Chapter 38: Trial Predicament

"Which kind soul can share a location? Last time I picked up three evil crystals and got killed; I really can't accept that."

"One point of sacrificial power for the God of Wealth's coordinates; transfer after receiving the location. I guarantee my integrity and will never deceive."

"The God of Wealth is too fierce; players with good luck these past few days have already earned several thousand points of sacrificial power."

"Yesterday I watched a livestream where someone opened their second Star Vein slot just by picking up evil crystals; my envy has flared up. I beg for the God of Wealth's coordinates; I want to get rich too."

Player communications flashed rapidly through Qi Sheng's mind.

Ever since Duan Xing appeared, the regional chat channel and the forum had become exceptionally lively.

All players were discussing Duan Xing's whereabouts and had even given him the title "God of Wealth."

This was because many players had grown rich by picking up evil crystals.

Compared to the hard work of fighting monsters to earn sacrificial power, picking up evil crystals was clearly easier and yielded far more substantial income.

Especially after one player posted their earnings from collecting evil crystals on the forum and livestreamed using that sacrificial power to open their second meridian slot, the players' enthusiasm for collecting evil crystals was completely ignited.

During this period, some players organized a "Seeking Wealth Alliance," searching mountains and fields for Duan Xing's tracks, hoping to follow him and strike it rich.

Whenever they spotted Duan Xing's traces, they would report the coordinates in the regional channel, and then hordes of players would swarm there following the map guidance.

These players believed that sharing coordinates was the only way to maximize profits.

Going alone would inevitably result in instant death; only by participating as a group could one seize the opportunity to pick up evil crystals amidst the chaos.

Moreover, discovering Duan Xing's tracks was not difficult.

Before initiating each killing spree, Duan Xing would ignite a certain smoke pillar that attracted evil influences; even from a great distance, one could see the smoke rising, causing nearby evil influences to stir.

The only thing that dissatisfied the players was that, upon their arrival, the God of Wealth's methods were extremely cruel.

He gave them no opportunity whatsoever to communicate.

But the players did not care whether they could communicate with the God of Wealth; they only cared whether they could get a share of the wealth he created.

There were also players curious about the God of Wealth's behavior.

They could not understand what the God of Wealth was actually doing or why he kept changing locations to slaughter evil influences.

No player could answer this question.

During this time, a refreshed forum post made Qi Sheng feel both amused and helpless.

【Has anyone noticed that the God of Wealth's facial expressions are changing quite drastically?】

OP: Only spending money makes you stronger.

Content: These past few days, tracking the God of Wealth with everyone else has earned me a small fortune, but that's not the point. The point is that the God of Wealth's mindset seems to have undergone some unknown changes. I have compiled screenshots of his expression changes captured by various livestreams since his appearance; take a look and compare.

(Collection of the God of Wealth's expressions)

In this post, the OP had marked the specific time for every single expression.

The first expression was recorded when Duan Xing first made contact with players.

At that time, Duan Xing was expressionless, his demeanor cold and stern, with confidence and arrogance visible between his brows.

The second expression showed Duan Xing after multiple encounters with players; when looking at them, his brows were slightly furrowed, and a faint trace of red could be seen in his eyes, appearing extremely impatient.

The third expression occurred after Duan Xing changed his hunting location for evil influences and encountered players again; his expression upon seeing them could no longer be held back, red light seeming to overflow from his eyes, with killing intent assaulting the viewer through the image.

The fourth and fifth expression images showed Duan Xing meeting players after changing locations yet again; while slaughtering evil influences, he happened to turn his head, and upon seeing the players' figures, he first showed brief shock before being covered by a red mist.

In the sixth image, Duan Xing, having changed locations once more, gazed at the suddenly appearing players with a complex look in his eyes containing anger, unwillingness, regret, remorse, and even a hint of despair... Players commented that this photo was an award-worthy performance by the God of Wealth, displaying complex emotional changes in a single shot.

The seventh image...

From indifference to despair, the God of Wealth's emotions in the players' eyes were nearing collapse.

His long, flowing hair had become disheveled from consecutive battles, his pure white eyes had turned completely red, and the radiance emanating from his rune battle armor had grown dim.

Comparing the first image with the tenth best reflected this drastic change.

The player comments below the post were also quite interesting.

Is_This_Reasonable: The God of Wealth seems unhappy; could it be because he hasn't killed enough to his satisfaction?

Dark_Place_Is_Fun: The God of Wealth might be a special mechanism in the game; his behavior of hunting evil influences everywhere is like handing out red envelopes. As long as you find the God of Wealth, you can get a nice red envelope reward. Perhaps the developers intentionally added some difficulty to this mechanism by having the God of Wealth kill players who come to collect the red envelopes, just to increase the fun?

Human_Rise_Replying_to_Dark_Place_Is_Fun: Don't say that... actually, don't say that, but this very well could be a mechanism setting within the game.

Rust_Enchantment: The God of Wealth and the evil influences seem to have an irreconcilable hatred; he looks exhausted to the point of collapse yet keeps changing places to kill evil influences. I'm very curious about the story behind him, but unfortunately, this game's content relies entirely on exploration, and there's no way to view character backstories.

Fortune_Turns: Brothers, the God of Wealth is currently at the Blood-Colored Plain (coordinates); rush over quickly!

Blood-Colored Plain, Southern Region.

The moon was blood-red, dyeing the horizon entirely crimson, yet unable to dispel the gloom over the land. The once lush greenery of the plain had vanished, replaced by desolation and bleakness, with every inch of soil permeated by blood and bones.

"This is the place; didn't they say the God of Wealth is here? Where is he?"

Two players crossed an area filled with thorns, arriving at the coordinates sent in the regional channel.

But to their disappointment, there was no sign of the God of Wealth anywhere, nor was there a single evil life form in the vicinity.

"It's over; I'm afraid we've been tricked by some bastard spreading false information," the leading player gritted his teeth and said in a heavy voice.

"Brother, what do we do now?" asked the youth standing beside him, who looked about eighteen years old.

"What else can we do? Go back..." Just then, the leading man noticed what seemed to be a large pit not far away.

Driven by curiosity, he approached the large pit, reached out to tear away the thorns covering the opening, and the scene before them made them gasp in shock.

Inside the pit lay a heap of evil crystals; estimating by eye, there must be several hundred of them.

"Holy crap, we're rich!"

One hour later.

A streak of blue light fell from the sky, landing before the pit.

With a wave of his hand, he swept the thorns covering the cave entrance aside.

But just as he was about to toss the evil crystals he held in his hands into the pit, his expression instantly froze:

"Where are the evil crystals?"

"Where are my evil crystals!"

Roar!

Duan Xing howled at the sky, his messy hair dancing in the wind, his expression so furious his eyes seemed ready to burst, his pure white eyes once again filled with red light.

But the endless anger was quickly covered by a feeling of despair.

Five days had passed since the trial began, yet the mission had not made the slightest progress; continuing like this, his trial ranking would only drop lower and lower.

Collapsing onto his buttocks beside the pit, Duan Xing's gaze gradually became vacant.

Before the trial began, he had anticipated various dangers he might encounter, but he never expected that he would fall into a predicament where the trial could not proceed within the Waning Moon scene.

"I am unwilling..."

Duan Xing, whose eyes had already gone vacant, stared foolishly at the emptied pit and murmured.

(End of Chapter)