As soon as Chen Zhou exited the Ghost Domain, he saw a pile of junk neatly arranged on the ground.
Atop this junk lay a heavily patched piece of fabric, its fibers so brittle they looked as if they would crumble at a touch—likely a discarded rag.
Sitting on the rag was a hard, dry, crack-riddled object that had clearly been stored for a long time. It resembled a brick, but was apparently... food?
There were also some freshly picked wild fruits, none too appealing, showing shades of yellow-green.
Chen Zhou was speechless.
'Are they using my place as a junkyard?'
The refugees from last night were all still there.
They seemed to be huddled together, using a stone pot of unknown origin to boil something.
"Lo... Lord?"
As the faint glow flickered, someone immediately spotted the Bone Ghost Servant and cried out in excitement.
"It really is the Lord!"
"The Lord has appeared!"
"The Lord has manifested his divinity!"
"Quickly, kneel to welcome the Lord!"
Immediately, the group grew frantic, scrambling to kneel and bow before the Bone Ghost Servant. Their movements were so practiced they looked as if they had rehearsed a thousand times.
While kowtowing, they muttered prayers under their breaths.
"Thank you, Lord, for taking pity on us lowly people!"
"Thank you for your protection, Lord!"
Chen Zhou was stunned.
'What are you people doing?'
But it wasn't until the crowd prostrated themselves on the ground, clearing his line of sight, that Chen Zhou saw what the refugees were actually cooking.
A few yellowed leaves floated in murky water. Beneath them lay several dark beetles and a few wriggling earthworms.
The viscous yellow water simmered with eerie bubbles, emitting a fishy, astringent stench.
Beside them, on several large leaves being used as bowls, sat some leftover leaves and insects, still caked with mud.
Chen Zhou felt a wave of nausea...
He felt he now understood why the refugees in this world were all just skin and bones.
Should he say that, as expected of a high-magic world, the average physical constitution was sturdier than that of an ordinary person from his previous life? Even though they barely looked human anymore, they still managed to survive so tenaciously.
However, Chen Zhou's emotions soon became complicated.
He had lived two lives. In the apocalypse of his previous world, he had seen plenty of couples turn against each other for half a compressed biscuit. He had seen teams implode and brothers slaughter one another for resources.
Yet, he had never seen anyone, at their hungriest, offer their best food to an 'evil spirit' as they called it.
How should he put it? It was a subtle, complex feeling.
【Congratulations on gaining 12 followers. Cultivating believers and raising reserve rations is a path every great evil god must take!】
【You have taken a big step closer to becoming the Evil God!】
【^_^】
The system's timely notification shattered Chen Zhou's momentary sentimentality.
He raised an eyebrow. Followers? Reserve rations? The system certainly knew the ins and outs of the Path of the Evil God.
There was no specific interface for followers in the system panel yet, so he wasn't sure what they were actually for.
But Chen Zhou felt that since they followed him, it was only reasonable for them to work for him like beasts of burden.
The skeletons and Bone Snakes were mostly busy clearing the dungeon instances. Chen Zhou was currently very short on labor for logging and mining.
Having made up his mind, Chen Zhou began scrolling through the mall list.
Only five items were currently unlocked.
【First-stage Blood-Inducing Pill】: Replenishes blood and qi, heals hidden injuries.
Price: 5 units of ordinary blood.
【First-stage Flesh-Reconstitution Pill】: Regenerates flesh and blood, regrows severed limbs.
Price: 5 units of ordinary flesh.
【First-stage Soul-Shaping Pill】: Strengthens the soul, nourishes the soul body.
Price: 5 units of ordinary soul.
【First-stage Bone Sword】: Very hard.
Price: 5 units of ordinary bone material.
【First-stage Bone Armor】: Also very hard.
Price: 5 units of ordinary bone material.
These were clearly not items the ghost servants could use, which was why Chen Zhou hadn't exchanged for them yet.
After finishing his tally, Chen Zhou exchanged for twelve Blood-Inducing Pills and twelve Flesh-Reconstitution Pills.
In an instant, sixty units of ordinary blood and flesh were spent.
A small half of the materials he had spent the entire night grinding for vanished.
Chen Zhou spent the resources without a second thought. If you want the horse to run, you have to feed it grass. He considered himself a conscientious capitalist. These refugees were too weak—their blood and qi were depleted, and their muscles had atrophied. Mining and logging were physical labors; they couldn't do it if they were too frail.
After the exchange, Chen Zhou waved his hand, and cold death energy gathered.
Whish—
The refugees were still kneeling when they felt a heart-stopping, suffocating cold wind blow past.
It felt like a ferocious ghost from the depths of hell, yet it was inexplicably filled with an infinite majesty that made one dare not resist.
Two pills appeared in front of each person!
One was crimson as blood, emitting a heavy metallic scent. The other was a mix of yellow and white, with a rancid stench that made one want to gag.
"This is...?" Zhao Laoshan's eyes widened as he stared at the two pills that clearly didn't look like anything good. His hands were shaking.
The blood aura on the Blood-Inducing Pill was something Zhao Laoshan had seen in the medicine pots of the lords in the city when he was young. They said it was a precious item that could save a life! But the appearance of these pills, along with that sinister aura, made his heart skip a beat.
"Is... is this immortal medicine from the Lord?" someone whispered, their voice full of hope.
Li Dazhu tremblingly reached out. Just as his fingertip touched the Blood-Inducing Pill, he was jolted by a surge of cold evil energy and pulled back.
Only Shitou didn't hesitate. He grabbed both pills with a pious expression and carefully placed them in his mouth. He then chewed them slowly, as if eating the finest delicacy.
'Even if it's poison, it is a gift from the Lord,' Shitou thought.
Seeing this, Li Dazhu slapped his thigh, grabbed his two pills, and stuffed them into his mouth. He gulped them down and wiped his lips.
"Damn it, it's better than eating leaves and bugs! I was about to faint from hunger, but after swallowing these pills, my stomach feels warm. Even my legs aren't soft anymore!"
Before he finished speaking, Li Dazhu's straw-like hair began to grow continuously. In the blink of any eye, it turned into a waterfall of black silk. His loose clothes, which could have fit two of his fists inside, were slowly filled out by bulging muscles. Even his clouded eyes gradually regained clarity, sparkling with vigor.
He squeezed his fists in disbelief, feeling the power surging through his muscles.
"Divine grace! This must be divine grace!" Li Dazhu shouted excitedly, his voice trembling but incredibly loud.
"It really is immortal medicine!"
With those words, the remaining people no longer hesitated. They grabbed the pills and stuffed them into their mouths. Some found the Flesh-Reconstitution Pill too stinky and pinched their noses to swallow it, coughing as they choked. Others didn't even chew, swallowing them whole, hoping the medicine would take effect quickly.
For a moment, the sound of coughing and gasps of wonder mingled by the stone pot.
Slack skin tightened, sunken cheeks regained color, and even legs that couldn't move before became powerful.
But just then, the anomaly on Shitou's side finally manifested.
Chen Zhou instinctively looked over.
He saw the phantom of a gold-glinting Ghost-Head Blade faintly emerging above Shitou's head. As the massive blade swung, the faint sounds of clashing metal and war cries could be heard. The commotion was so great that the ground even vibrated slightly.
Even Chen Zhou was shocked.
A Heaven and Earth Phenomenon?
'Wait, kid. What's going on with you?'
'How can taking some medicine cause such a huge reaction?'
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