Chapter 328

Very well, then, after I close this door again, you will completely forget the conversation that just took place, and instead I will have told you how I defeated a lich that was harming the countryside on this trip. Understood?

Tinis tilted her head, looking utterly hopeless, like an old man who had just finished researching some black hole theory.

Um, ah, okay.

... sigh... let's leave it at that...

Ji Ming let out a light sigh, was about to press the door handle, but felt it still a bit unsteady, so he turned back and added another sentence.

If any strange or contradictory elements appear in this memory, your subconscious will fabricate a barely plausible explanation and gradually ignore the whole issue.

Remember, Ms. Tinis, everything is normal; this is an open and sincere conversation with no ill intent.

Having said that, he pushed open the door and hurried out of the office, looking as if he were rushing to seek revenge.

And when the sound of the door hitting the frame reached her ears, Tinis, slumped in her chair, jerked upright with a start, and at the same time sucked in a breath, wiping the saliva from the corner of her mouth.

Um, ah?

She rubbed her possibly dazed head from staying up late, her doubtful thoughts just beginning to stir, when they were interrupted by a endless stream of adventure stories welling up from her mind.

Eh... sigh, truly worthy of a Divine Chosen Sir—just after quelling the turmoil in Sunshine City, you now perform such heroic deeds for a small town's safety?

As people age, sitting still for too long inevitably makes the body stiff, so she unconsciously stretched to loosen her muscles, but suddenly felt her chest and abdomen inexplicably cool; upon touching it, she found it seemed to be a wet spot.

Ah??? Oh... right!

Because she kept her lips sealed and refused at all costs to reveal any information about Buluowa, Ji Ming angrily smashed the water cup, and then, to comfort him, she let him cry in her embrace for a while.

Ah, what a pitiful child—how could his background be so tragic? When I return to the Royal Capital, if others in the clergy give him a hard time, I must definitely lend him extra help!

……

Tsk.

No, is it that his eyes can cast waterball technique, or are young people really this fresh and juicy? This whole handkerchief of mine is soaked through and I still can't wring it dry—this water is almost a cup's worth!

After finally clearing the water stains from her body, she rubbed her still-throbbing temples and went to the window, hoping to bask in the afternoon sun that had struggled to penetrate the thick clouds and finally reached her, but lowering her head she saw a familiar silhouette.

That was Ji Ming, alone crossing the square, his back somewhat desolate; today he did not wear his usual Divine Chosen Sir attire, so the bustling passersby failed to recognize him.

She couldn't help but hold her aching waist and sigh repeatedly, muttering the wisdom of experience.

Ah, Ji Ming, you can't blame me for this; it's better you don't know about this matter, many things truly don't need to be thought through so clearly—it would be very painful...

But just then, she suddenly noticed a black shadow emerging from a patch of shade not far from Ji Ming, and as soon as it took shape it lunged toward him.

An assassin!

Tinis's whole body surged with holy light, ready to act and save him, but the assassin's speed was too great—she hadn't even managed to break out the window before the assailant was already behind Ji Ming.

Cautious Ji Ming also noticed the rapidly approaching danger, but there was no time left to counterattack or flee; he could only watch as the assassin pulled out a strange weapon and triggered it against himself.

Bang!

Pop!

With two consecutive crisp sounds, two blossoms of blood floated from Ji Ming's chest, and Tinis suddenly recalled what this weapon was.

—It is a 'firearm' crafted by the Pioneers, a dreadful device that, with a light touch of the trigger, can pierce flesh with scorching bullets.

Thus, seeing Ji Ming helplessly collapse in the chaos, Tinis felt her vision darken, her legs go weak, and she fell to the ground.

... It's over; in another two years I'll kick the bucket too—when I meet Buluowa in the underworld, how will I face her?

She was about to force herself to stand, but kept feeling something was off—I should… I should…

!!!

【Immediately contact Buluowa, no matter what, make her return to Sunshine City】

Yes!

Driven by this thought in her mind, she, who ought to have gone to the scene, did not act; instead, she trembled as she took out a magic circle, began channeling power into it, and when green light emerged she suddenly raised her voice.

Old Bu! Your student is dead! Hurry back and attend the funeral!

The shadow assassin was naturally set up by Ji Ming; as the second daughter of the Anyan family, Tya, playing the assassin, contributed an almost perfect performance, and afterward she also controlled this doppelgänger to push all the blame onto the Shadow Church, designated as the scapegoat by the Spirit Holy Seat.

