Chapter 1: An Impossible Choice

To rally votes, another chapter is being unlocked today, along with a monthly pass link. Your support for this book is greatly appreciated!

After hearing Subiven's story and seeing the look in his eyes, Li Bin knew he had run into another quest. Smiling, he said, "Go on. What can we help you with?"

"You're so clever. Why don't you try guessing?" Subiven teased on purpose.

"Could it be that you want us to help you bring back a divine statue, so you can finish your task sooner and leave this place faster?" Li Bin guessed cautiously.

"No, not that. Look at these goblins; aren't they wonderful? Why should I abandon them?" Subiven said, pointing at the goblins.

Li Bin merely glanced over casually, and his eyes would not move away, for he had seen the words Goblin Instructor, Level 11 combat unit.

He coughed twice in feigned embarrassment, then asked casually, "Elder Subiven, how did you train the goblins into this?"

"It is all the power of the supreme God of Kindness," Subiven said with a smile. "And my task is also carried out for that benevolent deity."

At that, Li Bin frowned slightly and said, "You don't mean to have me, like you, build a temple for this God of Kindness, do you?"

"Of course not. I only wish for the forgotten God of Kindness to gain recognition from the gods of this continent, so the task is called Recognition," Subiven said with a smile.

"Gain recognition from the gods of this continent?" Li Bin's heart tightened as he hurriedly asked, "You don't mean..."

"To kindle the divine fire of the God of Kindness at every sacred site on this continent," Subiven said word for word.

"Um... can I refuse this quest?" Li Bin said hesitantly.

"Why? This task isn't too difficult for you," Subiven said, looking at him in confusion.

"You old master can train even level-eleven goblins, so naturally it wouldn't be too difficult for you. But with my current strength, how could I possibly stand against a god?" Li Bin said bitterly.

Hearing this, Subiven understood Li Bin's concern. Smiling, he said, "I'm not asking you to oppose a god. I'm only asking you to make a single circuit of all the sacred sites on this continent. See those braziers? You only need to light this flame in each one."

"That's all?" Li Bin asked skeptically.

"That's all. Leave the rest to the gods," Subiven said firmly.

"And what do I get out of it?" Li Bin's change of tone was so swift that even Subiven found it hard to bear.

"You will gain a place within this sacred land. Then you may enshrine whichever god you choose there. In addition, you will receive Goblin Benevolence, which increases the growth rate of the common people in your territory by fifteen percent. You will also receive Goblin Friendship, which increases production efficiency by ten percent at all mines and lumber camps on this continent. Besides that, you will not be subject to any goblin's initiative attack, including those in your enemies' armies. You will also be able to obtain supplies freely in goblin cities, camps, and even wilderness forces." Subiven listed the benefits one by one.

Li Bin thought for a moment, then said, "All right, I'll do it. But you'd better give me a detailed route map of the sacred sites on this continent, or this task may take me a very long time to complete."

"Of course. That is exactly what I intended to give you." Subiven quickly handed over a map.

Li Bin took it and saw that there were only three sacred sites on this continent. Besides the one they were standing at now, the other two were both within Disha's territory.

This left Li Bin somewhat troubled. Although relations between him and Disha were not as tense as before, once he accepted this quest, he would definitely have to go into Disha's territory. He had no idea how Disha would view this matter then, or whether he would allow him to search for sacred sites in his domain.

While Li Bin was lost in thought, Subiven was not having an easy time either, because he had lied to Li Bin when issuing this quest.

In truth, the task was not as simple as he had described. Although Subiven had said that Li Bin only needed to go light a few braziers, there were some details he had not explained.

For example, the number of braziers at each sacred site, the relationships of good and evil and opposition among the gods, and the state of the divine fire at each sacred site—all of these were important factors affecting the quest. So when he saw Li Bin fall into thought, he assumed that Li Bin had discovered these hidden complications and hurriedly began thinking of a remedy.

Soon Li Bin came back from his reverie. Subiven immediately said, "Mr. Li Bin, if you think there are difficulties, you may tell me. I will do my best to meet your requirements."

Once Subiven said this, Li Bin immediately understood that something was wrong. He showed no sign of it and simply said, "I don't have any difficulties. It's just that the locations of those two sacred sites are truly unfavorable. The lord of that territory just happens to be my mortal enemy. Without absolute certainty, I can't exactly launch a war on my own."

"What does that matter? Since you're already enemies, why not just strike straight in?" Subiven grew even more anxious at this. He had heard this sort of reasoning far too often.

"How could that be? You know war is about units, logistics, supplies..." Li Bin said deliberately, wearing a bitter smile.

"Then I'll add another treasure, a level-two one." Subiven hesitated, gritted his teeth, and said, "How about that?"

"A level-two treasure?" Li Bin stared at Subiven for a long while.

"That's right." Subiven decisively placed an item on the table. "This is it. It was the task I failed to complete back then. Look at the conditions written on it, and you should know how to use it."

Li Bin took it and looked over the item. His expression grew more and more solemn. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "I'll take the quest. Don't worry, I'll complete it well."

With that, ignoring Subiven's attempt to keep him there, he led his troops away from the sacred land.

Once the army had returned to the underground world, Lide stepped forward and asked, "Master, what did that old man give you this time to make you so excited?"

Li Bin smiled faintly and took out the item, placing it before Lide. At one glance, Lide froze as well. The thing in Li Bin's hand was indeed a remarkable treasure, but the requirements that followed were truly enough to make anyone's head ache.

Demon God Servitude Manual, under double seal: formed from Skull Essence, Demon Child Blood Vial, and Evil Desire. It allows the user to randomly summon a company of undead, infernal, or dark troops on the battlefield for support, which disappears automatically after the battle, and it revives fifty percent of the undead, infernal, and dark troops slain in battle.

Double seal: Skull Essence and Evil Desire are sealed. The method of unsealing is to replace them with fresh Skull Essence and Evil Desire, or to obtain and refine the divine fire of a deity recognized by the user...

Click to view image link: