. Cheer up!"

"Yes!" "Understood!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the newcomer of the Sun God Cult, Zhan Ci Yan Ling, who was watching the fun on the side, as well as Jie Yan and Zheng Tan, who were the C position and front row of the team respectively, all nodded and stood at attention subconsciously to respond. Seeing this, Ju Huoer, who was making a fuss, could only pout unwillingly and restrain himself obediently.

"Brother Liezhan and everyone else, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."

After a while, a voice with a hint of apology was heard, and Tianduan and his team members were seen descending from the sky in a gust of wind, while Kraft and Bell followed beside them and nodded to the Liezhan team who had gathered in advance.

"It's okay. Anyway, it's our turn to take the lead this time."

Looking at Tianduan and his group, Liezhan smiled, while Juhuoer beside him looked at Tianduan curiously and muttered strangely:

"It's strange. He doesn't seem to have changed much, but why do I feel like Brother Tianduan's temperament is different from a few days ago?"

"Hey, has anything changed, brother Tianduan? I can't sense it."

Facing the orange-haired girl's muttering, Yan Ling on the side looked at Tian Duan with some curiosity, but could not see anything. The elf girl next to Tian Duan nodded thoughtfully and said:

"Hmm... Honestly, Captain, you do give people a different feeling than before? But I can't tell you exactly why."

"Maybe it's because I figured out some things."

Facing his companions' murmurs, Tian Duan simply smiled, then looked at Lie Zhan in front of him, nodded, and after exchanging glances, he spoke to his companion beside him:

"Alright, cheer up, everyone. Next up is our last battle in the Southern Continent. Once we get to the Central Continent and the Northern Continent, there won't be any such good thing as being able to clear an entire instance through cooperation!"

After he finished speaking, Tianduan's mental power moved, and two swords, one large and one small, flew out from the sword box behind him. He looked at the entrance of the maze in front of him, took a deep breath, and a look of determination flashed across his eyes. Finally, he held the long sword in one hand, controlled the giant sword that could be used as a shield to float in front of him, and strode forward.

In the past, due to the influence of his uncle-master, he had always subconsciously imitated the other's style and habits, but this time, he decided to use his own style to put an end to his past obsession!
And here... is his new starting point!

……

Tianmai Dragon Island, the Black Sword’s special room.

"Huh! I finally finished reading the basic theory! I can't wait, Ling Yuzi, I'm going to take a nap first, you continue!"

A tired murmur sounded in Xin Lailai's mind, and then he fell weakly on the bed. There were heavy bags under his lower eyelids, and the drafts and books scattered around the room gave him a feeling of exhaustion.

Four days.

Including the time spent guiding Liezhan and Tianduan, they haven't slept for four days.

Thanks to these four days, they managed to learn all the basic theories of runes involved in the Magic Book World, which theoretically would take at least a month to master.

Of course, this is mainly due to the knowledge skill of LV.20 Basic Soul Runes as the foundation, as well as the two pieces of equipment, Pale Oath and Diligent Scholar, which increase the learning speed.

"Tsk, if I had known earlier, I would have quietly taken a break while tutoring those two guys, Liezhan and Tianduan..."

"Lai Lai, don't lie to yourself. It was you who took the time off during your break to teach them."

"Well, I just want to finish it as soon as possible?" "Well... is this Lai Lai being arrogant?"

"... Ling Yuzi, you're going to kill the conversation like this."

In the room, Xin Lailai coughed lightly and answered with a little embarrassment, while Ling Yuzi muttered curiously, which directly silenced Xin Lailai, and he complained helplessly in his mind.

"So is that right?"

"Well... if you really count it, it's probably because I really saw my own shadow in him, right? And it's not a big deal, so I'll just help him out."

Xin Lailai replied that, for him, helping Tianduan to get over his mental knot was indeed just a matter of convenience. After all, the other party's situation was essentially that of a young man who had just started out being hit by an even more outrageous cheater. Compared with his own situation at the time, it was actually much easier.

Moreover, just as he told the other party, in his opinion, since the other party had not given up on himself to the point of not wanting to even touch swordsmanship, it was not a big deal.

After all, they had witnessed with their own eyes how outrageous Dao Ji's talent was. He was able to break through to the Grandmaster level at the second level on his own. Each of his passive techniques and ultimate abilities were achieved step by step by himself without relying on any points from Paradise. This was a perverted thing.

In this situation, it might be difficult for those ambitious kendo geniuses to avoid being discouraged.

It's like an author suddenly discovers that the masterpiece he created with great effort is not even as brilliant as the work some genius came up with on the toilet after dinner.

When you find out that what you have been pursuing all your life is just something that others can easily get, the sense of gap and confusion is enough to make most people begin to doubt the meaning of choosing this path.

From this point of view, it is indeed a remarkable thing that Tianduan, after realizing the gap between himself and Dao Ji, still forced himself to continue advancing on the path of swordsmanship, and even developed to the top echelon stage.

Of course, this may also be closely related to his deep understanding of Tianduan's situation.

"But, without realizing it, we have become the kind of people who can invest in newcomers and be reminded by the paradise, right?"

Xin Lailai recalled the times when she had guided Liezhan and Tianduan, looked at the branding interface at the edge of her vision, a hint of emotion in her eyes.

In fact, he originally wanted to throw a few more reusable soul storage crystals (large) to Liezhan and Tianduan. After all, for them now, this thing has become a small toy that they can make at will.

However, Paradise was watching too closely. They had just thrown two books of experience written with soul runes, and they started to warn them not to provide too much funding, so as not to violate the training regulations for new contractors. "Is it the same as what happened between you and Brother Ritian when you first entered Paradise, Lailai?"

