This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 178 Satellite
Star God Cult.

They worship the stars, the real starry sky, and everything that descends from the stars—or rather, from beyond the planets. This is the Cult of the Star Gods.

When Nie Weiyang heard the core tenet of the Star God Cult, "The starry sky is the savior, and all things are stardust," from the crowd's voices, he almost lost his composure. But he only remembered the scent of that person's blood and did not act rashly.

"They have a good relationship with the Returnist sect... so their methods are not too different. Also, please take control of the Observatory immediately!"

After uttering those words, Nie Weiyang grabbed the Golden Gift and rushed out of the conference room. His figure disappeared into the darkness in a few steps under the setting sun, the golden bird on his spear trembling, its golden feathers swaying gently in the wind. Liang Zhenduan and his companion exchanged a glance and quickly rushed off into the distance.

……

“…The starry sky.” Ping Xingdou murmured to himself, “The real starry sky…”

Fu Nian sat next to him, propping his cheek up with one hand, casually flipping through the flyers on the table.

These flyers, about the size of a palm, are beautifully handwritten in black paper with white text, and are also printed with star-like white dots.

“These people are coming for us,” Hao Yao said in a deep voice. “Or rather, they’re coming for all astronomers.”

"These flyers started appearing after the Star Stone incident, and there have been more and more of them in the last couple of days. Director Ping, haven't you received any?"

"No... I'm not going out."

Ping Xingdou's expression was complicated. He stared at the white characters, which read words that encouraged people to break free from illusions and witness the truth.

If he had received such a flyer before meeting Xing Shi, he might very well have been persuaded to join.

But now, whenever he talks about the starry sky, he can't help but think of that phantom, those stones, and that strange, odorless corpse.

It is said that not long after that incident, the corpse suddenly began to stink. It was only when people smelled the stench that they realized that it also existed in the material world.

What kind of world lies beyond the barrier...? Ping Xingdou was still curious; he couldn't help but be curious.

However, he can no longer blindly pursue reality as he did before.

Whenever he thought of doing so, a terrifying crimson flashed through the depths of his mind, and a strong sense of danger arose, telling him "no"—even though he chose "no" every time, his thirst for knowledge and curiosity continued to beat down his sense of responsibility.

No? Really not?

"Starry Sky." A voice called out.

Fu Nian leaned against the door, quietly watching Ping Xingdou and Hao Yao. The latter looked embarrassed for a moment and reached out to put away the flyers, but Fu Nian walked over and blocked his hand.

“No need to hide it, I received it too,” she said.

She sat on the sofa, took out a thick stack of flyers, and neatly placed them on the table, even making a soft 'thump' sound.

“It started more than a month ago, and I’ve been receiving these things every day. No matter how I try to avoid them, they seem to find me like fate.” She sighed softly.

"..." Hao Yao paused for a moment, then asked incredulously, "So early?"

Why does this Star God Cult value Fu Nian so much?
"..." Fu Nian clasped his hands together, quietly lowered his eyes, and looked at the flyers.

After a while, she said, "Since we've all received them, Chang Xia and the others must have received them too."

"Let's have a meeting tonight."

"Meeting..." Hao Yao murmured.

He was a loyal fan of Ping Xingdou, so when this topic came up, he would naturally check Ping Xingdou's reaction first.

But Ping Xingdou didn't react this time. He just stared at the words 'Real Starry Sky' on the flyer for a while before finally speaking: "Okay."

Fu Nian reached out as if concerned and gently pressed down on the back of his tense hand, his soft fingers soothing him.

"Take a break, Stardust," she said softly.

Hao Yao tactfully got up and left, while Ping Xingdou, somewhat flattered, moved his fingers and grasped her hand in return: "...Okay." He paused, then asked, "What do you think of... the Star God Cult..."

"What?" Fu Nian asked softly.

"Do you think the Star God Cult knows the truth?" Ping Xingdou asked softly, "about everything outside the planetary barrier."

“I…” Fu Nian’s voice paused for a moment.

She seemed a little nervous for a moment, or perhaps just melancholy.

“…I don’t know,” she said.

Ping Xingdou hadn't expected her to know. He exhaled, picked up the flyer again, and stared at the starry sky depicted on it.

A real, Earth-based starry sky.

“I want to see the real starry sky again,” he said. “I want to…see the truth and get the answers.”

"What answer?" Fu Nian asked subconsciously.

"You arrived not long before the Blood Moon ascended, so it's understandable that you don't know: shortly after we arrived in the New World, I and a few friends who work in geology conducted an experiment on gravity."

Fu Nian's expression turned serious: "What were the results of the experiment?"

"This planet looks similar to Earth and has certainly been modified by a previous civilization, but in fact, its gravity is slightly lighter than Earth's."

Ping Xingdou pinched two fingers and gestured the size of a tiny dot: "And its air pressure, nitrogen content, and oxygen content are higher than Earth's, so those giant mutated creatures can exist, and people's moods are not so low."

"We initially thought this was simply the result of adaptive environmental modifications by a previous civilization, but..."

Fu Nian chimed in at the opportune moment: "But?"

“But Nie Weiyang told me before that the planetary barrier was damaged.” Ping Xingdou said thoughtfully, “Do you think there’s any connection between these things? And what is that moon hanging in the sky? If it really is the moon—or any normal satellite celestial body—why can we see it? If the starry sky is fake, and the real starry sky is outside the barrier, then why can we still see it!”

Fu Nian held Ping Xingdou's hand tightly and stared at him with wide eyes.

"So, what do you suspect?" she asked.

Ping Xingdou grabbed her hand tightly, his lips trembling under the intimidating presence of that scarlet color in his mind.

“That satellite is a man-made object!” he growled. “It’s watching us! This whole deception is related to it!”
“Nie Weiyang knew all this, but he couldn’t say it—because it was too dangerous. He could only hint at it to me, telling me not to investigate further, because excessive investigation might bring about my own destruction… But no! I must…”

The frighteningly thin man stared intently into Fu Nian's eyes.

“…I must see the real starry sky. I must verify whether my guess is correct,” he said. “Otherwise, I will die with regrets.”

“Really…yes.” Fu Nian took his hand, a melancholy smile on her face. “Then come with me, Xing Dou. Come with me to the Star God Cult.”

The smile was so real it seemed unreal, making it difficult to tell whether it was genuine or not.

Ping Xingdou closed his eyes.

"Okay." He said.

They stood up.

"Let's go. Everyone's been sent away... It's a good time for us to leave before nightfall."

Just as the two were about to open the door, a loud 'bang!' rang out, and Jin Hui flashed past!

The gate was shattered, and the hanging stars swayed. Amidst the flying fragments, Ping Xingdou grabbed a starlight shield and erected it in front of himself, while he stood in front of Fu Nian.

As the golden afterglow gradually faded, a long spear pierced the mountain wall at the other end of the room. Birds on the spear trembled, and the spearhead was still shaking.

(End of this chapter)