Chapter 174: Shock! Mitra Academy Students Accidentally Stumble Into a Cult Site—The Reason Turns Out to Be... (Revised)

The next moment, something occurred that left Shen Zexi and the others dumbfounded.

The youth at the front, with a head of grass‑green short hair, stepped forward first—not provoking them, his face lit with an almost fanatical grin, his voice trembling from excitement.

"Holy, Holy Son! It's really you! I never expected to meet you here!"

He carefully produced a greasy parcel of roast meat wrapped in cheap oil paper from his pocket and, using both hands, offered it to Ying Duo, shoving Luo Jinyou out of the way.

"Holy Son, try this! Old Liu's secret‑recipe roast meat is incredibly fragrant!"

Beside him, a girl with a blue mohawk refused to be outdone, quickly handing over a bottle of fizzy drink that was still cold, its label a garish mess:

"Holy Son, have a drink! Just bought, ice‑cold!"

"Eating hot while drinking cold isn't good for the body... Holy Son, do you have any plans for today?"

A boy with a purple mushroom‑cut first muttered something, then gazed eagerly at Ying Duo, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Idiot! How dare you casually ask about the Holy Son's intentions!"

Another yellow‑haired person immediately lowered his voice to scold his companion, then turned to Ying Duo with an even more humble attitude.

"Holy Son, please forgive his rashness... um, I—I wonder if I might... just touch your holy hair for a second? Just a touch to gain some blessing!"

His eyes locked onto Ying Duo's head, where the phosphorescent green glowed faintly in the dim light, as if he were beholding a priceless treasure.

"Insolent! How dare you think you can freely touch the Holy Son's radiance!"

The green‑haired one beside him promptly slapped the yellow‑haired person's restless hand away, wearing a stern face—but the moment he turned to look at Ying Duo, his expression switched instantly to a fawning grin.

"Holy Son, don't mind him! It's our greatest honor that you've come; Cai Mao Ge has already prepared inside—please come in quickly!"

These people surrounded Ying Duo in a tight circle, completely ignoring Shen Zexi and the others' guarded stance, like the most devout believers beholding the incarnation of their faith, chattering away.

At the same time, they frantically shoved snacks and drinks into Ying Duo's hands, as if merely offering tribute was already the greatest honor for them.

Shen Zexi, Qi Hengyu, Luo Jinyou, and Chen Mo Zhi: "......"

The four were completely stunned, the battle poses they had just assumed frozen mid‑air, looking extremely awkward.

The most awkward of all was Luo Jinyou, who had been shoved straight from in front of Ying Duo to the side; he stood there dumbfounded, his face full of existential doubt.

They watched Ying Duo, calm amid a crowd of rainbow‑haired followers who surrounded him like stars around the moon, then looked at the group's eyes, pure to the point of near‑eerie fervor...

How could they look like they were here to meet the quest giver and accept a mission?

Clearly they had stumbled into some cult's preaching site!

And their freshly appointed regiment leader, Ying Duo, now looked like a mountain‑king enshrined by a cult, no matter how you looked at him.

Or perhaps he should be called the "Phosphorescent Green Immortal"?

Qi Hengyu's mouth twitched; he quickly shoved the horrifying thought that had popped into his mind to the back of his head and whispered to Shen Zexi.

"What's going on?"

Shen Zexi looked at the bizarre scene before him and began to doubt whether their decision to take on the mission had been a huge mistake.

Ying Duo, meanwhile, lowered his head to glance at the jumble of "offerings" in his hands, then lifted his gaze to the crowd of colorful heads whose loyalty hovered around sixty, seemingly finally grasping the situation.

He recalled the matter at hand and asked the most excited red‑haired youth before him.

"Is Cai Mao here?"

The red‑haired youth immediately nodded and bowed, extremely respectful.

"He's here! He's here! Cai Mao Ge is inside waiting to welcome the Holy Son's arrival! Holy Son, please follow me!"

"Cai Mao Ge?"

Shen Zexi and the three others caught this odd title, their gazes growing more subtle.

Ying Duo nodded, casually stuffed the pile of "offerings" into his backpack, saw the loyalty of the few rise a notch, and satisfiedly gestured for the red‑haired youth to lead the way.

The four followed Ying Duo in a near‑numb state, escorted by the rainbow‑haired believers' forward and rear calls into the "Phantom Vortex" bar.

Stepping into the dim bar interior, the four involuntarily tensed, their minds flashing with all sorts of possible horrific scenes.

Could the interior walls be painted entirely phosphorescent green?

Could it be festooned with Ying Duo's "holy images" or abstract phosphorescent‑green totems?

Could there be believers in strange garb conducting some eerie rite?

Given Ying Duo's own absurdity, they felt none of these scenes would be surprising; fortunately, upon entering the bar, the anticipated "cult holy ground" scene did not materialize.

The bar had only a few basic ceiling lights on, the illumination rather dim, yet the décor was quite normal—indeed, rather bland.

Just an ordinary old‑school bar: a dark wooden counter, a few worn‑round tables and chairs, walls adorned with faded cheap advertisements and yellowed old photos, the air scented with cleaning agent.

Since it wasn't peak hours, the place was empty, devoid of customers, and the spaciousness conveyed a hint of loneliness; recalling the fervent crowd just outside the door, this "normalcy" felt oddly eerie.

"Holy Son, this way please; Cai Mao Ge is waiting for you in the room inside."

The red‑haired youth led them with utmost respect, guiding them through the empty hall to the door of a private room.

The door opened to reveal a simply tidied bar private room; a middle‑aged man sat on the sofa—none other than Cai Mao.

Upon seeing his short hair, as if struck squarely by a rainbow‑colored shell, Qi Hengyu barely kept from laughing out loud, quickly coughing to cover it up.

Shen Zexi rubbed his forehead; Luo Jinyou kept a straight face but his eyes were subtle; Chen Mo Zhi merely gave a casual glance, seeming to accept any odd‑looking creature without issue.

Those who hang out with Ying Duo find nothing strange about whatever hair color they dye...

Seeing Ying Duo, Cai Mao sprang from his chair, piling on an exaggerated smile that tried hard to look sincere, and hurried over.

"Holy Son! Your august presence honors us—why didn't you give notice so I could prepare?"

His gaze flicked over the four distinct‑tempered youths behind Ying Duo; they were clearly not locals of the slum, so they must have come from "above"...

Cai Mao guessed they were also students of Mitra Academy, making his attitude more cautious.

Ying Duo showed no reaction to Cai Mao's warm greetings, cutting straight to the point.

"We've taken a mercenary job; we need a map of the Blackstone Mine."

Cai Mao froze for a moment, then reacted, his face showing a hint of pleasure.

"Huh? That job was taken on by the Holy Son himself?"

He originally planned to add money or give up, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and the one who took the mission turned out to be this 'Holy Son' who was given for free, and he even brought along a few companions who looked trouble at first glance.