Storm of Gods

Chapter 216 Wooden Fish
Beneath the starry sky, Barty controlled his excited emotions; the world beyond the mist had a profound impact on him.

"Mr. Lion, you don't need to be so polite. The wooden fish is ready. Take a look." Li Xin said, taking out the wooden fish and small wooden mallet. "You can use this to strike it."

Li Xin imitated what he had seen before, raising his left hand and tapping with his right, and then a rhythmic thumping sound came from the round table.

After knocking for a while and seeing that Mr. Lion didn't react, they stopped. "Mr. Lion, Mr. Lion?"

At this moment, Batti's heart was like a stormy sea. At first, he didn't think that this strangely shaped prop could have any use. After all, the people of Dipo City had thought of countless ways to fight against the delirium over the centuries.

But the moment the wooden fish sounded, his soul seemed to vibrate as well, and an indescribable peace filled his heart. He felt as if he had received the light of salvation.

"Mr. Gemini, did you create this?" Barty's voice trembled slightly.

"I guess so. I think tapping this can calm the mind, cleanse distracting thoughts, and maybe even combat delirium."

“Mr. Gemini, I have just experienced the second time in my life that I have felt peace. The last time was when I was dying,” Barty said earnestly. “I can’t describe the feeling.”

"That's good." He tossed the wooden fish and small mallet to Barty, "Try tapping it."

Barty hurriedly caught it, asking, "How do I use it?"

Li Xin thought for a moment, "We still need to maintain a sense of ritual. Just like I did before, raise your left hand and then tap the wooden fish in rhythm with your heart."

Bati raised his left hand, thinking that this should be the starting gesture of a ritual, and did it meticulously. Then he gently tapped the wooden fish, and the sound seemed to hit Bati's heart, making him feel relaxed.

Thump...thump...thump...thump thump thump...

Watching Batty get more and more into the game, Li Xin felt he didn't need to teach him anything more; this was talent.

After knocking for a while, Barty stopped, stood up again, and knelt down before Li Xin with a thud. "Mr. Gemini, I have an unreasonable request. May I take the wooden fish back to the city?"

Barty guessed that the wooden fish must be some kind of magical artifact bestowed by a god to be able to so exquisitely counteract the delirium. It must come from a more powerful god, and Mr. Gemini must be a follower of this god. He was redeeming himself.

“I know this request is excessive, but we are in such a difficult situation. Many people have gone mad and committed suicide because of the delirium, and some have even degenerated into monsters because they could not bear the torment…” Barty has witnessed one training partner after another digging out their own flesh in an attempt to resist the delirium with pain, just to gain a moment of peace.

Li Xin quickly stood up, and just as he was about to leave his seat, the astrolabe began to shake. "Mr. Leo, get up quickly. Of course, I'll give it to you. You can decide how to use it and save whoever you want."

Bati kowtowed three times to Li Xin, no longer caring about anything else. He sat back down in his chair without saying a word. He thought of his sister, his brothers and friends, and how they were no longer suffering from the torment of delirium. His heart was filled with hope. Even if they couldn't reach the Pure Land of Bliss, at least they could alleviate their suffering.

In the city of Dhva, only two types of people can resist delirium: the chief deity and the one blessed by the chief deity. The third type is extremely rare, and occasionally, among the retainers, there are those who perform extraordinary feats.

Rahula wouldn't even get a chance to be chosen in either of them.

“Ahem, Mr. Barty, the people at the Round Table are all friends. Please don’t use such extravagant gifts anymore. I’m helping you because I want to,” Li Xin said earnestly. Barty, shrouded in a hazy mist, trembled slightly.

Li Xin hadn't expected this thing to be so useful to the lion. "Making this wooden fish isn't difficult. You just need to find a piece of wood and carve it into this shape. You need to remember its structure here. Once you leave the Round Table, the wooden fish will disappear."

“Yes, sir,” Barty said respectfully.

Li Xin didn't insist. It seemed to be working really well, but he didn't know if it would still be effective once they reached Misty City.

Barty was carefully turning the wooden fish. He had a good memory. Although Ratna was a sinner, he was very strong and physically fit. He had a great talent for crafting and building. Before being selected for the lamplighter training, they all had to undergo comprehensive learning and then be selected and categorized. Barty was actually excellent in all aspects, but of course, his talent as a lamplighter was the most important.

It felt like Bati was trying to memorize the wooden fish, while Li Xin waited patiently. Bati would ask questions from time to time, and Li Xin answered them one by one. Bati asked very detailed questions, and Li Xin answered them very patiently, which gave Bati hope and strength.

As the Huangdao Twelve Star Chart swayed, the time came, and Bati stood up and bowed respectfully.

"See you next time, Mr. Lion."

"See you next time, sir."

With a flicker, the two figures vanished, and the zodiac compass returned to calm...

Li Xin's soul returned to his body. He turned halfway up from the bed, stretched, opened the window to let the sunlight in, stood by the window for a while, and then smiled self-deprecatingly before putting the wooden fish into the box under the bed.

It wasn't time to drink with Simmons yet, although Simmons wasn't his first choice, he was still second. Actually, if he could drink with both his first and second choices, his life would be complete.

Going out now might require calling a carriage myself, but oh well, I'll get back to writing. Once Simmons' carriage arrives, we can go straight there.

The Feud at Utopia

Each time, the title had to be rewritten, which added a sense of ritual. Li Xin began to ponder the subsequent plot, making certain adjustments and changes to fit the situation of the Dao Yuan Continent. In fact, adding some hidden forces would make the future revenge drama of Earl of Utopia Mountain more powerful.

Da da da da da…

After five minutes of enthusiastic banging, Li Xin wanted a cigarette, but when he couldn't find one, he felt a little uncomfortable and his thoughts were scattered. He thought that he now had some money, so he should find a place to buy some cigars. He could ask Young Master Simmons for some information that night to avoid being scammed.

Li Xin sat on the chair for a while, then decided to go downstairs to buy some coffee. In the courtyard, Ma Liu was lying in the sun, his belly exposed. This was his favorite time to rest. He was the busiest person in the entire hotel, taking care of the whole family. He handled all the shopping, cleaning, and so on by himself. Dragon Mom treated him like a superman. He only had about an hour of free time before dinner, during which Ma Liu would move a chair to the sun and lie down, not eating or drinking, just sunbathing. Sometimes he would even hum comfortably. However, as soon as Dragon Mom made any move, he would immediately get into work mode as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

Honestly, if he were Daenerys Targaryen, he wouldn't be able to leave Simmons either. He's practically the epitome of a devoted admirer and a top-notch workaholic. It's just a question of whether he'll ever achieve his dream, since Daenerys' ideal type is Simmons, and people like David are just passing through.

Then again, someone like Simmons would be the ideal type in any world.

(End of this chapter)