Chapter 55
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Chapter 55: Ready to Set Off for Big News
Because of this way of thinking, new members who just joined the gang usually only receive one-tenth of the Gang Talent bonus or sometimes none at all. You have to earn your contributions step by step before the leader gives you a better bonus. This is the foundation of the power differences in the Middle-earth World gangs.
By the way, the Dragon-slaying Alliance’s talents that Bai Qige has, which give an attack of +1, defense of +1, and life of +10, are not just one-tenth bonuses; they are one-twentieth. Every time Bai Qige thinks about this, he feels that the leader of the Dragon-slaying Alliance is a bit stingy.
In the next few days, news spread about the Lanruo Temple on Pen Blade Mountain, which honors the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. There were many reports of miracles, causing quite a stir. Every day, people came to see it. Of course, some were just here for the excitement, while others truly came to worship. Normally, holding such unconventional beliefs would attract inquiries from the local religious authorities, but since Bai Qige was involved with Bloody Earth on one side and had a close relationship with Principal Li on the other, even the Meteorological Bureau didn’t bother him, and the local religious authorities ignored it altogether.
Bai Qige had chosen the path of the divine religion and could convert faith into Prestige Value. Free incense and candles were placed outside the temple for visitors to use. Outside the temple was an incense burner where guests could light incense to pay their respects or enter the hall to kneel and bow in front of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
Each visitor, if they felt even a little respect, could bring a bit of Faith Value, which would equal a bit of Prestige Value. If they were more devoted, they could bring two points or more. But if they were disrespectful and indifferent, they wouldn’t bring any at all.
Bai Qige could check the devotion levels of these visitors on the gang construction interface; the earnings were clear. Half a day later, he couldn’t help but pout. Out of ten visitors, five showed no devotion at all, four could bring a bit of Faith Value, and those who brought two points or more were very few.
"The world is falling apart; true devotees are really hard to find these days!"
A day went by, and Bai Qige counted the earnings. Many people had come, nearly a thousand, almost as many as some tourist spots. However, Faith Value only gained a little over three hundred points, just barely breaking even with a small surplus. Bai Qige couldn’t help but sigh at the declining state of the world. Of course, he knew this was related to his offering to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. If he had dedicated it to a regular Buddha, the incense would surely be more prosperous.
But there was nothing he could do. Bai Qige had thought for a long time while in the Middle-earth World about returning to Earth one day to create a religious group. However, there was one thing he couldn’t avoid: if he set up a Buddhist temple, he didn’t know the Buddhist scriptures, and if he built a Daoist temple, he didn’t understand the Daoist texts. In that case, he could only rely on deception. If it became popular, other religions might come to cause trouble, or at least question him under the guise of communication, and that would be a disaster.
In the end, after much thought, Bai Qige concluded that his religion could never be mixed with conventional religions; it must stand out and be unique! Just like now, if a high monk from another temple came to discuss Buddhist teachings, he would talk about the Battle Buddha path taught by the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. If they wanted to discuss Sakyamuni’s teachings, he would say that the Great Sage Equal to Heaven only taught that the truth lies within the limits of a stick!
We are not in the same line of thought, so don’t bother me. Even if you come to bother me, sorry, we won’t see eye to eye! You think I’m a heretic? I’ll show you the Tendon Change Classic and let you see what true Buddhist teachings look like! You say you are the true Buddhist? Do you have any special skills? If you can’t fly or vanish, how can you say you’re authentic?
These are long-term plans and not for discussion now, but relying on faith to earn Prestige Value through a divine religion has many advantages compared to a group that can only earn prestige through deeds and actions. However, it also has many inconveniences. For one, the speed of accumulating Prestige Value is affected; if no one believes, or if there are not many faithful followers, it becomes hard to earn Prestige Value. Unlike the latter, as long as there are accomplishments, there is prestige. A significant event can bring three years of success from just one moment, but on the other hand, as long as there is a sufficient number of believers, a divine religion can continuously reap rewards, which other groups cannot do.
Divine religions can also earn prestige through major events, but compared to other groups, the Prestige Value earned may be somewhat reduced when converted into incense and faith, so it’s a give-and-take situation.
Bai Qige was already thinking about where to create a major event to raise the prestige of Lanruo Temple and gain some Prestige Value. The simplest way would be to team up with the Xiangbei Basketball Club, promoting basketball training, and then sweep through the various gangs in Deep City, or even embark on an expedition to other cities, expanding the authority of the Xiangbei Basketball Club under Lanruo Temple. As long as the name Canglan Five Beasts became well-known, Lanruo Temple’s prestige would naturally rise.
Hidden in the abbot’s special room, watching TV while planning the major event, suddenly, the TV interrupted with an urgent news report.
"Our station just received news of a sudden beast attack in the central area of North City. It is still unknown where these beasts came from. According to our reporters on the scene, the casualties are severe, and the buildings are… heavily damaged! Now let’s turn to the live broadcast."
When the news anchor from the local station mentioned the buildings being badly damaged, he seemed a bit shocked. What could the beasts’ attacks and the severe destruction of buildings have in common? But when the TV station switched to live coverage, the mystery was quickly revealed.
This is a busy shopping street, and now there are cries all around. There are many bloodstains on the ground, and several people lie there, covered in blood, unaware of whether they are alive or dead. Some are running in fear, while the reporter is shouting non-stop, looking terrified and completely out of control. Cars have been overturned, lampposts smashed, and even a bus has flipped over. The bus stop has collapsed, and the shops on both sides of the street are badly damaged. This scene looks nothing like a beast attack; it resembles a war zone instead.
Not far from the live broadcast, police cars have formed a barrier, preventing reporters and people from moving forward.
"Officer, I’m a reporter from Deep City local station! What happened here?" The live reporter worked hard, running to the barrier and shoving the microphone through. The police officer in charge of the area shouted loudly, "Danger! It’s dangerous here! Leave immediately!"
The reporter was ready to ask more questions when suddenly, a large dark figure rushed out from around the corner behind the barrier, letting out a fierce scream. Its head resembled a crocodile, with fangs protruding, a body like a wild boar, covered in fur, about six to seven meters long and four meters high. It appeared on the TV screen for just a moment, and at that moment, the police officer suddenly pushed the reporter away, shouting "Run!" Then he pulled out his gun and started shooting at the beast from behind the police car.
After a few shots, blood splattered from the beast, but it only became more ferocious. It charged forward with incredible speed, a shimmering yellow light suddenly enveloping it. The bullets rang against it with a clinking sound, but the beast was unharmed. It charged ahead, leaving a trail of glowing smoke, and everything in its path was sent flying with a loud crash. The police car used as a roadblock was hurled seven or eight meters away.
Breaking through the obstacles, the beast leaped suddenly, jumping three meters high, then crashing down heavily. The pavement shattered, and dust rose in waves. The live reporter, ten or so meters away, was swept up by the dust as if something had hit him, and he was thrown backward. At that moment, the camera used for the live broadcast also fell to the ground, the screen instantly going dark.
Bai Qige’s eyes sharpened, and his expression turned serious as he muttered, "It can even combine battle techniques like Earth Shatter Charge and War Trampling. This Bloodthirsty Dragon Camel’s Underworld Sun Grimoire is quite powerful; it shouldn’t just be an ordinary split form. If that’s the case, this could be a bit troublesome!"
After deep thought, Bai Qige called Long Aotian.
"Disciple, call your junior monks! I will take you all to play basketball! Oh, and remember to invite Ye Hui from the Meteorological Bureau; our Xiangbei Basketball Team still needs a cheerleader."
