Chapter 451: Problem of Hunger Solved  

"That is the gift the god bestowed upon us!" the man clad in black, clutchingDream of Chaosin his hands, said to Lin Jie.

The gray fog's corruption and mutation had already started to exceed human limits beginning at the fourth level. The only levels that could be safely mined were the sixth level, where Red resided, and the fifth level.

The mutations on the fourth level only affected the appearance of those beings, while the cognition and thoughts were completely changed on the third level.

Simply put, people on the third floor no longer thought of themselves as human.

Red frowned hearing this man speak about it being a bestowment... She hadn't been affected by the gray fog's corruption too much as she was being protected by Lin Jie.

She didn't think that these mutations were a gift from God. She believed herself human—humans should look human, or at least, like Lin Jie.

As for her own ghastly state, the gray fog was definitely responsible.

"Um, hello, sir, can we mine some ore here and leave?" Red looked toward the man with her sparkling round eyes and put her hands together.

"Of course," the robed man smiled.

Red nearly wanted to jump up and down from excitement as she grabbed Lin Jie's hand and shook his hand delightedly.

"These ores are a gift from our god, one of the blessings bestowed upon those who worship Him," the robed man continued. "If you want these ores, the prerequisite is to join the Church of Pestilence and preach about our god's grace."

The following words of this 'preacher' made Red's smile freeze.

"I..."

Lin Jie abruptly let go of Red's hand and looked toward the tunnel heading further into the third level; glittering ores were embedded everywhere.

Moreover, even though the beings here wore black robes too, they were quite unlike the people on the sixth and fifth levels. They were more muscular, had eyes that were more animalistic, as well as possessing transcendent powers.

This group of transcendent beings was just like an army. Lin Jie then turned his gaze toward the dark well, where he would truly return to his own body if he descended further.

His body was just an unconscious flesh body, and only he himself was the true will. So, why had these people been corrupted by an unconscious entity?

Just as Lin Jie exerted a bit of power and began to sense his unconscious body, the familiar cry for help rang out in his head once more.

...Doris? Lin Jie frowned. However, he was certain he had heard that familiar voice here. To be precise, it was a cry for help from the past.

Lin Jie's eyes narrowed as if he had understood something. That elf that wanted to meet him had apparently called for his help in this place previously.

"Young lady, have you thought about it?" The man's smile didn't let up, though he did have a sinister look on his face now. Those black tentacles on his chin wriggled with a vibrant power.

"Um... How do I join the Church of Pestilence?" Red asked hesitantly.

"Previously, all you needed to do was swear an oath to the abyss that leads to God. But now according according to His divine guidance, you just have to swear while touching this book and read it carefully."

Red glanced at the book and swallowed nervously.

This bizarre book was just a mishmash of dreams that Lin Jie had as an unconscious body, but in the eyes of ordinary people, it actually possessed extremely high levels of spiritual corruption. The book's black cover seemed to connect to the abyss, like an endless vortex that devoured all human reason.

"N-no... No thanks," Red hurriedly raised her hands to decline, then said to Lin Jie, "Boss Lin, let's go back up, quickly. We don't want the ore anymore."

A look of disbelief appeared on the man's face, and his attitude changed slightly. "Ignorant upper level people, this is voluntary for you. But without divine protection, you will have no means to pass through the fourth level ever again."

Red got frightened and clutched Lin Jie's clothes tightly. However, Lin Jie simply wasn't listening to this fella's rambling.

"Let me ask something. Have you people captured an elf clan?" Lin Jie asked abruptly, his voice full of certainty as if he wasn't asking a question but passing judgment. His voice was loud, and other members of the Church of Pestilence that were passing by looked at him in surprise.

"Do I need to ask again?" Lin Jie asked.

"...What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Swear to the so-called abyss of yours then." Lin Jie pointed to the black well indifferently, his cold eyes seemingly as dark as it.

Lin Jie's manner of questioning immediately attracted the attention of quite a number of Church of Pestilence members, and they surrounded him rather quickly.

Red became anxious and tugged hard on Lin Jie's clothes to bring him back to reality.

Lin Jie subconsciously looked down at her. Fear and apprehension filled this little girl's eyes, and from Lin Jie's impression, this child had never stopped worrying for a single moment. As a child of not even nine, she was really too pitiful.

Poor thing... When this term appeared in Lin Jie's mind, he seemed to regain his humanity. He grabbed Red's hand and said, "Sorry, let's leave." Red nodded her head.

The surrounding people didn't stop him and merely took away the book, Dream of Chaos. The monster on the fourth level would attack them, and they would surely become a part of that monster.

"Are you scared, Boss Lin?" Red whispered.

Lin Jie was rather surprised and answered, "I'm alright."

"Don't be afraid. Use this to deal with that monster." Red revealed the jade necklace in her hand and showed it to Boss Lin.

It was a pity that this cheap necklace was rather poorly made.

Still, Lin Jie nodded, as if Red's encouragement had helped him overcome his fear.

The Church of Pestilence members watched on coldly as Red slowly climbed up the stairs, with Lin Jie following closely behind.

Red gritted her teeth, clutching the necklace in hand, and made it up to the fourth level after a while.

The ground of the fourth level started to move, like a carpet made of a fusion of the flesh of all the beings here.

At the moment when Red approached the monster, Lin Jie released his power, immediately restraining the monster while at the same time making the necklace emit a brighter light.

——

Red crawled out of the well, gasping for breath as if she had just survived a near-death experience. She fell onto the ground ungracefully, sprawling out her chubby body as her small chest heaved up and down.

It was then that Lin Jie slowly climbed out of the well.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness," Red said, holding back her breath. "At least we're alive and back. Compared to down below, I think the air on our sixth level is so much better."

Lin Jie looked at her on the ground.

Gurgle—

A loud jarring rumble, like a car horn, sounded.

This was the first time Lin Jie had heard someone's stomach make such a long and loud noise.

"Though we've been underground all day, we still haven't solved the problem of ore," Lin Jie said, tilting his head slightly. While he said it regrettably, he didn't show any sadness as if he were stating a fact. "Without solving the problem of ore, we can't solve the problem of hunger."

"Who says!" Red sat up, showing off the stone in her hand. "Look! This stone was taken from the body of that flesh monster on the fourth level. Although it's a bit disgusting, this is a rare ore on the sixth level and it's worth a lot of food." Red let out a toothy grin.