Chapter 278: Chapter278-Release the Brides
[Skills: Wail, Bride's Gown]
[Description: Chosen as the deity's bride, these "lucky" girls don't seem happy. Is there real joy beneath their smiles?]
John's pupils contracted at the sight of the level—lv60?!
He recalled the priests' levels were merely lv40!
But these so-called brides of the deity were lv60?
This was a diamond-tier monster!
Moreover, these mysterious brides were marked in yellow on the map, indicating neutrality, which meant there was a chance to convert these deity's brides into friendly NPCs!
This was a lv60 elite monster.
If they could really be persuaded to join their side, dealing with the forces of the so-called dark god wouldn't be so difficult.
John was thrilled, but he restrained himself, waiting for the women to leave before slowly moving forward.
The brides seemed highly sensitive to the presence, their heads turning in unison towards John at the slightest sound.
However, these brides made no move, just quietly watching in his direction, as if observing something unusual.
Feeling the gaze of several pairs of eyes, John suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
He had faced elite monsters before, but now, the look in these brides' eyes seemed especially unnerving.
"Do you want to leave?"
John didn't waste words, lowering his voice to ask directly.
He felt that the brides' gazes toward him hadn't changed, still as numb as before.
"If you want to leave, I can help you. I can destroy everything here, and then you will be free."
The brides remained silent, the curvature of their smiles unchanged, maintaining their faint, detached expressions.
However, John distinctly felt a shift in the air's temperature.
"I can't stay here long. If you don't believe me, just help me during the ritual."
Having said this quickly, John heard footsteps approaching from afar and swiftly left the area.
A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard, rustling the white ribbons, seemingly no different from before.
Yet, upon closer inspection, one could notice that the smiles on the faces of the two brides seemed slightly different than before.
John quickly made a round through the entire area, ensuring there were no other issues, before he encountered the so-called altar again.
He noticed that besides the raised platform of the altar, there were strange lines drawn on the ground, all emitting a strong scent of blood. These lines were likely drawn with blood, though whose blood it was remained uncertain.
Given that a ritual might be imminent, the guards were surprisingly lax.
John circled the area without discovering anything unusual, though he felt a bit dizzy.
He also noticed that his Spirit was decreasing far too rapidly.
Even with the Heart of Dwarf, his Spirit was uncontrollably dwindling.
He could hardly imagine what would happen if Isabella and Amelia were to come here.
Hearing someone approaching, he quickly hid under the altar.
"This time the offerings have escaped, what should we do? If we use pigs and sheep again, I fear the deity will not be pleased," a captain with white patterns on his sleeves asked worriedly, while another captain beside him scoffed coldly.
"What does this have to do with us? If anyone should worry, it should be the priests. I said yesterday we should have gone up the mountain to bring them back, but they refused. Now that there's such a big mess, let's see who will clean it up."
"You can't say that. If something really goes wrong with the priests this time, then our village..."
The conversation was cut short as the other captain's expression turned grim.
They clearly both thought of some unfavorable outcomes, but ultimately, they had no choice but to brave it and inspect the altar.
"Forget it, even if there is a problem, it's beyond what we can handle. As long as we devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the deity, he will surely grant us the best of everything!"
The mention of the deity ignited a fervent look in their eyes.
They both bowed respectfully towards the distant sky, which made John, hiding at the altar, feel the corruption of his mind power intensifying the longer he stayed there.
Finally, when the two captains left, John, wielding a demonic blade, carefully struck the pillar of the altar.
He was meticulous, not cutting all the way through, but leaving a thin layer intact.
On the surface, it appeared unchanged, and walking on it wouldn't pose an immediate issue.
However, once it bore more weight, the structure would undoubtedly collapse.
Although he wasn't sure how to completely sabotage the ritual, now that the platform was compromised, setting up another one in a short period of time would be impossible. Perhaps this could even disrupt the so-called ritual.
After completing all this, John quickly left the area and found a safe place, realizing that his Spirit had dropped to a dangerously low level.
He hastily replenished his Spirit, then continued to explore the village.
Isabella and Amelia had also arranged some other tasks, some of which they might handle with greater clarity.
He now needed to understand exactly what the nighttime process involved to think of more ways to disrupt it.
After wandering around the village and making some preparations, John boldly went directly to the village chief's courtyard.
The village chief was already troubled by the loss of the ritual offerings, and now suddenly saw someone running into his house.
On closer inspection, it was the very offering they had captured before!
The village chief's eyes widened in shock, about to call for help, but the next second, he felt a knife pressed against his neck!
The blade was incredibly sharp, as if a slight movement would slice through his skin.
His pupils filled with terror, he stared at the person before him, utterly unable to comprehend why the supposed offering for the ritual now had the audacity to enter his courtyard.
Logically, he should have been torn to shreds by the sinister forces in the back mountains by now; that's why they were looking for a replacement offering.
But unexpectedly, this man had not died and was very much alive, now even boldly entering his courtyard! This was utterly inconceivable—had these people gone mad?
"How dare you come here? Do you believe I can have you killed and buried without a trace right now?"
Despite his fear, the village chief managed to muster up the courage to utter these words.
John moved his knife a bit closer, and the chief immediately felt a pang of pain on his neck, followed by a warm flow—clearly, his skin had been cut.
In that moment, a look of terror spread across the village chief's face. He quickly waved his hands, pleading incessantly.
"I won't say anything, I won't scream, please let me go. I promise I won't tell anyone you came here. Do whatever you want, take whatever you want, just please leave," he begged, his voice almost breaking into sobs, his demeanor one of utter fear.