Chapter 13: Chapter 8: Demon Ritual
Luh Yao observed that the Forest Tribe had no faith in any gods. They had no Divine Hall, nor did they have any symbols resembling a Totem.
The Shaman didn’t show any reliance on a God like the Prophet did. He was more like an experienced elder, guiding the entire tribe with the accumulated wisdom of his ancestors.
This was actually a good thing for Luh Yao.
If the Forest Tribe had also worshiped a God, it likely would have led to a conflict of Faith, and a war might have even broken out between the tribes.
Now, a much wider road connected the Garlic Tribe and the Forest Tribe. Houses had been built along both sides—thatched huts for the Garlic Tribe and treehouses for the Forest Tribe. The two tribes had grown closer.
Luh Yao waited for the two tribes to fully merge.
Suddenly, he heard the faint ringing of a cell phone.
The ringing lasted for over twenty seconds, then started again, repeating over and over.
The sound was coming from outside.
Luh Yao lived in an old residential complex. His building was on the outer edge, next to a semi-enclosed alley. The alley was usually used for parking, and many of the cars were covered in a thick layer of dust.
The alley was deserted during the day and even quieter at night.
Luh Yao walked to the window and looked out.
In the parking alley, there was only a single concrete lamppost. Its dim, yellow light only illuminated the area directly beneath it, leaving everything else in pitch darkness.
Luh Yao saw something swaying back and forth in the light, as if something was hanging from the lamppost.
He had a bad feeling.
The lamppost was only about twenty meters from his windowsill, so he could make out a general shape. As Luh Yao looked closer, he realized that a person was hanging from the concrete lamppost by a rope.
Night had already fallen, and the streets were silent, making the phone’s ring exceptionally clear in the alley.
Luh Yao immediately dialed 110.
"Hello, police? This is the Locomotive Works dormitory in Jiuyuann Community. There’s a person hanging from a rope in the alley outside. Please come quickly."
The police asked for detailed information about the address and situation, then told him not to do anything rash and that they were on their way.
After hanging up, Luh Yao breathed a small sigh of relief. It was best to let the professionals handle things like this.
The previously Hibernating Cactus Ball Attendant suddenly hopped onto the windowsill. It faced the person in the alley, its spines bristling as if on high alert.
"What is it? Did you find something?" Luh Yao instinctively asked the little creature.
The Cactus Ball Attendant nodded.
Luh Yao sighed. "Too bad you can’t talk. It would be great if you could."
"Great Yao God, if you say I can speak, then your humble servant can speak."
The Cactus Ball Attendant knelt on the floor, and a strange, accented voice emerged from its green body.
The voice was androgynous.
Luh Yao was taken aback. "You can talk?"
"Your humble servant can only speak if you permit it," the Cactus Ball Attendant said. "Otherwise, your humble servant is not allowed to make a sound of its own."
Luh Yao’s thoughts shifted. ’The wall between the Pixel World and the real world has already been broken, so a talking Cactus Ball isn’t that strange.’
He asked, "What did you find out about the person hanging out there?"
"Lord God, that is a kind of Demonic ritual."
The Cactus Ball said respectfully, "Demons use cruel and extreme rituals to gain Faith. They use Fear and ignorance to enchant and control their Believers."
’A Demon?’
Luh Yao’s expression changed slightly.
"What’s the difference between a Demon and a God?"
"Lord God, a Demon is a heretical Evil God."
Luh Yao understood.
’A Demon... in other words, another Divine Player. Someone else besides me is also using the God Simulator to acquire Sacrificial Offerings.’
He immediately recalled what Sister Peng had said—that a pervert was on the loose in Jiuyuann Community, someone who would strip people and hang them up.
Luh Yao silently warned himself that he needed to be more careful. He couldn’t let anyone discover the simulator on his computer. If the Demon player found out, they would definitely try to steal his Magic Artifacts and attack him—and it would no longer be a game.
He found a small flowerpot and told the Cactus Ball Attendant, "Without my permission, you are not to move or speak. You are just a Cactus Ball. Stay right here in this pot, understand?"
"Yes, Lord God." The Cactus Ball Attendant bowed.
In the parking alley, the phone’s ringtone continued to repeat, like a cry for help.
Luh Yao looked again at the person hanging beneath the lamppost. They seemed to have grown tired, no longer swaying or struggling, and their physical features had become clearer.
Under the light, the person was wearing a black bra, revealing her to be a woman. She was also filthy, and her skin seemed to be covered in bloodstains.
Luh Yao remembered he had a Telescope at home. With its help, his view became even clearer.
He actually recognized the person under the lamppost. The victim was a hairdresser who worked at a barbershop called "Bangyang Precision Cuts" across from the complex. Her work name was Lisa; her real name was unknown.
Since Bangyang Precision Cuts was affordable—fifteen yuan for a wash, cut, and blow-dry—Luh Yao often got his hair cut there, so he had some impression of Lisa.
She had dyed blonde hair, was in her early twenties, and had a soft, quiet voice. She never made awkward small talk, which made her pleasant to be around.
After the police rescued her, Lisa was completely terrified. She wrapped herself in a jacket an officer gave her, saying nothing, her expression dazed.
Her body was smeared with strange symbols in blood. They looked like distorted Arabic numerals, all interconnected to form what looked like chains wrapping around her body.
The police cordoned off the scene and also came to Luh Yao’s door to take his statement.
He told them exactly what he had seen, only omitting the parts about the simulator and the Demonic ritual.
By the time the police rescue and the statement were finished, it was already two in the morning.
Holding the [Energy Staff], Luh Yao didn’t feel the least bit sleepy. Pulling an all-nighter was no problem at all.
He looked at the Cactus Ball in the flowerpot on his desk. "Have you been to our world before?"
"This is your humble servant’s first time visiting your Divine Realm. I was given life by the great Forest God, but the Divine Realm where the great Forest God resides seems different from yours. There was water everywhere... I am too insignificant to fully comprehend the nature of a Divine Realm."
"What did the Forest God look like?"
"He could not be looked upon directly. Just like you, great God, it is impossible to describe the appearance of such a magnificent being. I could only vaguely see the shadows that the Gods revealed."
Luh Yao managed to pry some information out of the Cactus Ball.
The Cactus Ball had no name. It was one of many Cactus Ball Attendants created by the Forest God, and it had spent its entire life doing menial tasks in the Divine Hall. The Forest God created the Cactus Ball Attendants in His own world and sent them as a Blessing to the Pixel World, but He never recalled them.
It only knew that the Divine Hall gradually fell into ruin, which meant the Forest God had fallen. Eventually, the Cactus Ball was buried underground when the Divine Hall collapsed, only to be dug up many years later by members of the Forest Tribe who were foraging for mushrooms and berries.
However, only a God could command a Cactus Ball. The lifeforms of the Pixel World were completely unable to make the Cactus Ball revert to its true form; they could only sense that it was different from other plants.
"Since you’re a relic left behind by the Forest God, your name will be..."
Luh Yao pointed at the Cactus Ball’s "forehead" and said, "Xiaohuo."
