nycdaug Chapter 499 Yes, yes, you're right
Chapter 499 Yes, yes, you're right
Xu Ning pondered for a while and felt that he still needed to increase the stimulation.
They dragged over another member of the gilded troupe and continued to "massage" him with the gourd.
He did it seriously and attentively enough.
Meanwhile, the two groups of people in other places were both extremely depressed.
The mysterious voice that brought Xu Ning in seemed to be pacing anxiously in the void.
"What should I do? As a citizen of Sumeru, shouldn't I protect them? But they also want to harm my people, so they deserve to be punished, right?"
"But the one who punished the people of Sumeru is not one of my own people, so shouldn't I punish him? But this person who is not one of my own people protected my people, so shouldn't I protect him?"
"Punishment... Protection..."
On the other side of the void.
"Has the connection not been fully secured yet?"
"Uh, there was a delay in the initial signal check just now. He might have been unconscious during that time, but it has now returned to normal."
"Okay, ensure all connections are established, build the most stable architecture... Hmm? What was that signal jitter just now?"
A voice said somewhat anxiously, "A signal has been strongly stimulated, almost causing loss of consciousness. We have strengthened the connection to ensure stable output."
"We must remain stable. This is a critical moment for the 'plan.' We will be conducting power transfer soon."
"Yes!"
Xu Ning unemotionally questioned everyone, and found that they no longer exhibited the vague trembling they had just experienced.
Many people no longer had the strength to scream in agony; some were unconscious, while those who were not unconscious could only groan weakly.
After all they had tried—howling and begging for mercy—and all their attempts had failed, their only hope was that the demon carrying the gourd of wine would leave quickly, or that he would kill them.
Xu Ning ultimately spared their lives.
It's not that he was particularly merciful; many people died at Xu Ning's hands, both directly and indirectly, so he wouldn't hesitate to reap the rewards.
However, this illusion is rather strange. Leaving them behind will at least provide a point of comparison for the next round.
Xu Ning estimated that it was getting late, and it was almost time for Nilu to perform the Flower Goddess Dance.
Dina Zede had been eagerly anticipating seeing Nel dance, and she was determined to make it happen.
Xu Ning jogged back to the Grand Bazaar. As soon as he entered the commercial street, he saw a crowd gathered around the Zubair Theater, watching several people debating on stage.
Dixia, who had been keeping an eye on the entrance, was the first to spot Xu Ning and immediately ran over to pull him toward the theater.
"Why did you take so long? I should have left you to deal with those scoundrels from the gilded troupe. The people from the Order of the Church are trying to stop Nel from dancing the Flower Goddess Dance, which is the most important part of the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival. If I hadn't stopped you, Sora would have almost rushed out just now. Didn't you say you had a way to handle them?"
It seems that Dixia also knows about Dinazede's long-held wish, which is why she is also paying special attention to the Dance of the Flower Goddess.
After explaining everything in a rapid-fire manner, Dixia immediately pushed Xu Ning forward, indicating that he didn't have much time and needed to finish quickly, otherwise there wouldn't be enough time left for the Dance of the Flower Goddess.
Xu Ning laughed and said, "Alright, alright, it can be settled in a single sentence, don't push me so hard."
Standing next to Kong, Dina Zede turned back with concern, "This matter is unusual. It's not the Inspectorate from the Order of the Church that has come, but the Great Sage himself."
The Great Sage is no ordinary title.
In Sumeru, the country is governed by scholars.
From Tiriyasi—a scholar who traveled far and wide to Dasata—a scholar who could independently research topics and create academic value.
Further up is the title of Habantha—a wise man of profound learning who can guide others, leading up to the highest sage title.
These four levels essentially form the pyramid of academia.
The Sages are already the strongest academic elites of the six major schools, and also the heads of their respective academies.
The one chosen from among the six sages, as the apex figure in charge of the Order of the Church, is called the "Great Sage".
The current great sage is Azhar of the Minglun school, who can be said to be the most authoritative person in Sumeru.
For someone of such high status to personally come and stop a flower goddess's birthday celebration, how could they possibly be any more fake?
Just like what a certain boss said back then, "If you want to punish someone, just hand them over to a jailer, that will suffice." Why bother coming here in person?
Xu Ning comforted him, "It's alright, it's alright. Brother Xu promised you, and he keeps his word. Nothing will happen."
After saying that, Xu Ning rushed onto the stage of the theater.
"Hmph, another one. I know you—a wine merchant from Liyue. With your knowledge, I don't believe you're qualified to debate with me. What you should do now is..."
Xu Ning picked at her ear with her little finger. "Yes, yes, you're right."
The copper gourd in his hand suddenly sprang out, seemingly light but actually extremely heavy, and struck the Great Sage Azar on the left temple.
With a muffled "thud," the Great Sage's eyes bulged, blood flowed from his mouth and nose, and his entire body suddenly stiffened, causing him to fall rigidly to the ground.
The entire Zubair Theater fell silent.
Everyone was so shocked by the assassination of the Great Sage that they even forgot to breathe.
The female scholar standing next to the Great Sage seemed to freeze. Even though Xu Ning had lifted her up by the back of her neck, she remained motionless and offered no resistance.
"It's alright, it's alright. This great sage is an imposter, a fake."
Xu Ning, carrying the completely dead Hazard in one hand and the stiff female scholar in the other, smiled at Nilu and said, "Keep singing and dancing, leave everything else to me..."
Nilu looked at the Dead Sage in Xu Ning's hand with a look of horror, and was almost in tears.
Can this dance continue?
At that moment, Kong, standing next to Dina Zede below the stage, was deeply moved.
So that's what Brother Xu meant when he said he'd leave everything to him?
Isn't this exactly what I expected?
Brother Xu must have been afraid of being wanted again, so he took all the blame upon himself.
Sigh! It's all my fault for waking up too late. I should have just done it myself instead of waiting for him.
Just as everyone in the Grand Bazaar was wondering what to do next, a sudden "beep" sounded in everyone's ears at the same time.
Xu Ning naturally heard this sound as well.
"Holy crap, this doesn't follow the rules! Why did it stop before the time was up? Is it because the Great Sage was killed, or is it to prevent Nel from dancing and to complete the Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival?"
Before he could think it through, Xu Ning suddenly realized he was standing at the door of Kong and Paimon's room.
The two little ones were stretching and yawning. "Brother Xu, you're here pretty early."