Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

The movement of the boy\'s feet was slight, indicating he was actually awake.

"Sir…" The boy who had woken up gazed at the tip of Bai E\'s foot under the dim light inside the cave, calling out with a touch of awe.

He had already learned of the "sir\'s" real identity from the three seemingly amiable people with whom he had built a home last night.

The leader of an organization.

What a significant figure was that?

When could Fernandi ever hope to meet such a high-ranking person?

It filled him with reverence.

"There\'s no need to be formal." Bai E smiled, squatting down and speaking as softly as possible, "I\'ve come today because I have a few questions for you."

After returning last night, he had also inquired the more experienced ones like Tiger about the affairs of the demon believers and was surprised to find out that the believers of the eternal were the most mild-mannered among all demon believers, except for... the uncontrollable plague that they naturally emitted.

The plague was often what exposed their sins and caused disaster.

Apart from that, "the eternal" and its great demon seemed to have little interest in taking action; this faction of demons… seemed more like recluses indifferent to worldly matters.

"You… you may ask."

Bai E scrutinized the boy\'s eyes, coffee-colored, clear and translucent like amber, "Since you\'re associated with a demon, we must eliminate all potential threats, and you should understand this."

"Yes."

"Yesterday, the people from Arbitration Place said you can\'t perfectly control those rats, is that true?"

"Yes."

"Can you… give them up?"

Imperfect control meant harm to others as well as oneself.

It would harm normal people and also reveal the boy\'s whereabouts due to his unconscious actions. Probably, Arbitration Place, including Dai Lian, had tracked the boy using this method before.

On hearing Bai E\'s words, the boy hesitated slightly but then heaved a light sigh, "They were with me when I was most desperate…"

"…" Bai E remained silent; he never forced anyone to make any decision.

"…but I\'m aware that it\'s just me anthropomorphizing them with affection. They have gone completely mad due to the plague from my body." The boy raised his head, looking earnestly into Bai E\'s eyes, "If possible, I hope you can eradicate them soon, so they won\'t trouble everyone anymore."

[Believers of the eternal are not afraid of illness but will spread the plague involuntarily…]

The nature of the plague varied from person to person, each case different.

Bai E nodded, "I will have them take care of it. Now for the second point, will you continue to infect new rats or say… other creatures? And will those already infected rats come seeking you out?"

The boy lowered his head again, his voice somewhat muffled, "It seems any creature with less reasoning can be influenced by me unconsciously, but humans won\'t. As for those already infected… I can only try to contract my presence to prevent being sensed by \'them\'."

"Can you isolate the spread of this plague?"

"I can\'t control it, unless one stays away from me." The boy said, stretching out his hand to caress the earthen stones on the wall behind him, "If I hide here, there should be no more chances of coming into contact with other creatures..."

"Alright… one last thing." Bai E\'s tone became slightly more somber, "About you. What impact does the demon have on you? I believe you are currently led by your own will, but might there come a day when the demon uses your body to destroy this world?"

"I can feel it..." The boy looked down, his eyes distant, "But it\'s all hazy. Even if I tried to summon it to rid me of all fate, it seems difficult. The anomalies in the sewer were already my utmost effort. It\'s like it just generously bestowed a tiny bit of merciful blessing on me and then left like a loving father asking for nothing in return. I think it\'s unlikely that such a day will come."

With that, the boy suddenly looked up, his gaze earnestly meeting Bai E\'s, "Leader sir, please, you must promise me one thing."

"Go ahead."

"If such a day does come, if I truly become a threat to everyone, if I can no longer control myself... I hope, you will take action to kill me! Do not hesitate, do not show mercy. I am already content to have built a home for myself here with you, even if just for one day..."

"…" Bai E touched his head, smiling indulgently, "There won\'t be such a day, rest assured. Someone once told me willpower can penetrate the hardest stone. She\'s an expert on demons, and she also told me, behavior determines habits, habits determine thoughts, thoughts determine belief. And belief will decide the path of your life.

There\'s nothing wrong with being a chosen of the demon, what you do later is for you to decide."

The random blessing from the Evil God turns out to be a plague that doesn\'t directly affect others, which is rather lucky for the boy.

Standing up, Bai E called out to the outside, "Come down."

Since it had been confirmed that the boy would not suffer severe consequences, the plans for the next steps could be made—

[Side Quest—The True Culprit Behind The Scenes (Combat Assignment) has encountered an unexpected change, the quest progress has been altered, and the current quest requirements have been met.]

[Side Quest—The True Culprit Behind The Scenes, completed.]

[Quest Reward: General Experience +100, Precise Brass Bullets *130, distributed.]

The three players who just came down were bewildered upon receiving the notification.

The quest is settled?

Hooray!

The gleaming brass bullets in their perceptual quest inventory appeared as a settling screen raining down from the sky, clinking and clattering in a way that filled them with a pleasant sense of reward.

This quest... it had bogged them down for two or three days! They had finally completed it! Continue your journey on mvl

Long live the adult!

"Even though the previous stage of the quest is completed, you can\'t relax yet. The rats left by Fernandi still pose an unimaginable threat to the residents\' lives. I just don\'t wish for people to continuously associate the rats with Fernandi, so next up, you are still tasked with eradicating those creatures that have lost all sense of reason."

Bai E spoke gravely, starting to arrange the assignment.

[Assigning Task Description in Progress…]

[Side Quest—Rat Plague Cleanup (Combat Assignment): Although the aimless swarm of rats needs to be cleared out, to prepare for potentially even greater crises in the future, your personal strength also needs to be honed.

Quest Requirements: Slay 0/(20~100) plague rats in the "Dark Environment."

Quest Reward: General Experience 50~200 points, Item Reward (to be determined).]

(Note: Physical submission is required for this task, and the current assignment cannot be "auto-completed" but must be "verified and completed"; after confirming dispatch of the assignment, "permissions" and "expenditures" will be deducted and locked.)

[Would you like to issue the current assignment?]

With additional authorization for general experience, Bai E decided to slightly reduce the physical rewards, reverting to the previous level given for wolf killings.

After all, watching the bullets being used so freely did hurt his feelings—they were his personal assets.

Therefore…

[Settings—Quest Requirements: Kill 100 plague rats; Quest Rewards: General Experience 200 points, Precise Brass Bullets 15+8.]

Job well done!

Dai Lian, who received the task, was clearly puzzled. One of the terms in the task caught his eye, "In the Dark Environment?"

"Yes..." Bai E kept a straight face without revealing any emotion, "Your actions are best carried out in the shadows to prevent tracing back Fernandi\'s presence here."

That was one of the reasons, but a more important one was obviously for his own benefit.

Given the choice to clear out the rat plague, Bai E would rather create a new assignment.

First, to give the players more experience so they would qualify to be harvested by himself, and second, to adjust the quest requirements a bit.

His own shortcoming, insight—the attribute Bai E kept firmly in mind.

What better than combat in a Dark Environment to hone this skill?

When else to have players grind on his behalf if not by finding opportunities to issue quests?

By relying solely on himself? Spare me.

"But…" Seeing his two teammates\' thrilled expressions, Kuang Xin\'s eyes were filled with confusion. Why hadn\'t he received the quest?

"My lord, what about me?"