Furthermore, deepening our forces' hatred of the Shadow is merely a side effect; Ji Ming's true purpose in this move was to have a sufficient excuse to trick the Lao Nv Shi back, and we can figure out any difficulties together—why keep trying to exclude me?

Moreover, there's actually no need for any hypnotic espionage; since they can be made to fear even revealing that I, the Divine Chosen Sir beloved by the gods, am involved, the one secretly harming the Lao Nv Shi must be a deity currently in his prime, at least able to stand on equal footing with the Holy Light.

Taking into account Buluowa's origin from the holy tree and her elven identity, this answer's scope can be narrowed further, down to a single possibility—the God of the Dense Forest.

As the enjoyer of the incense of the Deep Forest nationwide and the protector of the Central Strong Kingdom, if Ji Ming were truly just a Divine Chosen Sir, such a great god would naturally be an endless darkness he could never overturn in his lifetime; knowing this is indeed more painful than not knowing, so the helpless actions of the elderly ladies can be understood.

But now he possesses three divine authorities and over three hundred thousand fervent followers, growing daily as a supreme god; although he is not yet strong enough to slay gods in battle, he certainly cannot let this old thing act high and mighty before him—today he must make it fly!

Thus, after performing a genuine gunfight with Tya, Ji Ming consequently fainted and only woke up that night from his hospital bed; upon opening his eyes he saw the Holy Light congregation, ignorant of the truth and panicked, as well as AdaiEr, who knew the truth and was now straining with the strength to kill an ox, letting out a dry wail on himself.

Ah ah ah ah ah, Doctor, you can't die—if you die, what will I do? (reading with a stick)!

And upon seeing Ji Ming's complex gaze, she immediately changed her words to.

Wuu wuu wuu, Doctor, it turns out you're not dead—how great! (reading with a stick)!

Now Ji Ming's face turned green—damn, girl, if your acting is bad, don't pretend to be a drama queen!

Fortunately, the ordinary congregation members, who weren't bright to begin with, also didn't notice AdaiEr acting for hours straight, her persona of being low on energy and unable to hold up.

Or perhaps they simply didn't care; upon seeing their own Divine Chosen Sir finally awaken, they immediately shouted and rushed out of the ward to spread the good news to everyone in Sunshine City.

Ah, no, you guys... keep it low-key!

However, this bunch of idiots ran faster than mice seeing light; Ji Ming, who had intended to leave discreetly, couldn't stop them in time and could only lie in bed receiving greetings from all sides of Sunshine City.

Divine Chosen Sir, rest assured—if you die, I will surely go fight the Shadow God to the death, I promise!

Ji Ming, without you I wouldn't have what Boris has today; even my life is something you saved, you can't die!

Hehehe, sir, this is my little token of appreciation; I'll probably have another dozen or so boxes of goodwill later, please accept them.

Besides, it's not just the locals of Yangyue; even players are copying them… wait, no, this should be their specialty…

Divine Chosen Sir, I'm from the 【Dawn】 Guild, yes yes yes, that's this logo, easy to remember, right? Haha, don't worry, this box of gold coins should be able to restore your memory!

Divine Chosen Sir, I'm from the 【Columbus】 Guild; actually we've long admired you and greatly wish to hear your teachings—could you spare some time to visit our outpost? This is a small gift, please don't stand on ceremony.

Kick him out for me.

Seeing the visitors arriving in waves like a revolving lantern, Ji Ming finally understood why he had been placed in such a large hospital ward.

But we need to keep the line as a single output line with 【61】 prefix.

Don't worry, Buluowa said she's already on her way back; hearing that you were shot in the chest, she's nearly gone mad with worry.

"Kick him out for me."

As long as Lady Buluowa is safe, that's fine; actually, I don't care either way.

This made Tenis feel even guiltier, his whole body so uncomfortable that he kept shifting his stance as fast as if he were doing a rapid-fire photo challenge.

But since the old lady was already on her way back, Ji Ming, having achieved his goal, no longer needed to lie in bed pretending to be dead; instead, he drank an entire bottle of SpiritGathering Liquid, decided to leave the hospital, and return to his own clinic.

