Chapter 82-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Ye Zheng had to admit that there was a certain cognitive gap between her and the readers from the higher-dimensional world. Seeing the forum readers enthusiastically replying with words she couldn't understand, the Saintess exited the forum in a slight hurry.
"I feel like the readers who like me have been getting stranger lately... I recognize all the words, but when they're put together, they become difficult to understand."
[It is indeed a bit much for you. It also shows that more and more people like you. Do you not like this strange enthusiasm from everyone?]
The System asked curiously.
"It's strange, but not without its charm."
Ye Zheng thought seriously, "I think the strangeness is due to my lack of understanding of your world's culture. That is my problem, not theirs."
The System thought for a moment and decided not to shatter Ye Zheng's perception—if she truly understood the outside culture and the readers' exact meanings, she would find that people are just that strange!
"By the way, what's the popularity value now?"
[Zhao Mei has 55,000 popularity points, Ye Zheng has 40,000, and you have 500 action points remaining. These are very respectable numbers!]
Ye Zheng was a bit surprised. Judging by the intensity of the forums, she would have thought "Ye Zheng's" popularity would surpass Zhao Mei's.
[Ye Zheng stans are very fierce fighters, which is rare among fans of female characters. Could it be because you have a Saintess buff? Are the people who like you as devoted as religious followers?]
The System didn't understand either. It continued its summary.
[The readers who like Zhao Mei are a complex group, including solo stans, yumejo, and shippers. It's normal for male characters to have higher popularity in general. The fact that "Ye Zheng" has so many readers who like her is already a small miracle.]
[And because of the latest plot update, the PerMei CP has even broken out of its niche circle a bit. Many people have started watching King of the Demonic Domain because of PerMei.]
Beautiful, powerful, and tragic; a strong white moonlight aura; a mysterious noble beauty; the second male lead who supports the protagonist's spirit... with all these buffs, plus the heavyweight plot of the moonlit heart-to-heart, the fandom immediately went to work. All kinds of fanart and fanfiction exploded, attracting the interest of many outsiders.
[No matter the dimension, fujoshi bait is a shortcut to popularity.]
The System couldn't help but sigh.
Ye Zheng smiled helplessly. "So this is fujoshi bait. All it takes is for two men to get a little close."
There was a soft knock at the door. Ye Zheng turned to look in the full-length mirror, confirmed her disguise was flawless, and then opened the bedroom door.
"Sorry to disturb you, Zhao Mei. I know it's a bit early, but a Demonic Domain has appeared. It's very close to us."
Percy stood outside the door, a trace of guilt flashing in his solemn blue eyes.
He had made Zhao Mei sit on the roof in the cold wind last night and passed on his own worries to him. He must not have slept well, right?
But Percy was very grateful that they had been able to talk openly last night. Zhao Mei was too mysterious within this team, always seeming to be on the periphery. But after their talk last night, Percy felt ashamed of his previous thoughts. Zhao Mei was clearly a very trustworthy and reliable companion.
He had no doubt about what Zhao Mei had said. The youth always had a convincing quality about him. Together, they would definitely achieve their ideal of changing the world!
"Where is the Demonic Domain this time?"
The two youths walked side by side with large strides.
"On Peace Street."
The black-haired, green-eyed youth lowered his head thoughtfully. It seemed this wasn't the Demonic Domain at the Divine Plaza that was mentioned in the manga spoiler.
Four days had passed since the ability competition restarted.
In these four days, the Cloud-Soaring Squad had destroyed three Demonic Domains, none of which were high-rank. They currently have 280 points, placing them in third.
In first place was Wu Shu's team. Last time, she had unexpectedly destroyed the core of the Crimson Demonic Domain. The City Lord of the Lower District, upholding his promise, had given Wu Shu's team an astonishing number of points despite the pressure. They had a total of 400 points, ranking first.
In second place was the Royal Team. Sykes had been on a rampage for the past few days, destroying six Demonic Domains in a row. With 340 points, it looked like he would soon catch up to first place.
