Chapter 1459: Chapter 900: Faith Assessment_2

The Family Head shook his head; even someone of his rank could not discern the true purpose of the Crystal Ball.

However, the incident with the Yun Carden God had stirred everyone on the continent, and if one were to go down the conspiracy theory route, it would be possible to link the Crystal Ball to that event.

He shared these speculative ideas with Todd, who fell into deep thought upon hearing them.

Moments later, Todd took a deep breath and calmed his trembling body.

"The warning from the Mad Fire God is right; under these circumstances, I really cannot proceed with large-scale proselytizing."

His reverence for the Mad Fire grew even more, and at the same time, he muttered to himself:

"Even for the future of the Divine Teaching, I must stop this... This is my mission!"

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The Dungeon Lords of Scameroon can feel the increasing tension from the reduction in faith.

What about the people living in the Earth World? What are they feeling right now?

The rebel army, adventurers, and even the ordinary people living on this land, what state are they in now? 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Some may think these people sense no tension or crisis, as the Three Great Religions’ offensive has slowed or even completely halted, so is there anything to worry about? Now it’s time to focus on improving people’s livelihoods. Peaceful days are the best!

However, due to the unique national conditions of Scameroon, even in times when war hasn’t erupted, this country’s difficulty of survival is among the highest across nations.

Even common people have grown up on this crisis-filled land, and they should not be underestimated.

The populace has long sensed something strange from the stagnant war situation and has started making various survival preparations. What they’re preparing for is a "great explosion" after this brief and abnormal calm.

It could be a total assault by the Three Great Religions, or some other event, or even an invasion by the Demon Clan—it’s all possible. In any case, the survival environment in Scameroon is bound to become extremely harsh!

This is not a case of unnecessary worrying; it’s a conclusion derived from humanity’s summarization of history.

The more widespread the news of peace from the Three Great Religions becomes, the stronger the unease that pervades Scameroon.

Driven by the desire to survive, people will engage in various behaviors, and it wouldn’t be strange if they tended toward the extreme.

For instance...

"The number of civilians flocking to Hepa Town has increased dramatically, far exceeding the town’s capacity. Maintaining order alone has left the guards shorthanded. Hevi, esteemed bishops, what should we do now?"

Inside the council hall of the various Churches in Hepa Town.

Hevi and several bishops, as well as the officials, gathered here, each wearing expressions that didn’t look optimistic.

"Suspend the acceptance of any refugees, close the city gates, clear all refugee camps within one kilometer outside Hepa Town, and allocate more personnel to the city defense." The Wilderness Bishop said skillfully with a wave of his hand; such measures should be standard for any military.

"Even if we feel sympathy for the people, we must first ensure the security of Hepa Town," the Golden Bishop followed up by saying, "The current number of refugees coming here has exceeded our management capacity. Restrictive measures must be taken now."

No one opposed the opinions presented by the two, as there had been previous incidents where cities occupied by the rebel army suffered significant losses because the large influx of refugees allowed soldiers of the Dark Moon Church to attack from within. Thus, now no rebel forces will show leniency.

"Expand the clearance range from one kilometer to three kilometers." Hevi tapped his fingers on the table.

"But doing this might provoke the refugees..."

"Recently, haven’t various merchants been flooding in? Our supplies are plentiful to the point of overflowing; tell those refugees to live further away. In return, we’ll provide them food in the name of dispersing welfare—medicines will be given as per the situation." He continued.

This might help in soothing the refugees’ mindset, though the details need careful consideration.

"The primary issue is not the resettlement of the refugees."

Hevi said:

"What is attracting people to Hepa Town?"

The answer to this question is already clear—it’s due to the mysterious ambiance that has recently enveloped the entire sky over Scameroon.

The survival instinct drives people to grasp any chance to secure their survival, and there’s something akin to cheating available here—Sain Dungeon.

Through Sain Dungeon, one can go to other countries. Whether it’s the Yanor Kingdom or the Warrior Country, even a destitute place like Red is much safer than Scameroon. Anywhere is better than staying put!

And compared to the many dangers and difficulties on the route from Scameroon to other countries, opting to challenge the Sain Dungeon doesn’t seem so arduous.

Currently, there are quite a few refugees hiring adventurers to help them clear the Sain Dungeon, and as adventurers from outside communicate, more and more partners have been summoned over to take orders.

The adventurer market in Hepa Town appears to be very prosperous, and there are even not enough adventurers.

But how many of them can actually complete the Sain Dungeon challenge?

Typically, only upon passing through the Sain Ancient City can one use the all-powerful Teleportation Gate to other places. For most adventurers, this alone is already a challenging feat—not to mention the refugees. Most of the refugees gathered near Hepa Town are unlikely to complete this challenge.

Yet, some have touted this as a necessary escape route, resulting in people flocking to Hepa Town. Even when the rebel army intervenes to dissuade them, it’s to no avail and even backfires, causing refugees to think they want to monopolize this place by driving others away.

So, how can Hevi and his team argue reason with them?

Thus, the rebel army no longer plans on reasoning; they will resort directly to military might. Refugees certainly can’t match up to organized military forces.

Fortunately, Hepa Town is now in a relatively peaceful state. If it were on the frontline, and so many refugees still flocked, even Hevi could not resist forcibly evacuating these unstable factors.

"What exactly is the Holy Light Church and the other two up to?"

"The messages from other troops are surprisingly consistent: the Three Great Religions are resting and recuperating as if Scameroon’s war doesn’t exist." The Wilderness Bishop said, "But when our troops attack, they are met with violent assaults. The enemy’s strength suddenly increases greatly and unnoticed."

The Golden Bishop picked up the thread, "Thus, the troops on the frontlines have also halted their attacks. They won’t act rashly until they figure out what exactly the Three Great Religions intend to do... But now the period of silence is starting to feel a bit too long, long enough to make people increasingly uneasy."

"In my opinion, we should just concentrate our forces and launch an attack on any one of the enemy territories to see if they dare continue with their mysterious antics!" The belligerent one said, slapping the table.

"Since peace is rare, we should seize this hard-won opportunity to rest well and prepare to deal with the enemy." The more temperate one pondered aloud.

All sorts of opinions flowed from people’s mouths, and immediately the council hall became noisy with the crowd’s debates, and people with differing opinions "amicably" exchanged views.

Though ultimately, they couldn’t unify their opinions, they reached a consensus on one issue:

The Three Great Religions are definitely up to something, and they must be guarded against!

Starting now, Hepa Town must transition into a defensive posture, prepared against an attack that could descend at any moment!