However, he had just experienced an assassination; even if Tenis could let people go, how could there be no arrangements? Thus, along the way, it was nothing but a constant escort, with the church nearly dispatching all of its Holy Light Knights from the entire cathedral.

We need to keep the terms: Holy Light Church (from glossary). JiMiYin (from glossary). Death God (from glossary). Good.

Either it's clearing rubble or rebuilding structures; the city is now practically a construction site everywhere.

Thus, although over three hundred thousand players flooded in at once, they came to play games, not to do civil engineering in another world; even if related reward tasks exist, the manpower wanted to rebuild the Inner City is still far insufficient.

Therefore, after the three-day blockade, starting from the day before yesterday, traffic between the inner and outer cities resumed; large numbers of outer-city residents with legitimate jobs and reliable guarantors came to the inner city to make a living, and a considerable portion of those lining the roads came from this group.

Thus, many of the people who came to welcome hardly dared to pause for a moment; after seeing Ji Ming's carriage, they immediately returned to their work posts, for according to the joint pledge of the High Tower Community and the Holy Light Church, they are actually building their own homes, and finishing sooner means they can rest easier sooner.

【Savior, what are you thinking now? Are you feeling pity for them?】

"Pity? No, in this world no one needs pity, and even less needs salvation."

Looking at the crowd, at a former adventurer whose arm he himself had once hacked off as beyond saving, now struggling to lift earth and stone with his one arm to labor, Ji Ming wrote a line on a label and from afar precisely tossed a bottle of Rejuvenation Fourth Generation into the pocket he hadn't even noticed.

"They just need an opportunity, someone to lend them a hand; once they break free from this mire, they themselves are their own saviors, and they can create a good life for themselves."

Sunshine City has endured many hardships, but after all the disasters have ended, it will indeed welcome a rebirth.

But when night fell, Ji Ming finally returned to the clinic; the first person to come looking for him was not Buluowa, but someone unexpected yet understandable.

That was the Frost Giant, who had vanished together with Kristin and the deputy after the shadow councilors were all defeated; relying on her still decent reputation, she successfully obtained the opportunity to meet Ji Ming.

And the first words out of her mouth were:

"Ji Ming, God-Chosen, Alliance Leader Kristin wishes to meet you privately."

Afraid Ji Ming might refuse, she added another sentence.

"We're preparing to leave Sunshine City..."

Although their positions and views differed, they were still comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side; now that she was leaving, Ji Ming still gave Alliance Leader Kristin this courtesy, meeting her in a small courtyard nearby.

After not seeing each other for several days, Kristin looked in poor condition; the usually proud and haughty bearing of the Horsewoman Lady was completely gone, replaced by the dejected, exhausted air of a defeated dog.

【Savior, what are you thinking now? Are you feeling pity for them?】

"Pity? No, in this world no one needs pity, and even less needs salvation."

Looking at the crowd, at a former adventurer whose arm he himself had once hacked off as beyond saving, now struggling to lift earth and stone with his one arm to labor, Ji Ming wrote a line on a label and from afar precisely tossed a bottle of Rejuvenation Fourth Generation into the pocket he hadn't even noticed.

"They just need an opportunity, someone to lend them a hand; once they break free from this mire, they themselves are their own saviors, and they can create a good life for themselves."

Sunshine City has endured many hardships, but after all the disasters have ended, it will indeed welcome a rebirth.

But when night fell, Ji Ming finally returned to the clinic; the first person to come looking for him was not Buluowa, but someone unexpected yet understandable.

That was the Frost Giant, who had vanished together with Kristin and the deputy after the shadow councilors were all defeated; relying on her still decent reputation, she successfully obtained the opportunity to meet Ji Ming.

And the first words out of her mouth were:

"Ji Ming, God-Chosen, Alliance Leader Kristin wishes to meet you privately."

Afraid Ji Ming might refuse, she added another sentence.

"We're preparing to leave Sunshine City..."

Although their positions and views differed, they were still comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side; now that she was leaving, Ji Ming still gave Alliance Leader Kristin this courtesy, meeting her in a small courtyard nearby.

After not seeing each other for several days, Kristin looked in poor condition; the usually proud and haughty bearing of the Horsewoman Lady was completely gone, replaced by the dejected, exhausted air of a defeated dog.

Seeing Ji Ming also remain silent for a long time, it instead drew in its four hooves and, very out of character, bit its lip.