The members of the Cloud-Soaring Squad were all a bit anxious. Since the first stage of the ability competition, they had been advancing triumphantly. But now, in the final round, they had undoubtedly hit a bottleneck.
Following the Cloud-Soaring Squad's unfavorable start, Ye Zheng keenly sensed the gloomy and strange atmosphere brewing in the Lower District, like an undercurrent on the verge of a volcanic eruption.
"The Disciples again? They've been so arrogant lately."
After another day of fighting, the Cloud-Soaring Squad returned to the hotel where they were staying. Lucy picked up a flyer from the hotel dining table. On it was a single, concise line—The Disciples follow the true God, the true God will never perish.
"Crooked and messy. This handwriting is even uglier than mine."
The girl crumpled the flyer into a ball and threw it into the trash can.
"Aren't the security patrol and the Sei Curia going to do anything about this?"
Lucy asked doubtfully. Especially the Sei Curia. Even she, who didn't care about politics, knew that the Sei Curia shouldn't tolerate the existence of such heretics.
Roy sneered. "The Sei Curia has its own hands full. I heard that Saintess from the Royal Team next door is too busy to even participate in the competition."
The quiet youth nearby raised his green eyes, listening to everyone's conversation.
Percy sighed. "With more and more Demonic Domains, everyone was already discontent. Then the Pope's incident was exposed, right around the Sei Curia's new round of Anping Voucher distribution and the annual tax collection. Everyone's resentment towards the Sei Curia just exploded."
"The growth of The Disciples is the most direct proof of everyone's dissatisfaction with the Sei Curia."
Lucy asked curiously, "So will the Sei Curia fall—mmph!"
Roy mercilessly covered Lucy's mouth. He said, "Alright, we'd better end this topic. If someone from the Sei Curia nearby heard us talking about this, we'd be in trouble."
"It's okay. Lucy can say whatever she wants."
The youth pulled Roy's hand away from her mouth. Lucy immediately complained, "I was just a little curious."
"It won't."
Everyone looked at the black-haired, green-eyed youth as he spoke. "As long as this land still believes in the God of Hope, the Sei Curia will exist."
Lucy blinked. "So all these recent serious events won't affect the Sei Curia?"
The youth was silent for a moment, a hint of a smile in his voice. "It will have an impact. At the very least, they'll need some actions to appease everyone's anger."
Lucy continued to ask curiously, "What actions?"
The youth just patted her head and didn't say more. It was Percy who had a sudden realization. "For example, dealing with the Pope who caused all this... but it's not like the Pope can be brought down that easily."
As far as he knew, the Pope held high prestige and strong control within the Sei Curia, and there was no suitable successor within the institution.
Ever since he learned that Pope Wen Jian was the culprit behind the Blood Flower' Incident, Percy had done some investigation. The more he investigated, the more he discovered how unshakable Wen Jian was.
Percy shook his head and shrugged helplessly, his expression a little dejected. "This isn't something students like us can get involved in. All we can do is win the current competition."
The members of the Cloud-Soaring Squad all knew that Pope Wen Jian's existence was an incurable wound for Percy. The group gathered around Percy to comfort him for a bit, then they each returned to their rooms to rest.
Percy watched his teammates leave. Only one figure remained standing quietly by his side.
"Zhao Mei, you should go rest too."
Zhao Mei didn't say any comforting words, but his silent companionship alone was enough for Percy to feel his unspoken yet powerful concern.
The youth smiled at him and shook his head. "I just want to stay here a little longer. My room is too stuffy."
A flicker of emotion crossed Percy's eyes, and a smile crept onto his lips. He nodded. "I'll head back first, then. Rest early."
He turned and left, still thinking to himself that Zhao Mei also had this less-than-forthright side to him. It felt like he had gotten to know him a little better.
Seeing Percy leave, Ye Zheng dropped her smile, went to find a pair of gloves, and then, when no one was around, rummaged through the trash can by the dining table.
