Chapter 42: The Town Under the Gaze of [Prosperity]

The Town Under the Gaze of [Prosperity]

The trial’s background on [Gods] is rich, but tangible objects or artifacts directly linked to Them are rare, so he was deeply intrigued by the so-called [Prosperity] Will.

To speak bluntly, this is one of the few opportunities to study [Gods].

Almost every player would seize it.

Yongzhan Town was far larger than he’d imagined; he’d assumed it was just a small settlement with few inhabitants, but after walking through it, it felt more like a city.

Apartment buildings stood shoulder to shoulder, manors and guild halls arranged in orderly fashion—clearly a carefully cultivated residence for believers, so prosperous it inspired awe.

After walking for over an hour, Cheng Shi finally reached the town center.

With the information he’d gathered along the way and what he’d seen and heard, he finally understood the innkeeper’s words.

And he finally knew what the [Prosperity] Will truly meant.

The place he stood now was called Yongzhan Square.

At the very center of the square stood a flower so enormous it defied belief, perfectly blooming and radiating a soft, life-giving light.

Cheng Shi roughly estimated it to be about three or four stories tall.

At first glance, the flower resembled a stone carving, but upon closer inspection, the petal you focused on would suddenly come alive, transforming into clear, delicate plant sepals.

Each petal’s texture was unique; its intricate veins looked less like conduits for nourishment and more like engraved divine runes.

The “statue” was named [Bloom Awaiting Decay].

It was a sacred relic; in the terminology of [Faith Game] players, it could be called an SSS-rank Sub-Deity artifact—a semi-divine relic.

Its rank was just below the Sub-Deities of each Path, though it possessed no independent consciousness.

And indeed, it was the very embodiment of the [Prosperity] Will.

Because wherever it cast its shadow, prosperity would endure until the end of its lifespan.

In other words, theoretically, no one could die in Yongzhan Town before natural death!

Cheng Shi was stunned by the divine artifact before him.

No wonder this trial was titled “Which Path Leads to Death”—here, death might not exist at all.

And the seven-day limit meant they couldn’t wait for a normal person to die of old age.

Worse still, there was another matter!

If no one can die before natural death, then this priest of mine...

As he pondered, he turned his head and saw a girl standing beside him, having appeared without notice.

Yun Ni had arrived, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Her voice was still as arresting as ever.

“What, scared?”

“Scared of what?” Cheng Shi smiled.

“Unemployment. Where [Prosperity] watches, death doesn’t exist—so neither do priests.”

“Have you tried it?”

“No, I’m about to.”

As she spoke, Yun Ni flashed forward and plunged a dagger into Cheng Shi’s heart.

Blood spurted out; Cheng Shi felt a sharp pain.

Fuck.

Poor heart—you’ve suffered so much for me.

Yet despite the torrent of blood from his chest, despite his heart thrashing violently from the impact, despite his mind growing hazy from blood loss, Cheng Shi remained standing, not falling.

He ignored the “murderer” watching nearby and immediately began examining himself.

The state was strange.

A refined force of [Prosperity] was tugging against the [Death] aura within him, swiftly erasing all traces of death.

Soon, Cheng Shi felt his heart wound heal.

His life was saved, but the wound on his chest still bled.

Meaning, [Bloom Awaiting Decay] truly spared all townsfolk from death.

But it only saved from death—it did not heal wounds.

Injuries remained on the body, barely balanced by its natural recovery.

Not life-threatening, yet painfully persistent.

Cheng Shi chuckled and cast a healing spell on his chest.

“Looks like we still need priests.”

Yun Ni nodded in agreement, then extended the dagger toward him.

Cheng Shi was surprised—he found this [Annihilation] believer’s thinking oddly unconventional.

“?”

His expression clearly showed his confusion.

Yun Ni waved her hand irritably and said:

“I won’t stab you for free—now it’s your turn.”

So her meaning was one stab each?

Cheng Shi laughed, took the girl’s dagger, and studied the blade’s glow as he smiled:

“You’re serious?”

“Hurry up.”

Cheng Shi nodded and drove the dagger into Yun Ni’s chest.

But the angle was cunning—until the tip sank an inch into flesh, it still hadn’t pierced her heart.

Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow in surprise—this padding seemed thicker than it looked?

Yun Ni’s eyes widened in shock, then darkened; her voice turned icy:

“You like this?”

Cheng Shi snorted, released the dagger, and turned away.

As he walked off, he said:

“See, what I like, you don’t like—so what you like, I Weibi like either.

Nobody likes being stabbed at random.

We’ve merely shaken hands—we’re not that close. Don’t treat me like your experiment subject.

Don’t assume your deal is fair. Fairness without consent isn’t fair.

Put away your dagger, Assassin Miss, or there’ll be more things you won’t like coming your way.”

Yun Ni felt the changes in her body and silently pulled out the dagger.

Blood sprayed onto the ground and vanished in an instant.

She stared at the gushing wound on her chest, expression unreadable.

Meanwhile, among the crowd, a bare-chested man gazed across countless heads toward this spot, frowning in thought.

Cheng Shi left Yongzhan Square, heading next to the Law Enforcement Bureau.

He was deeply concerned about the murder case the inn’s guests had whispered about in fear—after all, murder and [Death] were a perfect match.

So much so that Cheng Shi had been wondering all along whether the trial’s clue was this straightforward.

As a member of the Natural Alliance, Yongzhan Town’s governance resembled an alliance system.

But not a party alliance—it was a functional department alliance.

Several departments, each overseeing different areas, cooperated voluntarily and gradually formed a simple council system where department heads met to deliberate on town affairs.

The Law Enforcement Bureau was the most powerful department in town.

Equivalent to a court, prison, and police force combined.

The Law Enforcement Bureau lay southeast of the square, occupying a large area; the closer one got, the more uniformed officers could be seen coming and going.

Facing this unfamiliar law enforcement body, Cheng Shi didn’t intrude rashly; instead, he feigned being a passerby, straining his ears to eavesdrop on the officers’ conversations.

Soon, he pieced together the murder case from fragments of their chatter.

Seven days ago, a jeweler suddenly died in town.

If this had happened elsewhere, it might have drawn no public attention—just another murder and robbery.

But it occurred in Yongzhan Town, a place where death never happened except by natural causes.

The townsfolk immediately panicked; the Law Enforcement Bureau swiftly intervened and began investigating.

Yet strangely, the merchant had no wounds on his body—only a look of terror on his face, as if he’d been frightened to death.

That made it even more absurd: no one could die under the protection of [Bloom Awaiting Decay], unless...

His death carried the will of another [God].

The town’s autonomous alliance realized this might involve deeper matters, possibly tied to faith, and urgently reported it to the Grand Tribunal, requesting aid from [Order] believers.

Yet while awaiting the Grand Tribunal’s reply, two more people died under identical circumstances.

And all three had died on the streets at night.

The sudden, repeated deaths plunged everyone into terror; a shadow of dread hung over every resident.

So the town’s autonomous alliance was forced to temporarily impose a curfew.

Yesterday was the first day of the curfew.

Another drunkard collapsed five meters outside the tavern.