"My behavior is much more snobbish than Brother Ritian's. I didn't show the potential to be in the top echelon like them back then."

Xin Lailai smiled and joked in his mind that, in fact, the reason why he was so willing to sponsor these potential new contractors was closely related to his own experience. In other words, it was precisely because they relied on the kindness of 04296 and others to achieve what they have today that he now hopes to pass on such kindness.

As for whether this was hypocrisy to gild one's own image or simply out of kindness from the heart, to be honest, Xin Lailai herself couldn't tell the difference clearly.

After all, he treated Liezhan and Tianduan so well because he saw that they had enough potential, but in addition to giving them gifts, he sincerely hoped that they could achieve greater success.

If one had to find an inappropriate analogy, it would be that he seemed to be gradually beginning to understand why his own leader liked to 'draw cards' so much.

"Phew, I've almost recovered. Now, let's continue studying runes. I'll try to finish half of the advanced parts before tonight!"

After resting for about twenty minutes, Xin Lailai, who had quickly recovered some energy with the help of potions, refreshing tea and calming runes, sat up straight from the bed. While rubbing his temples, he picked up the book on runes that was spread out beside him and began to read it carefully.

"By the way, why do I feel like my head has been itchy and a little hot lately?"

"Hmm... Could it be that because you haven't had enough rest recently, Lailai, your brain is overloaded and you're starting to lose your hair?"

"How is that possible? I am very clear about whether my brain is overloaded. Moreover, I checked it with the Star Luo Field this morning, and there is no sign of hair loss at all."

"Tsk, I thought I'd see a Mediterranean version of Lai Lai? By the way, how about I help you shave your head, Lai Lai?!"

"Don't be curious about everything just to make up a CG... and at least wait until you get back before doing so."

……

At the same time, Dark Star.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The long and loud sound of the bell echoed slowly from the huge open fortress. In the busy square, people would look at the huge metal statue standing in the center of the square from time to time, and pray devoutly outside the fountain built around the statue.

"Mom, what are you doing?"

"This is a prayer to Lord Black Sword, asking for his protection."

Not far away, a child who looked about five years old looked at the scene in front of him curiously and asked his mother, while the mother gently touched the child's head and explained to him:

"It was Lord Black Sword who ended the pyroxene disease and brought the true blessing of God to our world, allowing us to return to live in the fortress like this."

"I see, it seems that Lord Black Sword is really powerful. Mom, should we pray to him as well?"

"Well, you're really smart! This is why mom brought you here. Look at the uncles and aunts around you. Try to imitate their movements."

"Ok!"

In the square, the mother lovingly caressed her child who had just recovered from pyroxene disease and woke up from a coma, and guided him to imitate the people around him, close his eyes, and make a prayer gesture towards the huge statue in the center of the square.

After the child imitated the action in a very realistic way, he looked up at the huge statue that was over a hundred meters high. He seemed to have discovered something. He suddenly blinked his eyes, stretched out his little hand, pointed at the top of the statue, and shouted excitedly in his childish voice:
"Mom! Look, there is a halo above Lord Black Sword's head!"

"Pfft, silly boy, you are seeing things wrong, that is just the reflection of the sun."

The child spoke excitedly, and looked in the direction the other party pointed, but the mother saw nothing except the sunlight shining on the statue, so she chuckled, touched the child's head and smiled.

"I'm not lying, I really saw it just now... Hey, why is it gone again?!"

"Yeah, mom got it. Okay, be good. We should go back now!"

"All right……"

Finally, the child, who discovered that there was actually nothing on the statue, nodded somewhat disappointedly, and walked out of the square under the guidance of his mother, looking back as he walked, as if he wanted to confirm something.

And in the very center of the square, rays of warm sunlight are falling from the sky, slanting down and spreading on the head and shoulders of the statue, like an exquisite colorful dress. Combined with the majestic face of the statue, it gives people an inexplicable sense of sacredness.

Like a god.

……

Sanctuary Paradise, somewhere.

"Ok?"

A charming voice with a hint of doubt rang out from the room filled with a rich and charming atmosphere. Behind the exquisite bed curtains woven with light purple silk, a naked girl who was sleeping with her eyes closed like a Sleeping Beauty moved her eyelashes slightly, slowly opened her eyes, and then lightly frowned.

"It turned out to be that guy..."

The image of a black-haired young man who had given him a displeased impression emerged from his mind, causing Shan Xi to show a bit of surprise on his face. After a short silence, he chuckled:
"Haha, well, at least this way, the people that Meimu guy picked can be of some use."

Being only at the third level, she was able to gather a large amount of faith power. This aptitude made her decide to ignore some personal factors for the time being.

"But are they still in the world progress? In that case, let's talk about it after they come back."

After taking a quick glance at the other person's position, the naked charming girl closed her eyes again, allowing the spider-like lavender silk threads to wrap her up, and then fell into a deep sleep again.

The outer echelons will hardly have faith in any particular thing, but their existence itself makes it much easier for them to gather a massive amount of faith power than those weak contractors.

This is why all religions welcome powerful and potential contractors.

In the eyes of outsiders, it seems to be a bad thing for gods that few of the contractors above the top echelon are interested in belief systems. However, for gods, those strong people who are not interested in belief systems but can gather huge power of faith are the most valuable.

This is the ecological relationship between the gods and the contractors from the top echelons and above in the Sanctuary Paradise.

Everyone takes what they need and everyone plays their own strengths.

……

(End of this chapter)