Chapter 107: What Is a Post-Apocalyptic Era Anyway?

In that instant, Feng Xue nearly asked, "Are you sure it's your goddess who likes it, not you?"—a heretical question—but remembering that gods truly existed on this island, he immediately pointed to the fish jerky on the boat:

"We still have some fish jerky left; if it's not enough, we can catch more."

The man heard this and merely shook his head:

"No need. The goddess is generous and merciful. If you can ensure the animals with you cause no harm, and hand over one-tenth of your daily catch as Offering during your stay, you may enter the goddess's divine realm—but abide by our rules. The priestess will explain them to you later."

As he spoke, two dugout canoes slowly drifted alongside; though the exchange had been cordial, the way the men gripped their spears revealed they had not lowered their guard.

Feng Xue hadn't either—he stood beside Feina, watching the woman's face, which seemed to suspect everyone might be cannibals, and felt he must keep a close eye on her.

"Don't worry. I won't seek death, nor provoke others with the mindset of being beaten or killed." Feina spoke in a tone even colder than Salar's, as if reading Feng Xue's vigilance; he turned to look at Salar, saw her nodding to the dog, and relaxed slightly.

The boat drifted slowly to shore. Feng Xue was debating whether to revert Liu Yunxi back into her ring in front of these people when a woman of high status stepped forward from the crowd—what stunned Feng Xue was that she wore a lab coat, the kind scientists commonly wear, and held a tablet computer in one hand.

If that were all, Feng Xue might have thought her merely a modern person lost among primitives—but in her right hand, she held a microphone on a stand, clearly treating it as a scepter.

She stepped forward two paces and spoke with a tone of profound compassion—

"I feel the power of the divine. Yet the goddess is tolerant and does not reject followers of other gods. But this is the goddess's divine realm—you must not spread your doctrine on this island. If you agree to abide by this, I welcome you in the name of the goddess's priestess."

"..." Feng Xue wanted to retort, but knew now wasn't the time—and the statement gave him a valid excuse. He nodded at once:

"I will abide by your rules. But I must now stow my boat—it involves some divine arts. Is that permitted?"

"Of course." The priestess nodded gently, then shifted tone—

"But remember: the goddess's eyes watch every inch of this island. If you use divine arts or other means to harm her subjects or damage her divine realm, we will not relent—even if you stand behind a powerful god."

"Naturally." Feng Xue maintained proper reverence, turned to Liu Yunxi, and spoke in English:

"You look like a ring!"

With a thud, Bai She transformed into a ring. Amid the villagers' gasps of awe, he slipped it onto his ring finger.

As Feng Xue's first trump card upon his transmigration, he had tested the 【Mouth Seal】 entry comprehensively—he would never forget the methods and means of issuing commands.

Beyond using different languages and codes, after acquiring Seeing Mo Ying, he experimented with transmitting commands through Seeing Mo Ying, whispering silently while speaking aloud, and other methods. Most failed, but the few that succeeded were genuinely useful.

Perhaps because Feng Xue's display of "miracle" made the priestess feel she must uphold the goddess's dignity, she raised her microphone, slightly rotated its top, and spoke in a convoluted tongue with solemn gravity—

"La Fong Tan En!"

As her words faded, a faint hum resonated, then a light drizzle fell like mist, cooling the slightly hot seaside afternoon.

The priestess seemed deeply satisfied with this "manifestation." She gently waved the microphone, withdrawing her power, and turned to Feng Xue with a faint smile:

"This island has no rivers and little farmland. But at dusk, offer your tribute to the goddess—she will grant food, vegetables, and fresh water according to your offering. The ritual takes place at the temple at the foot of the Sacred Mountain. Do not miss it. But remember: the goddess grants only what is needed. Excessive greed invites misfortune."

Feng Xue merely nodded, though internally he recalled the transformation of that divine art.

In truth, her casting resembled sorcery more than divine art: through ritual (language), she converted her own energy into a specific spell structure. The only difference from Feng Xue's learned sorcery was that her energy came from devotion.

"So, divine favorites in this world are granted 'divine power' by their gods, then use that power as mana to cast spells? Priests in the last world followed a similar path. But compared to the priests I saw in Lu Cheng County, this priestess's spiritual aura was nowhere near as strong!"

The priestess clearly had no idea what Feng Xue was thinking. After "confirming" she had intimidated him, she departed with several lower-ranking priestesses. The villagers led Feng Xue into the village; a few elders, seemingly respected, offered him lodging at their homes—but Feng Xue politely declined, instead unpacking his portable camping tent.

Though curious about this outsider, the villagers dared not approach him—perhaps because he "worshipped another god."

Feng Xue wasn't surprised. He took some fish jerky from his Hutan Bag—he understood the need to respect local customs. If offerings could be exchanged for vegetables and fresh water, he'd make an offering. He could always electrofish tomorrow if needed.

Compared to that small amount of fish, he was far more curious how the goddess would deliver food.

After all, vegetables and fruit couldn't just be conjured from devotion, could they?

With this expectation, dusk arrived. Villagers emerged from their homes carrying harvested fish and dried sea salt. Feng Xue followed behind, slowly approaching the foot of the hill not far from the village, under the watchful eyes of several burly men.

At the edge of Feng Xue's vision stood a "temple." Well, given the goddess statue at its entrance and religious murals on its walls—even though it was a fully sealed, high-tech building with mirrored photovoltaic panels on its upper half—it was, to the locals, unquestionably a temple.

"I think I know how the goddess delivers vegetables..."

Feng Xue gazed up at the "divine radiance" shimmering across the photovoltaic panels from the setting sun, and felt his face twitch.

(End of Chapter)