"Found it."
Ye Zheng pulled out a crumpled ball of paper from the trash can and unfolded it. On it was written a line: "The Disciples follow the true God, the true God will never perish." The handwriting was rather poor, like that of a child just learning to write.
She sighed. The team members loved to chat too much. Luckily, the waiter hadn't had time to empty the trash yet.
Back in her room, Ye Zheng soaked the crumpled flyer in water. Soon, something else appeared on it—
A drawing of a very arrogant and provocative smiley face.
Ye Zheng shook the soaked paper, an imperceptible smile in her eyes. "It's her, alright."
This flyer was personally written to her by Sierra.
[What is she planning? It's not a premonition of a terrorist attack, is it?!]
The System was a little worried. This character, under Ye Zheng's influence, had already deviated from the original plot's framework.
"Who knows? She might have just discovered I'm here and is saying hello."
[That's the least likely possibility!]
Slender fingers brushed across the damp, fragile paper. The moisture on the paper seemed to evaporate, and the dried paper was slightly warped and wrinkled. Therefore, Ye Zheng wrote with a light touch, her handwriting still neat and elegant, forming a sharp contrast with Sierra's chicken scratch.
The System was curious.
[What are you planning to do? Write her back? Becoming pen pals with a villain is not a good choice.]
Ye Zheng chuckled lightly. Sierra seemed to have a lot of free time. She could find something for her to do.
In the slightly dim and quiet room, the youth's gaze on the paper darkened a little. She had a premonition that the Demonic Domain with the divine sword from the manga spoiler was about to arrive.
That Demonic Domain would definitely not be low-rank. Just the massive corpse of the Mutant Beast beneath the divine sword was enough to make one's blood run cold.
The Divine Plaza housed the largest statue of the God of Hope in the Lower District. Every day, many people would go to the statue to listen to the sermons of the Sei Curia's clergy. The grand plaza was almost always crowded.
Ye Zheng couldn't find a suitable reason to stop them, but Sierra's appearance gave her an idea.
The common people of the Lower District had seen plenty of Demonic Domains. A villain like Sierra, who dared to attack nobles and the Crown Prince, was far more intimidating. This was a top-tier villain, the kind seen once in a century.
Although some people followed her, most ordinary people were still afraid, especially those who frequented the Divine Plaza to listen to the Sei Curia's sermons. To them, Sierra was a heretic to be both despised and feared.
Ye Zheng put the paper away properly. Someone would deliver it to Sierra tomorrow.
In addition to that, she made some other preparations. There had to be some chaos at the Divine Plaza for her to plant an opportunity for herself.
Three days later.
The Cloud-Soaring Squad pushed against the fleeing crowd and rushed all the way to the renowned Peace Street in the East District, a street famous for its Divine Plaza.
Percy could already see a huge dome of light that enveloped almost the entire block—
This Demonic Domain had occupied such a large area the moment it descended?
Percy felt the distinct beat of his heart in his chest, unusually strong and excited. His vision blurred for a moment, as if a magical force was pulling him, calling out to him.
"Let's go, Percy."
A hand rested on his shoulder. Percy snapped back to his senses. He turned his head and met a pair of calm, gentle green eyes.
As if he had suddenly found an anchor, Percy breathed a sigh of relief. He gave Zhao Mei a grateful smile and led the Cloud-Soaring Squad in a leap into the massive Demonic Domain.
A white light flashed. When he opened his eyes again, he was greeted by magnificent gray stone walls carved with intricate patterns.
Percy looked around and was shocked to find that they were in a gigantic stone palace.
The stone walls surrounded them in a circle, with a door in every direction.
The black-haired, green-eyed youth had already walked to one of the doors, cautiously touching the stone wall.
"This seems to be a maze."
The others present all wore expressions of disbelief.
Demonic Domains had always been primal, habitats for Mutant Beasts and Mutant Plants. Any kind of landform could appear.
—How could a product of civilization appear in this Demonic Domain?
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